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I wish that I had replied to this yesterday before you did another update. Too many films for me to try to comment on all of them now.
Seen 25/40.
The Master is easily my favorite to appear so far. Just re-watched it a few weeks ago to reconfirm that it's still an incredible feat of filmmaking and worthy of making my favorites list. I'm just in awe of it -- from the photography to the powerhouse performances to the easy-to-follow narrative mixed with such opaque, enigmatic characters. It really is a film-version of a Rorschach test. I don't think it's my favorite movie of the decade (that would probably be Black Swan, which I know you don't care for much, or Aronofsky in general), but it's at least top 3. The Master, TWBB and Boogie Nights are all five-star movies, in my opinion, yet I still haven't watched Phantom Thread. (I have seen Inherent Vice, however, which is my least favorite PTA.) There's quite a few heavy-hitters from the last few years that I'm saving for just the right moment so they can have the upmost impact. The Irishman is another, for example.
Before Midnight would be my next favorite. I think I slightly prefer Before Sunset, but it's neck and neck. The whole trilogy is incredible. The finest, most believable on-screen romance I've seen. The last thirty-plus minutes of Midnight are incredibly draining. It's like watching your parents fight.
The Wolf of Wall Street and Django Unchained are hugely entertaining films with some bite. Love both, and they're highly re-watchable. The Quaaludes scene probably made me laugh harder than any other scene from the last decade, even though I feel sorta guilty laughing in the first place. But I think that's the brilliance of the film's humor.
Also love Us (agree that it's more effective in its horror than Get Out), Nightcrawler (Gyllenhaal was robbed of an Oscar nom that year), Inside Llewyn Davis (top-five Coens), and Everybody Wants Some!! (the big brother to Dazed and Confused, though for me it doesn't possess quite the same magic). From your honorable mentions, Killer Joe, It Follows and Logan would be high on my decade list. The latter might be my favorite superhero film at this point.
There's several others on here that I really dug as well (e.g. Only Lovers Left Alive, Nebraska, Arrival). Under the Skin is a movie that I still reflect on from time to time, and I'm not just referring to ScarJo's full-frontal. Would love to revisit it at some point. There's a few that I'm lukewarm about (e.g. Manchester by the Sea, Snowpiercer, Holy Motors). I hated Killing Them Softly, but I'd be hard-pressed to put into words why at this point.
The most surprising entry is Passion. Haven't seen it (though I'm sure that'll change at some point since I believe it features McAdams and Rapace as lesbians), but I've heard nothing but terrible things about it. I'm not at all a fan of De Palma's style, which always feels too ostentatious as he tries so hard to ape Hitchcock.
I've been on the fence with The Lost City of Z. I've seen We Own the Night, Two Lovers and The Immigrant from Gray, finding each of them solid but unremarkable. Comparing the film to two of my favorites (Aguirre and Apocalypse Now) certainly piques my interest. I've also heard people say that Ad Astra is Apocalypse Now in space, so I'm hopeful that Gray's two newest will resonate with me more than this earlier work.
I'd rank Fallout and Ghost Protocol ahead of Rogue Nation. I'd given up on the franchise a long time ago, but all the hyperbolic praise those last three movies received finally inspired me to dive back in, and I came away mightily impressed. Incredible set pieces and death-defying stunt work. Big-budget action done right.
Curious to hear how you scored an interview with the director of Bait. Also excited to see how your top ten plays out.
Seen 25/40.
The Master is easily my favorite to appear so far. Just re-watched it a few weeks ago to reconfirm that it's still an incredible feat of filmmaking and worthy of making my favorites list. I'm just in awe of it -- from the photography to the powerhouse performances to the easy-to-follow narrative mixed with such opaque, enigmatic characters. It really is a film-version of a Rorschach test. I don't think it's my favorite movie of the decade (that would probably be Black Swan, which I know you don't care for much, or Aronofsky in general), but it's at least top 3. The Master, TWBB and Boogie Nights are all five-star movies, in my opinion, yet I still haven't watched Phantom Thread. (I have seen Inherent Vice, however, which is my least favorite PTA.) There's quite a few heavy-hitters from the last few years that I'm saving for just the right moment so they can have the upmost impact. The Irishman is another, for example.
Before Midnight would be my next favorite. I think I slightly prefer Before Sunset, but it's neck and neck. The whole trilogy is incredible. The finest, most believable on-screen romance I've seen. The last thirty-plus minutes of Midnight are incredibly draining. It's like watching your parents fight.
The Wolf of Wall Street and Django Unchained are hugely entertaining films with some bite. Love both, and they're highly re-watchable. The Quaaludes scene probably made me laugh harder than any other scene from the last decade, even though I feel sorta guilty laughing in the first place. But I think that's the brilliance of the film's humor.
Also love Us (agree that it's more effective in its horror than Get Out), Nightcrawler (Gyllenhaal was robbed of an Oscar nom that year), Inside Llewyn Davis (top-five Coens), and Everybody Wants Some!! (the big brother to Dazed and Confused, though for me it doesn't possess quite the same magic). From your honorable mentions, Killer Joe, It Follows and Logan would be high on my decade list. The latter might be my favorite superhero film at this point.
There's several others on here that I really dug as well (e.g. Only Lovers Left Alive, Nebraska, Arrival). Under the Skin is a movie that I still reflect on from time to time, and I'm not just referring to ScarJo's full-frontal. Would love to revisit it at some point. There's a few that I'm lukewarm about (e.g. Manchester by the Sea, Snowpiercer, Holy Motors). I hated Killing Them Softly, but I'd be hard-pressed to put into words why at this point.
The most surprising entry is Passion. Haven't seen it (though I'm sure that'll change at some point since I believe it features McAdams and Rapace as lesbians), but I've heard nothing but terrible things about it. I'm not at all a fan of De Palma's style, which always feels too ostentatious as he tries so hard to ape Hitchcock.
I've been on the fence with The Lost City of Z. I've seen We Own the Night, Two Lovers and The Immigrant from Gray, finding each of them solid but unremarkable. Comparing the film to two of my favorites (Aguirre and Apocalypse Now) certainly piques my interest. I've also heard people say that Ad Astra is Apocalypse Now in space, so I'm hopeful that Gray's two newest will resonate with me more than this earlier work.
I'd rank Fallout and Ghost Protocol ahead of Rogue Nation. I'd given up on the franchise a long time ago, but all the hyperbolic praise those last three movies received finally inspired me to dive back in, and I came away mightily impressed. Incredible set pieces and death-defying stunt work. Big-budget action done right.
Curious to hear how you scored an interview with the director of Bait. Also excited to see how your top ten plays out.
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