The Best Movies of the Decade: 2010-19

   By Mark Pukalo


   It all went so fast. But what a ride it has been through the 2010s at the theater.

   For more than a decade, I have enjoyed handicapping the best movies of the year and blogging about it. Many times during that period, the films just fell into place. I knew when I walked out of the theater most days where each would rate at the end of the year. Sometimes movies do grow on you with multiple viewings. But the first watch is often the best indicator.

  With 2019 coming to a close, I saw an interesting list of the top 20 movies of the decade on twitter and - of course - had to do it myself. But I found out how hard it was when I wrote out a list of the top few from every year. They did not fall in place easily.

   It was a decade filled with so many thrilling, thoughtful and different movies, although I can't list 20 perfect films. I ranked them with the following criteria:

   1/ How much it moved me.
   2/ How it stood the test of time.
   3/ How significant it was.
   4/ How good the cast was and how the movie flowed.
   5/ How much I wanted to watch it over and over.
   6/ How it rated on the Jim Valvano test (cry, laugh, think)

   Before I get to the best, in my amateur movie critic's opinion, the worst movie of the decade was Jennifer Lawrence's Mother! Just dreadful. The three most-over-rated movies of the past 10 years to me were The Favourite, The Tree of Life and Phantom Thread. Just didn't get them, I guess. All three are popping up on critic's best lists for the decade. I thought about adding Mad Max: Fury Road. But I actually liked the movie. I just didn't think it was good enough to be nominated for awards.

   Here's an updated list of my favorite films of the decade after seeing an abundance of strong efforts at the end of 2019 and watching those on my list again.

   Honorable Mention: 50/50, Argo, Begin Again, Boyhood, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hunger Games, The Infiltrator, I, Tonya, The Irishman, OJ: Made in America, The Spectacular Now, The Town, Truth, The Way, Way Back, Wind River, Zero Dark Thirty.


    20. The Tillman Story (2010) - Terrific documentary about the life and controversial death of the great Pat Tillman.

   19. Black Panther (2018) - Never thought this would make a list like this before walking into the theater,  but the epic film was terrific in so many ways.

   18. The Hate U Give (2018) - Thought the story of racial tension and injustice was told with grace and depth. It moved me.

   17. The Avengers: End Game (2019) - Yeah, it's a super-hero movie, but I was riveted from start to finish with the story, the emotions and the bits of humor.

   16. JoJo Rabbit - A cheeky comedy-drama which both loudly and in subtle ways shows the lunacy of hate and fascism.

   15. Short Term 12 (2013) - A terrific cast that includes Brie Larson, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever (she hasn't seemed to age since then) and John Gallagher Jr. weave a story about a residential treatment center for young people.

    14. BlackKlansman (2018) - Had it ranked eighth for the year, but after watching it 100 times on HBO I think I under-rated it quite a bit.

    13. The Descendants (2011) - George Clooney stars in the emotional Alexander Payne film that explores death, infidelity and family politics all with Hawaii as the backdrop.

    12. Birdman (2014) - Michael Keaton should have won the Oscar for his career-best performance of a troubled theater actor in a film that is shot in a very unique manner, and it works.

    11. Moneyball (2011) - Brad Pitt did a great job playing Billy Beane, the GM of the Oakland Athletics, as he tries to keep the team competitive with a small payroll. Very well written script.


    10. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper make for a fun couple in the comedy-drama about people dealing with mental illness.

     9. Sing Street (2016) - Yeah, sorry, another coming-of-age film. Boy tries to impress mysterious and gorgeous older girl (Lucy Boynton) by putting together a band and finds out he's pretty good at it.

     8. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) - Not sure how this movie will hold up over time, but it is an incredibly written (Quentin Tarantino) and acted (Leo and Brad) film.

     7. The Big Short (2015) - An incredible cast brings Michael Lewis' book about the country's financial crisis in 2007-2008 to life with plenty of humor and intelligence.

     6. The Social Network (2010) - Jesse Eisenberg hasn't been in many good movies since, but he was great as the enigmatic Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin's film about the birth of Facebook.

     5. Ex Machina (2015) - Science fiction thriller about a mad, brilliant, rich recluse (Oscar Isaac) who is working on perfecting a beautiful life-like robot (Alicia Vikander). One of the most shocking endings to a movie ever.

     4. Lion (2016) - Amazing and emotional film about a lost little boy in India who tries to complete his journey back home after 25 years. Buckets of tears.

     3. The Big Sick (2017) - Just absolutely loved this romantic comedy based on the true story of how Kumail Nanjiani met his wife. The performances are spot on.

     2. Nebraska (2013) - Still upset Bruce Dern did not win Best Actor over Matthew McConaughey for his performance in this dramatic comedy about family and an old man's final journey in life.

     1. Spotlight (2015) - Settled on this at No. 1 because I thought the cast made the true story of the Boston Globe's uncovering of a scandal in the Catholic church so incredibly authentic. I was in news rooms for more than two decades and every actor, every scene was right on point. This is why journalism is so important. People forget that.