Blast Through the Recent Past: The Panda's Top 100 Films of the Decade - The List is Complete! I'll Now Be Silent.

[The Panda]

Since the decade is ending I only felt it was adequate to go ahead and make a Best of the Decade List.  Fair warning, I am going off a lot of foggy memory (some of these films I may not have even rewatched since I actually saw them!), so it's very possible a recent re-watch could easily shift some of these rankings.  I also obviously haven't seen nearly every movie that came out this decade, nor do I care to go and do so, so I'm sure I'm missing some excellent films.

 

Some pre-list reveal stats about what's on my list:

The list includes some Best Picture Winners

The list includes some Billion Dollar Plus Grossers

The list includes some Netflix movies

The list includes some Comic Book movies

The list includes some Disney movies

The list includes some movies not in English

The list includes some A24 movies

The list includes some movies you do not like (probably)

The list includes some movies you do like (hopefully)

 

I'll get started soon!

Edited January 15, 2020 by The Panda

[The Panda]

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010, 2011)

Directed by David Yates

 

"Do not pity the dead, Harry.  Pity the living"

 

Most Valuable Player: J.K. Rowling's Children's 'Young Adult' Novels

Awards Count: 3 Oscar Nominations for Part

Box Office: 381m DOM for Part 2

Metascore: 87 for Part 2

Synopsis: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) continue their quest of finding and destroying Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes') three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. But as the mystical Deathly Hallows are uncovered, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins, and life as they know it will never be the same again.

Critic Opinion: "The "Harry Potter" series is one of the great sustained achievements in fiction, a fully imagined mirror world with a lingo and lore of its own. Like the previous seven movies, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" obliviates the line between art and craft, but the witchcraft conjured for this satisfying finale is uniquely generous.  Although this percolating cauldron contains double doses of myth and mayhem, it's also the shortest in the series, because the producers shrewdly split the final book in two. Whereas "Part 1" was a rare and disturbing departure from the Hogwarts School to the blighted world beyond the castle walls, "Part 2" hurls Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) back to the gothic Ground Zero, where he is fated to fight to the death against the embodiment of evil, the wizard-turned-warlord Voledmort (Ralph Fiennes)." - Joe Williams, St. Louis Dispatch

User Opinion: "One of my favorite films ever. I'm a Harry Potter nut until the end, but that doesn't mean I love all the movies in the series. I don't. DH1/DH2 are easily my favorite in the series without a single doubt in my mind. Although DH1 was slightly less flawed, DH2 is a bit better for me - if only for its exhilarating action sequences and the forest scene with Harry and the ghost of his loved ones. Score was utterly incredible. For me, this film got better on repeat viewings. I could notice a lot more little details. Cinematography is spectacular! Every single second of the boathouse was stunning to look at. I do have qualms with the film, though. I wish they had included a couple of scenes of Snape/Lily as teenagers, but that's minor. The very last scene before the epilogue was, in my opinion, a beautiful way to close the film. Just the three of them on the bridge was so poignant.Best film of the year for me.Rankings of the Potter films:1. DH22. DH13. PoA4. HBP5. SS6. OoTP7. CoS8. GoF" - @Noctis

Commentary: I almost felt obligated to put these movies, as they concluded a long series of films and books that I had grown up on, so there's a special place for them.  But beyond just that, the final two Harry Potter films are the franchise at the near top of their craft (only really being exceeded by Prisoners of Azkaban), and in a year with many disappointing endings to big series' it's nice to remember a series that really did manage to stick its landing.  Certainly not a perfect duology of films, let's not talk about that epilogue sequence, but as a whole they make for one really compelling and exciting ride.  And yes, I cheated and included Part 1 and 2 as one film, but let's be real they're best watched together as one film with an intermission in-between.

 

 

 

[The Panda]

 

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Directed by Matt Reeves

 

"This war is madness."

 

Most Valuable Player: Andy Serkis as Caesar

Awards Count: Nominated for One Oscar

Box Office: 146.9m DOM

Metascore: 82

Synopsis: Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

Critic Opinion: "Who would have thought that a bunch of chattering apes would have so much to say?  But “War for the Planet of the Apes,” the finale in the “Planet of the Apes” reboot trilogy that began with the surprisingly satisfying “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in 2011 and continued with the darkly impressive “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” in 2014, is smart, funny and moving.  With its allusions to Shakespeare, Joseph Conrad, the Bible, American slavery and the civil-rights movement, “War” — the best of the three — may not be subtle but it’s ultimate proof that summer sequels and blockbusters don’t have to be brain-dead bottom-feeders either." - Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star Telegram

User Opinion: "It's a pretty fantastic production. It's more engaging in my mind than the other Apes movies: turns out focusing almost entirely on the Apes was a good call! Matt Reeves is simply a fantastic director and his work simply keeps on shining." - @Water Bottle

Commentary: Another franchise capper here, but of quite a different style.  War for the Planet of the Apes was one of the most refreshing tentpole films to come out in the last decade, simply because it really didn't give into many tentpole leanings.  For a film with War in the title, it's a mostly quiet, yet visually spectacular, film and that was all to its merit.  By choosing to show the effects of the war caused in the previous movie, instead of an actual war necessarily, the scenes feel quite a bit more effecting.  Andy Serkis is again the best around when it comes to motion cap performances, and he gives it his best in this one.  It's hard to make a more engaging serial movie than this one.

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by The Panda

[The Panda]

 

Interstellar (2014)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

 

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

 

Most Valuable Player: Dat Black Hole and Hanz Zimmer's Organ

Awards Count: Won 1 Oscar

Box Office: 188m

Metascore: 74

Synopsis: Earth's future has been riddled by disasters, famines, and droughts. There is only one way to ensure mankind's survival: Interstellar travel. A newly discovered wormhole in the far reaches of our solar system allows a team of astronauts to go where no man has gone before, a planet that may have the right environment to sustain human life. 

Critic Opinion: "In any case, Interstellar is quite adamant—and here I’m certain the movie is not channeling Einstein—that however many dimensions may exist, love trumps them all. Love, we are instructed variously, is “quantifiable,” “must have a purpose,” and “is the one thing that transcends time and space.”  If this sounds like a hokey premise for a story about Earthly apocalypse and intergalactic exodus, that’s because it is one. But this is hokiness of uncommon scale and grandeur. Interstellar may be a preposterous epic, but it is an epic nonetheless. For years, the project was attached to Steven Spielberg, and these roots are very much in evidence. Envision a movie as Spielberg-y as any you’ve ever seen—all the craftsmanship, all the sentimentality—add in a concluding twist reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan (not the current version, but the circa-Signs, not-yet-tragic version), and you’ll have a pretty good sense of what to expect." - Christopher Orr, The Atlantic

User Opinion: "B+" - @MrPink

Commentary: My opinion goes all over the map with this movie, some days I think it's some hokey, over exposized nonsense.  On other days, I remember it as a beautiful and moving epic film that keeps you entranced all the way through.  Today just happens to be one of those days where what I appreciate about the movie overshadows some of the flaws that it contains.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'd easily take a flawed creative tentpole film like Interstellar any day over the week over some the safe franchise works that feel like you're getting the same recycled product year after year.  It's a nice, gorgeous looking, cheesy and hopeful epic for those days where you really need it!

 

 

 

[The Panda]

 

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga

 

"Bullet is just eating everything, leaves, trees, ground, person."

 

Most Valuable Player: Idris Elba as the Commandant

Awards Count: 1 SAG Nomination

Box Office: N/A

Metascore: 79

Synopsis: Follows the journey of a young boy, Agu, who is forced to join a group of soldiers in a fictional West African country. While Agu fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination Depicts the mechanics of war and does not shy away from explicit, visceral detail, and paints a complex, difficult picture of Agu as a child soldier.

Critic Opinion: "Hard to watch, impossible to forget. That's Beasts of No Nation, a grueling war story set in an unnamed African country. Idris Elba gives a powerhouse performance as the commandant, the warlord of a rebel army that trains children as soldiers. His new recruit is Agu (Ghanaian discovery Abraham Attah), a boy who saw his family slaughtered. His army indoctrination includes heroin ("brown-brown"), sexual abuse and killing with a machete." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

User Opinion: "A-grade work from everyone involved. Idris Elba is fantastic and I will not be surprised if he is nominated for his role." - @Rorschach

Commentary: Netflix's first major attempt for some awards notice, which ended up falling flat due to Netflix bias (if the Oscars had only gotten over that bias and nominated Elba, maybe they could have avoided yet another Oscars So White scandal for the second year in a row).  The film is riveting and hard to forget, it's a detailed take into the psyche of a child soldier and shows how killers end up being made.  It's a gruesome film to watch, and isn't one you'd necessarily be eager to revisit, but it will always be one that you were glad to have seen, and for that I felt like it deserved a spot on my list.

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

 

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders

 

"Dragons!"

 

Most Valuable Player: Thomas Powell's Score

Awards Count: Nominated for 2 Oscars

Box Office: 217.6m DOM

Metascore: 74

Synopsis: Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup, wants to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast, will not allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his invention, but can't bring himself to kill it. Instead, Hiccup and the dragon, whom he dubs Toothless, begin a friendship that would open up both their worlds as the observant boy learns that his people have misjudged the species. But even as the two each take flight in their own way, they find that they must fight the destructive ignorance plaguing their world.

Critic Opinion: "What we have here is an exhilarating epic that mixes comedic and touching moments with some of the best action sequences ever created with CGI animation. The sweeping widescreen aesthetic is elevated by a dramatic score that could have accompanied "Gladiator" or "The Lord of the Rings." Allusions to those films don't stop there. While the Vikings' blood lust in "How to Train Your Dragon" is comedic in tone, there is an underlying critique of warmongering. Hiccup's dad is consumed with smoking out the dragons' nest, with orders to "kill on sight." And he's indoctrinated the kids with his hate: "Our parents' war is about to be ours," Astrid tells Hiccup." - Tim Horgen, Minneapolis Star Tribune

User Opinion: "Just saw this for the 5th time and it's still amazing. It's by far the best DW movie and one of the best animated movies ever. Emotional, funny, with great voice work, especially by Baruchel and let's not forget about dat score. A great movie all-round." - @darkelf

Commentary: I feel like my list is starting out very blockbustery, it won't stay that way I promise!  How to Train Your Dragon is a wonderful little children's animation with some sweeping visuals, especially given its release date, and it's genuinely exciting for people of all ages.  It also led to a pretty solid little animated trilogy with a bunch of cute dragons that somehow got overlooked to annoying little tater tots.  The film hits all of the coming of age adventure tropes perfectly, and it's all brought together with a pretty great score from Powell.  Definitely worth a watch if you're in a nostalgic kind of mood.  Also, as a side note, it's remarkable to look at how far animation quality has come in 10 years.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by The Panda

[The Panda]

 

Ex Machina (2015)

Directed by Alex Garland

 

"Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you?"

 

Most Valuable Player: Alicia Vikander as Ava

Awards Count: Won 1 Oscar

Box Office: 25.4m DOM

Metascore: 78

Synopsis: Caleb, a 26 year old programmer at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.

Critic Opinion: "Directing his first feature after some impressive scripts (28 Days Later, Never Let Me Go), Alex Garland applies the same idea, with a story about the world's first truly intelligent artificial babe. She's played by Alicia Vikander, who's fast becoming the hottest new star in the cinema firmament. As Vera Brittain in the superb Testament of Youth, set during World War I, Vikander gives a joltingly human performance. Her performance as the cyborg Ava in Ex is just as jolting, if less human. This is a film of creepy modernity and prescience, as Metropolis was in its time.  Garland's script starts with the classics. A young man with a bright future is summoned to the castle-like home of a mysterious loner, like Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a competition within his giant technology conglomerate to spend a week with the company founder, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), working on new ideas. A helicopter flies him into a northern wilderness and dumps him in a field. "This is as close as I'm allowed to go," says the pilot. If a wolf had howled at the moon I would not have been surprised, but Garland sets the scene in daylight, to avoid such cliches." - Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald

User Opinion: "This feels like one of those movies that people are going to refer to as shorthand for the dangers of technology. It's creepy, atmospheric, thoroughly engaging, and features three fine performances. My favorite film of the year so far and I'm eager to see what Alex Garland's planning next." - @tribefan695

Commentary: Ex Machina is one of the films that really got A24 kickstarted, they even managed to nab the visual effects Oscar away from Star Wars and Mad Max in one of the biggest surprises during the Academy Awards.  The film is enrapturing, slowly sucking you into a scenes and questioning just how human this machine really is.  Alicia Vikander is the real star in this film, giving a performance that ends up beign something incredibly unnerving, and going off the awards talk, was much more deserving for this performance than the Danish Girl performance she ended up winning for.  The parable about the dangers of technology is familiar, but the craft and method of telling it is utterly unique.

Year Count: 2015 (2), 2010 (2), 2014 (1), 2017 (1), 2011 (1)

 

 

[The Panda]

 

Margin Call (2011)

Directed by J.C. Chandor

 

"Maybe you could tell me what is going on. And please, speak as you might to a young child. Or a golden retriever. It wasn't brains that brought me here; I assure you that."

 

Most Valuable Player: J.C. Chandor's Screenplay

Awards Count: Nominated for 1 Oscar

Box Office: 5.4m DOM

Metascore: 76

Synopsis: A respected financial company is downsizing and one of the victims is the risk management division head, who was working on a major analysis just when he was let go. His protégé completes the study late into the night and then frantically calls his colleagues in about the company's financial disaster he has discovered. What follows is a long night of panicked double checking and double dealing as the senior management prepare to do whatever it takes to mitigate the debacle to come even as the handful of conscientious comrades find themselves dragged along into the unethical abyss. 

Critic Opinion: "It's all very tense, with stakes unfathomably high; this is uncharted territory. So it's no surprise that the night will involve arguments and compromises, as well as sacrifices. There isn't a lot of growth in the characters, because they arrive fully formed -- for better or worse. They're all afraid, of course, although Tuld would never dare show such an emotion. Others are not so immune to their fears.  But only Rogers (and perhaps Sullivan) seems truly moved by what's going on in lives other than his own. He progresses from a man more worried about his dying dog than the people he's laying off to someone horrified about the effects rash decision-making will have on his employees, his company, the entire industry.  "Margin Call" is an intriguing mix of power, greed and, ultimately, hubris. Whether it's Sullivan's growing horror at his discovery of where Dale's work had been leading, Emerson pondering the effect on his spendthrift lifestyle, Cohen looking for someone to blame or Sarah Robertson (a deglamorized Demi Moore) learning her true value to the firm, these are, despite their numerous flaws, real people. Chandor's film is all the better for never losing sight of that." - Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

User Opinion: "Incredible ensemble with a sharp screenplay and tight, tense pacing. Brilliant 2011 outing." - @4815162342

Commentary: Margin Call is a tight and effective film that followed relatively soon after the Financial crisis and managed to get most of its dramatizations of some of the convoluted material right, and also accessible to a general audience.  It's a well acted and tense ensemble piece that is bolstered with a rather strong screenplay and debut directorial work from J.C. Chandor.  Maybe it's just because it's my field, but I'd love to see more films along the lines of Margin Call.

 

 

 

[The Panda]

 

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Directed by Edgar Wright

 

"We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff."

 

Most Valuable Player: Edgar Wright's Direction

Awards Count: Some Critics Circle nods

Box Office: 31.6m DOM

Metascore: 69 (nice!)

Synopsis: Scott Pilgrim plays in a band which aspires to success. He dates Knives Chau, a high-school girl five years younger, and he hasn't recovered from being dumped by his former girlfriend, now a success with her own band. When Scott falls for Ramona Flowers, he has trouble breaking up with Knives and tries to romance Ramona. As if juggling two women wasn't enough, Ramona comes with baggage: seven ex-lovers, with each of whom Scott must do battle to the death in order to win Ramona.

Critic Opinion: "The hipster's event movie, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is an anti-blockbuster, an amped youth comedy that's so far out of the mainstream it's not only filmed in Toronto, it's set there too.  These days even hipster movies come out of comic books. And they can stretch to include wiz-bang digital effects, just so long as they're delivered with an ironic wink, or a "Batman"-esque "Kappow!"  The big joke in Bryan Lee O'Malley's slacker odyssey - and it's a good one - is that when his under-employed underground hero (the cutely anxious Michael Cera) takes up with a cool American girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he must fight it out with her seven exes in videogame-style battles." - Tom Charity, CNN

User Opinion: "Scott Pilgrim is like a fantastic piece of pop art put to film. Its imaginative, detailed, funny and obviously a lot of passion went into it." - @Jack Nevada

Commentary: Scott Pilgrim certainly isn't a perfect film, but it's some innovative comedy work from Edgar Wright that lands way more often than it misses.  Scott Pilgrim is full of quirky, stylish flairs that define Edgar Wright's comedic voice.  It's certainly a film meant for the nerdier and ironic crowd, and sadly for Scott Pilgrim it probably was a little ahead of its time to be a major hit.  I reckon had this film been released in the last few years it would have been a potential 100m DOM hit given how much geek culture has taken off this decade.  Perhaps this is the perfect film to capture the rise of geek culture that has happened this decade,

Year Count: 2015 (2), 2010 (3), 2014 (1), 2017 (1), 2011 (2)
 

 

[The Panda]

 

Sorry to Bother You (2018)

Directed by Boots Riley

 

"Don't listen to what I say. Listen to what I want."

 

Most Valuable Player: Boots Riley's Direction and Screenplay

Awards Count: Critics Circle awards and nominations

Box Office: 17.5m DOM

Metascore: 80

Synopsis: In an alternate version of Oakland, Cassius Green gets a telemarketing job and finds the commission paid job a dispiriting struggle as a black man selling to predominately white people over the phone. That changes when a veteran advises him to use his "white voice," and the attitude behind it to make himself more appealing to customers. With a bizarrely high-pitched accent, Cassius becomes a success even as his colleagues form a union to improve their miserable jobs. Regardless, Cassius finds himself promoted a "Power Caller" selling the most morally abhorrent but lucrative products and services as his connection to his girlfriend and colleagues fades away. However, Cassius' conscience arises anew as he finds himself in the midst of his boss' bizarre world of condescending bigoted decadence and his sinister plans to create the perfect subservient work force with Cassius' help.

Critic Opinion: "In its brashness and dystopian stylisations, Sorry to Bother You has obvious similarities to the movie-making of Spike Lee, and specifically his latest picture, BlacKkKlansman, about a black cop who by pretending to be white over the telephone is able to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. In the globalised world of marketing and direct sales, the imposture of voice is very important, and the illusion of white identity can give black workers a whole new opportunity – not for equality or prosperity, but for cultivating new, speciously reassuring mannerisms of domestic servitude." - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

User Opinion: "While I can't say it's the best movie of the year by any means, it's certainly stuck with me a lot longer than a lot of other films in the territory. Yeah, it's not exactly subtle and sometimes kinds of rambles, but in a way it feels like part of the point. It's not so much an indictment of trump era politics as well as capitalism as a whole, and seeing one go as surreal, angry, yet consistently entertaining in a major multiplex is actually extremely rewarding. (I had similar feelings about Assassination Nation, but liked this a bit more.)

 

The cast, direction, script, visuals - it's all on point. I've really grown to love this movie." - @Spaghetti

Commentary: Sorry to Bother You is an explosive, dystopian debut feature from Boots Riley that is bustling with raw creative energy.  The film is certainly messy in many regard, but it's so damn innovative that you can't help to really enjoy it for everything that it is.  It's certainly not shy to let you know how it feels about the economic issues it's commentating on, but it does so in such a fun way that the blatant messaging is entirely forgiveable.  It's bolstered by some terrific performances from the main casts and it features one of the most absurd twists that will leave you with a strong opinion about the film one way or another.

Year Count: 2010 (3), 2015 (2), 2011 (2), 2014 (1), 2017 (1), 2018 (1)

 

 

 

[Ethan Hunt]

i predict that the next placement on the list will be Two Popes

[The Panda]

 

The Two Popes (2019)

Directed by Fernando Meirelles

 

"Perhaps we'll find God over there, on the journey, I'll introduce you to Him."

 

Most Valuable Player: Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins as the 2 Popes

Awards Count: To be seen

Box Office: N/A

Metascore: 75

Synopsis: An intimate story of one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the last 2,000 years. Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins). Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church. Behind Vatican walls, a struggle commences between both tradition and progress, guilt and forgiveness, as these two very different men confront their pasts in order to find common ground and forge a future for a billion followers around the world. Inspired by true events.

Critic Opinion: "Adapted from the 2017 play The Pope and written by Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour, Bohemian Rhapsody), The Two Popes is an imaginative take on a pivotal moment in the modern history of the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict XVI unexpectedly announced his resignation in 2013—the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years—citing a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to age. The conclave to select his successor occurred a month later, with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio elected as the new pontiff, taking the name Francis. The Two Popes explores the presumption that the details of Benedict's resignation are a more intriguing story than a simple retirement." - Adam Mullins-Khatib

User Opinion: "The acting was fantastic and some dialogue was very funny" - @JonathanLB

Commentary: I just did a short commentary on this film fairly recently, but I'll repeat some of the glowing remarks that I had about it there.  The Two Popes is a warm film about a dire and tense transition that's fractures are still being felt today.  There's something for everyone in this film, even if you don't care too much about crucial current events in the history in the making of the Catholic Church.  One of the highlights of the year is getting to see the 2 Popes watch football together while drinking.  The Two Popes is an inspiring and engaging film about friendship that breaks down political and religious walls.

Year Count: 2010 (3), 2015 (2), 2011 (2), 2014 (1), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (1)

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

 

What We Do in the Shadows (2015)

Directed by Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi

 

"If you are going to eat a sandwich, you would just enjoy it more if you knew no one had fucked it."

 

Most Valuable Player: Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi's Screenplay

Awards Count: Some critics circle awards

Box Office: 3.5m DOM

Metascore: 76

Synopsis: Follow the lives of Viago (Taika Waititi), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), and Vladislav (Jemaine Clement) - three flatmates who are just trying to get by and overcome life's obstacles-like being immortal vampires who must feast on human blood. Hundreds of years old, the vampires are finding that beyond sunlight catastrophes, hitting the main artery, and not being able to get a sense of their wardrobe without a reflection-modern society has them struggling with the mundane like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.

Critic Opinion: "The story divides neatly into half-hour thirds, though the somewhat dour final third has its pokey stretches. The humor won't be for everyone. NEEDLESS to say. But the effects work is surprisingly fleet and elegant, especially the transformations from human to bat form. And seeing these men wrapping their heads around such newfangled developments as the Internet is amusing in itself. When Stu, the computer software expert, explains search engines to Viago and asks for something to search for, his reply comes in a flash: "I lost a really nice silk scarf in about 1912."" - Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

User Opinion: "a bit disappointing tbh. not as good as THIS IS SPINAL TAP" - @luna

Commentary: Back before Taika Waititi got the mainstream films, he was doing these small little kiwi films, and they were so much better than the ones he made once Disney got ahold of him.  What We Do in the Shadows is a hysterical mockumentary that manages to harness the charm of peak Parks and Recreation and bring it into the world of vampires.  While there is pretty much no driving plot to this film, the sketches that you get out of it are so entertaining that it really doesn't matter for your enjoyment at all.  If you're needing a pretty straight comedy, you could do a lot worse than Waititi's bloodsucking ordeal.

Year Count: 2010 (3), 2015 (3), 2011 (2), 2014 (1), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (1)

 

 

 

 

[The Panda]

 

Spotlight (2015)

Directed by Tom McCarthy

 

"If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one."

 

Most Valuable Player: The Film's Ensemble

Awards Count: Won 2 Oscars

Box Office: 45.1m DOM

Metascore: 93

Synopsis: When the Boston Globe's tenacious "Spotlight" team of reporters delves into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston's religious, legal, and government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world.

Critic Opinion: "How rare is this? A true story so much worth the telling that it needs no embellishment, no sideshow? To make it moving and compelling, all that’s required is a good script, telling direction and uniformly good acting.  Spotlight makes all that look natural, even easy — but if it was, there would be much more of it out there. Matthew Arnold praised Dryden’s style as “a prose such as we would all gladly use if we only knew how”. Spotlight’s director and co-writer, Tom McCarthy, knows." - David Sexton, London Evening Standard

User Opinion: "This movie sneaks up on you, man. It doesn't have any of those "moments" that blow you away and look great in an awards-montage, but it just builds and builds and builds until you can't look away from the screen. It's truly spectacular in how it turns a slow-burn into something captivating. It never goes for anything remotely showy, and in doing so, it sucks you in and locks you down and doesn't let you go. It's the ultimate example of a film where the whole is better than the sum of the parts. In a year where the opposite has been true far too often, that's needed. And impressive. Webslinger said it best when he called  it spellbinding." - @Cmasterclay

Commentary: Spotlight is a solid and unflashy feature that engages you by the purely compelling subject material of the case that the film's journalists are digging into.  The movie trusts that it doesn't need any additional added drama or Hollywood flairs to make a captivating feature.  The subject material is timely, and something that is still having repercussions within the Catholic Church to this day.  I'd also like to recommend for others to go and read some of the publishings from the actual journalists the film is based on, you may find them even more eye-opening than how they were portrayed within the film.  

Year Count: 2015 (4), 2010 (3), 2011 (2), 2014 (1), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (1)

 

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by The Panda

[The Panda]

 

Nightcrawler (2014)

Directed by Dan Gilroy

 

"I'd like to think if you're seeing me you're having the worst day of your life."

 

Most Valuable Player: Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom

Awards Count: Nominated for 1 Oscar

Box Office: 32.1m DOM

Metascore: 76

Synopsis: NIGHTCRAWLER is a thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling - where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.

Critic Opinion: "Nightcrawler bolsters a fear that’s rattled my core since first it became clear that digital was here to stay: every schmuck with a video camera thinks they can direct. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Louis Bloom, a determined drifter who taps his inner-video journalist to become a successful network news stringer. Don’t let his unblinking doe-eyes, hands-in-pockets demeanor, and proverbial gift of gab fool you. Within minutes of meeting Bloom, screenwriter and first-time director Dan Gilroy casts a purposeful light on his character’s basest instincts. What follows is a gritty urban comedy noir, a scathing, Network-worthy disembowelment of television newsgatherers that will leave you craving a shower. From its airtight script, seamless performances, and stunning night cinematography (praise be to Robert Elswit), no American film this year has reminded me why I fell in love with movies in the first place quite like this incandescent masterwork. With memorable supporting work by Renee Russo and Bill Paxton." - Scott Marks, San Diego Reader

User Opinion: "Shockingly brilliant.  Jake nailed nailed nailed it.  He'll be nominated as well, I think.

 

The story and the script imo are terrific as well.  Rarely has there been a character who is this smart and this diabolical and yet really doesn't break the law, until the end.  He is slimy and unscrupulous but he lives on the right side of the law.  I kind of loved the film." - @baumer

Commentary: A brilliant little character piece led by a chilling performance from Jake Gyllenhaal.  Nightcrawler dives into some of the rough edges of a subject that you'd rather not think about and forces you to deal with some of the moral dilemmas that begin to arise from the structure of the 24 hour news cycle.  It's an enrapturing film that keeps you on the edge of your seat to the very end and was sadly a fairly overlooked feature from 2014 that really deserved more attention than what it ended up getting.

Year Count: 2015 (4), 2010 (3), 2011 (2), 2014 (2), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (1)

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by The Panda

[The Panda]

 

Bridge of Spies (2015)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

 

"Would it help?"

 

Most Valuable Player: Thomas Newman's Score

Awards Count: Won 1 Oscar

Box Office: 72.3m DOM

Metascore: 81

Synopsis: In the cold war, a lawyer, James B. Donovan is recruited by the CIA and involved in an intense negotiation mission to release and exchange a CIA U-2 spy-plane pilot, Francis G. Powers. The pilot was arrested alive after his plane was shot down by the Soviet Union during a mission and stays in the company of a KGB intelligence officer, Rudolf Abel, who was arrested for espionage in the US.

Critic Opinion: "The value of a life, Donovan affirms for his director, is equal to that of one’s own. And in the process of making that argument, he typifies another gradual change in Spielberg’s films: once he told stories about ordinary men being confronted with extraordinary things – now his ordinary men create those extraordinary things for themselves. It’s the difference between climbing aboard an alien spaceship and passing an amendment that restores human rights to an entire race of people. Call it the banality of goodness." - David Ehrlich

User Opinion: "With Bridge of Spies, Steven Spielberg has done it again. Like Lincoln three years ago, I initially wrote the film off to some degree because of the trailers that promised a sober, self-important examination of a significant historical event. However, just as was the case with Lincoln, Spielberg brings the setting to extremely vivid, engaging life, as even scenes that are entirely dialogue-driven feel as immediate and weighty as any of the film's well-executed visual flourishes. The most surprising factor, however, is how well Spielberg's more sweepingly cinematic style gels with the script that was co-written by the decidedly less sentimental Coen Brothers; even though some moments feel distinctly Spielbergian, it utilizes the script's slyly witty and playful edge perfectly, and all without sacrificing the levels of tension and intrigue inherent in the segment set in East Germany. The history at hand is fascinating, and all parties involved make it feel remarkably immediate from start to finish. While the film isn't as much of an acting showcase as Lincoln was, it still boasts some very strong work from Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. Hanks fills the everyman angle of his character perfectly, and the quiet-but-unshakable conviction that he displays makes his character's actions feel both noble and believable. Rylance is also quite impressive in a much more humanized, even-handed portrayal of a Russian spy than we've seen in other films; he never overplays his hand, yet the grace that he brings to the performance allows him to linger in viewers' minds even though he is offscreen for significant stretches of the running time. Like Rylance's performance, the film on the whole feels like an unexpected, yet wholly-welcome revelation for its genre: it's as thrilling as one would expect from a film with its subject matter, yet it's also so humorous and human that it earns its feel-good ending. In my book, it belongs among the ten best efforts from Spielberg, which is no small praise when one considers the man's prolific resume." - @Webslinger

Commentary: Bridge of Spies will likely end up being one of those Steven Spielberg films that gets overlooked for some of his bigger and flashier works, but of all of his films in recent years it stands as one of his best.  The movie is impeccably crafted, engaging and by the time it reaches its climax is ultimately moving in that sentimental but effecting Spielbergian way.  Bridge of Spies raises some of the more interesting issues in a Spielberg film, questioning issues of national security and how far a pushes for safety can go before the effect it has on the lives of others ends up going to far.  It's also a compelling reminder that those perceived as the enemy are still full of humanity, a great effort from Spielberg.

Year Count: 2015 (5), 2010 (3), 2011 (2), 2014 (2), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (1)

 

 

 

 

[baumer]

I've moved this to the main forum.  I know there will be  a lot of best ofs being bcreated in hte next while but since this is the first for the decade, and since Panda always does some of the best write ups, I'm moving this to the main forum.

 

Great stuff so far Panda.

[Avatree]

excellent list so far.

[The Panda]

 

Gone Girl (2014)

Directed by David Fincher

 

"Amazing fucking Amy is getting fucking married!"

 

Most Valuable Player: Rosamund Pike as Amazing Amy

Awards Count: 1 Oscar Nomination

Box Office: 167.8m DOM

Metascore: 79

Synopsis: On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne reports that his wife, Amy, has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

Critic Opinion: "'Gone Girl" is a sick, twisty thriller that stings like a poison dart. Adapted from Gillian Flynn's 2012 mega best-seller, David Fincher's tense chiller unspools like a large intestine being slowly unraveled, each turn a little more gut wrenching than the last.  It's also a darkly humorous ride and a compulsively watchable indictment on marriage, the media and American life. It's one of the year's best movies, and will make for one of the most awkward date night smashes to come along in some time." - Adam Graham, Detroit News

User Opinion: "I have been eagerly anticipating this movie since reading the book late last year, especially knowing David Fincher would be directing and author Gillian Flynn would be writing the script, and it completely lives up to expectations. Like the book, Gone Girl the film is both an intricate deconstruction of marriage and also effectively satirizes the media's almost grotesque obsession with missing people/murder trials. Ben Affleck gives what is easily his best performance yet, but the movie belongs to Rosamund Pike. Amy Dunne is already a very fascinating, complex character on the page, and Pike brings her to life with a mesmerizing performance that holds on to the viewer throughout. I've liked her since I first saw her (Die Another Day), and her sensational work here should lead to bigger things. There isn't a single beat missed among the supporting cast either, with Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry (yes, he's quite great in this), Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, and Patrick Fugit all delivering superb work. As is usually the case with Fincher, the film is visually striking, while Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross deliver another memorable score. An excellent adaptation that I look forward to seeing again that also makes me want to read the book again." - @filmlover

Commentary: David Fincher's most recent film and by the quality of this one, hopefully his hiatus doesn't last too much longer.  Gone Girl is a thrilling mystery story that dives into some of what Fincher sees as flaws in the marriage structure that exists in society.  It's a compelling take that is then greatly boosted by not only a great ensemble of performances from actors not necessarily known for them, see Tyler Perry, but also a terrific turn from Rosamund Pike.  Pike solidifies the power of the film by crafting a character that you won't soon forget, there's a reason Amazing Amy was a forum meme following the release of this film.  I'd love to see her play a role of this caliber again sometime soon.

Year Count: 2015 (5), 2010 (3), 2014 (3), 2011 (2), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (1)

 

 

 

[The Panda]

 

50/50 (2011)

Directed by Jonathan Levine

 

"You smell like you fucked the cast of The View."

 

Most Valuable Player: Will Reiser's Screenplay

Awards Count: Nominated for 2 Golden Globes

Box Office: 35m DOM

Metascore: 72

Synopsis: Adam is a 27 year old writer of radio programs and is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer. With the help of his best friend, his mother, and a young therapist at the cancer center, Adam learns what and who the most important things in his life are.

Critic Opinion: "Nuanced observations underlie the comedy. An emotional moment between Adam and his Alzheimer's-stricken dad (Serge Houde) is lovingly conveyed. The film portrays vividly the everyday aspects of personal catastrophe as patients sit for hours filling their veins with chemo.  Every performance in the film is flawless, but three stand out: Gordon-Levitt is terrific in the lead role, a more emotionally raw version of his lovesick greeting-card writer in 2009's (500) Days of Summer. We root for his wry Adam because of Gordon-Levitt's every-guy quality. Rogen's delivery is flawless — his banter with Gordon-Levitt is so natural, it feels improvised. And Kendrick brings a sweetly endearing quality to her nervous therapist role.  Easily one of the funniest films about serious illness, it is also that rare buoyant comedy that can elicit heartfelt tears. Avoiding sappy sentimentality and snarky trivializing, the story is sincere and deeply affecting. With its whip-smart script, multilayered performances and pitch-perfect approach, 50/50 winningly demonstrates that profound emotion and wide-ranging humor can co-exist in the same movie — just as they do in real life." - Claudia Puig, USA Today

User Opinion: Can't find any, and hard to title to use as a search time

Commentary: 50/50 is a good-natured comedy over subject material that shouldn't be easy comedic material.  What's even better is the film manages to stray away from using too much of the sentimental elements that you would usually associate with a cancer film, its dramatic moments are earned because it's conveyed in a lighter tone, yet without the lack of the heart that is necessary to empathetically portray a character going through chemo who's uncertain about what's going to end up lying ahead of him.  The film isn't some revelation on the genre, in fact it does follow quite a few tropes just suit of a person fighting cancer, but it approaches the subject so well that it's hard not to truly enjoy.

Year Count: 2015 (5), 2010 (3), 2014 (3), 2011 (3), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (1)