I've been telling people that this has been the decade of disinformation, which certainly encompasses a lot. And from that disinformation came an uncertainty and polarization that I believe was reflected in the decade's films.
This may well be remembered as the last gasp of traditional cinema -- the superhero spectacle genre, which took off the decade before with the Spider-Man movies (the Tobey Maguire iteration) only grew more dominant in these last ten years, as did anything that was a reboot, remake or linked to some kind of already established intellectual property.
There were exceptions and the work of directors like Wes Anderson, Christopher Nolan and P.T. Anderson consistently bucked the trends and instead created singular, narrative driven entertainment. Meanwhile, there were plenty of thrilling debuts from filmmakers who may very well go on to define the next decade of moviemaking, even if their work may be increasingly relegated to streaming services. I actually think, by and large, 2010-2019 may be on the whole stronger than 2001-2009.
Even the Academy Awards, which have been notoriously infuriating, had the guts to get behind a small, moody movie like Moonlight (more on that later) which would have been unthinkable a decade before. In a way, it's both the best of times and the worst of times. It's part of why I understand Martin Scorsese's cantankerous interviews of late. I wouldn't have an issue with all the blockbusters per se, if they weren't making it nearly impossible for anything more grounded to get through.
That being said, the movies always find a way to adapt. I am still convinced that nothing can fully top the experience of seeing a movie on the big screen with an audience. And as long as movies like Knives Out -- which are original and not effects driven -- can become solid hits, there should always be a space for real films at the cinema.
A lot of folks are making their lists of the decades' best and here are my personal favorites, in no particular order, I don't think I have the energy to rank them.
(*One caveat: Steve McQueen's masterful 12 Years a Slave did not make this list -- since after all these are 'faves' that I would and do revisit repeatedly -- but I don't in any way want to diminish what an accomplishment that movie is and was.)
****
Gravity - Although many adult-driven space-bound movies came in its wake Alfonso Cuaron's visually inventive two-hander (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in peak star mode) is still my favorite. Riveting from start to finish with an earnest heart at its center, this felt like a real glimpse at where technical filmmaking was headed and Cuaron was right. What he managed to do was invest his 3-D opus with real heart, which is part of what gives this blockbuster its staying power.
It Follows - One of the most inventive and truly scary horror movies I've ever seen. It took a premise that was almost laughably simple and makes it feel existentially dreadful. A cast of unknowns populates this film, which feels lost in time with elements of the 1980s clashing with an undefined future. Everything viscerally works here -- the score, the pacing and the eerily ambiguous ending which leaves this one lingering in your thoughts long after it's over.
O.J. Made in America - Like most people I thought we had said all we needed to say and learned all we needed to learn about the infamous O.J. Simpson trial and then this epic, multi-hour documentary dropped and blew my mind. It's about the history of Los Angeles, it's about the toxicity of domestic violence and it's about how racial self-hatred can turn a person inside out. It took this long to truly understand that trial and its controversial verdict in the proper context. It's still a tragedy but this epic illuminates it.
Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse - The rare animated film that is both profoundly funny, moving and culturally relevant. The filmmakers took what is probably the most played-out superhero in movies and managed to make the character more exciting than it's ever been. Thanks to a complex narrative which involves multiple universes and versions of the webslinger, as well as eye-popping animation and a killer soundtrack, this is one of the most enjoyable movies of the decade, and a celebration of diversity to boot.
Creed - I loved the Rocky movies but also assumed, after Rocky Balboa back in 2006, that there was nothing left in the tank. Boy was I wrong. Director Ryan Coogler (one of the decades' MVPs) had the ingenious idea to center a new film on the son of the Apollo Creed character from the original series. He took the Creed narrative seriously (what would happen to the child of a superstar boxer killed in the ring) and provided an opportunity for Sylvester Stallone to give the best performance of his career by suppressing his vanity to play Balboa as a real person for the first time in years. It's a knockout.
Moonlight - One of the most beautifully shot and made movies of the decade. Barry Jenkins' languid triptych about the maturation of a young, gay black man is simply note perfect. The performances are subtle and striking, the music is rapturous and the sensitivity with which the story is told is breathtaking. A remarkably quiet and poetic movie -- it's a miracle it got made, especially considering the fact that it doesn't feature a single white character of consequence.
Skyfall - Just when 007 as a series appeared to be a bit on the ropes, this beauty arrived and became the biggest commercial and critical hit in the history of the series (without adjusting for inflation). It's probably my favorite 007 film -- it has a fantastic villain (a never creepier Javier Bardem), gorgeous set pieces (the opening train fight and booby trap filled finale are unforgettable) and Daniel Craig at his best as Bond. This one proved that the movies' best franchise is still very viable and very cool.
Under the Skin - A surreal, sophisticated sci-fi film that has only grown in stature since its initial release. In a performance unlike anything she's ever done before or since, Scarlett Johansson plays what appears to be an alien being sent to earth to essentially seduce men in order to use their bodies for food ... or something. One of the most symbolic, mercurial sci-fi films since Kubrick's 2001, with a message about bodily autonomy, possession and humanity. A real mind-blower.
The Favourite - A hilarious dark comedy that lampoons the artifice of period pictures better than any movie since Barry Lyndon. Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Coleman are all flawless as a trio of deeply flawed, funny women in a struggle for both romantic power and power in the broader sense of the word. As it barrels to its, perhaps inevitably, bleak conclusion, it's a sumptuous and deliberately kinky delight.
Django Unchained - Tarantino's controversial action-comedy slavery film became his biggest hit ever and for a good reason: it's a raucous good time at the movies. He has one of his best, most stacked casts yet and they're all reveling in one of his favorite genres, the spaghetti western. And Tarantino doesn't sidestep the horrors of slavery. He also spins his revenge saga into a creative bit of audience fulfillment, a theme he would return to in his latest film, which also makes this list.
Drive - A dreamy anti-Fast & Furious piece of kinetic filmmaking which pays homage to similarly stunning macho movies like The Driver and Thief. Ryan Gosling is terrific as the quiet but deadly hero and comic actor Albert Brooks is every part his equal in an against type role as a vicious gangster. For a certain kind of moviegoer -- me -- this movie was the definition of cool and while director Nicolas Winding Refn has made work I've admired since, he hasn't topped this scorcher.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - The most personal, moving Tarantino movie to date. Instead of revising the history of WWII or the Civil War, here he's adapting his own history -- the Hollywood of the late 1960s. His stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt offer a master class in midlife crisis male-hood amid a backdrop of the impending Manson murders. Except in Tarantino's vision, the fate of Sharon Tate is far more hopeful. A great masterwork from a filmmaker who's finally matured.
The Social Network - David Fincher's sleek retelling of the creation of Facebook may not have aged well with some audiences -- given the characters' toxicity and the evolution of that site into something far more insidious than it appeared to be in 2010. But a closer look at this acclaimed film shows that all of the dark side of the social media site was there in plain sight. Not only did this film help relaunch its director but it showed that brooding films like it could still be hits.
Black Panther - There are 'superhero' movies and there is Black Panther. A warm, incredibly detailed and well-acted piece of mass-appeal entertainment. It doesn't shy from weightier issues like geopolitics and black identity, and it also somehow manages to be funny, gender-balanced and action packed. Even though it's technically part of the Marvel Universe, it stands on it own as art. My only disappointment is that Michael B. Jordan missed out on a well-deserved Oscar nod for his villain role.
Get Out - Jordan Peele pulled off the high wire act of combining a racial satire with traditional horror and wound up with a massive hit and an unlikely Oscar contender. The premise is pretty irresistible -- a kind of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in hell -- and considering its low budget and limited starpower (although Daniel Kaluuya would become one after this) the movie is incredibly assured and attractive. It was the rare antidote to the Trump election, a cathartic reminder that there was still a vibrant creative culture willing to speak up and talk back to the problematic portion of the county.
Good Time - With this crime thriller and Uncut Gems, the Safdie brothers have officially arrived as superstar filmmakers of the first order. Robert Pattison permanently put his Twilight past behind him with his electric performance here, where he credibly plays a Queens hood up against the clock trying to reunite with his developmentally disabled brother while trying to score as much as as he can in the process. Funny, crude and clearly coming from a place of authenticity.
Us - In his second film, Peele takes his vision of socially-charged horror even further, with a fascinating riff on class and dual identity. He finds a dream lead with Lupita Nyong'o in her best role yet as both the leader of a bunch of underworld dwelling 'tethers' and one of their doubles above ground. A good deal scarier than his first film and slightly more polarizing, but for people who (like me) love to pick apart and obsess over movies with multiple meanings, this one is a real cinematic feast.
The Irishman - Martin Scorsese rightly held out for total control to make this passion project and likely his final say on the gangster genre. Everyone is doing inspired work here -- including DeNiro, Pesci and Pacino who while all in their late 70s through technology and their performances credibly play men throughout several decades of their lives. A meditation on what it would mean to live a life of crime that is both dynamic and devastating. It deserves to be seen in a theater, but will hopefully earn a bigger audience who embrace it in the comfort of their own homes.
Mad Max: Fury Road - Simply put, one of the greatest (if not the greatest) action movies ever made, featuring some of the most incredible stunt work I've ever seen, with some of the most vibrant colors/visuals I've ever seen on film all in service of a 'story' that is deceptively straightforward, but in reality has a lot to say about gender, greed, dwindling resources and the potential hell that awaits us should the planet continue to deteriorate. That rare big budget entertainment that everyone seems to be able to appreciate on some level. It's easily the film of the past decade I've returned to the most and a film that seems to just get better with age. It's a masterpiece.
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