Top 10 of the 2010s

What a decade in movies. From the dawn of streaming to the beginnings of the Me Too movement, the changes that have been made in Hollywood over the past 10 years are just the beginning of a complete readjustment of how we consume entertainment. Bring on the virtual reality, I say! I, for one, am just as excited about change as I am nostalgiac for a time when going to the movie theater was the coolest thing in the world (and hey, I like to think it still is).

10. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu

9. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Directed by George Miller

If not the best film of the decade, then without a doubt the best action film of the decade. George Miller has range, man.

8. Leave No Trace (2018)

Directed by Debra Granik

7. Frances Ha (2012)

Directed by Noah Baumbach

“Frances, undateable.” This ode to female friendship is my favorite Greta Gerwig (who co-wrote the film with Baumbach) movie and performance. I feel like everyone has a little bit of Frances/Sophie in their relationship with their friends, and every scene strikes a weirdly melancholic but joyous chord. Not to mention an unsurprisingly stellar performance from Adam Driver.

6. Her (2013)

Directed by Spike Jonze

5. Faces Places (2017)

Directed by Agnès Varda and JR

Of all the movies on this list, this is the one you should drop everything and watch right now. It’s the most feel good of feel good movies and such a unique way to make a documentary. If you need one reason to watch it, do it for the beautiful friendship between Varda and JR. It never fails to make me smile.

4. The Lobster (2015)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

I’d go as far as to say that Yorgos Lanthimos is the filmmaker of the decade. From Dogtooth to The Favourite, his films are among the most fascinating of the 21^st century for their unique narratives and subject matter.

3. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Directed by Benh Zeitlin

To quote Roger Ebert: “Sometimes miraculous films come into being, made by people you've never heard of, starring unknown faces, blindsiding you with creative genius.” Both magical and heartbreaking, Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of those films.

2. Captain Fantastic (2016)

Directed by Matt Ross

1. The Florida Project (2017)

Directed by Sean Baker

It’s impossible to pick one singular best movie of the decade, but The Florida Project is the closest I can get. I think this movie is perfect, and I guess putting it at the top of this list is my personal retribution for it getting completely looked over at the Academy Awards.

And finally, an honorable mention goes to the OJ: Made in America series, which deserves to be on this list but is too much of a series for me to include it.

I am, without a doubt, excited for the next decade.