DVDizzy.com: The Top 100 Films of the Half-Decade (#HalfDecadeHundred) -- 2010-2014

DVDizzy.com Presents
The Top 100 Films of the Half-Decade (2010-2014)
Page 2: #80-61

"Young Adult", #80, stars Charlize Theron as Mavis Gary, a caustic, stunted former prom queen who now ghost-writes a popular series of young adult novels.

80. Young Adult
2011, 94 minutes, R / Director: Jason Reitman / Writer: Diablo Cody / Stars: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Oswalt
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The film that slowed the highly promising careers of both director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody (who first collaborated on Juno), this caustic comedy is as polarizing as cinema gets, but I find it much easier to love than hate. Full Blu-ray Review

79. Inception
2010, 148 minutes, PG-13 / Writer/Director: Christopher Nolan / Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Caine
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Christopher Nolan's dream thriller is inventive and original, if just a bit overproduced.

@DVDizzy_com My favourite movie is 'Inception'. An amazing thinking/action film about levels of dreams from Nolan's mind. #HalfDecadeHundred
— Aaron Freeman (@AaronEFreeman) January 7, 2015

Self-made Los Angeles superheroes The Green Hornet (Seth Rogen) and Kato (Jay Chou) collect their thoughts in the midst of climactic action in #78, "The Green Hornet."

78. The Green Hornet
2011, 119 minutes, PG-13 / Director: Michel Gondry / Writers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, George W. Trendle / Stars: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Christoph Waltz
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The welcome panache Michel Gondry brought to this standalone production seems to have been wasted on viewers, many of whom hold it in low regard. Since this, the director has been scarce, Rogen and Goldberg have stuck to comedy, and superhero movies have been pretty like-minded. Full Blu-ray 3D Combo Review

77. The Fault in Our Stars
2014, 126 minutes, PG-13 / Director: Josh Boone / Writers: John Green, Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber / Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe
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A YA romance between cancer-stricken teens does not inspire much confidence, so this film's wisdom, emotion, and heart all go a long way in pleasantly surprising.

76. The Drop
2014, 106 minutes, R / Director: Michaël R. Roskam / Writer: Dennis Lehane / Stars: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts
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This Brooklyn crime drama from Gone Baby Gone's author didn't drum up much business in mid-sized release, but it made a lasting impact on me with its strong story and performances. Full Movie Review

@DVDizzy_com #HalfDecadeHundred From a couple days ago, I agree about quality of THE DROP. Shame on Fox for not giving you review copy!
— Jake Lipson (@JakeLipson1) January 14, 2015

75. Super 8
2011, 112 minutes, PG-13 / Writer/Director: J.J. Abrams / Stars: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Kyle Chandler
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J.J. Abrams' homage to classic Spielberg sci-fi falls apart slightly at its end, but it's already won you over with its appealing throwback vibe.

@DVDizzy_com I just can't understand how the bloody heck 'Super 8' managed it to this list! #HalfDecadeHundred
— Mark Brown (@The_Anim_Comm) January 14, 2015

Ben Stiller plays Roger Greenberg, the opinionated, dependent Hollywood-house-sitting protagonist of #74, Noah Baumbach's "Greenberg."

74. Greenberg
2010, 107 minutes, R / Director: Noah Baumbach / Writers: Noah Baumbach, Jennifer Jason Leigh / Stars: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Jason Leigh
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Another comedy with a misanthropic protagonist that left the general public cold, this indie is the perfect place for Noah Baumbach and Ben Stiller to cross creative paths. Full DVD Review

Merida shows up her suitors with her perfect archery skills in "Brave", #73 on our Half-Decade Hundred.

73. Brave
2012, 94 minutes, PG / Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman / Writers: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Irene Mecchi / Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
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Pixar's medieval adventure is a film I want to like more than I do. Though it's the best of the studio's last three features, it never reaches the creative heights of the company's very best works. Still, even a lesser Pixar effort is better than all but around 72 films a half-decade. Full Blu-ray 3D Combo Review

72. Iron Man 2
2010, 124 minutes, PG-13 / Director: Jon Favreau / Writer: Justin Theroux / Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke
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From its initial release on, it's been popular to trash on this sequel, but I found it a marked improvement over the first film, whose near-universal acclaim felt excessive. Are expectations at play here? Probably. Still, there's no denying this sequel's immense entertainment value.

Who would ever guess that things do not go exactly to plan for Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day), and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis)?

71. Horrible Bosses
2011, 98 minutes, R / Director: Seth Gordon / Writers: Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein / Stars: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Foxx
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This improbably riotous black comedy is a lot better than most of the other things these actors have given us. Full Blu-ray Combo Review

Newly-orphaned Australian teen Joshua "J" Cody (James Frecheville) gets a taste of his family's criminal dealings when he moves into their suburban Melbourne home in #70, "Animal Kingdom."

70. Animal Kingdom
2010, 113 minutes, R / Writer/Director: David Michôd / Stars: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton, James Frecheville
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This Australian crime family drama delivers a punch to the gut you won't soon forget. Full DVD Review

69. Moonrise Kingdom
2012, 94 minutes, PG-13 / Director: Wes Anderson / Writers: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola / Stars: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman
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After the thoroughly disappointing Grand Budapest Hotel, I now fear this film was the first sign of quirk overtaking charm in Wes Anderson's comedies. But I remember enjoying it like the ones before it. Based on my love of Anderson's earlier movies, I hope he can soon restore my faith and I can share in the rampant appreciation his latest have curiously generated.

In #68, "The Intouchables", Philippe (François Cluzet) and Driss (Omar Sy) make an amusingly inappropriate amount of noise at the start of a four-hour opera.

68. The Intouchables
2012, 112 minutes, R / Writer/Directors: Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache / Stars: François Cluzet, Omary Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot
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Feel-good entertainment rarely entertains and feels as good as in this blockbuster French friendship comedy. Full Blu-ray Review

Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) takes P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) around Disneyland in a fun scene invented for #67, "Saving Mr. Banks."

67. Saving Mr. Banks
2013, 126 minutes, PG-13 / Director: John Lee Hancock / Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith / Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell
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This would have been a much better film either without or with much less of the Australian backstory. The '60s behind-the-scenes of Mary Poppins drama is great and better than you could have imagined given the director's résumé and the fact that it's Disney telling a story about Walt. All in all, this deserved more industry recognition. Full Blu-ray Review

In "Boyhood", #66, cool divorced dad Mason (Ethan Hawke) is subjected to two separate conversations from his children Mason Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) and Samantha (Lorelei Linklater).

66. Boyhood
2014, 165 minutes, R / Writer/Director: Richard Linklater / Stars: Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Marco Perella
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I've sung writer-director Richard Linklater's praises for years, so I wish I could see the brilliance that has made this so beloved and a near-lock to win the Best Picture Oscar. As the high ranking demonstrates, there is plenty to appreciate about this coming-of-age drama twelve years in the making, from its ambitious concept to its stellar first hour. It is overlong and keeps going downhill, though, that may be intentional, since some might say that about life. Full Blu-ray Combo Review

Boyhood is a rare film in US cinema: a coming of age story that actually has meaning, nuance, depth and poetry #HalfDecadeHundred
— Christopher Disher (@ckdish) January 8, 2015

65. Frances Ha
2013, 86 minutes, R / Director: Noah Baumbach / Writers: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig / Stars: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Charlotte D'Amboise, Adam Driver
Buy It: Blu-ray Combo

Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig's second collaboration and second to chart is an effervescent and memorable modern comedy with the style of a French New Wave film. Full Blu-ray Combo Review

In #64, "Amour", Georges Laurent (Jean-Louis Trintignant) spoon-feeds his wife Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) after a stroke leaves her partially paralyzed and highly dependent.

64. Amour
2012, 127 minutes, PG-13 / Writer/Director: Michael Haneke / Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, Alexandre Tharaud
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A poignant portrait of a tested old love. Full Blu-ray Review

63. Blue Valentine
2010, 112 minutes, R / Director: Derek Cianfrance / Writers: Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne / Stars: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
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A painfully honest look at falling in and out of love. Full DVD Review

Something bizarre and otherworldly awaits Gary (Simon Pegg) and Andy (Nick Frost) at the final stop of their epic Golden Mile pub crawl in #62, ":The World's End."

62. The World's End
2013, 109 minutes, R / Director: Simon Pegg / Writers: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright / Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike
Buy It: Blu-ray Combo • DVD • Instant Video • Cornetto Trilogy Blu-ray • Cornetto Trilogy DVD

This final chapter of the tremendously entertaining Cornetto Trilogy is best when it's about four friends reuniting for a pub crawl. Though it loses something in its second half of sci-fi action, it still adds up to a good time. Full Blu-ray Combo Review

Queen Elizabeth I (Helena Bonham Carter) joins in her husband's (Colin Firth) speech therapy with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) in #61, "The King's Speech."

61. The King's Speech
2010, 118 minutes, R / Director: Tom Hooper / Writer: David Seidler / Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Ehle
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A traditional and conventional awards winner, but the kind that's genuinely enjoyable to watch. Full DVD Review

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