I wrote two posts in 2020, reflecting on films of the last two decades. Recently, however, I've been spending some time steadily but heavily reevaluating my selections and have now come to as close a definitive list as I could from the latter decade. Here are my 11 picks from the 2010s.
Get Out (2017)
Writer-director Jordan Peele made an impressive debut with this brilliant-but-creepy commentary on race, as a young black man and his Caucasian girlfriend go to visit her family for the weekend. Everything from there gets weird and shocking. A benchmark in reexamining the horror genre, at least from a socially-conscious perspective. (OTHER NOTABLE HORROR: A Quiet Place [2018] / Us [2019].)
Gravity (2013)
This has been an exceptional decade for the science-fiction genre, particularly in renewed interest in the space race. Alfonso Cuaron's thriller-drama about two astronauts (the terrifically-cast Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) stranded in space is a gripping, poignant, and emotional powerhouse. It's also an exceptional use of visual effects and immersive 3D viewing. This is why we go to the movies. (OTHER NOTABLE SCI-FI: Inception [2010] / Interstellar [2014] / The Martian [2015] / Arrival [2016]. OTHER NOTABLE TRUE STORIES OF NASA: Hidden Figures [2016] / First Man [2018] / Apollo 11 [2019].)
La La Land (2016)
An original, dazzling musical that is also a loving homage to the MGM era of the early-20th Century (with postmodern twists). Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling shine as two struggling and aspiring artists in a song-and-dance romp, with writer-director Damien Chazelle in full swing of his growing craft. (OTHER NOTABLE MUSICALS/THROWBACKS: The Artist [2011] / The Greatest Showman [2017].)
Lincoln (2012)
Steven Spielberg continued to turn out exceptional films into the 21st Century, reminding us why he is one of our most enduring (and important) filmmakers. His extraordinary biopic on the latter years of Abraham Lincoln's U.S. presidency is impeccably designed, directed, and acted, especially with the commanding Daniel Day-Lewis as Honest Abe. (OTHER NOTABLE BIOPICS AND SPIELBERG PICS: The King's Speech [2010] / Bridge of Spies [2015].)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Director George Miller returned to the road-chase subgenre he practically created in the late-1970s. Essentially a two-hour car chase, this mind-blowing romp actually has more craft, adrenaline, and social commentary than most action films put together. Tom Hardy's titular Road Warrior really takes a backseat to Charlize Theron's commanding Furiosa, who leads a group of captive women to freedom. Hang on to your seats.
Moneyball (2011)
The defining sports film of the decade, based on Michael Lewis' biography of the Oakland A's 2001-2002 radical, record-breaking baseball season. The concept of sabermetrics is key, but the brilliant script (courtesy Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin) refuses to be one-sided, making the experience that much more introspective and genuine. First-rate performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill knock it out of the ballpark.
1917 (2019)
Sam Mendes crafts a thoroughly immersive World War I story about two young British soldiers tasked with delivering a message to stop an impending attack. Shot as one long, continuous take in real time, 1917 is a harrowing and incredible experience. (OTHER NOTABLE WAR/PERIOD FILMS: War Horse [2011] / The Revenant [2015] / Dunkirk [2017].)
Roma (2018)
Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron created his best work with this period drama about an indigenous maid and the family she takes care of. A deeply personal story from an incredibly-skilled director at the top of his game, told on an epic scale. This is a film that made me look at cinema anew.
Room (2015)
Based on Emma Donohugue's intense novel, about a young woman and her little boy as they escape captivity and adjust to the outside world, Room shook me to my core. At the same time, I had never seen a powerful, loving, and heartbreaking relationship between a mother and child on screen before (kudos to Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay). (OTHER NOTABLE INDIE DARLINGS: The Descendants [2011] / The Farewell [2019] / Frances Ha [2013] / Lady Bird [2017] / Short Term 12 [2013] / The Tree of Life [2011].)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
There have been many exceptional animated films this decade (Toy Story 3 [2010], The Lego Movie [2014], Zootopia [2016]), and there have been many exceptional superhero films (Black Panther [2018], Logan [2017], Wonder Woman [2017]). But very few have combined the best of both worlds--and the best of films and comic books--as radically as this 2018 must-see. Arguably the best Spider-Man movie ever made, Spider-Verse merges different incarnations of the ever-popular webslinger, with fan-favorite, biracial teenager Miles Morales as the story's beating heart. A cinematic game-changer.
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
Morgan Neville's heartwarming chronicle of the life and legacy of children's television host Fred Rogers is the best documentary I've seen in years. And its release couldn't be more timely. Mr. Rogers is the kind of example that is few and far between in today's world, and the kind we really need. (ANOTHER NOTABLE DOCUMENTARY: Free Solo [2018].)
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