Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #16-15

16.A Star is Born (2018): Seemingly every living generation has had their own version of A Star is Born. The original starring Judy Garland was released in 1937 then went onto be remade in 1954 and 1976. Having a property with a storyline (young up-and-coming artist develops a relationship with an established star then goes onto surpass their fame in short order-which complicates their romance) and a tragic ending that is pretty widely known makes the process of delivering a worthwhile modern era reboot a very difficult task. Miraculously, Bradley Cooper did just that with his stunningly grounded take on this classic tragic romance. By getting emotionally raw performances out of the main cast (Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, himself) and allowing the central relationship to unfold then deteriorate in a very natural way, he established a sense of authenticity that allowed the film to sidestep its potential eye-rolling melodramatic plot points and become something unexpectedly powerful and devastating. Accomplishing something like with his debut outing makes me really excited to see what Cooper does next behind the camera.

15.Inception (2010):
Inception set off the first really spirited film debate of the decade following its release in July 2010. During the last scene when Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns home to his kids and spins his deceased wife's (Marion Cotillard) totem, had he returned to the real world or was he stuck in a dream? Personally, I don't really give a shit either way because neither scenario adds or takes away from the excellence that preceded it. Not only did this movie put the world's collective brain into a pretzel, it offered up some of the most jaw-dropping action setpieces ever put on film, boasts a dense plot that never stops being enthralling and provided most of the world with a stellar introduction to Tom Hardy.

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