The MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s Countdown

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Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
Near Misses (#121 - #130)

121. I, Daniel Blake - 66 points
(79/100)
122. It's Such a Beautiful Day - 64 points (this is the 2011 short, so it may be inaccurate as Yoda mentioned earlier)
(78/100)
123. Avengers: Infinity War - 63 points
124. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - 63 points

125. Life of Pi - 63 points
(70/100)
126. Scream 4 - 62 points
127. The Skin I Live In - 61 points
128. Argo - 61 points
129. 12 Years a Slave - 60 points

130. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens - 60 points
(40/100)
---

I, Daniel Blake was within my consideration titles, finally taking #50 on my list.

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"Population don't imitate art, population imitate bad television." W.A.
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." M.T.



Near Misses (#111 - #120)

111. The Babadook - 72 points
112. Mandy - 71 points
113. Won't You be My Neighbor? - 71 points
114. Skyfall - 70 points
115. Uncle Boonmee Who can Recall His Past Lives - 70 points
116. Hanagatami - 70 points
117. Midsommar - 68 points
118. Hugo - 67 points
119. A Ghost Story - 67 points
120. You Were Never Really Here - 67 points
Of this, I've seen three. Two of which made my list.

The Babadook was my #19. A horror story that focuses on the psychological toll on a stressed mother (Essie Davis) who faces various shades of terror as her son fears a monster is lurking in their house and then strange things start to happen. It not only builds on the atmosphere of dread, but it dives into other meaty topics for discussion as well. Also features one of the more interesting actors in this past decade in Daniel Henshall.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? is my #7. My top documentary of the past decade focuses on the life and legacy of Mister Rogers. Not only did he take the job seriously (footage is shown of him testifying in front of Congress about saving PBS) but he also shows a sense of humor (he apparently was fine with Eddie Murphy's take on his character). In essence, what you see on the screen is pretty close to what you got in real life and that is heartening.

Skyfall was a solid James Bond action film which focuses a decent amount on the changing relationship between Bond and Moneypenny. From the shot at the beginning of the film to the close shave she gives him later on, it's fascinating to watch Daniel Craig and Naomie Harris and their interactions. Throw in a plot that hits close to home for Bond as M (Judi Dench) finds her job and life at stake and a memorable villain (Javier Bardem) and you are looking at one of the highlights of Craig's turn as Bond. I can complain about the similarity of the third act to a certain Christmas movie, but then again, seeing Albert Finney show up and hearing one of the best Bond themes from Adele also does make up for it.



Had a couple more show. The first was Django Unchained which was my 23rd fav film of the decade. I wasn't really looking forward to Django as Kill Bill Vol. 2, Inglorious Basterds and Death Proof had me thinking Tarantino's time had come and gone but I loved this. It was funny, over the top violent, had great performances (even Leo was good) and I do love a good revenge flick. Great addition to the Django name.

Next up was Birdman my 5th favorite film of the decade. Don't have much to say but it's one of those movies where I watched it, then watched it again the following day I liked it so much. A sucker for great performances Birdman has several.


Finally a film with no great performances - It's Such a Beautiful Day was the latest film I watched to make my list and it's my 13th favorite film of the decade. So it's not much to look at, it's doesn't have great acting but it does have Bill and Bill is far and away a more interesting character than 99% of what makes it to a movie screen. This little film is a roller coaster of emotions and is another that I watched back to back.


My near miss is I Saw the Devil, a brutal tale of a cat repeatedly toying with his mouse (this isn't your average mouse - he's the serial killer type of mouse - a real nasty guy) and the toll it takes on his sanity. Is the cat becoming what he despises and is he playing with his toy for too long? It's a great film but the violence/torture could be a turnoff for some.



66/90 watched


1. Should make it
2. No
3. Absolutely
4. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) #58
5. Yeah? Birdman (2014) #21
6. Probably not - I Saw the Devil (2010) #106
7. The Raid (2011) #100
8. No
9. Inside Out (2015) #59
10. No
11. Yes
12. No
13. Yes - It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) #16
14. Yes
15. True Grit (2010) #40
16. Hereditary (2018) #96
17. No
18. The Witch (2015) #91
19. No
20. Sicario (2015) #36
21. Doubt it
22. Interstellar (2014) #33
23. Not sure - Django Unchained (2012) #27
24. No
25. No



Welcome to the human race...
One vote. The Wolf of Wall Street was my #18. Perhaps putting three Scorseses on my list was overkill, especially since this one would have managed just fine without me, but I went with it anyway. Obviously, anyone who's even sufficiently familiar with Scorsese's work can probably tell the ways in which he varies familiar themes (and detractors can refer to as derivative and self-indulgent) but it's still very much proof that even in his later years he can still maintain the same sharpness and energy that made him a filmmaking legend time and time again. It's definitely not the most pleasant watch even as so much of it is ostensibly about men seeking increasingly decadent gratification off the back of fleecing countless unseen victims, illustrating the folly of the American Dream even as it keeps showing how many bastards succeed in the pursuit of it (and how they can be erroneously categorised as aspirational figures by the broken system than enables them).

As for Arrival, I saw it once in theatres and as of writing still haven't seen it. Kind of amazed that I've managed to watch Enemy a second time but not Arrival or Prisoners, but I think that might speak to a common issue I have with a bunch of Villeneuve films is that I can't help but feel like I get all I'm ever going to get out of them on a single viewing. Not like I haven't rewatched films of his (and I may yet manage to rewatch Arrival), but something about the heady high concepts and twisty narrative don't seem to lend themselves to repeatedly compelling experiences. Still, you never know.

None of the near-misses listed so far were on my ballot, but just some quick thoughts:

101. Frances Ha - seen once, thought it was okay and maybe worth a second viewing that will probably never happen
102. Call Me By Your Name - seen once, liked it at the time but would probably dislike it now for a variety of reasons
103. The Nice Guys - seen it a bunch, a very good time at the movies
104. Moneyball - not seen
105. I Am Not Your Negro - seen once, liked it, definitely a doc that deserved to make the list
106. I Saw the Devil - seen once, thought it was decent but kind of wore out its welcome with its protracted revenge plot
107. American Hustle - seen twice, as noted earlier I think everything David O. Russell has done outside of Three Kings is hot garbage
108. Lady Bird - seen twice, it's fine, whatever
109. Mommy - seen twice, Dolan's not really my thing and he's made this kind of movie before but I guess he got it halfway-right this time
110. Predestination - seen once, that's all I needed
111. The Babadook - seen once, found it effective but wonder if it would have the same effect on rewatch
112. Mandy - seen twice, really enjoyed it but can't shake the fact that something about its status as a modern cult film feels a little manufactured
113. Won't You be My Neighbor? - not seen
114. Skyfall - seen a bunch, sucks that this weak and regressive Dark Knight wannabe gets held up as one of the good Bond movies
115. Uncle Boonmee Who can Recall His Past Lives - seen at least two or three times, enjoyed it quite a bit
116. Hanagatami - seen once, liked it, should revisit and/or watch more Obayashi
117. Midsommar - seen twice, really did not like it, sucks that this derivative claptrap is what passes for a modern horror classic these days
118. Hugo - seen once, really liked it but obviously need a rewatch
119. A Ghost Story - seen once, liked it at the time but feel I would probably think it was a little stupid if I rewatched it
120. You Were Never Really Here - seen twice, really liked it, as far as movies about Joaquin Phoenix playing weird violent loners go it deserved to be on the list more than Joker and maybe even The Master
121. I, Daniel Blake - seen once, properly affecting but once was enough
122. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2011) - I already made the full film my #1 so needless to say I think this is great and demand a recount
123. Avengers: Infinity War - seen twice, the mainline Avengers films are all uniformly terrible but by those standards this is semi-tolerable
124. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - seen at least 2 or 3 times, not the worst MCU film but can't help but resent the damage done by how much this was upsold as a '70s conspiracy thriller but with superheroes
125. Life of Pi - seen once, liked it fine but I can't help but wonder if I need to give it another shot to really win me over
126. Scream 4 - seen once, maybe my 2nd-favourite film in the franchise pending a full rewatch before VI drops but we'll see if it holds onto that position
127. The Skin I Live In - seen once, thought it was fine at first but hard not to wonder if maybe Almodovar isn't all he's cracked up to be
128. Argo - seen twice maybe, feels like you can pick apart how it streamlines politics for the sake of making history into both Hollywood comedy and nail-biting thriller
129. 12 Years a Slave - seen three times, one of the better Best Picture winners from this decade but it might actually lose a little something with each watch, which is definitely a problem
130. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens - lost count of how many times I've seen it (at least five?), but at the same time I think it's mildly entertaining at best and symptomatic of something very wrong with modern Hollywood at worst

Definitely curious what your full Scorsese ranking looks like now.

Yes, once again somehow it is another one of our lists missing any Pedro Almodóvar titles. I still contend it is because even among his admirers (and there are plenty of us here on MoFo) there is no consensus as to what his one or two "best" are. It spreads his support among too many titles and none of them wind up making the Top 100.
I mean, All About My Mother and Talk to Her made the countdowns for their respective decades and I thought they were the obvious candidates for his best (they won Oscars and everything). If anything he's made in the 2010s warranted consideration for the countdown, it should have been Pain and Glory, but I guess a subdued semi-autobiographical character study isn't going to make the same waves as one of his more...extreme works like The Skin I Live In.
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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



Here is my feeble attempt at predicting the Top 10 ranking...

1. Mad Max Fury Road
2. Parasite
3. La La Land
4. Whiplash
5. Avengers: Infinity War
6. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
7. The Social Network
8. The Tree of Life
9. Blade Runner 2049
10. Grand Budapest Hotel


There's one in there that doesn't feel right, but well...



1. Mad Max Fury Road
2. Parasite
3. La La Land
4. Whiplash
5. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
6. The Social Network
7. Her
8. The Tree of Life
9. Blade Runner 2049
10. Grand Budapest Hotel
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A system of cells interlinked
The ones I've seen in the NM category and didn't vote for are Lady Bird, which I really liked. But I voted for a different Saoirse Ronan film that I now know (in fact, probably a good ways back) has no chance. In fact, it's probably so far buried in the boondocks of this countdown that it will hurt if all the voted-for films are shown.
I assume you are talking about Brooklyn here. I am right there with you, having lost hope for seeing this one somewhere in the 60s. Easily one of my favorites of the decade, and had even cracked my Top 10 of all time for a while when I was watching it frequently.



My ballot so far...
  1. Should be Top 10
  2. Gravity
  3. Arrival
  4. Will be Top 10
  5. Brooklyn - Sadly will not make it
  6. The Revenant
  7. Incendies
  8. Life of Pi - Another near miss
  9. Whoops! Thought this was a near miss but wasn't
  10. Prisoners
  11. The Florida Project
  12. Boyhood
  13. Birdman
  14. Might make Top 3
  15. Interstellar
  16. Still think this makes Top 10 even if Vicky doesn't
  17. The Man from Nowhere
  18. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation - Wasted slot on my ballot but I love it
  19. Sicario
  20. Hell or High Water
  21. The Guardians of the Galaxy
  22. Inception
  23. Get Out
  24. Zero Dark Thirty
  25. The Raid: Redemption
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“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



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.
Going back to this, so far we've had...

The King's Speech (#78)
The Artist (#87)
Argo (#128)
12 Years a Slave (#129)
Birdman (#21)
Spotlight (#63)
Moonlight (#62)
The Shape of Water (#52)
Green Book (?)
Parasite (?)

I think it's safe to say that only one of those two will make it, so Holden wasn't that far off.



Ever since The Wolf of Wall Street came out, I've noticed people who say they don't or can't enjoy it because it's about a bad guy. I enjoy every minute of that character and I laugh my ass off when he screws someone over. It doesn't bother me in the least. It's not because I don't think the real person is deplorable because I do.

3 years ago my wife and I were taken for $24,000 in a scam and at the time it was all the money we had. I went to the police, FBI, and every state and federal agency I could find. Nobody wanted to do anything about it because in the big picture of crime, we weren't a big deal. Through my own investigation, I found dozens more victims and the total loss was in the millions. None of them knew about each other. I kept pushing and pushing with law enforcement and finally the guy ended up pleading guilty in December, and I am the one who put an end to his criminal enterprise. I'm getting my money back but I don't care about that, I put in all the work because I wanted him to stop doing it to others. Unfortunately, only two other parties had enough evidence saved and were recent enough to receive justice. All of the other victims are at least pleased that he is out of business.

https://www.mass.gov/news/taunton-ma...machine-scheme

The point of this story is that if I can enjoy Wolf of Wall Street after going through that, why can't anyone? It's not a criticism of anyone's taste or opinion, I just find it kind of interesting.



Near Misses (#121 - #130)

121. I, Daniel Blake - 66 points
122. It's Such a Beautiful Day - 64 points (this is the 2011 short, so it may be inaccurate as Yoda mentioned earlier)
123. Avengers: Infinity War - 63 points
124. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - 63 points
125. Life of Pi - 63 points
126. Scream 4 - 62 points
127. The Skin I Live In - 61 points
128. Argo - 61 points
129. 12 Years a Slave - 60 points
130. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens - 60 points
I see two more films that I ranked (and there goes my last hope of making it in the top 10).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was my number 14. I saw this one in the drive in (I think it was my first full film seen there...caught about 80-90 percent of Rio 2 but I was able to keep up). A nice mix of action (the scene at the elevator) and 1970s conspiracy thriller as both the Cap (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) find themselves on the run from Hydra. Throw in a memorable appearance from Robert Redford lending his gravitas and the storyline about Steve trying to get through to his old friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) who has become an assassin known as The Winter Soldier. Throw in the touching scene where the Cap dances with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) fifty years after they parted and this might be the best superhero film since Spider-Man 2.

Life of Pi was one of my final cuts. A story of a boy who thinks unusually (how many do you know that take bits and pieces from other religions) which might be his best chance of surviving a long boat trip with a tiger. Ang Lee does a great job of utilizing 3D and there's food for thought in Pi which is definitely appreciated.

Scream 4 felt like one too many for me. Three kind of skirted the line of how much meta is too much for a film and when 4 features a character talking to another about their damaged brand, that felt like too much of a reach for a film that desperately needed a reboot.

The Skin I Live In was a solid drama about a man (Antonio Banderas) who desperately seeks to test an experimental skin on a human captive named Vera because of a car crash he was involved in with his wife Gal years before that ultimately took a dark turn. I won't reveal more than that, although I thought both Banderas and director Pedro Almodovar were good at making a compelling story.

12 Years a Slave was my number 15. A story of a free man and violinist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) tricked into going on a ride that throws him into the nightmare of slavery. There are a few small moments of comfort (Alfre Woodard!), but the film doesn't shy away from the brutality of the world he's entered into. There are some brutal sequences that you want to look away from, but director Steve McQueen won't allow you to. I think it was the last time I cried ugly until another film on my list took the honors a couple years ago. Although the sequence leading to the climax is a bit questionable, the final scene does hit like a gut punch.

Wow, how could I forget The Force Awakens. It didn't make my list but after the prequels that varied in quality yet seemed to be worse than the original trilogy, it was nice to see JJ Abrams bring Star Wars back to a quality outing as we get introduced to a largely new crew of people. Finn (John Boyega) was the most interesting of them, but Daisy Ridley's Rey was likable and Adam Driver brought the anger as Kylo Ren. And it was nice seeing the newbies interact with the old guard (Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford) in a way that allowed Star Wars some continuity while allowing the new characters to do their things. I did feel like The Last Jedi topped it and put the trilogy in some interesting new directions...but fanboy outcry ultimately forced Abrams back into the booth for Rise of Skywalker which based on what I heard could have been a mistake.



None of the five titles from my ballot that are not going to make it were in the 101-130 dump, they didn't even came close to cracking the Top 100. Though that doesn't really surprise me. One of the five I thought might squeak in, but the other four I pretty well knew were just there for my own amusement.
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"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



Ever since The Wolf of Wall Street came out, I've noticed people who say they don't or can't enjoy it because it's about a bad guy. I enjoy every minute of that character and I laugh my ass off when he screws someone over. It doesn't bother me in the least. It's not because I don't think the real person is deplorable because I do.

3 years ago my wife and I were taken for $24,000 in a scam and at the time it was all the money we had. I went to the police, FBI, and every state and federal agency I could find. Nobody wanted to do anything about it because in the big picture of crime, we weren't a big deal. Through my own investigation, I found dozens more victims and the total loss was in the millions. None of them knew about each other. I kept pushing and pushing with law enforcement and finally the guy ended up pleading guilty in December, and I am the one who put an end to his criminal enterprise. I'm getting my money back but I don't care about that, I put in all the work because I wanted him to stop doing it to others. Unfortunately, only two other parties had enough evidence saved and were recent enough to receive justice. All of the other victims are at least pleased that he is out of business.

https://www.mass.gov/news/taunton-ma...machine-scheme

The point of this story is that if I can enjoy Wolf of Wall Street after going through that, why can't anyone? It's not a criticism of anyone's taste or opinion, I just find it kind of interesting.
Wow, that must've been quite a stressful situation. Glad that it kinda worked out for you in the end.



So...

16. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012, Don Hertzfeldt) 213 points
+
122. It's Such a Beautiful Day - 64 points (this is the 2011 short, so it may be inaccurate as Yoda mentioned earlier)
=
277 points

We'll see how many points #10 gets but as it stands this is higher than 11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013, Martin Scorsese) 261 points.
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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."



And here is my final top ten prediction:

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Parasite
3. Whiplash
4. The Tree of Life
5. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
6. The Social Network
7. Blade Runner 2049
8. Her
9. La La Land
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Just a reminder my top 10 predictions from earlier.



Welcome to the human race...
So...

16. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012, Don Hertzfeldt) 213 points
+
122. It's Such a Beautiful Day - 64 points (this is the 2011 short, so it may be inaccurate as Yoda mentioned earlier)
=
277 points

We'll see how many points #10 gets but as it stands this is higher than 11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013, Martin Scorsese) 261 points.
Here's how Don can still win.



A system of cells interlinked
Going back to this, so far we've had...

The King's Speech (#78)
The Artist (#87)
Argo (#128)
12 Years a Slave (#129)
Birdman (#21)
Spotlight (#63)
Moonlight (#62)
The Shape of Water (#52)
Green Book (?)
Parasite (?)

I think it's safe to say that only one of those two will make it, so Holden wasn't that far off.
I think I guessed 7, but picked the wrong titles to miss.




The one of my misses I thought had a small chance of popping up on the bottom of the list was Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016). I have been a fan of Taika Waititi since I saw his short film Two Cars, One Night at a film festival. Then came "Flight of the Conchords" and Eagle vs. Shark and Boy and I was sure he was some kind of a maniacal, hilarious genius. I have loved all of his stuff thus far (minus maybe Thor: Love and Thunder). I know here on MoFo What We Do in the Shadows is the favorite, which I like a lot - though think in many ways the television series has surpassed it. And I adore Jojo Rabbit, am tickled it got Taika an Oscar (for Adapted Screenplay), and was happy to see it place on this list. But for me his best film to date is Hunt for the Wilderpeople. I cannot get enough of this one. Has all of that Waititi trademark dark humor and heartfelt pathos mixed perfectly in the tale of Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), a ne'er-do-well orphan from the big city sent to a foster home in the wilderness of New Zealand, taken in by an older couple Bella & Hec (Rima Te Wiata & Sam Neill). Circumstances turn young Ricky and the grumpy Hec into reluctant fugitives...and the chase is on!

It got thirteen points from me, anyway.

HOLDEN PIKE’S LIST
4. Incendies (#30)
5. Take Shelter (#67)
6. The Artist (#87)
8. Silence (#43)
9. Birdman (#21)
10. The Revenant (#53)
11. The Favourite (#61)
13. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (DNP)
14. Nightcrawler (#55)
15. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (#72)
17. The Wolf of Wall Street (#11)
19. Silver Linings Playbook (#24)
21. Room (#97)
22. True Grit (#40)
24. Get Out (#19)





A system of cells interlinked
Just quickly re: my ballot

I watched Nightcrawler again recently, and I am pretty sure I would have given Rogue Nation's slot to that film if I had managed to get the viewing in before ballot submission.



No more films from my ballot will make it to the list. I was expecting a somewhat higher number than five, but other people's bad taste can't be helped

One of the near misses was on my ballot, though. The Nice Guys was my #20. I only saw it quite recently and just once, so it's one of the later additions to my list. Funny and enjoyable comedy with good parental advice.

Seen: 41.5/90

My ballot (this far)  


From the films that made it and the near misses revealed, the following were in some consideration for my ballot, but eventually didn't make it:

JoJo Rabbit, Prisoners, Joker, Interstellar, The Hateful Eight, Arrival, Hugo and You Were Never Really Here.
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