With the new decade now underway people have been posting a lot of “best of” lists… And one that caught my eye was a list of favorite films over the past 10 years. Not “best”, but favorite – as in a very personal list driven by individual tastes and opinion. Here’s mine, with a brief rationalization for each pick.
Toy Story 3
I can’t tell you how potent this movie was to me when I first saw it. Yeah, the plot is thin, and the contrivances to get certain characters from point A to point B is a bit much. But it’s a cartoon, after all. The two moments that get me RIGHT. THERE… (points to chest) Well, you know what they are. The furnace scene, and the ending.
This movie deals with death, fear and loss better than most “adult” films, and it’s hard to cap this one. Thankfully, they never did a cash-grab sequel and retained a perfect ending to the series. (Sarcasm)
Skyfall
Not the best Bond film, and not even the best Daniel Craig Bond (That is still Casino Royale, and it always will be). But being a Bond film that came out during the 50th anniversary of the movie franchise, inverting the formula completely (The big action sequence is at the beginning, the finale is all about character and drama), and featuring the best reveal of the classic Aston Martin DB5 in the history of ever… Well, it’s my happy place.
John Wick
I often tell my wife that one of the key tropes in movie screenwriting is to give the audience a reason to empathize with the main character in the first 10 minutes of the movie. The master class in that technique is UP (a movie that just barely missed my top 10), but John Wick gets close to UP when it comes to playing this particular card.
It’s not about the car.
The LEGO Movie
Anyone who knows me knows I have some issues with my late father, and while I’ve moved on this movie reopened some of those old wounds. The “reveal” of the movie made any sequels meaningless, but they did one anyway (and it bombed). The original is still a magical incredibly entertaining work by writers and directors Lord and Miller.
Her
As a UX guy, this movie was both moving and very provocative. It is also very prescient, and not in a good way. As we get more isolated from each other, the more we will become attracted to artificial persons generated though AI. This, like Blade Runner 2049, is a look at the future relationships many people will have with tech… And the use of the word “relationship” was intentional.
The Man From UNCLE
Yes, I am a fan of the original series, and I was originally quite turned off by the idea of this movie. Then I saw it and, wow, I really liked it. A lot. It’s Guy Ritchie’s best film IMO, and the plot and performances are all quite enjoyable. Too bad it under-performed at the box office and we will never get a sequel.
Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse
I’m a Spider-Man fan. Big time. I never thought they would be able to bring anything new to the character or the universe, and this movie proved me flat wrong. Lord and Miller again. They are really really good.
Halloween
As big of a fan of Spider-Man I am, I’m even more of a fan of the Halloween movies. Yes, even the bad ones.
Well, maybe not the bad ones.
This reboot of the franchise (the third or fourth reboot, not quite sure) is fantastic. They made Michael SCARY again, and when you combine that with John Carpenter returning to score the film (in-between downing dozens of packs of cigarettes), well… #Chefskiss.
Avengers: Endgame
Yes, ANOTHER superhero movie. I really consider this a combo choice of Infinity War and Endgame, because they are of a piece. Marvel stuck the landing and If I never see another MCU film again I’m fine with that.
Shazam!
Why didn’t audiences flock to this movie? I don’t understand it. I was a fan of the Big Red Cheese (the REAL Captain Marvel) for most of my life, and this adaptation of the character puts the current comics and the 1970s TV show to shame. THIS is how you adapt a classic superhero.
RUNNERS UP:
- UP
- The Wolf of Wall Street
- Bumblebee
- American Hustle
- The Avengers
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier