The MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s Countdown

Parasite is a terrific Hitchcock-esque thriller that wields a very sharp edge. My #17; no surprise or disappointment to see it at #1.

My #1, though, and easily, was Mad Max: Fury Road. I saw this three times in the theater (a real rarity for me these days to see a movie more than once on a big screen). It is an astonishing action epic (George Miller is for my money the only competitor with Spielberg in this arena), and has more than enough meat on it to be picked over (third wave feminism?/radical communitarian?/dystopian fantasy?), anchored by a simple/forced/affecting bond that develops between Furiosa and Max. Love it love it love it.

Just raise your glass and toast to MoFo while you're at it. Everybody will look at you funny, but we're worth it.

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Listening to the Podcast now. A big thank you to @Yoda and @SpelingError for all the great work!

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This was great! Thanks for the work.

I'll put up my full ballot a little later; for now, big thanks to Yoda and especially SpelingError for making this possible and fun!

I think a big part of why Fury Road does stand above most other blockbusters is because of how detail-oriented it is in a way that rewards repeat viewings, which does extend to the characters and how they aren't as generic or bland as they might seem (especially the wives - one knows how to handle guns, one actually wants to surrender, one wants to rehabilitate a seemingly mindless warboy, etc.) in a way that causes interpersonal conflict not just with Max but Furiosa. As for Max, I don't think it's fair to compare Hardy's portrayal against how Gibson plays him in the original film since that one largely details his descent into, well, madness - the way that Gibson acts during the last 15 minutes and for much of the sequels is very similar to how Hardy plays him. Sacrificing large amounts of dialogue for the sake of a visually-driven narrative is a feature, not a bug.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Seen: 57/100

Following is my ballot:
1. Gone Girl (2014) (#65)
2. The Town (2010)

3. Easy A (2010) (#70)
4. Spring Breakers (2012) (#77)
5. Arrival (2016) (#12)
6. La La Land (2016) (#5)
7. The Next Three Days (2010)

8. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

9. Knock Knock (2015)

10. Anomalisa (2015) (#92)
11. The Nice Guys (2016)

12. The Martian (2015) (#82)
13. Wonder Woman (2017)

14. The Shallows (2016)

15. Fast Five (2011)

16. Furious 7 (2015)

17. Avengers Assemble (2012) (#28)
18. Green Room (2015)

19. Scream 4 (2011)

20. The Cabin in the Woods (2011) (#88)
21. Molly's Game (2017)

22. Jack Reacher (2012)

23. Triple 9 (2016)

24. Prisoners (2013) (#69)
25. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (#2)

Excellent hosting @SpelingError and fantastic behind-the-scenes work as ever @Yoda!

As for the top pairing - both a fair bit overrated imo and neither was ever in serious contention for a spot on my ballot but at least they are in the right order.

1. Moonlight (2016)
   
2. Phantom Thread (2017)
   
3. Us (2019)
   
4. Aniara (2019)
   
5. Parasite (2019)
   
6. Hugo (2011)
   
7. A Ghost Story (2017)
   
8. Cameraperson (2016)
   
9. First Reformed (2018)
   
10. Melancholia (2011)
    
11. Holy Motors (2012)
    
12. La La Land (2016)
    
13. Ida (2013)
    
14. Whiplash (2014)
    
15. Hell or High Water (2016)
    
16. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
    
17. Wajib (2017)
    
18. Source Code (2011)
    
19. The Big Sick (2017)
    
20. High Life (2018)
    
21. Prisoners (2013)
    
22. The Lunchbox (2013)
    
23. Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017)
    
24. A Late Quartet (2012)
    
25. Antes que cante el gallo (2016)
    

Great little add on Podcast. Waking up at 6am to do a reveal before work? That's dedication.

Regarding the temptation to strategically alter your own ballot as the host of one of these countdowns, that is why both times I hosted I made sure my ballot was complete and in as essentially the first twenty-five votes. I could always have gone back at the end and changed it when I saw that if I moved my twenty-second choice up to eleven it would get in as #98 or whatever, but I was on the level and never made an alteration.

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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

Well, I hereby approve of and fully sanction such shenanigans, if any future Curator would like to take advantage of their position in that marginal way.

God knows I would've stuck Moneyball higher if doing so would've gotten it onto the end of the list (it would've just barely missed even if I'd bumped it to #1).

I didn't do this either. Not that I could have done anything with my votes to save my #1 animated movie from losing the top spot to Toy Story by 3 damn points.

Love Parasite, saw it twice during opening week at the theater. Knew it wouldn't need my vote to end up high, so it was an easy ballot cut. Same thing with Mad Max: Fury Road. Both very worthy of a high spot on the list.

Cheers to all participants! Special thanks to Spelling, Yoda, Holden and Thief.
Can’t wait till the next one.




Seen: 82/100
Ballot: 20/25

Total 2010s films seen: 600.

My 10 lowest rated films from the decade:

Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya 2010
Conan the Barbarian 2011
Battleship 2012
The Company You Keep 2012
Gangster Squad 2013
White House Down 2013
The Green Hornet 2011
G.I. Joe: Retaliation 2013
After Earth 2013
Shazam! 2019

Actors with the most appearances on the countdown: Scarlett Johansson, Leonardo DiCaprio.

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Entertainment Log
Letterboxd profile

Parasite was my #8 & a worthy #1. Even if a bit of recency bias may be in effect.

Haven't seen Mad Max

My full list to come

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Figured I'd give a few shout outs to some users here:

Firstly, thanks to @Yoda for helping me out the most with the countdown. You did a great job at informing me of how hosting works, walking me through the various steps along the way, and answering any questions I had. Definitely couldn't have done it without your help.

Thank you to @Thief for DMing me a couple times throughout the countdown and giving me some tips along the way. It's cool to receive help from a prior host and you did a fine job at answering some additional questions I had. Also, I appreciated your Pit Stop stats, as usual.

Thank you to @gbgoodies for helping me out with posting some of mark f's ratings/reviews along the way. There were a handful of entries I wasn't able to find and you were really helpful with finding the missing pieces. It meant a lot to me to dedicate the countdown to him, and you helped with that very well.

Thank you to @John-Connor for posting the actor stats throughout the countdown which listed the prominence that various actors and actresses appeared in the list. I always love extra additions like that, so I appreciated you posting them very much.

Thank you to @Holden Pike for, in addition to posting some stats as well, reminding me to post the Near Misses after I revealed the films at #12 and #11. Though Yoda brought it up at some point during the Preliminary thread, I forgot about it and, if it wasn't for your reminder, I probably wouldn't have posted them here.

Finally, thank you to @rauldc14 for not complaining too much

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IMDb
Letterboxd

Fury Road was my #1! I know a lot of people like to complain it’s just a car chase movie but there’s a lot going on under the surface with these characters, mainly they’ve all had their humanity stripped away from them and are trying to regain it through the events of the film. Even Immortan Joe, the villain is trying to breed a healthy male heir with no deformities so someone can take over his water hoarding empire. It’s incredible on almost every level and maybe one of the last kinds of these films we’ll ever see in our era of man and machine.







Parasite was also on my list.

1. Boyhood (2014)
   
2. The Artist (2011)
   
3. Ida (2013)
   
4. World of Tomorrow (2015)
   
5. The Fits (2016)
   
6. Coco (2017)
   
7. Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
   
8. 13th (2016)
   
9. My Life as a Zucchini (2016)
   
10. Blue Ruin (2013)
    
11. Spotlight (2015)
    
12. Song of the Sea (2014)
    
13. Citizenfour (2014)
    
14. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
    
15. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    
16. The Invisible War (2012)
    
17. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
    
18. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
    
19. The Babadook (2014)
    
20. Best of Enemies (2015)
    
21. Black Panther (2018)
    
22. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
    
23. A Separation (2011)
    
24. American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (2013)
    
25. The Retrieval (2014)
    

Thoughts on the ones not mentioned before now:

The Fits was one of those films that just stuck with me. A fascinating drama about a tomboy who joins a dance troupe in Cincinnati and does what she can to fit in. Then the fainting and seizures start. What does it mean? Is it related to the newcomer? The film just draws you in and compels you to keep watching. Features a great debut from Royalty Hightower as the lead character (who hasn't acted since 2017, unfortunately) and directorial effort from Anna Rose Holmer (who came back as co-director of God's Creatures just last year with Emily Watson and Paul Mescal).

I'm disappointed that Coco didn't make the list's honorable mentions. A story of a boy driven by his love of music and disheartened by his family's banning of song who is determined to get the truth about his family with the help of trickster Hector and maybe even meet idol Ernesto de la Cruz. A fascinating story that ties in Mexican heritage (Day of the Dead) with a story of a boy following his dreams. Towards the end, I had one of the ugliest crying sessions I've ever had for a film. Not spoiling what happens, but if you saw it, you'll know what I mean.

OK, I might have gotten a bit docu-heavy on my list and fair play. But 13th from Ava DuVernay is a very good one. It focuses on the racial inequality with the prison system being largely filled with African Americans pointing out such things as the war on drugs, the Jim Crow laws and the practice of convict leasing has disenfranchised black people since the end of the Civil War. It's well researched, thought-provoking and at times depressing. If you don't have a Netflix subscription, it can be seen in full on YouTube.

Nice to see some love for Blue Ruin overall. It's a film about an ordinary man who seeks revenge on those who killed his parents. But unlike most takes on the genre, he's comically inept at it. A thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat and unsure of what happens next...it's directed with lean efficiency by Jeremy Saulnier and led by an intense Macon Blair and it's worth seeking out.

Song of the Sea for my money was the best animated film in 2014 (still hadn't seen Big Hero 6 or The Book of Life, for what it's worth). A compelling story of an Irish boy who learns the truth about his mute sister and decides to help her on the mission she's destined for, it's heartwarming and has a nice message attached to it as well.

Citizenfour is another documentary on my list. This one explores the life and history of Edward Snowden, whistleblower for the NSA which he reveals their illegal wiretapping practices there and in other government agencies. It plays like a thriller in real time as Snowden reveals the secrets he knows to the press and they have to elude phone calls from the media and the government who wants to extradite and prosecute him. It also explores the dangers that global surveillance has in the world.

Last but not least, yep another documentary. The Invisible War examines the history of sexual assaults in the military and how it feels like the perpetrators are unpunished and the survivors face reprisals, inadequate physical and emotional care and the risk of being kicked out of service. So basically 1.2 percent of all sexual assaults lead to a conviction and 16.8 percent of them are even reported. Featuring conversations with survivors, military brass and members of Congress, director Kirby Dick sets out his case of big change being needed. After the film was released, members of Congress and branches of the military have enacted changes to improve care and allow for greater reporting and fairer trials.

Stats: Finish Line

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Decade Breakdown

• 2010 = 12
• 2011 = 10
• 2012 = 12
• 2013 = 9
• 2014 = 13
• 2015 = 13
• 2016 = 9
• 2017 = 7
• 2018 = 5
• 2019 = 11

Both 2014 and 2015 end up at the top. For some reason, I could've sworn 2017 would reign, but even though it still made a push at the end, it wasn't even close. Overall, fairly spread out, as opposed to the 2000s, where 2000 was the clear winner.


Repeating Directors

• Denis Villeneuve = 5
• Martin Scorsese = 4
• Quentin Tarantino = 3
• Damien Chazelle = 2
• Wes Anderson = 2
• Gareth Evans = 2
• Anthony and Joe Russo = 2
• Taika Waititi = 2
• Richard Linklater = 2
• Alejandro González Iñarritu = 2
• Joel and Ethan Coen = 2
• Christopher Nolan = 2
• Robert Eggers = 2
• Paul Thomas Anderson = 2
• Don Hertzfeldt = 2
• David Fincher = 2

As was expected, Villeneuve ends up at the top with an impressive 5 films on the countdown, out of 6 eligible films. Scorsese ends up at #2, with 4 out of 5 films. As stated before, Tarantino ends up with 3/3 for a 100%, and so did Robert Eggers.


Genre Breakdown

• Action = 14
• Romantic comedy = 3
• Romantic drama = 2
• Thriller = 12
• Crime = 6
• Comedy mystery = 1
• Science fiction = 10
• Comedy drama = 14
• Horror comedy = 2
• Drama = 21
• Horror = 4
• Western = 4
• Fantasy = 3
• Documentary = 1
• Experimental = 1
• Musical = 1

From the get go, dramas stayed at the top here, but action and comedy/dramas were on the second spot with 14 films.


We also finished with 16 "foreign" films, and 6 animated films in the countdown.

1. Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)
2. Utøya: July 22 (2018)
3. Guilty (2011)
4. Inception (2010)
5. A Serbian Film (2010)
6. Carol (2015)
7. Manglehorn (2014)
8. Shopping Tour (2012)
9. The Hunt (2012)
10. Life Itself (2014)
11. The Intouchables (2011) (By far one of the most surprising omissions)
12. The Voices (2014)
13. The King’s Speech (2010)
14. Submarine (2010)
15. R100 (2013)
16. 50/50 (2011)
17. Sebbe (2010)
18. The Antenna (2019)
19. Prisoners (2013)
20. Gone Girl (2014)
21. Julia’s Eyes (2010)
22. 12 Years A Slave (2013) (Seriously? Not this one either? Jesus.)
23. The Gentlemen (2019)
24. Whiplash (2014)
25. Danny Collins (2015)*

*As a one-pointer.

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