The MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s Countdown

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80 points, 7 lists
Hereditary
Director

Ari Aster, 2018

Starring

Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro
#96








81 points, 6 lists
The Man from Nowhere
Director

Lee Jeong-beom, 2010

Starring

Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Tae-hoon, Kim Hee-won
#95






Trivia

Hereditary - Ari Aster requested that Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro go out to eat in character a few times, and they would sit for up to three hours in silence while Milly wouldn't speak and Alex would try to get her to talk.
The Man From Nowhere - The primary weapon Ramrowan uses is a fixed-blade karambit. Specifically, the model featured throughout the film is a "Steel Tiger" Karambit made by Cold Steel; a Ventura, California based weapons manufacturer and seller.



MoFo Reviewers

Hereditary

The script is strong and when looking back there are lots of little hints here and there to this families history. You don't think about it at first, but when everything plays it, those bits take on other meanings. Much like the film Get Out, this film takes pride in the small details that many people may miss. I like the choices Aster makes here, very focused and deliberate. The entire inside of the house was built on a sound stage so they could remove the walls and give the rooms a 'dollhouse' look. Very effective.
Read the full review here.

The Man From Nowhere

This is another solid entry in the subgenre of action movies about veterans who have lost their humanity, reclaim it, have it stolen from them and seek vengeance such as John Wick and Man on Fire. Like Wick and Man on Fire's Creasy, Cha Tae-sik is as terrifying as he is sympathetic and provides a vehicle for a memorable performance, which we get from Won Bin. By emphasizing his desire to be left alone and touches like his shroud of a getup and unkempt hair, I first questioned why the movie diverted from the action to follow this nobody around, which made that instantaneous knife grab and the revelation of his back story shocking in the best way. Luckily, Tae-sik has a worthy cadre of rivals, my favorites being Thanayong Wongtrakul as requisite "quiet one" Ramrowan and Kim Sung-oh's sadistic Jong-seok.
Read the full review here.



I first watched The Man From Nowhere for a Hall of Fame several years ago. I went in with low expectations and was blown away by it. I loved the story. I loved the action. The protagonist is hot. The bad guys are fun. And it's just a really entertaining ride throughout. It ended up being disqualified from that HOF due to the person who nominated not finishing and I was really disappointed. I've seen it twice since then and I've loved it a little more each time. I had it at #11.

I haven't seen Hereditary, but I might rectify that just to see what level of crazy it is compared to the Aster films I have seen.

Seen: 4/6
My Ballot:
11. The Man From Nowhere (#95)
25. Kitbull (One Pointer)

Reviews in My 2010s Countdown Preparation Thread

My most recent review for The Man From Nowhere:



The Man From Nowhere (Ajeossi) (Jeong-beom Lee, 2010)
(Rewatch)

While this is not exactly a masterpiece of cinema, The Man From Nowhere is an excellent action film nevertheless. And it really has everything I want in the genre: a badass hero who is hot, mysterious, and relentless; bad guys that I love to hate; a whole lot of violence; a dash of humor; and just enough emotional impact to elevate it just a tad above mindless entertainment. I believe this was my third time watching it and it is a hell of a ride and a lock for my ballot.




mark f

I wasnt able to find a formal rating or review he wrote of Hereditary, but I did find this sentence description of it in the horror movie countdown.

I liked Hereditary well enough but not as much as Freaks which I didn't list.

I know the picture isn't showing up, but I'll post the rating anyways.

The Man from Nowhere (Jeong-beom Lee, 2010)


Even bullet-proof glass breaks when fired upon from point-blank range by pawnbroker Bin Won.





I don't expect there will be a whole lot of crossover with previous MoFo Lists as so many of them are either decade-based or were compiled pre-2010. This is the first time many of these titles will be "eligible". However, some of the more recent genre lists will have 2010-2019 titles, and the first to show up on the countdown is Hereditary. It was #56 on the 2019 reboot of the MoFo Horror List.
__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra



I like Aster's films, but of the two I prefer Midsommar to Hereditary. I think there's a bit of a goofy spirit behind them which I appreciate. Hereditary did not make my list; did Midsommar? We'll see.

The Man from Nowhere is new to me.



100. The Raid: Redemption
99. World of Tomorrow

98. The Descendants

97. Room

96. Hereditary

95. The Man From Nowhere

4/6 seen.

Watched World of Tomorrow this morning, enjoyed it, and liked the ideas it discusses but hardly revolutionary or particularly cinematic to me.

The Decendants I need to rewatch as I like Alexander Payne and George Clooney, but I didn't like this.

Room I disliked too. Like a TV movie just with competent performances and emotional/exploitative themes. Not my type of film at all.

Hereditary started off well enough but collapses in on itself by the third act for me.

I'm not normally this doom and gloom I promise I've not heard much about The Man From Nowhere at all, but it looks like something I might enjoy.
__________________



The Man From Nowhere is my #4, delighted to see it turn up even if (again) I had hoped to see it finish higher than this. Second one that wouldn't have made it without my vote - just as well I sent in a ballot to give the list some credibility
Hereditary is a decent watch and is another of those that was on the long list but unfortunately simply didn't make the cut for my ballot in the end.

Seen: 6/6 (Own: 4/6)
My ballot:  


Faildictions  



Both extremely good films. Hereditary I really liked because it had a good balance of being extremely messed up and disturbing, but also the right tone, very well acted and Aster just knows how to push the buttons and when do reign back. I know others on this site disagree saying he went too far. But I don't normally enjoy horror films as much as I enjoyed Hereditary.

The Man from Nowhere is a great action flick. Been a long while since I saw it now but I remember it looking great and being a thrill ride.

Neither made my ballot.



Hereditary made my ballot at #23. It's a terrific horror film where half the fun of it is rewatching it and picking up on all the subtle hints about the late-film reveals and twists of the plot (and believe me, there's a lot in there). I can understand why some people wouldn't enjoy it since it's essentially a mishmash of genre clichés and tropes, but what differentiates this film from other films like it is that Aster is able to find a unique voice to tackle the subject with. I think he handles it with so deft of a hand that you don't even notice this in the end. It also has some effective horror scenes which are hard to write about without spoiling the plot. The car sequence in the first quarter was the clear standout though.

I watched The Man From Nowhere for a Hall of Fame, and I enjoyed it. Here's what I wrote about the film at the time:

The Man From Nowhere (2010) -


Overall, this is a solid action film. My opinion on it was slightly tinged by the awful dubbing in the version I watched (specifically in regards to the young girl), but fortunately, I was able to adjust to it after a while and, though I still would've preferred watching a non-dubbed version of the film, I found enough to enjoy about it.

To get it out of the way, yes, the action was definitely the main highlight for me. The various action scenes in the film were diverse and inventive enough so that the film didn't feel like it was repeating itself as it rolled along. The fight in the bathroom, the terrific window jump where the camera follows the protagonist out the window, or the final fight all had great choreography and I can see myself revisiting those scenes in the future. In fact, some moments were so jaw-dropping, I found myself rewinding the film on several different occasions to watch them again. Nowadays, it's rare for action scenes to impress me since I've seen so many of them, but this film was an exception to that.

As for the story, it's fine, I suppose, but I definitely think this is a case of action over story. A number of plot elements (mysterious loner with a criminal past, kidnapped young girl, tragic backstory, villainous side kick who's more skilled than the main villain) are clichés which I've seen in other action films. For the most part, I didn't feel like the film was able to find a unique voice in tackling these plot elements for it to avoid these pitfalls. Of course, this isn't to say I disliked the story by any means. Again, I think it was fine. It just wasn't anything spectacular, in my opinion. If I rewatch the film, I'll likely skip to the second half where most of the action occurs.

Overall, in spite of my reservations towards the story, I did like this film quite a bit as I felt the action was strong enough to make up for the missteps in the narrative. I don't know if I'll watch this film from start to finish again, but I can definitely see myself rewatching the second half in the future.
My ballot:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. Hereditary (#96)
24.
25.



Hereditary is my 112th favorite horror film of all time but no vote.



The Man from Nowhere is my #6. Stylish action drama film with heart.

Seen 4/6
Ballot 2/25







2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
Chalk up a point for Raul!

Man, Hereditary was definitely on pace for a 4/5 but I wasn't a fan of how that ending played out. Still enjoyed quite a bit enough for like a 3.5+/5

Man from Nowhere was good too. I gave it a 4/5. Whether it has enough staying power is to be determined.



Note to self, bigger movies won't always get more votes.

I can't watch Hereditary ever again. It mirrored my mom's psychosis all too accurately. So that's the reason the movie scared me so much.



Hereditary is not the horror movie on my list, but it's solid unsettling movie.

Neither is Man from Nowhere, but it's a fun action movie.

Useless trivia.
There is a Bollywood remake of Man from Nowhere called Rocky Handsome. It's an average movie, but the final fight scene is more stylishly shot than the original, which felt more realistic.



I was out of town last weekend, but one of the pre-reveal questions I meant to ask the group is how many of the ten Best Picture Oscar winners do you think will make the collective list? And as none have yet been revealed, I can still ask.

The ten films were The King's Speech, The Artist, Argo, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Spotlight, Moonlight, The Shape of Water, Green Book, and Parasite.


I'll guess eight of the ten make it.

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