KP's top 50 movies of the decade (so far) (1 Viewer)

[KarmaPolice]

Tree of Life and The Master were two of the biggest piles of artsy fartsy crap I ever saw. Both are played on endless loops at Gitmo, in fact, as part of the torture of prisoners.

I like the artsy fartsy crap. This is an art form after all.

 

[Fennis]

I hated, hated, hated Tree of Life.

 

[dparker713]

Tree of Life and The Master were two of the biggest piles of artsy fartsy crap I ever saw. Both are played on endless loops at Gitmo, in fact, as part of the torture of prisoners.

I like the artsy fartsy crap. This is an art form after all.

You called To the Wonder not great. It's one of the few movies that have been so bad that I turned them off midway through. Sometimes artsy fartsy is just pretentious crap.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I am looking forward to the discussion and lists after this. Like somebody said there is going to be disappointment. Just a quick scan of the few predictions, and I think I have seen 5 mentioned. (Remember, no sequels/remakes/comic book movies on this list) A couple mentioned I forgot about or haven't seen yet. What this does is just further prove how many good movies come out still, and people that complain there are no good movies to watch can shut their cake holes.

 

[NutterButter]

Plenty of good movies out there. You just have to work a little harder to find them.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Tree of Life and The Master were two of the biggest piles of artsy fartsy crap I ever saw. Both are played on endless loops at Gitmo, in fact, as part of the torture of prisoners.

I like the artsy fartsy crap. This is an art form after all.

You called To the Wonder not great. It's one of the few movies that have been so bad that I turned them off midway through. Sometimes artsy fartsy is just pretentious crap.

I don't subscribe to that thinking, but I get what you are trying to say. IMO Tarantino is about as pretentious as directors come, but because his movies look different he doesn't get lumped under that umbrella. I guess I don't think that somebody would spend a couple years making something just to seem all artsy and important. It's what they like, and a reflection of how they think and view things. A lot is explained by digging into their background and education. Malick is the the philosopher of the bunch, so it makes sense that his movies look the way they do and revolve around our place in nature, etc.. By no means am I saying that we all should like what they put out or that somebody has to appreciate X movie to have a valid opinion.

 

[dparker713]

Tree of Life and The Master were two of the biggest piles of artsy fartsy crap I ever saw. Both are played on endless loops at Gitmo, in fact, as part of the torture of prisoners.

I like the artsy fartsy crap. This is an art form after all.

You called To the Wonder not great. It's one of the few movies that have been so bad that I turned them off midway through. Sometimes artsy fartsy is just pretentious crap.

I don't subscribe to that thinking, but I get what you are trying to say. IMO Tarantino is about as pretentious as directors come, but because his movies look different he doesn't get lumped under that umbrella. I guess I don't think that somebody would spend a couple years making something just to seem all artsy and important. It's what they like, and a reflection of how they think and view things. A lot is explained by digging into their background and education. Malick is the the philosopher of the bunch, so it makes sense that his movies look the way they do and revolve around our place in nature, etc.. By no means am I saying that we all should like what they put out or that somebody has to appreciate X movie to have a valid opinion.

Oh QT is about as pretentious as they come. It's just his movies include violence and a whole lot of swearing so he's much more popular.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Plenty of good movies out there. You just have to work a little harder to find them.

I guess I think with all the access we have to streaming and other things, I don't think you have to look hard at all. I admit that the blockbuster movies look different than they did in the 80s and 90s, but we also seem to like to forget all the Beverly Hills Cop, Look Who's Talking, and Police Academy movies that were thrown at us when we complain about the state of movies now.

 

[Willie Neslon]

I'm 95% sure I can guess #1. Easy call for me.

I saw Spotlight last night. Belongs in the top 50 conversation. Loved it.

You saying you know my #1?

Yes.

aaaaaaand I was wrong.

Tree of Life?

Nope.

Spoiler

I recalled you and I working together in Paris. We were members of the pigeon post during a four-and-a-half month siege of the city by Prussian forces. We worked in raid balloons, delivered mail and secret messages across the communications blockade set up by the Prussians. We sent 65 unguided mail balloons and only two went missing. In the worst winter on record. Two.

 

[NutterButter]

Plenty of good movies out there. You just have to work a little harder to find them.

I guess I think with all the access we have to streaming and other things, I don't think you have to look hard at all. I admit that the blockbuster movies look different than they did in the 80s and 90s, but we also seem to like to forget all the Beverly Hills Cop, Look Who's Talking, and Police Academy movies that were thrown at us when we complain about the state of movies now.

Not hard just harder. There's a lot of people that solely watch the big budget movies in the theaters. The same goes for tv. A lot of people just watch the big 4 networks. Especially the older generations that are stuck in their ways and haven't branched out into the other media sources.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Plenty of good movies out there. You just have to work a little harder to find them.

I guess I think with all the access we have to streaming and other things, I don't think you have to look hard at all. I admit that the blockbuster movies look different than they did in the 80s and 90s, but we also seem to like to forget all the Beverly Hills Cop, Look Who's Talking, and Police Academy movies that were thrown at us when we complain about the state of movies now.

Not hard just harder. There's a lot of people that solely watch the big budget movies in the theaters. The same goes for tv. A lot of people just watch the big 4 networks. Especially the older generations that are stuck in their ways and haven't branched out into the other media sources.

That's cool, I just hope they aren't the ones complaining that there is nothing to see in the theaters then.

I do think our living rooms have changed the landscape of what is making money in the theaters for sure. You look at a list of movies that made the most money in the 80s and 90s and there is variety, because we had to go out to watch everything for the most part. Now people go out only if it is something that might look and sound better than what they have at home. Not sure where it was, but I posted somewhere a comparison list and I think since 2000 something like all but 4 of the top 30 grossing movies weren't a sequel/remake/known property. I know Avatar was one, can't remember anything else. If we are spending $50 on a family to go see something, we are seeing familiar things so we aren't taking the risk with our money. Hollywood followed suit, and now we have what we have in the theaters where we feel hit over the head with sequels and Marvel movies.

Like I said, I had access to dvds all the time, so it didn't take much effort for me to find good stuff I loved. Hell, anybody here can just browse the netflix or rental thread or ask what people are recommending. Other than that, I just have a few sites and critics that I follow and get ideas there of stuff I might have missed.

I have wanted to do a year end countdown thread that is the movie version of what NV does for albums. Problem is, I never knew what time of year to do it. I think we would get more lists and votes in the middle of the following year as everything becomes available on dvd/bluray/netflix, etc.. but by then people are onto the summer stuff. Would love a suggestion on that front.

 

[Jalapanose]

Loved The Fighter. Could rewatch the bar scene on infinite loop. Everything about that scene, especially the background music, is perfect.

Predictions for top ten

Silver Linings Playbook (my number one)

Wolf of Wall Street

Argo (may have been listed, I know it has been mentioned itt)

American Hustle

Dark Knight Rises

Django

Chronicle

TS 3

Nightcrawler

Super 8

Forgot about the comic book qualifier. Scratch DKR and replace with Looper, seems to fit with your time travel interests (which I share)

 

[KarmaPolice]

Enough yammering, on to the top 10:

10. Ex Machina

Was surprised by how much I loved this one. Was expecting some crap like Chappie, but this is more on the lines of sci-fi like Moon that is right up my alley. Great performances all around. Very impressive debut for the director.

9. The Cabin in the Woods

I am so glad I knew jack #### about this movie going in besides it's title and Joss Whedon was involved somehow. Sold. Was hooked from the very beginning when Jenkins and Whitford show up and I am sitting there wondering WTF is going on. I grew up on horror movies and one of my favorite things to watch are ones that can poke fun at the genre and deconstruct it while also being a great entry into the genre. This delivered that to me on all fronts. Just a blast.

8. Nightcrawler

Jake is sooo damn good in this movie. I still don't know how he didn't get some recognition for what I consider one of the best performances in the last couple years. Basically a creepy version of Jordan Belfort and just as destructive in his climb to the top. What is really unsettling is his way of talking - nothing human, just sounds like he is regurgitating the last thing he read in a book or saw online to mimic a human. Seemed like it was hit or miss with the masses here though.

7. The Lego Movie

I begrudgingly went to see this in the theater with my son, and I ended up loving it a lot more than he did. I guess the humor is what got me. I have loved everything Lord and Miller have been associated with so far - 21/22 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and this one. Looks like they might be associated with a Han Solo movie as well in preproduction :boner:. I still quote this a ton (much to the annoyance of my 9 year old).

6. Short Term 12

Another smaller movie that just blew me away. There is a small misstep I think the movie took, but other than that I think it's damn near perfect. This is about a couple who are staff members at a facility that temporarily houses troubled teens (I think in transition between foster homes?). Powerful performances all around, and a movie that has stuck with me for the last couple of years.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I think 4 of the top 5 have been mentioned.....except for #1.

Will probably post tonight after the kids go to sleep.

 

[sports_fan]

Short Term 12 looks good. I hadn't heard of that one.

29/45

 

[Bonzai]

The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fruitvale Station are two good ones I haven't seen mentioned yet.

 

[Jalapanose]

Will probably post tonight after the kids go to sleep.

Bull####!

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Must have been a horrible decade

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fruitvale Station are two good ones I haven't seen mentioned yet.

He did say that he doesn't like Wes Anderson, though.

A few other guesses at #1 that I don't think have been mentioned yet:

Her

Django, Unchained

The Descendants

The Big Short

Inside Llewyn Davis

Mad Max: Fury Road

 

[sports_fan]

Her was one of the more disappointing movies for me in recent years. Went in with pretty high expectations and left underwhelmed.

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

Her was one of the more disappointing movies for me in recent years. Went in with pretty high expectations and left underwhelmed.

Me too. Most people loved it. I didn't think it was all that.

 

[Vincesanity]

Totally agree on Nightcrawler, was Jakes best performance to date IMO.

 

[oso diablo]

two of my favorites this decade are Saving Mr. Banks and Hugo

not sure if either has been mentioned yet

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I haven't seen The Artist mentioned yet. Surely that's worth a mention. (We got to see that in a period theater. Very cool.)

 

[krista4]

9. The Cabin in the Woods

I am so glad I knew jack #### about this movie going in besides it's title and Joss Whedon was involved somehow. Sold. Was hooked from the very beginning when Jenkins and Whitford show up and I am sitting there wondering WTF is going on. I grew up on horror movies and one of my favorite things to watch are ones that can poke fun at the genre and deconstruct it while also being a great entry into the genre. This delivered that to me on all fronts. Just a blast.

I'm so happy to see this on your list. I loved it so much when I watched it on PPV that I immediately watched it a second time. I've watched a couple of times since then and I don't find it any less enjoyable after multiple viewings. I laughed so hard during the "Roll with the Changes" scene that I cried. Brilliant, spot-on performances, too.

 

[NutterButter]

It looks like i have a lot of movies to watch, Luckily its the winter almost post football.

 

[dparker713]

Just finished watching Still Alice. Damn that's a depressing movie. Julianne Moore is amazing in it.

 

[Willie Neslon]

The deleted scenes alone are award worthy. Two all-time great performances.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Don't know which was worse, Tree of Life or Melancholia.

 

[AcerFC]

7/40

 

[KarmaPolice]

Will probably post tonight after the kids go to sleep.

Bull####!

 

[KarmaPolice]

Don't know which was worse, Tree of Life or Melancholia.

Awesome! I picked up Melancholia at the library today.

 

[NutterButter]

When's the anticipated release date? Need to know whether I should stay up for it or catch the results first thing in the morning.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Don't know which was worse, Tree of Life or Melancholia.

Awesome! I picked up Melancholia at the library today.

Act 2 is better than act 1 and is almost watchable.

 

[eoMMan]

Don't know which was worse, Tree of Life or Melancholia.

Awesome! I picked up Melancholia at the library today.

Act 2 is better than act 1 and is almost watchable.

I don't know. I think both Sister Act I and Sister Act II are great movies.

 

[KarmaPolice]

When's the anticipated release date? Need to know whether I should stay up for it or catch the results first thing in the morning.

Sitting down now, but I am a slow at typing.

 

[TripItUp]

Any chance somebody can consolidate the list?

 

[TripItUp]

Also, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo never gets enough love...too mainstream for the film snobs but that movie killed it.

Also, the animated movie just never do it for me...there would be none in my top 50.

Also, Tree of Life nowhere near my top 50

Cabin in the Woods - liked it, but don't see the critical acclaim...right around 50 for me.

Nightcrawler - awesome

Ex Machina - my second favorite film this year after the Big Short

 

[NutterButter]

Also, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo never gets enough love...to mainstream for the film snobs but that movie killed it.

Also, the animated movie just never do it for me...there would be none in my top 50.

Really enjoyed that flick

 

[TripItUp]

Also, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo never gets enough love...to mainstream for the film snobs but that movie killed it.

Also, the animated movie just never do it for me...there would be none in my top 50.

Really enjoyed that flick

would easily be in my top 5, I seem to like it more than both audiences and critics.

 

[NutterButter]

Also, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo never gets enough love...to mainstream for the film snobs but that movie killed it.

Also, the animated movie just never do it for me...there would be none in my top 50.

Really enjoyed that flick

would easily be in my top 5, I seem to like it more than both audiences and critics.

86% on RT seems pretty good to me

 

[TripItUp]

Zero Dark Thirty was simply too long.

Loved it, would make my top 10...smart on several levels with good action/suspense, solid acting.

 

[TripItUp]

Also, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo never gets enough love...to mainstream for the film snobs but that movie killed it.

Also, the animated movie just never do it for me...there would be none in my top 50.

Really enjoyed that flick

would easily be in my top 5, I seem to like it more than both audiences and critics.

86% on RT seems pretty good to me

Sure, since I would have it top 5 would easily rate it higher(though I understand that is not how RT scores are quantified or meant to be interpreted)

 

[NutterButter]

i thought Lone Survivor was very entertaining. It would certainly make my top 50.

 

[sports_fan]

Any chance somebody can consolidate the list?

50-46

These I really liked, but have problems with the endings or a decent chunk of the movie:

50. It Follows:

I think it is the only "true" horror movie on the list. I didn't really like the ending - felt like a poor knock off of Let the Right one In. It gets more points for trying a different take on a tired genre (it is basically just a new take on a slasher movie). What it did for me is really ramp up the tensing. Shot and paced so well, and when this movie was "on", I don't think I was a scared as I was watching any other movie in the last 5 years.

49. Hanna:

Dragged for me in spots, but makes the list for me just by providing some of the best action scenes I saw in the last few years. It has been well documented what a movie boner I get over great long takes. Movie is just beautiful - you can tell that Joe Wright's background was from Pride and Prejudice and Atonement.

48. Interstellar:

I know, I know. If I hadn't watched it again, this would not have even made the list. Warmed up to it, and Nolan really swung for the fences, which always gets points from me. Movies that look like this is exactly what I want to populate the theaters in the summer. That said, I find the last 1/4 or so of the movie to be downright stupid. Starting to worry a tad about Nolan, as I haven't loved his last two movies. We will see what he has up his sleeve next.

47. Boyhood:

Another huge swing for the fences that missed for me. I think Linklater does a similar thing with characters in movies with a better result (we will discuss that more later). Took a huge risk with this one that is for sure, and could have blown up in his face a dozen different ways. Just like the movie above it, I liked it a tad more on second viewing, and without that might not have made this list.

46. Place Beyond the Pines:

REALLY wish I could have this one higher, but couldn't do it. To me, this is 2/3 of a fantastic movie, but the 1/3 act really dragged it down. Thought Cooper and Gosling were great in this. The director is one to keep an eye on, and looks like he has a movie coming out this year starring Mr. Fassbender

45-41

Spoiler

Ended up spending most of the night in ER with m'lady (she is fine), so didn't get to post any last night - just replying to stuff on my phone. Time for some catch-up:

I actually am surprised how this list turned out. Not as "snobby" as I would have expected (well, maybe at least not at the bottom 1/2 of the list ). The next block is a bunch of genre movies that took me by surprise and ended up being a lot better than I thought.

45. The Grey:

Liam Neeson and others being chased by a pack of wolves in the Alaskan wilderness after a crash. Not sure about the very end, but I ended up getting really sucked in to the look of this movie. I had a slightly different take on the movie than others seem to, and I am sticking to it, and maybe that added some points where there might not have been otherwise.

44. About Time:

Ok, I am a ####in' sap. I probably watch more rom/coms and romance movies than I do action movies. I adore Love, Actually and probably like Notting Hill more than a grown man should, so I was all over this one. The humor I liked in the other two was there, but there was another level of sentimentality that the previous two didn't have (IMO, in a good way). Trust me, you can do a lot worse in the rom/com genre than this one.

43. Bad Words:

I am guessing the only true comedy to show up on the list. My humor tends to go towards the cringe/uncomfortable type, and this had that in spades. Big fan of Bateman, and we have no right liking him or rooting for him after hearing the #### that comes out of his mouth, but we end up doing just that. He says that crap with the charisma that he always has, and I loved that combo. Bonus points for the uncomfortably funny sex scenes too.

42. Source Code:

I was a huge fan of Duncan Jones' first outing Moon. One of the best sci-fi movies in recent memory. This one didn't quite live up to that, but still a damn good time travel/thriller movie. Big fan of Gyllenhaal as well - he seems to be in a lot of movies that are on my 'best of the year' lists.

41. Kick-###:

Holy ####, a movie Nick Cage couldn't ruin for me. Over the top, crass, kinda dumb, and loved every minute of it. I love the "everyday Joe" superhero movies and seeing them struggle/fail. This and another movie that didn't make the list but I loved, Super, scratched that itch for me. I will take this over movies like Thor any day of the week. Worth the price of admission for the scenes with Hit Girl, especially towards the end. Stay far away from the sequel though....

40-36

Spoiler

Surprised at the comments about not seeing a lot of these so far.

40. Life of Pi

Was blown away by this one on a big screen. Only read a little bit of the book, and that didn't grab me, so I was hesitant to watch this one. Supposedly the film that couldn't be made? I have been a fan of Ang Lee's work for a long time (yes, I even kinda like Hulk). All the talk in the other thread about movies like Mad Max are made for viewing big and in 3D, and I would guess this is like that. I would say it is well worth the experience to crank this one up and immerse yourself in the visuals. (If I remember right, one of the few movies actually shot in 3D?)

39. Inside Out

Brought Pixar back in the mix of great animated movies after a dreadful run of sequels. This is another movie I expect to crawl up the rankings as I liked it a little more the second time. Goes a little darker than some of the other Pixar movies, but also introduces a great short hand way to talk to kids about emotions. Lewis Black as anger was $. To me was held back a tad by hitting a lot of the same beats that the Toy Story movies did before it.

38. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Big fan of horror comedy done right, and this was one that I kind of heard rumblings about but didn't know a lot about going in. Labine and Tudyk were perfect as the friends just wanting to get away for some fishing and get caught up in a case of mistaken identity of sorts. Had so much fun with this movie. I am probably ranking this one too low.

37. Mud

Jeff Nichols' third movie (all are good) has Matthew McConaughey as a fugitive that gets discovered by a couple teens. Great performances all around, and I think it was the first time that I really noticed the acting chops of Mr. McConaughey. Seems like 2011 and 2012 flipped a switch for him and he started doing darker and more dramatic roles, and I am glad for that. Probably will show up on the list again, and is also great in True Detective and Killer Joe.

36. Shutter Island

Probably not the Scorsese movie that people would have on the list, but I think this is one of the most effective thrillers in awhile. Great, creepy performances all around. Who knew Marty could do a movie without voiceover all the way through?

35-31

Spoiler

Happy New Year!

Odd mix of a couple genre movies and Oscar winners in this wave:

35. The Sessions

Sounds like a teen comedy, but this one is based on a true story and has John Hawkes as a man in an iron lung looking for help losing his virginity. By the description, I thought this one would be a trainwreck. Not for everybody due to the content, but I would be hard pressed to find a movie on my list that did a better job tackling relationships, compassion, and sex than this one. Plus, William H. Macy as a priest is $$.

34. The Town

I am sure that most of us joke about his talents in front of the camera. He is the bomb in Phantoms, yo! Gone Baby Gone showed me that he belongs on the other side of the camera. The relationship might have been a little over done, but thought the performances and action were very well done. Argo was good as well, but didn't quite make my personal list. However, I just looked at his director link on imdb and saw "Untitled Batman Reboot" listed. Not enough s for that.

33. Side Effects

Can't think of another movie that took me quite off guard like this one did. I liked Contagion from Soderbergh, but it was very clinical and deliberately paced. This one started off like that as well, but went in a different direction. I have recommended this one to a lot of people in the last few years, and always tell them to stick with the movie at the beginning. Not going to say much more than that or even describe what it reminds me of. If you have seen it, you know what I mean, if you haven't, check it out.

32. 12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen is one of the best directors working today. I mentioned Shame before and Hunger is also brilliant. Takes on some pretty bleak topics and themes though, so the movies are not easy watches. 12 Years is a tad more accessible and a powerful topics. People seemed to take issue with the way he told the story and a certain distracting small role towards the end of the movie. I agree with the 2nd one, but thought the rest of the movie was great. Great performances all around from a cast of some of my favorites working today - have I mentioned my Fassbender man crush...

31. Dallas Buyers Club

I guess this is the Academy Award, based on a true story tier. Mr. McConaughey in a fantastic performance as someone diagnosed with AIDS in the mid 80s and his struggle with finding the help and medication that he needs. Leto turns in an even better performance as someone he meets along the way. The performances really carry this movie, but also makes you think even more about the medical system and how it it set up.

30-26

Spoiler

30. Margin Call

Follows key people at a bank during the initial stages of the financial crisis. Fantastic dialogue and cast on this one. Another one that climbed the ranks a little on a repeat viewing. Definitely a director to keep an eye on, JC Chandor has made 3 damn good movies in the last 5 years. Interesting that he followed up a movie that is basically all dialogue with one that I can barely remember any dialogue from.

29. Safety Not Guaranteed

"WANTED Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid when we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before." A magazine sees this ad in the personals and sends a couple reporters to investigate this. I am a time travel geek, how could I not get sucked into this? Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza were great.

28. Blue Valentine

Same director as The Place Beyond the Pines. Here we get a great drama that cuts back and forth over the course of the relationship of a married couple played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. Probably not the best movie for date night, but a great movie.

27. Rango

Here is the other one that I thought might be polarizing. I love this quirky, weird ### movie. To me it sticks out in the field of kids/animated movie. Just doesn't look or feel like anything else out there, and I love the humor in it. What it also does well is it has a supporting cast of characters that all feel different and have their own quirks and ticks. So many kids movies feel like they have the core characters and everything else is just background filler - even a movie i have higher than this one. Probably the only Johnny Depp movie I have liked in 15+ years.

26. Another Earth

The backdrop of a duplicate Earth showing up is just a tool for this movie about mistakes and second chances. Brit Marling is great in this as a student thinking about entering the competition to be the first to travel to the other Earth. It is a lot better than is sounds. Brit is another young actor to keep your eye on. She has been in several movies since 2011 and all that I have seen have been worth the watch.

25-21

Spoiler

I am still struggling to put these in an order that I am confident in. The next 10 would probably have a different order in a couple weeks, hell maybe even in a couple hours.

25. Zero Dark Thirty

The Hurt Locker got Kathryn Bigelow all the acclaim, but I will take this movie any day of the week over that I disliked quite a bit. Much is made of the ending raid on the compound, but I was just as into Jessica Chastain's work to get us to that point.

24. Winter's Bone

I think was that movie that really introduced us to Jennifer Lawrence (by far still my favorite performance of hers) as a teen who needs to track down her drug dealing father to save her house and family. Beautifully shot and acted. I think the only small beef I had with the movie is that it seemed a tad muted, so I had to keep turning up the volume (might have even had to use subtitles).

23. 50/50

Movies that touch on a lot of things and manages to pull them all off always score well with me. Here we have Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a man who gets diagnosed with cancer and his life and relationships after. It was able to get me to run the spectrum of emotions - I laughed, cried, and got pissed. Seth Rogan plays his foul-mouthed roommate, and Anna Kendrick plays his therapist. Watched this one quite a few times in the last 5 years.

22. The Social Network

Fincher is still one of my favorites working today, and he was able to make something that sounded as boring as "that movie about Facebook" into something great. The very end I thought was blah, but he had me all the way through that point. Sorkin's script was great, and I think this was the first time Fincher teamed up with Trent Reznor to great effect.

21. Martha Marcy May Marlene

Terrible title, great and unnerving movie. This one introduced me to Elizabeth Olsen (younger sister to the crazy Olsen twins). The movie is about her getting out of a cult and struggling to readjust to life with her family afterwards. It is interlaced with flashbacks about what life there was like and why she might have been sucked into that situation to begin with. The cult leader is played by John Hawkes (pretty sure he shows up 3 times on my list).

20-16

Spoiler

I guess it's on to the top 20. It was good timing that a couple people asked me about rewatching movies. As I was looking through I realized that there was group of movie that stood out to me this way: they were movies that I loved enough that I ended up watching again (sometimes more that 2x) within a week after seeing them. Sadly, there are a couple that I just hit the play button again, and watched back to back. In the case of the couple I saw in the theater, I ended up going again.

20. The Fighter

A couple of my favorite actors in Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Adams is great in damn near anything, and outside of DDL, I can't think of another actor who throws himself into roles quite like Bale does. In between big budget movies he morphs himself for "smaller" roles like this one.

19. Inception

If not for Krista, this one would probably rank higher. I would still call myself a Nolan fanboy despite not loving his last couple movies. He tops Abrams is his dedication to using as many practical effects as he can, and damn do his movies look great. What he is able to do is create that "how the #### did they do that" feeling that I got when I was a kid. This is what I would like all summer blockbusters to look like if I had my way. That said, it is not great on quick repeats, because as Krista made me realize, 1/2 the movie feels like Juno explaining #### to us. Works the first time, not so much as you know what is going on. Still a damn fun ride to take.

18. How to Train Your Dragon

Who doesn't love this movie and love Toothless? Looks fantastic, and was out around the time it felt like Pixar was spinning it's wheels. IMO no longer are they the must see, go to movies for kids, and other studios really have caught up.

17. Edge of Tomorrow

Sooooo much damn fun. Again, has that time travel element that always pulls me in, plus had some great action and humor. Not sure why this didn't do even better in theaters - maybe it's the Tom Cruise factor? If that's the case, at least you get to see him die over and over (no spoiler - the movie is called Live.Die.Repeat). Also, any movie that Bill Paxton is in automatically gets a few cool points.

16. Blue Ruin

If you are tired of the revenge movies featuring guys like Liam Neeson kicking ### and taking names, this movie is for you. This movie is about what could happen if an everyday Joe tried to do the same. This movie hooked me right away and if I remember right is a popular movie to recommend in the few other movie threads floating around here.

15-11

Spoiler

This next tier was the hardest for me I think. One in particular I thought would be higher, maybe in the top 3, but for this list I think the rewatchable factor held it back. I think that is a theme for 3 of the movies, maybe technically better than others in the top 10 but harder watches and the other 2 I think are where they would be either way.

15. The Raid: Redemption

I said there would be a cheat and there would be a foreign movie on my list. Here is the deal - there is really not much of a plot, so you are not missing a ton if you don't want to bother with the subtitles. What you get is some of the best action I can remember seeing for a long time. Just amazing.

14. The Master

There are going to be a handful in the top 15 that aren't for everybody, and this is definitely one of them. I think that PTA is probably the best director working today - IMO he made the best movie of the 90s and a top 3 movie of the 00s, This one didn't quite rise up to that level, but I was still glued to the screen by the performances. Again with the Amy Adams love, but also has Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP) and Joaquin Phoenix. Loosely resembling the early stages of Scientology but also has that odd pseudo father/son dynamic that is present in just about anything PTA does. Love it.

13. The Way Way Back

Probably way to high for some people, but just a damn good, put a smile on your face movie. Probably the movie I have seen 2nd most in the top 15, as its one of those safe movies that I think a lot of people will also enjoy. My man crush on Sam Rockwell knows no bounds, and Steve Carrell plays a good doosh as well. Maybe people don't love it as much as I do, but I can't think of anybody that at least didn't like this one on some level.

12. Black Swan

Before Noah, if there was a director I loved as much as PTA, it was Aronofsky. Now I am not so sure, but I know that Black Swan was one of those movies I talked about earlier that I ended up watching a few times the first weekend that I saw it. I know it is hard to believe if you have seen the Star Wars prequel, but Portman can act her ### off.

11. The Tree of Life

I think a lot of the top 15 here will be love/hate movies and this is probably the most polarizing of the bunch. This is the movie that I talked about that if I was just doing this by ratings or what I think a great/important movie is, this would be in the top 3. Even I can step away from Malick's junk long enough to admit that the dinosaur stuff is a bit much and it is bloated. However, this is the movie that he was designed to make with the voice-overs (don't know why I can forgive him and not Scorsese) and bouncing back and forth in time to follow a character remembering his life and childhood.

10-6

Spoiler

Enough yammering, on to the top 10:

10. Ex Machina

Was surprised by how much I loved this one. Was expecting some crap like Chappie, but this is more on the lines of sci-fi like Moon that is right up my alley. Great performances all around. Very impressive debut for the director.

9. The Cabin in the Woods

I am so glad I knew jack #### about this movie going in besides it's title and Joss Whedon was involved somehow. Sold. Was hooked from the very beginning when Jenkins and Whitford show up and I am sitting there wondering WTF is going on. I grew up on horror movies and one of my favorite things to watch are ones that can poke fun at the genre and deconstruct it while also being a great entry into the genre. This delivered that to me on all fronts. Just a blast.

8. Nightcrawler

Jake is sooo damn good in this movie. I still don't know how he didn't get some recognition for what I consider one of the best performances in the last couple years. Basically a creepy version of Jordan Belfort and just as destructive in his climb to the top. What is really unsettling is his way of talking - nothing human, just sounds like he is regurgitating the last thing he read in a book or saw online to mimic a human. Seemed like it was hit or miss with the masses here though.

7. The Lego Movie

I begrudgingly went to see this in the theater with my son, and I ended up loving it a lot more than he did. I guess the humor is what got me. I have loved everything Lord and Miller have been associated with so far - 21/22 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and this one. Looks like they might be associated with a Han Solo movie as well in preproduction :boner:. I still quote this a ton (much to the annoyance of my 9 year old).

6. Short Term 12

Another smaller movie that just blew me away. There is a small misstep I think the movie took, but other than that I think it's damn near perfect. This is about a couple who are staff members at a facility that temporarily houses troubled teens (I think in transition between foster homes?). Powerful performances all around, and a movie that has stuck with me for the last couple of years.

 

[NutterButter]

I like how you created a separate spoiler tag for each 5 grouping like KP intended it. Respect.

 

[tdoss]

Really surprised not to have seen "Warrior" on this list...

 

[NutterButter]

Really surprised not to have seen "Warrior" on this list...

There's still 5 to come. Another very good movie.

 

[NutterButter]

Haven't heard anyone mention Captain Phillips yet. Could it be one of the final five?

 

[Tom Skerritt]

Django Unchained?