I did it with games, and by this point I am sure you all know the drill really. These lists are slightly different, and instead of listing my 10 favourite films from the past 10 years, I am limiting myself to being able to pick one film from each year since 2010.
This one was a difficult one to list as there are some years where so many absolute bangers of a film came out that I struggled to pick one… So I expect some pure rage from some of you out there, but here we go!
IT’S LIST TIME.
I spent an hour tossing up the idea of what I would put as my favourite film for year 1 of the decade, I didn’t know whether to put Inception, Shutter Island or even absolute classics like Toy Story 3.
…But ultimately I chose based purely on which film I have watched the most in the past 10 years and has brought me the most joy and that film sits with Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. Seriously, every time I watch this film I am just sat there with a huge smile of my face for a full 2 hours.
Everything about the comic book adaptation is absolutely perfect for me, I know that some people dislike that certain things were cut from the books but when I initially read those books (before the film came out scoff scoff scoff) I found those bits to be the weakest parts of the story anyway.
A HARRY POTTER FILM CAME OUT THIS YEAR AND I AM NOT PICKING IT?! Who even am I anymore?
I know exactly who I am and that is someone who absolutely loves a good indie cult film with a fantastic soundtrack. Drive is arguably the film that launched Gosling’s career over the past decade and it all started with a film where he barely even speaks (imagine a world before we could just look at Gosling’s face? No thank you.)
I remember watching this in the cinema and happily watching this budding romance over an electro soundtrack play out with a smile on my face… Then the elevator scene happened which is such a perfect example of ripping the audience out of their comfort zone, so jarring that you switch how you feel about the characters almost instantaneously.
I love Drive so much and it’s largely due to the soundtrack. So the Radio one remake can get fucked.
Honestly, If I was listing my favourite films of the decade then Looper would easily make the top 3 for me. Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis act perfectly as a ying and yang to a singular persons identity that I couldn’t see any 2 other actors fill these roles.
The films is about an assassin who tortures people in the past in order to mess with people who don’t pay debts, or mess with people in the future.
The premise of the film is right up my street that to this day I will defend everything that Rian Johnson does.
Yes, everything.
The Conjuring is my favourite film that’s ever been made and whilst I don’t really like anything that’s come after it in The Conjuring universe I do think this first film is the perfect blend of horror and narrative that had me hooked and initially excited to see a franchise spin out of a horror film.
I have watched The Conjuring a handful more times since 2013 and it shits me up every single time because I always notice new, subtle things that I didn’t see on a previous watch. The Conjuring preys on all our primal terrors so that it makes it a fresh watch every time.
I had no idea this film would end up spanning a whole trilogy of perfectly violent movies when I initially watched it. I just wanted to see Keanu Reeves kick the everloving shit out of a bunch of people and John Wick delivered on all fronts.
The film starts slow and sad, following John who after the death of his wife has only 2 things left he cares about… His car and his dog.
Theon Greyjoy then turns up and kills his dog and steals his car. John then embarks on a revenge quest spanning 3 movies as he kills every single person who crosses him.
Hyperviolent to the point where I laugh so hard at some of these kills. John Wick is the perfect action movie.
I am not a fan of Mel Gibson’s Mad Max, so I was dragged somewhat hesitantly into the cinema to watch the Tom Hardy version of the film. My wife telling me it had to be good… It has Tom Hardy in it.
What prevailed was a 2 hour experience of someone screaming in my face with a small break in the middle to let me get my feet again, and you know what? I loved it. The pure high octane fun and tense action filled with some proper grotty criminals in a post apocalyptic wasteland that had me grinning.
I just wish the game took some cues from this movie.
There is only one “hero” I love nearly as much as my boy Spiderman and that mantle sits on the absolutely mental Deadpool. I will forever love Ryan Reynolds for making this movie possible after he leaked the test footage on the internet and ensured it went Viral, somewhat forcing Fox’s hand into making the film.
Deadpool is the funniest superhero movie to date and whilst the villain is a bit crap and nobody really cared about the story, we were there for the character and the narrative was simply a framing device.
It’s a Spiderman movie. What more do you need me to say that I haven’t already said about Spiderman in this list and this review? I can’t be subjective!
Oh what a surprise, Luke managed to sneak in a film that has Adam Driver in to YET ANOTHER LIST but hear me out. BlacKKKlansman is such an important movie that I need to draw your attention to it once again.
Detailing the real life story of Ron Stallworth, the first black man to infiltrate the ever infamous KKK and join their ranks, it tells the story in such a heartwarming, funny and yet incredibly shocking way that it’s probably the most important film on this list.
Go watch it.
I went into more detail on this list here about why Far From Home is my favourite film of 2019 and see the links above. It’s a Spiderman film and even if they just showed me Spiderman dancing for 3 hours. It would still be my favourite film of 2019… I mean look at me… OBVIOUSLY I’M A FAN.
So what are your favourite films of each year? Let me know in the comments below.
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