Favorite Movies of the Decade

I love going to the movies – even though the industry may be suffering and movie theaters are struggling to meet their bottom lines, at least I’ll know I did my best to keep it afloat (editors note: Rachel’s happiest day on the Lower East Side was when they built a theater). I love going to the movies by myself and have very fond memories of experiencing these movies both alone and with loved ones. The movies listed below are my favorite movies of the past decade. This does not mean I’m saying they’re the best of all time (although I think a few of these would slot onto that list), but they’re the ones I revere and return to. I love the movies in general, and these movies specifically are very close to me and give me the same pleasure every time I rewatch them.

10. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

I felt like it was important to have a movie that was a significant commercial success and not just a hipster version of success that a lot of people categorize Oscar winners with (don’t worry I have a lot of those on my list as well). Rogue One is a stand alone movie in the Star Wars universe that connects the time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, filling in gaps in the storytelling. Rogue One is currently #33 on a list of highest grossing movies of all time, making over $1B worldwide. It was also nominated for both Sound Mixing and Visual Effects at the Oscars. The real reason I included this on my list over say The Last Jedi or Avengers: Infinity War, which both make my honorable mentions below, is because I appreciate the way the movie made me connect to characters so fiercely over such a short amount of time. I love Kylo and Rey and cannot wait to see how the Skywalker saga concludes, but the way I fell for Jyn, Cassian, Chirrut, K-2SO and Baze so quickly was incredible. Plus, I love a good action movie, and I think this is one of the more violent Star Wars movies ever made. And it’s so incredibly sad; you know going in that we’re never going to see these characters again because we’ve already seen A New Hope through The Force Awakens at this point, and none of the characters show up. The final scenes saying goodbye to our newly made friends plus the connection made where we see Princess Leia at the last second, connecting all of our stories into one is a moment I haven’t forgotten. It’s also beautifully shot – would’ve loved to visit Scarif… if only it didn’t get completely destroyed by the Death Star! 

9. La La Land (2016)

I was a very late adopter of this movie. I was thrilled when Moonlight won over La La Land for Best Picture at the Oscars. When I first saw the movie, I was so distracted by the random artsy scenes in the middle, like when they dance in the planetarium. However, this movie happens to be on cable a lot and whenever I’m home with my family, I end up choosing to turn it on. I’ve found it to be incredibly rewatchable, from the way director Damien Chazelle tells the story, to the intense magnetism of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone and the tension and chemistry they have. This is also the first of three musically centered movies on this list, and if you look at the honorable mentions below, I have numerous other musical-focused movies. I just love music and score in a movie; it helps guide you and connect you even further to a story. There’s nothing like a build up after you’ve come to care for characters and their relationships and then it’s accentuated further by the music that makes you laugh or cry. Chazelle and his writing partner Justin Hurwitz crafted a perfect song for this movie (“City of Stars”). The ending to this movie is one of my favorites of all time. I think I’ve watched them sit in Gosling’s jazz bar while he plays “City of Stars” for Emma Stone and they look at each other and both leave, having moved on with their lives. It’s so heartbreaking and so hopeful at the same time. It makes me cry every time. It’s truly a romantic movie and I find it a joy to watch. Plus, it’s gorgeously shot. The film won 6 Oscars including: Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Cinematography (Linus Sandgren), Best Directing (Damien Chazelle), Best Original Score (Justin Hurwitz), Best Original Song (Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul for “City of Stars”), Best Production Design (David Wasco * Sandy Reynolds-Wasco), and it was nominated for a slew of other awards. I didn’t realize at the time that this would become one of my favorite movies of the decade, but now I can’t think of it any other way. 

8. Parasite (2019)

I have written at length about how much I love this movie, so I’m sure you won’t be surprised that this has made my list. I know you could credit recency bias, but I truly feel even after just a few months, that this movie has made a lasting impact on me. From the entertainment value down to the incredibly insightful social commentary, reminding us of where we are in the world at this moment and that maybe we haven’t come as far as we think, this movie has it all. It’s comedic, thrilling, thoughtful and introduces us to a different kind of creation, giving us a foreign perspective that I think a lot of us desperately needed. I’m already afraid this movie won’t get the recognition it deserves awards-wise this year, but at least the general consciousness seems to appreciate the movie (shout out to the Jennifer song). 

7. Whiplash (2014)

This movie shakes me to my core. It’s a story of intense passion and that passion taking you to your breaking point. Forcing you to think, how much do I really want this? Do I need to be the best or am I okay with being just really good? Do I have to work that hard to be the best? The movie can be hard to watch at some points; it’s violent in unexpected ways. It’s raw both metaphorically and emotionally, but also in the way that we can see just how raw, bloody and beaten up Miles Teller’s hands are. JK Simmons is so good at being a son-of-a-bitch and it’s never been so clearly on display as it is in this movie; he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in this movie. Teller is able to channel his charm, his wit and his own passion into an extremely compelling performance. The two of them have a tete-a-tete that is no short of mesmerizing. There are few movies I feel like where you walk out of it silent; I remember seeing this movie and being so blown away that I was speechless while my mom just kept repeating “holy shit”. This movie is a masterpiece and a lesson in how to transform a love and a desire so deep into something magical; a true labor of love and sacrifice. Make sure you’re neither rushing nor dragging through this list.

6. Lady Bird (2017)

The introduction to one of my favorite working directors in Hollywood at the moment, and one of few notable female directors, Greta Gerwig. This movie was a semi-biographical story revolving around Saoirse Ronan’s Lady Bird. The cast was rounded out by Laurie Metcalf, and some of my favorite young actors on the scene including Beanie Feldstien, Lucas Hedges and Timothee Chalamet. I saw this movie with my mother and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It’s the story of a mother and a daughter; the daughter is desperate to find herself and through experimenting and doing what she thinks is right, ends up just butting heads with her mother, only to realize when she gets what she thinks she wants, that maybe there was wisdom in her mother’s words. At least that’s my reading of it. The story felt so personal, and the incredible acting and directing really hit home. I love a good coming of age story; it’s difficult not knowing what you want to do with your life or who you want to be or who you think you are, and a story that so nakedly exposes those fears while somehow being kind and funny is something special. 

5. A Star is Born (2018)

Justice for A Star is Born! This movie took the world by storm last year; it was one of the most memed movies and the drama of the will-they-won’t-they between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in real life, despite them both having significant others, still has not been forgotten. I saw this movie alone after work at the AMC Lincoln theater in New York City and both laughed and cried. I know that sounds cliche but I felt like I went through something real with these characters, and isn’t that what movies are supposed to do? Bradley’s transformation was incredible; the way his face was constantly red and rough, making it look like he really was a beaten down alcoholic, and to my preference, the way he actually sang every song showed extreme talent (should be a requirement to get the Best Actor award, cough cough lip syncing, fake teeth wearing Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody… no I’m not still bitter). I loved the way Bradley and Gaga worked together to induce an electrifying on screen chemistry, with Lady Gaga giving a performance for the ages despite not being a trained actress. Plus, the music was genuinely amazing; the soundtrack had the biggest overall sales week for a soundtrack in over three years, making it Gaga’s fifth US number one album as well as Cooper’s first. “Shallow” “Always Remember Us This Way” and “I’ll Never Love Again” were all nominated for Grammys this year. The reach of this movie has been lasting and I think we’ll regret the way the Oscars went down, as others have begun to point out.

4. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Out of all the movies on this list, I think I’ve seen this the most. This movie cemented Jennifer Lawrence as one of my favorite actresses; she won the Oscar for Best Actress this year, and it’s when she fell in the huge pink dress going up to the stage. This was PEAK JLaw. This movie started the JLaw, Cooper, David O’Russell trifecta as Silver Linings was followed by American Hustle and Joy, however this was by far the best collaboration. I think it’s rare for a movie to be able to balance humor with serious issues, which this movie is able to maneuver through expertly. It probably was ahead of its time as only now is mental health starting to be discussed more openly and even now we still have a lot of work to do in bringing awareness and open dialogue to the issue. The movie makes you understand the two main characters we spend all movie with are both sick, both literally and emotionally, through the loss of a loved one. All the characters were so perfectly odd yet somehow relatable. The writing so clearly cherishes the little idiosyncrasies that make these characters feel so lived in and real, making the audience appreciate them just as much. From DeNiro’s insane superstitions about the Eagles, to Bradley’s character running with a trash bag over him, to Julia Stiles and John Ortiz having to show how every room in their house has an iPod port, to Jennifer Lawrence’s extreme highs and extreme meltdowns, I find these characters intoxicating. Watching them fight through their hardships and find solace in someone like them, who gets them and loves them even now, even after all the crazy, feels inspiring. The final dance scene is utterly ridiculous and hilarious, while being a real, serious step forward for both of them. I’d be remiss not to praise DeNiro and Jackie Weaver, both of whom received nominations for Best Supporting Actor/Actress at the Oscars; Cooper was also nominated for Best Actor, so Silver Linings had an actor represented in every possible category, because yes, the performances were that good. 

3. Inception (2010)

Christoper Nolan, probably one of my 3 favorite directors of all time, working with Leonardo Dicaprio, one of my favorite actors of all time. A heist thriller inside an extremely high-concept soft sci-fi movie that is emotionally powered by fierce love and possibly delusion. I really hope that was the elevator pitch because man is it exciting. It’s one of those suspenseful movies that you literally cannot peel yourself away from. Our curiosity about the dream within a dream and dream building concept in general is filtered through Ellen Page’s character as we try to learn alongside the character about how these dream worlds work and how to balance a dream versus reality, an extremely meta concept. Marion Cotillard plays Leo’s love interest, but she’s so much more than that in this movie. She’s extremely seductive, not just in the obvious sexual way, but she seduces him into his dream world, making him unable to focus on what’s real and forces him into a state of anxiety that feels impossible to climb out of. The last sequence of trying to wake everyone up with Dileep Rao in charge of the van kick, Joseph Gordon Levitt in charge of the hotel kick and Tom Hardy in charge of the snow mountain kick is SO COOL – I’m sorry but that’s the best way to describe it. Of course, all of them had to scramble because nothing went to plan and it’s a heart-racing scene that literally has my pulse up just writing about it. I’m actually less interested in the “did the top stop spinning or not” narrative; while I love a cliffhanger ending, something Nolan has mastered, I actually am more interested in the concept of the dream world and exploring how the mind works. I also can’t get through this paragraph without praising longtime Nolan go-to, Hans Zimmer, who is such an expert in his medium, creating a vibrating, haunting score to pair with such a thrilling movie. With a cast like that, completed by Nolan favorites Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine, and a complicated yet completely enrapturing and compelling story, it’s no wonder this movie is so iconic. 

2. Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

I recently saw a 3 hour movie that felt like 5 hours, where I fell asleep in the middle and while I appreciated the actors and story, could feel the time go by; The Irishman, directed by Martin Scorcese. The Wolf of Wall Street is also a 3-hour movie directed by Martin Scorcese but this movie is effortless and goes by in the blink of an eye. It’s a truly hilarious movie with a bonafide movie star leading the way; the fact that Leonardo Dicaprio did not win Best Actor for this performance is truly an outrage. It’s a sophisticated performance where he is somehow likable even while being decidedly dislikable and acting over-the-top without actually being annoying. The rest of the cast also plays their roles perfectly as the world was introduced to Margot Robbie, in one of the sexiest performances of the decade, Jonah Hill firing on all cylinders, and Matthew McConaughey giving us a chest-pounding (pun-intended) 30 minutes. This movie has filtered its way into the cultural lexicon, with the image of Leo standing on the yacht throwing money at his enemy as a MOOD, while McConaughey’s cocaine and martini in the middle of the day induced chest pounding anthem is still referenced frequently. This movie is extremely rewatchable and fun while also being an obvious social commentary on wealth, power and greed in America; a point that is even more relevant in 2019 than it was in 2013. 

1. The Social Network (2010)

The oldest movie on this list, but probably the most timely. The story of how Facebook came to be, brought to life by once-in-a-lifetime director David Fincher and expert Aaron Sorkin dialogue, this movie was made to be a film nerd’s dream, but also a gigantic commercial success. I’m not sure anyone has ever been more perfect for a role than Jesse Eisenberg was for Sorkin’s Mark Zuckerberg. The opening scene is probably one of the most infamous scenes in history, having famously been shot in exactly seven minutes and 22 seconds because that’s the exact amount of time that Sorkin read it to Fincher when they were first sculpting the movie. Rooney Mara’s delivering the line, “Look you are probably going to be a very successful computer person. And you are going to go through life thinking girls don’t like you cause, you’re a nerd. And I want you to know from the bottom of my heart, that that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole.” Instantly iconic. When you have people working at this high a level at their craft in such an exacting way, given the tools and the actors to compliment it like this, that’s when you get a masterpiece, which is exactly what this movie is. This movie gives us a sympathetic Andrew Garfield, attractive-yet-obviously slimy Justin Timberlake, sexy-yet-not-savvy enough Armie Hammer and of course, a seething Jesse Eisenburg. You can’t move from your seat when you’re watching this movie; it’s somehow suspenseful even though we already know what happens. This movie makes you think, especially if you try and put yourself in the character’s shoes, and makes you contemplate how life has, or more accurately, hasn’t changed in the past 9 years. This movie is smart, emotional, creative, suspenseful and evokes all the emotions you want to feel after leaving a movie. A movie that leaves its mark on you. A movie that leaves its mark on a decade. 

Some random observations made about my list after finishing it:

• There are only two actors who show up more than once: Leonardo Dicaprio (Inception, Wolf of Wall Street) and Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born, Silver Linings Playbook) 
• There are three musical-focused movies (La La Land, A Star is Born, Whiplash)
• There are 4 movies that could be qualified as love stories, or are powered specifically by romantic love stories (Inception, La La Land, A Star is Born, Silver Linings Playbook), however I think all of them could be qualified as love stories in one way or another
• There are no movies that appear from 2011 or 2015
• 2016 and 2010 are the only years with two movies listed
• I only used one quote to plead my case and it was Rooney Mara’s break up line to Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
• The only thing I might regret is not including Arrival on this list
• Some Oscars stats… listed in order of success
  • La La Land: Won 6 Oscars (Best Director, Lead Actress, Cinematographer, Original Score, Original Song, Production Design); Nominated for 8 more (Best Picture, Lead Actor, Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Song)
    • Two of their songs were nominated for Best Original Song: “City of Stars” which won and “Audition (the Fools who Dream)” did not
  • Inception: Won 4 Oscars (Best Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects); Nominated for 4 more (Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Original Score, Art Direction)
  • The Social Network: Won 3 Oscars (Best Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, Original Score); Nominated for 5 more (Best Picture, Lead Actor, Directing, Cinematography, Sound Mixing)
  • Whiplash: Won 3 Oscars (Best Supporting Actor, Film Editing, Sound Mixing); Nominated for 2 more (Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay)
  • Silver Linings Playbook: Won 1 Oscar (Best Lead Actress); Nominated for 7 more (Best Picture, Lead Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing)
  • A Star is Born: Won 1 Oscar (Best Original Song); Nominated for 7 more (Best Picture, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Sound Mixing)
  • The Wolf of Wall Street: Nominated for 5 Oscars (Best Picture, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, Directing, Adapted Screenplay)
  • Lady Bird: Nominated for 5 Oscars (Best Picture, Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, Directing, Original Screenplay)
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: Nominated for 2 Oscars (Best Sound Mixing and Visual Effects)
  • Parasite: TBD (but hopefully at least Best Picture and Best Director)

Honorable Mention Nominees by Year:

2019 Nominees: Parasite

2018 Nominees: A Star Is Born, Avengers: Infinity War

2017 Nominees: Lady Bird, Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, Molly’s Game, Star Wars: The Last Jedi 

2016 Nominees: La La Land, Arrival, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Edge of Seventeen, Moonlight

2015 Nominees: The Big Short, Creed, Room

2014 Nominees: Whiplash, American Sniper, The Imitation Game, John Wick

2013 Nominees: Wolf of Wall Street, Frozen

2012 Nominees: Silver Linings Playbook, Les Miserables, Argo, Perks of Being a Wallflower

2011: Bridesmaids

2010: The Social Network, Inception, King’s Speech