Top 20 Films of the Half-Decade Part 2

Hi, this is John Delancey and you are listening

to the GeekCast Radio Network. Hello and welcome

to episode 77 of The Cinema Geeks. I am one of

your Cinema Geeks optimists, Solo, joining me

as usual is movie revolver Dan. Hello. Hey, how's

it going? Not too bad. And hard candy, Mandy.

Hello. Hello. And we are back to finish off what

we started last time with our second half of

our top 20 list. of the best films of the half

decade. So anybody that listened last week, you

heard our 20 through 11, and this week we're

bringing you our 11 through number one. So it's

good to have everybody here, and it's good to

finally get down to the nitty gritty. We've been

counting down these half decade lists for a while

now, and this is the last of the series. Excited

to finally finish this thing off and talk about

some of the best movies of the last five years

Dan any comments or anything you want to Say

before we get this thing rolling. I know someone

to last week. Like I said, it's really You know

those movies that I've personally helped shape

my movie -going experience the last five years

or so. So I stand by all these sources, but obviously,

like I said, it's definitely a personal less

more so than the movies that I feel like are

the, quote unquote, unanimous best of the last

five years. And I think I'm definitely in that

same boat. A lot of personal choices here, stuff

that resonated with me the most. I'm not trying

to necessarily pick the best made films or the

best received of the last half decade. And also

a little caveat of mine, like I said when I was

talking about Avengers last week, also if I had

a film that I thought represented something that

was prevalent in that five years, I tried to

throw that in there as well. Amanda, any comments

before we get this thing rolling? Yeah, I give

no shits about what everyone else thinks is good

because I know what I like. So this is a very

personal list and I'm sure that's pretty evident.

And for those that didn't listen to the last

episode, first of all, shame on you and go back

and listen first and then come back to us. But

Amanda did exhaust her horror choices on her

20 through 11. So she promised us there was no

more... horror genre films that would make an

appearance. I don't know how true that is, but

we'll have to wait and see. So Amanda, why don't

you kick us off with your number 10 pick? Okay.

I don't know how well received this one is either,

but Sherlock Holmes, A Game of Shadows. RDJ,

Jude Law. Love them. I love what they got going

on in this. I want to see more of it. I love

the shooting style. I loved everything that Guy

Ritchie did. I thought it was so cool and super

fun and even though it kind of had the same you

know, I don't know, shtick or whatever you want

to call it as the previous one. I think that

it definitely worked and I'm on board. I'm a

big fan of that series as well. I'm also a pretty

big fan of Guy Ritchie's. I know not everybody

is, but I like most of the stuff he does. And

I think there was some very unique stuff that

happened in that series, especially in the first

one, the first installment with some of the effects

and some of the ways that they shot some of that

stuff. So I think they had a lot of fun. I think

they do rise above some of the other fare that

we get. on a yearly basis, so I'm a big fan.

It didn't make my list, but I like those songs.

I actually need to re -watch probably both of

them. I can watch them over and over again, and

I've seen them a ton of times already, and I'm

definitely gonna go back and watch them again.

All right. I don't know if I've been keeping

up on the news if there's another one coming

out or not. I don't know. I mean there's like

a trillion other Sherlock Holmes stuff Yeah,

it's flooded. It's Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes.

Yeah, I doubt that anything's gonna come out

when based on everything else That's surrounding

you. All right, Dan. What about you? What's your

number 10? My number 10 probably has my favorite

overall soundtrack of the year, which is like

True true. No, that's visual soundtrack. It's

completely different But it's a soundtrack that's

important because it's very much a big part of

the movie and that is inside Lewin Davis I am

similar last week. I said it was a Tarantino

fan like like many people I am definitely a Coen

Brothers fan and I know for a lot of people they

had issues with Inside Lewin Davis because it's

it is a very subtle movie it not necessarily

Not a lot happens, but I enjoyed what did happen

It does to me feel very much like a folk song

and and Oscar Isaac is just phenomenal really

kind of To me is his coming out party from his

acting to his singing ability Like it really

shines throughout in the scene it's progression

and there's a little bit of kind of mystery the

movie has at the end where you're kind of wondering

like what it is there more to this than then

it leds on but uh it's you know cone brothers

to me at their best it taking place during the

nineteen you know 60 70s era or 60s era but it's

not so heavy with the stylistic choices it's

really subtle with that and so it's a great film

in my mind so my number 10 is Inside Lewin Davis

I actually just re -listened to the film spotting

episode that did their top 10 films of that year,

and I think it was on every single person's list,

or at least it was on three of the four lists.

It's definitely got a lot of critical acclaim.

I enjoyed the film, too. I don't think I was

quite as high, for some reason, as a lot of people

were on it. I think it made my top 20 for that

year. It's another one that I need to watch for

the second time and see if it can resonate with.

More because I definitely do love Oscar Isaac

and I do like that folk song setting kind of

scenario that we have with that one. So I think

that's a great pick. I think a lot of people

will be in agreement of that one. For my number

10, I'm actually going to go to 2012. We've talked

about it in prior episodes and a long time ago,

Dan, I think you and I, but that would be Silver

Linings Playbook, a movie that Amanda just recently

got. to catch up on and she's given me all kinds

of eye rolls. This is so high on your list. I

like this movie a lot. David O Russell, Bradley

Cooper, De Niro, they were, I think it was just

a stop rolling your eyes at me. I just think

it was a very well put together film. I think

there's comedy in there. I think there's a lot

of thematic elements that are rich as far as

the the psyche of the individuals and people

that were dealing with those types of issues

and I can't say any more because she's literally

like burning holes into my head with her laser

eyes. So Dan, help me out. Silverlin's playbook

is worthy, right? Well, I think it proves that,

you know, Philadelphia Eagles fans are mostly

mental patients. True. That's worthy. I like

Silver Lang's playbook, but I think my issue

with David R. Russell, I really love The Fighter,

similar to this, and American Hustle, though

the movies I enjoy, I think the one thing that's

stopping me from loving him, I feel like there's

just, he just doesn't go further enough. He has

really the subject matter is kind of he softens

the subject matter I guess I can't really come

up with a better word to that But I do think

that uh, you know, the performances are all fantastic

Robert De Niro even including including him and

it does you know Mel that you know comedy drama

element really good I do enjoy it I probably

and so much to you with inside Lou and Dave is

like I enjoy but I don't think I am as high on

it as you'll you are right Alright, so that means

it's time for number nine. I mean, I'm just gonna

stare at you the entire time you talk about this

one, so what's your number now? Go for it, because

you're not gonna have a single thing wrong with

this pick, and I'm gonna do another RDJ pick,

and that's The Judge from 2014 with Robert Duvall.

Alright, I mean, I think a lot of people gave

that one a lot of crap, and I can understand

why. It's a film that I fully acknowledge. The

reason it resonates with me is... 100 % personal

and just how I can connect to the experience

that he's having with his father. So I can't

speak objectively about this one because it's

a hundred percent bias. I think it was a super

powerful movie and I liked it. I think that I

was happy to see RDJ in this role and I think

him in in Doofal really did some good things

and there were some other really good supporting

roles there too with Shit, now what's his name

Kingpin from Daredevil? He was in that Kingpin

he was in that Yeah, I just I really it was an

emotional ride. Definitely in it. I was on board

for it All right Dan your next pick. Well, my

next pick is in the other end of the spectrum

actually maybe my only comedy my top 20 which

is kind of weird, but I mean, it's kind of a

unique comedy in that sense, but the one word

that comes to my mind when I think of this movie

is just kind of joy, because it's just, you know,

it's more than that, but it's in the Grand Budapest

Hotel. Wes Anderson being Wes Anderson in all

of his Anderson ways, just the story within the

story within the story, but I think that what

makes it all work is Ray Fiennes. He's hilarious,

his comedic timing is great. really should have

anything been more acclaimed for his performance

here. But even like, you know, from the art direction

to the, again, another fantastic score, one of

my favorite scores of the year. And overall,

and I think it's a story though that has, though

much of it is comedic, but there is that in the

background a little bit more going on, especially

when you think of things like nostalgia and the

way we review the past and kind of ends up in

a little bit of a somber note. But it was my

favorite comedy of the last deck so far, and

it's made my top 10. Yeah, I'm a huge Wes Anderson

fan, so I have no problem with a film being represented

on the countdown. I think there's a couple that

could be on this list when you're thinking about

it, and that's a great choice. So I definitely

had it ranked very high in my top 10, I believe,

last year as well. My next pick, yeah, I'm going

to be that guy, I guess. I'm probably going to

get a lot of hate from everybody except... for

JD, I think he's the only one that's gonna support

me on this one, but I will put an animated film

in here. And I know a lot of people hate it because

of the buzz and how much popularity it had, but

I'm gonna put Frozen on my list just because

for me, it represents a reawakening of Disney

for a new generation. Partner that with Tangled

a little bit, but I think just there's a whole...

new generation now that can kind of experience

the disney magic that really hadn't got to do

that for a good part of the decade prior to that

and i think the reason that belongs in the discussion

of if we're talking about this new decade is

because it does represent that shit. Disney made

away from the garbage they were putting out from

the late 90s to the you know mid -2000s and Even

see any of those 90s movies. Did you say that?

I've seen quite a few of them and you just now

saw Mulan Yeah, and you weren't even paying attention

to it No, I'm kind of about that I'm talking

about the Brother Bear and the stuff that came

out in the end and I can't remember even half

of their names But there was a lot of 30 to Atlantis.

Yes yes all of that type of stuff so i think

it just it whatever i like the land is it's it's

the closest disney like i said that entangled

are the closest they came to kind of going back

to that mold that we got with like Little Mermaid

and Lion King and Beauty and the Beast and all

that type of stuff. So I know a lot of people

think it's just the song, but I think the other

thing about Frozen is it's not just your prototypical

Disney princess film that kind of does it in

a different way and kind of breaks the mold a

little bit. And I don't care how much of an evil

eye you're going to give me. I think it's a great

film as far as the animated Disney catalog goes.

And I think it's worthy of at least being represented

on the list, no matter how many times you shake

your head at me. All right Direct your hate towards

me guys because I'm the only one that's champion

that went on this list obviously Amanda go ahead

Talk about hatin'. Well, let's put our big boy

pants back the fuck on, and number eight is John

Wick from 2014 with Keanu. Kick some serious

ass. Definitely a hardcore dude, and I was kind

of blown away by this movie when I saw it. I

was like, wow, when can I see this again? Definitely,

definitely super like that movie, and I'll watch

it again. Yeah, I think it's a great action film.

I think it's a great universe, not universe,

maybe builder, but builder of the world that

that movie takes place in. Obviously they're

going to have more films in there, but I think

there's a lot of fun stuff that people want to

see more about with that film. And I think that's

one that kind of caught a lot of people off guard,

kind of came in from left field. Not many people

expected that to be good. I mean, it's got Keanu

in it, but it ended up resonating with quite

a few people. So I won't hate on your picks as

much as you're hating on mine. It's about a you

know, you know hitman who has get revenge for

his dead puppy. I mean, yeah All right, Dan,

where are you going next with your number eight

number eight movie? That's been mentioned not

today, but it was mentioned last week surprisingly

by Kevin. I don't know I remember I remember

way back when when I did my first top ten for

geek attacks radio This was my number one of

the year and I think at then you were apprehensive

to it because I think Maybe people thought it

was more of a car movie, but it clearly was not

that is drive Nicholas when we were reference

movie starring Ryan Gosling. It does have a great

car chase to start the film, but Refin is probably

my favorite director the one I'm most intrigued

with when his movies come out even something

like holding God forgives which many people hated

but I did and a great deal mostly because his

kind of ability to really examine that of like

brutality of man. He also has some really stunning

visuals, especially with this, just the style

of it. It is a movie, some people argue it's

more style than substance, and I think certainly

it is full of style, but I think that is also

kind of part of its substance. It's an element

to it, and it's very much in the vein of early

Michael Mann films. If you look at something

like Thief, it's definitely echoing many things.

that nature. And again, another great soundtrack

and a soundtrack that has much to say about what's

going on in the movie. And Alex Brooks gives

a fantastic performance of him being like a mom

guy. It's not something you would necessarily

expect. And it really made me kind of respect

Ryan Gosling. And a lot of school crushing. Gotta

love that too. It's a movie that I love more

and more. I've seen it many, many times and own

it on Blu -ray and watch it when I get the chance

to. Yeah, I mean, obviously I don't disagree.

It was my number 17. I don't think you'd be surprised

that I absolutely hated Only God Forgives, but

Drive for some reason. It worked for me. So I

I don't disagree with your pick and Amanda You

haven't said much when the two of us have been

talking about drive you keeping silent probably

for a reason Okay, we won't prod you then on

that one. So for my number eight I'll do the

same thing Dan did with his I'll talk about one

that was mentioned last week as well and for

my number eight I'm going to 2012 and that would

be a life of pie I already said in reaction to

your choice of that film Dan everything I need

to say but it works on a whole bunch of different

levels perfect blend of something that works

from a visual standpoint, thematic standpoint,

performance standpoint. I don't know how much

you can really poke too many holes in this film,

so I think it's just a fun film to partake in.

You can just watch it for surface value and for

the visuals, or you can kind of delve into it

and get a lot of stuff to chew on, so I think

it's a great film. I think it's been something,

again, that has grown the more... That time has

passed. I think I like it a lot more than I I

liked it a lot when I first saw it But I think

it's even gotten to a point where I like it on

a whole different level. So big fan of life.

Bye. Yeah, I Echo all that All right, Amanda

your number seven Okay, so I just realized I

don't know how this happened. I have two movies

at Shia LaBeouf That's Lawless from 2012. I think

that super brutal movie, but you know, it was

a fun ride and I think the performances in it

were just awesome. There were so many. Gary Oldman,

Tom Hardy, that was Jessica Chastain, right?

Is that Jessica Chastain? That was Jessica Chastain.

Yeah. Shia LaBeouf, Jason Clarke too. I think

that it was a really cool portrayal of, you know,

that time and what was going on in their life.

And I think that Tom Hardy is definitely, you

know, a badass in this too. So I think super

awesome movie. This is one that I didn't catch

right away when it was out in theater. I don't

know how long of a run it had, but I definitely

didn't see it. But I caught it way after the

fact. Wasn't expecting much and I was pleasantly

surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I think

it's a fun fun ride All right, Dan. That means

you're up next. What do you got? Well, my number

seven is kind of interesting and kind of my experience

with it like the first time I saw it I was not

actually a big fan of it. I guess I don't know

I didn't necessarily I went in there with the

kind of preconceived notions of you know what

I expect from a movie, but then Seeing again

and definitely seeing it having the opportunity

to see it on the big screen I really I really

began loving it and really kind of just appreciating

what it is. It's not a movie for everyone. It's

a movie some will definitely hate. It's kind

of the notion of the director in Terrence Malick's

Tree of Life. A movie that really kind of accompanies

the history of everything really into one movie.

It's about so much in some ways about not nearly

that much but it's you know Terrence Malick certainly

has a style to him that is his own and uh kind

of one that really kind of breaks the mold of

with lack of narrative or really Kind of his

common of people walking through fields talking

overhead, but uh, I don't know It's visually

I think it's stunning I think there is a lot

to kind of chew on the way it kind of uses memory

and uh in It feels you know, kind of like a recalling

of a memory I mean there's there's some I think

some some flaws with it for sure when you have

a movie that's certainly ambitious of this nature

But I don't know. It's one of like I said, it's

it's it's not for everyone I actually saw this

in a theater full of people for our best Best

Picture Showcase and I don't think I've heard

that many boos for a film that was not only for

Best Picture in quite some time, some walkouts

for sure. I know at the time it had to have a

plaque up or signs up telling people what the

movie was like before people went into it because

it had so many walkouts and I could definitely

see that. But yeah, that's pretty much it for

me for number seven. Yeah, I mean, I've said

it on the show before. Obviously, I was super

turned off of Terrence Malick from A Thin Red

Line, and I definitely need to... I've been wanting

to give him another shot, and I wanted that to

start with Tree of Life. I just haven't got there

yet, so that will be the next film of his that

I see, and I'm gonna make that a point to happen

in 2016 at some point, so I can join in on a

conversation on that one. I would say let Badlands

be the first movie you see, because you can see

that he can actually make a... Straightforward

great film before you have to okay watch watch

them do you like it's this first movie? And I

think it kind of like you can see that okay.

He doesn't have to do this style You can actually

do right do like a legit just straightforward

storytelling so okay fair enough I'll shoot.

I'll do it that way for my next one. I just want

to continue the theme of today It's just how

many films can I pick I guess that I'm gonna

get my? the eye roll from my partner to the left

here. So we'll keep that going here with my number

seven pick, which I know I would get that same

eye roll from probably everybody that is in our

podcasting circle outside of maybe one or two,

because definitely not a film for everybody like

you with Tree of Life. Dan, when I watched this

one, there was walkouts as well. But I think

that's just for more pure ignorance because they

didn't know what they were going in to see. And

that would be from 2012. And it is Les Mis. So

I have, there's probably not been a film that

stuck with me more than this one as far as over

the years. It's one that just does not leave

my head. There's so many, maybe it's just from

the fact that my love for different historical

pieces and period pieces like that. Maybe it's

because I am a fan of the theater and musicals

and stuff like that. I don't know, but there

is so many different. angles that you can take

this film. There's so many different characters

to connect to or kind of delve into their stories

or their motivations and their decision -making.

There's a lot of thematic resonance to it and

as much as people want to hate on Russell Crowe

and his singing ability or lack thereof, I think

for the most part there's a lot of pretty darn

good performances from the actors doing the music

part as well and I think Hugh Jackman definitely

is one of those that showed some new layers of

His kind of portfolio as well. So I'm a huge

fan of Les Mis I know a lot of people aren't

as big on it as I am but It's one of the ones

that stuck with me the most. So that is my number

seven All right, they should you should have

sung that entire review No, nobody would still

be listening at the end of that Amanda You can

pick your jaw off the ground and go ahead with

your number six. I'm not surprised by that What's

whatever really my number six is? Django from

2012 we've already said a ton of good stuff about

this you guys got to review it in depth I did

not there was definitely some stuff in here that

I had to look away from definitely pretty get

that Tarantino feel going but You know, despite

some of the more comedic aspects that might have

taken you out, like Sam Jackson's outrageous

performance, I think Christoph Waltz, this is

what solidified him as a great actor in my book.

Like, I was like, yeah, this guy is awesome.

Jamie Foxx, he was pretty good. I thought he

was right on as Django. Even Leo DiCaprio was

pretty legit in this and I just enjoyed all the

performances. I think that it was a great take

on it and in such a good western feel so I'm

all about it. Alright, I don't think you're gonna

get much disagreement from Dan or myself based

on our thoughts on that film. So Dan, what do

you got next? My next film is I guess maybe another

movie that may not be for everyone but just...

Maybe for very different reasons. It's a movie

I know some people kind of gave the label of

being a gimmick because it you know, it's notorious

for being filmed over such a long period of time

and that's Richard Linklater's boyhood. And yeah,

I guess some people were saying if it wasn't,

you know, filmed through this long period of

time, would people enjoy it the way it... It

is or is it you know it if it was just because

the story itself is not that complicated And

I think if you take away that I mean you're taking

away the essential piece of the film in a lot

of ways because it is very much about You know

growing old what it means that that journey that

you take and I'm a fan link later overall I think

what he does really great is find the beauty

in small moments And that's what really boyhood

is in a lot of ways. It's it's kind of representing

those small moments It's not going towards you

know watching you're not seeing a kid grad You're

seeing a little get -together he has afterwards

or the car already has home or you know the conversations

and yeah Maybe the you know the existential dialogue

that you get from link later can turn off some

but I tend to like it and I think Ethan Hawke

is Phenomenally for you him and link later when

they're together. They're they're out there best

and even you know and not that's looking at something

like a lot of core training who was kinda plunked

from nowhere and did this movie for 12 years.

I know some people have some issues with his

acting. I think it does get a little shaky near

the end, but considering what he was doing here,

I thought he was servable enough. And I don't

know, by the end of it, it just hit me and hit

me on the right places. And it's kind of, to

me, it is an emotional journey that what it is

telling and what it is doing, I think it is something

really unique and really kind of phenomenal in

that way, so. And to be fair, I think it would

be pretty hard to just somehow strategically

pick out a I don't know how old that kid was

when they started it and like He was in first

grade. So he's about Six or seven. Yeah. Yeah,

I mean it would be real hard to just try to strategically

pick out a six or seven year old that somehow

is gonna end up being able to you know act in

the way by the AG is at the end of it. You know

what I mean? It's kind of like every little kid

actor from the Harry Potter franchise. I mean,

it's definitely the crapshoot, but I think it

is impressive what they did and what they pulled

off there and their ability to. complete that

project and do it in a way that that worked,

I think, for what they were trying to do. I like

the movie. It wasn't as high as a lot of people,

but I definitely can see why. And I think it

is a good snapshot of life in America or, you

know, the growing up process coming of age type

deal. So I definitely don't have a problem with

it being in the conversation. All right, that

means it's my turn for my number six and I will

go somewhere where we've already been As well

and I will just continue to try to get Amanda

to give me dirty looks because I'm gonna be in

complete agreement with you Dan I already said

it ended up being my number one film from last

year and that is 2014's whiplash. I think JK

Simmons was absolutely freaking phenomenal and

maybe it resonated more with me because I was

In band for good lord i don't know eight years

never like the level that they were in but i

definitely had some variety different structures

that i could kind of. Take little bits and pieces

out of and relate to this but it's way more than

that it's just a lot of things to. to delve into

when it comes to the themes that they're going

over and some of the decision -making that's

being made, especially towards the end of the

film. Everything's shot so well. The music's

perfect. I know some people might not enjoy that

style of music as much, so maybe it'll be a little

bit harder for them, but I just think there's

not many missteps in this film that was far and

away the best film I saw last year. And it's

such the perfect note, too. That ending is just,

every time, it's just, yeah, it's great. I totally

agree. Amanda, what is your number five? Getting

down to the nitty gritty here, I've got the 2011's

Drive. You guys have already talked about it.

I like this movie so much. It's definitely another

one of those that I'm gonna rewatch and enjoy

rewatching. Oscar Isaac, when I saw this the

first time, he was way far under my radar. And

after seeing more stuff that I absolutely fell

in love with him about over, I... recently watched

this with Kevin and saw him and Refelt in love

with his performance in this. I think even Carrie

Mulligan. I think she was alright. She was okay

in this definitely wasn't Super impactful, but

I think Ryan Gosling's character was super interesting.

I wanted to know his story I wanted to be along

for that ride and I think that there was lots

of cool shots and in action scenes and stuff

in this and his motivations I think he he had

some really great intentions and I think as much

as he really didn't you know outright you know

say it or or exactly show it i think he had a

huge heart and and i think that that showed through

a little bit so i really enjoyed it all right

obviously we're in agreement since it's on both

of our lists as well dan what do you got your

number five my number five is 12 years of slave

steve McQueen i think did something rather phenomenal

in the fact that you don't see it very often

where you have kind of the critical crowd the

award crowd and maybe even you know many fans

kind of all getting behind a movie and It's a

movie that got universal praise and I didn't

see see much backlash for it I think it's because

of it's that great of a movie from the performances

to his direction and no he he doesn't you know,

he's coming for more of a style where you know,

he He made movies like Hunger that many people

wouldn't enjoy, very limited dialogue, kind of

hard to watch at times, but I think it fit this

story of Solomon Northam really well. Looking

at the performance of something like Michael

Fassbender to Paul Dano, even Bender and Tom

Gumberbatch, but I think really it's obviously

Tour de l 'Edge of Four who really souls it.

And of course, Peter Niyongo as well, those two.

You know, it was Lumpini, I was coming out party

edgy for as well as it was an actor But I think

kind of brought himself to an end another level

with this and it's just I don't know It's it's

it's a definitely a tough movie to watch but

a tough movie to watch for all the right reasons

I think it says a lot and I think kind of it

says everything it needs to in its final closing

moments where you kind of guess spoiler alert

for real life, but uh we kind of just seeing

seeing him see his family for the first time

and It's it's kind of it. It's kind of an incredible

just his reaction to that, but I don't know it's

a movie that it's I think it's heartfelt and

it's It could just be just complete. Just let's

just put on the misery but I think they the McQueen

gives it something more and You kind of he makes

the home north up into a complete person what

they give is important. So Yeah, I think it also

still has one of the best scenes of the last

five years for me. Just so perfectly crafted

and something that a lot of people wouldn't have

had the balls to try to pull off. So I definitely

agree with everything you're saying there. For

my number five, Amanda just had the first. complete

crossover when she said drive because all three

of us had that on our list and i'll have the

second one there as i put jingo and chained at

my number five so all three of us had that one

as well yeah we talked about it in depth it's

a great tarantino film as most of them are to

different levels for different people everybody

has their favorites but i just really love this

one i love christoph waltz in this one i i love

the The humor, I love the dialogue, everything

we said in the episode, everything you guys have

already said when you guys brought it up. So

Django Unchained is my number five, so the trifecta

will go on with that one. Amanda, what do you

have for your number four? Another Leo joint,

I've got Inception from 2010. Super cool idea,

really well executed, I love the ending, I love

all the performances, I love all the... The costumes,

everybody's suits were spot on and I mean JGL

is like a silent badass almost and I think that

there was a lot to take out of this movie. It

leaves you wondering at the end on that little

cliffhanger and it was a super enjoyable ride

and that's definitely another one that I'm gonna

re -watch. Think that should come as no surprise

for anybody that listened to our top actors of

the half decade because All of them were in this

film So yeah, I don't think you're gonna get

many people arguing with you about the merits

of inception when it comes to the last five years

Dan, what is your number four? Oh, well my number

four is Kevin's favorite movie under the skin

So much for your life definitely movie that is

not for everyone, but I think the word that kind

of comes to mind It captivated me from beginning

to end. It's it you know was I think a movie

very much designed to be a nerving and it very

much was from its like opening sequence to throughout

with his Unique score, but I think ultimately

it's a human story Seeing this kind of our world

through these new fresh eyes visually. It's striking

and performance wise Johansson is definitely

understated, but I think she does a lot without

doing much and and I just I don't know It's it's

such a kind of cliche thing to say but it very

much was the experience that I had that That

I tend to go back to over and over again. It's

there just moments that just or just in green

gray shaded into my brain the beach scene, for

example, just the glacier I think it was great

at just finding moments to kind of Unnerve you

and I think at the heart of it you could even

argue under the skin may be designed to be a

horror film in some ways but uh I don't know

there's there's a lot to understand that I love

and I know a lot of people rightfully don't and

I think it's I think it's similar to true life

it's that's okay it's not not movies are necessarily

designed for everyone and I think under skin

is a good example of that yeah I definitely agree

with your state with your statement there and

not necessarily saying that I disagree with people

that can't find enjoyment out of it. I just wasn't

one of those people. So, but obviously there

was quite a bit of love for Under the Skin. So

I think a lot of people would be happy that that

came up. And then we can go from something that

we disagree on to something that we obviously

agree on 100 % because my number four you just

talked about recently and that is 12 Years a

Slave. So it's as close. I mean, I don't know

if I want to put the word masterpiece next to

that one, but man, it's so close. There's so

many choices that worked so well in that film,

the performances from people that you didn't

really know and you weren't familiar with, like

you were talking about, this dramatic effect

without making it seem, you know, the thing with

that film is everything seemed earned. Every

moment that had some type of emotional resonance,

none of it seemed forced, none of it seemed fake.

It all was very earned. definitely feeling for

the characters as they were going through this

and just the whole premise of how unsettling

it is to realize what was happening and what

this individual was going through and then to

use that as a window to kind of show what a lot

of people were going through. I mean, we've talked

about it to death, but 12 Years a Slave is easily

one of the best films of the last half decade.

So that is my number four pick. Amanda, what

is your number three? We're down to our top three

of the half decade. This came as a little bit

of a shocker to me. I wanted to see it, but I

wasn't, you know, jumping out of my skin to see

it. But that's about time. And I think that Domnog

Leeson totally blew me away in this movie. Even

Bill Nighy and Rachel McAdams. I think all the

performances in this were super awesome. The

story was great. I think that I'm not really

always on board for the Mushy Love stories. Yes,

I did like Notebook, so maybe that kind of dragged

over to this one, but I was totally vested immediately

in the family dynamic that they have, the relationship

between the father and son, just all the struggles

that he goes through, and the cool time travel

aspect. Who doesn't love little sci -fi in your

love story? I couldn't wait to have Kevin watch

this after I saw it. I was just like, I love

this movie. I want to see it again. I need to

see this and talk about it. And it quickly rose

up there in my ranks. Yeah, I think this is one

that if we were expanding it to like top 35,

top 40, somewhere like that, it probably would

have snuck its way into my list as well. I think

it's not always that you have time travel elements

that... that work as well or... It doesn't need

to be explained either. Like, it's just there.

Right, and then are handled in a way like they

are in this one where it doesn't just create

a whole bunch of problems that they don't deal

with. So, I like the performances. I thought

it was a lot of different relationships that

you could invest in and just the whole idea of,

well, I guess it's in the title, about time.

So, a lot of stuff that resonated with me too.

So, it would definitely be in my, like I said,

top 40 probably. I haven't seen it. Oh my gosh,

Dan. It's okay, because I have not seen 12 Years

a Slave. Alright, so we're all getting stuff

to put on our list, I guess. Dan, what's your

number three? My number three I think is the

perfect example when you have great actors meet

a great director meet a great script and Just

meet great production overall and that is the

social network I Never, you know when I heard

they're making a movie about Facebook you kind

of roll your eyes thinking it's gonna be ridiculous

But then it's like well, it's written my answer

again. Okay. Well, then that kind of changes

my mind a great deal. You know, it's Sessing

well, but it's starring Jesse Eisenberg. It's

like really I don't know about that And it's

like oh and then it's just you know, then I remember

we're seeing the first trailer for it and being

like Wow, that actually seems like it could be

quite good, and it very much was. And I think

what Fincher was able to do was just show us

that Facebook is a universal story. It's not

necessarily about Facebook. It's just about the

character of Mark Zuckerberg, not necessarily

the person, because I know there's been questions

over how much it represents real life. But as

a film, I think it works really well. And Jesse

Eisenberg surprised me. He could... Be a legitimate

actor. Unfortunately, I think he hasn't come

back to the civil sense But I think it like I

was hoping he would I think he kind of showed

he's more than this than that kid from You know

what he's done in the past I think he's much

more capable of actor than he then he gets credit

for but and then you know Maybe he'll get back

to that that status this year Yeah No, I don't

think so and then you know, yeah, like you added

something like the the the soundtrack or the

the composer of by Trent Reznor and it's to another

level and it's you know Fincher being Fincher

in his ways and kind of finding it just has that

feel that you want in the Fincher movie and the

score is just worked so well from the opening

to the end and I don't know it's I just find

I think it's like a great piece of American filmmaking.

And yeah, it's my number three. I think that

because I was really strong supporter of this

film when it came out too and it was in my top

10 that year. And for some reason, I just I haven't

thought about it as much since then. As I have

some of these other films that are on my list,

I think it's one that I just need to re -watch

again to kind of re -solidify how much I liked

it originally. Because I too was someone that

was a big supporter of this when it came out.

I think it's a great pick. Surprisingly enough,

even though it does have Justin Timberlake in

it, I have not seen this. Alright, another one

to add to the list. If anybody's listened to

our podcast over the last two, three years, they

probably easily could predict my top three. So,

not going to be too many surprises here, but

my number three is... my number one film from

2011, and that would be the film 50 50. I just

again, struck a personal chord with me really

resonated with the themes that were going on

here in the relationships. And as much as there's

been the least two to three films about somebody

with cancer. It seems like it's a rule now every

year, but that one did it in a way that really

struck a chord with me and I thought it was really

well handled. The right mixture of drama and

I don't want to say comedy, but I guess comedic

moments or at least stuff to ease the tension

a little bit. It's just a film. I really love

so 50 50 is my number three Yeah, it's in within

because I expanded mine to like a top 50 just

in case and it's it's high up there for me as

well it's like my number two or three of that

year and I Echo that it's really well done. Yeah.

All right, Amanda number two. Okay, so this is

my last cheat And this really, really pained

me to put these in this slot. And that's Harry

Potter and the Deathly Hollows, part one and

two from 2010 and 2011. And if you know anything

about me, you know how obsessed I am with Harry

Potter. So for it to be at number two, just know

that I'm in serious pain doing that. But I just...

It was like the culmination of my childhood.

It's the ending of something that I started so

long ago and getting to that final payoff and

wrapping up everything and going through that.

the most serious of emotions that they go through

and some really difficult stuff and hard scenes

to see especially with some of the characters

that you learn to love or even the ones that

you learn to hate and I think visually this movie

was awesome. There was not a moment in this that

I was bored where I felt like I wasn't interested

anymore. I just kept wanting more and more and

more. I've seen them so many times since then

and I keep finding more things to pick out and

to love. So Deathly Hollow is part one and two.

It's my number two. I totally don't know what

your number one is, because I would have thought

it would have been Inception or Harry Potter.

So I am anxiously awaiting what your number one

pick is. I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter films,

too. I think that's a great representation of,

or a great culmination, I guess, of that series

of films. And I think they ended it fairly well.

Know like the part one part two thing has been

kind of done to death now But I think for them

it was actually made sense and I actually really

like both those films and I think part one actually

might be my favorite Harry Potter movie overall,

but as part two is great, too I'm like, you know

the other ones that have done it and have like

Twilight or Hunger Games that maybe not should

have I think it made sense for Harry Potter.

It left you in that moment where you were just

like You know you still wanted To see that next

thing you were left on that kind of hook but

it wasn't like man I just sat through all this

stuff that's building up to to more stuff. It

was all this stuff happened and I still want

to see more and there's still more to come. Alright,

Dan. What is your number two? Well, it's been

a long time since I've had a documentary and

I might saving it for my number two and I mean

It's kind of weird to call a movie important

But I think the act of killing is one that is

definitely that because it kind of shows you

For those that don't know it's kind of like a

look at you know What happens if people who committed

genocide end up winning and what is their viewpoint

on life? later down the line as you see kind

of see people examine what they did in the past

and kind of reflect on it in a weird, unique,

odd way. I know you said with your last film,

with 12 Years of Slave, you don't want to use

the term masterpiece. I think active killing

is close to that and what it's able to capture

and access is a huge part of it, but I think

it's certainly, I don't know, it's compelling

for... Seeing these kind of these people and

like what they did And just they're kind of I

don't know their openness of it isn't is kind

of insane It's surreal throughout it and I know

they made a new I think that the look of silence

this year, which is supposed to be I've not seen,

but I don't know. It's a movie that is, I think,

one that I would say is something I think everyone

should see just because of what it kind of lets

you see and lets you see kind of what humans

are capable of and for all the wrong reasons.

I don't think i've ever heard a single bad thing

said about act of killing or so far this year

on the look of silence and it's two documentaries

that i definitely do want to catch up on because

it seems like it's a super interesting insight

into like what you're saying how humans can be

and the human element and the unthinkable and

like how you can kind of compartmentalize all

that stuff right people how they were able to

do it and it's a movie I would say just kind

of stick because there were times where you maybe

just want to like can't take it but I'd say like

you know stick to the end because I know some

people felt like it almost allowed them to use

it as like the people in the film use it as a

cathartic experience but I didn't get that to

me it was more of a it wasn't trying to justify

or kind of use it to kind of make you feel sympathy

for these people. To me, it was just looking

for what kind of drives someone to do that, really.

I don't know. It's fascinating, really. It's

hard to really explain. Definitely high on the

list in things of, it's on the 2016 bucket list,

I guess you can call it, films that I have to

knock out this year. So for my number two, it's

already been mentioned again. Amanda mentioned

it just a couple picks ago, and I think... A

lot of people when they're making their half

-decade lists were almost forgetting about it

because it had come all the way back in 2010,

but I think it's hard to ignore Inception. Unless

you're just a Nolan hater, I guess. But man,

there is so much good about this. And talk about

an ensemble cast that really has gone on to do

some amazing things and did some amazing things

in this film. Just the creativeness in this and

the way that he was able to kind of harness all

these ideas and... maybe show a little bit more

restraint than people thought with some of his

future films, one in particular, but man, I don't

know how many list Inception topped as far as

people's top films of that year. So many people

had it as their number one film of 2010 or number

two film or something like that, and I think

it'd be... Crime if we didn't talk about it at

least a little bit here in our top films of the

half decade So inception is my number two. So

you have to Leonardo DiCaprio films in you I

don't I don't hate He's in and I don't necessarily

even hate him It's just for some reason when

I go to analyze his performances or try to like

think of him in Relation to some of the other

actors that are performing for some reason something

just doesn't gel with me But it doesn't mean

I don't like the characters he plays or the movies

he's in. Yeah Fair enough. Alright, Amanda, it's

the moment of truth. What is the best film of

the half decade? My number one film from the

last half decade is from 2013, and it's The Place

Beyond the Pines. This movie blew me away. I

recently saw it this year. I just randomly picked

it up because I love Ryan Gosling. I'm like,

oh wait, I haven't seen this. And Bradley Cooper,

I'm like, what's going on here? I think that...

everything about this movie, his performance,

his character was so interesting and his relationships

with people and then how it kind of shifted.

So how his life and his choices affected other

people around him and even his child and even

people who didn't know him that were affected

by things that he did in his life and how it

shifted. Focal points from one character to another

really was awesome. I'd never seen that before

I don't think anyways and I think it was really

just superbly done and I Recently had to buy

it too because I liked it so much. I need to

go back and watch this more. I knew you liked

it. I was not It's expecting it to be your number

one, but that's a good pick. Dan, what do you

think? I remember us talking about this briefly

a long time ago, but where do you sit on Place

Beyond the Pines? I do enjoy it. I love the first

act, the Ryan Gosling act. The second act a little

bit less than the third act, a little bit less

than that. But if you kind of just take that

first act and that was the whole movie, it probably

would have maybe made my top list because I enjoyed

it that much. just a culmination of it. All didn't

completely work, but I enjoy it overall. This

is a successful film. Yeah, I remember liking

the first part a lot. I've only seen it once,

so I have to rewatch it too, but I remember liking

all the Ryan Gosling parts and I just got a little

bit of a jarring effect as they shifted gears

and it kind of threw me off a little bit, so

maybe on a second watch it'll be more effective,

but I definitely had it, I think, in my top.

20 or 30 that year, so definitely a good film,

and like you said, a successful one. So Dan,

what is your number one film of the half decade?

I think you have an idea what it could be, because

I think we have the same number one, but I could

be guessing here. I'll be honest, this was an

easy choice for me. There was no question in

my mind what my number one was going to be, and

it is her. I don't know. It's a movie that, to

me, no movie was nearly as kind of... Thematically

rich as this film in the past five years. There's

just so much to it You know people kind of the

story of a man falling in love with his phone

and I know people tend to focus in on the technology

aspect and what that says about our culture,

but I don't to me it was always moving about

language and How we can use it to kind of almost

create a false authenticity even though we know

it's not there like the fact that you know while

King Phoenix the character works at this greeting

card company and he opens up and he's giving

this amazing seal about his love for a person

but you realize it's not even a person he knows

it's someone he's writing someone else the letter

for and I don't know there's so much to it from

I love the world Spike Jonze creates here and

it's from the the fashion sense where everything's

just a little bit off with the high pants and

and also just love how like his it's it's not

like it doesn't go the obvious route of a guy

falling in love on the phone where you just go

with the obvious humor or anything like that

it's just much more and Joaquin Phoenix is phenomenal

and it really made me like this past decade overall

just re -evaluate what I thought of Scarlett

Johansson as an actor and the fact that they're

able to create chemistry with these two characters

even though they technically never even spoke

to one another I think that kind of just kind

of adds another layer to the film realizing that

the relationship that it's building was built

in post -production which is kind of crazy when

you think about it but uh yeah I could talk all

day about her and I think we actually did a review

way back when about it as well so But I'll save

room for others to mention about it more. Well,

I mean, you and I will disagree on a lot of films

throughout the years, I'm sure, and even ones

that we've counted down here in our top 20, but

we will never disagree about her. So that is

also my number one film of the last half decade.

A lot of things you touched on, and I think you

hit one of them right in the head there where

a lot of people do focus on the technology aspect

and kind of what it's saying about society and

humans in our relationship with technology, whether

it be computers, phones or whatever it might

be. And I do think that is an important of the

film but I think you touched on another aspect

with his job with that greeting card company

and that is great evidence to the other point

that you're making and about the language and

communication in general and I think that's just

a whole other element that you can get from this

film. You talked about Joaquin Phoenix and he

is, I almost said River Phoenix, I don't know

why I did that, but Joaquin Phoenix is absolutely

amazing and I think you hit another nail on the

head with the ability to have this relationship

with Two people that never even spoke to each

other and never saw each other and all that type

of stuff So I think that was amazing. I think

the way it was shot I think there was so and

we talked about this way back when on our full

review back in towards the end of 2013 which

you can go back and listen if you want to hear

more in depth but the attention to detail that

spike Jones has in this film every Aspect every

item that is in a room every item that is in

a shot. It was just so meticulously crafted by

him and well shot. I didn't want to necessarily

throw out the masterpiece term before, but I

think it does apply to this film. I wasn't sure

that we were both going to have it number one

here. We both had it number one of 2013. I wasn't

sure where it would rank when we were taking

another four or five years into it, but I think

that just shows how much this film can resonate

to two individuals that have very different philosophies

or opinions. and taste when it comes to films,

and it's just something that works on so many

levels that it's impossible to ignore. I am in

100 % agreement with you. Amanda, why don't you

take us back through year 10 through one, remind

people what you had. All right, at 10, I had

Sherlock Holmes, The Game of Shadows. Nine, The

Judge. Eight, John Wick. Seven, Lawless. Six,

Django. Five, Drive. Four, Inception. Three,

About Time. Two, Harry Potter and the Deathly

Hallows, Part One and Two. And number one, The

Place Beyond the Pines. Dan, how about your ten

through one? My number ten was Inside Lewin Davis.

Nine, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Eight, Drive.

Seven, The Tree of Life. Six, Boyhood. five twelve

years of slave, four under the skin, three the

social network, two the act of killing, and one

her. And my ten was Silver Linings Playbook,

nine Frozen, eight Life of Pi. Seven limas, six

whiplash, five jango, four 12 years a slave,

three 50 -50, two inception, and one hur. Now

a couple questions for you guys before we wrap

this up. Dan, which ones just outside of that

just missed the cut? What was the closest ones

that you had that you really wanted to put in

there, but because we were limited to 20, you

just couldn't quite find a spot. I had The Master,

actually, Toy Story 3 was very close. It was

my favorite animated film. Once Upon a Time in

Anatolia, another documentary, Let the Fire Burn,

Gravity, and another movie that I tend to like

more than every one ever is The Selfish Giant,

which was one of my favorite films of that year

at the time. Alright, Amanda, what about you?

Anything that you just couldn't quite squeeze

in there? A couple things I really enjoyed were

The Immigrant. I saw that pretty recently. I

think I connected super heavily with that one.

Some stuff that I had fun with, Hansel and Gretel,

The Witch Hunters, Sucker Punch. I think that

movie looked super cool. Also had Oscar Isaac

in it. Really enjoyed that one. What else do

I have? Ted. No mention for Ted. Super funny.

Love that guy. Yeah, that's about it. Alright,

well you guys have already talked about probably

about six of my honorable mentions, so I'll skip

over those, but the ones that haven't been mentioned

that I thought about, Moonrise Kingdom was the

other Wes Anderson film that I was highly considering

putting on there. Moneyball let's see what else

did I have perks of being a wallflower? Snowpiercer

the Lego movie from just recently Selma and a

most violent year since I was so confused and

I still don't know where to put a most violent

year as far as which year it came out I just

kind of leave it out there in limbo land and

never put it on a list I'm yeah, I'm the same

way, but it should be on some list somewhere

and then What was the other one? Oh, obviously

a personal favorite, but I just couldn't quite

find a way to get either of them on the list,

and that would be the Planet of the Apes films.

You guys all know how much a champion knows,

but I couldn't realistically put them in the

top ten here, so those were probably some of

the ones that just missed the cut for me, not

counting the ones that you guys had already mentioned.

Any other surprises as far as films that came

up on the list, or were you surprised that certain

films made it into your top 20, Dan, that you

wouldn't have necessarily thought would have

when you first thought of the idea? Well, I guess

I was kind of surprised in how we didn't have

nearly as much crossover as I thought there might

be which is which was interesting I don't know

if there's anyone that really really surprised

me per se I guess I didn't at first kind of didn't

expect the social network to be as high as it

was but as I was kind of considering everything

looking at everything and actually did go back

and we watched that and it kind of just solidified

how much I really loved that movie so I think

one of the things that I kind of liked about

this project and then kind of trying to put this

together was I mean obviously we do our top ten

films of the year every year as we kind of go

through that and I was interested to see that

now when we were looking back at the whole five

years as to how much My original rankings either

held up or didn't hold up and even found it here

when we were doing this I had my number one film

of 2012 was actually Les Mis when I did that

list back at the end of 2012 But when we came

to do this list Django had had leapfrogged over

it a couple spots and they actually ranked Django

higher now So it is fun to see how kind of some

films either grow or diminish as as the years

go by as well Oh, yeah, definitely like my original

top tens are Nothing what they are now like a

year or two later, and it's not just necessarily

I mean obviously you have the aspect of films

that you hadn't caught up to yet So you know

you see a couple films that you hadn't seen and

they bump something out But even the ones that

you had already seen and kind of seeing them

flip -flop spots with some films is kind of interesting

to see as you're kind of evolved so Amanda anything

about making this that surprised you or what

was the toughest part of putting this list together?

I think what? surprised me the most is not having

Harry Potter number one. Before I saw Place Beyond

the Pines pretty recently here then it definitely

would have because like I said it's a big part

of my childhood and it was really awesome experience.

As far as everything else you know I definitely

have my favorites and I have my niche and I have

what I like so I know what I want. Nothing wrong

with that. Alright, so that does it for our look

back at the half decade. We'll have to wait a

few more years before the decade's concluding

to see how much this list even changes by the

time that's all said and done. So hopefully you

guys had fun watching us count down the different

genres, the best actors of the half decade, actresses,

and now finally the films. And now that that

is over and done with, we will shift our focus

to more recent times and we'll be looking next

week at our... top films of 2015 as we all try

to cram in one or two final viewings to see how

they might impact the very... Crowded a space

at least that I have towards my top ten There's

a lot of films right now fighting for that number

ten or number nine spot So let's see how it all

shakes out But let us know how you think your

pick stack up to ours as far as our top 20 films

of the last half Decade let us know which ones

you can't believe none of us mentioned at all

and Let's know what you'd have at number one

You can do that by going to the website geek

cast radio calm finding the episode post and

commenting there And we would love to interact

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handle is at CinemaGeekCast. Amanda, what is

yours? Hard Candy Mandy Eyes No Wives. Mine is

at Optimus Solo. And Dan, yours is? At Movie

Revolt. All right, so that does it for us for

this week. We will talk to you guys next week

as we count down our favorite films of 2015.