Doomsday's Andrei Tarkovsky Love Fest

Absolutely agree with all of those

I'm with you on American hustle... Excited for the rest of the list.

I love this thread now.

Go off, king!

American Hustle is the movie in which Louis CK plays PG Cooper.

Doomsday's Top 10 Most Overrated Movies of 2010-2019

4. Life of Pi
This is a movie that should be viewed on the big screen because if you don't you actually have to pay attention to the lame story, the uninteresting characters and the themes that are only touched upon when convenient.  It tells the story of a genius named 'Pi' after the mathematic constant that he knows well and who grows up surrounded by different religions.  These seem like pretty specific and significant details that are never really brought to any purpose for the rest of the movie.  His family owns a zoo and during an ocean crossing the ship sinks leaving Pi stranded in a lifeboat with a handful of animals including a Bengal tiger.  After a series of encounters with the tiger Pi is finally rescued and conveys his weird story that might not actually be the correct story after all.  I can only imagine this won a Best Director Oscar because it all looks pretty good by and large and also because Ang Lee paid them off.  Otherwise this is a dull, drab movie from Ang Lee.  It's a shame because I was very much hoping to like it and instead came away with yet another reason why Ang Lee isn't quite the filmmaker that people give him credit for.


3. Tree of Life
I know passions run high with this movie but even after a second go I just don't buy it.  I've seen this movie at the top of quite a few 'best of the decade' lists that are currently coming down the pipe and the one thing they all have in common is that they're filled with vague phrases like 'open to interpretation' or 'symbolic' and of course none of them make any sense or talk about the actual substance(?) of the movie, just how 'lost' they became in its 'energy' or whatever.  They're the same non-reasons that everyone has had for enjoying the movie since it first came out and I don't think that's a good thing no matter how many people do.  If you ask folks why Schindler's List is a great movie they'll tell you how emotional they were, how great the characters were, how they became wrapped up in the heartbreaking story and how it put a spotlight on a terrible point in humanity, pretty concrete reasons.  They won't describe it like people describe Tree of Life.  'Well it's just, uhhh, the feel for the movie, it's so, like, powerful that the family, you know, is like the universe and how it begins and that, like, it really depends on what you're trying to get out of it, and like the family is a metaphor for creation and how Brad Pitt is like, you know, a dad and his sons are like, you know, children.'  That's what every review sounds like.  That's what everyone sounds like when they defend this movie.  I don't have a gripe against Malick, I quite enjoy his work up through The New World where his (lack of) narrative storytelling went off the rails.  I'll just leave you with this; when a movie theater accidentally switches the reels and no one notices because it makes just as much sense either way, that's not indicative of a good movie.

Hugo was certainly overrated back in 2011 (I'm very guilty of this) but I don't know if it's still held in the same high regard. Most people have pretty firmly forgotten it especially in light of how good the rest of Scorsese's output this decade has been. Moonlight and Lady Bird are definitely sacred cows though, and I still love both. In fact, both films get better and better for me over time. Silver Linings Playbook is maybe in a similar category of Hugo, but again, still a movie I love. It's funny and touching and the performances are really good. I'm less inclined to defend American Hustle, which I barely remember. Black Panther you have a point with. The film is perhaps more formulaic within the MCU than its fans would like to admit and the climax is pretty lame. But on the other hand, the world building and themes are plainly exceptional within their genre and I can't think of any other blockbuster to so bluntly explore colonialism, isolationism, and black identity.

Tree of Life and Life of Pi are films I'd wanna rewatch before commenting on, but my instinct is they're still good.

That's why I gave it another go, I wanted to see if my opinions had changed in the past 8 years.

They hadn't.

Doomsday's Top 10 Most Overrated Movies of 2010-2019

2. The Shape of Water
The worst movie to win Best Picture since Crash and it's not even close.  I'll watch Green Book a dozen times before I watch this again.  I know I sound dramatic but I thought this movie was a piece of garbage when I saw it which is why it took me by surprise when it got nominated for Best Picture.  ‘Oh they’re just giving a HJ to Guillermo,’ I thought, ‘they can't possibly give this thing any awards.’  Lo and behold this movie won effing Best Director and Best Picture Oscars, and why?  Because it tells the story of a lady having sex with a fish?  And before you say I'm being reductive, I think that's a pretty good and thorough description because there's no chemistry between anybody in this movie whatsoever.  Michael Shannon tries to bring his sinister charm to his character but it just comes off as weird, like they're trying to think of ways to make him more evil so they give him strange quirks like being attracted to women who are silent.  Nothing in this movie seemed to flow, it all felt so forced like they were shooting a first draft of the script.  Especially coming from a filmmaker like Guillermo del Toro, someone who has made movies that are so, so much better than this I was just frustrated at the end more than anything.  At worst I'm indifferent to most of the other movies on this list and I just don't care about them but Shape of Water I actively and strongly disliked.  It's one of those films that just blows my mind that I'm so far on the other end of the spectrum compared to a lot of other people who saw it and enjoyed.

1. Bridesmaids
This movie wasn't funny in 2011 and it's not funny now.  Be honest, do people like it because they're women?  Is that why it got a pass?  If that's the case that's fine, I'll buy that, at least it's a reason.  Otherwise I can't put my finger on it, I won't accept that it was funny.  The humor here is so bland and rehashed and it's almost insulting that Paul Feig has made an entire career of doing the same dumb thing time and again.  If I were to make a Worst of the Decade list Feig's The Heat would absolutely be on it, and that doesn't even speak to the whole Ghostbusters fiasco. I won't pin this on Kristen Wiig or Melissa McCarthy because both have demonstrated that they can successfully get out of their comedy comfort zones and give good dramatic performances.  I put this one squarely on Paul Feig and a society that doesn't have much of an idea what quality comedy is.  It's definitely there, there's just not a lot in the mainstream, you have to look for it.  Bridesmaids is dumb humor for the lowest common denominator and I have a feeling that if a lot of fans watched it today they wouldn't feel nearly as positive about it.  It's a dud and unfortunately is a reflection of what passes as 'comedy.'  If you're a fan please, please get a copy of This Is Spinal Tap.  Maybe that will get Bridesmaids out of your system.

Love me a triple whammy!

Doomsday's 10 Favorite Movies of the Decade

10. They Shall Not Grow Old
Personal story: my wife is from Kansas City, home of the national World War I memorial and museum.  For years I had been annoyed by the fact that our US education system more or less glosses over World War I and hardly anyone here knows anything about it, why we were involved or why it even started.  Once I stepped foot in the museum a few years back I was enthralled and World War I history became a big interest of mine.  So when Peter Jackson released his documentary using digitized and restored footage after sifting through hundreds of hours of film, it felt like something special.  I was equally impressed by the 30 minute making-of that was included with the documentary as it showed a passionate filmmaker showing you the painstaking process that he undertook to get this film made.  This documentary right here is why I love movies and love seeing how they're made.  It really inspired me in a lot of ways and I'm glad that people have taken the time to see it.  Also with the release of the fantastic 1917 I hope these films get people more interested in a major world event that today is criminally overlooked.

9. Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky is really hit and miss for me but for me Black Swan is near the top of his list.  It also helped me re-fall in love with Natalie Portman who gives a great performance that at the time seemed really against type for her.  I guess I shouldn't get too worked up over this though since it was on this film that she met the bastard whom she would marry.  I still remember what I was doing when I found out she was engaged, too.  Sad day for all of us.  Anyways, Black Swan is great and is a dark, creepy movie that I surprisingly enjoy rewatching from time to time.

8. Nebraska
This small, funny movie might be passed over by many nowadays but it's still one I come back to every once in a while.  It features a great performance by Bruce Dern, one of the most under appreciated actors in my opinion, and portrays an old man's quest to find meaning in his final years.  I know plenty of people in their 20s and 30s struggling to find some sense of meaning or purpose and seeing it on screen with an 80 year old man is strangely relatable but equally thought-provoking, often making me question how I want my life to be like when I start creeping into the later years down the road.  With all the tentpoles that are thrown at us nowadays I'm glad that films like Nebraska are out there waiting for a willing audience to find them.

7. The Revenant
Talk about a movie that has Doomsday written all over it.  Based on a true story (with some creative liberties taken of course), Leo plays Hugh Glass, a trapper mauled by a grizzly bear and left for dead by Tom Hardy, a dastardly fellow who kills Glass' son for good measure.  Great cinematography and a haunting score propel this movie of survival and vengeance, giving us a movie that feels like a more raw, savage version of Jeremiah Johnson.  The ending might be a little Hollywood-ized for some tastes but the build-up to that had me invested from the opening scene. 

6. The Witch
I'm not much of a horror movie fan but this movie really got to me.  The tone, the score, the acting, everything just got under my skin.  Everyone else can have their Conjurings and Grudges, The Witch was one of the best horror films I've seen in a long, long time.

5. The Irishman
I might sound fanboyish talking about a movie that just came out a few weeks ago but I can't remember the last time where I set such lofty expectations for a movie and the movie actually met them.  I was fortunate enough to see this in a theater and I was enthralled the entire 3 1/2 hours.  I don't remember anyone around me moving from their seats even for a few minutes.  Scorsese gives us exactly what we wanted, another crime epic that he's mastered with Goodfellas and Casino and to a much, much lesser degree The Departed.  We have a film with the biggest stars from the past 50 years and a story surrounding one of the biggest mysteries in modern America.  Much of it seemed pretty par for the course but for me it was the last 30 minute that really made it stand out.  Al Pacino and Joe Pesci give Oscar-worthy performances and Robert DeNiro actually finds himself starring in a good movie.  It's an epic that earns its runtime and is another huge feather in the cap of one of the all-time great directors.

4. Her
A guy falls in love with his computer.  Sounds like a spec script from some film school grad student.  But it's not just about him falling in love, it's about the building of a relationship and a man finding himself.  The first 15 minutes of the movie are Joaquin Phoenix living a life in near isolation.  He writes love letters for other people as a job.  He commutes listening to his emails.  He plays video games and tries to talk dirty with anonymous women.  The technology that surrounds him and left him on his own island with nothing but the memories of his ex-wife to keep him company.  If you think about it it's a pretty good reflection of the lives of a lot of people in our constantly connected but equally lonely society.  It's a cyber-romance with a lot of humor and heart and Joaquin Phoenix shows us again why he's one of our most valuable talents.

3. Inside Llewyn Davis
My humble opinion has been that the Coen Bros. along with Martin Scorsese are the best filmmakers working today.  Each movie they make feels like a step in a different direction and no matter how weird or offbeat they feel they can still reach you in one way or another.  Inside Llewyn Davis is their best movie of the decade and is a beautiful, equally funny and somber look at a struggling artist trying to make it happen but is always sabotaging himself, something we can all probably relate to in one way or another.  There's a lot to chew on and elements can be interpreted in a few different ways but the end result is a fantastic character study by some of the best filmmakers alive.

2. Whiplash
Whiplash came out of nowhere for me.  I had never heard of it until someone recommended it to me and I saw it on a random day off work knowing nothing about it.  I don't know much about Damien Chazelle's musical background but I imagine he must have had some knowledge or experience to draw from in order to craft a drama so tied to the environment of an upscale music academy.  It always fascinates me when you can tell how much time and effort has gone into the actual research and study for a screenplay and Whiplash feels like the creatives involved had a direct connection and passion for the subject matter.  J.K. Simmons is pretty alright, too.

1. Drive
Talk about a movie people either love or hate.  On paper this should be a movie that I would otherwise ignore.  After all, it really is a style over substance movie. But it's a style that's done so well that it felt really fresh at the time.  The soundtrack really helped it feel unique as well (don't pretend you didn't listen to College and the Chromatics after this came out).  I remember coming out of the theater after watching it just thinking that I saw something special that you don't get all that often.  I'm not much of a Nicolas Winding Refn fan, although I enjoy Bronson I don't hold Only God Forgives or Neon Demon in high regard, but I think he really hit the nail on the head with what he was trying to go for in Drive. The silence, the brooding and the tension that drive some people crazy I felt was very effective and Albert Brooks completely steals the show.  Even the opening scene, a simple cop car chase, is so suspenseful and well done.  Of all the movies that came out in the past decade I think this is maybe my most viewed, most talked about, and the one I vividly remember watching and reacting to.  I know it's not for everyone and it's not even the 'best' movie on this list, but it definitely made an impact on me.

That's truly nowhere near the list I would have assumed.