Another decade goes "bye.". Looking back, it is nearly impossible to quantify and categorize the films that defined cinema in those ten years. Blockbusters, independent filmmaking (shoutout to A24 & co.), and streaming platforms all transformed this decade-long experience of cinema like never before. The thirty films picked here as the best of the last decade span various types and genres of 21st-century cinema.
From star-studded to director-driven projects, independent films and blockbusters, arthouse and foreign-language films, they portrayed normal people, aliens, gangsters, saints, sci-fi heroes, and post-apocalyptic heroines. Some reflect the times we live in, others helped us escape them for two hours. But most importantly, they made us laugh, scared, shocked, comforted, and connected us with other lovers of film. They encapsulate the '10s and they feel timeless.
30. CONTAGION (2011)
The year is 2011, a deadly pandemic spreads across the world. Schools close, everyone is indoors or wearing a mask (except that one person), streets are deserted and all social life ceases. Sound familiar? But no, Contagion is not a cinematic Nostradamus and neither is Steven Soderbergh the first director at the helm of a film depicting the "whole wide world" (which is the United States, as far as Hollywood is concerned) under attack from deadly viruses or unseen forces. What enables this film to competently dramatize its way into this list is how accurately it paints the pictures of silence in ordinary lives trying to survive a pandemic.
The ensemble cast (Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Marion Cottilard, Laurence Fishbourne, etc.) perfectly conveys this sense of widespread, fatalistic calm and carelessness in the face of near-apocalyptic danger. With taut, nerve-wracking performances, the cast assuredly shows us how pandemics are not panic Olympics. And that, perhaps more than anything else, explains why Contagion reemerged this year of the Covid-19 pandemic, dusted from the archives, and rewatched millions of times across the globe with mixed feelings of dread and awe. For this reason, there will never be another film like it. Rating: 8/10
29. THE HATEFUL EIGHT (2015)
In the middle of a blizzard, seven men and one woman take shelter in Minnie's Haberdashery - a one-room shack - and become the most unlikely of companions; a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell), a wanted criminal (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a newly appointed Sheriff (Walter Goggins), a negro pen pal of Abraham Lincoln (Samuel L. Jackson), a retired Civil War Confederate General (Bruce Dern), a hangman (Tim Roth), a writer (Michael Madsen) and a Mexican (Demian Bichir). A whole nation is pulled into this haberdashery and they never leave the room alive again.
The Hateful Eight is a case study on the beauty of limitation and how conventional 21st-century filmmaking can be turned on its head. Who films a Western in a single room? Is it even still a Western? Even the lines between sub-genres and societal issues are blurred. But whether it's a Revisionist or Snow Western, or a visceral movie exploring issues of racism, law, and order in the middle of nowhere, Quentin Tarantino has once again created a bloody, suspense-filled film from nothing but one room and a few persons. He's a master at it andThe Hateful Eight is another masterpiece. Is it the last of his neo-westerns? I hope not. Rating: 8/10
28. ANNIHILATION (2018)
Sci-Fi meets Horror in this Alex Garland epic. Arguably the most beautifully shot film of 2018, Annihilation is a stunning piece of filmmaking. In its mise-en-scéne, beauty and enterprise sit beside decay and madness in a dense forest of green and rainbow colors. Human intestines turn into worms the size of snakes. Flowers bloom and take the shape of human beings. Salt from the ocean coagulates into crystal trees. Until the release of Midsommar (2019), one would have been hard-pressed to see a film as unafraid to explore the use of bright and natural colors in expressing beautiful life or depicting gory death. But this film accomplishes the detailed task while paying close attention to the directing techniques and a highly creative script adapted from Jeff VanderMeer's novel.
Nearly every scene in this film is a cinematography masterclass. The CGI is well done and the actors (an all-female pseudo-commando unit) blend with the world they find themselves journeying in, reacting genuinely to their skewered sense of time and mutating bodies. There are no Oscar-bait performances. There was no need. Because Annihilation is a movie that will have a different meaning to different viewers who are willing to absorb and engage it. It’s about self-destruction and evolution, biology and degradation as well as that which scares most of us in this century—that we can no longer trust our own bodies. This film lingers in the mind and haunts dreams. Among the echelons of Sci-Fi films churned out in this decade, Annihilation is one of the best. Rating: 8/10
27. BIRDMAN, OR THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE (2014)
When Mr. Inarritu pitched the idea of this film to his cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, the latter was worried. He had no precedents to learn from; no film in history had ever been done in that style - a comedy directed in one long take. To make it work, every line of dialogue, every detail, from the opening of doors down to the tiniest speck of dust floating in the air, had to be rehearsed. Birdman is the culmination of a vision perfectly executed by every single person who partook in the making of the film. It's one of those films which stand tall at the crossroads between theater and film and only stage acting of the highest quality does it justice.
Notably, the use of the tiny, new Arri Alexa cameras throughout the shooting of the film perfect a very complex filming process and give Birdman that fluid, continuous feel of seeing whole lives play out without cuts and edits. You almost feel like a god, watching this film. The actors transcend and yet remain characters trapped in a continuous, inescapable reality until the very last scene. Ultimately, Birdman is a film about acting, the transformation of dual identities, and the tragedies of superheroes. It is directed to create the illusion of one long, continuous take, one of the most impossible feats to achieve in cinema. The result is a fluid and rhythmic slideshow through the lives of actors in search of their better selves. It is a poetic representation of how we all live our lives without editing and cuts. As far as art goes, this is a cinematic masterpiece. Rating: 8/10
26. DJANGO UNCHAINED (2013)
An exposé on America's horrible and gory past, themes of slavery, and pre-civil war lawlessness collide in this Tarantino tribute to the Spaghetti Western genre. But the homage to Sergio Cobucci's (Django 1966) ends more or less at the title and western backdrop. Everything else is a revelation of the director's masterful script and directing which result in stunning performances from the cast - notably Christoph Waltz who waltzed his way into winning a second Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars that year (the first was for another acting masterclass in Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds four years prior).
Upon release, Django Unchained was so obviously a scathing satire on American society that it was approved for distribution by China in its tightly controlled film market. Set in an American era where slavery is legal and the lynching of negroes is a sport, it provided an effective propaganda tool for China whenever they faced criticism from the U.S. government. Sensational scenes follow one another as the film revolves around two characters who are racial, financial, and personal opposites but somehow find an absurd common ground for vengeful cooperation. Violence explodes in a consistently grotesque manner and by the end, racists as well as coons are dead and burned while the free slaves ride tentatively into the night on horseback. Django Unchained is bloody, hilarious and another visceral masterpiece from Quentin Tarantino. Rating: 8/10
25. HER (2013)
Another film for lovers of an increasingly diversified portfolio of the Sci-Fi genre, Her is a picture about a romance that has no legs, literally. In a world set in future Los Angeles, aliens do not come dropping out of the sky with ambitious plans to colonize or wipe out the human race. Neither are human beings shooting themselves into the sky in an ominous search for extraterrestrial life. Instead, the future is where cool, nerdy things happen. Spike Jonze takes a satirical episode from The Big Bang Theory, in which a hopeless romantic, Raj, becomes infatuated with Siri, the silky-voiced iPhone operating system, and unveils an alternative futuristic world about virtual relationships. In an era where romance is increasingly being explored through virtual apps like Instagram and Twitter DMs, Her is a film that elaborates on the effects of contemporary romance devoid of physical contact.
As a result, there is seemingly nothing for the film to go on. But a few minutes into the picture one becomes aware of being witness to an expert display of micro acting and micro emotion, by Joaquin Phoenix, of the highest quality. Scarlett Johansson's voice-over is also superb. Combined with Hoyte van Hoytema's astonishing cinematography, designed to convey a variety of moods with deliberate colors (except the color blue) and Spike's brilliant script, viewers can't help asking the question: can a relationship between human beings and artificial intelligence work? The result is that Her serves as a veritable template for any such questions when they eventually transcend cinema and become reality in a hopefully cool future. Rating: 8/10
24. NIGHTCRAWLER (2014)
This film is a ruthless critique of modern-day television, social media influence, and its consumer culture. An unconventional neo-noir thriller, Nightcrawler thoroughly succeeds in capturing the symbiotic relationship between increasingly corrupt journalism in our media and the bloodthirsty demands of its consumers. Artistically, the film is the Network (1976) of our times but without the popularity, and that in itself is an indictment of the culture which Nightcrawler satirizes - an apathetic media society where sensationalist headlines matter more than content, truth and honest reporting. But more than that, the film succeeds in capturing the timeless, restless, and untamed soul of contemporary Los Angeles. Which explains why watching the scenes unfold feels like being attached to the back of a psychopath's truck at night, speeding through the streets and dark alleys of L.A., and feeling like an accessory to crime.
Jake Gyllenhaal's character is a creep of the highest kind, reminiscent of Robert De Niro's in Taxi Driver (1976). Till today, Nightcrawler continues to be a subject of debate as to exactly what genre it belongs. Dark, visually sleek, and thought-provoking, it stands alone in accurately incorporating the modern elements of the theme it explores and the cultural phenomenon it criticizes. Rating: 8/10
23. WIND RIVER (2017)
In 1492, Christopher Columbus set foot on the soil of what would later be called "America". At that time, whether the explorer knew it or not, millions of Indians occupied the land. By the late 19th century, fewer than 300, 000 Indians were alive. By 2017, the time this film was released, 78% of the Indians left lived in reservations, with little to no Federal or State protection from the respective government agencies. The result is that, after 600 years, the indigenous peoples of America continued to suffer violence, endemic discrimination and being ignominiously ignored.
Enter Wind River (like Chloe Zhao's Songs My Brother Sang For Me two years earlier), a humanistic crime drama set in the Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming, directed with more skill than lust for entertainment and tailored to raise awareness on the appallingly increasing number of indigenous women who continue to be kidnapped, raped, and murdered without any hope of justice. The beauty of Wind River is how skillfully it avoids being a conventional, propaganda film about the oppressed minority full of self-pity. It lures the viewer into a murder mystery driven by smart writing, Taylor Sheridan's solid directing, and a strong cast. Wind River may not blow viewers away but it is a purposeful and introspective history lesson that excels on reliable directing, thought-provoking dialogue, and honest respect for its characters and subject matter. Deservedly one of the finest films to do justice about an injustice and one of this decade's finest. Rating: 8/10
22. GET OUT (2017)
Jordan Peele’s debut film is nothing less than a cultural phenomenon, an artistic tribute to horror films of the 70s and 80s, and a wicked satire on institutional racism in the 2010s. Released a few months into Trump's administration, the film follows Daniel Kaluuya as Chris, a photographer who travels to meet the family of his new girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams). Her parents (Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford) seem nice like decent folk, but something doesn't feel right. By the time the audience realizes what the privileged white folks have been secretly cooking up their sleeves, it's already several levels deep into the Sunken Place.
Laced with sharp wit and dark humor, yet refusing to tone down on the racial and scenery shocks, the director opens up an avenue for Americans to have a long, overdue discussion about its post-Trayvon Martin world, where the deadliest place for African-Americans is a dark, quiet suburban street. Get Out is an instant classic. Rating: 8/10
21. WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013)
In this biographical black comedy, a Wall Street stockbroker engages in rampant debauchery and fraud which leads to his downfall. Anchored on Martin Scorsese's astute directing and superb performances from the lead and supporting actors, (Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey), Wolf Of Wall Street is iconic in its portrayal of morally ambiguous and explicit sexual content, depiction of hard drug use and extreme profanity.
Upon release,Wolf Of Wall Street set the Guinness World Record for the most instances of swearing in a motion picture, a hilarious achievement that complements its irreverently humorous content. Fast-paced, corporately chaotic, and consistently funny, controversy continues to trail this film since 2013; from a lack of respect for victims of its subject matter to allegations of corrupt funds being used to finance the film. The irony. Bogged down by a final 30 minutes which don't seem to fit in with the rest of the action, nonetheless,Wolf Of Wall Street is a true American film and only a few can claim to be as influential and engrained in the pop culture of this decade. Rating: 8/10
20. JOHN WICK 2 (2017)
In arguably the most iconic action movie series of our time, John Wick: Chapter 2 stands out as the most audacious and blisteringly visceral of its predecessor and successor. The series is yet to take a wrong step, and if by starting out as merely an assassin's undertaking to avenge his dog hit the right comical tones, Chapter 2 takes it a notch higher in terms of pettiness. It is the idealistic action film: operatic yet spiced with fine-tuned details, surprisingly hilarious and witty yet tinged with pathos. The action is non-stop, fight scenes so brutal and intense yet perfectly choreographed you can't help but applaud the work which the stuntmen and the director (Chad Stahelski, a stuntman) put in.
Keanu Reeves does not hold back; his vision is bloodily tunneled, his fight scenes bone-crunchingly brutal and his performance is near balletic, ultimately a showcase for a man who has a sincere love for this film genre. It is almost hard to believe that this explosive sequel arises from John Wick's need to recover his stolen car after finally avenging his dog. But that's what makes this series work. Complex plot write-ups go out the window here. Chapter 2 runs the gauntlet of a proper action film's attention to detail; highlighting the breaking of bones, splatter of blood, and the never-ending repercussions of every intensely brutal battle.
The franchise has some of the best world-building in film today, putting comic properties and film reboots that have decades of material to draw from to shame. John Wick 2 stands out for the sheer rush of adrenaline it pumped into its millions of viewers and its instant entrance into pop culture. It will be the standard for action films for a long time to come. 8/10
19. THE DEATH OF STALIN (2017)
Portraying the death of arguably the greatest monster of the 20th century and the influence of the bloody legacy he left behind couldn't have been done better than this scorching satire by Armando Iannucci. This dark comedy is a defiant stare in the face of those who think some stories are too sacred or offensive to be filmed. For one, it is murderously hilarious. You will laugh and laugh and laugh, and just when you think you're tired of laughing, you will laugh some more.
What is so outrageous aboutThe Death of Stalin is that it dares to make evil funny and thoroughly succeeds. The one-liners drop faster than political careers, spiked with malicious, straight-faced glee, and enhanced by the director's genius idea to let the actors speak naturally instead of taking the perilous risks that follow attempting Russian accents. The effect is the creation of an honest reality and a feel for the characters which transcends accents. Sardonic and absurdly funny, it was promptly banned from cinemas upon release in a few countries, notably Russia and Kazakhstan, and remains a subject of controversy there till today.The Death of Stalin is easily the most accomplished comedy film of the decade. Rating: 8/10
18. HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016)
A neo-western heist film that follows two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who rob banks while being chased by two Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and ), this picture has been unanimously credited by film critics as revitalizing the western genre. The second of Taylor Sheridan's trilogy about the American Frontier (Sicario and Wind River complete the list), Hell or High Water is an expertly directed and well-acted heist movie that rejects unnecessary gunfights and mindless shootouts in favour of confident, suspense-filled scenes and well moulded characters. In ways big and small, this is a movie so colorful and yet harshly bleak that it surprises with its twisting narrative and stuns with its cinematography. And with one of the best original movie screenplays in decades,Hell or High Water is already a cult classic. Rating: 8/10
17. ROOM (2015)
Based on the novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue, Room is an independent drama portraying a woman (Brie Larson) kidnapped and held captive for seven years with her five-year-old son (born in captivity) who try to reintegrate into society after they regain their freedom. This is a painfully moving and heartbreaking film anchored on a well-written story and powered by stunning performances from Larson who won the Oscar for Best Actress, and Jacob Tremblay, a child actor who doesn't make a single wrong move throughout.
The utmost respect is tentatively shown for the subject-matter at the core; the internalized, mental experiences of countless women victims of kidnapping and rape in the modern world. Shot mostly in a tiny room, Room works on a small canvas while emphasizing that great things can be achieved in tight spaces. Mercilessly claustrophobic and unforgettably traumatic, this is independent filmmaking of the highest order and without doubt one of the best films of the decade. Rating: 8/10
16. ARRIVAL (2016)
Have you ever wondered what would happen if our species ever came in contact with aliens? What if, instead of the popular idea of immediate conflict between both sides, there is an imperative need to communicate and try to understand each other first? Arrival is that cliché-ending big budget Sci-Fi film. It challenges viewers to objectively think, not only about everything they thought of themselves as intelligent beings but also about what it's like to be on the other side.
The aliens are not vindictive, destructive entities hell-bent on wiping out half of our species Thanos-style, and, barring their conventionally grotesque appearance, seem genuinely interested in establishing a basis of interaction first. This honest and respectful approach to a traditionally unlikely story is what sets this beautiful Dennis Villeneuve picture apart from most of its contemporaries. By the time the climactic scenes are over, an introspective analysis reveals that ultimately, Arrival is an artful lesson on communication in an increasingly scientific world, and therein lies its long-lasting brilliance. Rating: 8/10
15. MOONLIGHT (2016)
Barry Jenkins' masterpiece is an all-encompassing coming-of-age drama that shatters every cliché and stereotypical portrayal of African-Americans in film prior to its release. In light of its iconic milestones and critical accomplishments such as being the first all-black cast and LGBTQ centered film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, it is almost easy to forget that Moonlight subtly evokes complex personal, racial, and societal conundrums, in order to explore the paths discriminated individuals in highly marginalized societies take, through neglected childhoods, angry adolescent stages and self-discovery in adulthood.
Set in a post-Obama America, the responsibility of everyone involved in this film to perfect the nuanced approach of its storytelling is an immense achievement. As such, Moonlight avoids the pitfalls of self-pity and clunky desperation to push a same-sex agenda on its viewers. The camera is simply used as a pen to visualize the lines which push and pull the lives of people rarely seen in cinema. The symbolic use of color, natural light, and water are cohesively put together to create an aesthetically beautiful picture of the highest quality. Many more films and works of art will be influenced by Moonlight, cementing its place as one of the great films of recent times. Rating: 8/10
14. THE IRISHMAN (2019)
Based on Charles Brandt's novel, I Heard You Paint Houses, Martin Scorsese's latest quickly fit snugly into pop culture with numerous references and homages to its characters, dialogue, and score ever since its release. The Irishman is a stunning technical achievement of modern filmmaking. Satisfyingly, its merits don't end there. In this mobster epic, intrigue, drama, comedy and death are expertly tuned together with a skill and competence rarely achieved before in this genre since Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In America (1984). And as unrepentant lovers of gangster films approach the last thirty minutes, a sudden realization hits that, asides from following a hitman's association with the mob and the legendary Jimmy Hoffa over the course of decades,The Irishman is also very well a reflection by Scorsese on his and the careers of his posse (De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci), as if to remind us against glamorizing violent men and the destruction they leave behind. A truly masterful film. Rating: 8/10
13. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (2018)
Another entry from the Coen Brothers into cinema's hall of fame, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is an anthology Western featuring six stories/vignettes which take place on the American frontier. Beautifully photographed, full of ironic wit and poignant philosophy, each segment features intriguing characters caught in existential situations ranging from profound to absurd.
From a goofy, gunslinging cowboy to a philosophical pair of bounty hunters, not to mention an armless, Ozymandias-reciting poet who painfully loses his audience to an eccentric, math-solving chicken, no other full-length revisionist western captures the contradictions of old, American mythology like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Directed to convey the feeling of reading a storybook, only a select few like the Coens could pull off such a masterclass of unconventional cinema and they've done it again. Highly recommended. Rating: 8/10
12. ZERO DARK THIRTY (2012)
Osama Bin Laden couldn't have known that through the combined efforts of a handful of women CIA agents, a deadly U.S. Navy Seal unit, and fate, he would meet his demise holed-up in a decrepit, stone building in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a decade after executing the deadliest terrorist attack in history. Spy-speak for "half-past midnight"; the recorded time of death of the world's most violent and hated criminal, Zero Dark Thirty is a gripping, suspense-filled recreation of a world where death lurks around the corner in planted bombs, suicide bombers, and behind night-vision goggles.
Another case-study on the beauty of limitation, what is lacking in the absence of an unpredictable plot is more than made up for by Kathryn Bigelow, the director, expertly unveiling hitherto unknown and secret facts with the acknowledgment that the successful hunt for the world's most wanted criminal was ultimately, a masterstroke of inescapable fate. Rating: 8/10
11. 1917 (2019)
If a movie ever depicted, in spellbinding style, the hellish conditions and bizarre turmoils of humanity in warfare, especially in the brutally devastating World War One, 1917 is that movie. Unpredictable, haunting, and visceral, there is no need for Oscar-bait acting in this film. Instead, the point is to transport the viewer into a world gone stark raving mad. The lines between good and bad, heroism and cowardice, love and hate are blurred. The chaos is one no one would wish to experience firsthand. But enough is conveyed via the brilliant use of Sam Mendes' camera and Roger Deakins' brilliant photography to fill one with dread, wonder, and a head-pounding adrenaline rush. 1917, a harrowing, heart-wrenching war film, is shot in two long takes. A brilliant achievement. Rating: 9/10
10. AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019)
The zenith of a decade of blockbuster filmmaking, Endgame is the culmination of years of work from tens of thousands of people, ending the story arcs for most of its main characters. The sheer technical and technology input into this blockbuster of all blockbusters is absolutely mind-boggling. A film with numerous subplots converging, and dozens of familiar superheroes from over twenty other movies, Endgame was unlike anything that Hollywood had seen before.
Asides acknowledging the consistent loyalty of fans of this series, this film is a homage and reward for their love, undying adoration, and patience. And it does not disappoint. It ticks all the blockbuster boxes, even checking off a few boxes that fans did not expect to see on the list. In terms of sheer entertainment value, Endgame elevates its most iconic superheroes to legendary status raised to the power of three thousand. This satisfying conclusion to an iconic series of blockbuster history will be hard to top for pure spectacle and pop culture impact. Big budget action filmmaking doesn't get better than this and as far as cinematic creativity and skill goes, this is the MCU's magnum opus. Rating: 9/10
9. SELMA (2014)
An important history lesson, Selma reminds us of the legacy of the courageous Africa-American civil rights activists in the fight against discrimination. It dramatizes the brutal racism rampant in 1960s America which spurred them into action and led to the iconic voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery inspired by James Bevel in 1965. Unlike most films about iconic human figures and movements, Selma is not patronizing; David Oyelowo's performance as Dr. King is astoundingly empathetic, Ava DuVernay's directing is fluid and emphatic. These were crucial in the film being able to flow with suspense and surprises. Packed with fascinating characters, Selma presents the marginalized human being as a dynamic of contradictions and flaws fused with political shrewdness and is, ultimately, a triumph of historical cinema. Rating: 9/10
8. CAROL (2015)
In a department store at Christmas, two women -an elegant socialite and an awkward, amateur photographer- steal glances at each other and gradually blossom into lovers in 1950s New York. Everything comes together perfectly in this Todd Haynes story about love. Benefitting from Patricia Highsmith's excellent novel adapted into script, Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) delicately explore the highs of their taboo relationship with sensual, hedonistic eye contact and their lows with sparse, anxious dialogue.
Carol is a film with a firm, intellectual grasp on the complex dynamics between human connection, friendship and the experiences of women in a world set against its fullest, emotional, and physical expression. Tenderly turning its eye on the pre-hippie lesbian culture without the word "lesbian" ever being said, the film is infused with elegant shots and dim lighting to pay homage to the forgotten, forbidden lovers of the 1950s and yet exudes a bold, contemporary feel. It is a brilliant exhibition on the beauty and optics of love, and a symphony of angles, glances, colors, and shadows. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in France, Carol received a 10-minute standing ovation from the audience. A true masterpiece of the decade. Rating: 9/10
7. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014)
Murder, fascism, and a priceless renaissance painting come together to set sparks flying in this comedy-drama. This Wes Anderson film bursts into life with stunning colors, beautiful art scenes, and helter-skelter comedic performances. Grand Budapest cheekily satirizes realism, marvelously mocks history, and turns the horrors of murder, war and deadly ideologies into a sequence of graceful jokes and mischievous adventures. On the other hand, themes of friendship, loyalty and colors in personal human relationships are explored brilliantly. As a crowning achievement, immense technical craftsmanship gives The Grand Budapest Hotel the feel of a work of art turning its pages and unveiling pictures more calibrated and wistful than the last. Undoubtedly one of the great films of, not only this decade, but of this century. Rating: 9/10
6. PARASITE (2019)
Arguably the most timely and urgent wake-up call to recognizing societal and class discrimination shown on screen in recent times. All the more fitting its come from South Korea. A very dark comedy, Parasite is almost difficult to watch because of how it forces viewers of all social classes and status to look inward and question their biases and prejudices. While combining absurd humor and caricature characters, it is a brutal attack on the human condition and psyche and our unfailing tendency to fashion tools of segregation even in the lowest social hierarchy. Furthermore, the tired distinctions between art and popcorn films are thrown out the window as the director, Bong Joon-Ho, expertly combines surprising plot twists with furious philosophical questions. Excellent cinematography uses the comic and tragic backgrounds of structures connecting the wealthy and poor in modern South Korea to convey the message; Parasite is a mosquito of a film filled with the bitter blood of worldwide class warfare. Rating: 9/10
5. SON OF SAUL (2015)
The year is 1944. A long, unbroken camera shot of mesmerizing detail takes us through Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp at the height of the ghastly Jewish Shoah and into a group of Jews (called Sonderkommando) who are forced by Nazi soldiers to lead their fellow Jews into gas chambers and crematoriums. In the unprecedented tragedy of apocalyptic proportions that was World War 2, Son Of Saul is an unapologetic Hungarian horror movie about the worst crime against humanity ever committed in history.
With extraordinary focus, humility, and respect for the subject matter, the film carefully avoids wallowing in its tragedy and succeeds in telling the story of the Holocaust from a perspective unlike any other. Not even the heartbreaking Schindler's List (1993) comes close to depicting the horrors faced by any select group of Jews in probably the darkest times of human history. Assisted by its best assets; focused directing, hypnotic cinematography, and stoic acting performances, Son Of Saul is a remarkable and heart-wrenching reminder of the unbelievable depths the human soul can be reduced to, oppressor and oppressed alike. 9/10
4. INCEPTION (2010)
Dream stealers and real assassins play cat-and-mouse games in this intriguing thriller film. A professional thief (Leonardo DiCaprio) robs his victims by infiltrating the mazy worlds of their subconscious and copying or planting information. Complex, layered, intellectually stimulating, Inception is the rare blockbuster film that combines a vivid sense of emotions and cinematic artistry with a complete disregard for conventional plot-twisting that leaves viewers guessing until the very last scene.
In fact, lovers of Inception continue to dispute its ending to this day. Its layered plotline complements its influence on contemporary pop culture, ranging from music, art, TV, and the internet. The suffix, "ception" has entered popular lingo to indicate a multiple layering or recursion of a thing in question. Combining the techniques of different film genres - Sci-Fi, film noir, and action films - Christopher Nolan puts everything together perfectly. Technically, intellectually and artistically, Inception is a stunning cinematic accomplishment. Rating: 9/10
3. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015)
Three decades after the first Mad Max film which revolutionized the post-apocalyptic action film sub-genre and made Mel Gibson famous, Mad Max returned with visceral and explosive entertainment unlike any other seen in recent memory. One would quickly run out of superlatives trying to describe the scale and magnitude of cinematic technicality this film works on. An excellent visual achievement, the legendary George Miller brings together an extravagant team consisting of a wonderful cast, breathtaking stunts, and state-of-the-art CGI to create an exhilarating experience and make the dystopian world it is set in all too real.
Along with its deranged, desert chase scenes and adrenaline-filled action sequences, Fury Road raises relevant philosophical questions about how the world we live in today could shape existence, ten, hundred, thousands of years in the future. Highly artistic and visionary, Mad Max is one of the truly great films of our time. Rating:10/10
2. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013)
Adapted from the true memoirs of a slave; this film is a brutal, unflinching look at American slavery in its death spasms. As slavery lost its firm grip on society and its victims, it became more callous, wicked and insensitive than ever. 12 Years A Slave lets us stare at America in its most barbaric state and see the dried bones upon which the country is built today. Steve McQueen directs the film with bold courage and honesty, avoiding sensationalism in order to educate viewers on a system and state of existence so unimaginable, horrific, and paralleled only by the Jewish experience in Nazi Germany.
Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a haunting, unforgettable performance as Solomon Northup, and combines with Hans Zimmer's moving score to moisten the eyes with tears. Sean Bobbitt's cinematography perfectly captures the elegiac poetry of how unending nightmares often exist within the most beautiful places.12 Years A Slave is a genius exposé on the persistence of evil and the necessity of human freedom in our world. It is a straight-up, timeless classic. Rating: 10/10
1. BOYHOOD (2014)
Deliberately filmed for twelve years between 2001 and 2013 to give continuity to the growth and adaptations of its characters, this coming-of-age drama is epic in the scope of technical filmmaking and brilliant in its contemplation of human reality. What makes Boyhood so beautiful is the way it depicts the ordinariness of life and the slippery nature of time. Its brilliance is in how it simplifies the questions of life and time by not focusing on its highlights but on the ordinary things that happen in between which never make it to the news or the TV screen.
"What does it mean to be human?", "What is the point of life?" "what influences our social conditioning?" These are the basic, remote questions Boyhood provokes while painstakingly following the lives of its characters over a decade in a way that makes it impossible to directly compare with any other film in pop culture history. At its core, Boyhood makes us gaze at the most important dilemma of all; what our lives and future will turn out to be as we evolve in an ever-changing society. A poetic masterpiece. Rating: 10/10
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