The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

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I've not heard of Death of Mr. Lazarescu either, how in the hell does it make the list when no one has heard of it?
Hopefully, it making this list will encourage some more people to check it out.
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Hopefully, it making this list will encourage some more people to check it out.
It probably well because one of the neat things about these countdowns are the list they generate and some MoFos will make it a point to watch the movies that they haven't seen.

Of course my few recent post about Death of Mr. Lazarescu will help encourage people to watch it, most of all



A system of cells interlinked
Those are valid points, but I do see the empowerment in terms that they are capable women, all of them able to hold their own in many ways against the environment and against the creatures. They just happen to be in an impossible situation.
Agreed, and I was sort of just busting balls with my post. I am one of those weirdos that thinks Juno is a fairly complex and interesting character, and I think Sarah is a total bad ass.
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I haven’t been watching a lot the last couple weeks, but I definitely will get to Lazarus and Diving Bell before we hit the end of the list.
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me when I see movies that I have not seen yet make the list

Have seen so far: 6
Have not seen so far: 18

lol, have never seen any of the two recent movies
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Critics




Critics thoughts on our #78, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu...



It currently has a 94% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.9/10 score on IMDb (with 15,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:
"The movie is not heartless but it is matter-of-fact, and makes no attempt to heighten the drama. In its relentless gaze at exactly what happens, it reminds me of the Dardenne brothers (The Son, L'Enfant), whose films see everything but do not intervene."
Meanwhile Kyle Smith, of New York Post, gave it ★½ said:
"It's supposed to be about a Kafkaesque experience. Instead, it is a Kafkaesque experience. Why are we here? Is everything absurd? Is anyone in charge?"
As for our MoFo reviewers, @Thursday Next said:
"It is not an easy film to watch, certainly, at times it is quite dull, although you are never in doubt that this is entirely deliberate. It is, however, quite mesmerising. Worth watching, it will stay with you for some time afterwards."
And @Golgot said:
"Its pot-boiler approach churns intriguing ingredients to the surface at first, then enters the dyspeptic world of the hospitals. Be prepared for dourness, power games, and a care community stretched to the max. Caustic humour and a web of catching hands try to stand our protagonist on his feet. Little exchanges illuminate long meetings. People get reduced to notes and anecdotes, but personalities survive in this tale."
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Critics




Critics thoughts on our #77, Battle Royale...



It currently has a 88% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.6/10 score on IMDb (with 178,000 votes).

Roger Ebert said:
"It's remarkable that a movie with such potential for thoughtless tawdry thrills manages to say something about the human condition. Battle Royale is a very rare beast. An intensely violent fable aimed at a young audience, but with true feeling, intelligence, and respect."
Meanwhile Chuck Bowen, of Slant, gave it ★½ said:
"I assume that the film’s considerable cult believes Battle Royale to be edgy and subversive, and that my reservations reflect a delicate, prudish sensibility that couldn’t handle whatever the film thinks it’s peddling. But movies this smug and determined in their ability to shock aren’t shocking, just dull. Maybe Battle Royale’s ultimate punchline is its inexplicable ability to fool some people into taking it seriously."
As for our MoFo reviewers, @CiCi said:
"I probably didn't sell this very well, but this is certainly one of the greatest films, and certainly book adaptation, that I have ever had the fortune of seeing. With the vast array of characters, I can guarantee you will find at least one character who deeply relates to you and your experiences; like how I did."
And @Nestorio_Miklos said:
"This is widely considered as a cult movie and pretends to send a message however I don't see any message to anyone. All I see is some minor paperback that you buy at the airport for 2 bucks to spend your flight by reading a garbage that you don't have to much reflect about and then just toss it to a waste bin or leave it behind on your seat and ever forget about it."



I wanna go back to the dilemma on how known Lazarescu is to MoFo posters and point out that in IMDb, it only has 15,000 ratings, as opposed to the last couple of entries:

  • Battle Royale - 178,000
  • American Psycho - 538,000
  • The Descent - 215,000

So that ratio kinda equates to the reaction we see here with a good bunch of people not even knowing about it, while still making it on the list on the strength of a handful of really solid votes.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
Count me in with the plebs that have never heard of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.

20. Battle Royale (2000)

First watched this film in high school and loved it. There have been some imitators since, but nothing really matches the ferocity of this film. A guy gets stabbed repeatedly in the genitals because he tries to sexually assault a female student. The level of violence in the film might shock some, entertain others and leave those select few maybe even speechless.

You'll have a lot of fun watching students kill each other...is that weird to say? In a film where each student is given a random weapon, one kid gets a garbage can lid, you never really know what to expect. Battle Royale still manages to entertain 20+ years after the fact and the less said about the sequel, the better.



25. American Psycho
20. Battle Royale
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Suspect's Reviews



So, Battle Royale is one I'm 99% certain I have seen, but apparently before I kept fairly careful track. My (faint) recollection is that I was not overly impressed, but I guess I should give it another go.

I'm delighted that The Death of Mr. Lazarescu made the list, however. It was my #15. It is indeed slow, and the story it tells is painful, but deeply human. Here's what I wrote about it earlier this year:

There seems to be some debate over whether this is a dark comedy or just a drama. The absurdly misleading Romanian poster suggests that the producers at least wanted to market it as a comedy, although that poster makes it look like a movie version of Scrubs, which, well, maybe if it were a Scrubs movie written by Jean-Paul Sartre. Anyway, it is a dark comedy, but very dark. Like, makes Fargo look like The Three Stooges dark. A lonely old man feels ill, calls for aid, and then, accompanied by a dedicated paramedic, must navigate the kafkaesque workings of the Romanian health system. It is grimly comic and poignant, and, despite its length, never dull.
I do hope its appearance on this list encourages people to check it out. It's on Netflix, so no excuses!



I sat down to watch The Death of Mister Lazarescu and within about 5 minutes knew that I wasn't in the right mood to watch it, especially considering how long it is. I still think it might be something I'd like but I can't see me ever trying again. Not any time soon, anyway.

Battle Royale I loved. I saw it when it came out (technically before it came out here) and it was one of those films I showed everyone I thought would like it asap. As has been mentioned, Columbine had happened less than a year before and a friend of mine was over here with her American husband and I showed it to them. He loved it, but said, there's no way they're showing that anytime soon back in the States. Not because people wouldn't enjoy it, but because they'd be torn apart for showing it.

I've not seen it for at least 15 years but I think I'd still like it.
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The trick is not minding
Question about Battle Royale. Tubi has it streaming, but it is in English. Was it released dubbed to the US, or is that a Tubi decision?

For what it’s worth, Tubi usually don’t dub their foreign films, so I am slightly confused on the matter.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
Tubi don't dub.
Oh Tubi dubs. Tubi dubs REAL good. Ain't that right, Tubi?

For some reason I hear Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro voice-acting those lines.
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movies can be okay...
Battle Royale is awful.
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I'm surprised that there is a film I never heard of on the list! That's cool, I'm going to watch it.
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I have heard of it and seen it, at the Portland International Film Festival. It wasn't anywhere near my ballot but five voters liked it quite a bit, apparently.
Nor have I.

But after reading the reviews and posts here, reminds me of '71's "The Hospital" starring George C. Scott and Diana Rigg. A dark comedy set in a poorly financed medical center which exposes flaws within our own health care system.