The Great Movie Tournament: Overall Event Overview

[fernandito]

I'll check it out too, even though its only 5.8 on IMDB...

[Jean]

I've wanted to check out Compliance because of the absurd true story its based on, but I have a difficult time getting through films depicting sexual assault.

It is one of the most disturbing films ever. And not only because of the assault part. Like, every minute of it you want to say "oh no, man, people are not really like that, not in our world", and then you remember that it is not only a true story, but a story that has been reported time and again from shit ton of places.

[Jean]

Totally all of the below:

The Babadook (2014)

Cold Fish (2010)
Compliance (2012)
Coherence (2013)

Stoker

Ghost Writer

bears' special thanks

[Heather19]

I can't believe I forgot this film when I did my list, but I'd like to add I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House to it. It's a quiet, understated film. This is another one that I would highly recommend.

Great list, Heather! Haven't seen When Animals Dream but it sounds really cool!

I'll check it out too, even though its only 5.8 on IMDB...

But it's 73% on RT . I can see where it wouldn't be a highly popular film. It's much quieter. I do hope you both check it out. It's one that I randomly came across on Netflix and decided to watch one day, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's an interesting take on a werewolf film. It's portrayed in a more realistic way compared to how it's typically done in horror films. I'll be curious of your thoughts on it.

[mae]

Oh Heather, to get back to our conversation about superhero movies, obviously I hope you check out Wonder Woman (it's currently on HBO Max until the end of the month), but of course it's far from being a hidden gem. What is a hidden gem though is Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, which came out the same year. A fantastic empowering movie about the people behind the creation of Wonder Woman comics, an utterly fascinating biopic with a lot to say. It's streaming on Hulu.

[mae]

And speaking of ratings, I take things like IMDB with a rain of salt. I like that now when you search Google for a movie, there is a card on the right with various ratings, from IMDB, RT, Letterboxd, Metacritic and others. I lately have been sticking with Letterboxd, I find its ratings more closely align with mine, and its user base is full of actual film critics, not just randos. So for me, anything above a 3.0 is a good film. Anything above a 4.0 is a great film. In general, of course, as there are films rated 4.0 and higher that I feel more lukewarm on, and vice versa.

When Animals Dream is rated 3.0, so that's good in my book: https://letterboxd.com/film/when-animals-dream/

[Heather19]

Oh Heather, to get back to our conversation about superhero movies, obviously I hope you check out Wonder Woman (it's currently on HBO Max until the end of the month), but of course it's far from being a hidden gem. What is a hidden gem though is Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, which came out the same year. A fantastic empowering movie about the people behind the creation of Wonder Woman comics, an utterly fascinating biopic with a lot to say. It's streaming on Hulu.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women has been on my list to watch since it came out. I'll try to make time to watch it soon. And I try to watch Wonder Woman too

[Still Servant]

Not sure if these have been mentioned yet but here's a list of some less talked about films that I really enjoyed from this past decade.

Stake Land
When Animals Dream
Brooklyn
The Nice Guys
Stoker
The Wave
Tusk
It Comes at Night
The Double

Some good ones here. You're really speaking to Matt here with Stoker and The Double. He also really enjoyed It Comes at Night, which is a film he and I have butted heads on in the past. The Nice Guys might be a top 5 comedy of the decade for me. It was a decade kind of light on comedies and our past tournaments don't represent comedies very well. Films like Game Night and We are the Millers are two of the very best and need to be in the tournament.

[fernandito]

I've purposely stayed away from It Comes At Night because of your review Mike. It's tainted for me. Should I give it a shot anyway?

Heather, I couldn't find When Animals Dream on Netflix last night, unless I'm blind.

I watched Under The Shadow last night, the Iranian horror film on Netflix. Nicely directed little horror film.

[Mattrick]

It Comes At Night is fucking fantastic. Just don't go in expecting a traditional horror movie and you'll enjoy it.

[Ricky]

I've narrowed down my favorites of the decade to 130 films. Still too many to nominate!

[mae]

I've narrowed down my favorites of the decade to 130 films. Still too many to nominate!

Ha, that's nothing, I have 300. Plus many many honorable mentions. Can't fit everything into an annual Top 30 list, you know.

[Heather19]

It Comes At Night is fucking fantastic. Just don't go in expecting a traditional horror movie and you'll enjoy it.

Agreed. It wasn't anything like what I was expecting, so I can see why a lot of people disliked it. The trailer was very deceiving.

Feev, I say don't rewatch the trailer, just go watch the film with an open mind, and like Matt said, don't expect a horror film. I'll be super curious of your thoughts on it.

[Still Servant]

It Comes At Night is fucking fantastic. Just don't go in expecting a traditional horror movie and you'll enjoy it.

Agreed. It wasn't anything like what I was expecting, so I can see why a lot of people disliked it. The trailer was very deceiving.

Feev, I say don't rewatch the trailer, just go watch the film with an open mind, and like Matt said, don't expect a horror film. I'll be super curious of your thoughts on it.

Yeah, I'm with Heather just don't watch the trailer. It completely misrepresented the film. I think it's worth a watch.

Also, for those that might be interested, The Guest is now on Netflix.

[Still Servant]

I've said it before, I will say it again. Take away the gimmick and Boyhood is just an average film. I don't get the love for it.

It’s a poignant and well told story. And how it’s told is also part of its appeal.

Precisely. And gimmicky or not, you have to respect the discipline and dedication to telling the story in that way.

It's not one of my favorite films but I really enjoyed it.

It's a well-told story, but that's not why it appears at the top of many Best of the Decade lists. If it wasn't for the way it was shot, it would not be that high. It just wouldn't be.

[mae]

Of course, filmmaking is an art, and it's not just all about story. It was an experiment that paid off and that dedication to the art form is being recognized. But it's also just a really good story.

[fernandito]

ditto

[fernandito]

Caught both The Guest and It Comes At Night on Netflix last night. Enjoyed both, the former a little more than the latter. Both are probably hovering at around 3, 3.5/5 for me.

Gonna watch Upgrade and Perks of Being A Wallflower today if I can.

[webstar1000]

Caught both The Guest and It Comes At Night on Netflix last night. Enjoyed both, the former a little more than the latter. Both are probably hovering at around 3, 3.5/5 for me.

Gonna watch Upgrade and Perks of Being A Wallflower today if I can.

let us know about Upgrade and what you thought!

[mae]

This one's just made my Top 30 of 2019, it's a whole lot of quirky and spooky fun. Check out The Vast of Night on Amazon Prime! It's like a product of the original Twilight Zone, Contact, and Welcome to Night Vale.

[Still Servant]

I love The Guest. I rewatched it this weekend too. So much fun.

[Still Servant]

I feel Moonlight had a similar structure and pulled it off better. While Moonlight is on many lists, it's not as high as Boyhood.

[Heather19]

This one's just made my Top 30 of 2019, it's a whole lot of quirky and spooky fun. Check out The Vast of Night on Amazon Prime! It's like a product of the original Twilight Zone, Contact, and Welcome to Night Vale.

I saw this one there and it looked really good. Will have to try to watch it soon.

I love The Guest. I rewatched it this weekend too. So much fun.

I know I've seen The Guest, but I have very little to no memory of it, or if I enjoyed it... I'll have to check back through some threads to see what I thought of it.

[fernandito]

The Guest was dope, really campy fun. There were some weird tonal changes in the movie that I didn't always appreciate but Dan Stevens' performance was pretty amazing. I hate that there were a couple things left unanswered, looked like they were setting it up for Guest 2.

Also, I realized I have a man crush on Dan Stevens

[Still Servant]

Also, I realized I have a man crush on Dan Stevens

Yeah, I'm surprised Heather doesn't at least remember him coming out of the bathroom with just a towel on.

Also, it's a shame that Maika Monroe's career seems to have gone off the rails. She burst on the scene with The Guest and It Follows and then did the terrible Independence Day 2, which might have killed her career. She's had some supporting roles recently, but that's about it.