Best of 2010-2019

[Spinal]

Over the past few days I've watched a couple of films from this thread to start playing catch-up and it's paid off very well so far.

A Separation was one that's long eluded me, even though I knew it was universally praised. Somehow I had thought it was essentially an Iranian Scenes from a Marriage. I was very happy to find that it was much more than that. But damn, the real surprise was Green Room, maybe because I had more modest expectations. It's not easy to make a film feel dangerous and tense for nearly 90 straight minutes, but this one had me gripped. I thought no way would it stick the ending, but the ending was fantastic! Really surprised at how effective it was.

I'm going to try to keep dialing up films from your lists. I'll try to hit at least one new film from everyone.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Over the past few days I've watched a couple of films from this thread to start playing catch-up and it's paid off very well so far.

A Separation was one that's long eluded me, even though I knew it was universally praised. Somehow I had thought it was essentially an Iranian Scenes from a Marriage. I was very happy to find that it was much more than that. But damn, the real surprise was Green Room, maybe because I had more modest expectations. It's not easy to make a film feel dangerous and tense for nearly 90 straight minutes, but this one had me gripped. I thought no way would it stick the ending, but the ending was fantastic! Really surprised at how effective it was.

Nice! Glad you dug it, and your thoughts further down are great. It's one of the few thrillers I've seen where it feels like it's happening as you're watching it.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, Green Room would certainly be one of the biggest surprises of the decade for me.

Funny story for me, I had no idea of the premise or ANYTHING really. Just that it was well-liked. I thought it was going to be a rock & roll movie... And uh, things changed.

[Spinal]

As the movie settles in, it occurs to me that Green Room works effectively on multiple levels.

First off, it's main purpose is to be a thriller and it certainly works on that level. It's tense. It's scary. It's got great pacing, and just enough downtime to get us ready to be horrified again.

Second, its got a resonant anti-fascist thrust. I hesitate to call it 'undertones' because it's all there on the surface. If this movie came out in the past two years, you might think it a little too on the nose. But the far left/far right dichotomy in this movie is rich and prescient in the way it speaks to the current intractable struggle in American politics. The right wing controls the weapons and the property and the police. The left wing is blinded by its own sense of righteousness, not realizing the vulnerability of its position until its too late. The result is in fact "a nightmare for us all."

Finally, it's really clever in the way it plays around with audience expectations and the conventions of the genre:

[

Show Spoiler

It's a little bit like Game of Thrones in the way that it successfully disguises its protagonist until late in the narrative. You might think it would be the band's front man, or Sam, because she's the only female. But no, without a lot of buildup, both are slaughtered quickly and brutally. When one of the antagonists flips allegiances, you start imagining the third act of the movie and how it will play out ... only to have him shot in the face quickly thereafter. And the final line is hilarious! We've been waiting for the whole 'desert island artist' discussion to pay off, indicating to us that the character has had some sort of character growth or profound revelation through his ordeal. But no. Amber shuts him down because he's no more interesting or special than he was at the beginning of the movie. He's simply the one who got lucky and survived. Roll credits.

]

[dreamdead]

It’s Such a Beautiful Day
The Lobster
The Handmaiden
Mad Max: Fury Road
Only Lovers Left Alive
Stranger by the Lake
Upstream Color
Timbuktu
A Separation
Tree of Life

HM: Girl Walk All Day; Before Midnight; Grand Budapest Hotel; Columbus; Support the Girls or Results; Burning; Oslo, August 31st;

[Spinal]

Now, if I can just stop myself from referring to it as Green Book.

[Watashi]

Before Midnight (2014)
First Man (2018)
It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
The Lost City of Z (2017)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Magic Mike XXL (2015)
Margaret (2011)
The Social Network (2010)
The Tree of Life (2011)
The Wind Rises (2013)

[Neclord]

The Lost City of Z (2017)

[Peng]

Green Room and Don’t Breathe are two of my recent favourite theatrical experiences. Great collective freakout sessions for the audience.

[Spinal]

I've put together a checklist for myself, hoping to watch at least one new film from everybody's list by the end of the year. If I can get through these, I'll try to watch more. Here's what I am targeting so far:

What We Do in the Shadows (transmogrifier)
The Great Beauty (Grouchy)
Cloud Atlas (Peng)
A Separation (Mr. McGibbletts)
The Immigrant (Pop Trash)
Green Room (Dead and Messed Up)
Upstream Color (Neclord)
The Forbidden Room (baby doll)
Oslo, August 31st (Ezee)
Our Little Sister (Purple)
The Lost City of Z (Watashi)
Only Lovers Left Alive (dreamdead)
I Saw the Devil (Duke)
Prisoners (Ivan)

[Spinal]

What We Do in the Shadows (transmogrifier)
The Great Beauty (Grouchy)
Cloud Atlas (Peng)
A Separation (Mr. McGibbletts)
The Immigrant (Pop Trash)
Green Room (Dead and Messed Up)
Upstream Color (Neclord)
The Forbidden Room (baby doll)
Oslo, August 31st (Ezee)
Our Little Sister (Purple)
The Lost City of Z (Watashi)
Only Lovers Left Alive (dreamdead)
I Saw the Devil (Duke)
Prisoners (Ivan)

I Saw the Devil - [Accidentally erased my original write-up. Basically, it wasn't my thing. The violence was too relentless for my taste, without a lot going on in compelling character development to sustain my interest. It has some nicely composed camerawork at times though.]

[Grouchy]

The Great Beauty (Grouchy)

What does this mean? Do I owe somebody a write-up?

[Peng]

What does this mean? Do I owe somebody a write-up?

I think it means whose list he takes that film rec from.

Great idea actually, I think I will do the same. No idea what you (or any given person) would think of Cloud Atlas though, haha, hope you at least like the messy ambition of it, Spinal! My opinion of the film will be forever enhanced by my first viewing, in which I watched it on the biggest non-IMAX screen here. Just an experience.

[Grouchy]

I think it means whose list he takes that film rec from.

Aaaah that makes sense.

[Watashi]

Oh man, I really want to know what Spinal thinks of Cloud Atlas.

[Spinal]

Oh man, I really want to know what Spinal thinks of Cloud Atlas.

I wanted to read the book first, which is why it's taken me so long. That may or may not happen.

[Ezee E]

Good to see Oslo, August 31st on many lists. I'm due for a rewatch.

[Dukefrukem]

Good to see Oslo, August 31st on many lists. I'm due for a rewatch.

Its a good movie. But 2012 was an excellent year for cinema. Wouldn't crack my top 10.

[Watashi]

Cloud Atlas is one of the few movies I have done a complete 180 upon rewatch. I unabashedly love it now even though I still recognize the same qualms from my first viewing.

[Ivan Drago]

Cloud Atlas is one of the few movies I have done a complete 180 upon rewatch. I unabashedly love it now even though I still recognize the same qualms from my first viewing.

To this day I keep doing 180s on it. The first time I saw it I was meh on it, after the second I loved it. Then on the third time, I hated it and gave up on it. But when I reflect on it now, I admire it for its ambition. It's still a mess, but one that's watchable.

[Dukefrukem]

Shit. I didn't create a Letterboxd list for this decade....

[Pop Trash]

Spinal needs to watch MacGruber.

[Spinal]

Spinal needs to watch MacGruber.

I've seen it! I liked it a lot.

[Pop Trash]

I've seen it! I liked it a lot.

Time to go pound some Cunth, Spinal.

[Dukefrukem]

2010
1.Inception*
2. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World


2011
1.Melancholia*
2.I Saw the Devil*
3. A Separation
4. The Raid
5. Drive*
6.Attack the Block*

2012
1.The Cabin in the Woods*
2.John Dies at the End*
3.Life of Pi*
4.The Avengers*
5.The Intouchables*
6.Wrong*
7.The Act of Killing*


2013
1.Upstream Color
2.The Wolf of Wall Street
3.John Dies at the End
4.Odd Thomas
5.Her


2014
1.Interstellar*
2.Captain America: The Winter Soldier*
3.Predestination*
4.Whiplash*
5.Gone Girl*
6.Big Hero 6


2015
1.Mad Max: Fury Road*
2.Avengers: Age of Ultron*
3.Bone Tomahawk*


2016
1.The Lobster*
2.Captain Fantastic*
3.Nocturnal Animals
4.Swiss Army Man*
5.Zootopia*


2017
1. Mother!
2.Get Out*
3. Colossal*


2018
1.Hereditary*
2.Roma*
3.Avengers: Infinity War*


2019
X