The 25 Best Films of the 2010s

#16 - #25
(in alphabetical order)

12 Years a Slave (2013, McQueen)

The Big Sick (2017, Showalter)

Coco (2017, Unkrich/Molina)

The Descendants (2011, Payne)

Hereditary (2018, Aster)

Holy Motors (2012, Carax)

Lion (2016, Davis)

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019, Tarantino)

Whiplash (2014, Chazelle)

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018, Neville)



#15 - #1

15. Django Unchained (2012, Tarantino)

Like every Tarantino film, Django Unchained cannot be contained to any one description. It is simultaneously a brilliantly acted character study, a moving allegory about the coming-of-age of an entire race, an examination of the moral implications of slavery, a fairy tale about a man who does the impossible to reunite with his wife, a quick-witted and uproarious comedy, and a shoot-em-up bloody Western. None of those descriptions even touch on the film's grand visual style or perfect soundtrack. With three excellent films this decade (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Hateful Eight), it is not difficult to see why Quentin Tarantino has earned the reputation he has. 

14. True Grit (2010, Coen/Coen)

A throwback to a bygone era, True Grit is a far more of a traditional western than Django Unchained. True Grit evokes the era of the western in an immaculate and cinematic fashion. The cinematography and acting meld with the Coens' screenplay and direction so perfectly that the finished product is downright awe-inspiring. Look no further than the opening 2 minutes for a prime example of the beautiful storytelling that will follow in the next 2 hours.

13. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014, Iñárritu)

The exhilarating and exhausting one-shot cinematography of Birdman set a new standard for how films could and would be shot for the rest of the decade. The effect, which never once comes across as gimmicky, ends up as only one facet that makes this dark, magical tale unforgettable. A career-defining performance by Michael Keaton anchors the film and gives it meaning that goes much further than the brilliant screenplay and cinematography indicate.

12. Life of Pi (2012, Lee)

An adaptation of Yann Martel's already-classic novel seemed unlikely to make a good film. It was certainly a surprise when it turned out to be a great one! Almost every shot in the film is framed to enhance the content and bring across subtle themes of religion or isolation that are not explicitly stated. To bridge the gap from text to screen, Ang Lee and DP Claudio Miranda condense the themes into the compositions of their shots rather than devoting dialogue to them. It all makes for a beautiful and emotionally rewarding film that doesn't shy away from or cheapen the philosophical undertones of the narrative.

11. Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018, Ramsey/Persichetti/Rothman)

Absolutely exhilarating -- Spider-Verse marks a landmark of bravura filmmaking. In a decade consumed by comic book films, this stand-alone animated adventure stood out of the pack and ended up the only one to make my list. Beyond an endlessly entertaining plot, Spider-Verse contains myriad easter eggs and immaculate attention to detail making it possibly the most re-watchable film of the decade.

10. Inside Out (2015, Docter)

After a few missteps early this decade, Pixar (the studio that could do no wrong the prior decade) made a remarkable comeback with Inside Out. Their most ambitious film to date, the film refuses to shy away from the profound implications of its premise. As with all other Pixar films, the story is wrought with emotion; the end result is eye-opening. The film is brimming with creative touches which all work together to tell a sneakily mature story.

9. Roma (2018, Cuarón)

In the running for the most beautiful film of the decade, Roma is an immaculately shot and scripted story that is utterly and emotionally devastating. The film follow Cleo as she peacefully lives her life of servitude with integrity. Alfonso Cuarón captures the semi-autobiographical film with a clarity and intimacy that is impossible to fake. The authenticity of the narrative is bolstered in every scene.

8. Room (2015, Abrahamson)

Room is a masterclass in how to adapt a novel for the screen without losing the intrigue and power of the author's narrative. In one of the decade's finest performances, Brie Larson portrays a woman trying to make the best of a harrowing situation. The questions Room raises regarding raising a child are thought-provoking. The tension that director Lenny Abrahamson is able to generate from the story can be overwhelming, but the end result is more than worth the effort.

7. A Separation (2011, Farhadi)

A Separation is tense, emotional, and much more socially relevant than people might be willing to admit. It contains characters that are deeply rooted in Iranian culture but face problems that are universal. This combination makes their reactions and emotions all the more interesting; some actions stem from human nature while others are a product of a desire to lead a good life under the rules of their community and religion. All of the characters are justified in their points-of-view and logic. This makes it difficult to take sides in the film and makes any possible outcome all the more tragic.

6. Parasite (2019, Joon-ho)

Nothing that writer-director Bong Joon-ho has done before could possibly have prepared the world for Parasite which is undoubtedly his masterpiece. Joon-ho has tackled class discrimination before and even done it in well-realized, entertaining films, but Parasite handles these same themes with a beautiful subtlety that oftentimes takes a backseat to the other entertaining intentions of the film, yet are ever-present. Parasite attempts to be a lot of things: family comedy, tense horror, class warfare, ... and astonishingly succeeds at it all.

5. The Social Network (2010, Fincher)

Once in a while an ambitious screenwriter is paired with the right visionary director and what results in a film that lifts both of their works to unprecedented heights. This is the case with The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin's narrative structure is bold and his witty dialogue is fast-paced. David Fincher handles it all with style and precision. The path that Facebook and Zuckerburg have taken since the release of The Social Network only enhances the bite of the film. The film is harsh, inspirational and just a bit cold. 

4. Gravity (2013, Cuarón)

While the technical scope of Gravity is clearly enormous (and masterful), the purpose of the film is actually quite modest. The way it builds suspense and thrills the viewer is so simple and old-fashioned, it reminds me of the best silent films. Where most modern blockbusters tend to lose focus with gimmicky visual effects and over-complicated storylines, Gravity never loses its pacing and its tight 90-minute runtime is just enough for a truly visceral experience. The visual effects exist solely to convey events needed from the screenplay and the cinematography evokes the depth and expanse of space more convincingly than it ever has been. Alfonso Cuarón and Emmanuel Lubezki have succeeded in creating something that sounds almost oxymoronic: a big-budget thrill ride which is also a tiny gem of a masterpiece. Gravity is also responsible for kick-starting a mini-renaissance of space films, several of which are excellent, but none manage to top the simple thrill of this film.

3. Toy Story 3 (2010, Unkrich) &
Toy Story 4 (2019, Cooley)

Toy Story 3 did the impossible: it exceeded the enormous expectations from the first two Toy Story films. From beginning to finish, it is every reason we go to the movies; there isn't a single scene that isn't hilarious, exhilarating, poignant, suspenseful, or emotional. It is a quintessential example of everything that is great about cinema. In fact, Toy Story 3 was too good; the idea of a sequel to it was dismissed by many as altogether unnecessary. The fact that Toy Story 4 was made anyway and actually managed to be another great film with all the qualities that made the others classics is nothing short of miraculous. These two films bookend the decade beautifully and define the 2010s just as the first two defined the 1990s.

2. Creed (2015, Coogler)

Creed is a sneaky film. Disguised as a sixth sequel to a long-dormant franchise, Ryan Coogler's entry is actually a moving coming-of-age film wrought with insight. While Creed follows a similar path as the original Rocky, its ambitions are altogether different. Where Sylvester Stallone's Rocky was a blue-collar champion for the working class, Michael B. Jordan's Adonis is a white-collar yuppie. Rocky needed to box to be something; it was the only thing he knew. Adonis is educated and comes from money; he has every opportunity handed to him to make a life for himself. Yet he chooses to fight. The ways Coogler explores Adonis's choices here are clever and perceptive. In finding and claiming his own purpose, Adonis speaks for a generation that has had completely different struggles than the generations that came before.

Creed's visual style is ultra-modern - symbolic of its distance from the original Rocky which has an old-fashioned style (even for the 70s). Coogler's direction is perfect, especially during the fight scenes which are masterfully shot and emotionally draining to witness. For how effectively it brings across its themes and simultaneously entertains, Creed is a cinematic masterpiece

1. The Tree of Life (2011, Malick)

The Tree of Life is completely unlike anything to ever come before or since. The utter ambition with which Terrence Malick created this film from the bottom up is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Malick has always had a loose, poetic approach to filmmaking, but with The Tree of Life, he has dropped any ties to a traditional narrative structure and finally mastered his style. With ace DP Emmanuel Lubezki, Malick has constructed something that reaches further than being a great film and passes into the realm of an artistic, perhaps even spiritual experience. If you haven't watched the film, you are probably annoyed that nothing I have written explains what it is about. Watch The Tree of Life and you will understand why nothing I would write could possibly convey the scope of the film.