Best/favourite films of the last decade or so?

[Liam]

Periodically, I go through times where I feel like I should watch more films. I used to watch a lot of them, but the lack of time and of inclination have got the better of me in recent years.

With that in mind, I'm going to try and get back into watching stuff. Due to my general apathy to films in recent years, I thought that a thread in which people talked about their favourite films of the last decade or so might inspire me to check out a number of films that I missed that are worth my time. I'm not fussed about specific genres and am also very happy to watch foreign films, so nothing is off limits really.

EDIT: Decade is a loose guide - can be a bit earlier if you want. I'm also going to suggest no Marvel films, as they are an obvious recommendation from many and I've seen quite a few of them even during this time of not watching many films.

[Mick]

Admittedly, I haven't watched much in the last decade, but I did think Wolf of Wall Street was fantastic. 

[RPS]

I presume we are talking about the 2010s, so..

Movies, in no order: 

• Moonlight: Narratively ambitious, visually stunning and a delight on the ears. While I say this is in no particular order, this would probably be my first choice for the 2010s of film. 
• How to Survive a Plague: In my definition, the high water mark for documentaries in the 21st century. 
• Get Out: What a great horror film. Go in with no context. 
• Amour: What a film. Amour is a film where if you know the premise of the movie ahead of time will make the movie significantly better. Those watching the film with no explanation will watch a drama film. Those who know the end of the movie are watching a horror movie. 
• The Act of Killing: Great documentary that is very heavy and structured in an excellent way. A rare documentary that builds up to a climax. 
• Tangerine: filmed entirely on iPhones, it is a really great and bold film that explores the lives of two sex workers around Christmas in Hollywood. 
• Mad Mad Fury Road: A visually stunning action movie with a really interesting, if at times underdeveloped story. Never dull.
• The Social Network: A very interesting, if not exhausting film, about the perils of social media and the figures who shape it. The score is what stands out for me. 
• Bridesmaids: Perfect light hearted romantic comedy. 
• Exit Through The Gift Shop: What a great, inventive and fun documentary. 
• Coco: Best children's movie of the 2010s. The themes of responsibility, sacrifice and unconditional love were interesting for a kids movie. 
• Ex Machina: Cool movie about AI and sentience and consent. 
• Dishonorable Mentions (ie, movies that are critically acclaimed that I thought were bad/mediocre): Inside Llewyn Davis, Knives Out, Weekend, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Kids Are Alright)

Television, in no order:

• The Watchmen: Again, I say in no order, but this definitely the best television show I have watched since Breaking Bad. 
• I May Destroy You: This is up there with the Watchmen for my favorite show of the last decade. Really great. 
• Fleabag: Forces you to ask uncomfortable questions about yourself and to reassess your perception of the protagonist of a story. Do I think Fleabag is right because I am hearing the story from her, or is Fleabag right?
• Russian Doll: Probably one of the more interesting shows of the decade. I never really could guess where the show was going. 
• Girls: If viewed as a parody, this is a great television show. 
• The Good Place: I have yet to finish, but I still recommend it when I am stalled on the show.
• Bob's Burger: Best animated show of the 2010s. 
• Hannibal: Television can be visually stunning. 
• The Mandalorian: Like Hannibal, the Mandalorian is content with focusing on visual storytelling and not requiring endless amounts of dialogue to convey what it wants to say. 
• Schitt's Creek: Like eating fast food - quick, easy and not a lot to think about. First season is meh, rest are very good. 
• Nathan For You: Great cringe humor. 
• Dishonorable Mentions (ie, television shows that are critically acclaimed that I thought were bad/mediocre): Transparent, Orange is the New Black, Game of Thrones, Westworld, American Horror Story, Barry.

I did not put Breaking Bad on my list because it debuted in 2007, but if I did, it would have been at the top. 

 

[Josh]

Just to provide contrast, I quite like Barry and I absolutely adored Knives Out.

[RPS]

2 minutes ago, Josh said:

Just to provide contrast, I quite like Barry and I absolutely adored Knives Out.

I think Barry is a really exceptional television show in a lot of ways, but I disliked it for spoiler reasons which I will not get into. My husband really liked it, but I could not continue watching after the first season. 

[lanky316]

With Coco being mentioned above another great animation is Kubo and the Two Strings. Personally I rate Kubo higher but some of the best animations in years for me.

[RPS]

45 minutes ago, lanky316 said:

With Coco being mentioned above another great animation is Kubo and the Two Strings. Personally I rate Kubo higher but some of the best animations in years for me.

Kubo was really good. The Little Prince is also a pretty good kids movie. 

[Liam]

1 hour ago, lanky316 said:

With Coco being mentioned above another great animation is Kubo and the Two Strings. Personally I rate Kubo higher but some of the best animations in years for me.

Love that and often show it to students during the last lessons before holidays.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Ex Machina

High Rise

The Platform

The Death of Stalin

Sorry to Bother You

 

Those are five excellent films that jump to the front of my mind.

[Liam]

1 hour ago, ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster said:

Ex Machina

High Rise

The Platform

The Death of Stalin

Sorry to Bother You

 

Those are five excellent films that jump to the front of my mind.

I really should watch High Rise as I love the book. I've seen The Death of Stalin - good shout. Will have a look at the others.

[Josh]

23 hours ago, RPS said:

I think Barry is a really exceptional television show in a lot of ways, but I disliked it for spoiler reasons which I will not get into. My husband really liked it, but I could not continue watching after the first season. 

I absolutely get that perspective. I know the bit you’re referring to.

2 hours ago, ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster said:

Ex Machina

High Rise

The Platform

The Death of Stalin

Sorry to Bother You

 

Those are five excellent films that jump to the front of my mind.

We JUST watched The Platform. I’m still sorting out how I feel about it, but it’s definitely great horror.

Sorry to Bother You is an excellent suggestion.

[Gorka]

23 hours ago, RPS said:

I presume we are talking about the 2010s, so..

Movies, in no order: 

• The Act of Killing: Great documentary that is very heavy and structured in an excellent way. A rare documentary that builds up to a climax. 

 

I don't think there is any film that's quite like "The Act of Killing" - it's a surreal fever dream when the subject's love of cinema is featured and yet entirely chilling because of real historical events.

[VerbalPuke]

I really liked Mad Max Fury Road, and I honestly think it could be argued it was the best of the Mad Max franchise. And that comes from somebody that has been a huge fan of the Mad Max movies for years (I love Beyond the Thunderdome, fight me).

Green Room is a really good movie if you like horror/psychological/punk stuff. Basic premise is that a punk band plays a show at a Nazi bar booked by a friend, and then they see something they shouldn't see (just to avoid spoilers). Its actually pretty unsettling and legitimately scary because it feels like something that could happen. There is no supernatural element here. 

Joker. I liked it, I liked it a lot honestly. I know it wasn't well-received here, but I liked it for similar reasons above. It was creepy and unsettling and I think I appreciated that though it wasn't a horror really. I think Joaquim Phoenix did a hell of a job in this one. 

The Irishman. It didn't blow me away like other Scorcese/Deniro partnerships but it was also just a very good movie. Kinda like watching Bryan Danielson, not everything will be a 5* match but it's still really good and worth watching again.

Are Disney/Pixar movies fair game? I kinda feel like they should fall in the same category as the Marvel movies...but for those of us as parents (seriously though...The Good Dinosaur, Big Hero Six, Wreck It Ralph, Toy Story 3, Monsters University, Inside Out, etc.....those are all fantastic movies). 

I'm pretty sure there have been plenty of other films I've really enjoyed but this all off the top of my head or what I can remember seeing recently. The most recent Suicide Squad was dope but not sure if that counts either. Oh fucking Deadpool was awesome also, both of them. 

 

And actually since I posted without reading the thread....I think Big Hero Six is probably at the top of my favorite animated movies this decade. 

But nothing hit me in the feels like the Good Dinosaur, oh my god. It's also special because it was the first movie I ever took my kids to see (before my daughter was born my boys saw this as toddlers, and did amazingly well for their first movie). 

[Jimmy]

I think Portrait of a Lady on Fire and American Honey are my two standout films of the last ten years. Staggering, monumental pieces of work that shattered and enthralled me. They live in my head rent free - both films were films I walked out of the cinema in a daze and just needed a few hours to process them. 

I'm just gonna dump a list of films I loved over the last 10 years or so and happy to expand on any / sell em to ya. 

Another Round
Midsommar
Shoplifters
Private Life
Paddington 2
Wonderstruck
Jackie
Moonlight
Toni Erdman
Certain Women
Manchester by the Sea
Carol
Amy
45 Years
Two Days, One Night
Before Midnight
The Act of Killing
A Hijacking
The Master
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Corpus Christi
The Farewell
Her Smell
Cold War
Phantom Thread
Loveless
Faces, Places
A Ghost Story
Of Body and Soul
20th Century Women
Raw
Mustang
Force Majure
Girlhood
The Great Beauty 

Maaaaaate the last 10 years have been so good for cinema. I could genuinely keep going. 

 

 

[Hobo]

Films I've liked a lot that came out in the last decade:
 

The Love Witch

The Last Jedi

John Wick

The Lighthouse

Portrait of a Lady On Fire

The Neon Demon

Max Max: Fury Road

Birdman

Anomalisa

Under The Skin

The Lobster

I feel like all of those are probably well known enough but another I want to mention is Sworn Virgin. Which may not be as broadly known. It is a 2016 Albanian/Italian co-production about a woman from nothern Albania who isa sworn virgin. Sworn virgins are a traditional cultural practice where women take a vow of chastity which under traditional Albanian law, grants them to live as men and have the same cultural status as men.

The film is about one such sworn virgin who, following the death of their remaining living parent, emigrates to Italy to live with their sister and begins to examine their own relation to their family and gender identity. It's a really interesting film but not one that's very easy to find.

[RPS]

I forgot two shows to mention, because they are still active and running, but Succession and I Think You Should Leave are also really great. Succession is very much a nail biter drama. I Think You Should Leave is uncomfortable cringe humor turned up to 500. 

I'll echo the recommendation of The Last Jedi. Exceptional big budget Hollywood. The sound and visual in the movies are on a whole other level.

[Josh]

Yeah, TLJ is top-tier.

[MalaCloudy Black]

 

[Liam]

Cheers for all the suggestions, people. I am grabbing a handful of them for viewing going forward. Feel that my next one to watch (I watched Lady Bird randomly the other day - very enjoyable) will be either The Act of Killing or Portrait Of A Lady On Fire - I'll see.

[RPS]

On 29/09/2021 at 12:38, Liam said:

Cheers for all the suggestions, people. I am grabbing a handful of them for viewing going forward. Feel that my next one to watch (I watched Lady Bird randomly the other day - very enjoyable) will be either The Act of Killing or Portrait Of A Lady On Fire - I'll see.

Post your thoughts on everything you watch. I have kids and cannot watch movies these days, but I do get the odd night to myself.