Rear Window, 12 Angry Men, Citizen Kane – all considered as “classics”, but what films made in the last ten or so years will be considered in a similar light in 2050?

Paula over at Paula’s Cinema Club happened upon the idea of predicting films made in the last ten years that will be “classics” in thirty or forty years time. So I got my thinking cap on and drew up a list of great films made since the year 2000.

It wasn’t an easy task since so many films that might be thoroughly entertaining right now might not have that same sense of enjoyment to audiences in 2050. Films like The Apartment (1960) and 12 Angry Men (1957) – films I consider great cinematic achievements – still work as well today as they did in their heyday. But why? Because they encapsulate the best attributes of the medium – fabulous characters with depth and charisma, stories that still resonate in 2012, performances that are totally immersed in the character, displaying authentic, believable emotion. What films from the last few years can live up to these expectations. There aren’t many but there’s definitely one or two that stand out. Some of which have already made the Future Classic Movies list.

After much deliberation my choice for Future Classic Movie is a film that has been a favourite since I first saw it in 2004. It is one of very few films I’ve watched several times in a few days – in fact, I watched it three times in three days and have watched it several times since then. The film was made by, in my mind, one of the best directors currently working in Hollywood. This director’s grasp of character and the human condition, along with his ability to portray that in films that move delightfully through character-centred journeys that mix drama and comedy, is second to none. He recently drew mainstream attention with the George Clooney-starring The Descendants and has worked previously with Jack Nicholson, and arguably gave Reese Witherspoon her best ever role in Election.

Here’s the reasons why Sideways (through its appearances on Top 10 Films) is a Future Classic Movie:

#1 in Top 50 films of the 2000s
#1 in Top 10 Films of 2004
#1 in Top 10 Films about Food and Drink
#5 in Most Featured Films on Top 10 Films
#5 in Top 10 Buddy Films since 1980
#6 in Top 10 Male Adventures in Self-Discovery
Plus: Most Memorable & Most Funniest Moment of the 2000s

Written by Daniel Stephens.

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