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The 2010s in Movies
To start, I make no claim to have seen a representative, let alone comprehensive, list of the films that came out in this decade. One of the advantages to being an amateur reviewer is that I only watch what I want to watch - and while I think I've expanded my horizons, I definitely still see some genres (e.g., action/adventure) much more than others (e.g., horror). So, on to my thoughts on the main themes that emerged from the movies that I saw.
Superheroes
As the decade began, this subgenre had already become quite popular in the preceding few years. Thanks to both visual effects advances as well as an increased seriousness (relatively speaking, at least) in its drama and characters, superheroes had become a steady presence in the movie theater. There was still quite a bit of variety, though - both in terms of quality and in style. Take three of the most successful franchises: Spider-Man, X-Men, and Christopher Nolan's Batman. While all three maintained pretty high levels of quality, Spider-Man focused more on spectacle and earnest "with great power comes great responsibility" morals; X-Men went weirder (sometimes creepier), but also more timely with direct social commentary (mutants/minorities); then Nolan's Batman attempted a sort of prestige take, which still featured action but focused more on style and acting. On the margins were plenty of misfires, too, bombing with critics and/or audiences: Catwoman, Fantastic Four, etc.
Few people could have predicted what would arise from one of the surprise hits, 2008's
Iron Man. Twenty-three films and $22 billion later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had become the most lucrative film franchise ever, as well as the defining movie experience of the decade. Lots of factors were involved in the MCU's success, but I'd argue that most importantly, it learned from the superhero films of the 2000s. It achieved an impressive yet difficult balance: each individual film had its own feel, if not a secondary genre (look no further than 2014's
Captain America: Winter Soldier and
Guardians of the Galaxy - from paranoid thriller to space comedy) while maintaining the central traits of the series, particularly a focus on the heroes (rather than villains) and humor. The MCU then strung all of these similar but distinct stories together with an overarching narrative, and allowed its characters to interact and develop to a level not possible in other superhero franchises (or movies in general, frankly). I saw all of the MCU movies in the theater, and reviewed each one of them. If you'd like a quicker description of each (and how I rank them), check out the
running MCU blog post I did last spring.
Of course, the MCU wasn't the only game in the booming superhero town. Marvel itself released plenty of other major superhero films. It rebooted
Spider-Man; my reaction, as well as both critics' and audiences', was basically "meh", but fortunately this allowed for
another reboot, this time joining his Avengers' kin in a much more successful (and creative) effort. The
X-Men franchise also got rebooted, save for megastar Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. This was a mixed bag, with both fabulous highs (
Days of Future Past,
Logan) and embarrassing lows (
Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix). And, of course, there was Deadpool, which offered a refreshing change of pace (from self-awareness to R-rated excess), though it was overrated IMO. There were quite a few smaller entries in the genre; my favorite,
Kick-Ass, came right at the beginning of the decade.
The most polarizing movies of the superhero genre were those from DC, Marvel's rival and whose feature characters, Batman and Superman, were once essentially the only mainstream superheroes, pre-2000s. Well, a lot has changed in twenty years. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy was excellent, and
The Dark Knight an instant classic movie overall. But DC clearly became quite jealous of Marvel's huge success with
The Avengers, and it tried, fairly blatantly, to copy the concept of an interconnected "universe" of films (here, the "Justice League"). It became clear that Marvel was the Pixar of superhero films, and DC the DreamWorks. Actually, I enjoyed
Batman v Superman, the film DC was hoping would launch their plans and was instead panned by critics (no-win situation: critics constantly complain of being tired of Marvel's movies, yet they basically condemned
BvS for... not being a Marvel movie). I liked its visual style and tonal contrast with Marvel, but DC instead started copying Marvel even more - especially
Justice League,
Aquaman, and
Shazam - to cringingly inferior, forgettable results. But
Wonder Woman and
Joker show that DC can still do well when it goes its own way, so there's hope for better in the future.
I enjoyed superhero films long before Iron Man, despite never having read a comic book, but the MCU made me a true fan. Like many other kids at heart, there are certain fantasy/adventure worlds that I love and return to, that serve as the foundation of my enjoyment of movies overall: Jurassic Park and James Bond, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, and so on. Well, the MCU has joined that pantheon for me, too.
Animated Movies
Like superheroes, computer-animated films blossomed in the 2000s. Toy Story, Pixar's breakthrough, came out in 1995, but it was the next decade when the studio developed its annual production of brilliance - not just relative to animation, but film in general. While Pixar was the gold standard, the Coca-Cola of animation, if you will, DreamWorks became its main competitor in the wildly popular new field. DreamWorks has made plenty of fun films, like Shrek, but it has always been a distant second to Pixar - the Pepsi, in other words. After the back-to-back masterpieces WALL-E and Up came out in 2008 and 2009, I have regarded most Pixar films as must-see-in-the-theater (with exceptions for the more overtly child-oriented; I've still never seen any of the Cars movies).
In the 2010s, the computer-animation field settled in, much like the superheroes and with similar surprise developments as well. Pixar has continued to make high-quality movies, but a disturbing new trend has emerged: sequelitis. Seven of their 11 films from 2010 to 2019 were sequels. I saw all but two (Cars 2 and 3) of these movies, and the studio, for all its magic, couldn't entirely avoid the problems posed by sequels. Monsters University and Incredibles 2 were both a lot of fun, and as good as top non-Pixar animated movies, but they couldn't rise to the studio's high bar; Toy Story 3 and Finding Dory were each able to find a new, central spark to raise them up within their familiar worlds, though still not to the level of the best originals. Toy Story 4 came somewhere in the middle, with great new characters but the overall style and adventure arc has now been worn as much as it can be at this point. There were still standouts, though. Brave was very good, though it's been awhile since I've seen it. Inside Out and Coco definitely showed that Pixar can still make movies that are as good, and often better, than the best live-action dramas. I'm hoping that Pixar will return to a more original-heavy lineup in the 2020s, like in the 2000s.
I also saw a handful of non-Pixar animated movies, as new studios rose in prominence and a vast array of ideas developed now that many of the obvious ones were already well-worn. DreamWorks still had some decent films, such as How To Train Your Dragon and Megamind. Two other studios arguably surpassed it, though, in the competition for runner-up to Pixar. Illumination came out with the super-popular Despicable Me franchise (and the even more popular spin-off - at least with children - Minions), while Walt Disney came out with its latest classic, Frozen (which I haven't seen yet, you may (not?) be surprised to learn) and smaller but great Wreck-It-Ralph movies. In 2016 each of those studios came out with movies that I felt even rose to Pixar-level quality: Zootopia and The Secret Life of Pets. I fortunately got to see each of those in the theater, but most of the non-Pixar animated movies I've seen have been at home via Netflix. These films are incredibly lucrative, given the hordes of families almost required to go see them, but it's depressing to see some increasingly ridiculous ideas come to life (looking at you, Angry Birds the Movie and Emoji Movie). Hopefully the 2020s will see its share of home runs like Zootopia, but I have a feeling that I'll be seeing fewer and fewer non-Pixar animations in the theater.
One last note on the animated films of 2010s: we're also seeing more and more non-Pixar/Dream Works type of animation. These have differed through visual style, the conversion/absorption of other genres, and/or the targeted audience. LEGO Movie, one of my top movies of the decade, was a smashing success, from the visual style - incorporating the look and feel of actual LEGOs - to a new, excellent tone, reminiscent of but distinct from Pixar. Disney has gone the direction of releasing just about all of its films in "live-action", which for some has meant heavy animation. The Jungle Book was incredible, and worthy of the remake; but the overall venture feels like more and more of a cash grab, so I haven't even seen the new Lion King yet (though it looks gorgeous from previews). Finally, there are out-of-left-field projects, like Sausage Party. I do NOT recommend this to families... but for those who still chuckle at teenage boy humor, this was quite a bit better than Seth Rogen's (and his cohorts') recent live efforts.
African American experience
In 2010, the large majority of movies that I saw were action/adventures or comedies - particularly in my trips to the theater. That year, the only new drama I saw was The Social Network. But I steadily developed my interest in movies outside my two favored genres, particularly motivated by checking out movies hyped for the Oscars. By 2012, I was well into this process - though I still usually waited to watch these movies at home.
As I looked back on the great variety of dramas that I saw in the 2010s, one theme that jumped out to me immediately was the African American experience. Of course, that's not brand new to the movies in general; I just happened to notice that they have been prominent in the course of my seeing more dramas in general. It's not too surprising when you look at the Oscar nominees (to which I paid particular attention) in recent years: thirteen went up for Best Picture (not all were "dramas", though, I should clarify). I've seen each one of them, except for The Help. But there are plenty of other films with this theme, too, and considering that they are nearly all of a very high quality, I thought I'd explore this area. While I'll start with the dramas, I'm also going to talk about movies in other other genres that dealt in some way with the African American experience.
A number of dramas in the 2010s depicted the African American experience, through specific historical events and individuals, fictional representatives, or a mix of the two. Two of my favorite movies from the entire decade, regardless of genre, were from the historical group: Lincoln and Selma. Lincoln differs from all the others here in that none of the main characters are African American - but, in addition to a fascinating picture of Lincoln's character and struggles, this is a rousing story of the political fight to pass the 13th amendment, abolishing slavery. Selma is just as good, in large part because David Oyelowo is just as transcendent in portraying Martin Luther King as Daniel Day-Lewis is as Lincoln. The battles shown here for the eventual Voting Rights Act of 1965, both in public and behind the scenes, are deeply affecting. Those films are superbly well-made, but it's also easier to enjoy them as they feature widely beloved figures in ultimately triumphant stories. But I also saw some harrowing films which highlighted the suffering. Not surprisingly, some take place in the depths of slavery: Best Picture-winning 12 Years a Slave, and 2016's The Birth of a Nation. And for the modern world, Fruitvale Station shows the life of an Oakland man cut short by police. It was difficult watching those, yet invaluable as well.
Other films also looked at African American history, but applied other genres to help tell the stories (and took creative liberties, slight or significant). The Butler is a Forrest Gump-like story told from the perspective of a long-time White House employee. Focused more on the title character (Whitaker, who plays Cecil, is excellent), it uses history as fascinating context. Another film I loved was the crowd-pleaser Hidden Figures, showcasing the incredible achievements of three black women to NASA's earliest Space Race efforts. Its fun soundtrack and sense of humor don't overshadow the importance and nuance, once again, of the individuals. BlackKklansman, by one of the most celebrated black filmmakers, Spike Lee, is great, too, a stranger-than-fiction story with a bite to its laughs. Not all efforts were entirely successful, though. George Lucas's Red Tails shows the brave Tuskegee Airmen of WWII, but focuses more on the action scenes and fails to do the men justice. More problematic is Green Book, which shockingly won Best Picture in 2019. The story is worthy of exploration, but its execution reduces Don Shirley's Southern tour to stereotypes of racism (including some ill-advised attempts at humor); even worse is its obliviousness to the "white savior" narrative it becomes.
Fictional dramas based on the African American experience yielded some movies that were just about as powerful and instructive as the historical ones. Fences, a film adaptation of the August Wilson play and starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, may be "just" a domestic story, but it is as riveting - and devastating - as any other. The combined performances of the ensemble are perhaps better than any other in the decade. I must admit that I wasn't as captured by the two other major films I saw in this category as the critics were, though I have a lot of respect for them both. Best Picture-winner Moonlight depicts the childhood and coming-of-age of a gay man, and Beasts of the Southern Wild is a fantastical take on impoverished coastal life.
Finally, genres outside of drama addressed this theme of the African American experience, too. The objective to entertain is obviously more central in these than in the previous dramas, but I think each also has something valuable to say about real life issues, too. Tarantino's Django Unchained is a pretty straightforward revenge fantasy, showcasing DiCaprio's hideous slaveholder before wreaking havoc with glee. Black Panther became one of the biggest hits of all time, and not just because it's a superhero movie. I think there is a similar bit of catharsis; here showing an inversion of history by creating a hidden African nation that - having been left alone - becomes the most advanced society on the planet. And there is Get Out, a hit that was more of a surprise, from the mind of rising black creative star Jordan Peele. It's a horror movie, but the most disturbing thing about it is not the gore but how well its fantasy scenario reflects and comments upon modern society.
There are plenty of others that I haven't gotten around to see yet - just a few examples being
Creed,
Sorry To Bother You, and
Queen & Slim. Many of these films are able to accomplish what the best of art does. Yes, they entertain in some form, and advance the overall understanding of humanity. But hopefully, they also serve as effective representations of those who have been marginalized and worse (in this case, African Americans) and help others to learn more about their particular experiences and build empathy. I feel that they have helped me, a white person, in this way; and ultimately, I hope that they are helping bring about positive changes in society.
Star Wars and other worlds
So-called "franchises" - movies sharing the same characters and other elements - have played a large role in the movie industry for decades, and it carried on at least as strong as ever in the 2010s. They offer studios a degree of certainty: if an original movie was a hit, then fans of that movie will likely see a sequel to see how the story continues, what happens to the characters, etc. And as I mentioned previously, my enjoyment of several of these are central to what draw me to the movies overall - not just the chance to see new installments of those established "worlds", but the possibility that a new one will emerge.
The other side of franchises, though, is the risk of diminishing returns and creativity. The making of follow-ups (sequels and/or reboots) risks "riding the coattails" of earlier successes, and even just a certain level of numbness from the audience at having seen something similar before. There's also actually a certain amount of financial risk, too; plenty of franchises see drastically reduced box office numbers, especially in recent years, versus a pretty good "hit" rate for original movies.
So how did franchises fare in the 2010s? Here's a list of some that I saw, with brief descriptions and their levels of success (artistic and financial).
The Good:
Mission Impossible
- The fourth film in the series came out in 2011, boldly reasserting Ethan Hunt's high-wire stunts. Two more came out, pushing further and developing an overall narrative, too.
- Verdict: A reinvigorated Tom Cruise put his best work into this old franchise started back in 1996. The stunt work is top-notch, providing some of the best modern theatrical experiences.
- Box office: $209 million (MI4), $195 million (MI5), $220 million (MI6); highest worldwide total - $791 million (MI6)
John Wick
- A brand new franchise! Keanu Reeves reappears, years after his last relevant movie, to create a classic Keanu-cool hit man featuring crazy choreography and a fascinating crime world.
- Verdict: The first was great, with a surprising level of character detail laid out for Wick; the second was even better, to me, and the third, while still good, started to go just a bit too far.
- Box office: $43 million (1st movie), $92 million (2nd), $171 million (3rd); highest worldwide total - $326 million (3rd)
James Bond
- One of the oldest continually-running franchises, Daniel Craig's Bond got two great new entries, which continued the ongoing narrative started in 2006's Casino Royale.
- Verdict: Craig proves that he is as good as any other Bond actor, and 007 successfully adapted to the times, featuring both more intense action yet a lighter/funnier touch than its competitors.
- Box office: $304 million (Skyfall), $200 million (Spectre); highest worldwide total - $1.1 billion (Skyfall)
The Mixed Bag
The Hobbit:
- Peter Jackson, director of the LotR trilogy, turned this single book into another trilogy.
- Verdict: The first film was very good, showing a lot of promise, but it got dragged out too much in the second and third, overemphasizing the kinds of battles already seen in LotR.
- Box office: $303 million (1st movie), $258 million (2nd), $255 million (3rd); highest worldwide total - $1 billion (1st)
Jurassic World:
- A return to the dinosaur-inhabited world, two sequels continued the narrative with a whole new cast, led by new star Chris Pratt, and a more action-adventure, rather than suspense, vibe.
- Verdict: Pratt is a fun addition, and there's some excitement - particularly JW's finale - but it lacks fresh ideas, going more generic, and the original's effects actually are more impressive.
- Box office: $652 billion (Jurassic World), $417 million (Fallen Kingdom); highest worldwide total - $1.67 billion (Jurassic World)
Planet of the Apes:
- Technically not "new", this felt original, by focusing on the apes through the trilogy. Motion capture master Serkis brought the ape Caesar to life, showing the initial war with humans.
- Verdict: Similar to The Hobbit, things started promisingly with Rise, exploring Caesar's development. Dawn was dark and interesting, but War just dropped the ball, disappointingly.
- Box office: $176 million (Rise), $208 million (Dawn), $146 million (War); highest worldwide total - $710 million (Dawn)
Harry Potter:
- The final book came out, split into two movies; five years later, a new series (not based on the books, but in the same "world") began, Fantastic Beasts starting a story based in America.
- Verdict: Although it's been awhile, I liked the choice to split the final book. Fantastic Beasts, on the other hand, falls flat for me; with no Hogwarts, it's like Star Wars without Jedi.
- Box office: $297 million (HP7, Pt 1), $381 million (HP7, Pt 2), $234 million (FB1), $159 million (FB2); highest worldwide total - $1.34 billion (HP7, Pt 2)
The Ugly:
- Monsters; Transformers; Pirates of the Caribbean; Men In Black; Fast & Furious
- Monsters refers to the recent reboots of Godzilla, King Kong, and The Mummy. Godzilla has been particularly awful (including the most deceptive trailer EVER); the other two were meh.
- Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean both had pretty fun first films, which should have stopped while they were ahead. Of course, I ended up seeing a few sequels, anyway...
- Fast & Furious. This will surely be the most controversial of my "ugly" franchises. It's a big, dumb blockbuster in every sense. Vin Diesel is the worst actor I've ever seen. It frequently resorts to macho (and worse) posturing; then pivots to insisting on the importance of "family" in the laziest, condescending ways. For this franchise, I really am making a resolution to never watch another one again.
- Box office: The seventh and eighth installments made $1.5 and $1.2 billion worldwide. This almost makes me question the validity of every other movie to cross the billion threshold. While I'm at it...
- Other movies that shockingly/disappointingly reached $1 billion: Titanic (I couldn't resist), Minions, Despicable Me 3, Alice in Wonderland, Aquaman, TWO Transformers sequels, TWO Pirates sequels
So: long story short (too late). Action movie franchises have been the most consistently excellent. Fantasy or sci-fi series that produced earlier classics are not immune to disappointments, but aside from a few surprises in either direction, it's pretty clear which franchises are still worth at least taking a chance on and which are best to steer clear of.
Then there is the movie franchise to rule them all: Star Wars. I've saved this one for last, not just because of its historic popularity and influence, but also because of its suddenly renewed prominence in theaters over the last five years. George Lucas sold his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney in 2012 (Disney now owns Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars - three of the most lucrative and influential areas of Hollywood today). This new overseer of Star Wars was not content to rake in royalties from the existing creations: six films, an animated TV series, and of course lots of books, video games and merchandise. From 2015 to 2019, Lucasfilm/Disney released one new film every year; released more TV series, including its first live action series on Disney's own new streaming service; and obviously more of the other stuff, too.
Disney's efforts started with record-breaking success: The Force Awakens, the first in a new trilogy series, became the #1 movie in North America of all-time - by a lot - with $936 million. Critics liked it, too, with a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Rogue One, the first SW movie outside of the trilogies, came out the next year and was just as successful, maybe more so since it was only a "side" project: $532 million (North America) and 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. But then the "Empire struck back", if you will. 2017's The Last Jedi still got a 90% critic score, but "only" made $620 million, and, more significantly, jumped into the headlines as alt-right trolls attacked it for its diverse cast and "un-Star Wars-y" plot developments. Just a few months later, Solo came out, an origin movie for Han Solo, dropping to just $213 million and a 70% RT score. Disney/Lucasfilm licked its wounds... then released the final film of its new trilogy, Rise of Skywalker, which was clearly sensitive to earlier fan criticisms. It made $515 million, but managed just 51% approval on Rotten Tomatoes.
The new Star Wars films could not have gotten off to a better start, financially or critically. Yet the final film - touted as the epic of all epic conclusions to the nine films' worth of Skywalker story - made substantially less money and received tepid reviews, at best. What's behind the decline? For one thing, it was probably over-saturation: six Star Wars films came out between 1977 and 2005; five more have come out in the last five years. The average moviegoer just doesn't see a new Star Wars release as being as special as it once was. But I'd also like to look at how I feel the franchise fared in quality - which at times is reflected in the box office and critical success, but not always.
The sequel trilogy got off to a great start, for most of The Force Awakens. Director J.J. Abrams set the table well with great new characters, particularly Rey, and provided a legitimate and welcome return for some old favorites. There was a fresh new vibe (but still Star Wars-y) and great visual flair, from Falcon chases to lightsaber duels. Only the reprise - again - of the Death Star was of notable disappointment. The Last Jedi continued the use of great visuals, and had some exciting battles, a great role for Luke Skywalker (though somewhat at Rey's expense) and some excellent surprises. But it continued the recycling of the Rebels vs. Evil Empire theme, and wasted time (and characters) on side adventures. Finally, when J.J. Abrams returned to finish things with Rise of Skywalker, much of the excitement and surprise disappeared. Yes, the climax was bigger - more spaceships battling it out, more lightning and sabers clashing below - than ever before, but the result of it all was a surprisingly numb feeling.
The original Star Wars trilogy is an undisputed classic. Many people trash the prequel trilogy, but I grew up with it, and I think it's quite good, forging its own identity separate from the originals. The sequel trilogy, then, is my least favorite of them. It certainly has a lot going for it, but it is weighed down by its flaws more than the other two. Part of the problem came in the very filmmaking process: there was no unified vision for the trilogy overall when it began (or so I've read). That's pretty shocking, considering the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in them and the, um, devoted following that the franchise has. So when opinions were so intensely divided over The Last Jedi, they were just asking for trouble moving ahead. Disney ultimately decided that that film made "mistakes" - most notably, the idea that Rey's parents were commoners. While I don't think the revised story in Rise of Skywalker is a total failure, it is awkward at the least and unnecessary. That lack of a strong, unified vision, and failure to maintain continuity, was the biggest problem. But, in my opinion, it also suffered from 1) slavish devotion to the originals ("Death Star", Rebels vs. Empire, too much focus on original characters, etc.), 2) resulting lack of development of the new characters, and 3) slapdash writing and direction of Rise of Skywalker.
Rogue One and Solo, the films separate from the trilogy system, were both entertaining, but not great. Actually, unlike most people, I preferred Solo, a lighter, more fun and quirky story. What they both did for me was to highlight the necessity of the Force (and Jedi/Sith) to Star Wars - more than the space ships or aliens or anything else, it's what makes Star Wars Star Wars (that, and John Williams's music). So, as you might expect, I also found the Disney+ series The Mandalorian to be fun - but ultimately less than what I expect from the franchise. Needed more baby Yoda!!
I know that's a lot of negativity about a franchise I love - but that's part of being a fan (or is my excuse)! And I will definitely go back to enjoy The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi for their many attractions. But Disney, if you're reading this, please take note for your next efforts!
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Top 10 of the 2010s
Each January, I start a new list of the films I've seen that year, adding them as I go. Whatever I see first is my #1 movie of the year! - maybe just for one week, or maybe for the whole year. It's interesting to see how my top 10 fluctuates through the year and then, come the following January when I write my year-in-review blog post, whether I still feel the same way. I've always graded individual movies based on a combination of, first of all, my assessment of its quality, and second, how I enjoyed or responded to it personally. When I
rank films - especially in the top 10 - those two factors are about even (although an "A" movie still almost always beats an "A-").
I thought about doing a mega-list, combining all 10 years. But I soon realized that that just wasn't going to work out. So, while I'm still making a list, it's 10 movies as always. It's also, at least in part, a list of "representatives": I tried to select as wide an array of genres and other types that I could. And, movie for movie, it's still probably pretty darn close to what my usual list would have been!
#10:
Mission Impossible: Fallout (directed by Christopher McQuarrie; starring Tom Cruise)
Action Movies
Tom Cruise just will not stop running: the most recent MI movie pushes the breathtaking stunt work further than ever before, and everything else just clicks alongside. There were plenty of great action movies in the 2010s, particularly the MIs, James Bond, and John Wick movies;
Mad Max and
Kingsman, too.
#9:
Molly's Game (directed by Aaron Sorkin; starring Jessica Chastain)
Something Different
Aaron Sorkin's typically brilliant, quick-as-lightning dialogue is engrossing, and Chastain is awesome (again, as usual). A stranger-than-fiction true story, the performances and writing add powerful personal connection, too. "Something different" means just that, movie experiences that were particularly unique; other excellent examples include
Birdman and
The Big Short.
#8:
La La Land (directed by Damien Chazelle; starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling)
Out of My Comfort Zone
Everything about this modern-day musical is entrancing, which I think is exactly what this genre strives to achieve above all. The music is awesome, Stone and Gosling are a great match, and the story is both old and new, with a poignant ending. "Out of my comfort zone" means movies from genres I tend to avoid; others include
Get Out, Ford v Ferrari and
Perks of Being a Wallflower.
#7:
Life of Pi (directed by Ang Lee; starring Suraj Sharma)
Adventure/Survival Movies
Since I did my senior book report on the novel, I have a special connection to the story. Still, Ang Lee improbably puts this difficult-to-adapt work perfectly on the big screen through amazing, often illusory images and patient pacing. One of the few good uses of 3D. Other excellent adventures include
Gravity,
The Revenant,
True Grit and
War Horse.
#6:
Inside Out (directed by Pete Docter; starring Amy Poehler, et. al.)
Animated Movies
Pixar's annual offering nearly always lands in my top 10, or just outside it. This was actually one of their few instant classics in the 2010s, but I put it right up there with
WALL-E,
Up, and
Toy Story. The studio pushed its imagination and reach into the human psyche to the wonderful limit.
Coco is also excellent, and
The Secret Life of Pets,
Zootopia, and new
Jungle Book were nice surprises.
#5:
Hidden Figures (directed by Theodore Melfi; starring Taraji P. Henson, et. al.)
African American Experience
As mentioned above, the 2010s saw a host of powerful, exquisitely well-made movies focused in varying ways on African American experience. The broad, crowd-pleasing approach taken by
Hidden Figures often goes embarrassingly awry in other films, but they got the tone just right to go with excellent acting and writing, music and humor. Again, see above for plenty of other great, thematically-related films;
Fences is far different than
Figures, but is my other favorite.
#4:
Dunkirk (directed by Christopher Nolan; starring Fionn Whitehead, et. al.)
Thriller/Suspense Movies
I am increasingly drawn to certain filmmakers, the original, of course, being Steven Spielberg. But my current favorite is Nolan; after a number of scifi/fantasies, I was blown away by what he did with this war movie. In fact, I'd say it's the best I've ever seen in the genre, from the innovative structure, relentless tension, focus on individuals without a whiff of bravado, to the stirring ending. Similar standouts include
Zero Dark Thirty,
Shutter Island,
Prisoners, and
Hell or High Water.
#3:
The LEGO Movie (directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller; starring Chris Pratt, et. al.)
Comedies
This movie technically falls into several different categories... part of why I liked it so much! Usually movies about brands are terrible, but this perfectly captured the wonder of LEGO. The animation is incredible and adds to the terrific humor of the voice cast and writing. Tongue-in-cheek satire but also exciting; frivolous yet genuine and touching. There were few comedy blockbusters, but still some good ones like
Bridesmaids and
Game Night - and perhaps the biggest development was how funny many non-"comedies" were; often funnier than those in the genre itself!
#2:
Lincoln/
Selma - tie (directed by Steven Spielberg/Ava DuVernay; starring Daniel Day-Lewis/David Oyelowo)
Historical Dramas
I have to come back to these twin titans, so well written, directed, performed and made overall. The crucial similarity between the two is that they did not attempt comprehensive biographies. Instead, they focused on brief but critical periods; ultimately they get to revel in triumph, but in getting there they show the tough, often ugly fight it required, along with the heroes' flaws and doubts. Perhaps I'm just drawn to historical-based drama, but I saw far more of them than fictional counterparts; other greats include
The Imitation Game, The Social Network, Can You Ever Forgive Me? and
Spotlight.
#1: Avengers:
Infinity War/
Endgame (directed by Anthony and Joe Russo; starring Robert Downey, Jr., et. al.)
Superhero Movies
No surprise, right? Here we have the defining genre (superheroes) of the decade, the dominant player (Marvel) in the genre, and its world-shaking, epic finale. Are you going to conclude a 20-part saga with just one movie? Of course not. I have described the impossibility of the Russo brothers' task before, but it's well worth admiring, one more time, just how brilliantly, jaw-droppingly well they succeeded. The actors, from Robert Downey, Jr., all the way to Brie Larson, truly breathed life into their heroes; the writers and countless craftspeople and other contributors likewise deserve praise for achieving the ambitious vision set in motion by producer Kevin Feige. Other efforts deserve recognition, from Nolan's own epic
The Dark Knight Rises to the inspiring
Wonder Woman to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine swan song in
Logan. But they all look up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the champions of the theater in the 2010s.
And if you'd like to go back and see my annual year-in-reviews for the 2010s, here they are:
2010 - #1 movie: Toy Story 3
2011 - #1 movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
2012 - #1 movie: Life of Pi
2013 - #1 movie: Zero Dark Thirty
2014 - #1 movie: The LEGO Movie
2015 - #1 movie: Inside Out
2016 - #1 movie: Manchester by the Sea
2017 - #1 movie: Dunkirk
2018 - #1 movie: Avengers Infinity War
2019 - #1 movie: Avengers Endgame
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Top Performances of the 2010s
Similar to the overall top 10 movies of the decade from above, I also wanted to see who the best performers (and filmmakers) of the decade were. This turned out to be a more extensive process than I anticipated, but it was worth it. To come up with these rankings, I first compiled as comprehensive a list of actors and directors whose movies I'd seen. Minimum criteria: I had to have seen at least three movies that they were in/made in the 2010s, and they all had to be at least decent performances. That ended up eliminating quite a few extremely talented people, simply because they either emerged too late in the decade, or I haven't seen enough of their movies. Also, going back to my annual film awards (my personal "Oscars"), I found that probably at least half of the nominees were "one- (or two) hit wonders" who reveal a very deep and diverse pool of talent in today's movie world.
The process also reinforced a pattern in both Hollywood's and my own preferences that I've been all-too aware of: most of the movies I saw are led (and especially directed) by white males. But the ranks of actresses I've come up with are just as impressive, and there are many other great minority actors, too (I just didn't see enough of them in threes or more).
Top Actresses:
#10 - Sandra Bullock
#9 - Charlize Theron
#8 - Kristen Wiig
#7 - Meryl Streep
#6 - Scarlett Johansson
#5 - Viola Davis
#4 - Amy Adams
#3 - Emma Stone
#2 - Melissa McCarthy
#1 - Jessica Chastain
Honorable mentions: Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence, Alicia Vikander
Top Actors:
#10 - Daniel Craig
#9 - Adam Driver
#8 - Tom Hardy
#7 - Michael Keaton
#6 - Ryan Gosling
#5 - Michael Fassbender
#4 - Steve Carell
#3 - Denzel Washington
#2 - Leonardo DiCaprio
#1 - Christian Bale
Honorable mentions: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Cruise
Top Directors:
#5 - Damien Chazelle
#4 - Denis Villeneuve
#3 - Steven Spielberg
#2 - Anthony and Joe Russo
#1 - Christopher Nolan
Honorable mentions: Adam McKay, Matthew Vaughn, Paul Feig; Aaron Sorkin (if you include his screenplays)
