This is not an objective list of best movies of the decade. I don’t think it’s possible for this to ever be an objective exercise and best is such a loaded term. But, I’ve done my best to put together a snapshot of what I think my ten favourite films of the last decade years have been. And some extras.
And so, in alphabetical order…
| Movie | Notes |
|---|---|
| Before Sunset | I put Before Midnight into the 2010s category, and if I do a 90s list I’ll probably add Before Sunrise too. I love Linklater’s films and these are, collectively, the perfect romantic journey. |
| Bourne Identity | The movie that sparked a franchise, killed off the old Bond series and changed action movies forever. |
| Collateral | Many will have their favourite Tom Cruise movies, and this is mine. Can you have a buddy movie with the antagonist? Apparently so. |
| Devil Wears Prada | My logical brain wanted to put this into the Runners-Up list, but then I could hear Miranda Priestly in my brain, rolling her eyes at me. |
| In Bruges | My introduction to the writing of Martin McDonagh and a darkly funny film that still makes me chuckle whenever I recall it. |
| Let The Right One In | This film, it it’s sweet, innocent ways, unlocked a whole genre for me, introduced me to a different way of telling a familiar story. |
| Mean Girls | Should this be in the runners up? Has Mean Girls unjustly supplanted No Country For Old Men? You really think that? Boo, you whore! |
| Memento | Wherein Chris Nolan showed me that narrative structure didn’t work as simplistically as I thought it did. |
| Moon | Moon had me enraptured from the beginning to its bittersweet end, and its final images will be with me forever. |
| Pan’s Labyrinth | I love everything about Del Toro’s film, from its story to its lush visuals and bold imagination and juxtapositioning. But the ambiguous ending is what will allow this to live on in my mind forever. |
The Runners Up
Any of these movies could be in the top 10, but for one reason or another missed out. Ask me another day, and they might be found in the above list.
| 28 Days Later |
| Erin Brockovich |
| Juno |
| No Country for Old Men |
| There Will Be Blood |
The Long List
And finally, the long list of movies that were also under consideration:
A Prophet, Almost Famous, Children of Men, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Howl’s Movie Castle, Kill Bill, Little Miss Sunshine, Lost in Translation, Million Dollar Baby, Oldboy, Requiem for a Dream, Spirited Away, The Descent, The Prestige, Zodiac.
There aren’t as many clear trends as there were in my 2010’s list. Only one sequel and no superhero movies. There are two Miyazaki films, but I think that’s it for commonalities. I am pleased though that this time there are a total of seven foreign language movies across all the lists.
Some might be surprised that I’d rate The Devil Wears Prada and Mean Girls over There Will Be Blood or No Country For Old Men. But as alluded to above, it’s personal. Emotional. And this it’s, again, been a fantastic decade of film.
