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.