Films of the Decade Rankdown

[Elliott]

@#jeah with the taste of also thinking Us should've been the Peele movie in the Top 20.

[totes4totes]

Andy

1.

2.

3.

4.

5. Gone Girl

6.

7. The Master

8. Little Women

9. Blue Valentine

10.

11. 

12. Toy Story 3

13. Room

14. Hereditary

15. Spotlight

16. Incendies

17. Your Name.

18. Get Out

19. Winter's Bone

20. Annihilation

 

Anne

1.

2.

3. Hereditary

4.

5. Annihilation

6.

7.

8. Room

9.

10. Little Women

11. Blue Valentine

12. Winter's Bone

13. Spotlight

14. Gone Girl

15. Toy Story 3

16.

17. Incendies

18. The Master

19. Your Name.

20. Get Out

 

Chris

1.

2. Room

3. Little Women

4. Spotlight

5.

6. Gone Girl

7.

8. Incendies

9.

10.

11. Hereditary

12.

13. The Master

14. Your Name.

15. Toy Story 3

16.

17. Blue Valentine

18. Winter's Bone

19. Annihilation

20. Get Out

 

Dee

1. Hereditary

2.

3. Get Out

4.

5.

6.

7. Annihilation

8.

9. Gone Girl

10.

11. Room

12. Little Women

13. Winter's Bone

14. Your Name.

15. Toy Story 3

16.

17. Blue Valentine

18. The Master

19. Incendies

20. Spotlight

 

Elliott

1. Toy Story 3

2.

3. Get Out

4.

5. Blue Valentine

6. Gone Girl

7. Winter's Bone

8.

9. Spotlight

10.

11.

12. Annihilation

13. The Master

14. Incendies

15. Room

16. Your Name.

17.

18. Little Women

19.

20. Hereditary

 

Megan

1.

2.

3.

4. Your Name.

5. Annihilation

6.

7.

8. Winter's Bone

9. The Master

10. Get Out

11.

12. Little Women

13. Blue Valentine

14. Hereditary

15.

16. Room

17. Toy Story 3

18. Incendies

19. Spotlight

20. Gone Girl

 

Nico

1.

2. Get Out

3.

4. The Master

5. Gone Girl

6. Hereditary

7.

8.

9. Room

10. Spotlight

11.

12. Annihilation

13. Winter's Bone

14.

15. Toy Story 3

16. Your Name.

17. Blue Valentine

18.

19. Incendies

20. Little Women

 

Rei

1. Incendies

2.

3.

4. Annihilation

5. Spotlight

6.

7. Get Out

8. Your Name.

9.

10. Toy Story 3

11. Winter's Bone

12.

13. Blue Valentine

14.

15.

16. Room

17. Hereditary

18. Gone Girl

19. Little Women

20. The Master

 

Steven

1. Your Name.

2. Little Women

3. Toy Story 3

4. Blue Valentine

5.

6. Spotlight

7. Room

8.

9. Get Out

10.

11. Gone Girl

12.

13. Incendies

14.

15.

16.

17. Annihilation

18. Winter's Bone

19. Hereditary

20. The Master

 

Victoria

1.

2.

3. Winter's Bone

4.

5. Your Name.

6. Hereditary

7. Toy Story 3

8. Spotlight

9. Blue Valentine

10. Gone Girl

11. Little Women

12. 

13. Room

14. Incendies

15.

16. The Master

17.

18. Annihilation

19. Get Out

20.

 

Public

1.

2.

3.

4. Get Out

5.

6. Room

7. Toy Story 3

8.

9. Winter's Bone

10.

11. Little Women

12. Gone Girl

13.

14. Hereditary

15. Spotlight

16. Your Name.

17. Blue Valentine

18. Incendies

19. Annihilation

20. The Master

[aliasocfan]

This is where my #16 wins because I'm not allowed to have nice things. 

[~Tom~]

3 hours ago, Elliott said:

@#jeah with the taste of also thinking Us should've been the Peele movie in the Top 20.

I agree with this as well!

[Alex95]

7. Mad Max: Fury Road

10.0/20

@totes4totes - 1/20

@#jeah - 3/20

@1234567890 - 4/20

@.Rei - 6/20

@Deeee - 8/20

@aliasocfan - 9/20

Public - 11/20

@Steven_ - 15/20

@*Chris - 16/20

@NGM - 18/20

@Elliott - 19/20

 

Megan

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I am shocked that for as many people as I made mad, that Mad Max: Fury Road made it to the Top 20 without ever being nominated I believe (at the time of this write-up, I'm still going through page by page to do my full analysis so I can't say that for sure 100% because maybe it was nominated at some point when we needed to nominate films that were never nominated. IDK). Regardless, I never really felt like this film was in danger. Even though the other four movies I listed as my Top 5 of the decade on page 5 of the rankdown perpetually felt like they were always going to get eliminated until they actually did (RIP Cats 2019). 

 

Let's see. I saw this film shortly after it came out in 2015 and I saw it in my college town with friends from college despite the fact we all must have graduated by then. For some reason that's where the three of us saw it and we actually made specific plans to see it. I'll figure out details on the why later.

 

 

I remember that this film was announced in 2009. And then people thought it was going to happen despite both Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron being announced as having been cast as the main characters. And then Charlize Theron popped up with a completely shaved head and everybody was like "well I guess Mad Max is happening." And then it still took years for this movie came out. When something is in production for that long you worry that there's a a reason. Because that tends to be the case. But Mad Max was good and thankfully so. 

 

It's easy to see what makes Mad Max so good from the script to the direction to the cinematography to the performances. And rightfully so, it was nominated for a bevy of awards including coveted Best Picture and Best Director nominations (though Charlize Theron was SNUBBED) in a tough crowd that year and won a host of technical awards. And I think even better is that this film uses practical effects. They made these cars to get all smashed up. Drove them out in the real desert. It's all very metal. This movie is very metal. Straight down to the soundtrack. Honestly, the cinematography is so good it simultaneously makes me want to just make this whole write-up gifs and at lament that the fact that the gifs don't do the movie justice. 

 

 

But you could place all those things amongst a lot of the other movies that made this Top 20 and beyond in this rankdown. And there were a lot of great action movies of this decade (many of which were paid DUST in this rankdown and I actually think we left out my #2 action movie of the decade The Raid from the rankdown in general), but despite all that Mad Max stands out above the rest. It's so unique. Despite being a franchise movie. Despite coming out of a large studio. It feels like a film that took risks. From its practical effects, from ditching Mel Gibson who made the original trilogy so iconic, to making this a story about women and not the titular character. Because even though Mad Max is very much a part of this movie, the story is all Furiosa's. It's a movie that doesn't get boring despite being one extremely long car chase back and forth across the desert. The action is always there but not overwhelming so the beats don't get repetitive and boring. 

 

 

As I mentioned before the story of Mad Max is Furiosa's. And because of that the movie calls upon Charlize Theron to do a lot of heavy lifting. And what happens is that Charlize Theron turns out the finest performance of her career. She's truly incredible in so many little ways. The movie doesn't have much in the way of dialogue, but she's able to convey so much in her face, exhaustion, hope, caring, anger. She portrays so much strength that when she breaks down after she finds their search for the "Green Place" is futile it's startling and you feel that. 

 

 

Anyway, as I said earlier, I could make every movie in this Top 20 a lesbian movie if you work hard for it and it's almost too easy to do. This is a movie about women wanting to escape the power of men and then setting up a matriarchy! That's very lesbian. 

 

Anyway, I'll end on some more gifs because the cinematography is again so so good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy

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This has always been one of my favorite movies ever, and it was a pretty easy task to get it to the finals since so many other people seem to love this movie. I don’t expect it to win but I’m proudly ranking this in my top 3. I mean, what’s not to love about this movie? It’s a reboot of a classic action movie but it elevated the entire franchise to something even better. This is a #feminist movie to the max and it has my queen Charlize Theron giving what is maybe her best performance to date. There’s not a ton of dialogue here, but it’s action packed from the very first scene and keeps you on the edge of your seat all movie long. WIth an all-star cast joining Theron in Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult (the sexiest man alive ugh, even as a creepy reptilian albino man), Zoe Kravitz, and more, this movie surprised me with its really well-written story line that kept the narrative going strongly throughout. I have seen this movie maybe 5 times and have loved it equally each time.

 

Victoria

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I just really enjoyed the hell out of this movie when I saw it in theaters. The action and visuals were stunning on the big screen. The movie was released in 2015 and is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film. The film was co-written, co-produced, and directed by George Miller. George Miller collaborated with Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris on the screenplay. This was the fourth installment of the Mad Max films and this movie was seen as a revisiting of the Mad Max world. The film was produced by Kennedy Miller Mitchell and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Like I mentioned, the movie is set in a post-apocalyptic time to the film is set in a desert wasteland were petrol and water are scarce commodities. It follows Max Rockatansky who joins forces with Imperator Furiosa to flee from cult leader Immortan Joe. It's just an action-packed amazing film. The film stars Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee and Courtney Eaton. The film was widely praised by critics for its screenplay, George Miller's direction, action sequences, score, cinematography, editing, costume design, visuals and the performances of the cast. The movie made $375.2 million dollars at the box office. Mad Max: Fury Road won multiple directing and technical achievements and received ten Academy Award nominations at the 88th Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director and won the most awards of the ceremony with six awards for Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Film Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. The film has a score of 97% on RT and there is prequel entitled Furiosa in development. It's one of the greatest actions films out there so go watch it if you haven't.

 

Rei

Quote

 

When I went to see the film in the cinemas for the first time, I didn't know what to expect. I was familiar with the name but didn't really know what the whole Mad Max was about, as I didn't watch the original films from the 70's and 80's. But midway thought the film I was like f*ck this is actually pretty great and by the end of the film I knew this was one of the best movies I have ever seen. The whole over the top post-apocalytic world was sick and so much fun to watch. The film had one of my favorite male actors nowadays in the lead and also arguably my favorite female actress nowadays in the female lead role. So it was only natural that I was gonna love the film no matter what. But seriously, Furiosa is so amazing and Charlize Theron deserved the world for her performance in this movie. Apparently there is a prequel involving Furiosa's character in development, however it would not feature Charlize Theron but instead Anya Taylor-Joy which is something that I can live with.

 

So going back to this movie, this was critical acclaimed by critics, deservingly so, and received ten Academy Awards nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. It lost the Best Picture award to Spotlight which is something I can live on, because I also love that movie. 

 

I know a lot of the rankers love this movie so I'm hoping it can rank high, at least in the top 10.

 

Rei Score: 93/100 

 

Dee

Quote

[Writeup missing]

 

Anne

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I freaking love this movie. I am not going to lie though, when I first saw the trailer, I was not impressed. Thankfully I eventually checked out some reviews. This movie is so damn good. The plot, obviously, is not particularly complex. It is mostly moving from Point A to Point B, but that is not what drives (hehe) this movie. It is the characters. Now, some people were disappointed how Max isn't really the main character. How sad for them. We have the absolutely amazing Furiosa as the lead. Let us take a second to think about how superb Charlize Theron is in this role. Bless. The cast in general was fantastic. This includes Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hault, and Hugh Keays-Burne. (RIP to Hugh.) 

 

Alex

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At the very start of the game, Mad Max: Fury Road was actually my winner prediction and I stuck with it the whole way through. Once we hit the endgame, I definitely started to doubt myself and I flipped to another movie in the top 20. Either way, neither of them won, lol. Mad Max: Fury Road would’ve made for a hell of a winner though. At one point in time, it was in my top five movies ever made. I ended up ranking it 8th in this group so obviously that intense love I have for the movie has died a little, but I think that’s no fault of the movie’s really. Watching it for the first time was an experience I can never have again. Seeing Mad Max: Fury Road in the movie theaters is almost a religious experience. Rewatches definitely hurt the film, I cannot lie. Watching it on my tv and knowing what’s gonna happen is just not the same, while on the other hand other movies in this endgame can survive rewatches a lot better.
Anyways, I went to see this movie in theaters with a friend knowing absolutely nothing about it. I’m not a big action movie guy so I can’t say I was super excited about watching a 2-hour car chase. But like I said, I ate my words and was completely blown away. I did not expect to shed tears over a guy in white paint who said about 10 different words the entire movie sacrificing his life. I did not expect to shed teams over pretty much everything Charlize Theron said or did. Mad Max: Fury Road is not just a two hour car chase, it is one of the deepest and most emotional movies ever created. If it ever returns to theaters one day (and if we’re ever allowed in theaters again) I highly recommend going, because man what an experience it will be.

 

Tom

Quote

A very good move, but Nicholas Hoult is not hot in it so it ranks lower.

 

Steven

Quote

 

I remember when Mad Max: Fury Road won all those awards at the Oscars a few years ago. It was clearly a well-made film, but it was one I didn't seek out to watch before. From what I saw in the trailers, it just didn't seem like my type of movie. Nonetheless, I finally sat down and watched it before typing this write-up. Unfortunately, my assumption was right. I don't think it's a bad movie, but I don't think it's one I will want to watch again.

 

Mad Max: Fury Road is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the tyrant Immortan Joe has kept water and all other resources for himself. One of his warriors Imperator Furiosa stages an escape with his five wives, aiming to arrive at the Green Place. Along the way, they align themselves with former captive Max Rockatansky to outrun their enemies on many deadly high-speed chases throughout the wasteland.

 

This film is unlike any other movie in this Top 20. It's action-packed from beginning to end, making it an entertaining spectacle with superb special effects. However, the movie was style over substance. I didn't really like the gritty look of the movie or the mad world they created, but I suppose I can't fault that too much since it is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland after all. But the movie was simply a two-hour deadly demolition derby. If that was the goal, then they succeeded. After all, a more in-depth story probably wouldn't work with what the movie was meant to be. As for what the critics thought, the film has a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a consensus that says, "With exhilarating action and a surprising amount of narrative heft, Mad Max: Fury Road brings George Miller's post-apocalyptic franchise roaring vigorously back to life." However, the movie just isn't my cup of tea. I don't think it's a bad movie, but it's just not the kind of movie I like. It's simply a matter of taste here, so that's why Mad Max: Fury Road gets a low ranking from me.

 

Chris

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First of all, it is quite impressive that Mad Max : Fury Road made it all the way to this spot without ever being nominated from what I can recall so this deserves a huge congrats to its fans.  And what is shocking about my ranking of Mad Max; Fury Road is that I'm ranking in this spot despite never seeing it in its entirety - it should have been lower than this but I couldn't bring myself to rank in my bottom 3 for many reasons. And the part of the movie that I've seen was enough to retain my attention, despite it not being a traditional Chris movie. As well, I do know that Charlize Theron & Tom Hardy are both praised for their remarkable performance in this movie which was enough for me to not rank it in the Bottom 3 considering I do like Charlize Theron in the majority of her roles.  

 

I'll eventually end up watching this movie in its entirety so I will be able to share my thoughts with some of you, but in the meantime we will have to deal with me ranking it at #16 due to seeing snippets of the movie. And looking forward to see where this movie will rank as I've always had it pegged as a potential Top 5 finalist of the rankdown. 

 

Nico

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I think this is a fantastic movie for just having fun. It hits a lot of great beats, the length is perfect, and it just delivers. It has great performances (Charlize’s Furiosa is amazing idc I wouldn’t call it her best but it’s definitely iconic) and Tom Hardy also delivers as a compelling lead. I think the reason to rank it this low is that there isn’t that much besides being a fun time. And don’t get me wrong, I’m up for that, but idk if it’s a movie that’s gonna stay with me way into the 2020s (hell idk if I’m gonna remember it in a few years). So yeah, great fun, but not something that truly resonates with me.

 

Elliott

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Fabulous film and incredible performances from the leads, but I'm ranking it 19th because I think it could be a huge threat to win and I want/wanted other films to win. LIKE TOY STORY 3. /bitter Anyway, replacing Mel Gibson automatically makes this movie an upgrade, and I was a big fan of the stylization they used for the film. I also prefer the black & white (or I guess technically chrome) version because I'm a hipster. Apparently there is a sequel in the works, but I read that they aren't casting Charlize Theron so I'm over it already. 

 

[Alex95]

The next two movies eliminated are also tied which will be our final tie of the game.

[Steven_]

15 minutes ago, Alex95 said:

Once we hit the endgame, I definitely started to doubt myself and I flipped to another movie in the top 20. Either way, neither of them won, lol.

I wonder which movie this is. 

 

Now I’m starting to doubt that my #8 ranked film won (which was my winner prediction from the start). 

[Steven_]

I guess Mad Max is a film you have to watch in theaters to truly enjoy.

[#jeah]

2 minutes ago, Steven_ said:

I guess Mad Max is a film you have to watch in theaters to truly enjoy.

Not for me, I’ve never seen it in theaters and I’ve viewed the movie 5 or 6 times!

[~Tom~]

I think Mad Max did get nominated in the public noms round (Wasn’t me though). Congrats to its fans for making it this far!

 

Epic underdog Ex Machina still in.

[FrogLenzen]

I wasn't interested in seeing this movie win, but I am surprised it is not in the Top 5.

[FrogLenzen]

Victoria's #20 for Black Swan is the only bottom 3 score left in the game!

[1234567890]

I stan @~Tom~’s stanning of Nicholas Hoult.

[1234567890]

1 minute ago, FrogLenzen said:

Victoria's #20 for Black Swan is the only bottom 3 score left in the game!

[~Tom~]

2 minutes ago, 1234567890 said:

I stan @~Tom~’s stanning of Nicholas Hoult.

He unites every gay man alive with his hotness, tbh.

[#jeah]

8 minutes ago, ~Tom~ said:

 

Epic underdog Ex Machina still in.

At this point I am just assuming it’s going to win.  

[1234567890]

1 minute ago, ~Tom~ said:

He unites every gay man alive with his hotness, tbh.

[Alex95]

6. Ex Machina

9.9/20

@NGM - 3/20

@Deeee - 4/20

@aliasocfan - 6/20

@totes4totes - 7/20

@Elliott - 10/20

@#jeah - 11/20

@*Chris - 12/20

@Steven_ - 12/20

Public - 13/20

@.Rei - 14/20

@1234567890 - 17/20

 

Nico

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I love this movie to bits, and I still pretend Alicia Vikander’s awards are for her playing Ava and not that other movie. She kills everything she does in this movie, and is probably one of my fave performances of the decade, if not my outright favorite. That’s not to say this is the only selling point of the movie (the performances are top-notch, and the plot is really good), but Ava is such a key point to the entire movie, and Alicia goes above and beyond to make her feel real, that’s impossible to not recognize how big of a part she is to this movie working as well as it does. Fingers crossed it does well!

 

Dee

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[Writeup missing]

 

Anne

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A favorite of mine that I was worried about the entire game. Thankfully enough other people have seen it and love it. It is both written and directed by Alex Garland. (idk how I am going to decide which to rank higher: this or Annhilation.) 
As far as I am concerned, Alicia Vikander won her Oscar for this movie. I accept no other options! Along with Alicia being fantastic in this, it also stars Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac. 
The basic plot of this movie is the turing test. That is basically trying to fool someone that artificial intelligence is human. They bring it to the next level in this movie because the main character knows right away he is dealing with artificial intelligence. Alicia Vikander plays Ava, said artificial intelligence. Oscar Isaac plays Nathan. Mostly an irritating but  very intelligent character. Finally, Gleeson plays Celeb. He is the one dealing with Ava and seeing if he forgets she's not human.  

 

Megan

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I first saw Ex Machina with my sister. I can't remember exactly where we were but I know that for some reason we weren't at home. This came out in 2015 in the US so I wonder if I was getting picked up/my brother getting dropped off/and my sister just being around for some reason. But I saw this late at night, got back to the hotel at like 1AM and then couldn't sleep because I was so haunted by this movie. LOL I think I was just stuck thinking about what would happen to Domhnall Gleeson's character who at the time I didn't think deserved to starve/dehydrate to death in a room all alone. But you know now. Maybe he kind of did.

 

I'm kind of surprised but overall pleased this movie made it to the Top 20. It just doesn't seem like the kind of typical crowd-pleaser or the type of niche film that IDF watches. But it had a relatively easy journey to the finals I think. And kudos to Alex Garland who has quickly become one of my favorite directors of the 2010s for getting both his movies into the Top 20. He's somebody who has a really cool grasp on speculative and science fiction and I hope he keeps making these really cool movies starring Oscar Isaac who plays really against his typical type here (well I don't know that he has a typical type but he certainly doesn't have his cute floppy hair in this movie like he does in his other roles). Along with the aforementioned Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander doing her best Natalie Portman (to the point where I was not shocked at all to see Natalie Portman cast as the lead in Annihilation) you get these three really strong performances.

 

I often say that my favorite genre of fiction is robots breaking through their AI to realize their consciousness (corresponding with my favorite shows Battlestar Galactica, Humans, and Westworld) and this movie fits right into that. I really like to think about the ways and things that make us human. And also have a layer of preparing for our eventual fate of being murdered by the AI robots we built to serve us. If the human race doesn't die from heat death of climate change first. I figure it's about 50/50. And this movie kind of adds on the layer of men and the ways they own women and their favors and affection. In this movie you see that in both sides with Oscar Isaac's Nathan who obviously is creating robots in the image of conventionally beautiful women (with the added layer of the subservient Asian woman stereotype with his in-house attendant Kyoko) and Caleb who believes he's owed the trust and affection of Ava despite still playing into Nathan's rules.

 

Anyway, I'm a big sci-fi fan and I think that this was one of the best sci-fi movies I've seen not just in this decade but in my entire life and it certainly just goes into the bank of my favorite sci-fi movies (with like Gattaca which hopefully makes the Top 20 of the 2000s rankdown).

 

Elliott

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I liked it.

 

Andy

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Alicia Vikander actually won her Oscar for Ex Machina and I will die on this hill! I really loved this movie actually and am more than happy to see it in the final vote. It’s definitely got a level of dread underneath it throughout. I love how it explores humans’ relationship and obsession with technology in such an unsettling but fascinating way. It’s a sleek sci-fi movie but like so much more than that. Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson are also really engaging here. This is just a really fresh take on the increasingly popular subject of Artificial Intelligence and its inevitable takeover of humanity, enhanced by gorgeous visual effects and anchored by three strong performances from its leads.

 

Chris

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I recently rewatched this movie and it made me realize how much of a masterpiece it is; I absolutely have nothing negative to say about this movie. One of the highlight of the movie is the journey that it is able to bring you on through the pacing of storyline, the technology used in the movie, and the visual aspect of the movie.  While on said journey, I found myself for Ava and her journey as she figure herself out & able to finally figure out how to escape - the moment she figures it all out by getting close to Caleb to stabbing Nathan to finally leaving the centre.  The movie also benefited from the excellent acting skills of Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander whom is excellent in this role & should have been nominated for the Academy Award instead of "The Danish Girl". 

 

In other words, this movie is typically not the type of movie that I like but I found myself being a fan of it especially through the fantastic portrayal of Ava by Alicia Vikander. The movie is truly incredible, and I could see it being an underdog & surprising all of us with its placement. 

 

Steven

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I heard good things about Ex Machina, but I didn't watch it until recently. I'm glad I managed to avoid spoilers, because it ended up being a compelling film. The film has excellent performances and a really slick style to it. I was engaged from beginning to end, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how everything was going to play out. Although it was successful in creating a tense atmosphere with its tone, it ended up being a satisfying movie-watching experience.

 

Ex Machina begins with a man named Caleb winning a contest. He's been invited to spend a week in the luxurious home of Nathan Bateman, the CEO of the company Caleb works for. The company is Blue Book, which is the most dominant search engine in the world. After Caleb arrives, Nathan tells him that Caleb isn't there to just spend a week in luxury. Instead, he wants Caleb to conduct the Turing Test to a humanoid robot he created called Ava. Throughout the week, Caleb has daily sessions with Ava to determine if she is capable of human behavior despite knowing she is a robot. In addition, there are frequent power outages in the house that shut off cameras and lock the doors. When a power outage occurs during one of the sessions, Ava warns Caleb that Nathan is not his friend and should not be trusted. As Caleb becomes more wary of Nathan, he also forms a close bond with Ava. Ava flirts with Caleb and shares her desire of leaving the house. How does everything play out? I'll put a SPOILER ALERT here. Caleb puts forth a plan to help Ava escape the house, but Nathan reveals to Caleb the true test all along. Instead of seeing if Ava can possess true human behavior, the real test was to see if Ava can successfully manipulate Caleb to help her escape. Since she managed to convince Caleb to help break her out, Nathan knows that his experiment was a success. However, Caleb already put forth the plan to let Ava out, and Nathan is unable to stop her. He orders Ava to return to her room, but Ava and another robot named Kyoko end up killing Nathan. Caleb also gets trapped inside a room. He screams out to Ava for help, but she ignores him as she leaves the house and finally experiences the outside world.

 

I thought Ex Machina was a really intriguing film. I was most impressed by the performances of Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac. Playing a robot must be difficult, but Vikander pulled it off brilliantly. She managed to have the perfect balance of robotic and humanlike behavior suitable for the role of Ava. As for Isaac, his subtle performance really works for the film. There are different ways Nathan could've been played, but Isaac effectively portrayed Nathan as a calculating and manipulative man while also having moments of levity. His performance perfectly matched the tone of the film. Critics liked the film too, and Ex Machina has a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The site also says, "Ex Machina leans heavier on ideas than effects, but it's still a visually polished piece of work—and an uncommonly engaging sci-fi feature." I enjoyed this film after a first watch, and it lands a spot in my Top 12 of this final group.

 

Alex

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Ex Machina really came out of nowhere and quickly became one of my favorite movies of all-time. It takes a very specific kind of sci-fi to keep me interested, and Ex Machina fit very neatly in that box and I ranked it 9th. The fact that this was Alex Garland’s first full-length feature film is madness, it’s absolutely brilliant. The cast is extremely small, but Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and especially Alicia Vikander all give career best performances in the film (and Sonoya Mizuno is great as well in her limited screentime). Sci-fi sometimes becomes too expansive or just flatout confusing for my dumbass so I appreciated the simplicity of the technology. If you really dumb it down, it’s the simple “what if robots could take over the world” storyline. Obviously the movie is a lot more complex and interesting than that which is why I love it. Also the ending is just easily one of my favorite movie endings ever. That took bravery because I’m sure a lot of people were turned off by it, but it totally worked for me and I loved every second of it. Watching Gleeson’s character beg for his life is so twisted. I guess that’s on me for loving dark and twisted movies lmao.

 

Tom

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Another amazing sci fi film! In our imaignary world, Alicia Vikander won an Oscar for her role of Ava!

 

Rei

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I just realized that the majority of the films in this top 20 were carried by strong female performance. Black Swan, Hereditary, Winter's Bone, Room, Gone Girl, Blue Valentine, Lady Bird and Arrival, all films that were all elevated thanks to the performances of the lead actresses. And Ex Machina is another perfect example of that. But don't get me wrong, Oscar Isaac and Domhall Gleeson are great in their roles, and god knows I love me some Oscar Isaac anytime I can watch any of his films. But this whole movie is about Alicia Vikander, who somehow was completely snubbed for the Best Actress category in 2015. Well Brie Larson won that year which was deserving, but she should have at least been nominated. 

 

Ex Machina is a sensational film that deals with a programmer and a humanoid and the feelings they start developing between each other. By this point everybody have watched this film, so I won't really go into detail, but Ava getting free and leaving Caleb locked ignoring his screams was just a brilliant way to end this film. 

 

I have no idea how this film would rank but I wouldn't be surprised if it cracks the top 10.

 

Rei Score: 89/100 

 

Victoria

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Visually this movie is stunning but I feel it is a threat so I must tank it. That's the benefit of not really having a favorite in the finals. No deals and I don't have to care about rankings and what actually wins because all the movies left are great in some way. Ex Machina was released in 2014 and is considered a science fiction psychological thriller film. Thriller which is like the cousin of horror. The film was written and directed by Alex Garland. The movie stars Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Sonoya Mizuno, and Oscar Isaac star in a story that follows a programmer who is invited by his CEO to administer the Turing test to an intelligent humanoid robot. The film was made on a budget of $15 million dollars and grossed $36 million dollars worldwide. The film was praised for Alicia Vikander's performance, the screenplay, the visual effects, and the editing. The film won the 88th Academy Awards awarded the film with the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. The film was disturbed by A24. The film as a score of 92% on RT. Amazing film with even more amazing visuals. It just might win hence the ranking.

 

[Alex95]

And then there were five!

Black Swan

Arrival

Lady Bird

The Favourite

Parasite

[.Rei]

Really surprised by Lady Bird and Arrival making it this high 

[Elliott]

Everyone who was convinced Ex Machina was going to win: 👁👁

[totes4totes]

13 hours ago, Alex95 said:

@Steven_ - 15/20

@*Chris - 16/20

@NGM - 18/20

@Elliott - 19/20

ENDING MY FRIENDSHIP WITH ALL OF YOU

[totes4totes]

13 hours ago, Alex95 said:

@#jeah - 3/20

@1234567890 - 4/20

MY ONLY TRUE FRIENDS

[#jeah]

17 minutes ago, totes4totes said:

MY ONLY TRUE FRIENDS

 

 

the top 5 are all in my top 10! #humblebrag

[*Chris]

47 minutes ago, #jeah said:

 

 

the top 5 are all in my top 10! #humblebrag

Same!