Spaghetti's Lustral Cinematic Celebration (100 Best Films From 2010-2014) - Top 10 Time!

[Ezen Baklattan]

Sorry, Noctis, I know you still love me.

[Ezen Baklattan]

Hopefully we don't get a formatting fiasco like last time we did this, but here goes:
 
THE SIX MOST GLORIOUS BOX OFFICE RUNS OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS

6. INCEPTION
 

 
BRRRMMMMM
 
I don't know what's more impressive, a 2.5 hour long, mind-bending, drama/thriller opening to $60m in the summer, or the fact that it legged its way to a total of about $290m. Inception had an insane run for the kind of movie it was, and we have one factor to thank for that: Christopher Nolan. After recieving a healthy dose of goodwill from directing The Dark Knight (a factor the marketers didn't shy away from) and featuring a grounded performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, it seemed like Inception had something to offer for everyone who saw it. The fact that Interstellar couldn't match the film by a large margin is not a testament to that film's dissapointment, but to the insane and jaw dropping success that this enjoyed over the summer. Thanks, Nolan, for proving that original dramas with exciting ideas can be big hits, once more.

5. GRAVITY
 

 
SPAAAAACCCEEE!!!! YEEEE HAAAAWWWWW!!!!!
 
Speaking of adult science fiction (And I know what can of worms I just opened, mind you), it becomes insane to think about just what a bonkers run this film had. A film with little dialogue set in real time, focusing on a disaster in a spacecraft, seemed somewhat niche for mainstream audiences, but Warner Bros had a real trick up their sleeve with the strong visual slant the film promised, and audiences were certainly intrigued by the amazingly high review scores it kept receiving. Absolutely no one believed it would get to $200m before September, let alone its $270m final total, opening huge and playing well through Oscar season. Seriously, is there any adult drama without Johnny Depp that Warner Bros. can't market?

4. AMERICAN SNIPER
 

 
Apparently not.
 
American Sniper is already off to a huge start and could blow past $300m and become the biggest success story of 2014, if not the last five years. It's not higher on the list because it's still kind of cheating to have a film this early make the list without a sense of its legs, but it could easily crack number 1. Chris Kyle's memoir was a huge hit among several Americans, but the heaps of Oscar nominations it received certainly didn't hurt it either. In the end, the entire country turned up in big numbers, turning a January holdover into one of the year's biggest films. There's no words to describe or even explain this run, but it's just straight up insane. I can't wait to see where it goes from here, even though I didn't even love the movie.

3. FROZEN

 (VOLUME WARNING)

Flip the table, screw you all!
 
Tangled grossed $200m. Wreck-It Ralph made $189m. Frozen.....doubled each gross. With Frozen, Disney finally channeled its renaissance magic like nothing else for a new generation of moviegoers, as songs like "Let It Go" and "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" became gigantic hits on social media. Tangled had plenty of fairy tale magic, but the story of Anna and Elsa proved to be relatable and powerful like nothing else audiences had seen before in Disney, and it offered an exciting story that audiences dove right in to. Only those with a frozen heart could hate this movie, most people were convinced, and the entire world caught Frozen Fever to a huge degree. Disney truly delivered here, and honestly, it really deserves the love.

2. THE HUNGER GAMES FRANCHISE
 

 
They were right to bet on the girl on fire.
 
Mockingjay Part 1 is going to outgross all but one of the Harry Potter movies and all of the twilight films, and it's the weakest of the franchise's box office record by far. The books weren't game changers like Twilight and Harry Potter were at first, but once the movie was a crazy box office breakout in 2012, launching the career of Jennifer Lawrence like nothing else, it became clear that these movies would be a force to be reckoned with. Beloved by critics, cinephiles, and audiences alike, the Hunger Games offered powerful and emotional action, thought provoking ideas on power and class divides, and a unique world of injustice and darkness, but it comes wrapped to audiences in a beautiful and exciting way. I can only imagine how Part 2 is going to do next year. I've never seen such a consistently huge franchise before.

1. THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
 

 
FUCK
 

 
YEAH
 
When Disney decided to purchase Marvel, most fans seemed to revile at first, but boy, did they do some great stuff with it. Thor, Iron Man 2, and Captain America: The First Avenger were fairly decent hits, but once The Avengers struck, everything went up and insane. The combination of 5 beloved heroes and Hawkeye (j.k. we love you) was something audiences utterly fell in love with, undoubtedly thanks to Whedon's winning direction and writing, but even the continuation in Phase 2 had quite the power as well. Aside from Thor 2, each film gave a brilliant performance and received rave reactions. Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy were two of 2014's biggest stories, the latter being all the more impressive due to its somewhat niche source material and its gargantuan box office grosses. If that movie didn't convince people that Marvel knew damn well what it was doing, I'm not sure what will. I'm almost certain the superhero fad is going to die down soon with the overload of the genre it may have caused, but with these guys piloting the force, it's hard to complain. Keep 'em coming, Kevin Fiege. We're not full yet.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Spaghetti

[Ezen Baklattan]

Back to work!
 

20. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL 
"Take your hands off my lobby boy!"
Like The World's End earlier in the list, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a chain of stories united in a force of melancholy. The film is a nesting doll of stories, only with the titular hotel at the very center of it. The film follows a mysterious and almost comical caper unfold in 1930s Europe, but it soon paves way to the incoming hold of warfare and the ultimate desolation of the already feeble peace at the time. It's a madcap and excitingly made ride when it wants to be, full of wit, charm, and excitement, but Wes Anderson knows how to use his signature style and bring it to greater and more profound themes of the nature of memory, relationships and friendships with one another, and the harmful effects of violence and warfare that plays a distressingly encroaching role in the central story. It's Wes Anderson's most unified work to date, but not quite my favorite. That will come at a later point.

 

19. A SEPARATION

"What is wrong is wrong, no matter who said it or where it's written."
Asghar Farhadi's subtle yet quitely intense emotional drama about the difficulties faced onto a Iranian couple seeking a separation in marriage, and dealing with the implication it will have on the husband's ailing mother and their daughter. It has the vibe of an Ingmar Bergman film, relying on subtle and powerful dynamics between families through a more contemporary lens, always making clear the deep ramifications of the situation. The performances are as mesmerizing as the script that the film utilizes, especially on account of mother Leila Hatami. The film ends on an ambiguous yet cathartic note, and it will leave you thinking and empathetic towards the family as you leave the theater. This is some really great filmmaking.

[BK007]

lol Spaghetti forgot Iron Man 3 in Phase 2 already.

 

Testament to the complete and utter ambivalence to that film after a fucking disgusting $170m OW.

 

Yeah, I didn't think it deserved to gross so much.

[darkelf]

5 beloved heroes and Hawkeye

Poor Hawkeye

[Alpha]

3. FROZEN

 (VOLUME WARNING)

Flip the table, screw you all!

 

Tangled grossed $200m. Wreck-It Ralph made $189m. Frozen.....doubled each gross. With Frozen, Disney finally channeled its renaissance magic like nothing else for a new generation of moviegoers, as songs like "Let It Go" and "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" became gigantic hits on social media. Tangled had plenty of fairy tale magic, but the story of Anna and Elsa proved to be relatable and powerful like nothing else audiences had seen before in Disney, and it offered an exciting story that audiences dove right in to. Only those with a frozen heart could hate this movie, most people were convinced, and the entire world caught Frozen Fever to a huge degree. Disney truly delivered here, and honestly, it really deserves the love.

 

[Ezen Baklattan]

Saturday: This list will be completed.

Sunday: 10 Films people are brainwashed into loving.

Monday: 10 Films they're brainwashed into hating or ignoring.

[Alpha]

Saturday: This list will be completed.

Sunday: 10 Films people are brainwashed into loving.

Monday: 10 Films they're brainwashed into hating or ignoring.

 

[Ezen Baklattan]

18. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

"Please Mr. Kennedy, I don't wanna go, no no, into outer space!"

The Coen brothers easily seem to be some of the most brilliant directors nowadays, but their skill is taken to equally substantial levels in this fairly under seen 2013 film. It's hardly a crowd pleaser: A reasonably talented folk musician in 1960s New York struggles to find success, but he just can't get a break in life. That, and he's often a screw-up or even a jerk. The Coens squeeze copious amounts of black humor and atmosphere from this seeming sobstory, but the final result is a vivid, well crafted lament of failed American dreams and ties in surprisingly well to the economic woes that have taken up recent American history. It's a deeply felt and profusely well crafted tale that feels just like a folk song in and of itself. 

 

17. TOY STORY 3

"So long, partner"

Pixar strikes the landing perfectly with the end of a trilogy that so many kids grew up with. With Andy now departing for college and leaving his beloved toys behind, they get donated to a daycare center and find that a devious Teddy Bear has created a brutal hierarchy within the toys of the daycare, and must stage an escape/rebellion to save themselves and return to Andy. In what seems like a simple story, it is actually full of the same heart, magic, and joy that has filled the franchise for so long, with a finale so perfect and bittersweet that only those with the coldest hearts (and Tele and Baumer) would resist crying. The frustration at the inevitable release of Toy Story 4 is a testament to how perfectly and brilliantly this simple story wrapped everything up. What more could you ask for in a movie like this?

[Ezen Baklattan]

16. WHIPLASH

"There are no words in the English language more harmful than 'good job.'"

Imagine The Karate Kid on steroids (and a bit of heroin) and you have an idea for this batshit insane movie. Miles Teller gives an amazing physical performance as Andrew Nieman, an aspiring drummer with great potential, willing to be pushed to the edge for the sake of his talent. That's just what Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) is going to do. Brilliantly edited and engaging all throughout its runtime, Whiplash presents a surprisingly complex tale of obsession and motivation without any simple answers. Fletcher won't have any of the sentimental soccer-mom mentality (As evidenced in the quote above), yet he ends up becoming especially compatible to Nieman's talent and drive, perhaps exploiting his willingness to make this the only thing that matters in his life. It's a powerful tale that explores human nature and dreams, and by the end, it will leave you speechless. Bonus points because it's fun to imagine Tenzin berating his students like he does in this movie.

 

15. DRIVE

"There's something inside you, it's hard to explain. They're talking about you boy, but you're still the same"

This is a movie that has absolute coolness is spades. The direction, editing, and atmosphere create a vibe of an artistic 80s action flick, and the film becomes simply remarkable in that regard. The story is refreshingly simple, centering on Ryan Gosling playing a getaway driver who gets caught up in serious trouble upon getting involved with the mess left over by the ex-convict husband of a woman Gosling falls in love with. It's a case of style over substance, quite simply, but the substance and style actually work together perfectly in such a unique and rewarding way that it cruises along briskly and excitingly for its 100 minute runtime, despite not being a huge, relentless action movie. It's a movie that depends on simplicity and atmosphere, but thankfully, Nicholas Winding Refn has those factors in spades for this movie.

[Alpha]

J.K. Simmons as Mr. Miyagi for Best Supporting Actor.

 

[Noctis]

Toy Story 3 has the best ending of any finale. And booooo for Drive being that high. Ew.

[Avatree]

TS3's ending was great but the rest of the film.... well, was not so.

[Empire]

Really happy to see TS3 & Whiplash rank so high.

I am a fan of Drive, but wouldn't put it so high if I made a list.

[Ezen Baklattan]

14. THE WIND RISES
"Which would you choose: a world with pyramids or a world without?"
This might not be Miyazaki's final feature film, but some of what makes this film truly wonderful is how it acts as a synthesis of Miyazaki's career and his ideas in practice and theory. Our main character is Jiro, a boy growing up in early 20th century Japan with a dream to design airplanes. His dream eventually comes, but anyone aware of history should know what those planes would be used for. Visually and emotionally beautiful, The Wind Rises is truly a spectacle. It discusses themes of the tragedy of wartime, the cognitive dissonance of wanting to create something beautiful but knowing it will be used for an ugly purpose, and how idealism guides our very souls. It takes advantage of the medium of animation and creates a truly marvelous story, unlike anything you have seen before.
 

13. EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
"Most artists spend years perfecting their craft finding their style. Thierry seems to have missed all those bits."
One of the most fun, fourth-wall shattering, movies (?) of all time, Exit Through The Gift Shop seemingly starts off as a documentary looking into the world of street art through the lens of the mysterious rebel and street artist Banksy and his protege, a French immigrant interested in filmmaking and street art. The end result is almost too difficult to put in words, but it becomes a deliriously meta game of film, where you're not sure exactly what it is you just watched. You know what happened, but you have no idea how real it is. Banksy excels at playing with our expectations, and he creates a truly entertaining and fun documentary centered around his playfulness. It's true art as it unleashes the potential the film and creates a scenario so absurd yet entertaining, you never want to end. Banksy does not give a fuck whose feathers get ruffled, and his rebellious picture becomes a joy because of that.

[luna]

TS3's ending was great but the rest of the film.... well, was not so.

 

beginning and end were fine, but yeah, the bulk of it was trash. ken and barbie? seriously?

[luna]

btw, is panda doing theirs next? or is it me?

[Noctis]

THE WIND RISES!!!!!!!

[Ezen Baklattan]

12. THE MASTER
"If you figure a way to live without serving a master, any master, then let the rest of us know, will you? For you'd be the first person in the history of the world."
Paul Thomas Anderson's Scientology based parable won't quite hit you until after you leave the theater, but it's a film that lingers and simmers over time, and that's when you know you watched something great. Beautifully directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Joaquin Phoenix plays a soldier worn from WWII trying to make something of himself after returning to the home front, instead coming across a mysterious prophet, played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his best, and sadly final, performances. It becomes more creepy and atmospheric as time goes on and Freddie Quell becomes more enraptured by the teachings of The Cause. It touches on the luring nature of The Cause as well as the power hierarchy that has become embedded into the religion, and you become more than a fly on the wall to the mysterious action that transpires throughout the film. It's much more satisfying than fucking a woman made of sand.
 

11. HOLY MOTORS
"One! Two! Shit!"
A magical mystery ride through Paris filled with unexpected wonder, surprises, and magic, and even melancholy, you never know what to expect when you're watching this movie. The basis is fairly straightforward, focusing on a mysterious man doing several "performances" throughout Paris in different personalities, but it's a really entertaining and irrevent tale to watch, anchored by Denis Lavant's second nature ability to jump readily between personas. The true power of the movie, however, lies in its thematic resonance to themes about changes in patterns of stoytelling, finding personal identity and relationships, and a general love for the power of storytelling that pervades the movie. It's not so much a movie as it is an experience, but it's an experience you'll be high off of for a long time after watching.

[Ezen Baklattan]

We are finally in the top 10!
 
NUMBER 10

 

 

This is a movie that captures true beauty and realism all at once and in spades. It is set within a home for foster children run in part by a woman named Grace and her boyfriend Mason. We catch a glimpse into their lives, particularly through the eyes of new worker Nate, as they try to connect their own emotional traumas to those of the children they are trying to help. The way this movie captures such raw emotion and an empathetic understanding of these children is a phenomenal feat, and it's all thanks to Destin Cretton's writing and direction, as well as one of the finest case ensembles around. Brie Larson masterfully anchors the world down and acts as a kind, yet assertive caretaker who forms a special connection with one of the new arrivals, who herself is portrayed with nuance and subtlety by Kaitlyn Delver. It's a deeply sensitive film that dives into prickly subject matter but, much like its protagonists, never has one ounce of judgement. It seeks understanding and empathy above all else, and you really do believe that all of these people really want to help one another in this world. This is pretty heavy subject matter, but it works better as a subtle tale of humanity rather than a full blown drama simply because of the subdued and calm approach it takes to the matter, something you believe that these kids and the workers both need. It's a simply beautiful and engaging tale without going for the cliched beats of typical dramas and really creates its own identity for itself as a messy, light, yet surprisingly powerful tale.