Best Movies from 2008 – 2017

Today, February 9, 2018, I officially depart from my twenties and enter my thirties.  It has been a wild decade, as I started it in college studying film and have finished as an accredited film critic.  Crazy how the world works.  In honor of this momentous occasion, here are my picks for the best movies that came out over the last decade (2008 – 2017).

 

 

 

 

 

10 – GRAVITY (Alfonso Cuaron, 2013)

Sandra Bullock gives the best performance of her career in Alfonso Cuaron’s visual masterpiece.  Seeing this movie in 3D IMAX is easily one of the greatest cinematic experiences I have ever had.

 

 

9 – CREED (Ryan Coogler, 2015)

Ryan Coogler staked his claim as one of cinema’s best young directors with this powerhouse flick.  Michael B. Jordan became a star and Sylvester Stallone gives one of the best performances of the decade in the best Rocky since the original.

 

 

7 – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (David O. Russell, 2012)

Led by one of the best ensembles this decade, Silver Linings Playbook is a crowd-pleasing gem and a beautiful love story about family and flawed humans.

 

 

7 – THE WRESTLER (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

Darren Aronofsky got awards love for Black Swan (2010), but The Wrestler is his masterpiece.  Mickey Rourke gives a committed, heart-wrenching performance as a broken down wrestler trying to get his life together.  Authentic, raw, and tragic, this is as powerful as movie’s get.

 

 

6 – INCEPTION (Christopher Nolan, 2010)

The biggest movie in terms of scale, Christopher Nolan pushes the boundaries of cinema with his mind-bending crime thriller.  This movie is a technical marvel and will have you on the edge of your seat until the final, spinning shot.

 

 

5 – INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

Quentin Tarantino ends his reimagining of World War II with one of the main characters saying, “I think this just might be my masterpiece.”  He isn’t wrong, as this fun, wild, and original film is something to behold.

 

 

4 – TOY STORY 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)

One of the greatest animated movies ever made will have grown men weeping.  Toy Story 3 caps off one of cinemas greatest trilogies with a sweet, emotional, thrilling send off to Woody and the gang.

 

 

3 – WHIPLASH (Damien Chazelle, 2014)

Damien Chazelle bursted onto the cinematic scene with the musical war film.  J.K. Simmons is terrifyingly brilliant and rightly earned his Oscar for playing the tyranical music teacher and Miles Teller gives a breakout performance as the motivated student.  This is a giant middle-finger to the participation medal society we live in and a true masterpiece.

 

 

2 – THE SOCIAL NETWORK (David Fincher, 2010)

David Fincher’s masterpiece is a time capsule for modern technology and loneliness.  His technical wizardry mixed with Aaron Sorkin’s whip-smart screenplay and a great ensemble culminate into the best movie of the 2010’s.  This is a movie that will live on for decades to come.

 

 

1 – THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan, 2008)

The Dark Knight is a true game-changer.  Never before had we seen a comic book movie like this.  Christopher Nolan elevates everything from Batman Begins (2005) to give us a dark, grounded, entertaining thrill-ride.  Led by an iconic, chilling performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker, Nolan created a movie that is part Heat, park comic book flick to give us a Batman movie like we never saw before.  This movie changed the comic book genre, the Oscars, and blockbusters forever.  It is a cinematic masterpiece and the best movie of the 2000’s.

 

 

 

What are some of your favorite movies from the last decade.  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.