I hope everyone’s holidays were fantastic and I certainly hope people didn’t drive drunk after last night’s festivities. I do still plan on doing a Best Movies of 2019(should’ve done it sooner, I know), I want to do something special for today. Since it is a new decade, I want to take stroll down memory lane and talk about what I consider to be the best movies of the decade. I’ve seen a ton of movies over the past 10 years, so picking out my favorites is not going to be an easy task. For that reason, I will only do one movie per year starting with 2009 and going until 2019. Here’s hoping to a fantastic new year with some really fantastic movies! Let’s get the new year started off with a bang!
2009: Avatar
While James Cameron’s Avatar isn’t anything new in terms of story, how that story was told is what mattered. James Cameron was always a pioneer when it came to visual effects technology. The Abyss and Terminator 2 are elegant proof of that. He’s not just interested in telling a story, but also upping the ante in terms of visuals. Avatar took what The Lord of the Rings did with Andy Serkis’ motion-capture performance and took it to a whole new level. Avatar is one of the most stunning films I’ve ever seen. The CGI is great and the photo-realistic environments of Pandora are without equal. Avatar was also the first movie to utilize a new form of 3D called Real 3D. It was the first film I ever saw in 3D, and it was one of the most captivating experiences I’ve ever had in a film. Yeah, the story is Dances with Wolves in space, but the technological prowess of the film is what lands it on this list.
2010: 127 Hours
127 Hours tells the story of Aron Ralston, an experienced canyoneer who gets trapped in a slot canyon in southeastern Utah. What makes 127 Hours such a good movie is that it doesn’t take its eyes off of the main character, played to perfection by James Franco. The film does have a bit of a sense of humor, despite the terrifying situation that Ralston finds himself in. Despite the fact that the film is based on real events and knowing the outcome of those events, it’s still a riveting tale of survival in one of Utah’s harshest environments. The moment that Ralston has to make a decision in order to live is one of the most harrowing and brutal sequences I’ve seen in a non-horror movie. This was one of my favorite movies of 2010 and it stands out as one of the best survival movies I’ve ever seen.
2011: Haywire
Haywire is one of the most underrated action films of the decade for a number of reasons. For one, this was Steven Soderbergh’s first action movie, but you wouldn’t be able to tell with how he frames everything. Secondly, this is the first leading role for former MMA-superstar Gina Carano and she carries this film incredibly well. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Bill Paxton, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Fassbender, Haywire is a smart and tightly written tale of espionage and betrayal. It’s absolutely one of my favorite action movies of 2011.
2012: Lincoln
2012 was truly a banner year for film. A year that saw a large number of incredible action films like Dredd and Skyfall also saw the release of some of the greatest dramas I’ve ever seen. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln is one of my favorite films, period. It’s a story focused on Abraham Lincoln and his efforts to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. This amendment is about the abolishment of slavery. Lincoln is every bit as political as it is dramatic. Some of my favorite scenes involve Abe telling stories, which is what he was known to do and he had a keen sense of humor. The scenes in Congress are every bit as riveting as any battle sequence in any war movie. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a career best performance as one of the greatest Presidents in American history. It really looked like you were peering through a window into history with how Day-Lewis performed as Lincoln. That is how great this movie is and we also have Steven Spielberg to thank for it. It’s definitely an astounding film.
2013: Prisoners
When it comes to kidnap thrillers, Prisoners is in a league of its own. The film follows two families as they search for their daughters that have vanished. The premise is simple enough, but what really sets this film apart is its deliberate pacing. The movie runs at a hefty two and a half hours. There’s a reason for that. Like the characters on the screen, the film moves at such a slow pace that it gets under your skin so you understand exactly how these characters feel. What also makes this film so damn good are the performances. While the side characters are really good, it’s Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhall who are the focus here and they deliver some of the best performances of their careers. This movie is incredible.
2014: The Salvation
The Western is a tough genre to really bring to life, mostly because there really aren’t a whole lot of original stories that you can tell within the genre. That’s why you don’t really see a whole lot of traditional Westerns anymore. While we have seen Westerns from American film-makers, we rarely see these kinds of films from folks in different countries, which is why The Salvation is such a breath of fresh air. This is a Dutch-made Western set in the United States. Starring Mads Mikkelson as Jon, a former Dutch soldier who came to the west for a better life. After his family is murdered, Jon runs afoul of a man named Delarue played to slimy perfection by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. This is a straight-forward revenge tale that just happens to be a Western and it’s an incredibly effective film featuring some amazing performances. The real surprise is Eva Green as the mute Madelaine. She says more with her eyes than she ever could with dialogue. If you like Westerns, seek this one out.
2015: The Hateful Eight
There’s just something about a Quentin Tarantino film that just captivates you. Whether it’s the snappy dialogue or extreme violence that shows up every once in a while, you can be sure the film is never boring and The Hateful Eight is no exception. Love him or hate him, you have admit that Quentin Tarantino is one of the most unique film-makers in the industry today. This is not a guy that uses quick edits in his film-making repertoire. Oh, no. He lingers on certain scenes to the point where it feels uncomfortable. Yeah, it feels indulgent at times, but I’d say he’s earned it. The Hateful Eight follows a bounty hunter, Kurt Russell as he takes his quarry to be hanged, but he has to stay at a lodge with some other unsavory people, which leads to some very interesting moments. An incredibly strong cast along with a well-written script makes for an incredibly entertaining film.
2016: Silence
Martin Scorcese is one of the greatest film-makers the world has ever seen. While I can’t say that I entirely agree with what he recently said about what constitutes cinema, you can’t deny that the films he makes are just that: Cinema. The stories that he tells are intimate, powerful and engaging. Silence is no exception. In fact, this might be the most soul-crushing film that Mr. Scorcese has ever made. The film follows two Jesuit priests, played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, as they travel to Japan to find their missing mentor while trying to spread their faith. Unfortunately, Japan at the time was cracking down on Western influence which included religion and the shogunate was more than willing to execute people of faith. Silence is a powerful film about the nature of humanity and spirituality. It’s a rough one to sit through, but it is ultimately rewarding at the end, but not in the way you think it would be.
2017: Logan
The first comic book film on this list, Logan is a very different beast from other films in the genre. I loved the X-Men films, but Logan is something truly special. This is the final appearance of Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart as Wolverine and Professor X, respectively. What a finale it is. Logan has a Western-vibe in the style of The Unforgiven and is just as gritty. For the first time, we get to see Wolverine truly become unleashed. This is a very violent movie where limbs are sliced off and heads are wrecked. It’s ultra-violent, but at it’s core, Logan is a character-driven drama about a man faced with his own mortality and what it means to be a hero. We’ve never seen Wolverine this vulnerable before and when young Laura enters the picture as Logan’s genetic daughter, it becomes a bit of a family drama as well. It’s not a movie that’s going to be for everyone, but it is a testament to Hugh Jackman’s talent that he’s played the character for so long. This is as perfect a send-off for Wolverine as one could hope for.
2018: The Hate U Give
One of the greatest things about film and one of the reasons why I love talking about this medium is the ability for a movie to educate and engaging audiences so they can help effect change. There are a number of films that deal with societal issues, some of which I’ve already mentioned on this list, but The Hate U Give is a film that I think needs to be seen by everyone. Based on the young adult novel of the same name, The Hate U Give follows young Starr as she witnesses the shooting of her friend by a white cop. What follows is a very tense and emotionally powerful film that allows Starr to find her voice so she can speak for her friend. Amandla Stenberg’s performance as Starr Carter is a break-out performance. She nails it. Everyone else is absolutely fantastic. It’s impossible to over-state how important a film like this can be, especially for members of the African-American community. This needs to be seen by everyone.
2019: Joker
For some, it may not come as a surprise that I would put Joker as the best film of 2019. It’s a comic-book movie that doesn’t feel like a comic-book movie. In fact, Joker has more in common with Taxi Driver than it does with Batman. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is one for the record books. His turn as Arthur Fleck is nothing short of electrifying. While everybody that knows about the Joker as a villain would understand that the Joker is a mass-murdering psychopath, Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix give the character a more sympathetic edge which makes his transformation into the Joker all the more tragic. The film also deals with mental illness in a way that feels realistic and surprisingly responsible. The cinematography is absolutely incredible and makes for a gritty and powerful film that transcends its comic-book origins. This one is required viewing for anybody that enjoys the character.
These are what I consider to be the best movies of the decade, and while some are pretty obvious, others aren’t. I could’ve loaded this list with action and horror movies, but the medium is so much more than that and I really look forward to seeing what 2020 can bring us. So, I wish everyone a Happy New Year and I look forward to bringing you more content this year.