The MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s Countdown

I've seen both, and they both fell into "like but didn't love" territory.

Hints:

30.



29.

Okay, now it's time for that movie to appear.

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29. Lighthouse

30. It's Such a Beautiful Day

30. The Florida Project

There's not much that's wrong with The Irishman. The acting is nothing short of stellar. I mean, come on. How can you go wrong with a cast like that? Including Ray Romano, who really impressed me in a rare dramatic role. Seeing Joe Pesci after such a long break, and in the theater for the first time as well was a complete joy. He decided to go for a much subtler portrayal of a gangster this time. He's still terrifying, but this time all it takes is a stare and you know you're dead already. Robert De Niro does a great job as usual. He risks getting overshadowed by Pesci and Pacino, but does particularly well in the quieter moments, where you can feel all the thoughts that are troubling inside him. And my man Al... what can I say? He totally steals the show. He hasn't lost one bit of his energy, and makes Jimmy Hoffa the most likable ass hole you'll ever see. I later saw the older Hoffa movie from 1992, and although they come incredibly close I think I love Pacino's portrayal the most. He's a true showman, a circus that won't stop until you forcibly tear the tent down. His scenes are so enthralling you never want them to end.

However, the movie does unfortunately have a slight downside, and it's one that most have mentioned already. Although the performances, script and overall vintage Scorsese tone makes it veer towards near-perfection, the deaging CGI is... hit-and-miss. It looks good of Joe Pesci since they didn't have to deage him that much, and astonishingly even works well on Al Pacino. However, on Robert De Niro the limitations of the technique clearly show the most. There's a weird uncanny effect where his face looks younger but his body, especially in scenes of violence, doesn't move like a young person. It's mostly a problem in the earlier half of the movie, and it never completely took me out of the story or anything. The fact that I'm even commenting on it though does prove enough of a issue that I can't rate it as highly as I want to.

Nevertheless it's still in the upper tier of Scorsese films for me. People argue "He's already done this kind of movie before, it's nothing new". That may be true, but I don't hold it as a negative at all. Quite the opposite, I'm happy he decided to give us another example in an era where that type of cinema is not very commonplace anymore.

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30. Since The Florida Project is taken I'll go The Social Network
29. Since Lighthouse is taken I'll go You Were Never Really Here

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30. Call me by your Name.


29. Arrival

30. Hugo
29. It's Such a Beautiful Day

You will please comport yourself, Rat, um, I mean Rodent!

Have seen neither Boyhood or The Irishman but I will see both one day. Their positives that have been spoken of seem to draw me more to them than their negatives turn me away.

List so far:
#2. Moonrise Kingdom #37
#5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri #44
#6. True Grit #40
#10. Hell or High Water #73
#11. Zero Dark Thirty #58
#15. Edge of Tomorrow #68
#24. Gone Girl #65

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"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."

I got a hint right! *clicks play button on tape player* *Believe It or Not by Joey Scarbury plays*

32. Boyhood - This is an interesting one, held in particular esteem by everyone in the film community. I've seen it a couple of times, and it's a satisfying story beyond the amazing fact that the actors in it grow older as they get older in the actual movie - the film was in production for 11 years, as Richard Linklater really solidified himself as the "filmmaker who makes films over many years as we see characters and actors age". It's not up into vote territory for me, even though I like the film a fair bit. In fact, I enjoyed it even more the second time around - it's the closest we've ever got to an absolutely authentic coming-of-age drama, because I believe Linklater let a lot of real stuff flow out of his actors in the same way he did in the Before trilogy. His daughter, Lorelei Linklater, plays one of the characters. It has a really genuine feel, and as we skip forward in time it's like meeting old friends again and seeing how they've grown. The various growing pains and such are enough to hook us into this family's story, with relatable troubles that everyone can recognize.

31. The Irishman - After having seen 27 films straight, we finally get to another one I haven't seen. The main reason? The Irishman's running time of 200+ minutes always scares me off. I mean, if I find it hard to get into, I'm gonna be stuck for one hell of a long time. Maybe, if I read glowing reviews for it in this thread that might be the impetus for me to finally see it. It's the only Best Picture nominee at the 2020 Oscars that I haven't seen yet - and was nominated for 10 (and winning none - that has to be some kind of record.) Nope - just checked that out and The Turning Point (1977) and The Color Purple (1986) were nominated for 11 and didn't manage to win a single category.

Seen 62/70

30. Eighth Grade
29. Fury Road

It wasn't on my list, but Boyhood was a really interesting watch. One might think that the logistics of its filming would overshadow the film itself, but I think the film can hold its own pretty well. Most of the performances are pretty good, especially Ethan Hawke, and I really like all the themes that Linklater brings to the table through this experiment. Here is the review I wrote back when I saw it.

I haven't seen The Irishman


So, here's where I'm at, including the chances for the rest of my list...

Seen: 51/70



I think I might have to adjust some of these percentages but it's late and I'm tired so I will do it tomorrow.

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That's what I get for not just pre-emptively guessing.

All my alternative guesses for 29 have already been said.


#30 seems like The Social Network, but since it's already taken, I'll say:


30. The Master

30. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

29. Looper

Also, pit stop tomorrow for those looking forward to it.

They should retire from my cinematic world because they've stopped being interesting. Scorsese hasn't made anything that excited me or even seemed like it was trying to be challenging or new in many years and DeNiro, to me, has become so redundant that his name on a film nearly guarantees I'll give it a miss as I just can't stand to see him act exactly the same in yet another movie. But they both still command so much attention. I just kinda wish they would go gently into that good night.

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I saw Boyhood a few years ago, but I thought it was just an okay movie with a gimmick of being filmed over many years. I rewatched it for this countdown, but my opinion hasn't changed. The movie is just an average coming-of-age story, but it's gotten extra praise because of a gimmick. It makes me wonder if it would have made this countdown if it had been filmed without the gimmick.


I watched The Irishman for this countdown, mostly because I was curious about the movie that convinced Joe Pesci to come out of retirement. I didn't find it to be much different from several other gangster movies. It even had many of the same actors from those other gangster movies. It's a good movie, but I didn't find anything special about it to make it stand out above the rest, (except for recognizing the ice cream shop as one near here that I pass every weekend).

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