Noctis' Top 50 Of The Decade So Far...TOP TEN BEGINS

[Noctis]

14. BLUE JASMINE

​"There's only so many traumas that a person can withstand before they take to the streets and start screaming."

 

Blue Jasmine is an amazing film because of Cate Blanchett's incredible performance. She lived and breathed the character. She didn't play her. She was her. It is a terrific film that showcases Blanchett's already well-known talent into the stratosphere. It was brilliant seeing someone so fucked up, mean, vindictive, and shallow see such a massive drop in social status. But as the film goes on, no matter how horrible she could be, you still wanted her to get better despite the endless mistakes she commits. When you can feel sympathy to a character that's a raging pathological liar, you know the actor playing them is doing such a great job. 

 

13. THE WIND RISES

"Inspiration unlocks the future."

 

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the defining artists of the 21st century, and for good reason. He's created some of the most incredible animated films that have resonated deeply with viewers both young and old. They were magical to their very core. But The Wind Rises is not a magical film, and it was never supposed to be. It's one of the most realistic, haunting, and emotionally powerful animated films to have ever been released. It's a fittingly bittersweet swan song for Miyazaki. He could not have ended his career on a more perfect film that parallels so much of him. It's one that delves deep into the burning ambition that drives every one of us, and the utmost importance of fighting as hard as you possibly can to make your dream come true. 

 

The final ten minutes of the film are heartbreaking, and one of the best endings to a film I have ever seen. The majority of the film preceding those final moments were very good, but the last ten minutes were when The Wind Rises not only reached greatness, but transcended it. It's one of those few times where you are just so gobsmacked at what you're seeing on screen than you can hardly believe the imagination of the artist behind it. Miyazaki will never be forgotten.  

 

There was a quote I read recently that instantly made me think of Miyazaki.

 

"Artists are the radical voices of civilisation."

Edited March 6, 2015 by Noctis

[Noctis]

12. ZERO DARK THIRTY

"I'm the motherfucker that found this place. Sir."

 

Zero Dark Thirty is Kathryn Bigelow at her absolute best. I remember feeling so underwhelmed by The Hurt Locker that I wasn't anticipating ZDT much. To me, Zero Dark Thirty was everything The Hurt Locker tried so desperately to be but failed. It's a suspenseful, harrowing, and brilliantly made film that's intelligent and emotionally resonant. Zero Dark Thirty also succeeds as a psychological study of how the character, Maya, gradually loses her humanity after witnessing horrors such as murder and torture. She becomes intensely dedicated to her mission to find and capture Osama Bin Laden, and when they finally do, she doesn't know what to do with her life anymore after being focused solely on finding him for an entire decade. There's a shot of Maya near the end of the film that says it all. It's an amazing film that's bolstered by a very smart and detailed script, and of course, Jessica Chastain's mesmerizing performance.

 

11. LIFE OF PI

"I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye."

 

Life of Pi is an adaptation of a very complex book that many deemed would never be able to translate well onto film. Yet the genius Ang Lee managed to accomplish in creating an astonishingly vibrant film that captures the themes and messages of the book perfectly. You're glued to the screen from the very minute the film begins, and become wholly invested in the main character's journey to shore with the tiger on board. It's so difficult to create an engaging film that's focused on just one human character for all of the action and the majority of the runtime, but Ang Lee did it perfectly. Life of Pi is a testament to Ang Lee's immense talent as a filmmaker, and one that has already gone down in history. The final act of the film hits you with the force of a brick, and the emotion is palpable. I honestly couldn't help but cry when you felt Pi's pain at how Richard Parker just walked away into the jungle forever. I'm an atheist, but Life of Pi is one of the few faith films that I adore with all my heart. And holy fuck at how beautiful the film looks.

[4815162342]

2 excellent, 1 very good, and 1 solid pick there

[Ethan Hunt]

Life of Pie is really... Umm... Vanilla, yeah that's the word

[Claire of Themyscira]

12. ZERO DARK THIRTY

"I'm the motherfucker that found this place. Sir."

 

Zero Dark Thirty is Kathryn Bigelow at her absolute best. I remember feeling so underwhelmed by The Hurt Locker that I wasn't anticipating ZDT much. To me, Zero Dark Thirty was everything The Hurt Locker tried so desperately to be but failed. It's a suspenseful, harrowing, and brilliantly made film that's intelligent and emotionally resonant. Zero Dark Thirty also succeeds as a psychological study of how the character, Maya, gradually loses her humanity after witnessing horrors such as murder and torture. She becomes intensely dedicated to her mission to find and capture Osama Bin Laden, and when they finally do, she doesn't know what to do with her life anymore after being focused solely on finding him for an entire decade. There's a shot of Maya near the end of the film that says it all. It's an amazing film that's bolstered by a very smart and detailed script, and of course, Jessica Chastain's mesmerizing performance.

YAS. STAN, NOCTIS. STAN.

 

 

Ugh, I love you so much.

[Avatree]

I'm an atheist, but Life of Pi is one of the few faith films that I adore with all my heart.

Life of Pi is a religious film?

[Ethan Hunt]

Life of Pi is a religious film?

Yeah, it's not beat you over the head, you must believe in God religious, but there is definitely some stuff in there about having faith in his existence.

Edited March 6, 2015 by Ethan Hunt

[Noctis]

Life of Pi is a religious film?

 

Not religious, but it deals with faith. 

[Avatree]

Not religious, but it deals with faith. 

Uh does it? It was only like two years ago, my memory can't be that bad :'(

[Noctis]

Uh does it? It was only like two years ago, my memory can't be that bad :'(

 

Or maybe you couldn't understand the film. 

[Avatree]

Or maybe you couldn't understand the film. 

How kind of you...

 

I didn't see the film as relating to faith whatsoever. Pi's imagination and inability to come to terms with what happened has nothing to do with a god. Is there a key part of the film that I'm forgetting?

[Dementeleus]

How kind of you...

 

I didn't see the film as relating to faith whatsoever. Pi's imagination and inability to come to terms with what happened has nothing to do with a god. Is there a key part of the film that I'm forgetting?

 

Faith doesn't necessarily mean dealing with a singular, literal God entity.

[Noctis]

lol. You're right, actually. It's all up to interpretation. 

[Ethan Hunt]

How kind of you...

I didn't see the film as relating to faith whatsoever. Pi's imagination and inability to come to terms with what happened has nothing to do with a god. Is there a key part of the film that I'm forgetting?

Yes.

[Avatree]

Faith doesn't necessarily mean dealing with a singular, literal God entity.

No but it does mean trusting in supernatural stuff, none of which was in the film as far as I'm concerned. If we're talking about the idea of having faith that you will survive, then, well, we're talking about different things, and I don't see how Noctis being atheist would be relevant to that.

[Ethan Hunt]

Isn't the whole point of the film is that he's going to make that other dude believe in God?

[Dementeleus]

No but it does mean trusting in supernatural stuff...

 

No it doesn't. You're approaching this from a very western perspective.

Edited March 6, 2015 by Telemachos

[Noctis]

Isn't the whole point of the film is that he's going to make that other dude believe in God?

 

Uh...what?

[Avatree]

 

Isn't the whole point of the film is that he's going to make that other dude believe in God?

Not really but I guess you can interpret it like that. He was telling an unlikely yet plausible story. Since it's just fiction, and anyone can survive anything, the argument that it might make the viewer believe in a god is ridiculous. So - yes, that is something that occurs within the film's dialogue, but that doesn't mean the movie itself is trying to suggest anything like that

 

No it doesn't. You're approaching this from a very western perspective.

What does it mean then? That's its meaning where I'm from, how I understand it and how people use it. :shrug:

And most of us here live in the western world (though I appreciate Noctis doesn't), so I think it's fair to use our own understanding of it.

Edited March 6, 2015 by treeroy

[Dementeleus]

 

 

Not really but I guess you can interpret it like that. He was telling an unlikely yet plausible story. Since it's just fiction, and anyone can survive anything, the argument that it might make the viewer believe in a god is ridiculous. So - yes, that is something that occurs within the film's dialogue, but that doesn't mean the movie itself is trying to suggest anything like that

 

What does it mean then? That's its meaning where I'm from, how I understand it and how people use it. :shrug:

And most of us here live in the western world (though I appreciate Noctis doesn't), so I think it's fair to use our own understanding of it.

 

 

Of course we all bring our own perspective and understanding to anything we watch. But it's worth considering that the main character isn't western and that there are other perspectives beyond our own that might be worthy of consideration for certain stories.