 |
| One of the many movies of the 2010s. |
These are movies that I picked for the top 10 movies of the decade so far so I do not pick the 5 best movies from the last 5 years so I just picked the ones that I have felt that are important and/or entertaining. You never know there could be a film that is not on the list that can sneak up in the end of the decade from the past 5 years.
Runner-Ups (10):
12 Years a Slave
Argo
Black Swan
Bridesmaids
Interstellar
The LEGO Movie
Silver Linings Playbook
Toy Story 3
Under the Skin
Zero Dark Thirty
10. The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese's movie that I have been thinking about and one of the few movies from 2013 that I have watched repeatedly and no, because it isn't because of the excessiveness and the hot women but also how Leonardo DiCaprio's character of Jordan Belfort as a character transitions from being a normal somebody to over-the-top rich guy to an over-the-top crazed rich guy to a guy who loses everything. In almost every scene with him, we see an image or hear dialogue as to how he's behaving and how he influences his co-workers. It just gets worse and worse.
9. The Master
This is almost far from Paul Thomas Anderson's best work such as There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights but it is a study of the human condition in the eyes of Joaquin Phoenix's character that we observe how we empathize and sympathize with him even with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's character who takes Phoenix under his wing. It is ambiguous, yes, but what we witness is a decline of a young and promising man who tackles such interesting but challenging subjects. Yet, we are entranced by this difficult challenge and try to study and analyze each scene.
8. Drive
This is the most polarizing film on the list in terms of artistry and direction because we follow this ambiguous but quiet character in a situation with a mob mix-up which does not even concern the main character until he witnesses the tragic and graphic event involving a boy's father. After this movie, Ryan Gosling's character of a quiet persona has become a bit conventional recently. But, this is the film that established an art film with a few action sequences with conviction.
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Even though Moonrise Kingdom was my favorite film of 2012 by a slight margin over Argo, I love Wes Anderson's recent movie more because of the situation revolving around the hotel and its characters that are involved. We follow every character on a roller-coaster ride involving a murder that upstages an era with strict security and visual mastery. It is layered with complexity in terms of character development, story and appreciation for its luxurious hotel as it changes throughout the whole film and ends in a tragedy. It is almost a Shakespearean comedy in a sumptuous film.
6. Her
Spike Jonze's masterpiece is another study of the human condition both from a personal standpoint and a general standpoint as they get attached to the technology that pulls them from one-on-one communication. It is another character study of a man who is isolated and introverted from the outside world and the only potential friend he has is a neighbor. But, the most personal connection in this movie is with a computer. It is a science-fiction romantic drama unlike anything we have ever seen and it is done with simplicity and with heart.
5. Django Unchained
The "D" is silent. Ah, yes, this is a film from Quentin Tarantino that took a big chance by balancing a western, a slave picture and also a buddy comedy and he does all three with perfection. This is a terrific movie as we mostly follow not Django but Dr. King Schultz as a main character for about 2/3's of the film. But, when they get to Calvin Candie's plantation, hell is unleashed with blood on the walls and wit from the bounty hunter. Each character has an inner rage that is unleashed on-screen that we get hooked as to what we expect to happen next and it is a riot.
4. The Tree of Life
Terrence Malick's visionary film is a film of faith and complete devotion regarding the passion of storytelling and filmmaking at a high level. It is almost a tale of two cities but mostly in the past where the father played by Brad Pitt represents strength and the mother played by Jessica Chastain represents angelic gentleness. If you think about it, it is no question the best Christian film by 10 miles as Christian movies this decade are not that great. It is a lesson filled with sadness, happiness, cure, hope and virtue. It is a mind-blowing experience through the cosmos that was effective and profound.
3. The Social Network
This is one of the three or four revolutionary films that defined this decade with courage as in this movie, we witness the birth of social media and how it changed communication in a whole other dimension. David Fincher's film is supported tremendously by Aaron Sorkin's screenplay, one of the best written films I've ever heard in terms of dialogue as each exchange of communication between characters is sharp and funny with conviction. It bites with fierce intensity as almost every character we care about is carried away with the invention of Facebook for better or for worse.
2. Boyhood
Richard Linklater's masterful film that spanned 12 years is an evolutionary tale of a boy simply growing up. Again, it is like a storybook or photo album highlighting every good or bad event in his life. Is it a gimmick? Yes, but I don't care. However, a few scenes tend to be slow but sometimes any conversation in our life is prolong and/or slow and that's how life carries us and that's how we learn by growing up. Even though it is pure artistry and bold to project this film from an execution stand-point, any young adult can identify with this film from any class. We have great highlights and we have dodgy highlights, I mean, there's no perfect life by definition.
1. Inception
Christopher Nolan's masterpiece takes the lead half-way through the decade by a slim margin over the three films Boyhood, The Social Network & The Tree of Life. However, it does take the lead because of how epic of a scale and how grand of a story this film is. It is not as difficult as it seems to figure out this story but it is a great puzzle to solve as we observe each scene in terms of character development, imagery and imagination. It is a game with rules in play. But, Nolan keenly makes this film make scene as we take the journey with DiCaprio's Cobb and his team as he plants an idea in a CEO's dream. It is a greatly resonant film from beginning to end as it end with a totem spinning. And, still to this day, many people ask themselves whether it was a dream or not. I say to them: Watch the movie again.
Comments
Post a Comment