Mr. Carnelian's Entirely Subjective Guide to 21st Century Cinema

[Cell]

My only issue with Black Swan is that at times it feels like Aronofsky's just gone Perfect Blue was cool, let's just do that with real actors. Which isn't bad at all, as Perfect Blue is fantastic.

Winter's Bone was a massive surprise for me, Jennifer Lawrence has never lived up to what she did in that film.

Also a huge shout out to the enjoyable Unstoppable.

[Mr. Carnelian]

2011: A Dangerous Method

Whilst it might seem odd to compare a film about the development of the professional and personal three-way schism between the influential psychoanalysts Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielman to a Western, A Dangerous Method resembles nothing as much as a Mexican standoff. Viggo Mortensen's Freud is the old gunslinger defending his dominance, Michael Fassbender's Jung is the second-fiddle jockeying for the top spot, and Kiera Knightley's Sabina is the young gun neither saw coming.

In a film with no immediately obvious lead, the sense of a three-way duel continues in terms of Mortensen, Fassbenders and Knightley's acting. Which actor can make the most of their screen-time? The three offer very distinct performances. Mortensen opts for a pompous gravitas which initially intrigues, but lacks the power necessary to make up for his more limited screen-time. Fassbender goes for an enigmatic, quiet intensity, but like Mortensen, is somewhat one-note. The mens' decision to use a single, well-honed weapon proves a mistake when going up against Knightley, who comes out all-guns blazing and doesn't stop firing until the credits roll. She's certainly no sharpshooter, and has her share of misses, but the shots that land are enough, for my money, to ensure her victory.

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[charliepanayi]

2011 - another Japanese film by Hirokazu Kore-Eda, in this case I Wish. Few directors have managed to get such great performances out of children. A delightful if at times somewhat sad film.

[Wolf Kanno]

Ah 2011, the year my father and I had strong opinions about best picture for the Oscars. He wanted War Horse to win, my pick for 2011 won instead.

The Artist was a clever film about a by gone age with strong performances all around especially when you consider there's maybe two actual lines of spoken dialogue in the whole film. My dark horse choice for the year was Rango, a quirky animated film that combines elements of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Spaghetti Western, and children's animated flicks. It was a surprisingly fun and surreal film.

[Mr. Carnelian]

2012: Skyfall

Although I've personally got a soft spot for the older, campier Bond films, the grittier take of the Daniel Craig era isn't without its merits. Skyfall is widely seen as the best Bond film of recent years, which I'd definitely agree with. Going into any detail about the plot seems a bit redundant: if you've seen a Bond film before, you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect. One distinguishing point worth mentioning is Judi Dench's M, given much more to do here than usual, and providing a great deal of the film's emotional heft.

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[charliepanayi]

2012 - The Avengers

I know everyone hates Joss Whedon these days for being the schlubby equivalent of Tiger Woods but this is easily the best MCU film which basically helped turn the MCU from success to juggernaut.

[Wolf Kanno]

2012 was a pretty stellar year for film. Skyfall was easily the best of the Daniel Craig era Bond films, Avengers cemented the MCU's dominance, The Dark Knight Rises was a nice conclusion to Nolan's Batman trilogy, we got the deliciously "so bad it's good" Dark Shadows film from Burton and Depp.

But two of my fave directors gave me a film this year. Tarantino followed up Inglorious Bastards with the phenomenal Django Unchained which was fun romp through the old west with some great acting. Course, I'm going to have to give this to Wes Anderson and his film, Moonlight Kingdom. Anderson's films are just a treat to watch and he's one of the few directors who I feel balances all the cinematic components that make film such a powerful medium. I feel it's one of his more underrated films.

[charliepanayi]

Moonrise Kingdom is amazing

I'm also a huge fan of Kathryn Bigelow's gripping Zero Dark Thirty (Jessica Chastain was robbed at the Oscars!)

[Mr. Carnelian]

2013: Under the Skin

A simple premise, intriguingly executed. Scarlett Johannsen is an enigmatic alien stalking the streets of Glasgow. She entices her male victims and draws them back to her lair, where they are mysteriously disassembled for no obvious reason.

Don't go into this expecting any clear answers or resolutions: this isn't that kind of film. The fact that Under the Skin is shorter than the 2 hours plus which has become the standard for blockbusters definitely works in its favour. The film's eerie ambiguity could easily become tiresome, but for me Under the Skin doesn't outstay its welcome.

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[charliepanayi]

Under the Skin is amazing, the scene on the beach is one of the most chilling things I've ever seen, and Scarlett Johansson is terrific in it. My 2013 choice is another film of hers, Spike Jonze's Her (no, not a film about Ann from Arrested Development), which is probably my favourite film of this decade. With Joaquin Phoenix in particular on top form it's a beautifully observed look at relationships, love and artificial intelligence and like Under the Skin has an excellent score.

[Cell]

I went to the cinema to see Under the Skin and was pretty much the only person who walked out totally nonplussed by it. It looked and sounded amazing, but it felt like art for art's sake rather than a film. It wasn't horrible by any means but it just left me cold.

[Mr. Carnelian]

2014: Guardians of the Galaxy

"I am Groot".

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone with any sense loves a fun, intergalactic space adventure. Guardians is a breezy, entertaining romp with an engaging main cast of rogues and ne'er do wells with hearts of gold. One of the film's notable achievements is how it manages to nod to its influences - Star Wars and Indiana Jones amongst them - without ever feeling too cloyingly nostalgic. It feels at once like a throwback, but also fresh, which is no easy feat to pull off.

Consistently enjoyable to both watch and listen to throughout, thanks to its kitschy, colourful aesthetic and precision-targeted retro soundtrack. It's easily one of my favourites of Marvel's ever-expanding output.

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[charliepanayi]

2014 - I'd probably choose either Boyhood or Whiplash, the former a hugely impressive achievement assembled over a dozen years and the latter a thrilling take on obsession with an final 10-15 minutes that left me breathless

[Wolf Kanno]

2013 was not a year for films for me. I missed out on the film that was probably up my alley in the way of The Wolf of Wall Street. which I still haven't fully watched but have enjoyed what I've seen. I really wanted to see Under the Skin, but never even heard about it until years later. May add that and Black Swan to my list of films I need to catch up on.

The few films I did see included some of Marvel's weaker sequels in Iron Man and Thor. I think for me, Pacific Rim was my fave film of the year. It was a nerdy film that only 30-year-olds with the heart and mind of a 13-year-old could appreciate. The special effects were awesome and the humor was good even if the drama always felt forced. More of a film for the sake of being fun.

As for 2014, Guardians was certainly the surprise hit for me and my peers. It still stands as one of the better Marvel films of the MCU. The Lego Movie was also a surprise hit and probably the only good one in the new franchise they're making due to it's surprisingly existential fourth wall breaking ending.

For me though, the best two films of the year come down to Captain America: Winter Soldier and Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel. Both phenomenal films in my opinion, with the former perfectly merging the schlocky comic book trappings of the super hero film with s 60s inspired Cold War film. It is easily my favorite MCU film. The latter film doesn't really need much introduction. If you've watched any other Wes Anderson film, you know what to expect, but we got some really great performances by Ralph Fiennes nd Tony Revolori. Speaking of films I missed this year, I also wanted to check out Birdman, which I just couldn't seem to find the time to see, but I love Michael Keaton and the subject matter and film style sounded right up my alley. This was also the year I had to bear witness to what is most likely my least favorite movie of the decade, if not the 21st century in general, which was Maleficent. Nothing makes my blood boil faster than discussing this awful Malfoy in Leather Pants fanfic film.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Your posts, Wolf Kanno, remind me that I still need to watch Wales Anderson’s newest movie.