I know that everyone and their dogs wrote about their top 5, 10, 1,000 favorite media of the decade, and, well, I decided to do the same. I am a huge movie buff and I always try and make sure I see the best movies of the year, both big and small. During the winter break, I had a chance to cultivate my own list of my favorite movies that I watched during the 2010s and it ended up being pretty lengthy. What I won’t do is list every film I enjoyed, but I will break down how each movie got the honor of being on my list. In the end, I will post my whole list; make of it what you will.
1. Is it rewatchable?
I find it hard to watch a movie more than once, even if it is really good! However, some surpass my expectations and every once in a while I find myself rewatching some of these gems. These movies are usually funny enough were the jokes don’t get old after the thousandth time, thought-provoking enough where I’m always looking for different clues and tells that I may have missed the first time, and some of them just have this “it” factor that is a combination of charming, wit, and originality that seems hard to find nowadays.
Movies that fit this category include:
Snowpiercer, The Way Way Back, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1&2, Pitch Perfect, Knives Out, The Martian, Chef, Baby Driver, and Bridesmaids.
2. Is it Funny?
One of my favorite movie genres is comedy because most days I just need something to make me laugh and forget about the day’s events. That being said, my sense of humor is all over the place, but I like to stick to movies that are both equal parts witty and ridiculous. But in all honesty, if it made me laugh so hard that I shit my pants, then it’s a good movie in my book!
Movies that fit this category include:
Always Be My Maybe, Thor: Ragnorok, The Internship, Hello, My Name is Dorris, Date Night, 21 Jump Street, Death at a Funeral, Good Boys, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
3. Is there a good storyline?
I watch movies for a great story and sometimes films strive to be so great that they forget the message underneath the money they dreamed of. Also, there are some films out there that really should have been turned into television series rather than movies because there is too much plot couched into a two-hour runtime. Movies should be able to tell a story that makes the audience walk away with some sense of new-found knowledge or inspiration.
Movies that fit this category include:
The Irishman, Moonrise Kingdom, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Life of Pi, The Prisoners, Hacksaw Ridge, Get Out, Detroit, and Love, Simon.
4. Will it make me smile?
I don’t always want to watch something so heavy where it leaves me drained for the rest of the day. Sometimes I just want to watch some mindless movie that will just make me smile. It doesn’t have to be a blockbuster or a Sundance film, it can just be something fun!
Movies that fit this category include:
Think Like a Man, Rise of the Guardians, About Time, The Other Woman, Blockers, Letter to Juliet, Grown Ups, and Easy A.
5. Will it make me feel like a badass?
I am a huge Marvel fan through and through! In middle school, I just loved how much they made me feel powerful and every time I walked out of the theater, I felt like I could be the next Avenger. There’s something so satisfying about the adrenaline rush I get from watching movies like that because for those few hours, I feel like I can do anything. I love it when I can watch something that empowers me either through action, or just the morality of the situations the characters find themselves in.
Movies that fit this category include:
Kingsman: The Secret Circle, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Endgame, Wonder Woman, Hidden Figures, John Wick, Logan, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
Top Movies of the Decade (in no order):
1. Snowpiercer
2. Big Hero 6
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service
4. The Irishman
5. Always be my Maybe
6. Crazy Rich Asians
7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
8. Thor: Ragnarok
9. Avengers: Endgame
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows–Part 2
11. Bridesmaids
12. Knives Out
13. The Help
14. 21 Jump Street
15. Think Like A Man
16. Moonrise Kingdom
17. The Avengers
18. The Odd Life of Timothy Green
19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
20. Pitch Perfect
21. Life of Pi
22. Rise of the Guardians
23. The Big Wedding
24. 42
25. Now You See Me
26. The Internship
27. The Way Way Back
28. The Spectacular Now
29. Logan
30. Logan Lucky
31. About Time
32. The Butler
33. The Prisoners
34. 12 years a Slave
35. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
36. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
37. Whiplash
38. The Grand Budapest Hotel
39. Chef
40. The Other Woman
41. Interstellar
42. Nightcrawler
43. John Wick 1, 2, 3
44. Hello, My Name is Doris
45. Inside Out
46. Room
47. The Martian
48. Hacksaw Ridge
49. Deadpool
50. Zootopia
51. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
52. The Fundamentials of Caring
53. Lion
54. Arrival
55. Moana
56. Hidden Figures
57. Wonder Woman
58. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
59. Split
60. Get Out
61. Us
62. Baby Driver
63. Dunkirk
64. Girls Trip
65. Detroit
66. Ingrid Goes West
67. The Florida Project
68. I, Tonya
69. Coco
70. The Greatest Showman
71. Love, Simon
72. A Quiet Place
73. Blockers
74. Eighth Grade
75. Blindspotting
76. Life Itself
77. Venom
78. Mid90’s
79. Bohemian Rhapsody
80. Instant Family
81. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
82. If Beale Street Could Talk
83. Shazam!
84. Booksmart
85. Late Night
86. Good Boys
87. Joker
88. 3 Idiots
89. Valentine’s Day
90. The Last Song
91. Date Night
92. Kick-Ass
93. Death at a Funeral
94. The Back-up Plan
95. Toy Story 3
96. Letters to Juliet
97. Grown Ups
98. Inception
99. Flipped
100. Scott Pilgirm vs. The World
101. Easy A
102. The Social Network
103. Tangled
104. Burleque
105. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1