Top 10 Favourite
Films of the Decade
As someone who built a movie blog around top ten lists, I’d
say I’m more than obligated to indulge in this trend among cinephiles to
compile perhaps the most-impossible countdown list next to one’s favourite
films of all-time.
Coming up with top ten favourite films of each year since
starting this blog has been easy some years, and damn near impossible a couple
of times. Over the course of ten years, though, I’ve seen way more than ten films
that have entertained me, provoked me, and stuck with me long after seeing them.
Consider this list extremely focused and not all-encompassing. I could have
done a top 100 list and still missed out on some, so instead I’m only doing the
top ten films that defined what it meant for me to be a growing film fan in
this decade—a decade that saw a revival in the horror genre, increased
popularity of independent films, the domination of the superhero genre, Disney
tightening their grip on the film industry as a whole, and the development of
the “soft reboot”: a franchise of old is brought back with a nostalgia-fuelled
“new” installment that’s basically the same as the original (like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Terminator,
and Robocop, to name the main ones).
I’ve decided to make this an unranked list. Reason one: all of
these films I would give 10/10, so it’s kind of impossible to place one over
the other. Reason two: some films in this list just can’t be compared. Each one
needs to be looked at on an individual basis.
Special Honourable
Mention: The MCU & Star Wars: The
Force Awakens
My approach to this list was to imagine looking at the
decade as a whole and attempting to pinpoint the absolute pinnacle of my
movie-going experiences that will stick with me for years to come. That is why
both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and
the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole get special honourable mentions. When
they rewrite the book on the greatest movies of all-time, Force Awakens and such Marvel Studios hits as Avengers or Civil War or Guardians of the Galaxy will definitely
not be in there, and really, most of them probably shouldn’t be. They are
undoubtedly fun, entertaining, well-made films, but to compare them against all
the other greats of the decade is to compare a really tasty, high-quality hot
dog to a steak and lobster dinner. Both are good, but obviously you’d be a fool
to pick the hot dog, for so many reasons. This is just my opinion of course—if
you love that hot dog more than lobster and steak, own it! No one should judge. 
So to me, while the Marvel Cinematic Universe and The Force Awakens are not movies I would
call the absolute best out of an entire decade of films, I want to highlight
them for generating more hype than perhaps any other movies I saw. The energy
and anticipation surrounding the return of Star
Wars was so palpable, my genuine enthusiasm has been immortalized on this
very blog, and while that hype has faded, it still defines the halfway point
through the decade for me as a film fan. Likewise, I can’t remember how many
times I eagerly anticipated the next chapter in the ongoing MCU saga, getting
my butt in that theater seat opening night for nearly every single one, year
after year, until it all came to a close at the end of the decade with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. What a thrill
ride it’s been, and again, while I won’t likely reflect on each film as a
superior achievement that will hold up for all-time, they will always evoke
memories of the joy they brought me throughout the 2010s. That, to me, is
worthy of honouring.
With that out of the way, here are the ten movies that, at
this very moment, truly defined my decade.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
I had to put at least one animated film in here, and I had
no difficulty picking what was, for most of the decade, the end of the Toy Story trilogy (and for me, it’s
still the true end, not a big fan of 4 like
most others). The first Toy Story was
one of the first movies I remember watching, and unlike a large majority of
movies I loved as a kid, it still holds up today, and my appreciation for it
has morphed as I’ve grown up and matured. Toy
Story 3 came out when I was still in high school, and yet there was
something about it that drew me in, despite animated movies seeming “uncool” to
me then because they were “just for kids.” Superficially, it seemed fun to see
a new entry in a franchise from my youth on the big screen (and in 3D no less,
which was still a huge selling point at the start of the 2010s), but I was
truly shocked by the emotional weight brought to what I remembered being a fun,
innocent fantasy adventure movie for kids. My innocence was disappearing as I
matured, and so was the innocence of Toy
Story. The toys’ owner Andy had matured, and it resonated with a generation
who grew up with Buzz and Woody’s first adventure in the mid-90s. What I can’t
believe is it’s already been almost a whole decade since Toy Story 3 came out, and yet it still feels like it only came out
a few years ago. I’ve watched it multiple times over the decade, and it has not
lost one bit of entertainment value or emotional resonance.
Inception (2010)
The very premise of Inception—infiltrating
someone’s dreams and taking information—had me interested before it even came
out, but the fact that it was from Christopher Nolan, who made one of my
favourite films of the previous decade, The
Dark Knight, had me locked in. I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen
it. There’s so much to unpack from a narrative perspective, but the
performances, the visual effects, and the action scenes are all part of what
gives Inception its power. The fact
that the cgi was (and still is) so impressive really says something, when practically
every movie utilizes it extensively now. No other action-thriller has been as
original or thought-provoking since, and it has left a lasting impact on
popular culture. I can’t believe we’ve been referencing Inception for nearly ten years; any time any concepts of
dreams-within-dreams or just dreaming in general comes up, the word Inception gets used. There’s something
about this movie that is so cool and creative and thrilling that my enjoyment
of it has never diminished.
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
I’m a huge horror fan, and it was great to see the genre
come back strong this decade, especially after the abysmal early 2000’s string
of remakes and sequels. Though I like a good scare, I like a good laugh just as
much, perhaps even more, and while no new horror films were among my absolute
favourites of the decade, What We Do in
the Shadows is a comedy that feels perfectly calibrated to horror fans.
Imagine if vampires were real (as were werewolves and zombies and witches and
other various monsters) and they lived in our world, and a documentary crew
filmed four vampires sharing a flat together. Mockumentaries are a peculiar
sub-genre, but this might be the best one since This is Spinal Tap. I laughed at this movie more than any other
movie from this decade, and I mean like hard belly laughs, even upon repeat
viewings. It’s so original, so well-realized, and just so enjoyable, I’ve made
it one of those movies I have to share with as many people as I can. Upon
seeing it the first time, I loved it, and with many subsequent viewings, it has
become a modern classic.
Whiplash (2014)
Taking only the premise into account, Whiplash didn’t seem like the kind of movie I'd be interested in.
For as much as I just love movies, there are certain subjects I simply do not
care enough about to watch movies centered around them, and I am not a fan of
jazz, so a movie about a jazz drummer would, naturally, not intrigue me. But,
what this movie is really about is an unstoppable force meeting an immovable
object. Andrew Neiman would rather “die drunk, broke at 34 and have people at a
dinner table talk about [him] than live to be rich and sober at 90 and nobody
remembered who [he] was.” In other words, he wants to be one of the best
drummers of all-time, and his teacher, Terence Fletcher, is the harshest
teacher you'll ever meet, but that's only because he wants his students to be
the absolute best they can be. What develops is one of the most-stressful-but-at-the-same-time-compelling
relationships I've seen in any movie ever, and the way the tension builds is
incredible. Not one second of Whiplash is dull, and it all comes together into
one of the most satisfying final scenes of any movie I've ever seen. I know it
sounds like I'm being hyperbolic, but it really is that good. The performances
are a major part of what makes it so good, as well, with J.K. Simmons as
Fletcher getting highlighted the most, and rightfully so, but Miles Teller is
excellent as Neiman, too. Whiplash is
a movie-going experience unlike any other I had in the 2010s.
Birdman (2014)
“How did we end up here?” That's the first line of Birdman, and the first (and far from
last) philosophical thought it puts into the minds of viewers. Birdman functions on so many levels it's
crazy. It's gives a peek at mental health issues, commentary on the cutthroat
nature of art criticism, points out problems with Hollywood, the ego of actors,
the ramifications of leading a famous life, theater vs. film, and so much more
I couldn't possibly do it justice. This movie has what I would call three mic
drop moments, where characters just unload on someone and say it like it is and
leave the other characters (and me) speechless. It's such a well-written,
well-planned, well-acted, and well-directed cinematic achievement, I'd mark it
as a turning point for me as a film fan: it made me pay more attention to how
movies are shot (its famous for being created to look like one long take) and
officially turned me on to artful, independent films that really have something
to say while also being enjoyable to watch.
Ex Machina (2015)
Science fiction will always be my favourite overarching
genre, and there were a number of incredibly original sci-fi films in the 2010s
(Arrival, Looper, Snowpiercer, and Edge of Tomorrow to name just a few) as
well as some excellent sequels or reboots (such as Bladerunner 2049 and the Planet
of the Apes trilogy) but if I were to pick one that hooked me with its
premise, performances, world-building, visual effects, and thought provocation
more than any others, the one that stands out among the vast collection of
greatness is Alex Garland’s Ex Machina.
It’s extremely pared down, just two human characters in an isolated location,
dealing with the dawn of true artificial intelligence. It has some of the most
seamless visual effects of the decade, a unique score, and significant
intrigue, and shows there is still plenty of original material to be mined from
familiar concepts like A.I. rising up against humans and mad scientists
experimenting in secret. This was a tough pick, but I have to give credit where
credit’s due. In the years to come, I don’t think any other sci-fi film from
the 2010s will rival Ex Machina for
overall quality and entertainment value.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
At the start of 2015, I had never seen a Mad Max film. I saw the epic trailer for
the new installment months before it came out, but more importantly, I heard
the anticipatory buzz from critics and fans who had glimpsed an early cut of
the film. Everyone was praising it and calling it the greatest action film in
years. I thought that sounded exaggerated, but out of curiosity, I bought the
three Mad Max films starring Mel
Gibson and gave them a watch. I enjoyed them well enough. Sure, they were a bit
dated, but I liked the low-budget feel of the original, the excitement of Road Warrior, and the strangeness of Thunderdome. But what I liked the most
was the high-octane-post-apocalyptic world director George Miller had crafted,
and with Fury Road, it felt like he
had finally managed to achieve his complete vision first attempted in the
original. Obviously the one thing everyone highlights about it is the action,
but in addition, I find the world-building, production design, musical score,
and editing to be immensely satisfying, entertaining, and well-developed. Those
critical of Fury Road are quick to
point out the not-great-performance by Tom Hardy as Max and the bare-bones
storyline, but I think both criticisms are unfounded, and the pluses far
outweigh any negatives. Mad Max: Fury
Road is the kind of movie that doesn’t come along very often: an
effects-filled action extravaganza that is nearly impeccable in pacing,
presentation, and quality. If George Miller manages to direct even one more Mad Max adventure in the coming decade,
he’ll be hard-pressed to outdo what I think is the crowning achievement of his
career.
Sing Street (2016)
Sometimes, the right movie comes along at exactly the right
time. I probably would have loved Sing
Street had I seen it at any point, but it might not have taken root in my
mind and heart quite the same had the circumstances been a little different. I
finished 2016 at home with a horrible sickness. The year hadn’t been a great
one, and to bring in the New Year stuck on the couch feeling like death was
soul crushing. In the final hours of 2016, I put on Sing Street—a movie I had heard was great but knew little about—and
for an hour and forty-six minutes, I escaped my depressing world. The
characters and music were all I thought about for the next week, and it gave me
a more positive outlook on the year to come—a year full of unknowns for me. I
was finished my degree at University and had no idea what to do next. The
second time I watched Sing Street was
on a plane to Costa Rica: my first trip to another country alone. I watched it
twice more while on the three-week trip, and then watched it again some months
later in the summer…and again…and again…and found it only got better every time.
Sing Street is one of the very, very few movies I have found to be infinitely
re-watchable. It is a happy-sad experience (if you’ve seen it, you get what I
mean), but mainly I find it uplifting. I’ll put it on to cheer myself up
anytime. On the surface, it’s just about a kid who falls in love with a girl
and puts a band together to win her over, but that’s an oversimplification.
There’s so much more to it, and while I loved many movies in the 2010s, this
might be the only one I would call an all-time favourite.
Lady Bird (2017)
Lady Bird was one
of those movies that I heard was amazing, yet didn’t know a single person who
had seen it when it first came out. It was talked about, it was praised as
being one of the best of the year, it sported the highest Rotten Tomatoes
score, like, ever, and I didn’t know a damn thing about it or why it was
supposedly so great. Well, it turned out to be within a sub-genre that, as the
decade progressed, became a new favourite of mine: the
coming-of-age-high-school-set-comedy-drama. Famous examples: The Breakfast Club, Mean Girls, and most recent, Edge
of Seventeen (shout-out to that movie, too, love that one). Lady Bird is so good it might be too
good. There isn’t a single thing wrong with it, and those super high ratings
are not exaggerated. It’s funny but incredibly poignant, it’s shot beautifully,
and the performances are so real you forget these are actors with a script. Of
all the movies to make the cut for this list, Lady Bird is the one I’m the most surprised about, but when I think
of those films that really rose above all others as being so well done in every
single way, it stands out, in a big way. There’s something undeniably unique
and thoughtful about Lady Bird. It’s
truly lightning in a bottle.
The Lighthouse (2019)
I’ve spoken before about expectations for movies, and since
starting this blog, my excitement for movies hasn’t lessened, necessarily, but
certainly come under more control. The first movie I remember being
off-the-wall excited for this past decade was Prometheus in 2012. Ask any person who knew me then, I was nuts. As
my obsession with movies grew and more and more new announcements floored me—a
new Jurassic Park coming in 2015, and a new Star Wars! The Prometheus
sequel coming in 2017! Every new Marvel movie!—I started getting excited for
lots of new movies. But I also experienced the first truly crushing
disappointments when things didn’t meet my expectations. Rarely, if ever, did
any of the movies I looked forward to meet or exceed my expectations. Now, I
rarely get genuinely excited for movies, but The Lighthouse is the most recent example of something I had
moderate-to-high expectations for, and was utterly blown away by. This is a
film that isn’t tied to any other films, it isn’t based on a comic book or TV
show or even a novel, it isn’t trying to become a franchise, and it isn’t
trying to trick audiences into paying to see it. The Lighthouse is just one director’s singular vision of a
gripping, nightmarish tale set in one location with a couple characters played
by actors giving it their all, and it is flawless. Seriously. I can’t think of
a single thing wrong with it. It isn’t the kind of movie I would have liked or
even wanted to see at the start of the decade, but it came at the right time
(like so many of my picks for this list), and to have seen it so close to the
end of 2019 and yet to still have been so affected and captivated by it? The Lighthouse will certainly always
stand out to me as one of the best films of the 2010s.
As a bonus, here’s a top 50 movies of the decade list I
compiled with my cousin. We each picked our top 5 of every year, discussed and
debated them, then distilled it down to a collaborative top 50. This list is
also unranked.
Inception
The Social Network
Rango
Super 8
The Avengers
Django Unchained
21 Jump Street
Pacific Rim
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
What We Do in the Shadows
Guardians of the Galaxy
Ex Machina
Creed
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sing Street
Captain America: Civil War
Logan
Baby Driver
Logan Lucky
Avengers: Infinity War
Isle of Dogs
The Lighthouse
Avengers: Endgame
Knives Out
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Toy Story 3
How to Train Your Dragon
The Raid
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
This is the End
Whiplash
Birdman
Captain America: The Winter Solider
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Arrival
The Jungle Book
The Witch
Get Out
Thor: Ragnarok
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Bohemian Rhapsody
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
The Revenant
Good Boys
The Guest
The Lego Movie
Snowpiercer
Deadpool
Star wars: The Last Jedi
The Irishman
Hope you enjoyed my reflections on a whole
decade of cinema, and of course I recommend checking out everything mentioned
if you haven’t already. Here's to another decade of loving movies!
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