For the second half of this list, read on!
75. The Cabin In The Woods (2012, dr. Drew
Goddard, scr. Goddard and Joss Whedon)
I can’t think of any other movie, either from this
decade or just in general, that was both a celebration and a critique of an
entire genre of movies. Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon do both flawlessly, making
a piece of blood-soaked entertainment. I think there is something a little bit
deeper there too, that goes beyond just the horror genre. This was the decade
of the fan. This was the decade of nostalgia overload. If we got a movie that
was 95% good, we spent the rest of the year bitching about that 5%. If this
crazy horror comedy teaches us anything, its that we need to be able to give a
little more leeway to our artists. Stop worrying about the superficial
nitpicks, and just focus on the art. Not what you’d expect from a horror movie
that literally features every horror monster you can think of, eh?
74. The LEGO Movie (2014, dr./scr. Phil
Lord and Chris Miller)
It’s over the top, yes. You probably never want to
hear the song “Everything is Awesome” ever again, because its just too
overwhelmingly cheesy. But I admit, that I love that over-the-top cheesiness.
Especially when it lines up with how slyly Lord and Miller adhere to the
conventions of an animated “family film” while also taking jabs at our culture.
At its heart, its got the wisdom of a standard Pixar film, but the movie itself
takes so much joy in being weird that its actually sort of lovable. That’s also
the heart of the film too, be weird. It’s okay to be weird, because everything
is awesome.
73. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013, dr./scr.
Joel & Ethan Cohen)
We’ve seen countless movies of somebody working toward
a particular goal and getting their dream-come-true scenario realized right as
the credits begin to roll. Only the Cohen brothers could make a movie about the
heartache of never realizing your dream and still make it kind of beautiful.
Yes, even the hopeless schmucks need movies for them too and there is nobody
capturing that better than the two greatest American filmmakers. Much like “O
Brother, Where Art Thou?” the Cohens use music as a character, but in their
world of folk music, it’s a much different animal. If you wondered how Oscar
Isaac and Adam Driver may have got the “Star Wars” gig, look no further than
here. Isaac proved he was ready for a bigger career here.
72. Ex Machina (2015, dr./scr. Alex
Garland)
For too long, science fiction was mere window dressing
for action films. Too bad, because when handled correctly, science fiction an
be challenging, engaging and entertaining all in equal measure. So thank God
Alex Garland came along and made science fiction science fiction again. You
could look at “Ex Machina” and only see a clever riff on Willy Wonka. However,
Garland made a movie about ideas. Not only is the movie thought provoking, but
the special effects are absolutely gorgeous, some of the best of the whole
decade. Alicia Vikander’s robot is amazing to look at. Also, remember what I
said about Oscar Issac? Mhmm…you know it.
71. Attack The Block (2011, dr./scr. Joe
Cornish)
I mentioned “Star Wars” and how Oscar Isaac slowly
built his way into a household name. Well, some guys are also just born to be
recognized, and find their way into the bigger pictures by sheer force of will.
John Boyega’s first film was this British alien invasion comedy. What begins
with a gang of hoodlums mugging a nurse coming home from work ends when lights
begin to fall from the sky. Then the nurse and the hoodlums realize that they
are going to have to work together if they want to survive the crazy aliens
that have landed on Earth. Yes, there is a cliched message to not look at the
surface to find trust in people, but when its wrapped in a piece of candy like
this, the taste is hard to resist.
70. A Separation (2011, dr./scr. Asghar
Farhadi)
Plenty of movies have focused on break-ups and divorce
but I am not sure I have ever seen one this raw and wounded before. Any time a
married couple separates, they not only affect each other, but everyone in
their orbit. If they have children, they will feel it. If they have close
friends and other family, they will feel it too. It’s a ripple that affects
every loved one, no matter how much the splitting couple wishes it wasn’t so.
Until “A Separation,” I hadn’t seen such a profound example of this. It also
gives you a look at a culture that would have remained foreign for several
years.
69. Before Midnight (2013, dr. Richard
Linklater, scr. Linklater, Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy)
There is a couple Richard Linklater has been checking
in on once a decade since 1995. In that year, we were introduced Jesse (Ethan
Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) in “Before Sunrise” a movie about budding love,
a young person’s perspective on a young person’s love and optimism. In 2004,
Linklater caught up with Jesse and Celine in “Before Sunset.” That movie is
definitely a movie about the same people, but with more life experience and
there is a much more tender restraint surrounding Jesse and Celine not seeing
each other after nine years. By “Before Midnight” they are finally a couple
with two girls. The thing is, life is still tough even when you’ve found your
soulmate, and you need to be willing to fight for it. As Linklater checks in on
Jesse and Celine, he really digs deep into how time and lifespan weigh in on
our lives and how fragile love truly is. I can only hope Linklater continues to
check in on this couple as long as he continues to deliver such innocent
insight.
68. Mutafukaz (2017, dr. Shojiro Nishimi
& Guillaume Renard, scr. Renard)
This movie I saw at the Chicago International Film
Festival in 2017. After a rather long day of movies, I felt pretty wiped. I
only hoped I could stay awake for my fifth movie of the day at around 10:45 at
night. The thing is, “Mutafukaz” blew the roof off the theater. I never would
have guessed Japanese-French anime was actually real, but of course it is, and
it should be. Its such an astoundingly original film that discussing it seems
futile. There is a fictional place called Dark Meat City, there is a guy who
gains powers after an accident, and there is a conspiracy theory around his
upbringing, need I say more? Anybody who is a fan of anime owes it to
themselves to track this down ASAP.
67. Cheap Thrills (2013, dr. E.L. Katz,
scr. Trent Hagaa & David Chirchirillo)
The Have’s are constantly pushing the Have-Not’s and
until the Have-Not’s realize they aren’t completely powerless; it will remain
that way. Craig Daniels is played by Pat Healy, who breaks out so big in his
lead performance that I am amazed we saw so little of him in the rest of the
decade. Craig meets an old friend at a bar and they begin to catch up, a guy
with his girlfriend takes interest in the two guys, and begins to pay them
money to do random things. As the night grows longer, they all keep hanging
out, the tasks for money get stranger, the amount of money gets bigger. It’s a
wild ride, and its fun and provoking throughout.
66. Hearts Beat Loud (2018, dr. Brett
Haley, scr. Haley & Marc Basch)
Its been a whirlwind eighteen months for me in
particular, because my first daughter is eighteen months currently. For any
parents out there reading, you’ll know this well enough, there is something
very special about watching your children take shape. Even though my daughter
is still very young, there is a hunger for knowledge that is mesmerizing, and
there is a special case of pride that comes with being a parent. “Hearts Beat
Loud” is about Frank (Nick Offerman) an ex-musician who is now a single dad
running a record store on its last fumes. Its also the last summer he has with
his daughter Sam (Kersey Clemons) before she heads off to college. They make
some music together, and a particular song becomes a low-level hit. You feel
right away that parental pride Frank shares with his daughter. This is a joyous
celebration of family and love, told through the filter of music. And yes, the
music in the movie is every bit as amazing as you think. Offerman’s Frank is
probably his greatest performance since Ron Swanson, a high watermark of an
already impressive career.
65. I Saw The Devil (2010, dr. Kim-Jee
woon, scr. Park Hoon-jung)
Shifting gears quite a bit from number sixty-six…how
far would you be willing to go to make someone who wronged you in a horrifying
way to pay for their crimes? I wonder how often it is we truly ask ourselves
that. “I Saw The Devil” begins with a striking and terrifying bit of violence
on a woman. When the woman’s husband comes to check the body, he is appalled.
Turns out, the husband works for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service
and he plans to make his wife’s killer pay. It’s a little bit “Silence of the
Lambs” and a little bit “Skyfall.” It’s a also a character study about how
violence slowly begins to tear us apart. If we spend so much time destroying a
monster, does that in fact turn us into a monster in return? It features Lee
Byung-hun who played Storm Shadow in the “G.I. Joe” films as the spy and Choi
Min-sik, from the original “Oldboy” as the vicious killer, both of whom do
astounding work.
64. Prometheus (2012, dr. Ridley Scott,
scr. Damon Lindelof & Jon Spaihts)
This will most definitely become my most controversial
pick on the entire list. I know this is a prequel, that was repeatedly not
called a prequel, even though that’s exactly what it was. As with many movies
that came out in the summer of 2012, it split viewers right down the middle.
For my money, “Prometheus” is easily one of the most visually arresting
experiences, and it was amazing to just sit back and let the movie wash over
me. On another level, I think it’s got more on its mind than some people might
give it credit for. Yes, it feels like a blockbuster and there is plenty of big
moments in the film. But it does make you think, and discussing the questions
brought up in this movie have lead to much fun. Michael Fassbender is
unbelievable as David 8, and one of the reasons to see the film as well. I
think future fans of the “Alien” franchise will discover this and wonder why it
was so divisive upon release. But hey, Roger Ebert gave the movie a four-star
review and it has appeared on ONE other decade list, so I don’t feel so bad
putting on mine. (NOTE: I wouldn’t have felt bad anyway!)
63. Get Him To The Greek (2010, dr./scr.
Nicholas Stoller)
In the 2000’s, I felt like we got tidal wave of raunchy
and fresh comedy’s, and I don’t think we saw enough of that carry into the
2010’s. In the 2000’s, we were blessed with stuff like “Anchorman,” “Superbad,”
“Knocked Up,” “Tropic Thunder,” “The Pineapple Express,” “Orange County,” “The
40 Year Old Virgin,” “The Hangover,” and “Wet Hot American Summer.” There is
probably many I am not naming off the top of my head. We just didn’t get that
kind of rapid influx of comedies this decade. It seemed the funniest stuff this
decade was on TV. So I hope it means something when I say I didn’t laugh harder
in the theater this decade, nor did I have a more fun time quoting this one.
The soundtrack is pretty hilarious too.
62. The Raid 2 (2014, dr./scr. Gareth
Evans)
We were blessed with plenty of ass-kicking this decade,
there was plenty of pure action that certainly hit the sweet spot. Sometimes,
that’s exactly what I want to turn on. While the trilogies of “John Wick” and “The
Expendables” were pretty awesome, “The Raid 2” was just about the best pure
action movie of the decade (the first is later on in this list). There is
simply nothing like the action in this movie, action so brutal that you will
feel pain on your own body watching this movie. Gareth Evans acted like this
was the only movie he was ever going to make, and he didn’t leave anything untried.
This is a pulse-pounding, bone-breaking treat, from start to finish.
61. Short Term 12 (2013, dr./scr. Destin
Daniel Cretton)
One of the smallest films of the entire decade is also
one of the most sincere. Brie Larson plays Grace, a woman who is the lead
supervisor of a group home for troubled teenagers. What would have been a
fairly typical and mundane movie in the hands of a novice director is given
much life, character, depth and emotion by Destin Daniel Cretton. He smart and
careful enough to never look down on the kids, and he equally smart and clever
enough to give real personality to the adults in the movie. This is just one of
the many truly outstanding performances by Brie Larson, solidifying her seat at
the Hollywood table here.
60. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014,
dr. Matt Reeves, scr. Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver)
If you would have told me ten years ago that I would
have been extremely emotionally invested in a prequel trilogy about “Planet of
the Apes,” I wouldn’t have believed you. But 20th Century Fox did
the unthinkable, they made a trilogy of summer blockbusters that still had its
heart and soul intact after being pushed through that Hollywood system. The
marketing and previews made “Dawn” look like a fairly typical action movie.
What surprised me the most was how little action appeared in this “summer
blockbuster.” This is a character piece, from start to finish. This is a movie
where there really aren’t any villains, but it features a story how prejudice
and hate eat from the inside out like a virus. The humans and apes get pretty
close to peace here, it only gets fumbled by other humans and apes. When Jason
Clarke’s human tells Andy Serkis’s Caesar “I thought we had a chance” then Caesar
solemnly agrees “Me too” at the end of the movie, it hits like a sledgehammer,
because we saw everything they lost. Not to mention the apes in this movie look
real. So there’s that.
59. The Farewell (2019, dr./scr. Lulu
Wang)
There is nothing more powerful than a true story. Usually
in movies, we get true stories based on current or historical events. The thing
is, we all have our stories, and maybe those stories could maybe make good
movies. Lulu Wang took something very personal in her own life and turned it
into movie, and not only was it one of the purest, greatest experiences of the
year, but also the decade. Awkwafina plays Billie, a Chinese-American grad
student who is close to her grandmother. When her parents find out that Billie’s
grandmother has terminal lung cancer, they deceive her to believe she’s still
okay, then unite with the rest of the family for a wedding, which to be
expected the last few days for the grandmother. It’s the greatest lie ever
told, that probably sounds oxymoronic, but there is so much raw emotion and even
a few memorable laughs and because its based on a real experience, it has more
depth than most.
58. We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011, dr.
Lynn Ramsey, scr. Ramsey & Rory Stewart Kinnear)
There have already been plenty of movies about a kid
shooting up their school. But “We Need To Talk About Kevin” takes a rather
unique approach. The movie deals with the guilt and confusion of a mother
(Tilda Swinton’s finest performance to date) dealing with a mass murder by her
son. The movie charts the relationship of the mother and the son, and how they
seemingly never quite connect. The boy is shown exercising strange, disturbing
behaviors. Are the parents not doing enough to punish him? Are they doing too
much? It’s all part of the debate on what would cause a young person to kill.
The ending leaves us reeling for those questions even further. When the mother
asks why his son did it and he merely says "I thought I knew, but now I’m
not sure” it goes back to the instinct of love. We all need it, we all crave
it, and we are potentially dangerous without. Jet black, with a small ray of
light, “We Need To Talk About Kevin” is one of the decades most harrowing
experiences.
57. The Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016,
dr./scr. Taika Waititi)
One of a kind. That’s all I got.
56. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
(2018, dr. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey & Rodney Rothman, scr. Rothman and
Phil Lord)
Every time I watch this, I sit back and can’t even
believe this is real movie. I love that we are now at the point in superhero
filmmaking where we can finally go off the rails. But that’s not why its not
the list. It’s not the unique set-up, it isn’t the wildly fun concept, it’s not
the wicked soundtrack or the eye-popping animation. Sure, it all helps, but its
certainly not all. I’ve been soaking up plenty of pop culture growing up, and
much of it for a long time all looked pretty much the same. Mainstream was just
that mainstream, and mainstream pop culture is very, very white. It was
ingrained in many brains that it THAT type of popular culture that matters. That’s
obviously a load of crap, and the real reason this movie is so special is that
it plays by the typical rules of mainstream pop culture while also shattering
them. This may rub some people the wrong way, and they may claim that we are
getting agendas fed to us, but that’s not true. Not all of my heroes look
exactly like me, so I don’t expect my pop culture heroes to look exactly like
me. Slowly but surely voices from many different corners and cultures of the
world are making their way into the mainstream, and it can only make our pop
culture richer as a result.
55. La La Land (2016, dr./ scr. Damien Chazelle)
Whimsical and delightfully delirious, I never would
have guessed “La La Land” would have been for me. Usually movies where
Hollywood kisses its own ass kinda comes off self-indulgent if not handled correctly.
Thankfully, writer and director Damien Chazelle breath’s some real life into
this movie that makes all the difference. Hundreds of people come to Los
Angeles to be the next great musician or the next big actor or the next top
model, and it just doesn’t happen for all of them. How many people who have won
“The Voice” have moved onto fame? We see it happen all the time. This is very
much a movie about two artists who are fighting an uphill battle, and how that
battle begins to complicate their relationship. It is a movie about love, but
also about loss. There is a old Hollywood feel mixed with a modern anesthetic
that really love.
54. Black Swan (2010, dr. Darren Aronofsky,
scr. Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, & John McLaughlin)
I’ve watched this movie a lot, and I am still not sure
what its even about. I hope that sentence alone proves just how well the movie
can provoke. Sometimes I think it’s a movie about we fall under the weight of
the pressure we put on ourselves. Other times, I think it’s the death of
innocence inside a girl. Then sometimes, maybe, just maybe, something wildly
supernatural is going on. I can’t admit I have it figured out, but every time I
see it, I get sucked right in again. The film’s atmosphere, even when its dark,
is addicting in a real way. Yes, it’s a deeply uncomfortable film at times, but
that doesn’t mean its merits don’t hold up. This had some of the most unforgettable
moments in any movie this decade. And it was lead by one of the greatest
performances of the decade as well.
53. Selma (2014, dr. Ava DuVernay, scr.
Paul Webb)
It’s a sad thing to admit that, particularly at the
end of this decade, this is a movie we absolutely need right now. It is a defiantly
hopeful movie. It’s also a wonderful example of how an individual can inspire
not just one person but an entire community to build any sort of revolution. I
am glad that DuVernay chose to make a movie about a certain time in Martin
Luther King Jr.’s life instead of making the typical greatest hits movie of his
life and I doubly love how she chose to make a movie about how a huge group of
people can drawn to any idea, which is why ideas are so powerful.
52. Arrival (2016, dr. Denis Villeneuve,
scr. Eric Heisserer)
Another movie that was marketed in a way that the
viewers had no idea what was coming. The previews for this movie made it look
like another alien invasion movie, but “Arrival” is anything but. The movie
takes a different approach as the humans are proactive about communicating with
the aliens instead of starting a war. What’s even crazier is that the aliens
are there to teach a certain human a lesson. What would have been insanely dumb
in the hands of a different director turns into a sucker-punch of emotion and
the movie left me pretty raw as a result.
51. The Artist (2011, dr./scr. Michel Hazanavicius)
It’s really cool to see somebody try making a silent
black-and-white movie in the 21st Century. It’s so lost in the old
customs that it gives you the feeling that you can’t believe your watching it.
What’s even better is that there is a story in the middle of all the music and
dancing. There is something sorrowful and wounded and something bold and true
beneath the light and the shadow. That’s what I gravitate most to. Anybody can
imitate old Hollywood, its something else to really make something out of it.
Michel Hazanavicius was a fun director before this, but I can’t believe that he
didn’t really become a household name because of this movie. Its an amazing experience.
HALFWAY DONE!
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