The MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s Countdown

→ in
Tools    





You ready? You look ready.
The Tree of Life is a terrible, terrible movie. I'm already living that movie
__________________
"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza



Seen and was very much on the fence about Tree of Life.

Malick is a director whose films I appreciate on artistic level, but find them too high brow and somewhat…esoteric perhaps? I find myself admiring them at arms length.

Just from the last 25 years or does that also include his two early, career establishing films (Badlands and Days of Heaven) as well?



La Grande Bellezza

An homage to beauty by Paolo Sorrentino. One of the most artistic and gorgeous looking films of the decade. At first I was a bit upset that it didn't make the list but not long after I felt maybe its omission solidifies a certain hidden gem quality. Perhaps more appealing to an older generation of cinephiles that can relate to the main character's reflective life phase. The Great Beauty was my #15.




La Grande Bellezza

An homage to beauty by Paolo Sorrentino. One of the most artistic and gorgeous looking films of the decade. At first I was a bit upset that it didn't make the list but not long after I felt maybe its omission solidifies a certain hidden gem quality. Perhaps more appealing to an older generation of cinephiles that can relate to the main character's reflective life phase. The Great Beauty was my #15.

Lovely film that. Have you seen Sorrentino's 'Hand of God' ? It's very personal. He was stuck during Covid on his project not being able to fly to locations. So he just made Hand of God on a whim!!! Unreal.



Lovely film that. Have you seen Sorrentino's 'Hand of God' ? It's very personal. He was stuck during Covid on his project not being able to fly to locations. So he just made Hand of God on a whim!!! Unreal.
Wow that is unreal, haven't seen it yet but I will soon.



A system of cells interlinked
The Tree of Life is a terrible, terrible movie. I'm already living that movie
I know it's been a while since we hung out, but I don't recall you being a tie-wearing corpo with a high and tight haircut and horn rimmed glasses!

I started this film last night, and it was far from terrible!

I know, a travesty to watch it in pieces, but hey, that's my branch of the tree of life now!
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell





Actor stats


6
Scarlett Johansson

5
Jessica Chastain, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Evans

4
Jeremy Renner, Oscar Isaac, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Shea Whigham, Sebastian Stan, Domhnall Gleeson



Her is my #54 of the decade. (#112 on my all time 250 from 4 years ago) Wonderful film!



The trick is not minding
Just from the last 25 years or does that also include his two early, career establishing films (Badlands and Days of Heaven) as well?
Just the last 25 years, I guess.
Haven’t seen Badlands, but I have seen Days of Heaven. Days of Heaven is good, but even that film I felt some sort of detachment.



Once again I find myself not a fan of today's countdown movie...My old review.


Her (2013)
Director: Spike Jonze
Writer: Spike Jonze
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson

About: A lonely man who falls in love with his sentient computer operating system and has a relationship with it.

Review: Interesting movie to say the least. Its strengths are the visuals, both in the color palette used by the art direction and the stunning on-location sets they filmed at.

I thought Joaquin Phoenix did a fantastic job of being an indecisive, emotionally exuberant man who had a hard time commenting to anyone. He was really good and so was Amy Adams, I consider both to be excellent actors.

However, I didn't like a lot of the directorial decisions that Spike Jonez made. I didn't connect to the story as the disembodied voice of Samantha (done by Scarlett Johansson) just wasn't believable to me as an artificial intelligence operating system. Part of the reason why is in the sound mixing. Samantha's voice was dubbed post production and is mixed at a different tonal quality than the spoken words of Joaquin. To me it didn't sound like they were in the same room.

I would've liked to hear the computer voice have a slightly mechanical sound to it, like it was coming out of a speaker. I also think Spike should have went with a visual reference for Samantha so that we had something to look at on the mobile screen when she talked.

Ultimately I just didn't buy someone falling in love with his computer. And I certainly didn't buy that people in the future thought dating a computer was normal! But I did LMAO at the picnic scene. I don't think Spike intended it to be ironic? But it was.


*postscript: Now that I think of the way society has been going it is believable that relationships with inanimate objects & AI will be readily accepted in the future.



Her is my #9, too.

A great existential sci-fi drama about the technology-driven era we're living in and its effects on human relationships.
Excellent performance by Joaquin Phoenix.





Actor stats


6
Scarlett Johansson

5
Jessica Chastain, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Evans

4
Jeremy Renner, Oscar Isaac, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Shea Whigham, Sebastian Stan, Domhnall Gleeson



Her is my #54 of the decade. (#112 on my top all time 250 from 4 years ago) Wonderful film!
I know you cut the list at 4, but I thought it was interesting that Amy Adams has had three appearances in the countdown, all of them within the last 5 entries (The Master, Arrival, and Her)
__________________
Check out my podcast: The Movie Loot!



The Tree of Life is a terrible, terrible movie. I'm already living that movie
Lush photography, whispering narratives?



....anyways there's just something about Her, I dunno, I had it at #3.



Her was my 4. Love it, & it's good for a re-watch.

On the subject of artifical companions, I would urge people to check out an app called Replika. Quite a fascinating thing.
I tried it briefly for fun. Named my Replika Jocelyn (it's a name I have always loved). I think apps like that will be far more developed in the near future, & it will really help people who are lonely to get some form of happiness or satisfaction.



I remember seeing the trailer for Her and thinking it looked like the dopiest and dorkiest movie I ever came across. I did not want to see it, but Miss Vicky went and nominated for a HoF. I had to admit it was good, but I still would like to slap that stupid look off his face.



You ready? You look ready.
I know it's been a while since we hung out, but I don't recall you being a tie-wearing corpo with a high and tight haircut and horn rimmed glasses!

I started this film last night, and it was far from terrible!

I know, a travesty to watch it in pieces, but hey, that's my branch of the tree of life now!
Now that you mention it it is far from terrible. It's atrocious!

But seriously, it's one of those art movies that gets a pass because it is experimental. I can't help but think critics felt the need to give it rave reviews because of that. Like it was the exact opposite of good, but it was different so bad became good for them just because it was different.

And I'm saying all this in spite of that acid induced dinosaur scene where current day Jupiter has time traveled to the past. It is lazy because it rests solely on being different. Does it look good? Sure, but so does the tree right outside my living room window.

I will give it
for curing my insomnia. But yeah, I thought it was banal and sloppy. And this is coming from someone who thinks The Thin Red Line is the definitive WW2 movie. So it's not like I hate the guy's work, but I don't think people should be behind the wheel when they are sleepy.



10/92 on the list
52/92 seen


Her is a wonderful movie. I see this as predominately a love story. The kind that many of us have experienced. The tentative nature of first contacts. the joy of learning about each other and the world together. And finally the heartbreak of one partner needing to move on.



Here's my prediction for what will show on my ballot

1. Silver Lining's Playbook (2012)
2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
3. Birdman (2014)
4. highly unlikely
5. no way in h ll
6. highly likely
7. I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
8. probably not
9. don't think so
10. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
12. don't know
13. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
14. should but won't
15. probably not
16. The Descendants (2011)
17. Frances Ha (2013)
18. it should but won't
19. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
20. Get Out (2017)
21. Spotlight (2015)
22. probably not
23. Boyhood (2014)
24. probably not
25. don't think so



A system of cells interlinked
Now that you mention it it is far from terrible. It's atrocious!

I will refrain from commenting more until I have actually finished it, so I can at least pretend to have a stance!