I wanted to wait a few months to let the hype die down from movies of the last year before making this list, so here we are nearing the end of May before I finally sit down and comb through the 1500~ movies I saw from the 2010s to determine my 50 favorites -- or, in the very least, the 50 movies that have stuck with me the most for a variety of reasons. I'm not some kind of professional critic, so my opinions aren't part of the sphere of criticism where timely themes and things of that ilk are essential to my viewing experience, so take this list as it should be taken: as my opinion based on my own personal preference.
So now that I've gotten that out of the way (translation: now that I've written that part everyone skips over to get to the parts with bold text and big pictures, where afterwards they can tell me how wrong I am for thinking something they don't think), let's do the list part. You know, the part with bold text and big pictures. The fun stuff.
BUT FIRST!
Here are a handful of honorable mentions. Movies I wanted to fit into my top 50, but there just wasn't enough room. I'm not including all the stuff I wanted to have make it, as that would take another 30-40 spaces to do so, so I'm just going to highlight a few that I really enjoyed, have stuck with me, or I feel are noteworthy.
HONORABLE MENTION-
Moonlight, d. Barry Jenkins - 2016
You might have heard of this one, as it made a pretty big splash a few years back when it literally took the Oscar for Best Picture out of La La Land's producers' hands. It may have the most Oscar-baity premise (gay black kid raised by a junkie), but this is so much more than that. It's a heartfelt drama with wonderful performances (Mahershala Ali in particular) and a three act structure that really allows each slice of time in the main character's life to have its intimate and powerful moments.
HONORABLE MENTION-
Guardians Of The Galaxy 1 + 2, d. James Gunn - 2014 + 2017
I was skeptical of Vol 1 going in and was pleasantly surprised, with an almost exact opposite response to part 2. However, after some time and a rewatch or two, my thoughts on both of these movies has leveled out, and I would have to put them pretty much in the same spot. They are, to me, the best the MCU (or any modern Disney product, for that matter) has to offer, perfectly balancing humor, action, fantasy, and drama. They're perfect popcorn movies.
HONORABLE MENTION-
Avengers: Infinity War, d. Anthony & Joe Russo - 2018
Whoops, I accidentally forgot this movie until I was in the middle of typing about GotG 1+2. Maybe those are the perfect popcorn movies, but this is the perfect "ignore the popcorn, this is getting serious" popcorn movie of the decade. It's essentially the Marvel equivalent of The Empire Strikes Back, ending on a famous dark note which was sadly ruined in the follow-up, which would probably make my top 50 least favorite movies of the decade. Either way, this is a good one, and I still think it holds up after repeat viewings.
HONORABLE MENTION-
Exit Through The Gift Shop, d. Banksy - 2010
Banksy is probably the most mythical artist, largely due to his social/artistic satires and the fact no one really even knows what he looks like. Assuming he's a he. And assuming he's only one person. That being said, this is the most amazing piece of art of Banksy's career, a documentary showing just how ridiculous the art community really is. It's not something I feel like spoiling for anyone interested in watching this story unfold, but suffice it to say it's left a pretty huge impression on me in the 9-10 years since I first saw it.
HONORABLE MENTION-
The Master, d. Paul Thomas Anderson - 2012
I had a difficult time watching this movie the first time around, and part of that is due to my ridiculously high expectations. Following up my favorite movie wasn't going to be an easy task for PTA, but after several years and a half dozen or so viewings, I can safely say this was not a disappointment. There's a lot to unfold here in it's scathing criticism of manufactured religion, and that's all held together by beautiful cinematography and a trio of career-defining performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams.
HONORABLE MENTION-
Silence, d. Martin Scorsese - 2016
And I forgot this one, too. It's hard to go through over 1000 movies in one sitting, and apparently my mind just skipped over some stuff that should have been included. Oh well. Either way, this is one of the best movies Scorsese has made in the past 20 years, and while I have issues with Andrew Garfield's accent throughout, the performances here are mostly pretty fantastic. It's a very slow and contemplative movie that I have only enjoyed more on rewatch. Probably could have landed near the top 25 had I not been so absent-minded.
HONORABLE MENTION-
Sleep Has Her House, d. Scott Barley - 2017
My last honorable mention goes to the film I couldn't possibly recommend to anyone, as it really isn't a movie, but a collection of composite shots organized together to form a loose visual narrative. Even describing it makes me sound like a pretentious snob, but there is something otherworldly and fascinating to me about this film. There is no dialogue, just images that slowly change and morph to a droning, minimalistic musical score. But the overall effect is one that I just can't ignore. It's something else entirely from any film I've ever seen, and is realistically worthy of a numbered placement on this list, but I'm leaving it here instead for now because I don't really know what else to do with it.
And here is where I include a little bit of filler text just to break apart the honorable mentions and the actual top 50. La la la, filler text, bing bing wahoo dingo baby.
Okay, proceed.
50-
Anomalisa, d. Charlie Kaufman + Duke Johnson - 2015
A very intimate and heady movie (as you might expect from Kaufman), Anomalisa doesn't go the weirdo route like most of his screenplays do, and the result is all the more powerful because of it. Fantastic voice acting, unique animation, and a very smart script come together to form something genuinely wonderful.
49-
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, d. Martin McDonagh - 2017
If this were a top 50 based on my first impressions watching a movie, this might have landed in the top 5. However, after a recent rewatch, while I still do hold this movie in high regard, the emotional impact it left on me was sadly less than spectacular. I still see this as a fantastic drama with one of the strongest acting ensembles of the decade, but it didn't hit me quite so hard this last time. This almost sounds like I don't like the movie, but this merely pushed it down from a 10 to a 9.
48-
127 Hours, d. Danny Boyle - 2010
A highly stylized drama with a career-best James Franco, this is one of those films that either works for you or you just find boring. I love the controlled setting and how well the camerawork keeps it fresh and interesting, with super sharp editing and a lively musical score. Franco handles all the emotional highs and lows required of him, with only a few distracting moments (smacking his lips and saying "mmm, dinner time" still makes me chuckle at the stupidity) to take away from what I still see as the performance that should have won the Oscar.
47-
The Revenant, d. Alejandro G. Inarritu - 2015
While I still have issues with DiCaprio's unfocused accent and fixation on suffering in-character over actually acting, The Revenant is still one of the most impressive, visually-stunning movies of the 2010s and an absolute achievement in filmmaking on every technical level. Unlike something like Gravity (which didn't really captivate me outside of the spectacle), The Revenant actually tells a story, has some great acting/characters (Tom Hardy steals the show), and does it all with a look and feel entirely its own. It just keeps getting better every time I watch it.
46-
A Field In England, d. Ben Wheatley - 2013
I'm a bit of a sucker for modern black and white movies, I'll admit, but Wheatley doesn't just use it as a meaningless stylistic flourish, it actually helps to ground the movie in its 17th century setting and Bergman-esque feel. It's part horror, part fantasy, and all bizarre, as a majority of the film takes place with characters having just ingested mushrooms. I disliked this movie the first time around, but it's another that has grown on me over the years, with every subsequent viewing increasing my affection for it.
45-
Get Out, d. Jordan Peele - 2017
Following the announcement that one half of comedy duo Key & Peele would be trying his hand at horror, I get to say I was one of the people out there who was actually excited to see what he'd come up with. I know, for once I was actually "right". That being said, I still didn't expect this to be that good. This is a wonderful movie with a fantastic script that uses all sorts of reintegration to create as fleshed-out and believable narrative as possible within its bizarre and frankly illogical premise. It's one of the defining horror movies of the decade, and one which has already left a game-changing impact on the genre.
44-
Lake Mungo, d. Joel Anderson - 2010
It's rare to come across a horror movie that puts this much thought and effort into crafting a believable story rather than just a skeleton to cram jump-scares into, and Lake Mungo is just that movie. A faux-documentary on the mysterious and tragic events surrounding the drowning of a teenage girl, this isn't much of a horror movie as far as thrills go, but rather a fascinating and captivating movie that gets you so invested in finding out what happened that the smallest details become all the more chilling. It's effective in every way it needs to be, and even though it had small festival releases back in 2008, I'm still counting it as a 2010 movie due to its US release date.
43-
The Wailing, d. Na Hong-jin - 2016
Believe it or not, I didn't intend to shove all these horror movies into one spot, but it does work to show just how much variety there is within the genre. A 2-and-a-half hour horror/mystery/thriller with some bizarre supernatural elements, The Wailing is one of my favorite Korean movies and has one of the most heart-pounding final acts of the decade. There's a lot to love here, and if you don't mind reading a horror movie for this long, I can't see many people not finding this genuinely fascinating and sufficiently creepy.
42-
Brawl In Cell Block 99, d. S. Craig Zahler - 2017
There aren't many directors out there right now with as much range and obvious love for movies as Zahler. He wears his influences on his sleeve, and this throwback prison thriller is as pure of a modern grindhouse movie as you could hope for. Vince Vaughn gives a shockingly intimidating performance in this, beating the ever-loving crap out of pretty much anyone who stands in his way, but really it's the changing of settings that makes this movie so fun for me. It felt like the prison equivalent of The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, and I loved every grimy minute of it.
41-
The World's End, d. Edgar Wright - 2013
The least popular in the Cornetto trilogy, but still possibly my favorite. Taking on a more difficult role than the previous films in this loose trilogy, Simon Pegg's performance here is his best ever. Much like Shaun Of The Dead, there's an apocalyptic tone to this movie that makes it oddly tragic, blending the comedy with its sci-fi premise to make for something truly special. It's sharp, fast-paced, but not afraid to slow down for great character moments.
40-
Dave Made A Maze, d. Bill Watterson - 2017
You might think a movie about a guy who builds a cardboard fort in his house it might sound like a dumb and/or cheap set-up for a movie, but while it definitely takes joy in its low-budgetedness at times, the amount of effort, thought, and time spent to build the sets and creatures in this movie is truly a creative miracle. This is an odd movie that blends tons of genres, and while the results are a little rough around the edges, it has every reason to not be polished. I was totally drawn into this movie, and found its style captivating in every way.
39-
Fences, d. Denzel Washington - 2016
A film adaptation of a stage play that realizes the value in a stage play. Denzel Washington is one of the best actors alive, and while his direction isn't particularly mind-blowing, it was this subdued approach to the filmmaking that helped keep focus on the characters and not get bogged down with extraneous details. All involved give memorable performances, with Viola Davis and Denzel giving among the finest performances of their careers. This is an amazingly well-paced movie that flies by, and it's just as good (or better) the second time around.
38-
The Skin I Live In, d. Pedro Almodovar - 2011
This is the movie that made me realize Antonio Banderas was actually a good actor. I didn't know he was until I discovered Pedro Almodovar, and while this movie isn't an accurate representation of the director's usual style and tone, I still see it as some of the best stuff he's ever made. I particularly love the twisted body horror aspects to the story. This will be a tough one for casual moviegoers to get into, but as a verifiable sicko, I found it pretty awesome and it helped open me up to more bizarre films -- a fascination that's pretty much defined my taste over the past decade or so.
37-
Bone Tomahawk, d. S. Craig Zahler - 2015
I find it difficult to pick a favorite among Zahler's 3 directorial efforts, but if I'm measuring it based on the single movie of his I find myself thinking back on or watching the most, it would have to be Bone Tomahawk. A western/horror that doesn't shy away from the grotesque, Bone Tomahawk takes some very dark turns in the final third, mostly functioning as a pure western up until that point, but it doesn't ever present these horror aspects in a typical way. It's so cold and callous in its execution, which makes it all the more horrific. A great Kurt Russell performance, too, which is enough on its own to make me love it.
36-
Border, d. Ali Abbasi - 2018
Rarely is prosthetic makeup in a movie so good that you genuinely don't can't tell if the actor looks like that or not. Rarer still is a movie that takes such a bizarre and kind of disturbing turn at the halfway mark that it successfully recontextualizes the entire film preceding it. Without spoiling the whole movie even further, this is an odd one that most people would want to shut off just from being bored, but the direction it takes is so peculiar and grim that I can't help but to love it. But this isn't a movie that relies on a twist to be good, it offers strong performances, a compelling story, and a heartbreaking lead character that's impossible not to sympathize with.
35-
Path Of Blood, d. Eric Power - 2016
We stumbled upon this at a horror convention when a very enthusiastic booth operator showed us clips from a construction paper animated Japanese-language throwback samurai film, and we were pretty instantly sold on it. At just over an hour long, Eric Power's achievement in singlehandedly animating this movie is a marvel of its own, but the amount of joy we felt watching it elevated it even higher in my mind. It's a simple movie in story, complex in execution, and Power's obvious love of classic samurai movies and culture is very apparent. It's a total passion project, and it's wonderful.
34-
Mad Max: Fury Road, d. George Miller - 2015
The original Mad Max trilogy are a bit hit-and-miss for me. The Road Warrior is probably the best one, but it still has some big issues for me that I just can't ignore. Fury Road, in all its chaotic beauty, is the perfect way to reboot. Almost entirely one long action scene, this is one of the most incredible-looking movies I've seen, the action is relentless but never dull, and Charlize Theron gives a surprisingly strong performance. It's one of the biggest, fastest, and coolest action movies around, and one of the best of the decade.
33-
Turbo Kid, d. Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell & Yoann-Karl Whissell - 2015
The 2010s were a decade of movies almost defined by '80s nostalgia, and Turbo Kid is as wonderful a celebration of '80s style action as you could hope for. With a lot of heart and a wonderful amount of over-the-top gore, Turbo Kid works not only as a perfect send-up to classic post apocalypse movies, but as its own thing. Throw in some charming leads and Michael Ironside as the film's main villain and you've got yourself something truly special.
32-
Roma, d. Alfonso Cuaron - 2018
I didn't get this movie the first time around, and found the praise surrounding it genuinely confusing. But, as happens quite a lot with me, I found myself compelled to watch it again after I kept coming back to it in my head, and I loved it. Not only is this one of the most well-shot movies of the decade, but it's a beautifully understated drama with a full and rich environment packed with extras and sound and texture. It's an intimate story that works on every dramatic and technical level, even if it can be a little slow at times.
31-
Phantom Thread, d. Paul Thomas Anderson - 2017
Another slow and wonderfully-shot character drama, this one instantly grabbed ahold of me thanks to its wicked sense of humor and an unsurprisingly incredible (and supposedly final) performance by Daniel Day-Lewis. It's a Paul Thomas Anderson movie, so automatically it's going to earn high praise from me in regards to filmmaking technique, but it's really the humor and character work here that makes it stand out. Day-Lewis's character is intricate and well-developed, standing beside (but slightly behind) Daniel Plainview as some of the best work of his career.
30-
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, d. Edgar Wright - 2010
As much as I love the Cornetto trilogy, my favorite Edgar Wright just might be this one. One of the most fast-paced, ADHD-ridden movies I've ever seen, this movie is impossible to be bored by. It's quick, funny, full of great one-liners and memorable characters. While I can see why it might just be too much for some people who'd find the video game attitude and aesthetic generally unappealing, I really enjoy it and am constantly finding new things to admire about it.
29-
Django Unchained, d. Quentin Tarantino - 2012
It's been a long road to me finally accepting and enjoying Django Unchained in its entirety, but I'm finally there. For years, I was almost aggressive in my disdain for this movie, only recently allowing myself to open up to it again (in spite of a handful of prior rewatches), and boy am I glad I did. This is just a lot of fun, even during the final act that I've always thought dragged on a bit too long. It almost feels like I'm betraying myself right now, but I really don't care. I can be wrong sometimes.
28-
Mandy, d. Panos Cosmatos - 2018
With a story that's a bit like Nic Cage's previous movie Drive Angry and the visual style Cosmatos brought to Beyond The Black Rainbow, Mandy manages not to feel so much a sum of its parts as the natural conclusion of everything leading up to it. It's very slow but harsh; it's grimy but gorgeous. Many things about this movie feel like they'd be at odds with each other, but it all comes together in the best sort of way. It's definitely not for everyone, but for those who can appreciate it, this is a truly great movie.
27-
The Grand Budapest Hotel, d. Wes Anderson - 2014
This is a Wes Anderson movie. It's a great Wes Anderson movie. If you like his movies, you know you'll like this, but if you find his whimsical style a little too much for you, you probably won't like it. Great ensemble cast, wonderful set design, cinematography, etc. It's got everything I could have wanted it to be, and I love it.
26-
John Wick: Chapter 2, d. Chad Stahelski - 2017
As much as I enjoyed the first John Wick, I felt like this was an improvement in every way. It's pretty much just what you'd expect from an old-school action movie: bigger, shinier, cooler. This is a slick movie with awesome fight choreography, editing, and a Keanu Reeves character/performance that I actually find convincing. I didn't care much for the third John Wick, and I doubt there will be another that will hit this high for me, but the euphoria I felt during this movie was just incredible. I had a stupid grin on my face the entire way through.
25-
An Elephant Sitting Still, d. Hu Bo - 2019
This is one of the single most depressing movies I've ever seen, and with a runtime of nearly 4 hours it seems like it might be torturous to sit through, but I was thoroughly captivated and found it sticking with me long after watching. I don't know if I will ever watch this again, as the 240 minutes it puts you through is definitely a lot to handle, but I don't think I'll be forgetting this movie for a long time, if ever. As both a feature length debut and final film, Hu Bo gave us quite an accomplishment.
24-
The Death Of Stalin, d. Armando Iannucci - 2018
Usually putting his efforts into TV instead of movies, Iannucci is every bit as sharp and biting working on a film. With all British actors playing Russians speaking English, it's hard to call this a totally accurate movie, but the attention to detail in other aspects and the balance of its genuinely dark material with the humor makes for a very memorable experience. Sadly, from a visual perspective it's a pretty boring movie to look at, shot similarly to Iannucci's TV shows, but that's not really the point, and doesn't distract at all from how funny and entertaining it is all around.
23-
The Act Of Killing/The Look Of Silence, d. Joshua Oppenheimer - 2013/2015
I would ordinarily call it cheating to include two movies in one slot, but with this documentary pair, I really couldn't do anything else. These documentaries are focused on a very dark time in Indonesian history that sadly still seems to be alive in some ways to this day. It's hard to sum these up in such a short space, so I won't even bother, but there are some moments in both of these films that I doubt I'll ever forget. It's powerful filmmaking, and something I think everyone should watch -- even if they find it difficult to sit through.
22-
It's Such A Beautiful Day, d. Don Hertzfeldt - 2012
On the surface you have a very crudely drawn movie with a childish sense of humor. Just below that surface you have a loosely connected series of vignettes (yeah, I'm gettin' all fancy with my words now) pertaining to the absurdity of existence and life as a whole. It's a funny, silly, and thought-provoking film that is wholly its own thing. Don Hertzfeldt has a very particular style and sense of absurdist humor that works great for that style, and this is his most significant work as far as I'm concerned.
21-
The Favourite, d. Yorgos Lanthimos - 2018
I've been watching Lanthimos' movies for a while now, and though I'm not always the biggest fan of his movies, they have a style and approach that's unlike anything else around. And The Favourite, his break into the mainstream (as mainstream as he could ever get without compromising his weirdo sensibilities) is easily my favorite thing he's done. With a wickedly dark sense of humor, a bunch of fantastic performances, and some of the most lavish sets and costumes you can imagine, this is just an all-round success. The only drawback some people might have is the historical accuracy aspect, which I couldn't really comment on, not being a huge history buff myself. Either way, this is a great movie and it was even better the second time around.
20-
Under The Skin, d. Jonathan Glazer - 2014
Part horror, part sci-fi, Under The Skin is very much not what you'd expect from either of these genres. Focusing on a very odd character played by Scarlett Johansson, this movie is shot in a semi-guerrilla style, but still manages to maintain an aesthetic tone consistently throughout. Scenes where Johansson lures men into a dark room are both beautiful and harrowing, and the music accompanying those moments are a big part of it. This is one of the most haunting musical scores I've ever heard, and an absolutely essential part of the film as a whole. It's an odd one, it's creepy when it needs to be, and is just overall a very difficult experience to shake.
19-
The Wolf Of Wall Street, d. Martin Scorsese - 2013
Here's yet another movie I didn't like the first time around. In fact, I hated this movie when I first saw it, calling it one of my least favorites of 2013. I apparently misread its excesses as something else, but that's not what we're focusing on here. This is a big, loud, bright, and ridiculous movie with over-the-top performances, and a tone that reflects every scene perfectly. Not only is this one of the best possible roles for DiCaprio, but it's also weirdly the perfect use for Jonah Hill, who gives one of my favorite supporting performances of the 2010s here. This is not a movie for the easily offended, and at a sprawling 3 hours long, it might just be too much for most people to enjoy. But I have grown to love it, and see it as one of the best things Scorsese has ever done.
18-
Drive, d. Nicholas Winding Refn - 2011
Close to a decade ago when this movie first came out, it received some backlash from certain moviegoers for not being what it was advertised as being. People expected a Fast And The Furious movie, but damned if they weren't tricked into watching an actual film by a filmmaker with a vision that didn't just involve a bunch of 0's. This is an artsy movie in a lot of ways, with a deliberate pacing, gruesome violence, and a main character that's hard to get too attached to. With a memorable '80s aesthetic (I feel this movie helped to make '80s nostalgia into a commodity) and an equally unforgettable supporting villainous turn from Albert Brooks, there's nothing I can't say I enjoyed about this film at this point. It took some warming up to, but it's still fantastic.
17-
13 Assassins, d. Takashi Miike - 2011
An ultra-violent throwback to classic samurai films of days gone by, 13 Assassins is pretty much exactly what you might expect from a Takashi Miike take on the genre. The set-up is simple, the characters are exactly as detailed as they need to be, and the execution is almost too badass to exist. There are a couple minor issues I have with this movie (flaming CGI cows, sadly, are involved), but much like with the cat attack scene in Let The Right One In, there's too much to love here to let it be damaged entirely by such small assets. This is an amazing action film, and an awesome throwback.
16-
The Witch, d. Robert Eggers - 2016
As much as Get Out has changed the horror landscape over the past few years, The Witch has left even larger an impact. With pretty much every other horror film coming out anymore attempting to handle a more folk horror style, you can trace that all back to the stir this movie has caused. It's essentially an arthouse horror film with period-accurate dialogue and a nice slow pace, so it's bound to be disappointingly un-horrory to a lot of people, but I found the level of immersion it provided to be all the more effective when the thrills came. This is one of my favorite horror movies of the last several decades and one I keep coming back to.
15-
Calvary, d. John Michael McDonagh - 2014
The movie starts off with a line of dialogue that sets a very dour and cynical tone for the rest of it, and while there are humorous moments throughout, that tone doesn't ever really go away. The whole film is a countdown, and the ending is inevitable, with Brendan Gleeson's character making the best of this unfair situation. It's so dark, with Gleeson giving the performance of his career, but that darkness never becomes overwhelming. Even in the face of death, this movie keeps a certain sense of humor and lightness that I find oddly inspiring. I tend to like movies that approach religion from a more objective viewpoint, and this is one of the best of that variety. It's a wonderful movie that I seem to love way more than everyone else.
14-
What We Do In The Shadows, d. Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi -
It's honestly difficult for me to even rationalize this pick, since it all comes back to how funny I find this movie to be and how endlessly rewatchable it is. The central cast are terrific (bonus points to the new cast of the TV series, who fill out essentially these same roles with their own hilarious extra touches), and as silly as the premise may be, they do a great job at making these characters feel as genuine as possible. It's shot like a documentary, has a really dark sense of humor (as it should, seeing as how it's about vampires who kill people), and you can watch it all the time without it ever losing its funniness. One of my favorite comedies.
13-
Inside Llewyn Davis, d. Joel & Ethan Coen - 2013
This is another hard movie for me to explain, as it doesn't have much of a plot, has a genuinely unlikable lead character, and ends exactly where it began. But a large portion of what makes this movie so terrific is the tone and how it eases you into its environment. It's a beautiful looking movie with smoky interiors and soft lighting, the entire film is rich with folk music (a genre of which I'm especially fond), and even the smallest of supporting characters are portrayed in memorable ways. This is a rich movie with lovely attention to detail and fantastic performances. I'm a huge fan of the Coen brothers, and this is one of the best things they've ever done as far as I'm concerned.
12-
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, d. Quentin Tarantino - 2019
After all the dust has settled and nearly a year has passed since first watching this movie, I can say with at least some confidence that this is my favorite Tarantino film. With a perfectly utilized pair of lead performances (DiCaprio and Pitt, actors I'm generally pretty unimpressed by), wonderful attention to period detail, a fun and varied script full of great character moments and memorable settings, and one of the most unexpected satisfying endings of the decade, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood feels like the kind of thing that shouldn't be able to still be made. With mainstream big budget movies now being all about franchise titles, something like this is not only a welcome change of pace for the mainstream, but brings me hope that the art of filmmaking hasn't been totally lost to committee groupthink, focus testing, and branding. Ultimately, as much as I love how it stands out as a wide release title, it's not that that makes me love this movie so much. It's just so much fun.
11-
One Cut Of The Dead, d. Shin'ichiro Ueda - 2019
A found footage style meta zombie movie might seem on the surface to be ripped right from the pages of "how to make a movie in 2011", but this movie is so much more than that. Sadly, to go into what elevates this film for me would be doing it a disservice, since the direction it takes and the surprising twists and turns are so much part of what makes it so wonderful: a very true subversion of expectations. This was one of the most entertaining movies of the decade for me, and a film that I wish more people would seek out.
10-
Call Me By Your Name, d. Luca Guadagnino - 2017
When 2017 came to a close, it was Three Billboards that stood out to me as the best movie of that year. After some time, reflection, and rewatches of both movies, I've not only found myself gravitating more towards the subdued drama of Call Me By Your Name as the clearly superior film, but also wondering why it was ever even a close call for me. With likable characters, a laid back pacing, and some of the most emotional performances of the decade, Call Me By Your Name is one of the finest dramatic films I've seen in quite some time. There are some parts that I find genuinely appalling (that peach, blech), but the overall effect is one that I just haven't been able to disregard or shake. Chalament, Hammer, and Stuhlbarg have never been better. And the total 180 Guadagnino took the following year with his visceral remake of Suspiria only proves his genius as a director.
9-
Embrace Of The Serpent, d. Ciro Guerra - 2016
I won't recall the story surrounding my theatrical viewingof this movie that I was recently reminded of, but the main point of that story would be summed up with this: this movie is too good to turn away from, even for a minute. A sort of Aguirre-esque adventure drama set in the Amazon, Embrace Of The Serpent focuses on two different points of time in the life of its lead character. Not a thrilling concept, but it's the execution, beautiful black and white cinematography, and handling of a variety of themes that make it stand out so much. There is a sense of progression through the Amazonian landscape that helps aid the pacing of what might otherwise be a slow script, but the changes we see both in the lead and the world around him make for a fascinating exploration. It's a beautiful movie that I think about quite often.
8-
Parasite, d. Bong Joon-ho - 2019
Even before the Oscars were announced, this was being hailed as not only the best film of the year, but possibly the best of the entire decade. And while I have my own preferences that don't totally line up with that, if I were to pick a single movie to best represent film as a whole over the past 10 years, Parasite wouldn't be a choice I could disagree with. In every single way, this movie works. It's a blend of at least a half dozen genres, has a perfect acting ensemble, and handles timely themes that will remain as relevant 50 years from now as they are today. It's hard for me to find anything about this movie to complain about, and with the last 6+ months being full of essays and discussions surrounding this film, I'm sure I don't need to go into any more. It's a masterpiece.
7-
Birdman, d. Alejandro G. Inarritu - 2014
Michael Keaton delivers what is arguably the best lead performance of the 21st century in this semi-biographical film about an actor known mostly for some stupid superhero movies he made back in the late '90s trying to get a stage play running with hopes of it reviving his career as well as validate him as a true actor and not just some hack in a rubber suit and mask. It makes sense that Inarritu planned Keaton for this role all along, but it's not just this self-awareness and perfect casting that makes it such a fantastic film. Shot in a seemingly endless one-take sequence (that was in fact several different takes stealthily blended together) aided by some excellent CG, this is a technical marvel that is impossible to deny. It's fluid, it's energetic, full of memorable characters, powerful scenes packed with drama, and an ending that's still debated over half a decade later. There is so much packed into this movie, but it never feels like too much. So many great moments and sequences that don't feel like they should work alongside each other, but they do so seamlessly. It's one of the best films of the decade, and the best thing they've given Best Picture to at the Oscars since I don't even know when.
6-
The Lighthouse, d. Robert Eggers - 2019
This is an example of personal preference, but I still think The Lighthouse is the best thing I saw from 2019, a year in film that was packed with top of the line stuff. As a huge fan of Robert Eggers' previous film (see: this post, probably less than 2 minutes ago), and a big fan of both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson - an actor who still gets underrated by the masses due to those stupid Twilight movies - I went into this film with sky-high expectations and still walked away impressed and excited to watch it again. This is a wholly unique experience with incredible camerawork, attention to period detail (the accents are just as intricate and accurate as in The Witch), perfect performances, and a sense of humor that's both jarring and masterful in tone. I have a hunger for watching this movie that never seems to be satisfied, even just after finishing it, and that's not something that happens to me very often. Definitely not for everybody, but perfect for people like me.
5-
Whiplash, d. Damien Chazelle - 2014
What do I say about a movie so good I watched it about 6 times within the first month I got a physical copy of it? Everyone knows J.K. Simmons gives the performance of a lifetime here, a role so perfect for him he had people announcing his victory at the Oscars almost a year before the awards even took place. But this isn't just a vehicle for Simmons to light up the screen, this is a passion-fueled character drama for Miles Teller's lead, someone so dedicated to becoming the best drummer alive that he endures torment, both physically and psychologically, to see to that dream. This is an intense movie from beginning to end, and it manages to ratchet up that tension during even the tiniest of scenes and interactions. It's really something to behold, and not the kind of experience you can find almost anywhere. Obviously, I like this movie quite a bit, so I don't need to say I think it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. But it is, so I said it anyway.
4-
The Raid: Redemption, d. Gareth Evans - 2012
Okay, I'm gonna get silly for a minute here. The Raid: Redemption is probably my favorite action movie ever, and I've talked about it to an almost nauseating degree over the past 8 years (if you do some digging on this site, you'll find evidence of this), but the fact remains that this movie gets me so excited in its flawless execution of nonstop violence that I become giggly and idiotic. It's full of gunfire, explosions, blood, and when the bullets run out it becomes a martial arts film with incredible camerawork and choreography. The script is thin, but I become so invested in the action that I begin to care about characters who are barely even given any dialogue or motivation outside of "it's a drug bust, so we go bust the drugs". Add on top the adrenaline-fueled US score by Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda, and you've got yourself an action masterpiece that I've watched about a dozen times and love just the same every time.
3-
The Greasy Strangler, d. Jim Hosking - 2016
When I said before at the beginning of that last segment that I'm gonna get silly, I'm extending that a bit. This is one of the most fascinating, quotable, disgusting, hilarious, and flat-out unforgettable movies I've ever seen, and has almost instantly risen to an all-time favorite since I first saw it less than 2 years ago. Any complaints people might have with this movie are probably justified, but I can't say I care at all, and every time I have the chance to show someone this messed up movie, I jump at the chance. I quote this movie on a near-daily basis, and I'm pretty much always down to watch it again. It's an excellent movie to show to your weirdo friends, loads of fun to get drunk to, and just as hilarious to watch in total silence. It's incredible, and I love every stupid minute of it.
2-
The Social Network, d. David Fincher - 2010
I'd let this movie slowly drizzle down my lists for a while now, seeing as how 2010 was so long ago and I was willing to let the passage of time dwindle my enthusiasm for a movie I once called the Citizen Kane of the 21st century. But after rewatching this movie just a few months ago, I was rejuvenated. I loved everything about it that I loved nearly a decade ago, with a sense of humor, pacing, drama, and subject that feels just as relevant now as it did when it came out at the time. This is still one of the most exceptional movies of the 21st century, a film of its time, and a perfect bit of filmmaking that will always remain a classic. When this first came out, I remember being in class when the professor asked everyone if they'd seen "the movie" yet, and in a lot of ways it still feels just as essential. Everything about this movie works, and I don't think I'll ever not love it.
1-
Her, d. Spike Jonze - 2013
It almost feels like I'm cheating by putting this at #1, like a film scholar calling Citizen Kane the greatest ever, or calling The Beatles the greatest rock band, but if I'm being honest with myself, this is the single film that I have felt the closest connection to over this past decade. Not only does it encapsulate modern themes of isolated connectedness, but predicts a future that's impossible not to see as not just plausible, but an inevitability. This is science fiction in name only, as it feels too true and genuine to be classified as "fiction" in its concept. This is a romance for the time, dissecting without incriminating the human desire for companionship by any means, as well as tackling issues surrounding our fixation on technology to its next logical step. The acting is flawless, with Scarlett Johansson giving one of the best voice-only performances ever, as well as Joaquin Phoenix managing to take on such an emotionally-demanding and intimate role without ever backing down in what could have been very awkward scenes in the hands of someone less talented. Spike Jonze hasn't taken on another movie since this, and while I would love to see him return to direct something else, if this were the last thing he ever made, his career as an artist would have been not only a worthwhile one, but a necessary one. It's a difficult movie to watch, and one a lot of people will have a hard time taking seriously, but to those of us who can see Jonze's intentions and relate in even the smallest degree, this is one of the greatest films ever made, and by my estimation, the best of the 2010s.
Thank you for reading.
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