My Favorite Films of the Decade.... By Year

I'm basing this post on a popular tweet template making the rounds where everyone picks their favorite films of the decade by the year. I still plan to make a more comprehensive best films of the decade ranked, but I still thought it'd be fun to take a look back and see all the films that topped my best list for their respective year.

2010: INCEPTION

(Runners Up: The Social Network, Scott Pilgrim vs The World)

2010 was a really solid year for film with five of the movies on this list being totally worthy of the top spot. In the end, it has to go to one of the most creative and inventive blockbusters ever made and my absolute favorite film of Christopher Nolan’s: Inception. Check out my 2010 list HERE

2011: 50/50

(Runner up: Melancholia)

2011 on the other hand, was a pretty weak year and going back and reading my top ten, I think I’d rank some things very differently while leaving others completely off my list. But at least my top pick 50/50, the cancer drama comedy still holds up. The fact it is able to pull the heart strings while simultaneously making you laugh is quite the feat and makes it stand out among everything. Check out my 2011 list HERE

2012: The Impossible

(Runner Up: Life of Pi)

This true story of a family vacationing in Thailand who becomes separated when a gigantic tsunami hits their resort. This movie is not only physically brutal to watch but also completely heart wrenching. I ugly cried several times. Check out my 2012 list HERE

2013: The Way Way Back

(Runner Up: About Time)

2013 gave me one of my favorite coming of age films of the decade in The Way Way Back. This movie is both funny and poignant; the ending gets me every time. Check out my 2013 list HERE

2014 Interstellar

(Runner Up: Whiplash)

2014 was another really strong year for cinema with many worthy options of the top spot (including Boyhood, Whiplash & Gone Girl) but I had to go with the film which provided the most amazing cinematic experience: Interstellar. On a big screen, the visuals here are spectacular and the score is incredible. This movie just filled me with so much wonder and was unforgettable. Check out my 2014 list HERE

2015 Room

(Runner Up: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl)

No movie made me feel as much in 2015 as Room. Jacob Tremblay gives such a genuine performance as a small boy whose mother (Brie Larson, also giving the best performance of her career) was kidnapped when she was a teenager. He's only ever known a life in captivity, until he's given the chance to see finally discover everything the world has to offer. This film is both touching and thrilling. Easily the best movie of 2015. Check out my 2015 list HERE

2016 Sing Street

(Runner up: La La Land)

This was one of the closest races to call of all the years for the top spot. In January 2016 I saw I saw Sing Street at Sundance and fell in love. The whole year, nothing could beat it until La La Land, and at the last minute my love for Sing Street prevailed. Both musicals are whimsical and wonderful. Sing Street doesn't have the same artistry as La La Land, but it has so much heart. Check out my 2016 list HERE

2017 Baby Driver

(Runner Up: The Big Sick)

After an incredibly strong year of endlessly great films in 2016, 2017 felt like a year that didn't have nearly as many great films. My favorite came midway through the year and nothing really ever managed to top it, even when Oscar bait season. Baby Driver was a thrilling action picture and an editor's dream film. I loved how stylish it was and I came out of the theater on a total high. Check out my 2017 list HERE

2018 Hereditary

(Runner Up: A Star Is Born)

In 2018 I saw my favorite movie of the year in January at the Sundance Film Festival, and all year long nothing managed to top it. Usually horror films, as much as I adore them, don't usually manage to grab the top spot of the year when they come out, but Hereditary was THAT good. Toni Collette is amazing and I love that this film grabbed my attention, threw out my expectations and took me on a wild ride. Check my 2018 list HERE

2019 Parasite

(Runner Up: Midsommar)

Parasite had a LOT of hype when it came out and thus had quite a lot to live up to. To be honest, I thought there was no way it could be as great as everyone was claiming it was... and yet it totally was. It's a hard movie to talk about, because you want to recommend it to everyone, while still saying nothing about it to preserve expectations and keep things mysterious. So honestly, I won't say much here... just trust me, this movie is so worth seeing. I still have a few films to catch up on the rest of the year, so it's possible this one might get knocked off... but I have a hard time picturing it.

And there we have our decade in review, but please stay tuned as I promise to do a proper ranking of ALL of my favorite films of the decade, as well as my best of list for 2019.