Movies of the Decade

As the 2010s (the teens? the tens? the-aughts-plus-ten?) crumble away into dust behind us, it’s time to take one last look at the decade we’re leaving behind – in terms of movies, of course!  Because nothing else is really real.

It was the Decade of Marvel, and it’s hard not to see that as a good thing.  Marvel proved that big action franchises didn’t have to be stupid (Transformers), slapdash (Star Wars), or stolidly mediocre (DC’s uninspired post-Nolan efforts).  Instead, they can be funny (Guardians of the Galaxy), gritty (Captain America: Winter Soldier), bold (Avengers: Endgame), and beautiful (see Dr. Strange below).  Martin Scorsese is certainly entitled to his low opinion of Marvel movies (none of which he’s actually seen), but when was the last time he made a movie as good as Dr. Strange or Captain American: Civil War?  Marvel has built the world’s most powerful movie brand on a reputation for quality – on the paradigm-shattering notion that audiences might actually enjoy good movies.  (The rest of Hollywood is still mulling this over.)

As Marvel waxed, Pixar waned, but Inside Out was an undeniable highlight (and so was Toy Story 3).  The Hunger Games was the most consistently excellent film series, while X-Men was perhaps the most wildly inconsistent.  And smaller films made their impression too – from Winter’s Bone to Lady Bird to Inside Llewyn Davis to The Babadook.

But enough preamble; let’s get to the list.  If these weren’t the best movies released in the last decade, they were certainly my personal favorites.

Keith’s Top 10 of the 2010s

1.     Whiplash

Lean, mean, and cinematically exhilarating, Whiplash is like pure movie magic injected straight into the vein.

2.     Inside Out

One of the most brilliantly imaginative movies I’ve ever seen – a dazzling feat of invention that never loses sight of the simple human story at its core.

3.     Edge of Tomorrow

Definitely the most underrated movie of the decade – a clever, thrilling, and visceral action spectacle.

4.     Her

Quietly visionary and tenderly personal, this is that rare film that combines genuine futurism with genuine feeling.

5.     Dr. Strange

The best of Marvel’s many astonishing achievements over the last decade – a jaw-dropping visual experience, deftly plotted, and with moments of real profundity.  I’ll never forget the Ancient One pausing on the brink of eternity to watch the falling snow…

6.     Life Itself

A tour de force of documentary filmmaking, and a stirring, heartbreaking portrait of one of cinema’s greatest champions.

7.     Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

The high-water mark in one of the best action series ever – twisty, suspenseful, and genuinely frightening.

8.     Mad Max: Fury Road

A throwback to a time when action movies had – if you’ll pardon the expression – balls.  What amazes me about this movie isn’t just the virtuosic action set pieces, but the way the story keeps spiraling dizzily onward, at the speed of a souped-up post-apocalyptic dune buggy.  An amazing narrative feat.

9.     Looper

Ruthlessly clever and fearlessly bleak.  An all-time great time-travel movie.

10.  Captain America: Civil War

Of all the great Marvel movies of the last decade, this is the one that feels the most like reading a really good comic book – full of action, intrigue, and emotion, and grounded enough to be more than just a fantasy.

Honorable Mentions

Hell or High Water

Marvel’s The Avengers

Free Solo

Inside Llewyn Davis

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Inception

10 Cloverfield Lane

Lady Bird

Phantom Thread

The Babadook

Special Prize for Achievement in Comedy

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

And now, on into the 20s!  We’ll see if we can’t make some good movies in the next ten years…