Best Films of the 2010s

It's so great to be back behind the keyboard.

It's been about a year since I called it quits on this movie blog, but so much has changed since then. I've gotten older, wiser, and more vocally proficient, and with a new decade around the corner, I reckon it's time to open up a new page on this movie review blog thing. But before we say sayonara to the 2010s, I think it's only fair to look back and see what my favorite films of each year was. So, there's no use beating around the bush...let's get this kicked off, shall we?

2010: Inception (Christopher Nolan)

I can still distinctly remember the days leading up to Inception's release. As hype was being built off of this being the next film by the director of The Dark Knight, posters and teasers started being displayed everywhere with it just being known as "the next Christopher Nolan film." As the premiere neared closer and closer by the day, people were cautiously optimistic, fearing a film that would be seen as too trying-hard to be intellectual or a dip in quality compared to its predecessor in Nolan's overall filmography. The honest truth, to me, is that Inception met expectations, and honestly doubled them. Not only is it a fascinating as hell concept under the skin, its supported by such a brilliant cast and special effects that still leave me floored to this day. I had second thoughts about making this my pick for 2010, but after a recent viewing and some mulling, I feel completely confident. This movie floors, plain and simple.

2011: Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn)

Drive has certainly become something of a meme within the past couple of years. Internet collectives seem to idolize the cold, quiet mannerisms of Ryan Gosling's character (whether or not it's facetious is for you to decide) and his method of winning the love of his life in the end. However, I still find a lot to love in this movie. Perhaps it's not the underrated gem of indie movie boards it once was, but it's still a captivating film through and through. This is the movie that made me fall in love with Ryan Gosling as an actor, and regardless of your thoughts of his rather blank performance, he still manages to portray so much emotion effortlessly through that quiet mask. The only thing I can say more is that I still regret sleeping on Drive until I finally watched it one afternoon in 2015, since then it's been a solid favorite, and Nightcall is still a welcome addition to any playlist of mine.

2012: Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino)

I can still remember to this day the feeling I had when I finished watching Django for the first time. It was a feeling of general happiness in knowing that Quentin Tarantino could still make a top-shelf film. I don't know if I've gone into much detail, but Tarantino is one of the directors whose films got me into the idea of expanding my movie tastes and genre preferences and even inspired me to start this blog. Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite movies of all time, for god's sakes. And while I'd hardly say Tarantino ever really had a down slide of movies in his career (except for Death Proof), as the years went on I started to wonder if he could still capture the awe he could way back in the 1990s when he was in his prime. Luckily, Django proves he can, providing a stellar cast and a brilliant script with all the astonishing Tarantino-isms you can think of. You can definitely expect to see Tarantino on this list again, but as for Django itself, it might be my second favorite film of his, and near the top of the list if I actually had to rank all these.

2013: The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

This is it. This is the start of it all. Genesis. Way back in 2015 when I booted up this blog for the first time, the first movie I ever reviewed was The Wolf of Wall Street. Perhaps that lends a sheen of freshly coated bias as I look back over the decade, but honestly, this movie still gives me the kicks. Something about Leo's insane performance as Jordan Belfort, supported by equally insane plays by Jonah Hill and then-unknown Margot Robbie, all comes together to make a wonderfully kooky picture in my eyes. Plus it dives so heavily into my late 80s/early 90s kink, so there's that. 

2014: Gone Girl (David Fincher)

While the last film was the movie that started this blog, Gone Girl feels even more special to me because I feel like it's the first film that really showed me the genius of a truly good thriller. A movie that really makes you sit back and go "What the f..." at the end of it. Hell, I still remember my feeling the first time I watched it, finally figuring out what the real story was. Some people will say that there were better movies in 2014, and I'd be hard pressed to agree, but Gone Girl remains one for the ages for me. It's one that still gives me that enthusiastic feeling with every rewatch, and that alone is worth a spot on this list for me, sitting along with every other movie here today.

2015: Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)

If you would have pulled me aside ten years ago and said that the fourth Mad Max film would actually be a contender for the best action movie of the century, I wouldn't believe you. If you would have told me it won a slew of awards and ended up being the best in the series, I would have probably knocked you out. But here we stand, and Fury Road is still an absolute master class of sci-fi/action cinema. The fact that this movie came from seemingly nowhere and ended up being so utterly brilliant that people still hold long-drawn out conversations about it to this day make it all the more deserving of a spot on this list, and honestly, I'd even go so far to say that it might be the best film overall of the decade period...or at least top five.

2016: Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)

Let's face it, if there's one director that owned the 2010s, it's definitely Denis Villeneuve. Denis managed to bring his own brand of absolutely breathtaking cinematography and spread it across two distinct genres: action thrillers and science-fiction, with the latter of the two being the definite key to his success. Arrival is the first movie I've seen in a long time that's honestly best suited for the big screen and nowhere else, partially adding to the fact why I haven't purchased it on home video (a small screen just wouldn't do it justice). But Arrival isn't just eye candy, it has a prolific story behind it with a delicious twist ending that makes it all the more tasty in the long run. Basically, it should be no surprise that Villeneuve has back to back spots here...

2017: Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve)

...because the man is an absolute king at cinematography. I had high, high hopes for 2049 throughout the entire year leading up to its release, and I refused to let any naysayers get in my way. Luckily, 2049 ended up being one of the best movies I've ever seen, let alone one of the best sequels/reboots, and the best sci-fi films of all time. This movie, man...something about it gets me to my core every time I watch it, it strikes me ever so emotionally from start to finish almost unlike any other piece of fiction I've ever dealt with. It's damn near the perfect film. Okay, maybe I'm getting a little too caught up here, but this movie is special to me. If there was any one movie that I'd have to say is the best of the decade, bar none, this is it for me. 

2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman)

Not that 2018 didn't try to give Blade Runner a run for its money, however. At first I thought Christian Bale's Dick Cheney biopic Vice would be my favorite for 2018, but upon rethinking it, there's really only one right choice here (still love Vice, though!). Spider-Verse is another in a long, long line of surprises from this decade, but next to 2049, this is probably the most fulfilling, as it's the Spider-Man movie we've all deserved for so, so very long. The animation is fresh and fluid, with its own quirkiness that makes it so iconic, the voice acting talents are all brilliant, and it brings forward an aspect of comic book movies so rarely seen before now and does it in the only way possible. This movie will be a tough act to follow, but I'm ever so patiently waiting to see how they'll be able to do it.

2019: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)

First off, I should start by saying that I don't think this movie will stay as my favorite of 2019, as there are a few films I still need to catch that have come out recently or will be coming out soon. If this changes, I'll make an edit. But as of right now, here it sits. And, to its credit, it deserves to be up here just as much as the rest of them. This movie feels so entirely Tarantino-esque while also feeling a little different, but in a good way. It manages to keep itself light on violence for the most part, but still features gracious good humor that only QT could pull off. Brad Pitt is a definite highlight as well, bringing so much charm to a role that really doesn't need it. It may be a bit of a slow burn sometimes, and it definitely feels like a shmaltzy love letter to 60s Hollywood, but it works, because I feel like nobody else could do it as well as Tarantino.

I think I can say safely that the 2010s hasn't all been peaches and cream on the film front, with plenty of ups and downs along the way. But when it comes to the best, this decade has brought us a lot of gems. So, as this decade comes to a close, I keep myself optimistic for the future and what it has to hold. I hope we can find ourselves in ten years time looking back upon these movies with fondness as we round up our favorites of the 2020s together. But until then, I hope you all enjoyed my list...and as always, catch you on the flipside once again, as the review blog 2.0 takes off once more.