I’ve done “Best of the Decade” lists for both the 1990s and the 2000s. You won’t find the one for the ’90s on any blog here because that was when my writing was mailing list-only. (And you won’t see me digging it up for publication here because it was kind of crazy.) If you were to go back and see my blog for the 2000s here, you’ll see a pretty solid “Best of” list that is still mostly accurate, along with a “Favorites” list that is not really anything like how I would see things now. I have no doubt that I felt that way about the movies on it then, but how some films which are cherished favorites now didn’t make the Top 11, as I had it, baffles me. But hindsight is always 20/20, and the lists below might see some changes in the next decade, as well.
This decade was extremely tricky for me to do Best and Favorites lists for; the former because it was, honestly, a weird decade in retrospect for what I loved, the latter because I found myself leaving an unholy crap ton of wonderful films off the list that would have seemed like no brainers in the years I saw them. You’ll see what I mean on both, but I can honestly say that I’m pleased with what I’ve highlighted here, because these are the films that mattered most to me this past decade. The 10 films you’ll see on my Best list this year are not necessarily films that lit up the box-office or awards circuits, but were films that found their directors at the height of their powers, making films that will matter 10, 20 years down the road, and be films that people remember not just for what they showed the viewer, but how they felt. For the 10 films that make up this decade’s Favorites list, this was all about the personal reaction, and each one dug deep inside me and made me feel something that goes beyond just being entertainment. I also decided to look back at the music and performances from the past decade that had a profound impact on me, as well.
As I did with the 2000s, I was also going to put some focus on the Worst films of the past decade, but truth be told, I really would have to dive back into the memory banks to do that, and it feels like a pointless exercise to embark on. I don’t remember everything I didn’t like in the past decade of films, and you probably don’t, either. Well, maybe you do. In addition to my personal choices, I’ve compiled some thoughts on the past decade of films from filmmakers who have contributed to mine in pretty profound ways. I hope you enjoy!
Brian’s Best Films of the Decade
1) “Cloud Atlas” (2012); Directed by Lana & Lilly Wachowski and Tom Tykwer- Few films have been quite as ambitious as this epic adaptation of David Mitchell’s novel. The only way the six stories, all from different time periods, reflecting different genres, of Mitchell’s interlocking work could possibly be brought to the screen is if multiple filmmakers were working concurrently to make it happen. Here, the Wachowski’s tackle three, and Tykwer tackles the other three, but all three co-writers/directors share a singular vision, how the same ideas of breaking the shackles of injustice and prejudice and corruption can repeat themselves over the years, and how great art inspires through the ages. When I first saw the film in theatres, I wasn’t completely sold on it’s greatness, but over time, and many more viewings, it became obvious that this was one of the finest pieces of filmmaking ever made. With a cast including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Keith David, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving, James D’Arcy, Ben Whishaw, Doona Bae, Susan Sarandon, Jim Sturgess and David Gyasi, all of whom play multiple roles through the six stories, and a score by Tykwer, Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek that automatically found it’s way among my all-time favorites, “Cloud Atlas” is unlike any film I’d seen before, and it’s hard to imagine seeing one like it again.
2) “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018); Directed by Barry Jenkins- There are few films I’ve felt a stronger emotional connection with upon first viewing. “Moonlight” was a wonderful experience for me, but Jenkins’s follow-up film, where he adapted a James Baldwin novel about a black couple struggling when the man (Stephan James) is accused of rape, and his girlfriend (Kiki Layne, a revelation) is left on the outside, pregnant, trying to save the life they want to have together. There’s a beauty and delicacy Jenkins brings to this film that sticks with us, and turns what could have been a fairly boring love story into a wonderful ode to hope, and strength during difficult times.
3) “Parasite” (2019); Directed by Bong Joon-ho- I had seen “The Host,” “Snowpiercer” and “Okja,” but with his remarkable dark drama in the last year of the decade, I officially join the “Bong Hive” when it comes to the South Korean master. As a family in poverty begins to work its way into the lives of a wealthy family, questions about economic inequality and the way one side sees the other make their way through this thriller where the answers are not as clear-cut as they appear. The house is one of the most remarkable places in any film of the decade, and the sinuous way that Bong bring surprises a plenty to the table makes this an unforgettable cinematic experience.
4) “Arrival” (2016); Directed by Denis Villeneuve- I don’t know that a more emotional, important look at first contact with aliens has been released since “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” that Villeneuve’s bracing science-fiction drama. Amy Adams plays a linguist whom the Army enlists to try and communicate with aliens whom have made their presence known on Earth. There is more to her story, though, as she appears to have dealt with the loss of a child, and a broken marriage, before the aliens land; maybe this encounter holds the key for her moving on. The importance of our ability to communicate is the big idea Villeneuve is presenting here, whether it’s with aliens or other countries, especially if the alternative is war. While I love a good science fantasy (as you’ll see in my favorites below), what engages me fully in the genre of sci-fi are ideas, and at the time of its release, the ones this film had in store for me were much needed. This is a film whose value only deepens upon rewatch.
5) “Silence” (2016); Directed by Martin Scorsese- After over two decades of trying to bring Shusaku Endo’s novel to the screen, Scorsese concludes the trilogy of faith that started with “The Last Temptation of Christ,” and continued with “Kundun.” Here, he follows two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) to 17th Century Japan. There, they find an environment not hospitable to their message of love, and a challenge to their own faith. As with “Christ” and “Kundun,” “Silence” focuses on spiritual leaders who struggle with their own personal faith in times of outward challenge, and as with his previous efforts, Scorsese does not come up with easy answers. Faith is a difficult journey, one Marty has always been fascinated by.
6) “Jay” (2017); Directed by Nickolas Duarte- Duarte is a short film director I’ve come to know a lot over the years. There is something about the way he tells his stories that just connects with me in a way I don’t always get out of filmmakers. His best film is a documentary about an artist, Jay Petersen, and the tragic life that inspired his art. It’s a thoughtful, sometimes funny, emotional look at a life, and what it leads to.
7) “mother!” (2017); Directed by Darren Aronofsky- It’s funny how, after making a controversial version of one of the most famous Biblical stories in “Noah,” Aronofsky followed it up with another tale of madness and zealotry in his aggressively hated 2017 film, “mother!”. With a career turn by Jennifer Lawrence, and fantastic work by Javier Bardem as a poet who becomes an inspirational prophet to some, “mother!” takes a lot of the ideas Aronofsky has been studying in his films since “Pi” and ramps them up in a remarkable ball of anxiety and psychological pain unlike anything anyone else has seen. I completely understand if you do not like this film, but I was completely enraptured by how insane it was.
8) “2050” (2018); Directed by Princeton Holt- In the interest of full disclosure, I have recorded an audio commentary for Holt’s sexy, sly science-fiction satire for the film’s DVD and Blu-Ray release in January of 2020. But the repeat viewings that went into the recording process for that commentary only confirmed how rich and worthy Holt’s film is to be included with the best films of the decade. In watching one man delve into the world of artificial intelligence known as E-mates, Holt and his writer, Brian Ackley, take a unique perspective on how AI might allow humans to live healthier, and more certain of themselves, regardless of the reasons they wanted an E-mate in the first place. Few films have looked at the ways AI can benefit humanity rather than threaten them in such a compelling, complicated way. It’s well worth checking out for fans of sci-fi that presents futures where humanity and robots coexist.
9) “The Symphony” (2011); Directed by Michael LaPointe- With the exception of the review linked to in the title, and the vivid memory of actually watching the film online via screener, it feels like “The Symphony” is a movie I merely hallucinated about watching, because, it’s not available anywhere online that I’ve found. It does have an IMDb page, though, and there is a trailer, so I know it exists. That uncertainty about the film’s actual existence fits right in with the film itself, where an experimental musician mutilates himself for his art, in an attempt to create a legacy for himself beyond simple artistic creation. His girlfriend is understanding, but is nonetheless worried about him, rightfully so. For all it’s darkness, though, “The Symphony” (one of the best film a filmmaker has ever asked me to screen) is about embracing and celebrating life more than following a dark path to oblivion. I can understand where one could get confused, however- like in the film, in real life, both are two sides of the same coin.
10) “The Social Network” (2010); Directed by David Fincher- Fincher’s Facebook creation story has shown itself to be more relevant in its biting portrayal of the building of a social media monolith by virtue of what have become vital issues in the past decade. Toxic masculinity, white privilege, the corrupt soul of business ventures, and the “Like” and quick take-obsessed world of global connectivity all find themselves in this story of how Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg in a better Lex Luthor role than his actual Luthor in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice”) built his empire, and some of the bodies he left in his wake to being one of the most influential people in modern history. Fincher cuts through Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay with a vicious satirical knife that is as bracing and engrossing as Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s Oscar-winning score. Few dramas this decade were as entertaining, or rewatchable, as the one Fincher delivered at the start of this decade.
In a lot of ways, this was a very difficult list to put together. Many of the films above were easy choices, but there were a lot of films I either left off by virtue of them being on my Favorites list below, or movies I loved at the time, but was not entirely sure if I would include on my list of the 10 greatest movies I watched this past decade. I stand by the above list, however, because they are films that had an immediate impression on my when I first watched them, and- if I’ve been fortunate enough to rewatch them over the years- that impression has only been reinforced.
Brian’s Favorite Films of the Decade
1) The “How to Train Your Dragon” Trilogy (2010-2019); Directed by Dean DeBlois- As much as I cherish the next film down on this list, Dean DeBlois’s trilogy from the book series by Cressida Cowell about a young viking who strikes up an unlikely bond with a dragon is on a different plane for me in how Hiccup and Toothless’s friendship affected me. The animation is as good as anything we’ve ever seen, and John Powell’s scores for these films are some of the finest of the decade, but no films this decade had the personal impact on me than these did as Hiccup grew from an unsure of his place kid to a bold, natural leader who understands not only his role in the lives of others, but how it can change the world. Like “Up” and “Keeping the Faith” last decade, how this film felt like a chronicle of my emotional journey dealing with life made it a series to remember, and more important to me than any other series Hollywood came out with.
2) “Hugo” (2011); Directed by Martin Scorsese- Scorsese has already professed his love for classic cinema, and what it can teach us, in two magnificent documentaries on American and Italian cinema, respectively. In adapting Brian Selznick’s children’s book, about a boy operating the clocks in a French railroad station, Scorsese has made a film that speaks to that same love, but in a way that children can identify with greater. This film was a rapturous experience in its native 3D on the big screen, but it still retains the wide-eyed awe of a child who has experienced too much, too soon, but is still capable of being moved. This is one of my favorite films of all-time.
3) “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017); Directed by Rian Johnson- Upon rewatching it, twice, in the lead-up to the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga, I think Johnson’s divisive middle part of the sequel trilogy might be my favorite “Star Wars” movie going forward. I will always love the original trilogy, which is akin to comfort food for me, but Johnson’s film gives us a perfect jumping-off point from what “The Force Awakens” set up, and Mark Hamill’s best work ever as Luke Skywalker tries to explain- understandably- why the Jedi Order must die, and it takes a young woman, and his old teacher, to make him realize why he’s making the same mistakes he’s always made. The scene with he and the late Carrie Fisher’s Leia at the end makes me tear up every time, and Johnson’s film inspires me with what’s possible in serial storytelling.
4. “Doctor Strange” (2016); Directed by Scott Derrickson- It’s kind of insane how the Marvel Cinematic Universe unfolded, for the most part, entirely this century through its Infinity Saga; it was only 2008’s “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” that didn’t get released this decade. There are a lot of great films in the past decade from Marvel Studios- my favorite entry is Derrickson’s visually wild origin story for Stephen Strange. The film follows his journey back from a traumatic car accident that prevents him from doing what he was doing, but starts him on a spiritual adventure towards being the keeper of the Time Stone, and the Sorcerer Supreme. Benedict Cumberbatch does a great job giving us a journey worth caring about, and Derrickson makes one of the most imaginative films to date in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
5) “Ready Player One” (2018); Directed by Steven Spielberg- Spielberg returns to science fiction, and suddenly, the world makes sense. Ok, that’s not entirely true, but Spielberg’s adaptation of Ernest Cline’s best-selling novel has plenty to say about nostalgia, its value in how we look back on life, and a world engulfed in social media, with little genuine human interaction. The adventure story is the catalyst for these ideas, and the pop culture Easter eggs throughout are simply the icing on top of a cake that ultimately shows how power, and immersing ourselves in a fantasy world, don’t mean much if it means we aren’t connecting with people. It’s one of my very favorite Spielberg films.
6) “Pacific Rim” (2013); Directed by Guillermo Del Toro- Del Toro’s epic adventure about man-controlled robots versus kaiju is one of my favorite summer movies ever. This was comfort food to watch on Blu-Ray after my father died in 2013, but it was one of the most exciting and satisfying blockbusters I’ve watched in recent years. It’s a film that touches on all the right levels of humor, pathos and effects-driven mayhem as man fights off monsters coming from a crack on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The action is magnificently visualized and executed under Del Toro’s watchful eye, and the score is one of my favorites to work out to.
7) “Interstellar” (2014); Directed by Christopher Nolan- I merely admired this film when I first saw it. Now, I really love Nolan’s science fiction drama, about a crew sent on a last-ditch expedition into the stars, hoping to find a new home for humanity. The story between Matthew McConaughey’s Coop and Murph, his daughter played both by Mackenzie Foy and Jessica Chastain, is central to the film’s success emotionally, while its visions of space travel, scored magnificently by Hans Zimmer in one of his best efforts, are on par with the film’s obvious inspiration, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” even if its ambitions fall a touch short.
8) “Moneyball” (2011); Directed by Bennett Miller- This might be my favorite sports movie of all-time. Impeccably scripted by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zallian, “Moneyball” tells the story of Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt in one of his best performances), and his embracing of analytics when it comes to team building for the Oakland Athletics, as a spiritual journey the former baseball player goes through in figuring out how to approach life with meaning when what we love pushes back on how we approach it. There are great moments along this journey that can inspire anyone whose struggled with their place in life. How can you not be romantic about baseball?
9) “Life Itself” (2014); Directed by Steve James- Roger Ebert died the same year my father did, and I miss both of them every day. I never met Ebert, and didn’t really have much individual interaction with him online, but his voice is as integral to me as any voice in my personal life. This film, directed by “Hoop Dreams’s” James, is as significant to my understanding, and appreciation, of Ebert as any movie review, and blog, he ever wrote. This is essential viewing for film appreciation and understanding what makes film criticism an art form in and of itself. I love this movie, and miss its subject dearly.
10. “Pitch Perfect” (2012); Directed by Jason Moore- I’ll be pitch perfectly honest- Junkfood Cinema name-checking this a capella comedy among their favorites of the decade may have played a role in me adding this to my favorites list this year. But truthfully, it really kind of is. Anna Kendrick as Becca, a wanna-be DJ who joins an all-female a capella group on a college campus, is probably one of my favorite crush-worthy performances of the decade, while the script by Kay Cannon hits a lot of my weak spots when it comes to the “sports underdog” formula it is working from. A sharp story structure, fun characters, and a wonderful soundtrack with some great performances are a perfect mix for this aca-awesome musical comedy.
I don’t know that I’ve had a harder time with the bottom of lists than I did with this decade’s Best and Favorites lists. So many of these films were slam dunk additions for me, and yet, getting the bottoms of each one sorted out was not easy, in either case. What I love is the diversity in both lists. Documentaries, horror films, sci-fi, big epics, adventures (no real comedy, however; I didn’t really love one enough), and thoughtful stories of individuals at moments in history. This decade was a rich cornucopia of imagination from filmmakers with something to say, and I’m grateful for each and every film on here- it’s like they came about at the exact right time.
This has been a rich, daring, and exciting decade of cinema, with a few filmmakers that have stood out multiple times over the decade, and some of them made multiple films I seriously considered for these, such as Edgar Wright (with “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Baby Driver”) and J.J. Abrams (with “Super 8” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”). Martin Scorsese is rightfully listed above multiple times, but I could have also included second films from Steven Spielberg (“Lincoln”), Guillermo Del Toro (“The Shape of Water”), Scott Derrickson (with his terrifically creepy horror film, “Sinister”), and Nickolas Duarte (whose “Joke” and “Sea Change” are just as worthy of inclusion as “Jay”). Other great filmmakers who were in the running for the Best lists included Wes Anderson (with his whistful coming-of-age story, “Moonrise Kingdom”), Alfonso Cauron (for his survival thriller, “Gravity”), Ari Aster (who made an impressive 1-2 feature punch in dramatic horror between “Hereditary” and “Midsommar”) and Alejandro G. Inarritu (with “Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”).
This was an astonishingly deep decade for cinema, especially on the fringes. I adored the documentaries “The Music of Strangers”, “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy Blanche”, “The Fourth Kingdom”, “Minding the Gap”, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, “In God We Trump”, “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond”, “Spielberg”, “I Am Not Your Negro”, “Call Me Lucky”, “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”, “Viva! Saint Agrippina” and “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”. Meanwhile, I received an abundance of quality screeners from filmmakers, with Edgar Muniz’s “Someone Else in the Evening” and “Showing Sydney”; Chris Esper’s “Imposter” and “Undatement Center”; Cindy Maples’s “Out of My Mind” and “E-Bowla”; David Spaltro’s “In the Dark (aka Dark Exorcism)”; Brian Ackley’s “Til Death Do Us Part” and “Alienated”; Jeremiah Kipp’s “Slapface”; Justin Doescher’s “The Midnight Matinee”; Richard Powell’s “Familiar”; Jake Hutchison & D. Erik Parks’s “Return to the Garden”; Ralph Suarez’s “Halina”; Eric Leiser’s “Apocalypsis”; Jamison M. LoCascio’s “The Depths”; Edgar Michael Bravo’s “Mother’s Red Dress” and “A Young Man’s Future”; Debra Markowitz’s “The Waiting Room”; Sean Meehan’s “Total Performance”; Tofiq Razyev’s “Akibet (Aftermath)”; Matthew Saliba’s “Eroticide”; Christopher Tedrick’s “April Flowers”; and Audrey Noone’s “A Warming Trend”.
I could go on with plenty you’ve heard of, though. In no order, how could I possibly leave off: “Mad Max: Fury Road”; “Easy A”; “The Beaver”; “Spotlight”; “Pete’s Dragon”; “Blinded by the Light”; “Pain and Glory”; “The Cabin in the Woods”; “The Conjuring”; “Insidious”; “Moonlight”; “Whiplash”; “The Master”; “The Hunger Games”; “The Irishman”; “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”; “Ford v. Ferrari”; “A Hidden Life”; “IT: Chapter One” and “IT: Chapter Two”; “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”; “Godzilla” and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”; “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”; “The Farewell”; “Aniara”; “Afterlife”; “Us”; “Get Out”; “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”; “A Simple Favor”; “Fifty Shades of Grey”; “Mission: Impossible- Fallout”; “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”; “Solo: A Star Wars Story”; “The Florida Project”; “Coco”; “Inside Out”; “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”; “Snowpiercer”; “Wonder Woman”; “Logan”; “Moana”; “Believeland”; “The Big Short”; “Chi-raq”; “50/50”; “Warm Bodies”; “Crimson Peak”; “The Martian”; “Straight Outta Compton”; “Selma”; “Zero Dark Thirty”; “Draft Day”; “Noah”; “The LEGO Movie”; “Her”; “The Wolf of Wall Street”; “Shutter Island”; “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; “Man of Steel”; “Before Midnight”; “Silver Linings Playbook”; “Midnight in Paris”; “Skyfall”; “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”; “Tangled”; “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”; and “Predators”.
Finally, there’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I highlighted my favorite one in my Top 10 lists above, but this was the franchise to end all franchises this decade. From beginning to end, there was something fascinating in this series. If I had to choose my other highlights, it’s hard to go wrong with “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”, “Black Panther”, “Captain Marvel”, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “The Avengers”. I cannot wait to see what this new decade brings to Marvel’s extraordinary series.
Brian’s Favorite Film Soundtracks of the Decade
Film music is what inspires me. It’s the genre that has had the most profound impact on me as an individual, as a composer, and as a writer. I honestly cannot believe I didn’t make a list like this for the 2000s. I’m not making that mistake this decade, and it was a great one. The film soundtracks that made me feel the most, and be inspired the longest, had few common characteristics other than the fact that I felt alive when I heard them.
1. “Cloud Atlas”, by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Kilmek & Reinhold Heil. This was an instant all-time score. Experimental, emotional, and spiritual, this score for the Wackowski’s and Tykwer’s epic of humans overcoming is a marvel. I never get tired of listening to it.
2. “Interstellar”, by Hans Zimmer. In my two decades of Zimmer fandom, only two of his scores have felt truly breathtaking and emotionally arresting, and continue to do so every time I listen to them. The first is his score for “The Thin Red Line.” The second one was his organ-led score for Christopher Nolan’s 2014 science-fiction epic. It is the composer at the peak of his powers.
3. “Hugo”, by Howard Shore. I don’t know that it’s the equal to his “Lord of the Rings” scores, but Shore’s work for Martin Scorsese’s family-friendly cinema appreciation adventure might be my favorite one of his scores to listen to. I just get sucked in every time.
4. “How to Train Your Dragon”, by John Powell. This is truly for all three soundtracks in the trilogy, but the first one, which netted Powell a much-deserved Oscar nomination, set the standard of what was to come. His theme for Toothless and Hiccup, and their unexpected friendship, is one of the most rousing that has been written in quite some time. It’s a shame this franchise did not get the respect it deserved.
5. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, by John Williams. Williams completed the Skywalker Saga with his sequel trilogy of scores. (He also contributed a fun theme for “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”) I think my favorite of those scores, however, is his one for Rian Johnson’s middle chapter, as it successfully utilizes previously successful themes while bringing in new ones, and breaking our hearts in the process whenever Leia is on screen.
6. “Arrival”, by Johann Johannsson. We lost Johannsson far too soon. His score for this thoughtful sci-fi drama about the need for communication and patience when confronted with alien intelligence is simple, but engrossing. More about emotional soundscapes than big themes, Johannsson’s work here is an example of subtle, beautiful film composition.
7. “Noah”, by Clint Mansell. Mansell’s score for Darren Aronofsky’s religious epic was in heavy rotation for me when it came out. With collaborations, once again, with Kronos Quartet, his thundering score gives energetic and starting voice to a film about faith, and the dangerous places it leads.
8. “Mad Max: Fury Road”, by Junkie XL. This and the next score are great examples of modern action scoring done right. There’s energy and terrific themes and fun moments alongside emotional moments, and this score for George Miller’s instant classic sets a high bar.
9. “Pacific Rim”, by Ramin Djwadi. Yes, Djwadi’s score for TV’s “Game of Thrones” is more iconic, but his score for Guillermo Del Toro’s rocking monster epic kicks all sorts of ass, thanks to his theme and the guitar riffs from Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. I cannot get enough of this.
10. “Shutter Island”, by Various Artists. There are far too many soundtracks for me to list on here, I would not be able to do justice to the great variety of substantial film soundtracks and scores I heard. My 10th selection is a fascinating soundtrack compiled by Robbie Robertson for Martin Scorsese’s 2010 psychological thriller, and it’s a riveting, unique listen every time. It speaks to what I love about a great film soundtrack, in being able to conjure up memories of the experience of the film, while also bringing something new to the table with every listen. It’s a late addition, but one I felt passionate about adding.
Brian’s Favorite Performances of the Decade
I wish I could give every performance I loved this decade equal treatment and just say something about all of them. A list will have to do. In no order, my favorite performances are: Amy Adams in “Arrival”; Mel Gibson in “The Beaver”; Mark Hamill in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”; Kiki Layne and Stephan James in “If Beale Street Could Talk”; Willem Dafoe in “The Florida Project”; Antonio Banderas in “Pain and Glory”; Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick in “50/50”; Jennifer Lawrence in “mother!” and “Silver Linings Playbook”; Daisy Ridley in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”; Doona Bae in “Cloud Atlas”; Leonardo DiCaprio in “Shutter Island” and “The Wolf of Wall Street”; Ben Kingsley in “Hugo”; Nicolas Cage in “Mandy”; Benedict Cumberbatch in “Doctor Strange”; Robert Downey Jr. in “Avengers: Endgame”; Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” and “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”; Anna Kendrick in “Pitch Perfect” and “A Simple Favor”; Michael Cera in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”; Toni Collette in “Hereditary”; Michael Keaton in “Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”; Emma Stone in “Easy A”; Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master”; Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty”; Awkwafina and Shuzhen Zhou in “The Farewell”; Dakota Johnson in “Fifty Shades of Grey”; Joaquin Phoenix in “Her”; and Andy Serkis in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
And with that, we move to the next decade of film. If it’s anything like the 2010s, it will be filled with even more imaginative cinema.
Viva La Resistance!
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
