The 100 Best Movies of the Decade [Part Three] – /FILM

Posted on Wednesday, December 18th, 2019 by /Film Staff

(Welcome to /Films countdown of The 100 Best Movies of the Decade, examining the absolute best movies that were released between 2010 and 2019. This is part three of a five-part series and part of our Best of the Decade series.)

Last week, the /Film team sat down for an extendedtwo-partpodcastto narrow down the 100 best films of the past decade. When the dust settled, we were left with a family of movies that could not be more different: action films and intimate dramas and horror flicks and animated movies and everything in-between. What connected them was simple they represented the collective taste of the entire staff and everything we love about the past ten years of cinema. These are the best movies of the decade.

What follows is 60-41 of that list, a collection of films we love from the bottom of our hearts.

In the early minutes ofRoma, Alfonso Cuarons gentle ode to his childhood in Mexico,Yalitza Aparicios housekeeper Cleo is doing laundry on the roof of the house of the wealthy family for whom she works and lives with. As she busies herself with work, the young son insists that she lay down on the roof and feel the sun with him. She does, and the camera lingers on their serene faces before it pulls out dramatically to reveal hundreds of rooftops with hundreds of other housekeepers going about their days. Its comforting and frightening all at once the intimacy of this moment and the scope of similar moments happening all around. Its in this sequence and the rest of the gauzy film that follows, thatRomaweaves a rich tapestry of life, in all its small joys and sharp pains, engulfing you in a wave of memories that surround and immerse you.[Hoai-Tran Bui]

By refusing to be a biopic, Jackie ends up being the best biopic ever made. Pablo Larrains film isnt about the life of Jacqueline Kennedy, but about a very specific window of her life, the moment that defined her public image for the rest of her existence. Most films that feature the assassination of President John F. Kennedy view it from the macro stage, as a world-shifting event, but this film dares to go in so close that it hurts. This isnt a movie about the death of a president. This is a movie about a mourning wife, a woman who who must grieve while every eye in the world is upon her. And Natalie Portman, giving the best performance of her career, shoulders it all with a performance that transcends imitation with its raw ferocity. [Jacob Hall]

The Lonely Island brought Saturday Night Live into the computer age with SNL Digital Shorts, and all of their energy and musical mastery gets amplified to the nth degree in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. The soundtrack is bursting with raunchy, ridiculous lyrical genius. Andy Samberg may be the star, but Akiva Shaffer and Jorma Taccone get to bring their talents to the table both in front of the camera and behind it as the writers and directors. In the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, this movie is pitch perfect mockumentary hilarity. If the Mona Lisa is truly an overrated piece of shit, then Popstar is the underrated masterpiece. [Ethan Anderton]

Paul King pleasantly surprised audiences with 2014s Paddington, a charming and sweet comedy that represented the best of family films. Paddington 2 blew that out of the water. Like a storybook meets a Wes Anderson movie, Paddington 2 does not need to be as visually exciting as it is, and yet its candy-colored palette and dynamic Charlie Chaplin-inspired slapstick sequences proved that a childrens film can be creatively stimulating too. A movie that teaches that kindness can make the world a little nicer or at least a little more pink Paddington 2 is the essential film for hard times and features a gonzo career-best Hugh Grant turn as the vain villain who frames Paddington (Ben Whishaw)for theft. Grant has never had as much fun onscreen, and talking marmalade-loving bears never felt so alive. [Hoai-Tran Bui]

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was one of the best movies of 2014. Matt Reeves directed this smart, ambitious sci-fi story, and revolutionized performance capture characters in the process. While Rise of the Planet of the Apes proved the technology could work and came up with a smart way to prequelize a reboot, Dawn brought an emotional connection that elevated it from a rousing blockbuster to smart cinema for the masses. [Peter Sciretta]

When someone writes a book about the cinema of the 2010s, there will be a chapter or three dedicated to the work of Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Here are two directors who not only operated entrenched in the studio system, making franchise and IP blockbusters that checked every Hollywood box, but did so while cranking out gems that ruthlessly bite the hand that feeds them. Yes, 21 Jump Street is a big-screen update of a lousy television series no one cares about. But it is also a movie about how dumb big screen reboots are in the first place, taking that terrible premise and using it as a platform to unleash comedic anarchy. 21 Jump Street knows its a terrible idea, knows you think its a terrible idea, and then proceeds to be one of the funniest movies ever made anyway. How the hell did this work? [Jacob Hall]

Bridesmaids was the major comedy release that showed studios women could be raunchy tooand we never got another one like it. The female-led raunch comedies that followed werent as sharp, werent as zany, werent as perfect a depiction of female friendships asBridesmaids, directed byPaul Feig (who also hasnt been able to shake the descriptor from the director ofBridesmaids. Filled with outrageous situations and immaculate comic timing from its hilarious cast, BridesmaidscatapultedMelissa McCarthy to fame, gaveKristen Wiig her post-Saturday Night Live career, and most importantly, proved once again that women could be funny too. [Hoai-Tran Bui]

Against all odds, video games, and romance combine in this electrifying adaptation of Bryan Lee OMalleys graphic novel series. Edgar Wright brings his sleek, precise and fast-paced storytelling style to Scott Pilgrim vs the World. On the surface, the movie might seem like its all spectacle as 22-year old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls for the cool new girl on the block, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), only to find he must fight each of her seven evil exes. But the retro video game graphics and action cues are merely the icing on the cake that is one of the most original depictions of the trials and tribulations of romance, break-ups,growing up, and taking responsibility for breaking someones heart. And dont sleep on the outstanding soundtrack. [Ethan Anderton]

Its 2019, and somehow white supremacists have actually gained traction. No, its not some kind of alternate universe. This is whats happening now. But for some reason, people dont want to believe that the ideals being pushed by Proud Boys and other alt right activists echo what happened in the past with the Ku Klux Klan. Thankfully, Spike Lee is hear to rub it in their faces without hesitation and with no subtly whatsoever. With the true story of a black detective (John David Washington) who infiltrates the KKK, the director makes a mockery of this hate group and their fearless leader David Duke (Topher Grace), lets us laugh in their stupid faces, and unfortunately shows that nothing has really changed since the 1970s, no matter how much some people would like to tell you that racism is over. The movie delivers triumph, and then it knocks you right back to your knees. [Ethan Anderton]

Steven Spielbergs political drama Lincolnavoids standard biopic tropes by focusing in on a smaller story: Abraham Lincolns fight to abolish slavery. Above all, though, it works wonders by making Lincoln seem like a human being and not just some figure from the distant past. Tony Kushners script is surprisingly funny and warm, and Daniel Day-Lewis performance as the late president is both powerful and vulnerable. Day-Lewis plays Lincoln not as some political giant or larger-than-life figure. Hes just a man a man who happens to be in a position of great power, and trying to find the right way to wield it. [Chris Evangelista]

The Favourite is the period drama through a funhouse mirror.Yorgos Lanthimos warped, pitch-black tragicomedy straddles the line between historical melodrama and razor-sharp satire, and does it with a skip in its step and a drink in its hand. Lanthimos is known for his grotesque approach to art, but inThe Favourite he calls attention to the inherent comedy in 18th century court intrigue. The powerful Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and her cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) scheme and snipe for the affections of the erratic Queen Anne (an outrageous Olivia Colman, who won the Oscar for her performance), but they also break dance. Its nasty, catty, savage stuff and a complete delight to watch, even for the non-period drama fan.[Hoai-Tran Bui]

Jeremy Saulniers Green Room saw the final years of this decade before the rest of us did. After all, heres a nerve-shattering thriller about a group of well-meaning but inept kids trapped in a building with a small army of well-equipped, well-prepared and utterly ruthless white supremacists who want to destroy them. If that doesnt sum up the past three years, I dont know what does. Of course, thats before you even dive into Saulniers vicious direction, punctuated by mind-shattering violence, strong performances from Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, and Patrick Stewart, and the general aura of No one knows anything, except that not everyone is going to get out of this alive. Green Room isnt a hopeless film, but it sure as hell doesnt think were getting out of this mess anytime soon. [Jacob Hall]

Jake Gyllenhaal plays a driven mandesperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of overnight freelance crime video journalism, where if it bleeds it leads. Directed by longtime screenwriter and first-time director Dan Gilroy, this dark thriller explores the responsibility of isolated journalism in an ethically challenged field. Its a thriller, a dark comedy, and a performance piece all in one. Its also one of the few films that perfectly captures the look of downtown Los Angeles at night.[Peter Sciretta]

Even though the romantic comedy has fallen by the wayside over the past couple decades as mid-budget movies in general have become relics of bygone era of Hollywood, there are still great stories to be told of love. Thats especially true when it comes to depicting a culture that hasnt been given much representation in popular genres. In this case, comedian Kumail Nanjiani plays a version of himself in the true story of how he met his wife Emily V. Gordon (played by Zoe Kazan). This is a unique and authentic love story that deals with the challenges of culture differences, as well as one of the more peculiar love stories weve ever heard. Its charming, laugh-out-loud funny (including a surprisingly hilarious joke about 9/11), and simply wonderful. [Ethan Anderton]

Joaquin Phoenix always delivers, but few of his acclaimed performances match the work he does asFreddie Quell, the tormented, possibly insane center of Paul Thomas AndersonsThe Master. A war vet suffering from PTSD, Freddie drifts through life with no real direction, spending most of his time drinking things that would likely kill a normal man. Freddies life finds a purpose when he encountersLancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an enigmatic figure inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Hoffman, another actor who always turned in phenomenal work, is just as good as Phoenix here, playing Dodd as a man who hides his own insecurities and paranoia under the guise of shallow wisdom. The two figures are both ticking time bombs contributing to the others potential destruction, and watching it unfold is hypnotic and darkly funny. Underneath it all,The Master is a love story. A destructive, toxic love story but a love story all the same. [Chris Evangelista]

Richard Linklatertruly created something specialBoyhood a remarkable, beautiful cinematic achievement like nothing you have ever seen before. Filmed over short periods from 2002 to 2013, the film chronicles a family over the course of 12 years, with the actors reprising their roles through the progression of time.At the center of the story is Mason (Ellar Salmon), who with his sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), makes the journey from childhood to adulthood. As the film begins, we see that they are living with their single mother (Patricia Arquette) and that their father (Ethan Hawke) has long since left the family. The film takes us through their evolving relationship with their mother and father over many years, moves, and life changes. There has never been a drama like this before. [Peter Sciretta]

The Witch is a great movie beyond those Black Philip memes (although yes, they are very good memes.) Robert Eggers debut film is a horror tale dripping with period authenticity, which it uses to tremendous effect. This is a scary story about religious mania, where the fear of evil drives those who believe themselves righteous to do, well, evil. The immaculate production design and era-appropriate dialogue ground the supernatural terror and plant you on this farm amongst this family, surrounded by woods that hide something that means everyone harm. No horror movie has ever achieved a more remarkable sense of place and time, which makes the big jolts and reveals all the more unforgettable. [Jacob Hall]

With Logan, James Mangold ignores the trappings of most comic book movies and instead crafts a hyper-violent Western. A film about two strong people who keep getting beaten down by everything and everyone around them until they finally fight back. Its a road trip movie, a father-daughter saga, a somber look at the inevitability of death. I went into this movie expecting very little I dont think any of theX-Menmovies are very good, to be honest. But what Mangold delivered took me completely by surprise. Logan is raw, brutal, and features one of Hugh Jackmans very best performances. His Logan here is worn-down and sick (although he still manages to have those incredible abs); a man void of hope. And then a young mutant named Laura (Dafne Keen) enters his life and gives him a reason to keep going if just for a little while. I never once thought I would cry at the end of anX-Men movie, and yethere we are.[Chris Evangelista]

In a decade defined by Cinematic Universes, The Cabin in the Woods quietly pulled off the most daring Cinematic Universe of them all. After all, according to Drew Goddards hilarious, and utterly unique horror satire, every single horror movie ever made is technically a prequel to this movie. This film works as a bloody romp, a genre roller coaster boasting incredible performances (Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford for life) and sequences that boggle the mind (oh, when those elevator doors open!). But its also a loving deconstruction of the horror genre that questions why we enjoy these movies in the first place. The answer, as youd imagine, is something dark and primal. But hey, no one said dark and primal couldnt be a damn good time at the movies. [Jacob Hall]

A Martin Scorsese family film? Yes, it exists and its wonderful. Hugo is Scorseses love-letter to the cinema; a film that embraces the magic of the moving image. Living in Paris in 1913, orphan Hugo (Asa Butterfield) calls theGare Montparnasse railway station his home. His daily duties result in an encounter with a miserable old man (Ben Kingsley), who turns out to be early film pioneerGeorges Mlis, now forgotten and even assumed dead by some film scholars. Does Hugo manage to warm the old mans cold heart? You bet he does. Does Scorsese stage a serious of funny and charming set pieces that will enchant the young and old alike? Oh yeah. Ive often seenHugo referred to as a lesser Scorsese film. We should all be so talented that we have a hand in creating something this beautiful thats thought of as a lesser work.[Chris Evangelista]

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The 100 Best Movies of the Decade [Part Three] - /FILM