Even though I’ve posted reviews of most of the movies that I’ve seen, it’s harder than I expected to pick my 10 favourite movies of the past decade. Keep in mind, they’re not the 10 “best” movies, since I have hardly seen even a small percentage of all the movies that came out so I am grossly unqualified to say which ones are the best. Plus, there are so many subjective factors that contribute to making a movie great, what would the best movie even look like? Nevertheless, here’s a list of the handful of movies in this decade that I gave 5 stars to in my reviews (a few surprised even me!) plus, to fill in the rest of the list I had to narrow down the 4.5-star movies (since there are so many) to those which I found fresh, and surprisingly good. Again, in no particular order, here’s my top 10:

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

This was a great surprise. Despite my love for sci-fi, I am no fan of dystopia. I had also not been a fan of the Mad Max franchise. However, when Fury Road started pulling in top-notch reviews, I had to check it out. What I found was an impressive action sequence of what basically amounted to one big long car-chase through the desert, full of over-the-top explosions, off-the-chain maniacs jumping between fast-moving vehicles, and a frenetic energy that was an adrenaline shockwave. The stunts (which I believe are mostly performed for real rather than through CGI) were amazingly choreographed and every scene is stunningly filmed. Additionally, Charlize Theron was formidable as Furiosa, the butt-kicking anti-heroine who rescues a bunch of women from dystopian sex-slavery. This is definitely no think-piece, but it’s probably the best fist-pump-and-cheer-piece of the decade. (my original review)

Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse (2018)

I walked into the theatre with modest expectations for this animated super-hero movie. There have been even more TV cartoon incarnations of super-heroes than live-action, and most of them are mediocre at best — including many of the Spider-man shows. So I wondered at the audacity of film-makers who expected us to pay cinema prices to watch an animated Spider-man movie (especially when actor Tom Holland was swinging around as the Marvel Studios version of the character as well). However, I ended up amazed how much of a great theatre-going experience this was. For starters, I was floored by the animation. The computer animation was given an amazingly fresh and colourful patina that brought the dynamics of the comic-book page to the screen. All that exaggerated movement and stylized energy that seemed trapped in the world of 2D art, was now fully rendered into a moving, quasi-3D world — a comic book come to life. Add to that a nice, thrilling story that not only involved some genuine character growth and development, but also many whimsical sci-fi elements (especially portals to alternate universes). Topping it off with a wonderful sense of whimsy and humour completes the package. I hope that this is more than just a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, but actually a glimpse of the future of super-hero storytelling. (my original review)

The Amazing Spider-man (2012)

There have been four other Spider-man movies since this one, but I still really loved this first of the Andrew Garfield movie reboot of the character. While the super-heroics and the big-action aspect was definitely well done, director Marc Webb (with the help of amazing dramatic leads Garfield and Emma Stone), was able to make this super-movie into a character-driven drama as well. I thought that both the leads really captured their characters well (since they’re both such good actors) and really humanized and deepened these age-old characters. Tobey Maguire’s version was the first, and Tom Holland’s version has the MCU cachet, but I really hope that Garfield’s version (especially after that decidedly mediocre sequel) does not get squeezed between the two others and lost, because I really thought that this movie was excellent. (my original review)

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Have people seen this movie? It’s hilarious. I admit I was surprised when I looked back to see that I had given this movie five stars, but then I reminded myself of how much I had love the Muppets as a kid. I watched the Muppet Show weekly. The new-millenium Muppets reboot (which also came with a misguided TV show) was only so-so, except for Most Wanted, which was a clever, whimsical delight! The secret sauce was to mix in some spy-fi with the storyline, making it a thrilling action-adventure which saw Kermit the Frog replaced by a villainous doppelganger. Throw in oodles of celebrity cameos, including Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, and Ty Burrell in wonderfully broad and comic roles, and I promise you this is the funnest movie on my list (which I guess makes it the funnest of the decade! Wow!). I am going to have to rewatch this movie to see if it can possibly live up to that hype, but even watching the trailer again on YouTube made me laugh out loud! (my original review)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

When I heard that Peter Jackson was going to make three movies out of JRR Tolkien’s very thin novel, The Hobbit, I had to put aside my skepticism because I’d loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy so much that I wanted to go back to the fantasy world of Middle Earth for more movies and didn’t really care how we got there. Though the latter two parts of the trilogy would feel a bit pointless and bloated, the first prequel movie was thrilling for me. I enjoyed seeing that world again and seeing Gandalf, Galadriel, and hobbits again. Martin Freeman was wonderfully understated as the modest-yet-heroic Bilbo Baggins (and I especially loved his riddle scene with a much more lively Gollum). Since the plot was a bit more light-weight than the original trilogy, there were many more fun action sequences, which were nicely executed. Plus, the visuals and production design were still incredibly top-notch. The magnificence that a fantasy world can achieve on-screen was still very much in evidence. I feel a little bit like I’m apologizing for rating this movie so highly. In retrospect it must be the cinematic excess of the remaining movies that colours my memories, because I clearly really loved the first movie in its day. (my original review)

Headhunters (2011)

Finishing out my 5-star movies (and while we’re talking about movies that you probably did not watch), here’s a Norweigian thriller-drama that is a must-see for anyone like me who is into twisty plots. I promise that you will not see where this movie is going and yet you will be on the edge of your seat. This movie is about an executive headhunter who gets used to the finer things and lives way beyond his means, requiring him to supplement his income with a little art thievery. He chooses a victim who is played by none other than Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (aka Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones) and that is the beginning of his turbulent and surprising downfall. As much as I love it, Nordic cinema is typically stark and depressing, full of family dysfunction and brooding melancholy. However, when they decide to take on a more high-energy genre like this suspense-thriller, it’s top-notch. I don’t remember too many of the plot points any more, having watched this movie so long ago, but I do remember that I easily gave this movie five stars. (my original review)

The MCU power pack — Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-man: Homecoming, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: Winter Soldier

As I move into the 4.5 star movies on my list, I start out by cheating and counting six movies as a single entry. Let’s face it: these kinds of movies are my bread-and-butter, so I could easily make a list of my top 10 MCU movies; I just don’t want to squander other precious spots for a bunch of movies that some of you might think of as all the same. Suffice it to say, the MCU was a wonder of the decade, bringing to life so many of the heroes that I’d enjoyed on the page for so many decades before. The game was upped by the incredible production values, spectacular action sequences, and fun-yet-heartfelt stories that tie them all together. I chose these six because I felt that they best balanced the over-the-top blockbuster action with satisfying characters (I especially love Tom Holland as a young and naive Spider-man) and stories. Plus they best expressed those kinds of scenes and sequences that really hits at the heart of what a comic-book fan has had in his mind for most of his life. The billions in box office receipts means that I don’t really need to encourage anyone to go see these movies (on Disney+), you probably already have. However, I could not leave them off my list as they also transformed the movie-going experience of this decade.

It Follows (2014)

This movie came at me out of left field via an episode of The Good Wife, where this movie was mentioned, and it intrigued me as something I should check out. I am not big on scary movies but this film was so subtly and simply innovative that I was perhaps too impressed to be scared (no, when the grandma continued walking towards the school I was still pretty scared). I don’t know what the secret sauce of this movie really is, whether it’s the premise (being relentlessly pursued by a creature that can look like anyone and will kill you once it reaches you) or the execution (really feeling drawn into every scene by the camera or by the panic of the main-character victims). I love how clever and imaginative film-makers are taking a genre that is used mostly to titillate and scare, and reinventing it with some thought and artfulness. I’ve not been as impressed by other attempts, nevertheless, I think It Follows is somewhat seminal to this new wave and still the top of the bunch. (my original review)

Captain Phillips (2013)

Another movie that I had no idea I would like, let alone love. Tom Hanks was impressive as a based-on-real-life ship captain trying to fight off yet eventually being taken hostage by Somali pirates. Even as I write that, it’s so not the kind of movie that I enjoy. However, not only was the suspense and tension of the situation so amazingly expressed by this movie, but scenes between Hanks and Barkhad Abdi as the Somali leader were so well acted they made me shiver. Without watching them it’s often difficult to know when character-driven movies are more than just characters talking back and forth, which can be a little dull sometimes. This movie has a great balance of the thriller with the dramatic. (my original review)

Arrival (2016)

Finally, I want to include this movie on my top 10 list even though I confess I don’t fully understand it. Still, I want more brainy sci-fi. The kind of stories that have high-concept ideas from speculative fiction about the future, technology, reality, time, space, and how humanity fits into that, is great cinema. Special effects and cinematic storytelling has now reached the point where we can believe that gigantic tentacle aliens who communicate both in smoky symbols in the air, and by taking our minds back and forth in time, would really exist. Admittedly this movie has a bit too much of that moody, dreamy quality that I don’t love in artsy films like ones made by director Terrence Malick, but in this movie it kind of worked to add emotional weight to the story and make it a little more inscrutable than your average sci-fi. I also love how this movie shows that many of these sci-fi ideas and concepts (such as communicating with an alien race) are so much more complex than we could even imagine (just like another movie which almost made my list, Interstellar, showed how space travel is not a simple idea either). These kinds of movies take the best value of science fiction — that it makes us think beyond the mundane — and really amplifies it. I’m glad movies like Arrival, Interstellar. and It Follows really took genres which people used to think of as only being good for Sunday matinee movies for teenage boys, and gave them some imaginative, thought-provoking, cinematic depth. I hope that trend will only grow and continue into the coming decade (my original review)