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Films of the Decade Rankdown


Alex95

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Noms:

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Easy A

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Avengers: Infinity War

How to Train Your Dragon

Manchester by the Sea

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Tangled

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Captain America: Civil War

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Incredibles 2

Edge of Tomorrow

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Argo

The Avengers

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THE AVENGERS (2012)

 

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It's been so long since I've seen this movie and tbh all Avengers-related movies blur together for me so intensely so I couldn't tell you off the top of my head what exactly happens in this movie. Okay I think this is the movie where Loki is the primary villain, which is funny because he sort of becomes an anti-hero by the end of the franchise but is definitely seen purely as a villain here for much of the movie. It stars an enormously famous cast, including Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Renner (his arms in this movie are yummy(, Cobie Smulders etc and grossed a massive $1.519 billion at the box office. This movie broke a ton of box office records when it was released and I'm pretty sure a lot of them stood for several years which is really impressive considering box office records are continuously broken. As for the movie itself, it's fun but there are so many other Marvel movies still in this so it's time to start trimming some of the Marvel fat.

 

Saving: Tangled

 

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Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011 dir. by Glenn Ficarra + John Requa)

 

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I am very glad to have not been part of the messy Actors Rankdown that somehow resulted in a top two that includes Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Laughable results. And I like both of them a whole lot!

 

Crazy, Stupid, Love is a movie that is like very good, but there is absolutely nothing special or transformative about it. Not that every movie needs to be miraculous or something, but this is just your run-of-the-mill rom-com that happens to be better than most films released in that genre. For starters, this movie is well-acted. Which is like half of the problem with most rom-com films. The film is also written by Dan Fogelman of This Is Us fame, so the screenplay is actually worth listening to, unlike most rom-coms. 

 

But this film is pretty much nothing more than the white middle-aged man experiences midlife crisis and marriage turmoil, sleeps around, and then tries to win family back story that has been told a million times over. The film is just very paint-by-numbers and the twist that Hannah is Cal's daughter is not a twist at all. LOL. I totally get why people like this movie, but I feel like the people that stan this movie are doing so out of love for Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

 

Upon release, the movie received positive reviews. But in comparison to most films left in the game, Crazy, Stupid, Love has some of the lowest ratings left in the game. It's a good film with a talented cast. It's a sweet movie that never offends and is smart enough to keep your attention for 118 minutes. Some funny stuff happens. But the movie just does not go all the way with the comedy. It's just a bit tame, overall. 68/100 on Metacritic. Average rating of 6.92/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. The film received minor awards attention, most notably gaining a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Gosling.

 

I just feel like with a cast that includes Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Carroll Lynch, Analeigh Tipton, and Kevin Bacon, this film could have been bigger and better. Sorry to upset anybody with this cut, but it's not a revolutionary film that needs to stick around any longer imo. 

 

SAVING: Incredibles 2

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HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2

 

I don't know how these movies have made it this far, but I'll go ahead and take another one out now. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is, obviously, the sequel to How to Train Your Dragon and is the second film in the trilogy. Did I cut the third one? Probably. Anyway, this film was released in 2014 and made $621.5 million at the box office against a budget of $145 million. It received positive reviews, particularly in regards to its animation and musical score. I do enjoy a good film score. Anyway, I'm sure it's a fine movie, but now that we're getting to the nitty-gritty, it's time for it to head out.

 

SAVE: Easy A

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HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART II

 

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I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, so it's unusual that I would choose to eliminate this film from the rankdown. I didn't want to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II eliminated, but I was unsure if it was going to survive this round of cuts. However, if the film was going to be eliminated, then I wanted to be the one to type its write-up. Even though I enjoyed this film, I did not care for some of the choices made in this adaptation. Even though I'm a Harry Potter fan, my fondness is mostly for the books. I've oftentimes found aspects of the movies to be disappointing. I understand the films can't be 100% the same as the books, but I don't think the changes or omissions in this film made it any better. But before I explain what I don't like about the film, I'll recap the plot.

 

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II
 is the final film of the franchise. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are still on their quest to hunt down Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes so they can stop him once and for all. This film picks up where Part I ended. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Ollivander, and Griphook are in Shell Cottage (Bill and Fleur's house) after Dobby rescued them, and Voldemort is now in possession of the Elder Wand. Dobby is laid to rest after he was tragically killed when he rescued them. Harry suspects that a Horcrux is in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault after her reaction to seeing the Sword of Gryffindor at Malfoy Manor. Therefore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione ask Griphook to help them break into Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts. He agrees, but only if he's given the Sword of Gryffindor as payment.

 

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They reluctantly agree, and the break in is a success as they retrieve Hufflepuff's Cup. However, Griphook swipes the Sword of Gryffindor and betrays Harry, Ron, and Hermione to the other goblins. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are then forced to flee on one of the dragons. They crash out of Gringotts on the back of the dragon and fly away. Afterwards, Harry has a vision into Voldemort's mind telling him the last Horcrux is hidden at Hogwarts. They Apparate to Hogsmeade and meet Aberforth Dumbledore. He helps them sneak into Hogwarts Castle through the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are reunited with Neville and their other classmates before the Battle of Hogwarts begins. Voldemort and his Death Eaters arrive, and the school faculty and the Order of the Phoenix do their best to keep the enemy away. However, the battle commences as Harry searches for Ravenclaw's Diadem. After talking to the Grey Lady, he realizes the diadem was hidden in the Room of Requirement. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione sneak into the Chamber of Secrets to use one of the basilisk fangs to destroy Hufflepuff's Cup.

 

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Harry, Ron, and Hermione make their way to the Room of Requirement where Harry finds the diadem. However, they are thwarted by Malfoy, Goyle, and Zabini. A scuffle breaks out, and Goyle casts the highly dangerous Fiendfyre curse. He dies in the flames, but everyone else manages to escape the inferno. The diadem was also destroyed by the Fiendfyre. The Battle of Hogwarts is in full force now as the Death Eaters have broken into the castle. Harry sees into Voldemort's mind again and learns he and Snape are at a boathouse. Harry, Ron, and Hermione make their way there and listen to Voldemort and Snape's conversation. Voldemort claims that he cannot be the true maser of the Elder Wand since he did not kill its previous owner Dumbledore. Since Snape was the one to kill Dumbledore, Voldemort orders Nagini to kill Snape. Nagini bites Snape several times, and Harry makes his presence known after Voldemort leaves. Snape gives Harry a vial full of memories before he dies. Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to the castle, and they learn of the many deaths that occurred. Among the dead are Fred, Tonks, and Lupin. Harry leaves the Great Hall and views the memories Snape gave him.

 

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Harry learns how Snape was in love with his mother Lily since the two of them were little kids. Harry also learns how Snape has always been loyal to Dumbledore and was devoted to keeping Lily's son safe. Even though Snape killed Dumbledore, it was a plot set up by Dumbledore after Dumbledore was already cursed to death. As well, Harry finally learns he is the last Horcrux. Voldemort unintentionally transferred a part of his soul into Harry the night he tried to kill him. Voldemort cannot be defeated until the part of him inside Harry is destroyed too. After learning this, Harry accepts death and faces Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. Before the confrontation, he figures out the Resurrection Stone is inside the Golden Snitch Dumbledore bequeathed him and what "I open at the close" means. He's visited by his mother Lily, father James, Sirius, and Lupin before he allows Voldemort to kill him. After Voldemort strikes him with the Killing Curse, he wakes up in limbo. He's greeted by Dumbledore, and he explains to Harry what happened. After talking to Dumbledore, he returns to the forest and fakes being dead. He's carried by a captured Hagrid back to the castle, and the survivors all see Harry seemingly dead. Neville gives a speech before another battle erupts. Harry reveals he's really alive, and he and Voldemort battle each other around the castle. However, Nagini is still alive and the last remaining Horcrux, but Neville kills her. Molly Weasley also kills Bellatrix Lestrange before Harry and Voldemort face off one last time. Voldemort is defeated, and his body turns to ash as he perishes.

 

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The battle is over, and Harry snaps the Elder Wand and throws it away before we see the trio 19 years later. Harry and Ginny are married, as are Ron and Hermione. They are seeing their kids off at Platform 9 3/4, and all was well. 

 

Overall, I do think this was a solid and satisfying end to the franchise. Splitting the seventh book into two films ended up working well, but the film still has its flaws. My main grievance is with the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. The entire series has led to this moment, and the film adaptation managed to screw this up. In the book, Harry reveals himself to be alive after Mrs. Weasley kills Bellatrix Lestrange, and he faces Voldemort one-on-one. Here's an excerpt from the book:

 

Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley.

"Protego!" roared Harry, and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak at last.

The yell of shock, the cheers, the screams on every side of "Harry!" "HE'S ALIVE!" were stifled at once. The crowd was afraid, and silence fell abruptly and completely as Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and began, at the same moment, to circle each other.

"I don't want anyone to help," Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice carried like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me." 

 

But what do we get instead?

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That part in the film is so cringeworthy. Also add in the fact how the two of them chasing each other around the castle was so silly. It wasn't exciting to watch nor did it add any suspense. This was the final time Harry and Voldemort would face each other, and it was an awkward sequence. No way would Voldemort allow himself to be physically dragged down like that. It was simply the wrong choice, and the film should've kept it the way it was in the book.

 

Another issue I have is how Voldemort died. Here's how his death is described in the book:

 

Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy's shell.

 

But what do we get instead?

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Voldmort spent his whole life chasing immortality, yet he dies like any other average mortal. This is significant, yet the film decides it's better to have him turn into ash. I don't understand this choice. They weren't afraid to show the dead bodies of Tonks and Lupin, so there's no reason they couldn't have shown Voldemort lying dead on the ground too. 

 

And what was the point of this moment?

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In the book, Harry uses the Elder Wand to repair his own wand. Then, he respectfully decides to return the Elder Wand to Dumbledore's grave and let it rest with him. Harry snapping the wand was unnecessary (and I doubt the most powerful wand in history could be so easily broken like that anyway). 

 

And why wasn't Fred's death included in the film?

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Sure, they reveal what happened to him, but his death was a significant part of the story. Although it would've been heartbreaking to see play out on the screen, the movie not even including it was a disservice to the character. His death happens right after the Fiendfyre fiasco, so it's not like there wasn't a moment to include this part in the film. Plus, doesn't Mrs. Weasley seem unusually calm about Fred's death in the above gif? Sure, she's sad, but in the book she was described as visibly shaking over his body.

 

And this moment is totally out of character too:

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Everything that happens after Harry's chat with Dumbledore in King's Cross was a misfire in the film. Voldemort hugging Draco was supposed to be funny, but it was out of tone for that moment in the film. Neville's inspiring speech was also awkward and corny. It was better in the book when Neville just showed a lot of gumption and declared he'll join Voldemort when hell freezes over. Neville then kills Nagini right there and the battle reignites. And the vividness of the battle as Harry sneaks back into the castle was so clear in the book. We see all these characters fighting and winning against the Death Eaters. Hagrid gets his revenge on Macnair (the Death Eater that was assigned to kill Buckbeak); Neville and Ron take down Greyback; Hermione, Luna, and Ginny battle Bellatrix before Mrs. Weasley takes over, and McGonagall, Flitwick, and Slughorn battle Voldemort before Harry steps in. What do we get instead? Everyone else scatters and is missing as Harry and Voldemort chase each other around. Ron and Hermione also cower in fear as they are about to be bitten by Nagini until Neville slices Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor.

 

In addition, it would've been nice to have seen the moment in Ravenclaw Tower included in the movie. Harry stands up for McGonagall after Amycus Carrow spat in her face. Harry effectively uses the Cruciatus Curse against him, showing how much respect Harry had for McGonagall. In addition, the duel between Snape and McGonagall was more exciting in the book. The duel included a ring of fire that was then turned into a snake before it became daggers that were sent towards Snape until he blocked it with a suit of armor. Flitwick and Sprout rush to aid McGonagall before he escapes through the window. But what do we get in the movie? McGonagall and Snape throwing sparks at each other for about ten seconds until Snape flies out the window.

 

There's probably too much detail in the book to include in the film, but the book was split into two movies after all. And I do wonder if people who watched the movies without reading the books understand everything that's happening. I don't think The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore was explained properly in the film, and how Dumbledore was in search for the Deathly Hallows too. And The Prince's Tale happens so quickly in the montage too, but I think the film did as well as it could with that sequence. And I’m not saying every detail has to be the same. It’s not a big deal if Snape’s death scene didn’t happen in the Shrieking Shack like the book. And I don't think the movie killing off Goyle instead of Crabbe was such a big deal either (since apparently there was some issue with the actor who played Crabbe preventing him from being part of the film). But I do think the film could've kept more pivotal moments the way it was in the book.

 

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Despite my issues with the film, I do think it was a solid finale to the franchise. My issues with the film don't completely ruin it for me. The break-in at Gringotts was exciting, and there was a lot of action sequences in the Battle of Hogwarts. It just could've been better, especially since they split the book into two films. Nevertheless, it's a mostly faithful adaptation to the book (and nowhere near as bad as the Half-Blood Prince film). The film just stumbled at the finish line, which was a shame. But it's still an enjoyable film that's a mostly satisfying conclusion to the Harry Potter film franchise.

 

Edited by Steven_
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How to Train Your Dragon

 

At work with weird internet (hopefully that all gets fixed sooner rather than later) so a gif will be incoming. I was going to cut Argo but then realized that write-up would consist of nothing more than "Ben Affleck cast himself as a Latino man" over and over until I hit 100 words. So somebody is welcome to do that. But to get a more satisfactory write-up for Alex, I'm cutting a movie that I've seen and have a decent memory about. I'm also hoping with both How to Train Your Dragons cut, Rei will save Mission Impossible movies. IDK that could backfire since I thought Rei would save Okja the last time and he didn't. Unpredictable that Rei. Except when it comes to cutting favorite movies of mine.

 

Anyway, How to Train Your Dragon is the first movie in the series that spawned two film sequels and a cartoon. I've seen none of the following media because one How to Train Your Dragon is enough for me. Not that it was a bad movie but once the vikings learn to co-exist with the dragons and fly and junk why did there need to be more! My fundamental stance on this. Anyway, it's about a young viking lad named Hiccup who finds a dragon who he names Toothless. And then there's some plot stuff. And then eventually the vikings and the dragons work together to live in harmony. Toothless is a cute dragon. Hiccup is annoying because he's like "oh my dad is big and strong and so are most male vikings but I'm small and weak which my parents cursed me to the moment they named me Hiccup and yet. I can make a connection with this uber powerful dragon." I swear I like this movie. But I like so many movies now at this point it comes to movies that I like less vs movies I like more.

 

Anyway, How to Train Your Dragon was surprisingly good for a movie that looked so dumb in the trailers. It ended up winning the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature though it lost the Academy Award to Toy Story 3. That seems fair.

 

Saving: Edge of Tomorrow

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3 minutes ago, Steven_ said:

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART II

 

I don’t think Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part II will survive this round of cuts, so I’m claiming to do its write-up. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, but I have oftentimes found the movies to be disappointing. I do think this finale was solid, but I still have a lot of issues with the film. My biggest grievance is the showdown between Harry and Voldemort. The two of them chasing each other around the castle was ridiculous. The way Rowling kept it simple in the book with the two of them standing in the Great Hall with everyone watching was perfect. And don’t even get me started on the film Harry’s cringeworthy “Let’s finish this the way we started it - together!” line. And then Harry snapping the Elder Wand in half made no sense either, as well as Voldemort vanishing into thin air. The fact he died like any mortal being in the book was something that should’ve been in the movie too. Despite his goal of being immortal, he died like anyone else. What the movie did was unnecessary. Another issue I have is the exclusion of other significant parts of the book, such as Fred’s death scene and Harry standing up for McGonagall in Ravenclaw Tower. The Snape versus McGonagall duel was more exciting in the book too. I’m on my phone now, but I’ll come back to this later with a much more detailed write-up. I don’t know if anyone will come back to read it, but I’ll update this tonight.

 

And I’m saving Kingsman: The Secret Service.

My biggest issue with the two DH films is that WB suddenly decided to do a 5-hour adaption so we suddenly had all the plots that were cut from the previous adaptions being wrapped up despite them never actually happening in the films. :dead:

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