My Top 10 Favorite Films of the 2010s · 1:23am Jan 6th, 2020
Yesterday, we discussed the 10 worst films of the past decade. Now for that list that nobody really likes: here are my ten favorite films of the 2010s! Also, I didn’t steal this idea from Phoenix Heart 20 this time. She gave me permission (not that I would’ve asked for it; she can’t sue me or anything, right?).
Like last time, as a disclaimer: I didn’t watch nearly as many films as one may expect. I went through the ones that rang a bell that I saw and I tried to keep it as pretentious memorable and impactful as possible. As such, the films you’ll read about are the ones that stuck with me the most. Quality be damned! Okay, in reality, they’re all fantastic movies. Let’s begin though!
#10: Sinister (2012)
I said I loved the original Sinister yesterday and here’s my proof to you. This movie was intense. It also helped me to be less of a chicken when it comes to what scares me in the way of film. The script by Scott Derrickson (who most now know as the director of 2016’s Doctor Strange) and C. Robert Cargill (formerly Carlyle of the now defunct website Spill.com) is one that evokes a mixture of horror and mystery, though it begins to lean more heavily on the former of those two genres as the film goes on to somewhat mixed results.
The film is most well known for its snuff film segments, which lack sound and rely entirely on the imagery to do the scaring (though there are the occasional jump scares). These segments—which one could reasonably compare to the traps in Saw and its sequels (who’s excited for The Organ Donor in May? Saw 9, baby!)—are raw, brutal, and honestly not that gory. This is a stark contrast to Sinister II, which relied so heavily on gore, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were watching the sequels to the aforementioned Saw franchise. The most brutal was Lawn Work, which I’ll refrain from describing any further. Just know that the film has a twisted sense of humor.
To end things off: if you’re a fan of horror, I recommend giving this movie a look. Just do yourself a favor and ignore the sequel. Jason Blum sometimes makes good decisions—that’s very evident when it comes to two of the other films from his production company on this list—but he also loves sequels. Those are often junk. Now then, let’s move on.
#9: The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
“Criminally underrated” doesn’t do The Lincoln Lawyer justice. This movie was absurdly underrated and I wish that more people had seen it. It’s a courtroom drama with Matthew McConaughey that’s based on a book by the same name (featuring a character from a series of said books). I love courtroom dramas and police procedurals. As such, it’s worth saying that The Lincoln Lawyer didn’t reinvent the wheel. I’m someone who doesn’t think that every show, game, movie, song, or book needs to reinvent it. If it tells a story, all that matters to me is that it tells the story well. In the case of this movie, it tells it very well.
Give the movie a go if you’re a fan of crime/courtroom dramas. It’s more than worth your time. Now if only the director’s follow-up was as good. Oh well, Runner Runner sure managed to make people run from the theater. Thank you, studio interference.
#8: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
This movie was fun.
That’s about all I can really say about Fury Road. It was fun. A whole lot of fun. It’s everything I expected and I liked it a lot. I know folks have clamored for more, though I’d honestly be content if Fury Road was its own beast and there were no more Mad Max films (which I must admit, I’ve never seen any besides this one). I’ve always been of the opinion that “too much of a good thing” can really take away from something special and in the case of Fury Road, I find that if it were the final film and we didn’t get anymore, it’d make it all the more special.
The movie though. What did I like about it? Honestly, everything that can be said about Fury Road has already been said. It was fun. A whole lot of fun. The score was amazing, the cinematography was great, and the action scenes were brilliantly filmed. If you haven’t seen it, do so. It was great fun. How many times have I said fun? Not enough; the next film was fun too.
#7: Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Yeah, while Mad Max was great, I must concede that I enjoyed this film more. Fight me.
The Mission: Impossible films are strange. What started out as a series that was little more than a tepid vehicle for Tom Cruise has evolved into a film that’s progressively gotten better and better. Rogue Nation—the fifth film in the series—was absurdly fun. When I saw it back in 2015, I didn’t think it was possible for the series to get more thrilling. Alas, writer and director Christopher McQuarrie proved me wrong in flying colors. Fallout was a blast from start to finish and no, that pun wasn’t intended. Should you not believe me, then I recommend consulting this man.
Dang, that’s some good CGI.
Okay, my sarcasm aside: this movie was fun. Really fun. Really goddamn fun. To say that I’m excited for M:I7 and M:I8 would be an understatement. I’m ridiculously stoked.
Also, yeah, this movie was fun. Did I say that already? Go watch it if you haven’t. Seriously, you’re doing yourself an injustice if you aren’t.
#6: Foxcatcher (2014)
Foxcatcher! This movie was great. It tells the story of the enigmatic John du Pont, who’s played by Steve Carrell in a role that’s one of his absolute best. Admittedly, trying to really put my thoughts into what I thought of this movie is difficult because it was one that even after I finished watching it, I wasn’t sure how I felt. All I really knew was that I really liked it.
While that may seem like a backhanded compliment, the thing that got me about this movie was that it was… well, unlike every other film on this list—save for the film at #1 which has elements of reality in it—it’s based on a true story. How accurate it is, I cannot say for certain. The film is ultimately based on a true story that centers on the 1988 Olympics and the ensuing events. As such, if you know anything about du Pont, then you know what I’m talking about.
There’s a certain level of uneasiness I felt when watching Carrell give his performance and to this day I feel my skin crawl. Even as I type this, I feel a very real sense of unease. As such, I recommend the movie!
#5: The Gift (2015)
Oh God. This movie. This movie really left me scared.
I was never the nicest person in school—at least for 8th grade. There was a student I picked on a fair bit (despite me being in a Special Education class). The kid was nice and I actually shared a lot in common with him. The thing was, he also annoyed me to no end. He never meant any harm and was honestly a sweet person. Yet, I was a dick to him and would frequently get pissed off at him.
Watching The Gift, all I could think was, “Oh dear God, what have I done?”
There’s a sense of knowing how the sins of your past, no matter how often you wish that they were done, buried, and nothing more than memories from times of yore, are never actually gone. No matter how much you wish, those that you did wrong or hurt may never forget what you did and can develop a grudge. This is the premise to The Gift and it uses it to such great effect that even now, as I type this, all I wish I could do is apologize to that kid I mercilessly mocked and picked on. If he’s by some odd chance reading this and knows that it’s me: I’m sorry. I really am.
I swear, if I ever become a published author, I’m mailing him a free copy of the book and an apology letter. Just in hopes he forgives my sorry ass.
#4: Nightcrawler (2014)
I recall reading that one lady who was on the Academy Awards board of voting (or whatever nonsense that outdated society of uptight nimrods has) didn’t vote for Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in this movie was because it was: “Too scary”. Well golly gee willikers. By that logic, I don’t like Call of Duty because guns make people stop living.
Nightcrawler is a psychological thriller about a man who becomes, well, a nightcrawler. Basically, he goes around shooting footage of accidents or events for the evening news and then sells it to news stations for money. The film is a brutal satire on how American media focuses on the goriest and most morbid stories for ratings and nothing else. The thing that separates Nightcrawler from other satire is holds back no punches. The film is, from start to finish, mercilessly pummelling the media’s adoration with depressing stories. One line from the movie I think encapsulates this.
“If it bleeds, it leads.”
Nightcrawler starts and ends by this line. Amplifying this is a haunting performance from Gyllenhaal, who plays the sociopathic Lou Bloom. A character who I think never blinks throughout the film and has a perpetual wide-eyed stare. He also never raises his voice beyond one scene. Beyond this, he has a nice, calm tone makes scenes like this infinitely more haunting.
Besides it being a crime that Gyllenhaal wasn’t nominated for Best Actor, it’s a crime this movie wasn’t nominated for Best Cinematography or Best Original Score. Yet further proof that the Academy Awards are as meaningful as dirt is when paying for a house. Watch this movie. It’s worth it. Bill Paxton was also in it and he’s great.
#3: In Order of Disappearance/Kraftidioten (2014)
Some may know this thanks to the American remake Cold Pursuit with Liam Neeson. I haven’t seen that movie, but I did watch the original. It’s a Norwegian film with Stellan Skarsgård. An action film with an amazingly dark sense of humor about a snowplow driver who goes on a quest for revenge after his son is killed. It sounds cliche, but the film’s sense of humor elevates it from being cliche. That, coupled with the film’s villain—The Count—being one of the most amazingly charismatic, hysterical, and brilliantly acted in a film like this, makes In Order of Disappearance one of the most magnetic films I’ve ever seen.
One other major upside to the film is it’s beautifully shot. It helps that Norway is a beautiful country with a lot of scenic locations (this is apparent in Mission: Impossible - Fallout), but this movie makes the most of it with many of its establishing shots. It’s quite a pretty movie to simply look at, which I think can help elevate many movies in some capacity. In this case, it elevates it to the status of being the third best movie of the 2010s. I highly recommend you see it. Just be forewarned: it gets brutal at times. Though what would you expect from a revenge film?
#2: Whiplash (2014)
Deciding on if this film should claim the top spot or the that did was difficult. Ultimately, I went with the one that’s had the larger influence on me overall. While Whiplash did linger with me for days after I saw it, it didn’t have the same impact on it in my love for the style of storytelling that the film at #1 holds.
That said, Whiplash isn’t a very happy film. It tells a story of obsession and the desire to be remembered no matter what the cost. Alienating someone you love? Do so if it means becoming a great musician. Alienating family? That too. Self destruction is the name of the game in Whiplash and it showcases it through some extremely intense, terrifying, and downright electrifying scenes. This is thanks to a brilliant performance by Miles Teller and a performance by J.K. Simmons that I cannot put into words. The man gives such a scary performance as Terrence Fletcher that I found it to be scarier than most horror films I’ve ever seen.
If you’re a fan of stories of self destruction—or just love stories about obsession—Whiplash is right up your alley. I just hope you aren’t a musician. Otherwise, this movie will give you an anxiety attack (if you’re lucky).
#1: Sicario (2015)
Anyone who’s ever talked to me on Discord a few things. The first is that I have a temper that can flare up at times. The second is that I’m a chatterbox. The third is that Sicario is so goddamn amazing DEAR GOD I LOVED THIS MOVIE.
Look. I won’t use flowery language, praise, or anything else like that. This movie was screwed up. Thematically, it’s brutal and showcases just how awful both sides are in the War on Drugs; the DEA are portrayed as utilizing dirty and callous tactics to eliminate the Mexican Drug Cartels and the Cartel themselves are shown to be some of the most merciless, cruel, and horrible human beings on the face of the planet.
This film is anything but a movie that could realistically be called “optimistic” or “uplifting”. From its opening scene, Sicario goes for the throat and never lets you go. Its action scenes are brutal and tense and its score amplifies this a thousandfold. The film also has a scene towards the end that legitimately made me feel like my heart was going to erupt out of my chest. I won’t say anything else about the film though as you need to see it in order to fully understand why I love it so much.
To end things off: Sicario: Day of the Soldado is even worse in the way of his moral compass and tone. It’s one of the most pessimistic films I’ve ever seen and it further showcased that Taylor Sheridan is capable of creating some of the coldest characters and stories in the entertainment industry today. If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly suggest that you do. It’s a dark, brutal, and wickedly intense movie from start to finish.
Those are my ten favorite films of the 2010s. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the Top 10—I kid, we’re not discussing anything else. See you on Friday for the movie update blog! :)
Mad Max, yissss. Such a badass film.
.....is it wrong if I've never seen or even heard of half of these films aside from Mad Max and Mission Impossible?
5180724
Yeah!
5180740
Nope. Some weren't given super big releases. I'm glad you read though! :)
5180748
Oh good, I'd worry you'd sick Goatman on me. Bleat for the camera!
5180761
You have no idea how much that brightened my day.
Interesting choices of movies (at least half of those I also liked)!
5180767
I try. Snark is my goal.
5180777
Thank you kindly. If you enjoyed this, I hope you'll like the coming Friday film updates. I'll try to make them equal parts informative and snarky/funny. ^_^
Now maybe I'll do a Top 10 forgettable films of the decade... 🤔
5180783
.....but how will you do that list if they're so forgettable?
5180790
I search Wikipedia and remember I saw the films. Or I shitpost and say, "Oh wait, I can't remember any of the films!" Then link Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire and log off.
5180783
I shall patiently wait!