Decades of Cinema - 10 Best of 2010 - Present

Previous decades lists are: 1920's, 1930's,1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's and 2000's.

Here are my ten favorite films released between 2010 and today.

10. Inside Llewyn Davis 

The Coen brothers have been making amazing films for over 30 years, and their most recent example of this was the underappreciated 2013 gem Inside Llewyn Davis. Yet another movie by them that balances the laugh out loud comedy with a shocking amount of nuance, leaving bits and pieces to dig up with each revisit. 

9. Inception

The movie that single-handedly brought me back out to the cinema again after a multi-year hiatus following the birth of my daughter. One look at the trailer for Inception and I knew it would demand a giant screen, and boy did it. An incredible achievement from Christopher Nolan that is just as fascinating no matter how many times you see it unfold. 

8. Life of Pi

I don't have religion in my life, but every so often I feel like I find God in a film. Life of Pi is one of those experiences (with another one at the top of this list). This is a profoundly beautiful picture.

7. Cloud Atlas

Incredibly epic yet at times painfully intimate. Ambitious almost to a fault, but I forgive it. Cloud Atlas is a superb adaptation of a book that seemed impossible to translate coherently to film, yet it was done. I was blown away the first time I saw this film, and with each subsequent viewing my admiration grows.

6. Take Shelter

Director Jeff Nichols handles the subject of mental illness with grace and class and a stunning level of maturity considering it was only his second feature film. Michael Shannon wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for his lead performance, yet he not only should have been, he should have won the damn award. Take Shelter is brilliant and has one of the great endings in recent memory. 

5. Drive

I am a married heterosexual man, but I am not afraid to use the word sexy to describe Ryan Gosling in Drive. Seriously, Nicolas Winding Refn crafted a masterpiece here that is so damn, for lack of a better word, cool I can barely wrap my mind around it. From beginning to end I am intoxicated by the neon glow, the incredible score and the subtle but perfect performances. Drive is the type of movie that makes me wish I could create one of my own.

4. Boyhood

I never thought a film could capture the authenticity of life in such a way, but Boyhood is moving in its simplicity. It isn't a film about milestones, it is the story of those other days that mean so much but seem to slip through the cracks as time goes by. The underlying message is one that I found very powerful as I watch my own daughter grow up so fast: time is relentless.

3. Gravity

Sure, on the surface it's a film about a woman trying to survive a catastrophe in space, but what is really on display is so, so much more. Gravity is a heartbreaking but life affirming metaphor for grief and just how challenging to overcome it, and to say I was moved by the journey of Dr. Ryan Stone is an understatement.  

2. The Social Network

As a super fan of David Fincher, I don't say these words lightly: The Social Network is his masterpiece. The origin story of Facebook and its rise to internet domination doesn't sound appealing on paper, but it touches on familiar themes of loyalty and betrayal and it does so perfectly. The Oscar winning screenplay from Aaron Sorkin, the Oscar winning score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and the unfortunately not but should have been Oscar winning direction from Fincher, all of it added together is essential cinema.

1. The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is not only my favorite recently released film, it is my favorite of all time, period. It is profound poetry in motion, a movie that literally taught me to embrace and appreciate the miracle of existence. 

So that's it, the end of my Decades of Cinema lists. I would love to hear some feedback on my picks from all of the decades, find out which ones you love, which ones you loathe and everything in between.

The Place Beyond the Pines Review

When the film opens, Luke Glanton is the hero. A brilliantly executed long take has us following close behind him as he walks through the grounds of a carnival, but he doesn't move with any urgency despite being told he is needed. He strolls with confidence and a swagger that announces to the world, they can wait. Past the flashing lights and the dangling prizes, the eyes of the public turn and watch him move past but he seemingly doesn't even notice. When he arrives at his destination, Luke Glanton receives an ovation fit for a celebrity. Handsome Luke and the Heartthrobs. His pulse doesn't even appear to pick up an extra beat. Luke Glanton is as cool as a cucumber.

Later on, a young, brave police officer receives the call that a bank robber is on the run near where he is located. Wrong place, wrong time. His name is Avery Cross, and that moment every officer must be ready for has come to fruition. His weapon is drawn and he may have to use it. A beautiful wife and a newborn son are waiting at home, but this intersection between good and evil could mean Avery is about to take his final breathe. Is it as black and white as good and evil though? Is either side ever so purely one or the other? A split second decision blurs these lines. The ground is covered in blood and a good man begins to associate with the corrupt. The life of a man ends and whether a sinner or saint, they leave behind a trail of tears from those that cared for him. The death of one has altered the fates of many.

15 years later, the lives of two teenage boys intersect almost impossibly. Two young men connected from the moment they were in diapers and yet they come together without even knowing the past. Jason and AJ. They are living with the ramifications of decisions made before they could even voice a single word. They are their father's sons. 

The Place Beyond the Pines is presented as a three-act play, with stories and characters overlapping in ways that will reverberate through time. While the narrative loses power and strength as it goes, with the story of Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) resembling what I would define as a masterpiece and the final act involving teenagers still living in the shadows of their fathers not quite matching up, I still feel the end result of this work by Derek Cianfrance is pretty remarkable, ambitious and compelling throughout. 

What I wrote above doesn't even begin to tell the whole story of these characters and their lives, the nuance that makes them complicated rather than cut and dry archetypes. If you haven't seen The Place Beyond the Pines yet, do so, and what you will see is an epic made on an indie budget. A sweeping story with an intimate scope. 

Most of all, you will see a great film.

4.5/5

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Review

Yet again, a Peter Jackson helmed trilogy ends with the same result: my favorite installment being the one in the middle, my second favorite being the first, and my least favorite being the conclusion.

This is the only comparison I will make between The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, because frankly they otherwise aren't even on the same playing field. The latter is a brilliantly entertaining epic that only falters because PJ refused to end it, and thus it dragged a bit. This new film, The Battle of the Five Armies, is not some sort of terrible miscalculation or massive let down. It is a good film, one that I enjoyed, but not once did it feel great.

If you entered the cinema a bit tired, the early wake up call of the film picking up right where The Desolation of Smaug left off was a thing of beauty, a grand display of carnage and chaos left in the wake of the beast let loose on nearby Lake-town. At this point I had high hopes for the film, as at the very least it seemed to be a thrilling and excitable picture that would leave a smile plastered on my face. Unfortunately, the early rewards could not be fully sustained, as too many issues with the storytelling popped up throughout to earn any sort of overwhelming praise.

One of the most important aspects of dramatic storytelling is the fact that comic relief is often times a necessity, and when it is done and timed right it can be an excellent piece to an otherwise serious film. I have absolutely no comprehension as to how the character named Alfrid ever got a chance to appear in this movie as much as he did. A gag or two, fine, and then move along, but this constant need to go back to this completely unfunny character working with lifeless comedic material as if it adds anything to an already bloated adaptation of a single book? I just don't understand. I had already had enough well before this, but a scene in which he dresses as a woman was when I really questioned how writers as talented as Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and possibly Guillermo del Toro (not sure how involved he was) could have allowed these moments to stay in the final cut.

Another key issue I have with the film is its bizarre tendency to throw references to the Lord of the Rings trilogy in, which served absolutely no purpose and instead felt cheesy and simply placed into the screenplay to get a reaction from the audience, but what reaction were they looking for? Was there anyone seeing this film not already aware of its relation to those other three films? These moments didn't add anything to the connective tissue of one trilogy to the next, they just seemed out of place and shoehorned in to serve as some sort of talking point as friends exited the theater.

"Hey, did you notice the Saruman and Sauron thing?".

 "Whoa, they mentioned Strider!".

Wasn't it plenty to just follow the fact that Bilbo carried the ring with him throughout the journey? Isn't that enough as a means to lead from one story to the next?

I know I am doing a lot of complaining, but I honestly did like the film overall. It didn't feel grand and important and epic like it probably should have, but it certainly had its moments, and I not only would I watch it again, I will. All six of these films will be important pieces to my collection, ones I will want to revisit on a cold day with a shit load of time to kill. It just surprises me that the same minds who hit every single beat with sublime precision over 10 hours of work on the first trilogy could make some of the strange decisions that made this journey a flawed one.


3/5

Lawrence of Arabia Review

After erasing The Wizard of Oz from my list of films I was ashamed to have never seen, I decided to move right into another one: Lawrence of Arabia.

I'm almost overwhelmed by how brilliant a picture this is.

So I had a rough weekend. This isn't meant to elicit compassion or well wishes, I'm not on my death bed or anything, but it started with a trip to the emergency room after an infection spread through the entire left side of my face like something out of a horror film. The positive side of this is that for three straight days I have barely moved and essentially watched movies constantly, which is something I always love to do. The negative side, well, that's pretty obvious. Pain and poppin' pills, sweating and swelling, it hasn't been pretty, but this morning I could tell the meds were doing their trick and I decided to take on the daunting task of a nearly four hour film.

It sounds silly, but sometimes you can assume something for so long that it almost feels like a fact without the proof to back it up. I have always associated this extremely long classic epic with the word "boring", because of course my mind would have to wander here and there when trying to consume such a massive narrative. Of course I would need to take breaks while watching to avoid the frustration of the super serious, dialogue heavy drag of a work like this.

Only the narrative never felt massive. The film never felt dialogue heavy. The film never dragged.

Lawrence of Arabia was never boring, not for a moment. In fact let me go all the way to the top floor with this one: Lawrence of Arabia is cinematic perfection.

This is the film that defines the word epic. This is the film that defines the word ambitious. This is a film that defines the word masterpiece.

With the few works from David Lean's filmography I have previously seen, I already knew the man was a talented director, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was in store for here. I have read that this served as an inspiration for many filmmakers since and I can understand why. Lawrence of Arabia feels like a one time miracle, something that could never be duplicated, an achievement unlike any other. The piercing blue eyes of star Peter O'Toole, the never ending sea of sand that is both beautiful and terrifying, the pulverizing brightness of an unrelenting sun, everything about this film is unforgettable.

The reason I even mentioned my rough, gross, infection filled weekend is this: Lawrence of Arabia is exactly what I needed at a time like this. For days I have been a bit down, often times stressed out, and wishing for normalcy. For the nearly four hours that I got to soak in the glow of the spectacle of this stunning, perfect work, I didn't worry about a thing.

I worried Lawrence of Arabia would drag, that its length would result in periods of boredom. I would do it all again tomorrow if I had the time.



5/5

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Review

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is probably my second favorite of all time behind the original trip to a galaxy far, far away, and each year I revisit all three films over a short span of time. As the desire to do so came bubbling to the surface recently with the release of the final Hobbit film due out, something strange occurred to me regarded the timing of my yearly Frodo journey. For some reason I seem to always do so around this time of the year, when the temperatures dip below freezing outside, and I have never really considered why that is.

A part of me wondered if it is merely a coincidence, that due to the daunting nature of navigating through 10 hour of Middle Earth wandering, the fact that I watched it late in the year a few years back meant I would need to wait the full year each time to find the urge to do it again. This is a possibility, sure, but as I sat here tonight watching The Two Towers I happened to hear a noise outside that alarmed me a bit, so I peaked out to take a look. When I did, I felt the cold air hit my face and I immediately appreciated the warmth and comfort of my home, and it might sound silly but I think this moment perfectly describes why I crave these films during these latter months on the calendar.

The Lord of the Rings are the type of grand, epic cinematic experiences that represent comfort to me. I recall as a child, every year on the eve of holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, I would sit down in my pajamas, pull up a blanket and watch a movie, and it was never something small in scope or low budget. Despite merely sitting on the couch like I could any other day, these circumstances felt special, a moment that needed a movie that felt more like an event that something minimalist. The Lord of the Rings films aren't merely great, they are the type of spectacular storytelling that make me feel like that kid again, wanting to shut off the rest of the world and allow myself to be swept away.

Much to the surprise of many, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is my favorite installment of the trilogy. Disregarded by some as merely being "the middle chapter" after the incredible start to their journey and the epic conclusion, I find The Two Towers to be storytelling perfection, beautifully paced with every single second of its running time managing to be meaningful and imaginative. Oh, and my goodness, the Battle of Helm's Deep...I simply cannot look away from the screen during its entirety. It is pure magic.


5/5

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Review - 5/5

As the release of the third and final Hobbit film approaches, which presumably means the final film of any kind by Peter Jackson involving Middle Earth, I decided this would be an excellent time to give my Lord of the Rings trilogy blu rays a spin and go on the grand, sweeping journey with these characters once more...and what a journey it is indeed. The first installment, The Fellowship of the Ring, is a brilliantly paced blockbuster that manages to make every minute of its three hour running time feel vital and joyous rather than ponderous. For me, all three of these films still feel like an event rather than just another movie.

The other day I revisited the film A.I. Artificial Intelligence for the first time since it was released in 2001, and I mentioned that I didn't recall much from that year and that is a very truthful statement, but I do remember the magical cinematic experience The Fellowship of the Ring provided me each and every time I went back to the theater to be swept away into the majestic fantasy land beautifully crafted by Jackson. I am a sucker for work that is this epic in scope, especially those that value storytelling rather than merely an assault on the senses.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is perfectly casted, and thus the performances enhance the magic of the entire experience. It was an ambitious project, adapting such an iconic work by J.R.R. Tolkien, and yet I can't imagine it could have been handled any better with every single aspect working in harmony with one another. The direction of Jackson, the photography of Andrew Lesnie, and the score by Howard Shore that suited the tone of every single scene so well, it is a beautiful film that is worthy of the adoration it still receives to this day.

Viewing these films has become essential for me to do on an annual basis, mostly because I love the feeling of relaxing inside on a cold night and letting the warmth of epic cinema wash over me. My 2014 quest to Mordor is off to a wonderful start.


5/5