Great Films made in the past 2 years

Paulie Gualtieri

Was trying to think of really good films made in the past couple of years and i don't mean "ah it wasn't bad" i mean a really good film, because i struggle to think of any .

so if you can give the name of the film/s and why you think .... etc

(and yes i know its all down to personal opinion or genre)

briany

Tyrannosaur (2011) : A middle aged man in anytown, England struggles to cope with his violent impulses. Over time he strikes up a dysfunctional friendship with a christian charity shop worker.

Catfish (2010) : A couple of young film makers decide to document a budding online relationship that a friend of theirs becomes involved in. Things take an interesting turn when it becomes apparent that the person(s) on the other side may not be who they say they are.

Sleep Tight (2011) : The receptionist/janitor of an upscale apartment building sets about interfering in the life of one of the other residents seemingly for sport.

127 Hours (2010) : The true story of a man who became hopelessly trapped when a boulder fell on his arm as he navigated a small canyon system. With no help around he has to wrestle with the decision to wait for a passer by or cut the arm off.

There's four from the last two years that I thought were brilliant. There's many more besides that some other posters could share but then, as you say, it's all subjective!

johnny_ultimate

I'm always bamboozled at how many people make statements like this. Sure, some of it is subjective, but there's a near constant stream of fascinating, brilliant films being made. I can't imagine anyone could be left cold by all of the many, many great films released in the last 24 months. OP, what films do you think come closest to greatness, out of curiosity, or what do you think is lacking in contemporary cinema?

Almost too many to list, really. A Separation, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Kill List, Cold Fish, Himizu, Moinseur Lazhar, Tree of Life, Cabin in the Woods, Kid with a Bike, Summer Wars, Poetry, I Saw the Devil, Super, Margaret, Dogtooth... Just fifteen off the top of my head, could name another fifteen-twenty more without bother. Not every film is for everyone, but there's more than enough to please pretty much anyone.

If anything, the only real problem IMO is trying to keep track of them all Too many great films, not enough time to watch 'em all.

paddy kerins

Drive: Brilliant performances all round, great camera work, fantastic soundtrack

/Thread :cool:

pappyodaniel

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I'm always bamboozled at how many people make statements like this. Sure, some of it is subjective, but there's a near constant stream of fascinating, brilliant films being made. I can't imagine anyone could be left cold by all of the many, many great films released in the last 24 months. OP, what films do you think come closest to greatness, out of curiosity, or what do you think is lacking in contemporary cinema?

Almost too many to list, really. A Separation, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Kill List, Cold Fish, Himizu, Moinseur Lazhar, Tree of Life, Cabin in the Woods, Kid with a Bike, Summer Wars, Poetry, I Saw the Devil, Super, Margaret, Dogtooth... Just fifteen off the top of my head, could name another fifteen-twenty more without bother. Not every film is for everyone, but there's more than enough to please pretty much anyone.

If anything, the only real problem IMO is trying to keep track of them all Too many great films, not enough time to watch 'em all.

I doubt OP was being critical as to whether there have any been good movies produced recently. I'd say it's more a case of looking for recommendations.

bullvine

The Town (2010) - brilliant crime drama, echoing classics from the Seventies

krudler

bullvine wrote: »

The Town (2010) - brilliant crime drama, echoing classics from the Seventies

must watch that again I enjoyed it.

The Social Network, How To Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3, three movies I loved off the top of my head from the last couple of years.

johnny_ultimate

pappyodaniel wrote: »

I doubt OP was being critical as to whether there have any been good movies produced recently. I'd say it's more a case of looking for recommendations.

If that's the case, I must have misinterpreted the tone of the OP in the wee hours of the night. I apologise if so, but it seems to be a strangely common train of thought around these parts recently.

Anyway: I'd recommend the OP check out this thread then: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056489154 Posters on their favourite films of last year.

I'll expand upon a few more additions from this year.

Martha Marcy May Marlene - an intense, disturbing yet subtle film about an American 'cult', with a stunning performance from Elizabeth Olsen. Powerful stuff.

Monsieur Lazhar - a real hidden gem this year, this takes the tired old 'motivational teacher' subgenre and gives it the jolt it needs. Funny, poignant and insightful in equal measure.

Margaret - just out on DVD, this is an unwieldy opus but may be amongst the most brilliant, distinctive American films in a decade. A few niggling problems aside, this is a masterpiece of acting, writing and directing.

Himizu - intense but ultimately moving portrait of a post-tsunami Japan in a state of chaos. Unrelentingly grim for the majority of the film, it's the increasingly compelling hints of hope that make this a vital and brilliant film.

Killer Joe - catch it while it's in the cinema! Pitch black comedy with the most pleasantly demented final act in a long time. Funniest, most provocative comedy I've seen in a long time. Since Super anyway!

Cabin in the Woods - destined to split audiences for eternity, give yourself over to Cabin's tone and you're in for the wittiest, most intelligent horror satire Hollywood's produced since Scream.

Moonrise Kingdom - best Wes Anderson film in a long time, this is a triumph of quirk. Beautifully designed and infectiously nostalgic from beginning to end.

The Raid - people get shot, punched, kicked, stabbed and thrown off heights for two hours. And it's ****ing amazing.

krudler

I dont get this "all new movies suck" thing either, sure there are plenty of sh1te films being churned out, but that was always the case. just look outside the blockbuster cgi laden stuff and theres great movies around.

I forgot to mention The Raid as well, d'oh. the plot is barely there, but who cares, building, drug dealers, cops raid it, people get twatted with everything from nightsticks to fridges for the next 90 mins, I was grinning like a loon the whole way through.

speedboatchase

I can't be arsed giving reasons, sorry, but all these are "great" in my mind.

The Raid
Shame
Toy Story 3
Drive
The Social Network
The King's Speech
Rise of the Planet of The Apes
The Town
The Fighter
Elite Squad 2
Arrietty
How to Train Your Dragon

Skerries

there have been some great ones but also some shoite

Chronicle - following 3 guys who gain super powers and the resulting consequences
Project X - the type of party you wish you had
Inception - it's a film inside a film inside a film
Drive - violence and driving done slowly
Super - what a real vigilante super hero could really look like
God Bless America - what we all wish we could do to others that annoy us
The Raid - bang! bang! bang! kick! hit! kick!, wish I'd taken the lift
Warrior - Rocky MMA
Limitless - how I feel when I take drugs
Hanna - young Cailín goes kill crazy
13 Assassins - 7 Samurai plus 6 more
X-Men: First Class - putting the sexy back in X-men
Trollhunter - Trollllls!!!

Antar Bolaeisk

krudler wrote: »

I dont get this "all new movies suck" thing either, sure there are plenty of sh1te films being churned out, but that was always the case. just look outside the blockbuster cgi laden stuff and theres great movies around.

I like to think of it as the inverse temporal Doppler effect in that, the further away from a particular year you are the more good releases there seemed to be at that time. Because we live in the present (well, some of us at least) it feels like forever between good releases.

frag420

The Raid
Kill LIst
The Skin I Live In
The Town

Mickeroo

krudler wrote: »

I dont get this "all new movies suck" thing either, sure there are plenty of sh1te films being churned out, but that was always the case. just look outside the blockbuster cgi laden stuff and theres great movies around.

I forgot to mention The Raid as well, d'oh. the plot is barely there, but who cares, building, drug dealers, cops raid it, people get twatted with everything from nightsticks to fridges for the next 90 mins, I was grinning like a loon the whole way through.

The ratio of crap to good blockbusters has always favoured the crap imo, people think there's more now because they only remember the good ones from the past. There's been some damn good blockbusters in the last couple of years as well as the great indie/foreign movies that have come out.

marienbad

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy/Troll Hunter/Monsieur Lazhar/The Social Network The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (both versions)and loads more. And they are just some of the ones that were easy to get to.

There are great movies every year , there always was and there always will be. Sometimes you might have to work a bit to see some of them them but they are there.

And now because of the grandkids I get to see movies I would never have considered - The Dark Knight series/Spiderman/How To Tame a Dragon

And then we have the music series springing up all over the place- Wagner on this week at the Omniplex near you . Not film strictly speaking but still great cinema - Die Walkure tonight 6pm (The best of the Ring Cycle imho),

It is just a great time to be going to the cinema , maybe not the 70's but not bad at all.

I was going to list all the great films released over the past two years but realised that it would take all day. While the local multiplex may not be showcasing the best of the best any film fan who doesn't mind going out of their way can find a wealth of great cinema that has been released over the past 24 months.

DazMarz

Inception (2010): great film, with some brilliant set-pieces and an incredibly original and thrilling plot. A modern masterpiece, IMO.

mikhail

krudler wrote: »

I dont get this "all new movies suck" thing either, sure there are plenty of sh1te films being churned out, but that was always the case. just look outside the blockbuster cgi laden stuff and theres great movies around.

People beat up on the cgi-laden blockbusters. Granted, last year's crop was a bit of a dud (I kind of liked the marvel movies, but they were forgettable), but we've already had The Avengers this year and who knows what's to follow (Nolan's not let us down yet, but then neither had Pixar...). There are staunch advocates here for Prometheus too as an example of ideas-driven sci-fi/horror.

Seren_

I really enjoyed Submarine (written and directed by Richard Ayaode). It's a story about an English teenage boy and how he deals with his home life and love life.

Also quoting Moss from the IT Crowd (who's played by Ayaode), "it's set in the eighties?!"

johnny_ultimate

mikhail wrote: »

People beat up on the cgi-laden blockbusters. Granted, last year's crop was a bit of a dud (I kind of liked the marvel movies, but they were forgettable), but we've already had The Avengers this year and who knows what's to follow (Nolan's not let us down yet, but then neither had Pixar...). There are staunch advocates here for Prometheus too as an example of ideas-driven sci-fi/horror.

To me, blockbusters are becoming wearily homogenised. The superhero craze, while giving us a few moderate to decent yarns (I'd say only one 'great' with The Dark Knight), is IMO stifling creativity and variety. There's no doubt there's a huge market for them, and therefore they have their place, but the onslaught of the things is just tiring at this point - and it seems like every minor or kinda recognisable hero will be getting a dedicated film in the coming years alongside the inevitable tsunami of sequels. The variety (read: lack thereof) on display elsewhere - whether it's more Michael Bay junk, franchise 'reboots', Twilight (*insert Twi****e comment here*) or any number of 'faux' epics - doesn't really make up for it. Christopher Nolan and, to a lesser degree, JJ Abrams are increasingly diamonds in the rough. And Hollywood really needs to lay off the lame flights of fancy that have come to damage (sometimes fatally) many a third act in recent years. Or at least get better at them.

Which brings me to a brief (well, semi-brief) point about Prometheus. It isn't a great film, so therefore I wouldn't recommend it as per the thread title. It is, however, distinctive and 'different' in a number of ways. Visually, certainly. But, with its (undeniably flawed) attempts at shooting for something bigger, grander, more insightful it does something pretty much no recent big budget competitor has. The flawed execution and script ultimately won the film very few fans, but to me Prometheus kind of represents the sort of blockbuster I want to see. Thematically ambitious, tonally distinctive, visually engaging. Whereas to me The Avengers was just a bigger, slightly funnier take on the standard formula that's come to dominate blockbuster cinema, Prometheus was different. Every so often: thrillingly so. Sure, it shot itself in the foot on a regular basis, but I'd like to see more films try as hard as it does to stand out in a homogenised world. Shame about the third act.

don ramo

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

To me, blockbusters are becoming wearily homogenised. The superhero craze, while giving us a few moderate to decent yarns (I'd say only one 'great' with The Dark Knight), is IMO stifling creativity and variety. There's no doubt there's a huge market for them, and therefore they have their place, but the onslaught of the things is just tiring at this point - and it seems like every minor or kinda recognisable hero will be getting a dedicated film in the coming years alongside the inevitable tsunami of sequels. The variety (read: lack thereof) on display elsewhere - whether it's more Michael Bay junk, franchise 'reboots', Twilight (*insert Twi****e comment here*) or any number of 'faux' epics - doesn't really make up for it. Christopher Nolan and, to a lesser degree, JJ Abrams are increasingly diamonds in the rough. And Hollywood really needs to lay off the lame flights of fancy that have come to damage (sometimes fatally) many a third act in recent years. Or at least get better at them.

Which brings me to a brief (well, semi-brief) point about Prometheus. It isn't a great film, so therefore I wouldn't recommend it as per the thread title. It is, however, distinctive and 'different' in a number of ways. Visually, certainly. But, with its (undeniably flawed) attempts at shooting for something bigger, grander, more insightful it does something pretty much no recent big budget competitor has. The flawed execution and script ultimately won the film very few fans, but to me Prometheus kind of represents the sort of blockbuster I want to see. Thematically ambitious, tonally distinctive, visually engaging. Whereas to me The Avengers was just a bigger, slightly funnier take on the standard formula that's come to dominate blockbuster cinema, Prometheus was different. Every so often: thrillingly so. Sure, it shot itself in the foot on a regular basis, but I'd like to see more films try as hard as it does to stand out in a homogenised world. Shame about the third act.

but you have to remember most of these comic films have a lot of origin behind them and the fans want to see these stories come to life, and it shows in the BO,

i think Prometheus biggest failure was that most people expected a massive giant action film like the avengers, but it ended up being more an adventure film, and i was happily surprised when i saw it, it has it faults but what film doesnt,

ive seen a lot of very good films in the last 2 years and a good few great ones also, ive thankfully avoided a lot of crap films so far, but im sure ill have the displeasure of accidentally watching some of them in the coming years,

Mickeroo

I think superhero movies have been largely responsible for some of the best blockbuster type movies of the last ten years. I genuinely don't want them to stop being made. A lot of that is to do with me being a life long fan of superheros in all their guises granted but I geuinely think its emerged as a distinct genre in its own right in much the same way as the western did. Like the western there's certain tropes it sticks too and like the western we've had some films which have tried to deconstruct and turn the genre on its head (with varying degrees of success in fairness). Long may it continue imho.

jaykhunter

This is a very interesting thread and I'd love it to be re-railed instead of discussing/complaining about expensive and financially successful films.

Johnny_U can u pitch the films u mentioned like Briany did please?

Sad Professor

jaykhunter wrote: »

Johnny_U can u pitch the films u mentioned like Briany did please?

He did. See above.

bullvine

DazMarz wrote: »

Inception (2010): great film, with some brilliant set-pieces and an incredibly original and thrilling plot. A modern masterpiece, IMO.

Inception is a truly remarkable film in my opinion, one of the most original blockbusters to come out of Hollywood for a long time.

Harrocks

Skerries wrote: »

there have been some great ones but also some shoite

Chronicle - following 3 guys who gain super powers and the resulting consequences
Project X - the type of party you wish you had
Inception - it's a film inside a film inside a film
Drive - violence and driving done slowly
Super - what a real vigilante super hero could really look like
God Bless America - what we all wish we could do to others that annoy us
The Raid - bang! bang! bang! kick! hit! kick!, wish I'd taken the lift
Warrior - Rocky MMA
Limitless - how I feel when I take drugs
Hanna - young Cailín goes kill crazy
13 Assassins - 7 Samurai plus 6 more
X-Men: First Class - putting the sexy back in X-men
Trollhunter - Trollllls!!!

Starting to watch more and more subtitled movies.Loved Throllhunter make sure to watch it in norwegan not the dubbed version.
Some on this list i havent got around to watching yet.

briany

Harrocks wrote: »

Starting to watch more and more subtitled movies.Loved Throllhunter make sure to watch it in norwegan not the dubbed version.
Some on this list i havent got around to watching yet.

Yeah I find that as well. The Spanish and French do a mean psychological thriller/horror. Much more edgy, unpredictable and thoughtful than their Hollywood equivalents. The Finns and Norwegians do some good comedy in their dry, deadpan way. I plan on watching The Man Without a Past pretty soon.

I don't know why anyone with eyesight enough to read subtitles would watch a dubbed film. I think a dubbed film is much more distracting. I naively watched The Tenant and found the big brash American accents of some of the neighbours (or was it work colleagues?) really messed with the film's sense of place.

Bullseye1

Some people will be afraid to post blockbuster type movies out of fear of being ridiculed. Plus greatness is subjective when talking about all art forms.

Sad Professor

On the blockbuster front, last summer was pretty dire. A lot of garbage like TF3, POTC, C&A and Green Lantern. Thor, Super 8 and Planet of the Apes were enjoyable, benefiting from low expectations, but hardly great. Except for Inception and Toy Story 3, I don't remember any good blockbusters from the previous year. Prince of Persia was enjoyable, I guess.

There was a lot of excellent blockbusters late last year though. I'd rate Hugo, Dragon Tattoo and M:I:3 quite highly.

Bullseye1

You class Girl with Dragon Tattoo as a blockbuster? I don't consider Fincher a BB director.

Sad Professor

It's not a summer blockbuster, it's target audience was much older, but yeah I would definitely consider it a blockbuster. I don't think Fincher being a blockbuster director has anything to do with it. Scorsese wouldn't be considered one either.

Bullseye1

I just feel Scorsese and Fincher make a different movie classification. They are Amercias greatest directors. Apologies for going off topic.

SirDelboy18

Did people actually think Super was that good? Not picking, just wondering what people thought.

Mickeroo

SirDelboy18 wrote: »

Did people actually think Super was that good? Not picking, just wondering what people thought.

I liked it a lot, can see how somebody wouldn't though.

Sad Professor

Bullseye1 wrote: »

I just feel Scorsese and Fincher make a different movie classification. They are Amercias greatest directors. Apologies for going off topic.

How do you define a blockbuster then?

Bullseye1

Sad Professor wrote: »

How do you define a blockbuster then?

Generally a high budget movie with a PG13 rating targeted at making alot of money and released during the summer. There are exceptions which have been released during the Christmas period.

Sad Professor

Bullseye1 wrote: »

Generally a high budget movie with a PG13 rating targeted at making alot of money and released during the summer. There are exceptions which have been released during the Christmas period.

Hugo and Dragon Tattoo were big budget films as well. Hugo cost 150+ million and Dragon Tattoo cost about 100, which is very high for an R-rated film. Both films probably spent another 100m on marketing. I mean Dragon Tattoo made about 230 million word-wide and yet Sony still considered it a disappointment. There are summer blockbusters that cost a lot less. I suppose Scorsese and Fincher lent both films a prestige factor which most summer blockbusters lack, but their studios still designed them to be mass-appeal films.

Dietsquirt

paddy kerins wrote: »

Drive: Brilliant performances all round, great camera work, fantastic soundtrack

/Thread :cool:

Sorry man, Drive was terrible.

Just my opinion... good soundtrack though

Dietsquirt

The Town

don ramo

black swan was a great film, as was blue valentine, the social network, jack goes boating, winters bone, harry brown, the ghost writer, the way back, midnight in paris, the ides of march, shame, all great character films, each one told what i thought was great story about different types on individuals, and i loved finding each film, i dont pay much attention as films like these are released so i normally dont see them in cinema, im sure if i actually payed attention as films are released this list would be twice as long,

bullvine

The Grey was a fantastic film also, probably the best adventure movie since Deliverance

OldeCinemaSoz

I quite liked

snowtown
neds
the skin i live in
shame
animal kingdom
hobo with a shotgun
made in dagenham
snow white and the hunstman
paranormal activity 3
bridesmaids
chronicle
winter's bone

Bullseye1

Super was a struggle to watch. It started off well and descended into a farce.

I enjoyed the cinematography of Tree of Life. But not sure I'd watch it numerous times.

I really enjoyed Girl with Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network, Shutter Island, Drive, Inception, The Avengers, ASM, Kick Ass, Shame, Scott Pilgrim. I'm sure there was more but I cannot recall all the movies I've seen that were made in the past two years.

I did see Jaws again.

johnny_ultimate

I dont know if its an accurate critique dismissing a comedy as absurd as Super a farce :pac: A farce by design. I thoroughly enjoyed it: a pitch black satire that genuinely shocked and provoked as often as it provided belly laughs. A rare parody with a genuine bite and insight. Imperfect, but endearingly so. The film Kick Ass should have been if Mark Millar wasnt a complete jackass.

Bullseye1

Eh? Kick Ass was a great adaptation of a great graphic novel. The score is also one of the best in years.

Melion

I'm surprised the thread got this far and nobody has mention TinTin!! One of my favourite movies of the last few years, the animation was absolutely incredible.

Bullseye1

Yeah I really enjoyed TinTin. One of the few animation/capture movies I've enjoyed in some time.

ricero

Nobody mentioned the fighter yet which I thought was great and also the whalberg/ferell comedy the other guys. Also neds, inception, harry brown, girl with dragon tattoo and drive

Bullseye1

Xmen First Class was also very enjoyable.

Duggy747

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Which brings me to a brief (well, semi-brief) point about Prometheus. It isn't a great film, so therefore I wouldn't recommend it as per the thread title. It is, however, distinctive and 'different' in a number of ways. Visually, certainly. But, with its (undeniably flawed) attempts at shooting for something bigger, grander, more insightful it does something pretty much no recent big budget competitor has. The flawed execution and script ultimately won the film very few fans, but to me Prometheus kind of represents the sort of blockbuster I want to see. Thematically ambitious, tonally distinctive, visually engaging.

Prometheus was infuriating, not just as a film.

Primarily on the points you've given. It had almost all of the right ingredients for that kind of big-budget, different movie that used to crop up every now and again in the 80's and 90's. So much was right about the movie yet what was most important ultimately stopped it from being a film that will be fondly remembered down the years.

For me, as a movie, it was a case of "so close, yet so far" type of blockbuster that tried to go beyond the usual tried-and-tested formulas but was destroyed by a miserable and bland script.

johnny_ultimate

Bullseye1 wrote: »

Eh? Kick Ass was a great adaptation of a great graphic novel. The score is also one of the best in years.

Kick Ass had a talented cast and crew working with immature, infuriating and tonally uncertain material. Theres some cool bits, no doubt, like in the warehouse, but overall - like anything Millar I've seen or read - is far less clever or worthwhile then he thinks it is.

Surprised to see Tintin mentioned. One of the worst, blandest films Spielberg has ever made. The long take chase is the only hint of imagination in it, and the animation feels stilted and misguided: an uncomfortable mix of live action, animation and rotoscoping that never feels cohesive or engaging despite its technical wizadry. Much preferred War Horse. And I didnt really like War Horse all that much.