One question people always ask is what are the greatest films of all-time. There is a lot of different criteria that goes into coming up with a list and it all depends on your taste mainly due to all film being subjective and everyone liking or disliking the same/different things. I've decided to do a new series in which I try to decide what I think are the greatest films of all-time. One way to help do that is by deciding what the best films of each decade are. Each month until October I will choose what I think are the best films from each decade and in November I will take the number one films in each decade and put them into a top 10 greatest films of all-time list. Now the list will bot be based on scores or my own personal lists, but based off the popularity of each film and how much of an effect it has had or is having on film today. For example my favorite film of all-time is The Dark Knight, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I think it is the greatest film of its decade. For this month I'm going to bring you the top 10 films of the 2010's so far. So without further ado...
10. Inception
With all of the technology we have today, It's very hard to WOW people today because we've basically seen every effect there has ever been. However in Inception Christopher Nolan was able to bring so many great visuals to the big screen with the film and it was done by mostly using of practical effects with very little CGI. The film is completely mind-bending from beginning to end and it's a film you have to pay attention to or else you will be lost. It's a very unique film that has a lot of great breakout performances from a terrific ensemble cast. It dives into a lot of different themes and theories which is what Nolan is best at when it comes to his films. The film has a ton ox genres mixed together making you as an audience member not know what you are going to get next and it has one of the most debated endings in film history and no real answer has ever been given leaving it up to your own imagination.
9. Toy Story 3
While the first film in the trilogy started the phenomenon of the franchise, this film proved that you can revisit the characters over and over again and be able to keep them fresh while also staying with the same themes built within the trilogy. I'll argue that this film is miles ahead of the first two films for a lot of different reasons. The film shows these characters in danger that we've never seen thme in before and it has the most emotional ending to ever be seen on film. When you can make a guy like me cry like a baby every time, then you have achieved something remarkable The fact that there is a 4th film coming in 2019 really upsets me because this ended so perfectly, but as said before there are many more adventures for this crew to go on.
8. Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Now I know a lot of you are going to roll your eyes at the fact that this film is on the list. Part of it is due to my fandom of Star Wars and I'll freely admit that, however this film is on for more than just my personal taste. Star Wars is one of the greatest if not the greatest franchise of all-time and after the prequel films ended in 2005, most people had thought that the franchise was done and we would never see any more films again. Thanks to Disney and George Lucas, dreams came true in 2012 when it was announced that Disney would be making Star Wars films. This film had the monumental task of being great and being able to revive a once dead franchise and it did just that with JJ Abrams at the helm and by taking bits and pieces from the orignal trilogy that made it feel like a brand new and fresh take on the franchise and set it in a marvelous direction for the future. This is a film that we will look back on and say that it changed the filmmaking industry forever by showing how relevant the franchise still is 38 years after the first film came out.
7. The Avengers
As with Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, this film was a game changer. In 2008, Marvel studios set out on a mission to build one of the greatest franchises of all-time by bringing a group of comic book heroes together on the big screen for the first time and in 2012 that mission was accomplished with this film. While the film isn't going to be an all-time masterpiece, it will be the film that basically changed comic book films for years to come in the sense that it proved you could bring all of these characters together and make a respectable film that people will remember and it was the film that every studio looked at and said let's build a universe and put all of our characters in a film together and make a lot of money.
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Now I can sense a lot of you scratching you heads as to why this film is on the list and is actually ranked higher than The Avengers. Well to be honest, The avengers is on the list because of what it was able to accomplish by putting all of the characters on screen together. This film showed the world that not every comic book film has to be a fun popcorn action flick. It feels more like a spy-thriller than it does a comic book film and to do that just shows you the versatility of the franchise and the character. We're shown that there are no limits for any film no matter the genre that has been put on it and it allows you to be creative on how you want to shape the character for the future. This is by far the best MCU stand-alone film as well as the best overall MCU film and in this decade that is saying a lot.
5. Skyfall
Out of all of the franchises in film history, the longest running is James Bond and it also has the most films in a franchise with 24 films. The films themselves have each taken on an identity of their own and each are loved or hated in their own way. One of the things that is rare to find in the franchise is a film that is universally loved and that film is Skyfall. It let's us discover the origin of James Bond which is something we've never seen and it reinvents the character make him feel more modern. It also goes without saying that it has the greatest Bond song of all-time with Skyfall by Adele. It goes without saying that this is the bet Bond film of all-time in my opinions (as well as many others) and to do that after being around for 50 years is something nobody ever thought they would say.
4. Gravity
Sci-fi films have come a long way since 1902 when Georges Méliès directed the classic masterpiece A Trip to the Moon and technolgy has come a long way since then to help develop the films into what they are today. Gravity takes the genre to whole new level and the visual effects that were used to make space seem so beautiful. One majot pet peeve with films set in space is the fact that there is no sound in space and this film does a great job of doing just that and maing the film fillm feel so real. It's mostly a solo performance from Sandra Bullock and she just does so well of bringing a lot of emotion to the role and mkaes us care. It's a film that let's us dream of what space is like and what things we are able to do. Alfonso Cuaron won Best Director for this film and he absolutely deserves it becasue he was able to craft a film that every sci-fi will look to for inspiration.
3. Boyhood
In 2002, Richard Linklater began working on a film that would take 12 years to make which seems really crazy when it comes to filmmaking today. The film pays off by taking you on a journey with this little boy and watching him grow up in front of our eyes and seeing the world through his eyes. Linklater was able to create this film by using a lot of great editing techniques that are just seemless and so crisp. He also crafts the film by using the different techology and techniques that were developed while the film was being made. Another remarkable achievement by the film is that for 12 years it was able to keep the entire cast together to be able to complete the story. It was an ambitious idea that luckily for everyone involved and for us moviegoers that this film was able to see the light of day and this kind of feat may never happen again.
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
As mentioned with several other films on the list, technical achievements are the talk of the decade and what filmmakers are able to do with the vast technologies provided to them. George Miller was able to take a film and ground it in reality while also making it one of the most visually pleasing films you will ever see. When you make a film in color look spectacular and then turnaround and put it in black and white and it still look amazing, then you have done something unbelievable. It's able to use different editing techniques mixed with a perfect film score from Junkie XL. The film faced massive production mishaps and it put the film on hold for 6 years before being released and that just shows the ingenuity of Miller to keep his vision alive after planning this film for 15 years. Also to be able to take a character that hasn't been on the big screen since 1985 and still make him relevant 20 years later is an achievement in and of itself.
1. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
In a decade that has yet to have many masterpieces, this is one of the very few. Alejandro G. Iñárritu is magnificent director and what he was able to with this film is just remarkable in every sense of the word. The fact that this film is shot to make it look like it was in one take is just simply amazing. Emmanuel Lubezki who was the cinematographer on the film, proves why his nickname in the film industry is Chivo which in Spanish is Goat and that he he his. It resurrected the once great career of Michael Keaton who is now being apart of more and more films thanks to this. The ending like many others is one that is up for debate and it just goes with the craziness of the film in all of it's amazing achievements and it's a film that will be studied for years to come on how achieve its success.
So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of the list, what films should be added or deleted and what do you think is the greatest film of the 2010's? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
10. Inception
With all of the technology we have today, It's very hard to WOW people today because we've basically seen every effect there has ever been. However in Inception Christopher Nolan was able to bring so many great visuals to the big screen with the film and it was done by mostly using of practical effects with very little CGI. The film is completely mind-bending from beginning to end and it's a film you have to pay attention to or else you will be lost. It's a very unique film that has a lot of great breakout performances from a terrific ensemble cast. It dives into a lot of different themes and theories which is what Nolan is best at when it comes to his films. The film has a ton ox genres mixed together making you as an audience member not know what you are going to get next and it has one of the most debated endings in film history and no real answer has ever been given leaving it up to your own imagination.
9. Toy Story 3
While the first film in the trilogy started the phenomenon of the franchise, this film proved that you can revisit the characters over and over again and be able to keep them fresh while also staying with the same themes built within the trilogy. I'll argue that this film is miles ahead of the first two films for a lot of different reasons. The film shows these characters in danger that we've never seen thme in before and it has the most emotional ending to ever be seen on film. When you can make a guy like me cry like a baby every time, then you have achieved something remarkable The fact that there is a 4th film coming in 2019 really upsets me because this ended so perfectly, but as said before there are many more adventures for this crew to go on.
8. Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Now I know a lot of you are going to roll your eyes at the fact that this film is on the list. Part of it is due to my fandom of Star Wars and I'll freely admit that, however this film is on for more than just my personal taste. Star Wars is one of the greatest if not the greatest franchise of all-time and after the prequel films ended in 2005, most people had thought that the franchise was done and we would never see any more films again. Thanks to Disney and George Lucas, dreams came true in 2012 when it was announced that Disney would be making Star Wars films. This film had the monumental task of being great and being able to revive a once dead franchise and it did just that with JJ Abrams at the helm and by taking bits and pieces from the orignal trilogy that made it feel like a brand new and fresh take on the franchise and set it in a marvelous direction for the future. This is a film that we will look back on and say that it changed the filmmaking industry forever by showing how relevant the franchise still is 38 years after the first film came out.
7. The Avengers
As with Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, this film was a game changer. In 2008, Marvel studios set out on a mission to build one of the greatest franchises of all-time by bringing a group of comic book heroes together on the big screen for the first time and in 2012 that mission was accomplished with this film. While the film isn't going to be an all-time masterpiece, it will be the film that basically changed comic book films for years to come in the sense that it proved you could bring all of these characters together and make a respectable film that people will remember and it was the film that every studio looked at and said let's build a universe and put all of our characters in a film together and make a lot of money.
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Now I can sense a lot of you scratching you heads as to why this film is on the list and is actually ranked higher than The Avengers. Well to be honest, The avengers is on the list because of what it was able to accomplish by putting all of the characters on screen together. This film showed the world that not every comic book film has to be a fun popcorn action flick. It feels more like a spy-thriller than it does a comic book film and to do that just shows you the versatility of the franchise and the character. We're shown that there are no limits for any film no matter the genre that has been put on it and it allows you to be creative on how you want to shape the character for the future. This is by far the best MCU stand-alone film as well as the best overall MCU film and in this decade that is saying a lot.
5. Skyfall
Out of all of the franchises in film history, the longest running is James Bond and it also has the most films in a franchise with 24 films. The films themselves have each taken on an identity of their own and each are loved or hated in their own way. One of the things that is rare to find in the franchise is a film that is universally loved and that film is Skyfall. It let's us discover the origin of James Bond which is something we've never seen and it reinvents the character make him feel more modern. It also goes without saying that it has the greatest Bond song of all-time with Skyfall by Adele. It goes without saying that this is the bet Bond film of all-time in my opinions (as well as many others) and to do that after being around for 50 years is something nobody ever thought they would say.
4. Gravity
Sci-fi films have come a long way since 1902 when Georges Méliès directed the classic masterpiece A Trip to the Moon and technolgy has come a long way since then to help develop the films into what they are today. Gravity takes the genre to whole new level and the visual effects that were used to make space seem so beautiful. One majot pet peeve with films set in space is the fact that there is no sound in space and this film does a great job of doing just that and maing the film fillm feel so real. It's mostly a solo performance from Sandra Bullock and she just does so well of bringing a lot of emotion to the role and mkaes us care. It's a film that let's us dream of what space is like and what things we are able to do. Alfonso Cuaron won Best Director for this film and he absolutely deserves it becasue he was able to craft a film that every sci-fi will look to for inspiration.
3. Boyhood
In 2002, Richard Linklater began working on a film that would take 12 years to make which seems really crazy when it comes to filmmaking today. The film pays off by taking you on a journey with this little boy and watching him grow up in front of our eyes and seeing the world through his eyes. Linklater was able to create this film by using a lot of great editing techniques that are just seemless and so crisp. He also crafts the film by using the different techology and techniques that were developed while the film was being made. Another remarkable achievement by the film is that for 12 years it was able to keep the entire cast together to be able to complete the story. It was an ambitious idea that luckily for everyone involved and for us moviegoers that this film was able to see the light of day and this kind of feat may never happen again.
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
As mentioned with several other films on the list, technical achievements are the talk of the decade and what filmmakers are able to do with the vast technologies provided to them. George Miller was able to take a film and ground it in reality while also making it one of the most visually pleasing films you will ever see. When you make a film in color look spectacular and then turnaround and put it in black and white and it still look amazing, then you have done something unbelievable. It's able to use different editing techniques mixed with a perfect film score from Junkie XL. The film faced massive production mishaps and it put the film on hold for 6 years before being released and that just shows the ingenuity of Miller to keep his vision alive after planning this film for 15 years. Also to be able to take a character that hasn't been on the big screen since 1985 and still make him relevant 20 years later is an achievement in and of itself.
1. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
In a decade that has yet to have many masterpieces, this is one of the very few. Alejandro G. Iñárritu is magnificent director and what he was able to with this film is just remarkable in every sense of the word. The fact that this film is shot to make it look like it was in one take is just simply amazing. Emmanuel Lubezki who was the cinematographer on the film, proves why his nickname in the film industry is Chivo which in Spanish is Goat and that he he his. It resurrected the once great career of Michael Keaton who is now being apart of more and more films thanks to this. The ending like many others is one that is up for debate and it just goes with the craziness of the film in all of it's amazing achievements and it's a film that will be studied for years to come on how achieve its success.
So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of the list, what films should be added or deleted and what do you think is the greatest film of the 2010's? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
