Top 20 Movies of the 2010's Recap

After a very drawn out month, my top 20 movies of the 2010's countdown has finally concluded. Here's a full recap of the list:

20.The Fighter (2010)
19.Straight Outta Compton (2015)
18.Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
17.Room (2015)
16.A Star is Born (2018)
15.Inception (2010)
14.22 Jump Street (2014)
13.The Nice Guys (2016)
12.Kick-Ass (2010)
11.Marriage Story (2019)
10.50/50 (2011)
9.Black Swan (2010)
8.This is the End (2013)
7.John Wick:Chapter 3-Parabellum (2019)
6.Manchester by the Sea (2016)
5.Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
4.Fruitvale Station (2013)
3.Whiplash (2014)
2.Gone Girl (2014)
1.Django Unchained (2012)

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #2-1

2.Gone Girl (2014): The sheer depth of Gone Girl is astonishing. On the surface, it's an exceptional psychological mystery thriller full of compelling characters with questionable moral compasses and possible motives to do horrible shit-which makes it very hard to predict what's going to happen next. While writer Gillian Flynn and director David Fincher are setting up their twisty missing persons/potential murder narrative, it also manages to organically provide commentary on things like how unforeseen financial hardships can cause a marriage to decompose, the negative mental impact of achieving fame at a young age and the media's disturbing tendency to run with controversial stories that haven't been properly vetted for accuracy just for the sake of generating ratings. This combination of intelligence and unpredictability makes it the perfect thriller for the modern era and I will champion the hell out of it at every possible opportunity.  

1.Django Unchained (2012): This shouldn't be much of a surprise to anybody. Quentin Tarantino is my favorite filmmaker on the planet and I believe that Django Unchained is his finest piece of work since Pulp Fiction. Being able to craft a rollicking, hilarious revenge western without sugarcoating the atrocities of slavery is one of the most impressive things Tarantino has accomplished over the course of his illustrious career.     

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #4-3

4.Fruitvale Station (2013): Police brutality and racially-fueled murders of unarmed people of color-particularly black men-are disgustingly common practices here in the United States of America. Not too many of the people who have been unjustly killed by the people who swore an oath to protect them get to have their stories shared with the masses, but Ryan Coogler was brave enough to shine a light on this heinous behavior from law enforcement by bringing the tale of Oscar Grant-who was murdered by two BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) officers in Oakland, California on New Year's Eve 2009-to the big screen with his potent directorial debut Fruitvale Station. Fruitvale Station focuses on getting to know Grant (Michael B. Jordan in an apporoatiely nuanced turn) his family and how he was trying to right the wrongs he had committed in the past during what ended up being the last day of life, which makes his death even more devastating and maddening. Underneath all of the political posturing that inevitably emerges every time an incident like this occurs, it gets lost that the actions of these trigger-happy cops means that someone is growing up without a son, father, brother or friend, and that attention to the person behind the headline is what made Fruitvale Station such a revelatory film.  

3.Whiplash (2014): How can a drama about the relationship between a young music conservatory student (Miles Teller) and his jazz drumming professor (J.K. Simmons) turn into something that boasts the tension of a thriller? Simple: Make the professor a hot-tempered madman who is obsessed with achieving perfection and treat every performance like its the difference between living and dying. Every mistake is magnified and every triumph is felt, which in turns allows every moment of this impeccably-acted/directed character study to be nothing short of riveting.  

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #6-5

6.Manchester by the Sea (2016): Grief is becoming an increasingly prevalent topic for films to examine. To-date, nothing else in this recent wave of films on the subject has touched on this topic with more grace and poignancy than Manchester by the Sea. Kenneth Lonergan's powerfully understated drama provides no easy, comforting answers on how to deal with the sudden loss of a loved and understands that the healing process differs for everyone. It's an utterly devastating, but essential watch that helps provide a deeper understanding and empathy for people that are going through immense emotional pain that can be exceptionally difficult for others to comprehend or relate to.  

5.Silver Linings Playbook (2012): On the other end of the emotional spectrum from Manchester by the Sea lies Silver Linings Playbook. This romantic dramedy is basically pure ecstasy in cinematic form that leaves me in a euphoric state every time I watch it. David O. Russell did a tremendous job tackling mental illness in a sensitive manner, putting together a very straightforward yet uplifting story and used his special gift for directing actors to get yet another round of terrific, multi-faceted performances out of his cast (Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver).

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #8-7

8.This is the End (2013): Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg enlisting some of their famous friends (Jay Baruchel, James Franco,Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Rihanna) to play exaggerated versions of themselves in a comedy set during the apocalypse led to something really special. A clever, twisted sense of humor, an abundance of quotable lines/memorable moments and a well-matched ensemble cast that was willing to poke fun at themselves made This is the End the funniest movie of the decade.

7.John Wick-Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019): What did John Wick do for the film industry? As far as I'm concerned, a whole hell of a lot. It proved that a property can organically turn into a franchise that becomes more and more successful with each subsequent entry during a decade where the theatrical experience was allegedly dying, revived the ailing career of Keanu Reeves, exposed the world to a pair of superb directors (Chad Stahelski, David Leitch) and made cleanly-edited, immaculately-choreographed action scenes cool again. As terrific as the first two films are, John Wick-Chapter 3: Parabellum brought the series to a whole new level simply by adding more humor and jaw-dropping marital arts to the stunning action sequences its become known for. While it remains unclear just how much its going to effect the landscape, this film and its predecessors have issued an open challenge for genre filmmakers to step their game up or risk getting buried by the Babayaga.    

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #10-9

10.50/50 (2011): All too often cancer is reduced to a manipulative melodramatic plot device that kills off one member of a couple in lazy, tearjerker romance stories. Hollywood's strange fetishization of such a dreaded disease is part of what made 50/50 so special.  Screenwriter Will Reiser is a cancer survivor himself and his experiences provide 50/50 with a realistic, well-rounded perspective that makes it unlike any other film on the topic. While it vividly captures the brutal struggles that both the individual and their loved ones go through during this agonizing process, it also organically injects comedy into the proceedings-which prevents the film from ever slipping into full-on gloominess or repeating the forced melodramatic sins of the aforementioned disingenuous cancer movies. It also serves as a reminder of why Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an elite, endlessly versatile actor who deserves more respect in the industry.

9.Black Swan (2010): Getting under the viewer's skin by any means necessary is the primary goal of a psychological thriller. Black Swan didn't just get under my skin, it waged a visceral war on my general perception of reality vs. fiction until my brain more or less turned to goop. The way Darren Aronofsky slowly builds tension throughout until it builds to a thoroughly uncomfortable level in the final act along with a thoroughly unnerving performance from Natalie Portman as a ballerina who becomes enamored with achieving perfection at all costs after she's cast in the lead role in her company's production of Swan Lake made this is a disturbing yet completely enthralling watch.

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #12-11

12.Kick-Ass (2010): Deadpool gets credited for starting the ultraviolent, meta R-rated superhero comedy movement. Something that the cinematic history books aren't likely to say is that Kick-Ass did the same schtick six years earlier. Not only did Kick-Ass beat Deadpool to the scene, for my money it did a far better job of being a properly fucked up take on a widely popular genre. Aided by a magnificent set of morally questionable characters (Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular hero, Chloe Grace Moretz as the foul mouthed Hit Girl, Nicolas Cage as Hit Girl's vigilante father Big Daddy, Mark Strong as the ruthless mob boss Frank D'Mico, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as D'mico's punk son who desperately want to get involved in the family business), Matthew Vaughn brought Mark Millar's graphic novel to life with an ideal mix of depravity and hilarity that allowed it to become an instant cult classic.

11.Marriage Story (2019): I sincerely wasn't prepared for Marriage Story. Noah Baumbach created a story about divorce that spends so much time establishing its characters, why their relationship deteriorated and how their initially civil separation process devolves into a nasty custody battle that the wall of fiction that typically exists in a narrative film gets broken down. Every situation, word, emotion and person on the screen feels completely authentic and that deep, almost eerie foot in reality is what makes Marriage Story such a singularly devastating film to sit through.

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #14-13

14.22 Jump Street (2014): 22 Jump Street was the latest example of an increasingly rare oddity in the world of cinema: a comedy sequel that was better than the original. Maintaining the clever meta tone of its predecessor to take aim at laziness of sequels, adding noted scene stealer Jillian Bell to an already hilarious primary cast (Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube) and putting together a nearly endless supply of great dialogue/gags allowed this to clear the very high bar set by 21 Jump Street.

13.The Nice Guys (2016): Following up Iron Man 3 with a throwback noir buddy movie was a gusty move by Shane Black, but it paid off beautifully as The Nice Guys ended up being a wildly entertaining ride that brought out the best in the seasoned writer/director. Black's witty, quotable dialogue-filled script along with the perfect odd couple dynamic between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe makes this a hilarious, compelling mystery procedural that only gets better as it goes along.

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.

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #18-17

18.Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016): Nine years after Hot Rod, The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone) produced another masterful comedy that sadly made no money in theaters, but went onto develop a rabid following once it hit home video/HBO. Applying their signature brand of absurd, sneaky clever humor to a mockumentary that pokes fun at the shallow ridiculousness of the music industry results in a movie that is consistently hysterical, highly rewatchable and features some of the best parody songs ever written.

17.Room (2015): Room is not an easy movie to watch. It deals with topics such as sexual assault, depression, trauma, abduction and the specific set of difficulties that human beings (both adult and child) face when trying to readjust to the real world after spending such a prolonged time involuntarily removed from it in a manner that is uncomfortably realistic. As harrowing as it is, the unflinching yet compassionate way that Room deals with these distressing subjects as well as how the narrative allows the mother/son protagonists (Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay-both astonishingly good) to slowly regain a sense of normalcy after the unspeakable horrors they were experienced made this an unbelievably potent human drama that is impossible to shake after consuming.

Top 20 Movies of the 2010's: #20-19

Welcome to my countdown of the top 20 movies of the 2010's! This past decade produced a ton of spectacular films and there's no possible way to recognize to all of them on a list of this size. Titles like Get Out, Jojo Rabbit, Ingrid Goes West, The Spectacular Now and Nightcrawler that all made a significant impact on me didn't even finish in the top 30-which speaks volumes about the abundance of great art that was released during this time period. Below you'll find the first two films that made the list along with the final five that I cut from consideration in alphabetical order. My current intention is to do at least two entries in this countdown per week, which seems attainable considering the relative lack of new releases hitting theaters and streaming services during this stretch of the calendar. Hope you enjoy this trip through the past decade in cinema and please feel free to leave your own picks in the comments section.

Just Missed the Cut:
21 Jump Street (2012)
American Hustle (2013)
The Disaster Artist (2017)
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)
Wind River (2017)

20.The Fighter (2010): The simply unreal hot streak David O. Russell went on in the early part of the 2010's got started with a biopic about boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his loving yet overbearing family that keeps meddling in his career. Russell's knack for packing his films with energy and raw emotion along with some tremendous performances from its primary cast (Wahlberg Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo) elevated this above a traditional sports underdog drama.

19.Straight Outta Compton (2015): Having a group with huge personalities that had a history of inciting controversy with their incendiary lyrics and dealing with internal conflict laid down a very solid base for a film adaptation of N.W.A's career. Straight Outta Compton fully realized that potential and went onto become an electrifying standout in the crapshoot music biopic subgenre. The casting choices (Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Paul Giamatti as Jerry Heller) were nothing short of perfect, it covers a remarkable amount of ground (Ice Cube's ugly exit, the group's personal experience with police brutality, Eazy-E's AIDS diagnosis) without ever feeling overwhelming or losing focus and above all, it displays the level of tangible passion for its subject that isn't nearly as common as it should be on a project like this.