Treeroy's Quinquennial Quaesitum - a Quaint Queue of Quintessial Films | Quibble away...

[Avatree]

25.

 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

 

HEY (HEY), WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS FILM. SERIOUSLY.

 

How can anyone dislike GUARDIANS? Answer: they don't.

It's out-there, it builds an interesting universe of societies and peoples, it's got characters who I care about, and it's got a rad beat. I never expected to cry in a Marvel film either, but hey, this broke everyone's expectations.

[Avatree]

24.

 

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

 

Another Coen gem, with the utterly brilliant Oscar Isaac to get us inside our moronic protagonist. The film is written like a folk song and the air of mystery that surrounds both the story and its participants makes the movie all the more soothingly intriguing.

 

[Avatree]

23.

 

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

 

A groundbreakingly human take on this old franchise, RISE is one of few blockbuster reboots worth keeping. A sensible & sensitive drama with remarkable performances by all involved, the story of how the ape revolution began is an emotionally charged character piece, made all the more sad by our knowledge of where the story must end.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Tree-5000

[Avatree]

22.

 

FLIGHT

 

This visceral look at alcoholism is as brutal and heartbreaking as it needs to be. Denzel returns to form with a top performance, and although some of the movie feels like excess, for the most part it's a terrific study of obsession and principle.

[Avatree]

21.

Hello to Jason Isaacs.

 

SKELETONS

 

One review described this film as "intelligent nonsense", and that's pretty much a perfect description of this brilliant drama. None of it makes any sense, yet it manages to explore matters of life and death, and the blur between imagination and reality.

[Avatree]

20.

 

THE LEGO MOVIE

 

The Lego Movie is the anti-blockbuster: a film that from its conception must have been made purely to sell toys, yet something whose end result felt pure and sincere. The brilliance of the movie comes from Lord and Miller's genuine understanding of what makes Lego the icon that it has become; what makes it the connector across generations, and why it inspires so much innocent creativity among kids and adults alike. My love for Lego knows no bounds, and this genius piece of filmmaking truly does it justice.

[Avatree]

19.

 

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

 

Charming, well-cast, touching, funny and little more than 80 minutes of pure escapism. What more could I want in a film?

[Avatree]

18.

 

PHINEAS AND FERB THE MOVIE: ACROSS THE 2ND DIMENSION

Okay, so maybe this doesn't count as it's a TV movie, but it's my list, so fuck it. This feature-length adaptation of the brilliant TV show is every bit as funny, subversive and clever as I had hoped. It's my second favourite animated film since 2010, so ranking at #18 is pretty darn good.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Tree-5000

[Avatree]

17.

 

UNDER THE SKIN

 

Under the Skin is one of the best science fiction films I've seen in a very long time. Its surreal creepiness is so effectiveness because it hits so close to home. Scarlett Johansson gives one of the best performances of the year, and Glazer's film ends up as one of the most ickily memorable experiences of the half decade...

[Avatree]

16.

 

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

 

One of David Fincher's best films, this turns what could have been a dull legal drama into... well, a really fucking intense legal drama. Great cast, particularly Andrew Garfield.

[Avatree]

15.

 

THE BABADOOK

 

This psychological horror film is already considered by many to be a future classic in the genre, and for good reason. It's a deep investigation into the mind of a child, and the weight that can be put on parents as a result. Contrary to what some say, I felt genuinely uncomfortable and scared, but not because of cheap jump scares; rather, genuinely interesting characters who I sympathised with. Having said that, never have I wanted to kill a fuckin' kid so much...

Edited August 20, 2015 by Tree-5000

[Avatree]

14.

 

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

 

A sequel that takes its predecessor's characters to interesting new places, expands its ideas, and turns up the emotional vigour. Revolutionary performance capture technology combined with superb filmmaking from all involved results in one of the best films in years.

[Avatree]

13.

 

SUPER 8

 

JJ Abrams' love letter to Steven Spielberg may to some be mere imitation, but as far as I'm concerned, if it came from Spielberg himself then it'd rank among his greatest. It's also one of few films where I'm annoyed by the child actors.

[Ethan Hunt]

Hail The Social Network

[Avatree]

12.

 

ROCK OF AGES

 

I FUCKING LOVE THIS FILM. I DO NOT APOLOGISE FOR THIS. IT'S SO MUCH FUN, AND I'VE WATCHED IT 20 TIMES THIS YEAR. I LOVE IT. 

 

TOM CRUISE, YOU ARE MY GOD. NO ONE CAN TRAP THE FIRE PHOENIX.

[Avatree]

ALSO THE BLU RAY BOX FOR ROCK OF AGES ISN'T BLUE, IT'S SPARKLY GLITTER PURPLE

[Avatree]

11.

 

JAGTEN (THE HUNT)

 

This gem of a film follows a man accused of molesting a child, and explores how a community can behave; how people can behave in a crowd mentality; how a misconstrued rumour can turn into a mass hunt for justice. Vinterberg and Mikkelsen are astonishing here, and they aren't afraid to get their hands dirty - making a movie about false sex abuse allegations isn't something that many filmmakers would dare try given the prominence of related news stories in the last few years. It's a brave and honest film that everyone should watch.

[Avatree]

10.

 

INDIE GAME: THE MOVIE

 

 

 

 

"If I don't finish Fez, I will kill myself."

 

 

this is a masterpiece of documentary cinema. It takes an obscure aspect of the world, makes it accessible, and shows how a seemingly innocent occupation can drive people to the edge of insanity. It's a fascinating, violent and beautiful approach to studying independent game developers.

 

[Avatree]

9.

 

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

 

Martin McDonagh's excellent IN BRUGES was just the start; SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS is a full-blown dialogue-driven meta-commentary on Hollywood, and a hilarious one at that. Christopher Walken does his thing better than he's ever done it before, in a role tailor-made for him, and the chemistry between Rockwell and Farrell makes this an astonishingly well-cast movie. It's even got Tom Waits as a bunny-stroking serial killer psycho.

[Avatree]

8.

 

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

 

Easily the best superhero film ever made. It's that simple.