It’s New Year’s Eve in 2019 which means it’s the end of a decade. We have seen countless changes in the last 10 years in the movie industry – streaming service launches, the loss of cable, bigger budget movies and re-makes from the Studios and much more. There have been thousands of movie releases in the past nine years and I have revisited my top favorites and stand by them. So, here are my Top 10 Movies of the ‘10s.
10. Get Out (2017)
Marking the directorial debut from Jordan Peele, “Get Out” created a new genre of horror that Peele has capitalized on for his next feature film releases including Us (2019) and Antebellum (2020). We have seen similar horror films start to populate with "The Quiet Place" (2018) and "Hereditary" (2018) following after "Get Out’s" 2017 release. "Get Out" examines the dynamics between Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams) as they visit her childhood home and find that he is under attack. The movie marked breakout performances from Daniel Kalyuua and Jordan Peele and helped shape their film careers the rest of the decade and helped shape the landscape of horror movies for the many years to come.
Best Quote: “I would have voted for Obama for a third-term if I could.”
9. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Based on the book by the same name, "CMBYN" is a beautiful portrayal of young love set to the backdrop of the Italian countryside. The movie floored me and broke me. Starring Armie Hammer, as Oliver, a college student who goes to study for the summer with his Professor’s Family, he meets his Professor’s son Elio (Timothée Chalamet) as they fall in love together. The movie is beautifully shot and will guarantee to break your heart into a million pieces while still convincing you to fall in love. CMBYN marks the start of Timothée Chalamet’s acting career as he went on to be nominated for an Oscar in his role.
Best Quote: “Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine.”
8. Perks of Being A Wallflower (2012)
Another book adaptation, Perks of Being a Wallflower details the life of Charlie as he embarks on his freshman year of high school. Told exclusively from Charlie’s perspective in a series of letters that he writes to the audience, in Perks of Being a Wallflower we Charlie still reeling from the trauma as he tries to confront his past. It’s a not-so-typical coming-of-age story, Perks of Being a Wallflower tackles the scope of teenage adolescents in the 1990s. This movie also marks the break-out of Emma Watson, moving from Harry Potter into her first role outside the HP universe. Also the trailer gave us Imagine Dragons.
Best Quote: “We accept the love we think we deserve.”
7. Like Crazy (2011)
This is the movie that made me fall in love with movies. I remember when this trailer came out in 2011, I watched the it on loop and cried *almost* every time. Although it didn’t go on to win any major Awards in the Category, it was recognized heavily by the Indie Spirit Awards including Sundance and Gotham. The movie stars Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones as Jacob and Anna, two students that meet in California while Anna is visiting from the UK and fall in love. Their relationship is threatened when Anna’s Visa expires and she is deported back to England. As they attempt to keep their relationship alive by flying back and forth to see each other, tension starts to break them apart. Romance and star-crossed lovers? Sign me up. Anton Yelchin is phenomenal and it hurts to know that he is no longer alive – Yelchin died in a car accident in 2016.
Best Quote: “Because it's the halves that halve you in half. I didn't know, don't know, about the in-between bits; the gory bits of you, and the gory bits of me.”
6. Bridesmaids (2011)
I mean, it goes without saying, but I will say it anyways: "Bridesmaids" is perhaps the greatest female comedy on the last decade. It gave us Melissa McCarthy, Rebel Wilson, and funny Jon Hamm. The biggest dis-service that was given to this movie were the critic reviews that said “Bridesmaids is the female version on The Hangover.” Incorrect – Bridesmaids is way more and way better than The Hangover because, it has a plot. "Bridesmaids" could be "The Hangover", but "The Hangover" could never be "Bridesmaids". The movie so accurately describes what it feels like to be single when your friends start getting married – it is hilarious, sad and a blast. I’m pretty sure everyone has seen it so I won’t get into the details, but its one of the greats!
Best Quotes (there are too many, but here are the best):
“I’m glad that guy is single because I’m going to climb him like a tree.”
“I cracked a blanket in half.”
“I’ve seen better tennis playing in a tampon commercial.”
“Help me, I’m poor.”
“At first, I did not know it was your diary, I thought it was a very sad, hand-written book.”
“Hit a lot of railings, broke a lot of shit.”
“Hello fellas, here I am.”
5. Begin Again (2014)
Set in New York City, “Begin Again” follows disgraced Ex-Music Producer Dan (Mark Ruffalo) who finds his new muse in up and coming singer/songwriter Gretta (Keira Knightley). Gretta followed her musician boyfriend (Adam Levine) to New York and was subsequently dumped when someone newer and prettier came along. The two form a friendship and start recording new music around the city to produce a new album that will help restore Dan’s career at a prominent record label. The film explores the pitfalls of the recording industry and gives us original songs throughout the film. The soundtrack is incredible and demonstrates what Maroon 5 Music might sound like if they hadn’t sold out.
Best Songs:
Lost Stars
Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home
A Higher Place
4. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
"Silver Linings Playbook" marks the debut of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Copper acting, although they have taken a break from acting together in recent years, "Silver Linings Playbook" is movie magic. "Silver Linings Playbook" examines mental health and the world’s view of in. It stars Pat (Bradley Cooper) who returns home after his stint in court-ordered rehab after finding out his wife had been cheating on him. Determined to improve himself to get his wife back, Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). Pat meets his match with Tiffany who also suffers from mental health issues and lost her husband the previous year. It’s a non-traditional love story that shows the dynamics of mental health and how it impacts your life and the people around you.
Best Quote: “Excelsior, Excelsior, it means you know what I ‘m going to do, I’m going to take all this negative energy and I’m going to turn it into a silver lining. That’s what I’m gonna do. And that’s no bullshit, that’s no bullshit that takes work and that’s the truth.
3. I, Tonya (2017)
"I, Tonya" is a satirical dramedy about the rise and fall of disgraced figure skater, Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie). Detailing her life from the early beginnings, “I, Tonya” is told from many different perspectives, all coming together to give a different outcome of the story. The story was originally derived from previous interviews with the people involved in the infamous 1994 crime. Each of the interviewer’s accounts of the crime wildly and drastically contradicted each other, so instead of creating a one-lane story movie, it combined everyone’s perspectives and stories into one movie. The movie does center around Tonya as she rises to fame with her figure skating. Her life comes crumbling down as her boyfriend is accused and tried for sending a hitman to take out her ice skating competitor Nancy Kerrigan before the 1994 Olympics.
The movie is so outrageous that you find yourself asking “Wait, did this really happen?? How??” Many of the interview scenes are backed up at the end of the movie with the actual real life interviews during the investigation which helps answer your questions with. “Wow, they were really that stupid.” While the story largely centers around the scandal, it also shows sides of domestic abuse and poverty and leaves you at the end of the movie, taking Tonya’s side. It’s hilarious and moving and wonderfully created. Amazing performances from Allison Janey as LaVonna Harding, Tonya’s mother who won an Oscar for her portrayal and a moving performance from Margot Robbie as Tonya, who was nominated for her role, but did not win.,
Best Quotes: “What kind of friggin’ person bashes in their friend’s knee? Who would do that… to a friend?
2. Lady Bird (2017)
What can I say about "Lady Bird" that hasn’t been said? It’s a record-breaking directorial debut from Greta Gerwig, it examines female relationships and friendships and it shows us what it looks like to move on from childhood and move into adulthood. This movie means so much to me, so many of the scenes look similar to my high school, my interactions with friends and with my mother. "Lady Bird" show us what life is life for high school teenage girls looking to move on with their lives, leaving their hometown, childhood and family behind and shows us the consequences of our choices. Watching "Lady Bird" is like receiving a warm hug. Its warm, emotional and nostalgic all at the same time and it is not just one of my favorite movies of the decade, but one of my favorite movies I’ve ever seen.
Best Quotes: “The only thing exciting about 2002 is that it’s a palindrome”
1.The Social Network (2010)
The movie about Facebook. Although it came out nearly nine years ago, "The Social Network" has never been more re-examined than in the last year as Facebook’s Policy’s (or lack thereof) to monitor and control false news outlets on its site have entered into political discourse. The movie was created with David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin and is hands-down the best movie of the decade. In “The Social Network” we watch the rise of Mark Zuckerberg as he creates Facebook and in 2019, we are witnessing the fall of Mark Zuckerberg and his lack of control over the monster that he created. Facebook was the real start of social media emerging in 2004 and "The Social Network" follows best friends Mark (Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo (Andrew Garfield) as they move from the small social networking site they created at Harvard University to Silicon Valley where the company is values at over $1B dollars in just three years time.
The direction and screenplay of “The Social Network” is something to behold. Aaron Sorkin originally wrote a 160+ page screenplay which was condensed down into a two hour movie – he didn’t cut anything out. Instead, he would time Eisenberg on his lines to move through the dialogue quicker. Just take a look at the opening scene to see how quickly Eisenberg spoke. Looking back on the film and its legacy, it is a crime that Eisenberg didn’t win for his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg and that David Fincher did not win for Best Director.
Best Quotes: Pretty much this entire scene.
“I’ll bet what you hated the most was that they identified me as a Co-Founder of Facebook, which I am. You better lawyer-up asshole, because I’m not coming back for thirty perfect, I’m coming back for everything.
And that's a wrap on the 2010's. Most of my favorite movies came out in 2017, which is probably due to the fact that I had more time to invest in movies. The 10's were great, looking forward to the 20's baby.
And that's the sitch.
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