Saturday, December 28, 2019

Decade in film...let's go...

It is coming up to that time of year where I blog my films of the year just gone but this year is also the end of a decade so as with the rest of film nerd internet, it is time for my films of the decade. So as not to cloud my judgment, I currently have the new Michael Bay Netflix film on in the background- mainly just to guarantee that the film I think was the worst of 2019 actually was and this is giving it some strong competition and only just started it (this was likely a very bad viewing decision).

First warning, I am going to spoil my 2019 countdown here as I do think that my 2019 number 1 will stand as a film of the decade and so I opted not to leave it out just to keep my 2019 countdown unspoiled.

Second warning, it is impacted by Me Too. You will not see Woody Allen, Kevin Spacey, Joss Whedon, or Casey Affleck in here. Allen (Midnight in Paris), Whedon (Cabin in the Woods), and Spacey (Baby Driver) all did have films in the last decade that I would have otherwise considered including. Unfortunately I could not completely remove Weinstein though I wanted to but I feel it would be a disservice to the creative elements of a film he financed because of his involvement and the director in question has distanced himself from Weinstein (though not as well as Kevin Smith did...if you don't own Smith films from his Weinstein associated era, buy them! Not just because they are mostly great films but also because all the money now goes to charities supporting victims of sexual assault). I also awkwardly realise there is a Jeremy Renner film in this countdown and I should have worked harder to also exclude it.

Final statement this countdown is an attempt to be measured unlike my yearly countdowns which are more about my favourites, this is about what films were the best with one or two inclusions that I added for sentimental value. I have included where I ranked them originally if I did a ranking that year- only two of my number ones since starting my yearly countdown in 2014 are included (one of them is my film of decade).

20-11 in no particular order

The Tree of Life (2011)





I'm going to keep the descriptions brief which is good as I have no earthly clue how I would best summarise this film. It is in part the story of a suburban family in the lead up to and aftermath of trauma, and in other part it is about the creation of the world and life itself. I haven't rewatched it in a while but it is an amazingly visually stunning film. In the scale of its cinematography it sits alongside only the first ten minutes of Melancholia (a film that is just outside by top 20 of the 2010s) and of course 2001: A Space Odyssey as the highest points that craft has achieved.


Hugo (2011)



In 1931, the orphaned Hugo is forced to live with his uncle and help him maintain the clocks at a Paris train station. When his uncle disappears, Hugo hides in the station and continues to work on the clocks. When Hugo attempts to steal from a toy store, he meets Isabelle, the granddaughter of the owner and the two become friends.

This film is a delight and it is truly a film for film nerds with its repeated nods to the early days of cinema. It is still the only 3D film where I have legitimately felt that the 3D was used well and was not used merely to distract from poor writing. As it is reflecting on an era that invented cinema, it is remains quite the achievement that it is the only film that has used what was to be the big new thing in cinema so well.

The Favourite (2018) (ranked 3 in my 2018 countdown- beaten by Widows and RBG (I've not included docos in this top 20))



Abigail goes to visit her cousin, Lady Sarah, in hopes of begging for a job now that her section for the family has fallen on bad times. Abigail quickly discovers that Lady Sarah is having an affair with the widowed Queen Anne who suffers from gout. Abigail uses that knowledge to manipulate her way into the household.


Stunningly hilarious writing and three of the best performances by actresses ever. I was so happy when Olivia Colman came out of nowhere to claim the best actress Oscar for this film.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) (ranked 3 in my 2014 countdown- beaten by Guardians of the Galaxy and God Help the Girl)




Adam and Eve are vampires who have been lovers for centuries. Adam is lonely in America and summons Eve from Morocco where she has been living. The two met and mourn the passing of time. Eve's troubled sister, Ava, arrives and causes difficulty for their reunion.


Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston have been frequent inclusions in my yearly countdowns so where would my top of the decade be without them? I think my original assessment stands so I'll quote it, "This film is like a slow dance in a beautiful but fading world with its stunning visuals and gorgeous performances, especially by Swinton and Hiddleston in the lead roles. Many will find the slow pacing a bit much but if you lose yourself into the world and embrace the pacing as it seeks to invoke in you the experience of being a creature whose life span is potentially endless, it is a journey well worth taking."


Django Unchained (2012)




In the pre Civil War Southern states of the US, Django has been separated from his wife and is being held by slave owners. He is brought by a bounty hunter who needs Django's knowledge of his previous owners (cringe as I type the word "owners"). Django ultimately also becomes a bounty hunter and they search from the new owner of his wife, Calvin Candie.


Yes this is the Weinstein film that snuck in but between the performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz in particular, and the screenplay (which Tarantino deservingly won an Oscar for) I couldn't leave it off my countdown. Whilst I don't think Django is the best of Tarantino, it definitely ranks at least in the middle of any ranking I would do of his films, and I'm a big fan so even that is great praise. This is the one the many films that should have won DiCaprio an Oscar and somehow he wasn't even nominated (I'm happy Waltz won the supporting actor category but still where was Leo's nomination?). The end scene where Django enacts revenge on the Candyland mansion is the kind of pure ultra violence you come to a Tarantino film for.


Boyhood (2014) (ranked 7 on my 2014 countdown, beaten by The One I Love, Calvary, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Only Lovers Left Alive, Guardians of the Galaxy, and God Help the Girl)




Over 12 years, a boy grows up with his single mother and sister. His father visits from time to time and bonds with his children though he still conflicts at times with his ex wife. The boy's mother moves the boy and his sister into households with a few of her subsequent partners who turn out to frequently be violent towards her. 


I said when this first came out that it was a masterclass in film making and that it would be a film we would still be talking about in 20-50 years, and I still believe that. Linklater actually took twelve years to film it so there is no ageing or de-ageing technology needed, it is just the same actors ageing normally. It is a film that is epic in its portrayal of the mundane. The performances particularly that of Patricia Arquette as the mother of the family, but also of those of Ellar Coltrane, who literally grows up on screen, and Ethan Hawke are outstanding.


Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) (ranked 2 in my countdown of that year, beaten by Get Out)




Not going to summarise this as unless you lived in a cave for the last decade you should have seen it...


Firstly come at me, angry white men of the internet! I care nothing for your rage!


In terms of my favourite Star Wars films, I actually rank Last Jedi equal with TFA but this countdown is not about my favourites. I had to include it for four reasons- visuals, sound editing, Mark Hamill, and the impact it had on culture. And also because I love porgs...only kidding though I do love them. I spoke at length about the performances and the visuals in my 2017 countdown and also the sound editing but again that scene where Holdo runs the ship into Snoke's flagship is to my mind the finest moment of sound editing this decade. Whatever you think of the film (again looking at the white men of the internet), if you come at it objectively from a film quality POV and not from your rapid fan cave, it is the finest made Star Wars film alongside Empire. Also I have to support a film that championed women and people of colour as much as this did, and that in part lead to a complete change in how Rotten Tomatoes worked which helped stop nerd rage having as much power over how films are rated. 


Calvary (2014) (ranked 5 in my 2014 countdown- behind The Grand Budapest Hotel, Only Lovers Left Alive, Guardians of the Galaxy, and God Help the Girl)




A priest is told in the confessional by one of his parishioners that he will be killed within the week, not because he has done anything wrong but because the parishioner wants vengeance by killing a good priest in response to the abuse he once suffered at the hand of another priest. The priest then spends the final week of his life not knowing which of his parishioners is his potential murderer. He also has to support with his daughter (he became a priest after the death of his wife) who has come back to Ireland from London to visit him as she recovers from a recent suicide attempt.


Nice to have one completely not American film on this list as truth be told it is a little America heavy- I know Last Jedi was filmed in the UK but you don't get more American than Disney for production, and yes The Favourite was a partly US production before you ask. According to some parts of the internet this is a black comedy but I don't think I'd go that far. True there are funny moments and there are several actors better known for comedic roles in the cast but it is mainly pretty dark stuff. The stoic performance of Brendan Gleeson as Father James, and the way this cuts to the core of the big issues in defining Irish identity as the country moves away from its Catholic roots are both outstanding.


Arrival (2016) (ranked 5 in my 2016 countdown beaten by Hunt for the Wilderpeople, La La Land, Spotlight, and Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name))





Louise Banks cares for her dying daughter. Then cut to the day mysterious alien transport pods arrive at various locations around the planet and Dr/Professor Banks is called upon as a linguistic to help make first contact. Working with a physicist, she seeks to understand the alien's language and mode of communication so that humans can find avenues to communicate with them. Meanwhile around the world, other countries are trying different methods with limited success.


Once again, apologies for the inclusion of a Jeremy Renner film. I think this film completely belongs to Amy Adams but that it is no excuse of letting someone should be removed from lists like this in. In reflecting on the themes of the film, I decided to leave it in my ranking despite his involvement as the film is more than him and as I said Adams's performance is really its core. 


I love a slow burn sci fi film with brains and this is definitely one of the best of those in the last decade (I have another one coming in numbers 10-2 so I cannot say it is the best but it is better in my opinion than Interstellar (which I'm not remotely a fan of) and The Martian which I know others might rank in their tops of the decade). As I did when I ranked it in 2016, I'm not going to spoil one of the plot lines as I know there are still quite few people who need to see it. The themes of communication and seeking to proper understand those who are "other" resonates just as importantly today as it was in 2016 and I don't think that will change anytime soon. 


Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) (ranked 4 in my 2016 countdown beaten by La La LandSpotlight, and Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name))


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=43D7XRHE1ac&feature=emb_logo


Oddly cannot easily search to embed the trailer so it is at that link. Ricky, a troubled city kid, is send to be fostered by Bella and Hector in the remote rural New Zealand. Hector and Ricky don't initially get along but ultimately they find themselves hiding out in the bush from an over zealous child welfare agency worker, the police, and most everyone else, and they bond.


Another not American film! Following on the footsteps of Boy (which oddly I still haven't got around to seeing) and What we do in the Shadows (just outside this top 20), this is the film that introduced the world outside of New Zealand to Taika Waititi and considering that ultimately resulted in Thor: Ragnarok I couldn't be happier. To me this remains one of the funniest films of the 2010s and as we don't recognise comedy often enough it will sadly be left off a lot of best of the decade lists, which is a really disappointment. The balance of Sam Neill's stoic straight man to Julian Dennison's breakout comedy performance is perfectly pitched, and I still cannot think of the line "Aw no I've got poop on my kicks" without smiling.



10-2 (again in no particular order- seriously I thought them randomly as they came to me)

Infinitely Polar Bear (2014) (ranked 11 (lowest original ranking of anything in this countdown and would be much higher  if I reranked that year now) in my countdown in 2015 (it was only at film festivals 2014 really) beaten by The Martian, Mad Max: Fury Road,  The Dressmaker, Inside Out, Still AliceBirdman, Ex Machina, The Hunting Ground, Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, and The Force Awakens)





Told from the perspective of Cam and Maggie's eldest daughter who watches as Cam and Maggie seperate after he has a manic episode around her and her younger sister. Whilst Cam seeks to get his bipolar I in order, Maggie goes back to college and when she is offered a place in a graduate business program in New York, she decides despite her reservations to leave the children with Cam whilst she travels interstate for study. Cam tries and at times struggles to keep his condition under control as he cares for his daughters


And much to my own shame, this is one of only two female written and directed films in my list (Frances Ha and Ladybird are just outside my top 20, as is The Beguiled). I wish there were more films by women to include but Hollywood sucks at letting us see female written and directed films, and that is in part the case with this film that very few people have seen. Despite my ranking of it in 2015, I would now count as up there with my favourite films of all time. I include it partly because I couldn't not as I think it is brilliant but also because I just want more people to see it. The script and direction from a first time writer/director who is writing from personal experience- she was raised by a father with bipolar whilst her mother studied- are deeply moving. Mark Ruffalo, a regular of my yearly countdowns, gives what I think might be the best performance of his career as Cam and it is deeply disappointing that this film was released across two years and had such a limited theatrical release and he therefore missed all the awards he should have received. Also it is refreshing non demonising or shaming performance about someone with a mental health condition in particular with bipolar, and to my mind, it is the most accurate and non judgmental portrayal of the manic side of bipolar to ever be shown on screen.


Gone Girl (2014) (another film that ranked much lower than it should have originally- ranked 10 on my 2014 countdown tied with Veronica Mars- the movie- beaten by Captain America: Winter Soldier, Snowpiercer, Boyhood, The One I Love, Calvary, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Only Lovers Left Alive, Guardians of the Galaxy, and God Help the Girl)





Amy disappears and suspicion falls on her husband, Nick. Nick is adamant that he is innocent but his actions are a little suspicious and as Amy was the basis for a series of popular children's books written by her parents, the press swarms. Meanwhile, in flashbacks, Amy and Nick's first meeting and the development of their relationship is shown. 


Another film scripted by a woman even if the direction is by a man. Many people will declare The Social Network the best David Fincher film of the last decade but I couldn't not disagree strongly enough. Fincher has perfected the art of directing the crime film and I would argue the style of the The Social Network is heavily influenced by Se7en and Zodiac in the best way but this is Fincher on home turf and it shows. The direction is perfect in a film that could have suffered pacing problems in its translation from the book. Also Gillian Flynn's screenwriting is so well done as she doesn't seek to reverently include all of her novel but loses what should be lost in translation to film. Ben Affleck was beyond perfect casting for the character of Nick because he can portray that questionable entitled side of Nick wordlessly which helps with the fact that some of it was lost with the loss of internal monologue from the book. Rosamund Pike is a revelation as Amy. I was among many who questioned her casting and she came in and owned the role. Finally the Trent Reznor score is outstanding and long may he and Fincher work together. 


Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (again ranked too low originally- 9 in my 2015 countdown, beaten by The DressmakerInside OutStill AliceBirdman, Ex MachinaThe Hunting GroundMe, Earl and the Dying Girl, and The Force Awakens)





In a post apocalyptic landscape, Max is captured by the War Boys so they can use his blood to enhance their limited lifespan. When one of the clan's drivers, Imperator Furiosa goes off course and it turns outs she has taken the clan leader's "wives" (read sex slaves) with her, the War Boys are sent to chase her down. When they catch her, Max ends up assisting her as she fights both the War Boys and several other clans. 

Claiming this as the Australian film in my list as I don't otherwise have one and it was in part filmed here and the director, many of the supporting actors, extras, and crew are Australian. This is one of three films that has appeared on every films of the decade list I've seen and pretty much if it isn't on one you can assume that person doesn't know what they are talking about. I have not seen any of the other Mad Max film and in part due to Mel Gibson's involvement nor do I want to, but this film doesn't require you to. It is one of the two films of the 2010s that showed what an action film is meant to look like (the other being actually the whole John Wick series which did not make this list). You buckle yourself in for all the chaos and enjoy the adrenaline pumped thrill ride. Also Furiosa is a hero for the ages and I would be 1000% keen for a spin off sequel that is just her. 

Frozen (2013)


I assume I have to describe the plot of this to no-one as it is probably the most viewed film of the 2010s... and hey I managed to find a trailer that doesn't have even a echo of Let It Go in it which is some kind of miracle.

You might question this choice but I think any best of the 2010s list that doesn't include Frozen is missing the mark. There is no film that has stood larger on the cultural landscape in the last decade than Frozen and we are talking a window with a tonne of MCU and Star Wars films in it.  If you don't believe me, just ask almost anyone with a child under the age of twelve (they would have been five when it first came out). I didn't do a ranking list in 2013 but when I finally got around to seeing Frozen in February of 2014 (it wasn't on that year's list as it was a 2013 release) I did write a post on why I thought it was a really important film. It has set the scene for more films both from Disney and beyond where women had more to do then marry the prince, were more powerful than everyone around them, could have functional relationships beyond romantic ones, and pretty much could be whomever they wanted. Also despite listening to many children sing the songs over the last just over six years, I do think the songs are up there with The Little Mermaid as some of Disney's best. Finally the voice cast, Idina Menzel and Kirsten Bell are outstanding, Jonathan Groff (who is underused and better used in the sequel even though it is no way near as good a film) is solid in main just voice acting even if I wished he was singing more, Santino Fontana (who I went on to love as the original Greg in Crazy Ex Girlfriend) is delightfully villainous as is Alan Tudyk, and even Josh Gad who I often find grating works as Olaf.

Finally finally scripted and co-directed by a woman!!

Also without Frozen I would not have this which is one of my favourite all time YouTube clips...

 

Parasite (2019) (no list as yet but it will be number 1)


Here is the spoiler of my 2019 countdown that I warned about. I'm not going write anything about it here so I can write about why it is my number one when I write that countdown. I still have a few 2019 films to catch but I doubt anything else will crack my top three as they stand and it would be a straight up miracle if anything knocks this out of the number one spot.

Suffice to say it is outstanding! If you live in Sydney and haven't seen, it is has been running continually for the months since its release at the Dendy in Newtown so you should look into that. Also it shout out to it being the only non English film in my top 20 (Your Name was sadly 21st as I pulled it out last minute and Roma also was in that just outside top 20 land).

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)




Sam is attending a scout camp on a small island and one day he meets Suzy whose family lives on a different part of that island. The two become pen pals and ultimately plot to run away together. They successfully run away from the scout camp and their house respectively and meet up and hope to travel across the island to a secluded cove. The scouts become aware of Sam's departure and seek to find him, and when they do, in the altercation that occurs, Sam accidentally cuts off one of the other scout's ear and another scout accidentally kills the scout camp's dog. The scouts run off, and Sam and Suzy continue on their journey ultimately reaching the cove. The adults of the island then also start to search for Sam and Suzy and ultimate find them.

If you thought you were getting through this list without a Wes Anderson film you'd be wrong. In fact I was tempted to include two as Grand Budapest is just outside my top 20. This is my favourite Wes Anderson film which is saying a lot because there is not one of his films that I don't love. It is to my mind Anderson at peak quirk and peak whimsy which if you are looking for anything else in an Anderson film, you are looking in the wrong place. The two young leads are outstanding as these tweens who are simultaneously wise beyond their years and deeply naive. The adult cast is also outstanding from Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman who were already Anderson regulars to Tilda Swinton and Edward Norton who became Anderson regulars after this to Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand who I'd love to see in more Anderson films. 

Ex Machina (2014) (ranked 4 in my 2015 countdown (this was a 2015 release really as it was only at festivals in 2014), beaten by The Hunting Ground, Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, and The Force Awakens)


Caleb, a programmer at Bluebook (a cross between Facebook and google), wins a trip to spend time with the Bluebook founder, Nathan. Caleb travels to Nathan's remote home unsure of what he has won and why. It turns out Nathan has selected Caleb to conduct the Turing test on Ava, a female AI he has created. As Caleb spends his days with Ava and his nights with Nathan and his odd maid/sex slave Kyoko, he begins to get increasingly suspicious of why he is there and what Nathan might be planning.

The other piece of slow burning smart sci fi I mentioned when speaking about Arrival and I think that it is also largely a non US production in my rare collection of those. This was a really strong directorial debut from Alex Garland from a brilliant script that he also wrote. The three lead performance from Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander are amazing especially Vikander as Ava. The deep questions it asks about the nature of humanity in the modern age especially when one compares the naive yet knowing Ava with the frankly repentant Nathan. Also best dance sequence in any film of the last decade.

Spotlight (2015) (originally tied 3 with La La Land on my 2016 countdown (it came out in 2016 in Australia), beaten by Your Name)


Based on a true story, the new editor of the Boston Globe calls in the lead investigative journalists at the paper and asks that they put together a spotlight team (i.e. a deep dive investigative team) to look at child abuse associated with the Catholic church in the 1970s. As Boston is such a Catholic city, most of the journalists in the spotlight team are from Catholic backgrounds and struggle with the truths they uncover and some of them have real crises of faith. As team goes further and further into their investigation, they discover that the crimes in Boston go well beyond what they thought and also they are hampered as the church and other powerful Boston institutions seek to stop them.

I rarely agree with the Best Picture at the Oscars but this and the next film were definitely well deserved winners (you can start guessing at what the next film might be now). I oddly realise I have two films that talk about child abuse by priests in this countdown (this and Calvary) and let me stress this was pure coincidence as they are two very different films. This is a true ensemble effort with outstanding performances all round- though I do think Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams do stand out a little from the group. I also think it is an important film not just because it addresses such an important topic but also because it shows the mechanism of proper investigative journalism which is increasingly lost to the modern world.

Moonlight (2016) (originally 3 on my 2017 countdown (again Australia got this a year late) beaten by   Last Jedi and Get Out)


Set across three points in his life, Moonlight is the story of Chiron, a black man growing up in the American South. As a boy, Chiron goes by the name "Little" and is merciless bullied by the other kids at his school who think Chiron might be gay. One day he is saved from their antics by Juan a local drug dealer. Little starts to treat Juan and his partner Teresa as surrogate parents and they comfort him from the bullying actions of the other kids and tell him that if he is gay that is no issue. This is until he discovers that Juan may once have sold drugs to his abusive, drug addicted mother, Paula. As a teen, Chiron goes by his actual name and is still bullied by his classmates. His only friends are a boy called Kevin and Teresa with whom he has repaired his relationship after Juan's death. Paula has now turned to prostitution to support her habit and pressures Chiron to borrow money from Teresa. Chiron and Kevin share what is Chiron's first sexual experience one night at the beach but then the next day the main class bully forces Kevin to participate in the bullying of Chiron, and ultimately Chiron violently attacks the bully and is gaoled for this. As an adult, Chiron goes by Black, a name given to him by Kevin. Black is a drug dealer in Atlanta and Paula who is now clean is in a drug treatment facility nearby. Kevin calls Black out of the blue and says that Black should look him up if he is ever in Florida, and Black jumps in his car to drive to Florida.

The problem with summarising Moonlight is that you give a lot away so sorry about that. Along with Fury Road and no surprises the film I'm getting to as my best for the decade, this has been on every top of the decade list I've seen and if it isn't there I would not trust the person writing the list. It is the most beautiful film. I said when I started this list that Tree of Life was peak cinematography, this is in that same basket as it is another one of the most beautiful looking films of the last decade. Its use of light (especially moonlight), water, and skin tones to create a palate is breathtaking. It doesn't just look beautiful as the use of visual metaphor especially in the water and moonlight to mirror Chiron's sexuality is amazing. The performances by the whole cast and the script have this appropriate degree of understatement as silence is a big part of the film. The film also packs a punch with its themes of sexuality, race, the intersection of these, and the intersection of race and the poverty cycle. As I said in 2017, "It is beautiful, it is restrained, and it is just a must see drama".

And drumroll please...

Number 1 film of the 2010s...

Get Out (2017) (originally ranked 1 in my 2017 countdown)


Chris is going to meet his girlfriend Rose's parents for the first time and he is worried what they might think about their daughter dating a black man and asks whether she has even told them that he is black. After an accident with a deer and an awkward encounter with a local police man, Chris and Rose arrive at her parents' house. Rose's parents, Dean a neurosurgeon and Missy a psychotherapist, seem uncomfortable nice, and then Chris meets their staff and something definitely seems off. Their maid, Georgina, and their gardener, Walter, are both black and are both very creepy and also oddly super compliant to Dean and Missy. Seemingly out of nowhere, Dean and Missy start talking about the big family gathering planned for the next day that Chris knows nothing about, and then Rose's overtly racist brother, Jeremy, shows up to help prepare for the gathering. Late that night, Chris sneaks out for a cigarette and encounters even more strange behaviour from Georgina and Walter, and as he sneaks back into the house, he encounters Missy who offers to hypnotise him to help him quit smoking. After a session with Missy, he wakes up with no clear memory of the session but also no desire to smoke and the feeling something is off. Chris also discovers someone has been unplugging his phone and as Rose's family gathering begins he feels more and more out of place.

Once again if this isn't on a top of the decade list you see, that person is just wrong. In its critique of both overt racism and white middle class liberal good intentions, it is the perfect film for this decade. Basically if you are white and middle or upper classed and this doesn't make you a little uncomfortable, you need to examine your world view. It is also the perfect comic horror which can be a hard line to walk as you can see from the trailers for the film that go too strong on the horror front- it isn't a horror as the trailers make it look, trust me. The acting from all involved is amazing especially Daniel Kaluuya as Chris, Betty Gabriel as Georgina, and the nice combo of references to liberal politics and mind control that it made respectively by casting West Wing alum Bradley Whitford as Dean and Being John Malkovich star Catherine Kenner as Missy (not sure that was intended but I still love it). And just brilliant work from Jordan Peele in his first time as director for a feature film.

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So that is my top twenty fictional films of the last decade. I don't appear to have a director of the decade as there are no two films from any one director and there is a mix of new comers and old hands in here. I do have an actor of the decade and surprisingly it is not Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult (all of them in two films above), or Tom Hiddleston (oddly only in one above), it seems out of nowhere Domhnall Gleeson takes the crown with three entries in Last Jedi, Calvary, and Ex Machina- that said in my heart of hearts I still want to give it to Mark Ruffalo or Tilda Swinton.

Also it seems I didn't like any films from 2010. Trust me I did but none of them made the list.

Top doco for the decade in my opinion will come as no surprise though I should caveat I've yet to be able to bring myself to watch Black Fish and I understand it should be up there.

Also docos is where I'm all about the female directors as many I've found compelling this decade were directed by women.

My doco of 2010s

RBG (2018) (ranked 1 on my 2018 countdown)




Because Ruth Bider Ginsberg...we need to all support her in this dark age especially as she is often one of the only voices of reason.

What about my worst film of the 2010s...

I won't torture you with a trailer. It was Suicide Squad. Correction... Academy Award winning Suicide Squad (and people wonder why I don't trust the Academy). Special mention in the category of worsts goes to Suckerpunch which would have sailed away with this prize if the DCU didn't exist.

So that is my decade of films list. I will be back soon with a 2019 list which you already know the number one film on, and my flashback to years ending in 9 list.

Oh and if you are wondering that Michael Bay film did truly suck as I expected it would but it somehow won't be my worst film of 2019...

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