Explore
 Lists  Reviews  Images  Update feed
Categories
MoviesTV ShowsMusicBooksGamesDVDs/Blu-RayPeopleArt & DesignPlacesWeb TV & PodcastsToys & CollectiblesComic Book SeriesBeautyAnimals   View more categories »
Listal logo
Avatar
Added by johanlefourbe on 18 Nov 2015 01:22
2223 Views 4 Comments
6
vote

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2010's)

Sort by: Showing 42 items
Decade: Rating: List Type:
People who added this item 77 Average listal rating (38 ratings) 7.7 IMDB Rating 7.6


Notes: I haven't seen this one yet...
People who added this item 6230 Average listal rating (4374 ratings) 8.2 IMDB Rating 8.8
Inception (2010)


Note : I remember exactly the first time I watched this flick. It was basically the proof that a movie could be a huge blockbuster, entertaining and thoughtful at the same time. It's a real pity that it has lost some of its reputation following the years after its release. Indeed, the nolanites are so fanatic, they really believe that this movie is the best one ever made which is kind of infuriating when you consider the wealth of movies made during more than 100 years of film history. I mean, I think it is a great movie but it is far from being the best movie ever made. So, with all these arguments going on, it is actually rather difficult to objectively judge this flick nowadays. Anyway, in spite of what the lovers and haters have to say, I still think it is a great movie. Indeed, it was visually impressive, there was a great cast, the whole thing was damned entertaining and I just loved the concept behind it. The haters should keep in mind that it is and remains a blockbuster with its creative limitations. As a result, it is supposed to be enjoyed by a broad audience so you can't really expect too much artsy and philosophical shenanigans. On the other hand, I think that the lovers are mostly young viewers who are between 15-22 years old and if I would have watched it at that age, I would probably think that it was indeed the greatest thing ever made.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 3552 Average listal rating (2349 ratings) 7.4 IMDB Rating 7.8


Note : It is rather funny that when the rumors came out that David Fincher was making a movie about Facebook, many people started to trash him (just check the boards on IMDB). Indeed, an average director would have made an average flick with this material. But Fincher succeeded in making one of the best movies of the year. It is quite an achievement. I mean, I don't even care about Facebook at all, I understand that many people really love it but I really don't care about this website whatsoever. I remember it perfectly, I went to see this my wife in the theater and, after just 5 minutes, just after the break-up between Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara, I was already hooked. I seriously don't care if Mark Zuckerberg is actually a completely different person in real life, the Mark Zuckerberg they showed in this movie was just fascinating and easily one of the best characters I have ever seen in any movie. Basically, the guy is a genius but he doesn't look like most of your typical lead heroic characters, physically and mentally. Furthermore, he is a disaster in the way he interacts with other people and this whole combination was just spellbinding to behold.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 1539 Average listal rating (939 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 7.9
The Artist (2011)


Notes: Following all the hype surrounding this feature which eventually won the best picture academy award (a historical event for a French movie), I obviously had to watch it. Eventually, even though I liked it, I can't say I was blown away by the whole thing. In the contrary to many viewers, I have seen my share of old silent movies and even though I'm a huge fan of silent comedies, especially the ones starring Charlie Chaplin, I always had a hard time enjoying silent dramas and this one was not an exception. I mean, the story was entertaining enough but it wasn't anything I haven't seen before. Still, it remains an original and inspiring experiment. The directing was really exquisite and really gave a good feeling about this time period and the performances were really good, especially by Jean Dujardin who was just amazing and deservedly received an Academy award for his tremendous work.
johanlefourbe's rating:


Notes: I thought it was not bad but nothing really mind-blowing. Basically, it is a slasher flick which plays with the rules of the genre and goes pretty far with those rules. Unfortunately, even though the makers obviously try to make you believe that the whole thing is really smart, I was not really convinced. Personally, I even thought it was actually rather pretentious. I will try to discuss this without spoiling the whole thing… Let’s say that from the start, there is obviously something fishy going on, they didn’t make it a secret, that’s for sure. So, you wait during the whole duration for some kind of explanation and what you get at the end was just really preposterous and not really satisfying. I mean, the number of plot holes were just mind-bobbling. Still, I cannot dismiss this feature. Indeed, at least, they tried something different, there were some pretty neat things visually speaking and I was fairly entertained from the beginning until the end.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 127 Average listal rating (84 ratings) 7.4 IMDB Rating 7.5
Wadjda (2012)


Notes: Eventually, it was a really interesting feature. Indeed, it is always pretty neat to discover a new land and a new culture. Still, while watching the damned thing, I couldn't help thinking that, even though it was directed by a Saudi women, it still felt that it was giving a Western point of view on this strict Muslim culture. Basically, it gave a very bleak and sad view on the Saudi life, especially for the women and, even though it is probably true, it would have been nice to see something slightly more balanced. For example, towards the end, you get to see the main character reciting the Koran which seemed at first rather pointless and redundant but, eventually, it turned to be actually quite gorgeous and I think it would have worked better to show also such intriguing and positive aspects about this culture.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 1920 Average listal rating (1324 ratings) 7.4 IMDB Rating 7.7
Gravity (2013)


Notes: After seven long years, Alfonso Cuaron finally came up with a new directing effort and, boy, it was definitely worth the wait. Indeed, what a spectacle! Basically, from a visual point of view, it was quite mind-blowing. Nowadays, almost all the blockbusters are released in 3D but it is actually a worthless gimmick used just to make you purchase an even more expensive ticket. Not here though. With ‘Avatar’, it must be the only movie which properly used the 3D and it looked really terrific. Concerning the actors, I was rather surprised that they picked up Sandra Bullock but she did a great job, providing easily the best performance of her career. George Clooney didn’t have much screen time but he gave a solid performance as well. So, it was a thrilling story in outer space, 10 times more impressive and interesting than ‘Apollo 13’ and it fell not far from greatness.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 918 Average listal rating (549 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.7


Notes: I was quite blown away by the whole thing and, in my opinion, it was one of the most beautiful and intense love stories I have ever seen. Rightfully, Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos were heralded for their performances and they were both just mesmerizing to behold. Seriously, I saw the movie yesterday and I still can’t stop thinking about their relationship which was so raw and realistic. This is basically the kind of relationship we all dream to have once in our lifetime. To be honest, I have to admit that no everything did work though. Of course, there is the matter of those very explicit sex scenes. Indeed, on one hand, it felt really voyeuristic and it seemed to be a very masculine point of view on lesbian love. You might wonder if those scenes really added something valuable to the story but, on the other hand, you might argue that they matched the intensity of their feelings for each other.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 554 Average listal rating (343 ratings) 7.7 IMDB Rating 7.7


Notes: Eventually, I have to admit it, it was a rather tough watch. What was actually about?!? Difficult to say… Middle-life crisis maybe? It is pretty obvious that Paolo Sorrentino tried to make a modern version of ‘La Dolce Vita’ but I’m not sure if his movie will be remembered in 50 years. I mean, right from the beginning, you have nothing really to hang to, no plot whatsoever, just some random scenes following one after the other. I don’t necessarily need a plot but, then I need then some really fascinating characters. There again, I didn’t care much for the characters, except for the lead, Jep Gambardella. Indeed, this guy was pretty cool, really smart but not a snob. Still, I liked the damned thing though. Indeed, it was visually quite exquisite with no static shots, constantly moving, and there was a great combination with the music.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 1558 Average listal rating (995 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 8.1


Notes: Even though I heard it would be a tough watch, it still ended up being a massively depressing movie to watch. Of course, the horror displayed was tremendous but, above all, I thought this movie had a terrible mirror effect. Indeed, even though I’m somewhat optimistic and believe that men are usually good, this movie reminds you that men can be evil, especially to one another. So, I felt pretty bad afterwards but movies are not always about entertainment, certainly not. Sometimes, it is there to remind you about the awful things that happened and/or are still happening and, therefore, this movie is incredibly valuable.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 1070 Average listal rating (685 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.9


Notes: I already heard about this movie 6 or 8 years ago and, of course, I was really intrigued but I didn’t expect it to be so amazing. I mean, sure, it is a very nice gimmick (shooting a movie over a period of 12 years starting with a boy at 6 years old until he reaches 18 years old) but a gimmick remains a gimmick unless you manage to do something great with it and Richard Linklater certainly did something quite amazing here. Indeed, a traditional movie would give you a nice story, a great story if you’re lucky, but here they gave us a genuine slice of life. Of course, you could argue that they could have shot a documentary and you would have ended up with the same results but I highly doubt it. Indeed, for almost 3 hours, you spend more than a decade with these characters and even though nothing hugely dramatic happens, the whole thing was just spellbinding to behold.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 1759 Average listal rating (1212 ratings) 7.9 IMDB Rating 8.1


Notes: Personally, I always had a hard time with Wes Anderson. I mean, I always admired his work and his movies have always been visually impressive but I was missing something in his stories and I usually didn’t connect with them very well. Anyway, at last, with this movie, he finally nailed it. Indeed, he finally managed to mix his whimsical visual style and his hilarious characters with a very entertaining plot. To be honest, I still think I prefer ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ but this movie is definitely not far behind.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 1659 Average listal rating (1200 ratings) 7.9 IMDB Rating 8.1


Notes: If you would ask around, most people would tell you that this was, by far, the best movie released in 2015. With this in mind, I had some high expectations but, to be honest, I had my doubts. Eventually, I finally watched the damned thing and I thought it was a fairly entertaining action flick but not much more than that, I'm afraid. I mean, basically, the whole thing is just a very long chase scene. Sure, it was well made and quite spectacular to behold but, seriously, the movie had nothing else to offer so I kinda of missed what was so amazing about it. Concerning the casting, I thought that Tom Hardy was a good choice and he did a good job but, in my opinion, he was actually upstaged by Charlize Theron who was just really intense throughout the whole thing. I don’t know, it was as if Max was more mellow than actually mad. But that's the problem with the whole chase thing, some would argue that it was just very cool to have some non-stop wall-to-wall action scenes but some character development would have been nice.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 176 Average listal rating (116 ratings) 6.9 IMDB Rating 7.1


Notes: To be honest, this movie seemed to be one of these really obscure entries that they add every year just so the list might seem edgy but, usually, those movies are removed directly the year after. Furthermore, I had the feeling that this movie was somewhat surfing on the current hype around the transgender topic. Still, it was quite an intriguing feature nonetheless. Indeed, it was definitely a really raw and realistic look on the life of some transgender prostitutes working in Hollywood and you definitely get another view on the American dream. Furthermore, the two main characters, Alexandra and Sin-Dee Rella (yeah, seriously) were at first rather annoying but, slowly, I actually started to care for them and I came to the conclusion that even though life doesn’t seem to have much to offer for them, they still have some inner strength and even sometimes a wicked sense of humor. While watching this movie, I was also thinking that if a transgender man and woman is not well off and doesn’t have the full support of their family, do they really have another option than the prostitution sector? I mean, to change sex is a really expensive process and most employer would’t hire them for a regular job.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 225 Average listal rating (133 ratings) 7.2 IMDB Rating 7.5
Son of Saul (2015)


Notes: I have to admit that I was 'glad' that I saw 'Shoah' not so long ago as it greatly helped me to understand what the hell was going on and to appreciate this impressive movie. To be honest, I'm not sure if you can get into this movie if your knowledge about the holocaust doesn't go beyond 'The Schindler's List' or what they teach you in school. Anyway, basically, with this movie, right from the beginning, you are immersed in some kind of chaotic and irrational mayhem, it's so relentless that the makers don't give you one single wide shot in order to breath, to take a few seconds to understand what just happened, to actually see and try to understand this whole situation. Instead, you stay close, very close, to some random man who also seems to act really irationally but, in such a doomed time and place, after spending your days helping to exterminate men, women and children just so you could survive another day, was it in anyway possible to keep your sanity and act like a sensible human-being? Coming back to their choice of never really show what was exactly going on, the effect was so more powerful, effective and horrifying, as a result, you will never forget something that you actually never really saw.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 176 Average listal rating (110 ratings) 7.3 IMDB Rating 7.4
Toni Erdmann (2016)


Notes: First of all, even though I did laugh a few times, it was definitely not a comedy but it was neither really a drama. Eventually, it was something really different and quite spellbinding to behold. Another thing I loved about this movie is that it didn’t provide some supposedly profound life lessons which was just so refreshing. Indeed, even if Winfried was obviously trying to get closer to his daughter, his method was actually rather toxic and you might wonder if what he did actually change anything after all. And, yet, I was still admiring this man who was at least trying to do something, even if it was something seriously weird. I have to admit that I also liked how they displayed that someone making a lot of money with a supposedly high-social status might still have a rather lame job. Eventually, Winfried probably did his best to raise his daughter, he managed to give her a high education resulting in a successful career and, yet, they have become seriously estranged in this process and it was so recognizable and rather heartbreaking.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 978 Average listal rating (669 ratings) 7.4 IMDB Rating 8


Notes: Unfortunately, pretty much as I expected, even though I did like the damned thing, I can't say it really blew me away. Basically, it mostly had to do with the fact that I never been a fan of musicals and even though this movie was probably one of the most interesting musicals I have seen, it still didn't manage to make me fall in love with this genre. On the other hand, my wife, who is a die-hard fan of classic musicals, liked it even less than me. In fact, when you read the comments and reviews about this movie on this website, most Listal members seem to think that it was cute at best but nothing really amazing after all. Anyway, from a technical point of view, it was a very well made and beautiful movie and Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone both once again delivered some strong performances. However, like in most musicals, the story was just too generic, especially for a running time above the 2 hours, and even though Gosling and Stone were fine, I can't say I really cared for their characters. Maybe I should give it a 2nd chance at some point but, for now, I think it is rather overrated and I'm actually glad the vastly superior 'Moonlight' managed to win the Academy Award for the Best Picture instead of this movie.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 657 Average listal rating (475 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 7.4
Moonlight (2016)


Notes: Basically, it was pretty much a flawless drama that worked on all levels. Indeed, I was at first quite impressed by its visual style which was sober but also so effective and, yet, they managed to make some rather simple scenes like a character smoking beautiful to look at. Then, you had the score which was a perfect mix between classic and modern. So, the directing was really strong but the performances were just really fine as well from all the actors involved. Another thing I really appreciated in this movie was how deep and complex all the characters were displayed. Eventually, there was something really hearbreaking about this tale and it displayed how merciless such environment can be, especially if you show any kind of weakness. It raises such questions like should we always be true to ourself even if it will probably result in our own destruction or should we adapt in order to survive? Anyway, even though it might not be my favorite movie from 2016 (it wasn't far behind though), it was still a really worthy winner of the Best Picture Academy Award.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 578 Average listal rating (408 ratings) 7.1 IMDB Rating 7.4


Notes: To be honest, it took me a while to get into this story. Indeed, during the first scene, when you get to see Lady Bird and her mother on some kind of road trip, I thought they were both rather obnoxious and I was worried for a while that the damned thing wouldn’t work for me after all. Fortunately, it slowly won me over though. Indeed, Greta Gerwig managed to create here such a realistic and compelling main character. Seriously, they even gave this teenager some acne which I had never seen before in such a movie dealing with teenagers. And, on top of that, Saoirse Ronan probably gave her best performance so far. Furthermore, her slightly messed up but highly recognizable relationship with her mother, the thing that bothered me at first, turned out to be actually quite spelldinding after all. Indeed, they both had flaws in their behaviour but you could feel that they were in fact mostly struggling more with themselves then actually with each other. Of course, at the end of the day, was the whole thing anything really ground-breaking? Not really but it was still one of the most realistic depictions of teenager life I have seen and the fact that it was coming from a woman provided a really interesting perspective.
johanlefourbe's rating:


Notes: Even though I did like it, I wasn’t completely blown away by the whole thing to be honest. Even though this movie might seem to be, at first, about the rebooting of her murder investigation, it had in fact little do with this investigation at all after all. Basically, it was mostly dealing with 2 characters and how they have to face guilt, judgement and then redemption. However, if this process worked fine with the main character thanks to a really strong performance delivered by Frances McDormand, I wasn’t completely convinced with what happened to Jason Dixon though. Indeed, from the moment that he reads the letter that Willoughby left him, they completely flipped his character around. I mean, so far, Dixon was a fairly pathetic incompetent and easy to hate cop and it was actually quite funny to hear Willoughby saying that he was or could be a good cop since we saw completely the opposite so far. However, from this point on, this character changed drastically, even showing some decent detective skills but this change was rather hard to swallow. Of course, I don’t blame Sam Rockwell, the guy gave another strong performance, it’s just that this story seemed to have just too much impact on his character. Still, it was a rather complex tale with some interesting characters and I should probably re-watch it at some point to make up my mind for good about the damned thing.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 478 Average listal rating (337 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 7.8


Notes: Well, to be honest, it took me a while to get into this movie. Indeed, I was at first slightly annoyed by this intellectual bourgeois family with their gorgeous house in Italy and, when Armie Hammer (basically your typical Greek god) showed up, I started to wonder if the damned would actually work for me. However, the whole thing was pretty slow and it really took its time but, eventually, it slowly won me over. Indeed, thanks to the slow pace, you really get the chance to follow Elio in his journey experiencing his first love and this journey was quite fascinating. Seriously, it is not very often that you get to see such a perfect depiction of the burgeoning of love and it has been a while since I have seen such a convincing love story. Concerning Timothée Chalamet, I kept hearing some great things about this guy and now I understand why he is considered as one of the most promising actors of his generation. Concerning Armie Hammer, ever since his breakthrough with ‘The Social Network’, the guy had been rather struggling but, with this flick, he made an impressive come-back. Anyway, eventually, I really enjoyed this movie a lot.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 864 Average listal rating (651 ratings) 7.3 IMDB Rating 7.7


Notes: Since I kept hearing some really great things about this movie, I was really eager to check it. Unfortunately, even though it turned out to be a decent watch, I can't say I was really blown away by the damned thing though. I mean, to be honest, after watching this movie, I was really wondering why the critics loved it so much. Seriously, the structure was just really classic and predictable and, from the moment the mystery was revealed, as usual in this genre, the whole thing went just way over the top and, to be honest, I had a rather hard time to really care about what happened afterwards. Still, even though it didn't turn out to be such a masterpiece, it was still fairly entertaining. Indeed, Daniel Kaluuya gave a really a solid performance and even though his character went through some completely unbelievable nonsense, he kept it really grounded and I was always rooting for the guy. His buddy Rodney was also pure gold and, in fact, I wish they brought him as well in this demented journey. Anyway, even though I think it is actually overrated and even though, I still think it is worth a look though.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 367 Average listal rating (248 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 7.4


Notes: From a technical point of view, it was quite mesmerising, every shot was gorgeous, the soundtrack perfectly set the mood and, as usual, Daniel Day-Lewis was just amazing and completely disappeared in this character. Eventually, what bothered me with this movie was this love story which was in my opinion completely unromantic. I mean, you can say whatever you want about this guy but, at least, he was honest as he didn't try to fool anyone about his qualities and shortcomings. On the other hand, I won't blame Vicky Krieps who gave a strong performance but it was just rather sad to see her character trying to force this man to become someone else and, in the process, she also pushed them to stay together when their relationship had obviously run its course. Of course, you might argue that she was just completely fanatic as he was, albeit in a different area, but remains the question, what was her added value in his life and in this couple? Not much, as far as I was concerned. Anyway, even if it didn't completely blow me away, it was still another solid directing effort from Anderson and another powerhouse performance from Day-Lewis.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 907 Average listal rating (678 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 7.3


Notes: Well, even though I really liked the damned thing, I didn’t think it was so revolutionary though. In my opinion, the main issue was that, after already 18 movies, the MCU has become too big and it has become a shore to link all these movies together and make sure they don’t break the continuity. In this case, as a result, at least half of the movie was spent on explaining why Wakanda and Black Panther were not involved before in the MCU and why they will be involved from now on. I mean, it was rather well done but it wasn’t really compelling and I hope that, after ‘Infinity War’, Marvel will stop to link all their movies together and provide some much needed flexibility to their directors. Anyway, beside this point, it was still a really cool super-hero flick, no doubt about it. In fact, it will probably be a milestone in motion picture history as being the first major black blockbuster ever made, not less than that. Indeed, Ryan Googler delivered a gorgeous movie with a fascinating fantasy African world. On top of that, they gave us an all-star black cast and one of the best bad guys in the MCU history. Anyway, to conclude, even though it might be slightly overrated, it is still impressive that Marvel keeps delivering some quality blockbusters after all these years.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 83 Average listal rating (52 ratings) 7.9 IMDB Rating 8.4
Capernaum (2018)


Notes: To be honest, even though I really liked it, it turned out to be a hard, even relentless watch and I have to admit that I did struggle to get a good grip on the damned thing. Basically, nothing was clearly stated in this movie such as who were the characters, what was their background, how did they end up in such positions,... In fact, it was only half through the damned thing that I finally figured out that it was taking place in Lebanon. Of course, the mixed up chronology didn’t help either. On the other hand, it was probably all by design as the movie title was, after all, synonym with ‘chaos’. And, yet, there’s no denying that this movie had some haunting qualities and I keep thinking about it since I saw it. I think the scenes with the two kids alone had the most impact on me and their performances were just amazing (I’m still not sure how they managed to go this far with such a young baby though). Even though it was something that wasn’t directly touched by this movie, it still provided a good explanation why 1000’s of people every day are risking their lives to illegally immigrate to Europe when actually nobody wants them there. Even if you more or less aware of it, this movie still provided such a ghastly look on the despair experienced by this people in Lebanon. Eventually, the huge contrast with our luxurious comfortable lifestyle seems so surreal, it feels as if we are now living in two completely different and separate worlds.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 343 Average listal rating (247 ratings) 7.4 IMDB Rating 7.7
Roma (2018)


Notes: Well, even though I did like it, to be honest, I can't say I was really blown away by the whole thing. Sure, after 'Cold War', it was another really gorgeous black-and-white feature and, as usual with Cuaron, the directing was just really strong. Indeed, it felt like using a travelling machine going back to Mexico almost 50 years ago. Unfortunately, I was never really grabbed by this tale. The whole thing was basically some kind of love letter to Cuaron's beloved nanny and while it was sweet and while it must have meant a lot to the Mexican master, I didn't care much for it, I'm afraid. I don't know, maybe I was missing some social commentary, maybe since I'm a leftist, I had a hard time to see what was so great about this woman who spent her life taking care of the kids of some middle-class folks. The fact that, after more than 2 hours, you didn't learn much about the characters didn't help either. Anyway, even if it didn't really work for me, it was still impressive to see Alfonso Cuaron delivering once again something completely different than his previous work.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 436 Average listal rating (316 ratings) 7.2 IMDB Rating 7.5


Notes: I have always been a big fan of Spike Lee but, to honest, it had been years since the guy made something really amazing. Fortunately, he made an impressive comeback with this movie. Indeed, it worked on so many levels. It was a fun and entertaining police thriller, a sometimes hilarious satire and it also had a powerful message and it is so rare to find a movie managing to mix so many tones and doing it so well. The main character, very well played by John David Washington (yes, the son of Denzel Washington), was also complex and interesting showing some genuine internal conflict between his loyalty to his black folks but also towards his colleagues and his work as a cop. Eventually, in my opinion, the main core was to show that racism in general and the Ku Klux Klan in particular are basically based on ignorance because, at the end of day, it is ridiculous to argue that the color of your skin should make you a better or a worse person. Anyway, it was a really entertaining and powerful movie.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 51 Average listal rating (41 ratings) 6.6 IMDB Rating 6.9


Notes: It was definitely a weird movie, that’s for sure. Indeed, there was no real introduction and it apparently took place in some unnamed South American country (probably Columbia). Eventually, the whole thing felt like entering some strange parallel sometimes even nightmarish world but, in fact, some similar events actually do take place somewhere in our world right now. Indeed, it might all seem crazy and unbelievable but it is actually closer to reality than you might think. For starters, the guy who played the drill sergeant became an actual FARC soldier when he was only 11 years old and he remained in the FARC for more than a decade. In a similar fashion, at the beginning of the 2000’s, Ingrid Betancourt, a politician running for the Colombian presidency, was kidnapped and was rescued more than 6 years later. Seriously, can you imagine what ‘Doctora’ in this movie was going through and imagine this ordeal going for a such long period of time? However, even though they sometime focused on the US hostage, they mostly focused on this group of teenagers and their completely weird way of life. You can only imagine how terrible and/or hopeless their life must have been before joining the ranks of the rebels because there must be some reason why they have been sent away to become children soldiers. However, you’ll be never sure how they did end up there, in fact, you don’t even get to know their real name as most of their personality has been stripped out by a completely dehumanizing system. Still, it seems rather unlikely that these young kids would be left alone with a hostage without any adult supervision.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 26 Average listal rating (14 ratings) 8.4 IMDB Rating 8.5


Notes: I haven't seen this one yet...
People who added this item 420 Average listal rating (309 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.4


Notes: To be honest, it was not completely sold by this movie. Indeed, from the moment you see these two men showing up on this shore, you actually pretty know how it will all end. To make things worse, nothing much really happened afterwards, except seeing the two characters switching between being more or less friendly with each other and vastly antagonizing one another. Still, there is no denying that this movie was quite impressive to behold. First of all, there was the visual aspect. Indeed, the damned thing did look quite amazing and even though black-and-white movies are not so rare nowadays, here, it perfectly fit the story and the tone chosen by Eggers. Then, the whole thing was seriously minimalistic, there were basically only two characters but the two actors involved both delivered some very strong performances, in fact some of the best performances of their respective careers. For Willem Dafoe, it is quite amazing that, after a career going over more than 4 decades and more than 100 movies, the guy still can come up with such powerful stuff and a couple of the speeches/soliloquies he made were just simply amazing and unforgettable. Concerning Pattinson, he had to face a Dafoe at the top of his game and he actually managed to be pretty much just as convincing as his colleague was. For the people still making fun of him because, 10 years ago, he did show up in the ‘Twilight’ franchise, well, if the guy keeps impressing like this, he might actually become one of the most interesting actors of his generation.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 211 Average listal rating (157 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 7.1
Booksmart (2019)


Notes: I remember it quite well, there was quite an outcry from the critics because it turned out to be a box-office flop when the critics thought it was actually a great movie. Well, to be honest, I’m not surprised that the damned thing didn’t make some huge waves when it was released. I mean, sure, it was a solid directorial debut from Olivia Wilde and it was fairly entertaining but it was also terribly generic. The fact that the movie was really similar to ‘Superbad’ and that Beanie Feldstein is actually Jonah Hill’s sister didn’t help I guess to make this movie less derivative. Fortunately, the whole thing did start to take off when these two girls finally got to this party (that it took them so long to get there was also a rather poor narrative choice). Indeed, from this point on, not only the two main characters but also all the other characters started to get more complex and more interesting and, suddenly, nobody was completely mean or stupid and, suddenly, Amy and Molly were also not necessarily the 2 smartest persons in the room. Indeed, at this point, it became pretty obvious that they were not involved in social activities outside school not because they were ostracized but mostly because they thought they were better than the rest of their peers. This approach was definitely more complex and interesting than what you usually get to see in the other movies in this genre and it's too bad they went in this direction really late. Anyway, even though the movie itself not always really worked, I really had a weak spot for these 2 girls. Indeed, they were fully developed as characters, they felt really genuine and it was probably one of the greatest friendships I have ever seen displayed in a movie. Finally, there is no denying that Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein both delivered some really good performances.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 135 Average listal rating (96 ratings) 7.4 IMDB Rating 7.5
The Farewell (2019)


Notes: To be honest, I don’t think that the story was really so original. For example, back in the 90’s, Ang Lee got his breakthough with ‘Xi yan’ which was about a gay Asian guy living in New York who tries to marry some girl just to please his parents still living in Hong Kong. Still, Lulu Wang did direct a beautiful movie and I really enjoyed the sad and nostalgic approach. Indeed, what is at the centre of this tale is not really the lie to the grandmother but how the main character is torn apart between two vastly different cultures. As a result, she is in fact seriously disoriented and doesn’t belong anywhere, neither in China or in the USA. Another thing that impressed me with this movie was the pitch-perfect performance by Awkwafina. I mean, I had seen a couple of movies with her and she can be indeed really funny but it was pretty neat to see her turn down her comedic skills (and usual hysteria) and deliver such a solid dramatic performance. I wish that they did develop more her relationship with the other characters but this approach did make sense though. Indeed, the main character had spent so many years abroad that, even though she knows her relatives, she never really managed to build a bond with them, except with her grandmother. Anyway, it was a really solid drama, perfectly showing how alienating it can be to be bicultural.
johanlefourbe's rating:


Notes: The tricky thing is that it is in fact a really predictable story and, yet, it was still quite fascinating to behold and easily one of the best love stories I have seen in a very long time. To be honest, eventually, we don’t learn much about these two young women after all but, from the very first moment they met each other, there was such a massive chemistry between them. Obviously, Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel should be praised as they both delivered such strong performances, especially since their characters usually didn’t say what they thought but used mostly only their eyes. The fact that I have always been fascinated by Art, especially painting, made me enjoy this movie even more, even if the portrait was basically only an excuse for these 2 girls to spend as much time together as possible. The interesting thing about this doomed love story was that, even though it might seem tragic, somehow, because it did last only a few days, the memory of these few passionate days will always remain perfect, pretty much like the story of Orpheus and Eurydice which was read by the characters during this movie. Finally, it was also a tale about freedom, or at least, the yearning for freedom. Indeed, from the moment Héloïse’s mother left them, for the very first and maybe also the last time in their lives, they could enjoy the freedom of being themselves without any social boundaries, even Sophie the servant. I also wonder what to make of the fact that all the male characters have been removed or erased and maybe it was also linked to this feminist idea of freedom as men are mostly responsible for most of the literal and figurative shackles in every women’s lives.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 302 Average listal rating (200 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.8


Notes: To be honest, I still don’t think it is such a great story (I might have to read the book at some point to really judge it though) but Greta Gerwig definitely made the most of it. Concerning the directing and the writing, Gerwig had been really praised for her work but, to be honest, I had some mixed feelings. I mean, on one hand, it was clearly an ambitious project but, on the other hand, what was so ambitious about adapting a classic book which had been adapted so many times before? Concerning the back-and-forth in time, it is an overused gimmick which I see way too often nowadays and, in this case, it was only mildly effective. Anyway, something neat thing about this story is that it always allowed the makers to assemble an all-star female cast and this version certainly didn’t disappoint on that level (Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Eliza Scanlen). To be honest, Watson’s and Scalen’s roles turned out to be rather thankless as they were not really fleshed out and it shows that this story might work better as a mini-series to have more running time to properly develop each sister. However, there is no doubt that Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh were both quite impressive. I think I had a slight preference for Pugh as she was so convincing playing the same character at two very different stages of her life. Eventually, I have to admit that these characters were actually all really neat and the relationship between these sisters was just really sweet and entertaining to behold.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 504 Average listal rating (358 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 7.8
Toy Story 4 (2019)
This entry is for the whole franchise



Toy Story (1995)

Notes: So, that's where it all started for Pixar. Of course, Pixar was working on CGI animation for more than a decade already but it was their first full length feature and the first time they reached such a broad audience. At the time, there was a pretty good buzz about this flick, I was even lucky to see it in the movie theater when it was first released but nobody expected that it would become such a phenomenon, creating a whole new trend of animated features in the process. Indeed, it was obviously a huge success and, eventually, it became a major milestone in motion picture history. Suddenly, hand-drawn animation which was mercilessly ruled by Disney was dropped and everyone, virtually every single studio, started to make CGI animated features with some various amount of success. Coming back to our game changer, like I said before, I had the pleasure to see it in the theater when it was released and it was quite mind-blowing. Back in those days, it was something completely new and even though it does look a little bit old today, it was really impressive when it was released. Above all, their masterstroke was to not only blow us away technically but also to provide an entertaining, touching and rather deep story with some great characters which would be an enduring trademark in Pixar's work.




Toy Story 2 (1999)

Notes: For so many years, Pixar managed to keep an impressive trackrecord of releasing back-to-back some highly critically and commercially succesfull features, something really unique in Hollywood. Of course, it had to stop at some point and nowadays, most of their recent movies have been quite enjoyable but everybody seems to agree that those guys have somewhat lost their magic touch a little bit. The main issue is that they keep on bringing some rather underwhelming sequels instead of releasing some new material. The interesting thing is that this first sequel was actually quite amazing and many would argue that it is even better than its predecessor. I remember it very well, just like the first installment, I saw it in the movie theater when it was released and I was again really impressed. Indeed, this time, we were all used to this new CGI animation and even though the whole thing looked great, their masterstroke was above all another really entertaining tale about these toys. Not only it was completely entertaining but it was also quite deep which made so many Pixar pictures like this one an instant Classic.




Toy Story 3 (2010)

Notes: To be honest, I did like Toy Story 3, I really did, but I also really failed to see what was so great about it. Indeed, after its release, it was hailed as a real masterpiece but, personally, I don't think it was as good as many other Pixar features such as the first 2 Toy Story, Wall-E, UP or even Ratatouille. The point is that as usual the animation was great, especially if you compare it to the very first 'Toy Story' and they developed some interesting ideas about what will happen with them when their owner grow old. Still, I didn't care much about the whole escaping thing. I mean, it was entertaining enough but nothing amazing, especially compared to the previous installments. Furthermore, they felt compelled to add even more characters and, as a result, a whole bunch of them, like Jessie for example, had barely anything to do. Still, it remains really enjoyable and I have to admit that the ending was just great. It seems they can do no wrong, even a sequel, at least, that's what I thought when this movie was released. To conclude, even though I think it is actually overrated, it still is a gorgeous and entertaining animated feature.




Toy Story 4 (2019)

Notes: When I heard that they were coming up with a new sequel, I can’t say I was really excited but since it had been well received (it even won the Academy Award for the Best Animated Feature Film) and since I have always been a fan of Pixar, I still had to watch it at some point which I did but, for the time, not in the movie theater, but with Disney+. Anyway, to be honest, it gave me pretty much the same feeling I had while watching ‘Toy Story 3’. Indeed, the animation was once again quite amazing but I wouldn’t expect less from Pixar and it was definitely an entertaining new tale. However, pretty much like its predecessor, it still felt like a rather useless sequel which didn’t add much to the flawless 1st two instalments. First of all, the story was hardly original. Indeed, once again, some toy got lost and, once again, Woody had to face some identity crisis which was pretty much what happened during every single ‘Toy Story’ movie. Furthermore, one of the main themes in the whole franchise was that the main purpose for any toy was to make a child completely happy but, in my opinion, this idea was pretty much contradicted in this new sequel. Anyway, it was still a decent effort from Pixar though.
johanlefourbe's rating:


Notes: Eventually, I think it turned out to be Quentin Tarantino's most challenging movie so far which was not necessarily a bad thing, in the contrary, but I wish this challenge would have been more rewarding. I mean, I really liked it but it just never left like a real home-run to me. Still, on the technical side, it was just a marvel to watch. Indeed, Tarantino went very far in the mood and the details to create a believable version of Hollywood at the time. On top of that, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were both pretty good and I was above all impressed by DiCaprio who gave here actually one of his best performances. However, what the main point was probably the nostalgia that Tarantino has for this time and place but, if you don't share this feeling, well, there are so many references that you will either miss or even won't care at all. On top of that, even if it is something you probably should expect from this director, the whole thing was pretty random. Indeed, in 'Pulp Fiction', you had also such seemingly random mess but every single scene did end up being crucial, which wasn't really the case here. Still, I have to admit that I never saw coming the twist at the end as Tarantino used the same trick he did with 'Inglourious Basterds', rewriting history in the process, but it was actually pretty neat and it worked better this time around. Anyway, if it didn't completely win me over, it was still a really bold project, much more interesting than all these remakes, reboots and sequels that you get to see nowadays at the movie theater.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 728 Average listal rating (543 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 8.5


Notes: I can imagine that, if you are not familiar with Bong Joon Ho's work, the constant changes of tone can be rather overwhelming. However, as far as I'm concerned, I always thought it was so bold and I don't know many directors who can so easily blend a drama, with a comedy, a thriller and a social satire. This mix was pretty much irresistible and I loved the way the Korean director kept setting the audience on the wrong foot. On top of that, it was also a great critic on our current way of life in which the gap between rich and poor is getting only bigger. Basically, even if they are geographically close by, the two extreme sides of our society seem to live in two completely different worlds with barely no connection or communication between them whatsoever. Eventually, the only thing that didn't really work for me were the massive switch the 'poor' family kept doing during the whole duration. Indeed, when they would be together, they would always all act like some pathetic and hopeless drunks but, from the moment there would be with the 'rich' family, they would suddenly completely change their behaviour, manners and speech in such a drastic way that it would make any professional spy like James Bond really jealous. I mean, if they were all such mighty con artists, how come they lived in such terrible conditions? Anyway, even if it wasn't a complete home-run, I really loved this really wild and bold directing effort from Bong Joon Ho.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 878 Average listal rating (685 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 8.4
Joker (2019)


Notes: To be honest, even though I did like this movie, I can’t say I was completely blown away after all. In fact, it took me a while to figure out what actually bothered with this movie which had been virtually universally loved so far. Was it the saturation? I mean, we get such an overdose of super-hero movies. Even with the Joker himself, it has been already at least the 5th iteration of this iconic character in 30 years and, even if Joaquin Phoenix was quite amazing, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger and even Mark Hamill were just as heralded as he was. Furthermore, even though they are all making a big fuss about the fact that this movie could be a revolution in this genre, in my opinion, the story was actually rather basic and predictable. I mean, it was a decent story but this tale of a rather sad mentally ill man slowly becoming homicidal was not really original. Eventually, the genius moves from Todd Philips was not to deliver a great story but to include the Joker in the mix and to have this popular character played by one of the best actors around. Seriously, if you would remove these 2 elements, I wonder if this movie would make so many waves. And, yet, there is no denying that, once again, Joaquin Phoenix gave us here another intense and spellbinding performance. Basically, the whole thing was some kind of amazing dark one-man-show and Phoenix definitely made the most of it.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 81 Average listal rating (54 ratings) 6.6 IMDB Rating 6.7


Notes: I haven't seen this one yet...
People who added this item 91 Average listal rating (60 ratings) 6.6 IMDB Rating 6.7


Notes: Well, this movie won't be popular among religious viewers as it displayed that, if you are in a really vulnerable mental predicament, religion can really f*ck you up. Anyway, it was definitely a really solid directorial debut by Rose Glass. Indeed, the mood and pacing were really neat. On top of that, Morfydd Clark and Jennifer Ehle both delivered some really strong performances. I also did appreciate the fact that it was basically a horror movie but, even so, they did put the focus on the mental and psychological turmoil experienced by the main character and not so much on the fantastical elements, which is actually a rather rare approach in this genre. Still, one of the last scenes which seemed to come right out of ‘The Exorcist’ really caught me off guard. And, yet it’s still worked brilliantly because it was so swift and abrupt. If they would have lingered longer on this, like they actually did in ‘The Exorcist’, it would have been so much less powerful. Still, I’m afraid the whole thing was slightly too dry and too thin for me. In fact, I think the makers had a similar feeling. It would then explain why they ended up adding Joy who was not necessarily a bad character but she showed up completely randomly, not once but twice, just to make sure that we did get a different perspective than only the one provided by a fairly delusional main character. Anyway, even if it didn’t completely blow me away, it was still a solid watch though.
johanlefourbe's rating:
People who added this item 9 Average listal rating (7 ratings) 7.4 IMDB Rating 7.5


Notes: I haven't seen this one yet...
People who added this item 56 Average listal rating (39 ratings) 6.4 IMDB Rating 6.4


Notes: I haven't seen this one yet...

Voters of this movie list - View all
ToonHead2102babyfromhellRicky49erkathy
Many years ago, I actually discovered this website thanks to the awesome list 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die but, unfortunately, this list is not up to date anymore so I have decided to create my own version. I will try to add every day a new movie and, of course, I will keep it up to date.


(14th edition)


Furthermore, if you're like me and you don't feel like browsing through the whole list, you can now use this index :

- MAIN LIST
- 1001 Movies ... (2020's)
- 1001 Movies ... (2000's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1990's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1980's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1970's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1960's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1950's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1940's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1930's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1920's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1910's)
- 1001 Movies ... (1900's)

Added to




Related lists

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2020)
1001 item list by johanlefourbe
39 votes 14 comments
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2020's)
6 item list by johanlefourbe
3 votes
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1990's)
119 item list by johanlefourbe
7 votes 1 comment
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1980's)
153 item list by johanlefourbe
8 votes 1 comment
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1970's)
158 item list by johanlefourbe
4 votes 1 comment
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1960's)
153 item list by johanlefourbe
7 votes 1 comment
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1950's)
126 item list by johanlefourbe
4 votes 1 comment
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1940's)
86 item list by johanlefourbe
3 votes 2 comments
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1930's)
83 item list by johanlefourbe
4 votes 1 comment
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1920's)
42 item list by johanlefourbe
4 votes

View more top voted lists

People who voted for this also voted for


More lists from johanlefourbe