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Top 100 Films of the Decade: 2010-2019

Posted by Jared Mobarak on December 31, 2019 · Leave a Comment

If you asked me in 2010 which studios’ films would be amongst my favorites over the next ten years, I probably would have answered two correctly: Fox Searchlight (11) and Sony Pictures Classics (7). Those are two independent shingles of big Hollywood names that have been pumping out quality pictures for decades. Next up would […]

Category essays, top 10 films, top 10 lists, z.slideshow · Tags 12 Years a Slave, 50/50, A Quiet Passion, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, American Animals, Aniara, Arrival, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Black Swan, Blue Valentine, Bullhead, Call Me By Your Name, Calvary, Carlos, Carol, Cloud Atlas, Coherence, Custody, Dunkirk, Enemy, Ex Machina, First Man, For Sama, Frances Ha, Fruitvale Station, Fury, Get Out, Hell or High Water, Hellion, Her, High-Rise, Holy Motors, Honey Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, I Am Love, I Am Not Your Negro, If Beale Street Could Talk, Inception, Inch'Allah, Inside Out, Intouchables, It Comes at Night, Jackie, James White, Lady Macbeth, Leave No Trace, Looper, Luce, Mad Max: Fury Road, Madeline's Madeline, Manchester by the Sea, Marriage Story, Melancholia, Midnight in Paris, Minding the Gap, Moonlight, Mudbound, Never Let Me Go, Oslo August 31st, ParaNorman, Parasite, Pariah, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Rabbit Hole, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Selma, Shame, Short Term 12, Son of Saul, Sound of My Voice, Spotlight, Spring, Spring Breakers, Steve Jobs, The Act of Killing, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, The Farewell, The Fighter, The Hunt, The Master, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Social Network, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, The Tree of Life, The Witch, The Wolf of Wall Street, Thelma, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Toni Erdmann, Transit, Under the Skin, Upstream Color, Waves, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Whiplash, Wild Tales, Wildlife, Wonderstruck, You Were Never Really Here

Top Ten Films of 2012: Ensembles upon ensembles

Posted by Jared Mobarak on February 25, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Many have been saying 2012 was a great year for movies. I’m not sure I fully agree. There were a ton of solid 7/10s and 8/10s, yes, but how does that compare with previous years when the amount of 10/10s were also drastically reduced? It took until September for me to give a film four […]

Category essays, top 10 films · Tags 5 Broken Cameras, A Prophet, A Royal Affair, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin, Berberian Sound Studio, Beyond the Hills, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bradley Cooper, Brit Marling, Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell, David O. Russell, De rouille et d'os, Detropia, Dupa dealuri, Emma Watson, En kongelig affære, Ezra Miller, Frances Ha, Frankenweenie, Girl Walk // All Day, God Bless America, Greenburg, Greta Gerwig, Holy Motors, Hotel Transylvania, Inch'Allah, Jacques Audiard, Jennifer Lawrence, Leos Carax, Liberal Arts, Logan Lerman, Looper, Margot at the Wedding, Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mickey Sumner, Natural Born Killers, Noah Baumbach, ParaNorman, Penélope Cruz, Quvenzhané Wallis, Rian Johnson, Rise of the Guardians, Rust and Bone, Samsara, Searching for Sugar Man, Silver Linings Playbook, Sound of My Voice, Stephen Chbosky, The Avengers, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Gatekeepers, The Imposter, The Invisible War, The Master, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Queen of Versailles, The Squid and the Whale, Tom Tykwer, Twice Born, Venuto al mondo, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Your Sister's Sister

REVIEW: The Perks of Being a Wallflower [2012]

Posted by Jared Mobarak on November 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment

“We are infinite” Adolescent tomes depicting the trials and tribulations of high school are many; the ones infused with psychological trauma and bouts of depression their majority. But while most find the need to talk down to audiences by over saturating themselves in comedic anecdotes rather than humanity, it’s the rare instance of authenticity that […]

Category drama, film reviews, romance · Tags David Bowie, Dexys Midnight Runners, Dylan McDermott, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Harry Potter, Johnny Simmons, Kate Walsh, Logan Lerman, Mae Whitman, Melanie Lynskey, Nicholas Braun, Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd, Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Smiths, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Top Ten Films of 2011: Melancholy with a slice of hope

Posted by Jared Mobarak on February 6, 2012 · Leave a Comment

If anyone tells you 2011 was a bad year for cinema, stop in your tracks, turn around and walk away without ever looking back. They have no idea what they’re talking about. With a wealth of quality films from bonafide auteurs devoid of source material, the sheer amount of original work is astonishing. The trend […]

Category essays, top 10 films · Tags 50/50, A Dangerous Method, A Monster in Paris, A Separation, Albert Brooks, Albert Nobbs, Anders Danielsen Lie, Arthur Christmas, Beginners, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, Bérénice Bejo, Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da, Brad Pitt, Bullhead, Carnage, Christopher Plummer, Der Sandmann, Drive, Elizabeth Olsen, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Ezra Miller, Footnote, Glenn Close, Hanna, Hearat Shulayim, Hell and Back Again, Innocence, Into the Abyss, J. Edgar, Jasper Newell, Jean Dujardin, Jeff Nichols, Jessica Chastain, Joachim Trier, Jodaeiye Nader az Simin, Joe Wright, John Hawkes, John le Carré, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, La piel que habito, Lars von Trier, Le gamin au vélo, Lipstikka, Margaret, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Matthias Schoenaerts, Meek's Cutoff, Melancholia, Michael Fassbender, Michael Shannon, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, Mike Mills, Miss Bala, My Week with Marilyn, Nevinnost, Nickel City Smiler, Octavia Spencer, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Oslo 31. august, Oslo August 31st, Pariah, Patang, Pina, Project Nim, Puss in Boots, Rango, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Romeo Eleven, Roméo Onze, Rooney Mara, Rundskop, Sareh Bayat, Senna, Seth Rogen, Shailene Woodley, Shame, Steve McQueen, Take Shelter, Terrence Malick, The Adventures of Tintin, The Artist, The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, The Chemical Brothers, The Descendants, The Future, The Help, The Interrupters, The Iron Lady, The Kid with a Bike, The Kite, The Sandman, The Skin I Live In, The Tree of Life, Tilda Swinton, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tomas Alfredson, Viola Davis, W.E., We Need to Talk About Kevin, Will Reiser, Woody Allen

Top 25 Films of 2011

Posted by Jared Mobarak on February 6, 2012 · 1 Comment

(short and sweet and to the point; culled from watching 150 releases. constantly updated as i catch up to those i missed. click poster for review if applicable) #25: Win Win directed by Thomas McCarthy #24: The Adjustment Bureau directed by George Nolfi #23: Super 8 directed by J.J. Abrams #22: Source Code directed by […]

Category top 10 films by year, top 10 lists · Tags 50/50, A Separation, Andrew Haigh, Asghar Farhadi, Asif Kapadia, Beginners, Bullhead, Contagion, Duncan Jones, Eric Toledano, George Nolfi, Göran Olsson, Hanna, Intouchables, J.J. Abrams, Jeff Nichols, Joachim Trier, Jodaeiye Nader az Simin, Joe Wright, Jonathan Levine, Lars von Trier, Lynne Ramsay, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Melancholia, Michaël R. Roskam, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, Mike Mills, Olivier Nakache, Oslo 31. august, Oslo August 31st, Pablo Larraín, Post Mortem, Rundskop, Santiago 73 post mortem, Sean Durkin, Senna, Shame, Source Code, Steve James, Steve McQueen, Steven Soderbergh, Super 8, Take Shelter, Terrence Malick, The Adjustment Bureau, The Artist, The Interrupters, The Intouchables, The Tree of Life, Thomas McCarthy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tomas Alfredson, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Weekend, Win Win, Woody Allen

Picking Winners at the 84th Annual Academy Awards

Posted by Jared Mobarak on February 5, 2012 · Leave a Comment

For the next week and a half, Spree contributor William C. Altreuter, our online film reviewer Jared Mobarak, and me will share our thoughts on who will take home the Oscars. Let’s kick things off with … Best Supporting Actress. —C. S. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Bérénice Bejo – The Artist as Peppy Miller Jessica Chastain – […]

Category essays, oscars · Tags 50/50, A Better Life, A Cry in the Dark, A Dangerous Method, A Separation, Aaron Sorkin, Albert Brooks, Albert Nobbs, Alexander Payne, Andy Serkis, Annie Hall, Annie Mumolo, Anthony Bourdain, Asghar Farhadi, Banksy, Beau Willimon, Beerfest, Beginners, Ben Affleck, Ben Kingsley, Bérénice Bejo, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Brian Selznick, Bridesmaids, Bridget O'Connor, Brunson Green, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bull Durham, Carey Mulligan, Che, Cher, Chris Columbus, Christopher Plummer, Community, Corey Stoll, Crash, Dangerous Liaisons, David Fincher, Dede Gardner, Demián Bichir, Doubt, Drive, Elena Anaya, Emma Stone, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Ezra Miller, Fatal Attraction, Gary Oldman, George Clooney, Gladiator, Glenn Close, Good Will Hunting, Graham King, Grant Heslov, Grant Hill, Hannah and Her Sisters, Harvey Weinstein, Helen Mirren, Hugo, Ironweed, J. Edgar, J.C. Chandor, Jamie Foxx, Janet McTeer, Jason Reitman, Javier Bardem, Jean Dujardin, Jessica Chastain, Jim Burke, Jim Rash, Jim Taylor, Jodie Foster, John Hawkes, John le Carré, John Logan, Jonah Hill, Jonathan Safran Foer, Kathleen Kennedy, Kaui Hart Hemmings, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Kristen Wiig, Leonardo DiCaprio, Letty Aronson, Maggie Smith, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Martin Scorsese, Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, Max von Sydow, Melissa McCarthy, Meryl Streep, Michael Barnathan, Michael De Luca, Michael Fassbender, Michael Lewis, Michael Shannon, Michel Hazanavicius, Michelle Williams, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, Moonstruck, My Week with Marilyn, Nat Faxon, Nick Nolte, Noomi Rapace, Octavia Spencer, Patton Oswalt, Peter O'Toole, Peter Straughan, Rachael Horovitz, Rampart, Ray, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Robert Forster, Roberto Benigni, Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling, Sarah Green, Sareh Bayat, Scott Rudin, Sexy Beast, Shailene Woodley, Shame, Sissy Spacek, Spike Lee, Stan Chervin, Stephen Tenenbaum, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg, Steven Zaillian, Stieg Larsson, Take Shelter, Terrence Malick, The Accused, The Artist, The Bicycle Thief, The Big Chill, The Blind Side, The China Syndrome, The Constant Gardener, The Descendents, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, The Ides of March, The Insider, The Iron Lady, The Last Station, The Natural, The Pride of the Yankees, The Queen, The Skin I Live In, The Tree of Life, The Way, The World According to Garp, Thomas Langmann, Tilda Swinton, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tom Hanks, Tom Hooper, Viggo Mortensen, Viola Davis, War Horse, Warrior, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Weeds, Woody Allen, Woody Harrelson, Young Adult

REVIEW: We Need to Talk About Kevin [2011]

Posted by Jared Mobarak on December 27, 2011 · 1 Comment

“He’s a funny little boy, isn’t he? But there’s nothing wrong with him.” Six words coming too late—We Need to Talk About Kevin. For mother Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton), the sociopathic tendencies of her boy were prevalent since conception. But to her husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) their son was a happy, polite kid living […]

Category drama, film reviews, suspense/thriller · Tags Alex Manette, Ashley Gerasimovich, Buddy Holly, Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell, John C. Reilly, Kenneth Franklin, Lionel Shriver, Lonnie Donegan, Lynne Ramsay, Rory Kinnear, Seamus McGarvey, The Beach Boys, Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Posterized Propaganda December 2011: Numbers and Faces

Posted by Jared Mobarak on November 30, 2011 · Leave a Comment

“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill […]

Category film features, posterized propaganda · Tags A Dangerous Method, A Serbian Film, Adaptation, Adepero Oduye, Albert Nobbs, Angelina Jolie, Ashton Kutcher, AV Squad, Basquiat, Bemis Balkind, Blood & Chocolate, BLT & Associates, Carey Mulligan, Carnage, Catherine Tate, Chuck Close, Cold Open, Creative Partnership, Daniel Craig, Ego Communications, Emily Browning, Empire Design, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Gravillis Inc., I Heart Huckabees, Ignition Print, In the Land of Blood and Honey, Kellerhouse Inc., Margaret Thatcher, Mark W. Carroll, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Meryl Streep, Michael Fassbender, Midnight Oil Creative, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Mojo, monsieur x studio, New Year's Eve, Night Watch, Outrage, Pariah, Pulp Fiction, Ragtime, Robert Russell, Roman Polanski, Rooney Mara, Rosemary's Baby, Shame, Shepard Fairey, Sleeping Beauty, Steve McQueen, Stieg Larsson, The Adventures of Tintin, The Darkest Hour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Iron Lady, The Lady, The Refinery, The Sitter, The Transporter, Tilda Swinton, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tom Cruise, Tracey Ullman, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Young Adult

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