Best of 2010s (2010-2019)

50. A STAR IS BORN

The best scene from a movie in 2018 – and possibly of the entire decade – belongs to Ally’s debut performance of the song Shallow after she is put on the spot by her new boyfriend/country-western star Jack at one of his stadium-sized concerts.  It’s truly the type of moment where stars are born.  The film’s second half rests on an uncomforting and slow-burning tension that can only be described as unbearable at times, but that’s also part of the film’s magic.  In an era where so many movies leave us emotionless, the fourth rendition of A STAR IS BORN is a film that woke its audience up from a long and emotionless movie coma.

49. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

When it comes to movies, I’m a tough guy, but even I couldn’t help from getting a little teary during Kenneth Lonergan’s MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, which is undoubtedly one of the most heartbreaking films ever made.  Casey Affleck won an Oscar for his brilliant performance as a janitor who must confront his past.  Yet, not enough praise was given to Michelle Williams, who is really the core of the film’s most heartbreaking scenes.  As the ex-girlfriend of Heath Ledger, Williams knows a thing or two about loss and she channels all her pain into her performance.  The result is a superb performance by a great actress that powers Lonergan’s filminto one of the most emotionally draining films I’ve ever seen.

48. EX MACHINA

Ever since the dawn of film, the movie industry has had an obsession with artificial intelligence, but many of the films examining the topic lack intelligence themselves.  Fortunately, that’s not the case with EX MACHINA, the impressive debut film from Alex Garland.  EX MACHINA tells the story of a computer scientist named Caleb who is invited to a private home to take part in a series of studies on a highly advanced android named Ava.   Ava may be the most lifelike robot in the history of cinema – she has human emotions and reasoning, which quickly fascinates both Caleb and viewers.  Alicia Vikander won the Oscar that year for The Danish Girl, but she deserved it for EX MACHINA.

47. SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT is a film about doing the right thing.  It centers around a team of Boston Globe reporters who are assigned to write a feature on the Catholic Church sex abuse scandals.  At first, the story is just another assignment for the reporters, but as time goes by they realize its significance and do everything they can to do it justice.  SPOTLIGHT received six Oscar nominations and won two, including one for Best Picture, but perhaps its true testament of greatness is that critics needed to dig back nearly 40 years (1976’s All the President’s Men) to find a film worthy of comparison.  And SPOTLIGHT is definitely deserving of those comparisons.

46. DOGTOOTH

If you’re trying to make a name for yourself in Hollywood, perhaps there’s no better way than to make a film that is so shocking that it demands attention.  At least that worked for Yorgos Lanthimos and his disturbing indie breakout, DOGTOOTH.  Lanthimos would go on to create a slew of strange, acclaimed films, including The Favourite and The Lobster, but DOGTOOTH remains his most unforgettable film.  It tells the story of a bizarre family where the children are forced to remain in their house until they lose a dogtooth.  Like the children, you may want out well before it ends, but if you stick with it, it will be an unforgettable film experience.  For better or worse.

45. 13th

Just a few months after #OscarsSoWhite dominated Twitter feeds, Ava DuVernay reminded us that racism extends far beyond the doors of the Dolby Theater, and in areas that are way more crucial to human rights with her powerful documentary, 13TH.   The film’s title is a reference to the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in 1865, causing those with money and power to find alternative methods of keeping it: by labeling millions of Americans with minor drug charges as criminals and putting them behind bars for life.  The passion, anger, pace and urgency of DuVernay’s film makes itan incredible viewing experience, and one that should be shown to every student in school and to every politician in D.C.

44. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS is, in every sense of the words, a Coen-brothers film.  What does that mean?  It means it is filled with brilliant subtle humor and breathtaking cinematography.  It means it has unique characters and unpredictable twists.  It means it has great music and memorable performances.  But most of all, it means it’s an exceptional film.  In INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Oscar Isaac plays the title character, a struggling New York folk musician who has the talent but not the good fortune that it takes to make it in the music business.  Isaac was relatively unknown prior to being cast in the Coen brothers’ movie, which would later earn him a role in the Star Wars universe.  He’s a unique talent, and it’s fortunate that he wasn’t unjustly left in the shadows of stardom like Llewyn Davis.

43. LOOPER

Action flicks – and the people who adore them – tend to prefer action-over-brains, which typically results in an abundance of explosions and car chases.  That’s not the case with LOOPER, Rian Johnson’s time-traveling thriller about a young hitman assigned to kill a future version of himself.  Powered by a smart script that ponders difficult moral questions and starring Bruce Willis (arguably the greatest action star of the 80s) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who has started an impressive action resume of his own), LOOPER ranks alongside Christopher Nolan’s Inception as the smartest sci-fi thrillers of the decade.

42. O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA

There was never any doubt that Ezra Edelman’s terrific documentary, O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA was worthy of being placed on a best movies list – the only question was whether it should be called a movie since it gained much of its attention after being aired as a five-part miniseries on ESPN as part of its 30 for 30 series.  The reason I made room?  Simply because it deserves – even needs – to be seen by everyone.  After all, this is not merely a story about how O.J. allegedly murdered two people and got away with it.  Rather Edelman uses his documentary as a platform to study how race, money and the media are driving factors in the way the criminal justice system – and America, for that matter – operates.

41. NEBRASKA

I have to admit that I have no idea why Alexander Payne decided to shoot NEBRASKA in black and white.  But I’d also never question the decision of a director of his caliber.  NEBRASKA is his sixth film and arguably his most enjoyable and loving film to date.  It tells the story of a senile man (Bruce Dern) who is convinced that he won a million dollars after receiving a scam sweepstakes letter in the mail and his son (Will Forte) who plays along with it because he’d rather see his dad happy than rationally heartbroken. NEBRASKA boasts some great characters as well as a fantastic final scene, which really proves that there are no limits to the unbreakable bond shared between a father and son.

40. MELANCHOLIA

Nobody makes films bleaker than Lars von Trier, and MELANCHOLIA may just be his bleakest film yet – almost to the point where’s borderline unwatchable.  So why would I put it among the decade’s best?  Simply because it’s mesmerizing, beautifully shot, thought-provoking and unforgettable.  The film tells the story of Justine (Kristen Dunst) on her wedding day, which also happens to be the last day on planet Earth.  Although there have been countless end of the world films in the history of cinema, MELANCHOLIA is the first one that feels like how we’ll feel and act when we realize the end is near.  Nobody does melancholy better than Lars von Trier, and this is one of his best.

39. MONEYBALL

As a lifelong baseball fan, it’s easy for me to spot the flaws in Bennett Miller’s MONEYBALL, but my fandom also is the reason that I love baseball movies.  Especially when they’re as good as MONEYBALL.  Yet, unlike so many baseball movies that came before it, MONEYBALL isn’t simply a movie for baseball fans. It’s also a movie for fans of science.  It’s a movie for fans of math, and for fans of academics.  And for fans of Brad Pitt.  Perhaps that’s why it resonated so deeply with its audience.  For me, so much that it nearly made me switch careers, for others, enough to save a spot on their year-end top ten list.  Either way, there’s no denying that MONEYBALL is a homerun.

38. UNCUT GEMS

Based on my extremely limited understanding of the jewelry world, mostly which I gained from watching UNCUT GEMS, the value of diamonds can vary greatly.  There are so many factors that go into it: the diamond size, shape, shine and rarity are all important, but each assessment can vary greatly based on its appraiser.  Movies are similar.  Some people determine their success based on its box office numbers, others look at awards or how entertaining the film was.  Regardless of the reason though, it’s nearly impossible not to appreciate something about the Safdie brothers’ UNCUT GEMS.  It’s intense, unpredictable and unlike any other movie from the past decade.

37. I, TONYA

If your goal is to get to the bottom of the facts surrounding the Nancy Kerrigan attack, I, TONYA probably isn’t exactly what you’re looking for.  However, if your goal is to be entertained for two hours, look no further than Craig Gillespie’s often hilarious and never less than engaging biopic of Tonya Harding.  Much of the film’s success belongs to Margot Robbie, who gives the performance of her career as Tonya Harding.  She brings loads of sass and determination to her character and draw a whole lot of sympathy.  At times, I, TONYA tries a bit too hard with its jokes, and its sympathetic view may be too much for some viewers.  But when it’s at its best, I, TONYA earns the gold.

36. THE FAVOURITE

Yorgos Lanthimos’stale of jealously, power, English royalty, and lesbianism has plenty to like – especially the performances from Olivia Coleman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.  All three of them deserve Oscar nominations, and between the three of them, they might just come away with two wins.  Coleman, in the film’s lead, plays a clueless British queen who is constantly in need to affection.  Fortunately for her, there are two women who compete for her affection, with the goal of gaining power.  Lanthimos has built an impressive resume, but THE FAVOURITE is likely his most ambitious and widely admired work.  It’s also his best film, or at least my favourite.

35. LITTLE WOMEN

Greta Gerwig once said that her LITTLE WOMEN remake was only greenlit after Meryl Streep agreed to play the role of the cranky Aunt March.  I’m not sure if that’s true, but I do know that if I were a rich Hollywood producer, I would gladly put my name alongside Gerwig’s on anything that her heart desires.  That’s because the Lady Bird director is one of the most creative and strongest voices making movies today, as proven once again by her very charming remake of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel.  I doubt any viewer watches Gerwig’s LITTLE WOMEN without a bit of jealousy that their own family isn’t as strong-willed, joyful, loving or talented as the March family, or Greta Gerwig herself.

34. INCEPTION

In 2001, director Christopher Nolan took the five-million-dollar budget that he was provided to make Memento and created an indie-film classic.  Nine years later Nolan perfected his storytelling tricks on a much more grandeur level with INCEPTION.  From its opening scenes to its stunning finale, INCEPTION takes us on a journey as Dom Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his talented team of agents travel through multiple layers of dreams in hope of planting important information inside the mind of a powerful businessman.  Filmed with gorgeous cinematography and directed with masterful skill and patience, INCEPTION is a rare blockbuster that creates its own formula, rather than following one.

33. THE SHAPE OF WATER

The remake of Beauty and the Beast may have been the box office champ of 2017, but no film was able to restore the magic from the 1991 animated classic more beautifully than Guillermo del Toro’s THE SHAPE OF WATER. Sally Hawkins echoes Belle as a brave, mute janitor who falls in love with an underwater creature.  Hawkins has been good in so many roles, and this is no exception.  Yet the film completely belongs to del Toro.  His filmreminds us of all the beauty in the world, whether it be found in the earth’s creatures, people, or resources.  But del Toro knows that there’s nothing more beautiful than love, and he makes that the focus point of his film.

32. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

2012 may have been a disappointing year at the cinema, but David O. Russell’s fantastic screwball romantic comedy provided a much-needed silver lining when it was released in mid-November.  In SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, Bradley Cooper gives the performance of his career as a bipolar Eagles fan that is obsessed with winning back his ex-wife, only to be outmatched Jennifer Lawrence as a depressed widow in search for a dance partner and friend.  Russell has made good films before, including The Fighter in 2010, but with SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK he has created Annie Hall for a new generation.  This is his masterpiece; it’s also the single most entertaining film of 2012.

31. GET OUT

Who would have guessed that Jordan Peele, one of the stars from the sketch comedy duo Key & Peele, would go on to create the best horror film since 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs?  But GET OUT is just that – a horror film that brilliantly turns the Black Lives Matter movement into a suspenseful and unpredictable rollercoaster ride where nothing is as it seems.  Except GET OUT is much more fun than a typical rollercoaster ride.  Released during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement, GET OUT may be the most timely film of the decade.  That timeliness led many critics to name it the best film of 2017.  That timeliness, along with the fact that it might just be exactly that.

30. ROMA

In an era where President Trump and his right-wing media have painted a vivid portrait of violent Mexicans destroying America, Alfonso Cuarόn’s beautiful and deeply personal story of his loving childhood housekeeper could not be timelier.  ROMA is focused around the life of a nanny named Cleo – played brilliantly by newcomer Yalitza Aparicio – who is hired by a middleclass family to assist around the house and take care of their four young children.  ROMA is a film with many big, unforgettable moments, but also one that realizes that one often impacts other lives in moments that might seem quite insufficient.  ROMA is an absolute masterpiece that inspires us to be our best selves.

29. THE DESCENDANTS

From 1999 to 2013, no director created a stronger portfolio of work than Alexander Payne.  His films, which include Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, Nebraska and THE DESCENDANTS each manage to portray American culture in a unique was that is really creative, very funny and uniquely sad.  In THE DESCENDANTS, George Clooney plays Matt King, a Hawaiian attorney who realizes that his wife had been unfaithful while she’s in a coma fighting for her life.  Adding to the challenges, Matt must now take care of his two children and try to fix the damaged relationship that he’s had with them for many years.  THE DESCENDANTS may not be Payne’s funniest film, but it may just be his most touching film to date.

28. FIRST REFORMED

What does Ethan Hawke need to do to finally win an Oscar?  The star of FIRST REFORMED gave one of the decade’s definitive performances, but still didn’t receive an Academy Award nomination.  In Paul Schrader’s brilliant FIRST REFORMED, Hawke plays the minister of a small congregation who begins to question his beliefs after he is unable to save the husband of a church attendee from suicide.  Hawke has starred in some pretty classic films including the Before Sunrise trilogy and Boyhood, but has never been better than he is in FIRST REFORMED.  But the real driving force is the story by Paul Schrader, making it his best film since 1976’s Taxi Driver.

27. LADY BIRD

With a 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes after its first 170 reviews, LADY BIRD was proclaimed “the best-reviewed movie of all time.”  Although that is an overstatement of massive proportions, it is no understatement to call LADY BIRD one of the funniest movies of the decade.  It tells the semi-autobiographical story of writer-director Greta Gerwig’s teenage years, where she spent her time daydreaming about boys, irritating her mom and anxiously awaiting the day she escapes Sacramento for a place where “culture is.”  With LADY BIRD, Gerwig has created a loving tribute to her mom and Sacramento, the two things she spent much of her teenage years pretending to hate.

26. EIGHTH GRADE

Is there any time in one’s life that is more difficult than eighth grade?  Bo Burnham’s debut film captures the fears and anxieties that dictate this era in one’s life better than any film before it, and reminds everyone from teenagers to full-grown adults that low points are really just a passing phase. EIGHTH GRADE focuses on Kayla, a young girl who gives advice to other teenagers on her YouTube channel, but struggles to take her own advice.  Burnham, who also wrote the story, knows a thing or two about the world of social media – he himself gained fame from posting his corky songs on YouTube.  His songs and sketches may be enough to please his 1.5 million YouTube followers, but fortunately he’s saved his best work for the big screen.

25. BURNING

Roma may have been 2018’s most acclaimed import, but South Korean director Chang-dong Lee’s masterful thriller has burned far longer in my mind.  BURNING tells the story of a Jong-Soo, who moves back to his hometown to take care of the family farm after his father is sentenced to time in prison.  While there, he reconnects with a childhood friend whom he quickly begins to develop feelings for, and agrees to take care of her cat while she’s away on vacation.  When she returns, she has befriended a wealthy playboy who confesses a passion for burning greenhouses.  What follows is an absorbing and debatable thriller that will remain burned in your mind for weeks.

24. SICARIO

Is there a better action star in Hollywood right now than Emily Blunt?  After her triple play of Looper, Edge of Tomorrow and SICARIO, I seriously doubt it.  She is the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the 2010s, except with far more talent, beauty and brains.  In SICARIO, she plays an FBI agent who is recruited by the government to help tackle the war on drugs.  Many have compared SICARIO to Steven Soderberg’s Traffic.  Although Traffic was a very important and smart film, SICARIO greatly exceeds it in entertainment value from its thrilling opening to its unforgettable final shot.   In fact, the more I think about it, itexceeds Traffic in every way.  And that’s high praise.

23. THE ARTIST

Quite a pitch must have been given to persuade Warner Brothers to give the green light on THE ARTIST – a silent, black-and-white romantic comedy about the rise and fall of a silent actor.  Fortunately for Warner Brothers, Michael Hazanavicius’s film went on to win the Best Picture Oscar and grossed over $133 million at the box office.  Fortunately for us, we were given one of the best films of the 21st century – even if it feels more like one of the greats from the 1920s.  THE ARTIST is funny, sweet and a beautiful tribute to the glory days of the silent era.

22. MOONRISE KINGDOM

In an era where most films feel ordinary, MOONRISE KINGDOM stands out by telling the corky, loveable and hilarious story about two children who decide to run away together.  The boy – Sam Shakusky – is the most unpopular boy scout at his summer camp.  The girl – Suzy Bishop – is a quick-tempered free spirit who feels neglected by her busy attorney parents.  MOONRISE KINGDOM has something for everyone.  In one corner, it’s a sweet tale of first love.  In another, it’s a Goonies-style childhood adventure flick.  In another, it’s sidesplitting rat race between the two children and those searching to find them.  But most of all, it’s just Wes Anderson doing what he does best.

21. NIGHTCRAWLER

Years ago, the American Film Institute unleashed its list of the top fifty movie villains of all time.  If they were to update that list today, it’d better include the heartless, sleaze-ball trash-TV journalist Louis Bloom, played to perfection by Jake Gyllenhaal.  Bloom is the trash of the earth, but he also is an innovator who embodies our obsessions with money, violence and reality TV.  NIGHTCRAWLER is a disturbing and tense study of greed, and it is also one of the most important examinations of American culture that we’ve seen on the big screen in a very long time.  It may not always be enjoyable, but it’s impossible to ignore NIGHTCRAWLER’s importance.

20. KNIVES OUT

A few years ago, Rian Johnson directed a Star Wars film that stunned critics but alienated fans to the point where he became the biggest villain of the galaxy far, far away. 

Those same fans still held a grudge two years later, as a community of Star Wars fans destroyed KNIVES OUT’s IMDb rating before it was even released.  By the time of its actual release date, Johnson’s The Last Jedi follow up suffered an IMDb rating around six, thanks to a slew of one-star reviews. 

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for its rating to rise so high that KNIVES OUT was temporarily included in the site’s top 250 films of all time.  Deservingly so, too, since it’s one of the most enjoyable films of the entire decade, and one of the great popcorn mystery flicks of all time.

Johnson may never be asked to do another Star Wars film ever again, but that’s okay because his talents are better suited for smart, fun mysteries like KNIVES OUT.  And, he has already been signed on to do a sequel, which I could not be more excited for.  This is exactly the kind of story that allows the young directors talents to shine through.

19. BIRDMAN

Some have already begun to overlook BIRDMAN as a one-trick pony in the way it tricks viewers into thinking it’s filmed in one continuous shot, but those grinches are missing out on the pure joy and freshness of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s brilliant picture.  Like an Altman film on LSD,  BIRDMAN is an endless joy ride filled with great performances, unique humor and one very impressive comeback from Michael Keaton, who revived his career after a 25 year absence.  He’s part of the reason why BIRDMAN flies so high.  Do I dare go as far as to say that it’s the best superhero movie of the decade?!

18. BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Some fans of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset were turned off by the mood and challenges of BEFORE MIDNIGHT, but I actually think that’s what makes the film great. 

The film takes place nine years after Jesse and Céline reconnected in Before Sunset and, as one should expect, their relationship doesn’t have the same sparks it once did.  The couple finds it easier to focus on one another’s annoying quirks and have gotten to the point in their relationship where the best qualities have become mundane and easily overlooked. 

As you can imagine, it isn’t always as enjoyable as its two predecessors, but it’s certainly just as accurate and smart.

So smart in fact, that I don’t hesitate to say that outside of The Godfather, there is not a better film trilogy in the history of cinema – I just hope Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke don’t stop at three, because I can’t wait to see Jessie and Céline grow old together.

17. THE TREE OF LIFE

The first time I saw Terrence Malick’s THE TREE OF LIFE, I saw it as a beautiful but flawed picture that’s biggest strength was its cinematography and its realization that we remember our lives through fragmented memories.

The second time I watched it, I realized all of its brilliance.  Not only is THE TREE OF LIFE a gorgeous photobook with each shot absolutely perfect, but it’s also a film that is able to tell a very powerful story in a very unique way.  Malick brilliantly juxtaposes the loving mother figure (Jessica Chastain) with the strict father figure (Brad Pitt), and shows the influence each have on the next generation.  This is Malick’s best film since 1978’s Days of Heaven, and one of the most unforgettable films of the decade.

16. CAROL

I may be a bit biased towards films starring Rooney Mara.  She has now appeared in three of my top 16 films for the decade, including the top two.  Yet, I don’t view this feat so much as a bias, but rather as a recognition of Mara’s commitment towards making films that will stand the test of time.  There isn’t an actor in Hollywood right now whose passion for cinema as an art form is more obvious.

Although she’s been billed as a supporting actress in CAROL, she is really the heart and core of the film.  She plays Therese, a high-end store clerk who begins a romance with a wealthy older woman, played to perfection by Cate Blanchett.  The dual performances by Blanchett and Mara leave little doubt that these two actresses are in a class of their own.

I could go on and on about their performances, but the real reason that CAROL works at such a high level is because of its abundant beauty.  Take, for example, a scene where Mara catches a ride from a coworker to avoid the rain.  It’s a scene that has been shot thousands of times before, yet never with so much elegance.

Director Todd Haynes is a master when it comes to shots like this.   One of his most acclaimed films, Far From Heaven, was praised with comparisons to the Douglas Sirk melodramas of the 1950s for its beauty and mood.  Far From Heaven was very good and is worthy to be called Hayes’ All That Heaven Allows.  But CAROL is his Casablanca.

15. SHORT TERM 12

If ever there was a film that theaters should provide tissues for, it’s SHORT TERM 12, Destin Daniel Cretton’s brilliantly touching film about a group of at-risk foster care residents and the supervisors that care for them. 

That’s not to say the film is a total downer; instead it manages to be both the most heartbreaking and uplifting film of the year at the same time.  It’s the sort of film that you leave wanting to be a better person.

Much of the credit for making the film work belongs to Brie Larson, who plays a lead supervisor with a gift of making her residents feel special, but the inability to do the same for herself.  With Larson’s performance, it was evident that she had the makings of the star she has since become.

14. BRIDESMAIDS

As I look back at the last decade of film, one thing becomes extremely clear to me: that great comedies are a very rare art form.  In fact, the only great adult comedy in the past ten years is Paul Feig’s BRIDESMAIDS.

Feig, who struck television gold with the high school comedy Freaks and Geeks ten years earlier, finally took his talents to the big screens in 2010. 

In doing so, he teamed up with another TV star whose talents were too big for the small screen: Kristen Wiig, the hilarious comedian who may have singlehandedly saved SNL from extinction throughout the first decade of the 21st Century.  Wiig plays Annie, the best friend and Maid of Honor of bride-to-be, Lillian (played wonderfully by Maya Rudolph) – at least until she starts to get some serious competition for the role from the much more dominant and wealthier sister of the groom. 

Together, Feig, Wiig and company took on the topic of bridal parties, a tradition that has comedy written all over it, just one year after the guys gave bachelor parties a try with The Hangover.   But don’t you dare call BRIDESMAIDS a Hangover knockoff. Sure, The Hangover deserves credit for coming first, but BRIDESMAIDS deserves credit of its own for keeping us laughing much longer and far more often.

13. WHIPLASH

WHIPLASH, Damien Chazelle’s impressive sophomore film about an ambitious percussionist student who is pushed to the limits by his wildly tempered instructor is far more engaging than any film about jazz music has the right to be.  And that is a very good thing. 

Led by powerful performances by Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, Chazelle uses his actors’ talents to keep us engaged through the film’s first hour, but the story hits cruise control during its final couple acts.  And by the final credits, there’s no denying that WHIPLASH has one of the strongest endings of any movie I saw the past decade.

12. BLACK SWAN

And now for something completely different!  In BLACK SWAN, director Darren Aronofsky mashes up the intensity of addiction that he showed us with Requiem for a Dream with the physical draining punch of The Wrestler.  And adds some ballet to boot. 

Aronofsky gets a major assist from Natalie Portman, who plays Nina, an obsessed New York City ballerina who is willing to go to extreme measures in hopes of reaching perfection in her role in Swan Lake.  Portman’s performance is one of the most unforgettable portraits of the entire decade, as is the film itself.  Like many of Aronofsky’s other films, BLACK SWAN is impossible to shake from your memory.  And I mean that in the highest possible praise.

11. LA LA LAND

Long past are the golden days of the Hollywood musical, a genre that dominated the screens from the invention of the “talkies” until the late 1960s. 

Since then, you can count on one hand the number of great movie musicals that have been released.  Yet none of them have brought back the magic of the movie musical quite as effectively as LA LA LAND, Damien Chazelle’s loving throwback to the films of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire.

Chazelle spent seven years trying convince a studio to invest in LA LA LAND, which likely gave him plenty of time to perfect every aspect of the film.  But perhaps the most important detail he got right was casting Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as his leads; they are quite possibly the two most likable people in Hollywood.

Is LA LA LAND one of the most important film of the 2010s?  Probably not.  But for me – like everyone else in the world – it was one of the most enjoyable.  And in a time where division has never been more evident, LA LA LAND’s universal praise gives us hope that we can still unite.

10. A SEPARATION

Selling an Iranian film to the average American filmgoer is no easy task.  Even though Asghar Farhadi’s film received universal acclaim, including a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, A SEPARATION only grossed $7 million during its limited release.  The people who did see it, however, were in for quite a treat. 

That’s because few films provide the insight and understanding of the beliefs of a culture that is different than our own.  Payman Maadi’s direction gives us the discomfort of staring into the personal life of an Iranian couple – as though we were a fly on the wall – and helps us understand that the issues and struggles Iranians face are not all that different from our own, they just don’t have the same freedoms we have to express it.

That alone is why A SEPARATION is such a brave film.  It managed to get past the strict Iranian censorship, despite tackling controversial issues. But that’s not why it made the top ten.  Rather, it earned its spot by being the most thought-provoking film of the decade.

9. TOY STORY 3

Pixar’s name comes with certain expectations, especially when the studio stamps Toy Story on the film’s title.  And those expectations were raised to enormous new heights after the release of TOY STORY 3.  

In Part 3, Andy, the toy-loving kid that we were introduced to fifteen years earlier, is headed off to college – and his toys are off to a daycare center led by an evil Lotso Bear.  What follows is a prison escape adventure that tickles our funny bones and tugs at our hearts.

Director Lee Unkrich, who worked with John Lasseter on Toy Story 2, introduces us to a slew of new toys, but it’s still the originals – Woody and Buzz – that completely steal the show, at least up until the final minutes when Bonnie’s happiness takes the torch and leaves us in tears.

TOY STORY 3, even more so than Toy Story 2, taught us that sequels in the Pixar universe are very welcomed.  The Godfather Part II might still set the gold standard for sequels, but no third film in a trilogy has ever been as good as TOY STORY 3.

8. PARASITE

If you take all of the best elements from Bong Joon Ho’s previous films – the suspense from The Host, the social class narrative of Snowpiercer, and the unpredictability of Mother, and perfected each quality, you might just get a movie that resembles PARASITE – if you’re lucky. 

Although Bong has been consistently good for many years now, PARASITE finds the director at new heights as he tells the story of a poor South Korean family whose life is altered when their son is given the opportunity to tutor for a very wealthy family. 

Laced with hints of Hitchcock, PARASITE is an endlessly fun and unpredictable puzzle that gets better with each twist and turn, and one of those rare films that both critics and audiences love.  It even managed to become the first foreign language film to ever win the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture of the Year.  Then again, how could anyone not love PARASITE, when it’s so clearly one of the finest imports in the history of cinema?

7. MOONLIGHT

The marquee at the Uptown Theater described MOONLIGHT as “a Frank Ocean song put into film,” a caption that illustrates the beauty and experience of Barry Jenkins’ beautiful film far better than I ever could.  However, even this wonderful description can’t fully portray just how important MOONLIGHT really is.

It’s a film that will likely become a landmark in black cinema for developing characters that have a level of depth and emotion that is rarely seen in the movies, and nearly non-existent in films starring black actors.  It’s a film that will likely become a milestone for gay cinema for showing that same-sex love isn’t limited to lonely cowboys.  It’s a film that raises important issues regarding the lifelong damage caused by bullying, drug abuse and broken homes.  And it’s a film that is visually breathtaking, thanks to some remarkable cinematography.

But above all, it is a film that gives us hope.  Twenty years ago, MOONLIGHT never would have been made, or even pitched in Hollywood.  And 20 years from now, it may be the only movie from 2016 that is still talked about.

6. THE FLORIDA PROJECT

Once in a blue moon, a film comes along that works at so many levels.  Sean Baker’s THE FLORIDA PROJECT is one of those rare films. 

In one hand, it’s a funny and loving tribute to the innocence and joys of childhood, where every day is an adventure and joy is found in the most insignificant things, like watching an airplane fly through the sky. 

On the other hand, it’s a heartbreaking and compassionate social study of a single mother who does anything she can to make ends meet for her and her daughter, and a look at how the government treats people who struggle under the economic disparities of our culture.

THE FLORIDA PROJECT is a film that makes you laugh and makes you cry and makes you think.  But mostly it just makes you wish there were more films like it.  And more directors like Sean Baker, who are willing to tackle social justice issues with an abundance of compassion and skill.  And a studio like A24 that thinks beyond the monetary payout.

5. GRAVITY

You know a movie is one for the ages when critics have to go back 45 years to find a film to accurately compare it to. It’s even higher praise when the film it’s compared to is Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey – a film that is often considered the most visually innovative film of all time. 

In GRAVITY, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as an engineer and an astronaut who become lost in space after losing their space shuttle in a debris accident.   And although the story is sufficient, it isn’t really necessary when the visuals are this stunning. 

The opening 17-minute take in which director Alfonso Cuarón lets the camera float without making a single cut is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements in the history of cinematography.  And even after the initial 17 minutes, it hardly lets up. 

GRAVITY left me awestruck and breathless like no film ever.  I’ll likely never be in space, but that’s ok: I’ve already seen the beauty of the world thanks to Cuarón’s visionary exploration.

4. BOYHOOD

Once every five or ten years, a picture comes along that feels completely unique and truly innovative.  BOYHOOD, Richard Linklater’s patient and ambitious study of childhood, is one of those pictures. 

Although Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life is a unique vision and a very good film, BOYHOOD remains – in my opinion – the best film of the decade to examine life itself. 

That’s because Linklater takes the time to focus on key moments in an individual’s life, where Life simply glossed over them with far less focus on specific moments. 

Linklater dedicated twelve years to the making of BOYHOOD, as he pulled his actors together for a few weeks each year to examine the progression of one’s life. 

That ambition could have easily made BOYHOOD the biggest waste of time in movie making history.  Fortunately for us, instead it is one of the greatest films ever made to examine the moments and people that shape us into the adults that we become.

3. INSIDE OUT

Even after releasing a countless number of masterpieces in its first twenty years, Pixar Studios continues to surprise me with the abundance of beauty, creativity and depth that it injects into each of its films.  And when it comes to those three qualities, INSIDE OUT has as much, if not more, than any of the Pixar masterpiece that has come before it.

The film centers around a team of emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness – who are the emotional core in charge of keeping a young girl’s mood in balance when her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. 

If that sounds complex for a “kids’ movie,” it’s because INSIDE OUT is really for the whole family.  In fact, I’d argue that with its brainy storyline, it’s aimed more towards adults than most of the earlier Pixar films. 

Perhaps that’s why I liked it so much, even to the point that I don’t hesitate putting it alongside the original Toy Story as the two best releases from the most consistent studio around for the past 25 years.

2. THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Despite the abundance of negative things that have resulted from Facebook in the past decade – from online bullying to fake news to online hate groups – there’s no denying that at least one good thing has emerged from its existence: THE SOCIAL NETWORK, David Fincher’s brilliant portrait of the early days of Mark Zuckerberg and the rise of his wildly popular social networking website. 

In many ways, THE SOCIAL NETWORK has many of the same qualities that helped make Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, one of the best films of last decade.  Both tell the story of an ambitious but greedy businessman who’s willing to harm others at any expense, as long as it benefits himself. 

But the biggest thing that David Fincher’s masterpiece has in common with There Will Be Blood is that it is perfect in nearly every aspect of itself, from the snappy, sharply witted screenplay by Aaron Sorkin to the wonderful trio performances by Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake to the mesmerizing cinematography of Jeff Cronenweth. 

Even the tagline (“You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies”) and the film’s trailer featuring a remix of Radiohead’s Creep remain memorable ten years after the film’s release.  And each owes thanks to director David Fincher.  This is his masterpiece, and one of the absolute best films of a not so memorable decade at the theaters.

1. HER

The average American spends five hours per day on his or her cell phone or computer. People do their shopping online, communicating online, dating online and even their work online.  This obsession seems to be leading us to a point where relationships with other humans are a thing of the past, and Spike Jonze realizes it.  Not only does he realize it, he turned the idea into the smartest, funniest, most original and all-around best movie of the decade.

The film’s clever title – HER – is a reference to an artificially intelligent computer operating system that is programmed to be compatible with its user.  The user in this case is Theodore, a down in the dumps greeting card writer who finds happiness after falling in love for the first time since his divorce.  The only problem is that it’s with his operating system.

Obviously, the subject matter is risky territory, but Spike Jonze knocks it out of the park.  He has directed great films before, particularly with the Charlie Kaufman-scripted films Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, but this is first great screenplay that Jonze has also penned. 

HER is brilliant in the way that it is able to say so much about love and our relationships with technology while never feeling artificial or pretentious.  Take, for example, the scene in which Theodore tells his best friend Amy (played by the wonderful Amy Adams) that he’s dating his operating system because he can’t handle a real relationship.  Her response, “Is it not a real relationship?” is both thoughtful and sweet, just like the movie itself.  

HER is the smartest, most original movie since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the memorable movie going experience of the entire decade.