The MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s Countdown

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I had The Grand Budapest Hotel at #7. Everything is clicking with this one, and probably Anderson's best film. Also on my list right behind it I had Isle of Dogs, equally great and maybe the one from my list I've seen the most time as I took my then five year old daughter to see it in the theatre and together we've watched it a bunch more times since.

My List:
2. Take Shelter (#67)
3. Drive (#17)
4. Midnight in Paris (#45)
5. The Shape of Water (#52)
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel (#3)
8. Isle of Dogs (DNP)
9. Nightcrawler (#55)
11. Birdman (#21)
13. Burning (#35)
14. Get Out (#19)
15. A Separation (#90)
16. Ex Machina (#49)
19. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (DNP)
20. The Accountant (DNP)
21. Shoplifters (#18)
22. Knives Out (#74)
23. Inside Llewyn Davis (#22)
24. Paterson (DNP)
25. The Mill and the Cross (1-pointer)
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This is the first time The Grand Budapest Hotel has appeared on a MoFo List.
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I am way, way behind in posting this bit of trivia, but:

Phantom Thread (#15) was the highest film on the list to not receive any first-place votes.



No offense intended, but I think this is a misreading. The fact that unnecessary adversity can shape you in a positive way is a reality of life and this world, one I personally experienced not only in Music but also in Medicine where the culture, in my time, was every bit as abusive as one sees in Whiplash, and the film showing that is not inherently and endorsement. Not at all and I've never read it that way nor can I see it that way. And again, this is the story of just these two people, not every professor and student. The fact that Andrew is better at drumming after working harder than he ever imagined out of fear of failure, while also showing throughout the movie how unhappy he is and ending the movie without in any way indicating that he validates or forgives Fletcher's methods is exactly the sort of open ending that the movie needed to avoid exactly what you and some others are saying the movie actually says. If it said that, it wouldn't be nearly as good of a movie. But it doesn't.
I don't think that the movie endorsed Fletcher's teaching methods at all - they were obviously framed in a way that said otherwise. I think it did posit the question - if Fletcher's abominable teaching methods worked in this one instance, what does that mean? That it's totally worth it, despite the deplorable methods? It's like the torture question. If you torturing a prisoner leads to a good outcome on the battlefield, was it worth blackening your own soul? Would it have been better to take a few more losses and been a more noble person? What we don't know is if Andrew would have been just as good without Fletcher's abuse, and we don't know if perhaps Andrew had a breakdown after the end performance and never took to a drum kit again.

Anyway, I wouldn't be such a fan of the film if it was just one of those - "oh, teaching this way is bad" films - because obviously it is and as such the film would be saying nothing.
I think the problem here is a conflation with adversity, a demanding instructor, tenacity, and competitiveness with abuse. That last one isn't what made anyone better and I think it's a common misconception that great artists have to be a certain way and have to be brought up a certain way. And, I think this is where the tacit endorsement comes in, I don't recall the world Whiplash presented as thinking there were truly talented people who weren't complete a-holes, which goes beyond the, "this one instance," and there doesn't seem much remorse by the movie of Teller's character choosing the JK Simmons' path at the end.

"If you torturing a prisoner leads to a good outcome on the battlefield"
What if engaging in the thought experiment of, "If you torturing a prisoner leads to a good outcome on the battlefield," leads you to torturing prisoners that don't lead to good outcomes. What if after tallying it up, you realize all the people who engaged in that thought experiment tortured a lot of people, partly because they engaged in the thought experiment, and didn't get any good results? Then was that first thought experiment a good thought experiment? Asking, because that was a real phenomenon observed in the aughts (ETA - or at least a phenomenon people said they were observing).



We've gone on holiday by mistake
I'm quite happy that I've a lot to watch from this top 20, Haven't seen Get Out, Shoplifters, It's Such a Beautiful Day, Phantom Thread, The Florida Project, Her, La La Land or The Grand Budapest. I might watch Grand tonight actually, didn't know it would be so highly regarded.

I draw the line at Tree of Life, I almost died through boredom after 20 mins.

I'm amazed we haven't seen Infinity War show up, imo the strongest of the Marvel affairs, with several inferior (though not necessarily bad) entries showing up. I didn't vote for any comic book movie.

Whiplash was my #7. Performance of a lifetime from J.K Simmons, I think we all recognize that teacher from school, though perhaps not to such extremes. I think it does raise interesting points that to achieve greatness sometimes people have to be pushed beyond what is acceptable in society. I read Jackie Chan's autobiography once and his teacher/master effectively engaged in child abuse (non sexual) to get his students to such a high level of performance, and as a result the Hong Kong film industry was littered with people coming out of that small school, even some like Chan who have crossed into Hollywood. Jackie Chan's father had to sign a death waiver before Chan was allowed to board there.
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I don't mind The Grand Budapest Hotel making the countdown...and it's the last film to come that I've seen and liked. My old review:
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

I have high praise for Ralph Fiennes portrayal of the well groomed, M.Gustave. A man with impeccable taste and civility who demands the best from those around him. This was a great character idea! I can't image another actor in this role, he's amazing.

His sidekick the new lobby boy is played by the young actor Tony Revolori. This was his first feature film and he nailed his performance. His quiet sincerity provides the perfect counterbalance to Fiennes flamboyant character. Tony Revolori is going to have a bright future in films I predict.

I also have very high praise for the sets, they are beautiful! I wish I could visit The Grand Budapest hotel in it's heyday. The rooms look so rich in their old world charm and class...very elegantly decorated and cool. And the colors of this film!...the pastel pinks, the lavenders, the powder blues....Vincent Minnelli would have loved this film. The art direction deserves high credit for such a beautiful looking film.

However for me, none of this was enough to hold my interest. After the first half hour, I became disinterested. I wasn't caught up in the story, nor did I care what happened to the characters. Perhaps it was the zaniest of both the story and the camera work that took me out of the movie. Ultimately I didn't care and the film lost me.

I've watched him very recently in Willow (2022-) series on Disney Plus. Loved him.



Anyhow, Grand Budapest Hotel. I'm mixed on Wes Anderson, but this is probably my favorite or second favorite one; not a completist though. But overall, rather positive on this one. Wasn't on my list.

Anyhow, I guess to stretch some relations and do some more reveals

16. Columbus (2017)



Finally caught up with this one this past year. Koganada. I struggle to think how to summarize this one because the plot descriptions really fail to capture the humanist angle the movie has of two people trying to reconcile their place in the world. But architecture plays a role in the film, so I guess it makes sense to reveal it with the Grand Budapest Hotel, what with Wes and his dollhouse sets.

18. The Lobster (2015)



Unfortunately, I haven't revisited this one since around the time that it came out, but I chose this over the favorite. People have something like 30 days to find a mate, or they are permanently changed into an animal of their choosing. It is, amongst other things, a deadpan satire of the silly reasons why people couple up. When the film launched, they had a promotional page to fill out a quiz to see what type of animal you would be. I can't remember what animal I got, but I do remember on the description of the animal, "likes anal sex," and all I could think was, "Yup. Just a reminder this isn't coming from Hollywood, which wouldn't do a by the numbers promotional page that might alienate possible viewers."
Oh, uh, the connection is, I don't know, a comedy and they're staying in a hotel type place.

19. Phoenix (2014)



I can't remember if I finally caught up with this last year or the year before. Weirdly, I saw Transit first despite knowing of this film when it came out. A survivor of the concentration camps gets reconstructive surgery. She can choose to look like anyone, but chooses to look exactly like she did before. She seeks out her gentile husband, who her friends say turned her in, which she refuses to believe. He refuses to believe the person in front of him is his former wife, believing that she's dead, but believes she's the spitting image he needs to claim her estate. The wife does not challenge his incorrect belief and goes along with it, interrogating him "about his wife, before the camps." A film about guilt, regret, and hope (the failure there-of).

The ballot thus far:
My Ballot  



I quite enjoy Grand Budapest Hotel. It didn't make my list, but it's an enjoyable film to rewatch with fun performances.

Yet another one that I thought had a bit of a chance. A thought-provoking script that manages to go into interesting and unexpected places as it explores the notions of despair and hope, and how we handle those in the face of real-life situations. Great performances by everyone, but especially Ethan Hawke. But props to Schrader for trying to present his themes of hope, despair, pollution of the body and spirit, but also our purpose in the world. One that has stuck with me quite fiercely.
First Reformed landed just outside of my top 25. Great film.

A few more of mine that will not make it:


Swiss Army Man, my #19

A man lost in the wilderness (Paul Dano) goes through a powerful emotional journey with the corpse of a drowned man (Daniel Radcliffe). Funny and sweet and just incredibly creative. Really like nothing I've seen before.


Thunder Road, my ##15

What a surprise! I voted for that movie I never stop talking about! I knew this had absolutely zero chance. It's very divisive with an almost normal bell curve distribution of people who love it, people who think it's okay, and people who hate it. (And some people really hate it!). But I think it's deeply funny, deeply empathetic, visually sharp, nuanced and over-the-top all at once, and well-acted. Normally I almost physically can't make myself watch cringe comedy, and weirdly this is one I can't look away from.


The Farewell, my #13

Awkwafina plays a young woman who returns to China for a wedding. But really what's happening is that her grandmother has cancer. The family has decided not to tell the grandmother, and is using the wedding as an excuse to get the family together for one last bit of quality time with her. Awkwafina is uncomfortable with this, but reluctantly goes along. A really beautiful mix of melancholy and relatable family-dynamics humor. It's a very gentle (rated PG!) yet very powerful film. At the end I kind of wanted to laugh and cry.


Annihilation, my #12

I was pretty sure none of the above films would make it (or even would make the honorable mentions). But this one genuinely surprises and saddens me. I think it's a really strong piece of character-driven sci-fi with themes about loss and trauma and mortality and grief that are wonderfully realized in both literal and allegorical ways.


Phoenix, my #7

Okay, back to "no chance" land. But this drama/thriller about a woman who gets a new appearance after being horribly disfigured in a concentration camp, tracking down her husband to figure out what he knew about her capture is something else. It has one of my favorite all-time ending sequences, satisfying and devastating all at once.


Far From the Madding Crowd, my #6

I suspect that if this were in my #25 slot, it would have been a 1-pointer, but I'm really over the moon for this sumptuous, excellently acted adaptation of Hardy's novel. It catches a lot of flack for the decisions of its main character, but I like that she's a driven character who makes some poor choices and then learns from them. You know, like a real person? A real favorite of mine and a delight every time I revisit it.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Well, I don't know if somebody has noticed that my avatar is actually a shot from:

#3. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)


... So, you're welcome to the Grand Imperial Hotel and ... no, it was not my #1, it was my #5.

As I've mentioned before, me and my fiancée are totally into Wes Anderson, meaning that every three or something months re-watching some of his masterworks (meaning all his movies except only one).

The Grand Budapest was a huge feast for us. What an art parade of visuals, what a cast! We couldn't sober down for a year after its release. And then, we visited this place, Karlovy Vary in Czechia, that been visited by Anderson & Team too, looking for inspirations for this movie:

▽Nowadays photograph of the Deer rock and The Grand Imperial on the opposite slope:


▽Movie poster:


▽An old postcard of the 1910's:


We've spent about an hour next to that rock... Cheers!
THAT
IS

AWESOME



19. Phoenix (2014)



I can't remember if I finally caught up with this last year or the year before. Weirdly, I saw Transit first despite knowing of this film when it came out. A survivor of the concentration camps gets reconstructive surgery. She can choose to look like anyone, but chooses to look exactly like she did before. She seeks out her gentile husband, who her friends say turned her in, which she refuses to believe. He refuses to believe the person in front of him is his former wife, believing that she's dead, but believes she's the spitting image he needs to claim her estate. The wife does not challenge his incorrect belief and goes along with it, interrogating him "about his wife, before the camps." A film about guilt, regret, and hope (the failure there-of).

Phoenix, my #7

Okay, back to "no chance" land. But this drama/thriller about a woman who gets a new appearance after being horribly disfigured in a concentration camp, tracking down her husband to figure out what he knew about her capture is something else. It has one of my favorite all-time ending sequences, satisfying and devastating all at once.
One of my last cuts. Great film.
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I quite enjoy Grand Budapest Hotel. It didn't make my list, but it's an enjoyable film to rewatch with fun performances.



First Reformed landed just outside of my top 25. Great film.

A few more of mine that will not make it:


Swiss Army Man, my #19

A man lost in the wilderness (Paul Dano) goes through a powerful emotional journey with the corpse of a drowned man (Daniel Radcliffe). Funny and sweet and just incredibly creative. Really like nothing I've seen before.


Thunder Road, my ##15

What a surprise! I voted for that movie I never stop talking about! I knew this had absolutely zero chance. It's very divisive with an almost normal bell curve distribution of people who love it, people who think it's okay, and people who hate it. (And some people really hate it!). But I think it's deeply funny, deeply empathetic, visually sharp, nuanced and over-the-top all at once, and well-acted. Normally I almost physically can't make myself watch cringe comedy, and weirdly this is one I can't look away from.


The Farewell, my #13

Awkwafina plays a young woman who returns to China for a wedding. But really what's happening is that her grandmother has cancer. The family has decided not to tell the grandmother, and is using the wedding as an excuse to get the family together for one last bit of quality time with her. Awkwafina is uncomfortable with this, but reluctantly goes along. A really beautiful mix of melancholy and relatable family-dynamics humor. It's a very gentle (rated PG!) yet very powerful film. At the end I kind of wanted to laugh and cry.


Annihilation, my #12

I was pretty sure none of the above films would make it (or even would make the honorable mentions). But this one genuinely surprises and saddens me. I think it's a really strong piece of character-driven sci-fi with themes about loss and trauma and mortality and grief that are wonderfully realized in both literal and allegorical ways.


Phoenix, my #7

Okay, back to "no chance" land. But this drama/thriller about a woman who gets a new appearance after being horribly disfigured in a concentration camp, tracking down her husband to figure out what he knew about her capture is something else. It has one of my favorite all-time ending sequences, satisfying and devastating all at once.


Far From the Madding Crowd, my #6

I suspect that if this were in my #25 slot, it would have been a 1-pointer, but I'm really over the moon for this sumptuous, excellently acted adaptation of Hardy's novel. It catches a lot of flack for the decisions of its main character, but I like that she's a driven character who makes some poor choices and then learns from them. You know, like a real person? A real favorite of mine and a delight every time I revisit it.
2 of these made mine too.



A few more of mine that will not make it:


Swiss Army Man, my #19

A man lost in the wilderness (Paul Dano) goes through a powerful emotional journey with the corpse of a drowned man (Daniel Radcliffe). Funny and sweet and just incredibly creative. Really like nothing I've seen before.


Thunder Road, my ##15

What a surprise! I voted for that movie I never stop talking about! I knew this had absolutely zero chance. It's very divisive with an almost normal bell curve distribution of people who love it, people who think it's okay, and people who hate it. (And some people really hate it!). But I think it's deeply funny, deeply empathetic, visually sharp, nuanced and over-the-top all at once, and well-acted. Normally I almost physically can't make myself watch cringe comedy, and weirdly this is one I can't look away from.


Annihilation, my #12

I was pretty sure none of the above films would make it (or even would make the honorable mentions). But this one genuinely surprises and saddens me. I think it's a really strong piece of character-driven sci-fi with themes about loss and trauma and mortality and grief that are wonderfully realized in both literal and allegorical ways.
A great bunch of contenders from Takoma's ballot. I liked Swiss Army Man quite a bit, but I never really considered it. Annihilation and Thunder Road, I hung on to for a while; especially the former. Agree with Tak's take.



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I hate to be that guy but I usually am.
When can we expect the poll for the next one @Yoda ?

Sorry, but I think I speak for the group about how excited we usually are for these. It's especially exciting since there seems to be no true clear cut favorite for what the next countdown will be either.



I enjoyed "Budapest Hotel": the quirkiness, the set and production design, cinematography, and the pacing. IMO it's Wes Anderson's best. I have it at #11.



I hate to be that guy but I usually am.
When can we expect the poll for the next one @Yoda ?

Sorry, but I think I speak for the group about how excited we usually are for these. It's especially exciting since there seems to be no true clear cut favorite for what the next countdown will be either.
I think you're right that there's no clear cut favorite, which means we'd probably need to discuss which options even go in that poll first.