BEST OF THE 2010'S

1. The Social Network (2010) Full Review Here

When one of the best directors of the modern era is paired with one of the best screenplays in recent memory, cinematic history his born. This film remains incredibly relevant in both its look at the origins of social media (Facebook in particular), as well as its impact on the craft of filmmaking. Writer Aaron Sorkin took a fascinating story and morphed it into a pure American fable. The “based on a true story” film is now forced to look to The Social Network for inspiration, but the film’s unique structure will stand apart going forward. It was a huge step forward into the digital era of modern moviemaking, and we’re still playing catch-up. Come for the story, stay to be reminded of how thrilling “boring” films can be.

2. Moonlight (2016) Full Review Here

Like The Social Network, this represents the perfect marriage of well-written screenplay, unique structure, and pure artistic vision. However, in place of re-thinking modern filmmaking, Barry Jenkins opted for a very classic approach, focusing on long takes and color composition. This film also stands as fulfilling the promise of indie/low-budget films (made for less than $2 million), yet is still so compelling that it sits higher atop this list than other productions with much larger budgets, due to how well its art serves its already unique and compelling story. We truly feel like we know Chiron and have experienced his life alongside him, even though we may have little in common with him. This is a timely, powerful, and necessary film and is likely to remain that way. Come for its importance to society, stay for how important it can become to you.

3. Parasite (2019)

This film’s immediate legacy of being the first foreign production to win Best Picture (after also winning Director and Original Screenplay) guarantees a spot in at least the “honorable mentions” of this list, but Parasite had some excellent competition and absolutely earned the top awards. This is filmmaking as only an absolute master can do it; when Bong wants you to feel an emotion (be it fear, disgust, humor, tension, drama, anger, sadness) you feel it in its fullest form. I can’t remember the last time I’ve experienced almost 7 different types of movie all in the same movie, but Parasite is elevated beyond any single one of its parts. It is rife with social commentary, and very timely in its 2019 release; I suspect that its main attack on social class will remain relevant, but the sheer achievement alone will ensure its place in history. Come for last year’s unprecedented Oscar winner, stay for an immediately classic masterpiece.

4. Dunkirk (2017) Full Review Here

Christopher Nolan is one of the best and most popular (rare combo) filmmakers of the 21st century so far, and this is his best film. He successfully takes an established genre and twists it: telling three different stories that unfold at three different intervals of time, jumping forwards and backwards until all three eventually converge. This is more than just a showy gimmick because it serves his vision of recreating the full Dunkirk experience as three different types of British participants experienced it. However, movies also create sights and sounds; both are on display in some of their absolute best. The action scenes employ some of the year’s best cinematography, as do the film’s sparse quiet moments. Its sound design is impeccable, with a highlight being the sound that Nolan’s team created for the airplanes; Hans Zimmer is also at the top of his game. Come for Nolan’s war movie, stay for a thrilling cinematic event sustained by one of this decade’s best directors.

5. La La Land (2016) Full Review Here

When’s the last time a movie felt this delightful from beginning to end? Damien Chazelle’s original musical took the world by storm upon release and earned every one of its record-tying 14 Oscar nominations. When it wants to throw us back to old-school musicals, it does so in wonderful fashion; when its story and some filmmaking offers a modern update, it is absolutely refreshing. I mean seriously, it’s as both timely and timeless as Parasite, yet wonderfully simple in how straightforward it is. This is was Chazelle’s passion project, and there is nothing as wonderful as watching a talented artist dedicate themselves to their art for our viewing pleasure. Come for the movie that everyone was talking about in 2016, stay for a reminder of just how great movies can be.

6. The Irishman (2019) Full Review Here

Scorsese’s best films have a notorious record of not getting recognized by the Oscars in their time – think of Goodfellas and Raging Bull. This is the rare case where the better film beat yet another masterpiece from Scorsese, but Parasite is so fantastic that it’s easy to overlook The Irishman. It’s well-earned 3.5-hour runtime juggles multiple timelines, and for the first 2.5 hours plays as a wonderful throwback and addition to Scorsese’s epic gangster films. However, its final hour plays in a much more downbeat and hollow tone; this is where De Niro’s Frank Sheeran must reckon with the terrible things he’s done, and slowly becomes a lonely old man with nothing but his dark memories left. There is a bit of every artist in their work. Come for another incredible Scorsese crime drama, stay for the profound meditation on aging, guilt, and loneliness.

7. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Another instance of an artist in their work, this film functions well as a tale of a determined woman navigating a male-dominated field; in 2009, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win a Best Directing Oscar for The Hurt Locker. Her follow-up, Zero Dark Thirty, is an even better film that is at once both massive and intimate. The film was famously changed, during production, to include the locating and ultimate killing of Bin Laden, which makes up the final hour. The pace is relentless, and Bigelow is a master of using set pieces and her documentary-style camera to create unbelievable tension. The film was met with a lot of controversy regarding its depiction and seeming approval of torture, but upon a closer look the film is exploring the morality of the entire operation and what revenge and obsession can do to the human soul; the final victory feels extremely hollow. Come for a magnificent retelling of recent history, stay to see the cost and emptiness of achieving vengeance.

8. Black Panther (2018)

The superhero genre, particularly Marvel, dominated popular culture this decade, and Black Panther is the best of the bunch. Ryan Coogler joins Damien Chazelle as among the most talented young filmmakers working today (Black Panther is his third mainstream film). The action set pieces are among the finest that either superhero movies or traditional action films had to offer this decade, and T’Challa’s journey to embrace his role as both king and hero is perfectly used here. Michael B. Jordan steals the show as Killmonger, a forgotten son of the Wakandan people, out for both revenge and reckoning with the modern world. This is this decade’s The Dark Knight: a superhero film made by a genius that transcends its genre to become a simply great film with an awful lot to say about contemporary American society – in this case, race. Come for the best Marvel movie ever, stay to be reminded of how pop culture can be both escapist and thought-provoking.

9. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) Full Review Here

In creating this list, I thought of films that cover a wide array of genres, perspectives, and message; I also was sure to include films that seem to occupy a unique spot in the movie landscape. TTSS is so unlike conventional spy/action movies that it’s breathtaking – and the film delivers on that promise. This is a masterpiece of devasting bleakness in its camerawork, color composition, and overall attitude towards the paranoia of the Cold War. Gary Oldman, in his best performance, is surrounded by an all-star British ensemble of some of the biggest names of the decade. The film is densely plotted, which creates a rapid pace and constant tension – with each new piece of information, the mystery of the Russian mole’s identity shifts. The film also uses flashback to extraordinary effect on both emotional character development and plot information. Come for an engaging, well-crafted, and well-acted thriller, stay for the maturely pessimistic heights James Bond will never reach.

10. American Hustle (2013)

Another film that fills a unique place, American Hustle is an acting masterclass where the characters overshadow and truly drive the plot. This was one of the movies that made me realize I love movies; I had never seen something so absolutely freewheeling yet undeniably well-made in every non-acting aspect. When I did my research, I learned that David O. Russell really let the characters improvise on set and re-write portions of the script; when asked, Russell said “I’m way more interested in character than plot”. The film’s ensemble cast is terrific, and the movie is incredibly funny. There’s an engaging “based on a true story” element that takes backseat to the characters betraying each other and making character-driven, flawed decisions. The movie’s style, costumes, and soundtrack reflect both the late 70’s era and the wild, unstable characters. Come for a terrific cast in a wonderfully entertaining crime dramedy, stay to be delighted when the film refuses to go along with your expectations.

Honorable Mentions: Little Women (2019), Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), The Master (2012), Django Unchained (2012), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), BlacKkKlansman (2018), Inception (2010), Moneyball (2011), Get Out (2017), 12 Years a Slave (2013), The Big Short (2015), Lady Bird (2017), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Argo (2012), Whiplash (2014), Lincoln (2012), Boyhood (2014), Sicario (2015), Drive (2011)