Best of the Decade... So Far

The ethereal Jessica Chastain in Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" (2011)

Finally being done with all the frenzy of awards shows, “Best of 2014” features in every magazine and newspaper in the world, and, of course, having heard everyone’s disdainful judgement of the Oscar winners and the show, film commentary sites have now begun compiling a new sort of list. New Year’s Day 2015 marked the middle of this decade (if you began counting on New Year’s Day 2010, which we know to be incorrect), and all self-respecting film pundits have thrown in their choices for the best features released so far this decade.

Naturally, having no wish other than to be yoked to the critical bandwagon, I’ve had to compile my own list of The Best Films of the Decade So Far, which has proved rather cool – this is my first list of The Best Films of anything, and I’m quite excited that I get to share it here right after composing it. I’ve read some critics’ assertions that they have to confer with themselves at length over the order of titles on a list, and over what should be put in or left out. I managed to compile this one rather quickly, and to form something which I feel represents my feelings somewhat truthfully. Richard Brody writes, “A list is not a game; it’s an image in words.” As enjoyable as it is to write your own, and bare some small part of your feelings to readers, it’s also pleasing to read others’ lists, being as personal and revealing as they are.

Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio conversing civilly in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013)

You will notice a number of films missing from my own list that any other movie-going fanatic wouldn’t hesitate to toss into theirs. To be clear, I’ve considered every film of this decade I’ve seen: if I’ve left something out, it’s either because I haven’t seen it yet, or don’t think enough of it to include it here. Even before uploading this list, I was called out on its total exclusion of Christopher Nolan. I have seen Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar, and I don’t deem any one of them among the best films released since 2010. I like to think this isn’t due to despicable élitism, but considered aesthetic judgements and sense. Other glaring omissions – like The Master, A Separation, Margaret, Certified Copy, Amour, Tabu, Under the Skin, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Act of Killing, Ida, Moonrise Kingdom, Holy Motors, Black Swan, Magic Mike, Nebraska and Drive – are missing simply because I’ve yet to see them, and so, as I understand, have some rather thrilling experiences ahead of me.

Please let me know your own selections in the comments, as well as your misgivings with mine – I know I can’t inundate a list with Scorsese, Malick, Linklater, Allen and Soderbergh, and include Judd Apatow in the top ten, while leaving out Birdman, Whiplash, and Christopher Nolan, and expect everyone to be wildly enthusiastic about it.

Ralph Fiennes, quite the gigolo, in Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014)

My own picks for the best releases since 2010:

1. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
2. The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010)
3. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013)
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)
5. Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010)

Numbers 6 to 10, in alphabetical order:

12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)

Gone Girl (David Fincher, 2014)

Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011)

This is 40 (Judd Apatow, 2012) (reviewed on this blog)

To the Wonder (Terrence Malick, 2013)

Numbers 11 to 20:

American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013)

Beasts of the Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin, 2012)

Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, 2013)

Bernie (Richard Linklater, 2012)

Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014) (reviewed on this blog)

Contagion (Steven Soderbergh, 2011)

The Descendants (Alexander Payne, 2011)

Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011)

Moneyball (Bennett Miller, 2011)

Selma (Ava DuVernay, 2014) (reviewed on this blog)

And another eighteen:

Anna Karenina (Joe Wright, 2012)
Behind the Candelabra (Steven Soderbergh, 2013)

Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen, 2013)

Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011)

Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller, 2014)

Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013)

The LEGO Movie (Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, 2014)

Lincoln (Steven Spielberg, 2012)

Magic in the Moonlight (Woody Allen, 2014)

Mr Turner (Mike Leigh, 2014)
Rabbit Hole (John Cameron Mitchell, 2010)
Rust and Bone (Jacques Audiard, 2012)

Side Effects (Steven Soderbergh, 2013)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Thomas Alfredson, 2011)

Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)

True Grit (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010)

Die Wonderwerker (Katinka Heyns, 2011)

Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012)

Rooney Mara and Jesse Eisenberg in David Fincher's "The Social Network" (2010)

To give an idea of what other ardent film commentators have liked this decade, I include the list put up on Fandor by Kevin B. Lee. Lee tweeted in December, asking what the best films of the decade so far have been. He drew nearly 300 responses, and polled the results (his video of which can be watched here). These are the top 31 films, each receiving at least 21 votes:

1. The Tree of Life
2. Certified Copy
3. The Master
4. Margaret
5. Holy Motors
6. A Separation
7. Under the Skin
8. Inside Llewyn Davis
9. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recal His Past Lives
10. Boyhood
11. Goodbye to Language
12. The Social Network
13. Moonrise Kingdom
14. Her (tie) Leviathan

16. Mysteries of Lisbon
17. The Act of Killing (tie) The Turin Horse

19. Before Midnight (tie) Melancholia (tie) Once upon a Time in Anatolia

22. Frances Ha (tie) The Wolf of Wall Street

24. The Immigrant (tie) Spring Breakers (tie) Tabu

27. Amour (tie) House of Pleasures/Tolerance

29. The Grand Budapest Hotel (tie) Like Someone in Love (tie) This is Not a Film

I also include the highest ranked films of this decade on IMDb’s Top 250 list, as a (fairly accurate, I’d say) view of the populist choices of this decade’s top cinematic releases (each film’s rank on the IMDb list is in brackets after the title):

1.  Inception [14]
2. Interstellar [21]
3. Whiplash [37] (reviewed on this blog)
4. The Intouchables [39]
5.  Django Unchained [57]
6. The Dark Knight Rises [59]
7. Toy Story 3 [73]
8.  A Separation [105]
9. The Hunt [120]
10. The Wolf of Wall Street [138]
11. Gone Girl [140]
12. Warrior [145]
13. How to Train Your Dragon [152]
14. Rush [161]
15. Incendies [170]
16. Boyhood [176]
17. 12 Years a Slave [178]
18. The Grand Budapest Hotel [185]
19. Guardians of the Galaxy [191]
20. The Imitation Game [199] (reviewed on this blog)
21. The Avengers [201]
22. Shutter Island [207]
23. Kingsman: The Secret Service [212]
24. Gangs of Wasseypur [218]
25. The King’s Speech [220]
26.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II [222]
27. X-Men: Days of Future Past [224]
28. The Help [239]
29. Birdman [244]
30. Prisoners [246]

Paul Rudd in Judd Apatow's high-art "This is 40" (2012)