Jinn's 100 Films of the 2010s

The Blackcoat's Daughter is really good. it's the kind of film which gets better the more you watch it.

The main criticism I hear for the film is "no character development", which is not the case with the film. At all. I never understood why so many people failed to notice Bullock's character arc. Hell, the final scene is so obvious in its significance, it almost borders on being heavy-handed as you say. Yeah, the science in the film is awful, but I still think it's a strong film. And, despite popular consensus, I think it's much better than Interstellar (also The Martian, which I enjoyed in the theaters, but have no desire to revisit)..

All this Gravity talk reminded me that the only commercial theatre in my city with a true IMAX screen is supposed to get torn down and replaced by condos within the next few years.

I'd say it was earned.

50. The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015, dir. Oz Perkins)





One of the most impressive horror films of the decade, this is also one of the few films that compelled me to do an immediate rewatch. It is like a brand new film emerges in light of its revelation, something that most "big twist" films aspire to but few accomplish. I appreciate how the film manages to preserve both a supernatural interpretation as well as a purely psychological interpretation, and the finale's suggestion that


I was intrigued that a working title of the film was February, because the film is one of the more accurate representations of seasonal affective disorder that I've seen. The vacuum of this cold white abyss is trying on most eyes, but especially a teenage girl prodigy who's too young to partake in the older teen girl games (idealized as Rose). This dark greyness is profoundly portrayed in the cold tile interiors, the bottomless hallways, and most powerfully in the incessant purr of the heating system, constantly and quietly in the ambient soundtrack, a perfect refuge for unseen, ignored forces. "Chilling" is a critical cliche, but it's the only word that really captures the film.

Albert Brooks really does elevate Drive to kind of another level and makes me wish the film had been more commercially successful just so more people would know what a great villain he had portrayed. The scene, I mean the scene with Cranston is one I'll never forget and I think of often, I've even worked it into my personal lexicon.
In general, I totally agree with you... and yet, while I'm sure Drive is a better film, Only God Forgives is the film he made for me.

I am intrigued by the possibility that we share a less-common opinion, here...

Never seen Gravity. I said it a few times in Corrie but it's a film I regret not seeing in theaters and I always get the feeling that the experience will be "lesser" on TV. Maybe I should give in one of these days.

Fair point. I also felt this towards Mad Max: Fury Road.

Totally; I mean, there are movies that have plenty of style out there that still came up short on the substance front for me, but when you have a lot of both aspects in the same film, and they end up enhancing one another? Well that's just a match made in heaven, baby.

Out of curiosity, what aspect of Fury Road are you talking about that went over people's heads?

I'm surprised this one is rated this low.

But specifically Inglourious Basterds.

Pretty much all of the character dynamics (Furiosa, Joe's "wives", or Nux). Like Gravity, this film often has to deal with the "No character development" criticism, even though that isn't the case.

49. The Assassin (2015, dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien)





Gorgeous cinematography elevates this morality tale and classic Chinese parable. The simplicity of its storytelling requires little elaboration, a film that truly needs to be seen to be appreciated.


HM: The Grandmaster (2013, dir. Wong Kar-Wei) has been complicated by numerous cuts, including those demanded by the Weinsteins, and I'm not sure if the full Chinese cut is available at the moment. It's still a striking film, an umpteenth tale about Ip Man, but I think that some restored version in the future will redeem it.

47. Inherent Vice (2014, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)





Thomas Pynchon's comic hippie-noir is fairly faithfully brought to the screen in appropriately shaggy and slightly surreal fashion. Concerning many disparate strands of an unseen conspiracy, loosely connecting a real estate cabal to a mysterious boat (the Golden Fang) which fronts a team of dentists trafficking such topical anesthetics as cocaine and heroin as well as fronting a local rehab/cult to feed off the victims. There's also plenty of mafioso, bikers, porn stars and rock musicians, but let's just calm down a second. Focus on the fine acting, from Josh Brolin's Bigfoot to Marty Short's Blatnoyd, Eric Roberts' dazed, trippy mogul to Martin Campbell's heart-attack of a vulture, and, most importantly, Katherine Waterston's Shasta who provides the film's peak scene.