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 |
|---|---|
| Birdman | The fact that Michael Keaton manages to have the strongest role in this despite some of the powerful performances given by his co-stars speaks volumes for them all. |
| Black Swan | There’d be some dispute as to which Darren Aronofsky movie to place on this list, but this is the one that affected me the deepest. |
| Blade Runner 2049 | Denis Villeneuve‘s sequel to the classic movie was truly a work of art. |
| Drive | I was torn between Drive and Baby Driver. The bit that swung it was the tense lingering glances between Ryan Gosling and Cary Mulligan. |
| Her | I remember Her more as a series of images and feelings, but each strong enough to place the movie on this list. |
| Mad Max: Fury Road | I still can’t decide whether I prefer the original edit, or the glorious Black & Chrome edit. |
| The Nice Guys | This was nearly pipped to the post by Free Fire, but in the end Shane Black‘s buddy movie won out. Both movies were criminally overlooked. |
| The Social Network | The true super-villain origin story of the decade. |
| Tully | Choosing which Diablo Cody movie to put in the top 10 was hard, but this one resonates the most with me these days. |
| Whiplash | A deeply problematic film, but the final sequence leaves me breathless. |
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.
| Annihilation |
| Baby Driver |
| Booksmart |
| Creed |
| Paddington 2 |
The Long List
And finally, the long list of movies that were also under consideration:
Before Midnight, Boyhood, Cabin In the Woods, Edge of Tomorrow, Ex Machina, Gone Girl, Gravity, Inception, John Wick, Juno, Logan, Nightcrawler, Roma, Short Term 12, Sicario, Sing Street, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Raid, The Shape of Water, Under The Skin, What We Do In Shadows, Young Adult.
So, for those on Franchise Watch, that’s three superhero movies, two from Marvel, and… Birdman. Sequels are represented by Mad Max: Fury Road, Paddington 2, and Blade Runner 2049.
There are three Diablo Cody movies in the total list, and three movies star Charlize Theron. There are two movies by David Fincher, two by Richard Linklater, and two by Denis Villeneuve.
It’s been a really good decade for film.
