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(Caveat: yes, I understand the decade actually runs Jan 1, 2011 through December 31, 2020. But by "common convention," let's say 2010 through 2019. Yes, and 2019 ain't over yet, "but...")
What is your list, and why? While I've tried to dodge spoilers, be aware I do comment on strong thematic elements.
BEST OF THE BEST:
"Interstellar" (2014): Nolan brother's magnum opus...so far at least...tall words considering they are also creators of such dark genius as the Batman trilogy, "the Prestige," and the mind bending "Inception" and "Memento." For the choice of soundtrack alone...you simply must sample this via Youtube mixes or the original, in a dark room at high volume...but that's only a part of it. The story is really about true love, transcending time and space, gluing the last best hope of humanity together to save the race.
Decent science, stunning effects with as much "realism" as one might muster from what mid-21st Century spacecraft and habitats might actually be like. Superb performances by Matthew McConaughey (pitch-perfect casting, swashbuckler and dad with a heart of gold and heroic figure to the very ends of space and time, he's in nearly every scene throughout). Matt Damon's incredible cameo as a duplicitous mission lead. Anne Hathaway, solid as always with remarkable gravitas if somewhat lacking in range... I saw this the way it was meant to be, in IMAX during a (very) special showing with no previews, an introduction, and incredible surround sound in addition to the massive view. I've never not watched it since @home and not been moved: should it turn up at a film festival in the original format, do not miss out. A masterpiece, best of the 'Teens.
SHEER PITCH-PERFECT THRILL RIDES of the DECADE (RUNNER-UPS):
"Lucy" : mind bending fiction (with a little "science"), the always-stunning Scarlett Johansson, and master of frenetic eye-canding and pacing Luc Besson directing. European settings masterfully manipulated: YES.
"Sicario (2015)" and the lesser "Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)": Emily Blunt (in part 1), Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin: what a combo! Pitch black, little if any ultimate redemption, good and evil interchangeable, and a very thin line indeed between life and death on the front lines. Incredible social commentary and creeping dread from one end to the other.
BEST SUPERHERO FILM OF THE DECADE:
From the DC universe, of all things, and many will disagree: "Man of Steel (2013)", the ultimate reboot of the Superman mythos, suitably dark and impeccably played villainy in Michael Shannon's General Zod and his entourage. Henry Cavill as an explosive, slightly mercurial, just a whiff of homicidal Superman? Oh yes! Too bad a couple follow-ons have been worthless so far.
There have been lots of really good movies over the past decade. Many I enjoy watching multiple times. But I can only think of a few that I would be in the "Destined to be Classics" category:
There have been lots of really good movies over the past decade. Many I enjoy watching multiple times. But I can only think of a few that I would be in the "Destined to be Classics" category:
Three beauts, thank you. Saw the first in the theater in Lincoln NB when I happened to be in town (I live in Seattle) and needed to kill couple hours, would have been May 2015 as my date-tuned brain reminds me. Being a Sci-Fi kind of guy, really caught my attention.
Second I caught on one of the cable channels and is definitely a sleeper, and powerful.
Third, almost unwatchable for the horror...but needs to be seen. What an existence, what a foul institution...a little redemption, after, but mostly just a bummer.
Which reminds me: as far as classic Sci-Fi, pretty sure "Arrival" will rank up there and age well across years or decades as a suburb part of the genre.
Spoiler
A little sleepy, definitely cerebral, lot of creeping suspense and foreshadowing ...not quite dread, at least not from the E.T.'s but definitely humanity's reaction to their, uh, arrival. A bit of ambiguity throughout, and how it concluded more-or-less made sense though not a linear way most can easily understand.
I totally agree with Sicario. Denis Villeneuve absolutely hit it out of the park this decade, and is my choice for best new director (who wasn't known before the 2010s). Prisoners was also brilliant. I didn't think Blade Runner was great, or necessary, but there's no other director that I would trust a sequel with, and he delivered.
I also agree that at least as a visceral action spectacle, Man of Steel was the best among the superhero herd. It was more of a disaster/alien invasion movie than a Superman movie though.
My other choice is Whiplash-- one of the most intense "thrillers" ever, that had nothing to do with holding a gun/knife or saving the world. Fantastic editing as well.
This decade in Hollywood was pulling a Google and attempting to manipulate the audience, and the exploding China market is dictating the quality of all-audiences movies. So this decade wasn't very enjoyable, but there were still some great standout films.
Honourable mentions:
Another Year (Mike Leigh)
Incendies (Denis Villeneuve)
A Royal Affair (Nikolaj Arcel)
Ernest et Célestine (Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner)
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Isao Takahata)
Song of the Sea (Tomm Moore)
Room (Lenny Abrahamson)
Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)
Paddington 2 (Paul King)
Cold War (Paweł Pawlikowski)
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