Another 10 Awesome Films From The Last Decade

It’s been over a year since I published the first of these posts on Amazing films from the last decade. I have been meaning to make a return to it, it’s just hard to figure out if certain genre’s should have their own posts, but then I figured that there are many other films not in specific genres that I could post about in the meantime. Just like before, the ranking’s in this list aren’t a determination of which is best; just like before, the below ten movies are all simply awesome! So, bringing the series up to thirty films and counting, here are another 10 Awesome Movies from the Last Decade; Enjoy!

10. The Fault In Our Stars – The Fault in Our Stars is a teen drama based on the John Green novel of the same name, about two teenage cancer patients, who fall in love, and try to live their lives, knowing that at any point soon, one could suddenly die. The film has a cool cast, with Shailene Woodley, and Ansel Elgort providing career defining portrayals of the the two teens. It does this interesting thing in it’s second half, where it creates a really sweet happy scene, leaving you on a high, but then spirals down the tallest cliff face possible, creating horrific scenes of drama. It does this a few times, and it helps to move the film along for the viewer too, as too much bad news can be hard to keep up with, but by having that little bit of joy here and there, it creates a sense of hope for what the future might hold. A very cool and interesting film (but whatever you do; don’t watch it mid-way through watching the Divergent films! They feel really weird after watching this film)!

9. Now You See Me – I saw this film very recently, and it was pretty cool. The film features an all star cast including (but definitely not limited to) Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine. It’s an interesting take on heist movies, as it follows two perspectives. One is a group of magicians who pull off amazing tricks, and then on the other side is a group of detectives trying to bring them to justice, although it’s not all that simple. It’s not a toss of a coin from good guys to bad guys, they are all good guys in one respect, they just have two very different perspectives. The heists and investigations are deep, enriching, and follow the same system as a detective explaining who committed the murder in one of their legendary stories. It’s simply a very cool film, with a unique perspective, and a story you can enjoy from the first, to the very last second!

8. Shazam! – The 2010’s were the decade of the Superhero movie; you can’t deny it, it’s true! Every year there was a great selection of superhero movies to either see or not see depending on your interest in films. As the decade developed, we were treated to varying different styles in presentation, and as the decade closed, we were treated to Shazam! Shazam is so different to other superhero movies; it takes a different perspective, and paints a fun scene, but still has moments for drama. It starts off by introducing not the hero, but the villain. It then introduces the hero with supporting cast, and builds from there. Much like Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight Trilogy, Shazam isn’t really a superhero movie, it’s more a fun and quirky family film, which uses the superhero element to build a story, and develop characters. It’s a really fun film, and one that you want to watch over and over again, especially as it never gets boring no matter how many times you watch it!

7. Kong: Skull Island – The 2010’s treated us to a cool selection of Monster Movies. I absolutely loved it, as I am a Monster Movie Fan. There was a great selection to choose from, with some serious ones, as well as the occasional funny one. Skull Island was a really cool film, very well made, and very interesting. It carried many of the iconic tropes that you would find in a King Kong film, but it didn’t replicate them, or be a plain and simple remake. Instead Kong: Skull Island became a new and entirely independent story, featuring majestic scenes, great acting, awesome music, and brilliant fight scenes!

6. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) – I think this film is rather ironic! The film stars Michael Keaton as a washed up actor who had previously starred in a once major superhero movie series. He is now trying to shoot for the stars one more time by appearing in a new Broadway play. The film is ironic, as it’s practically a mirror to Michael Keaton’s own career! The film features a powerful group of top of the line actors including Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton and Zach Galifianakis. It finds time to be funny, but for the most part is a full on drama, creating emotional bridges, while burning others to the ground! It features an interesting dynamic of how it moves from scene to scene without fading between shots, and even has time for some top notch special effects wizardry!

5. Silver Linings Playbook – Based on Matthew Quick‘s novel The Silver Linings Playbook, Silver Lining’s Playbook is an interesting release. Thanks again to showings on TV after the film’s original release, I quickly became hooked into the film after several showings. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, it tells the story of a young couple who help each other come to terms with the struggles of their lives, by helping each other out to compete in a dance contest. It can really help you understand the inner workings of a tough relationship, and how to be on the lookout for the silver linings. It creates great scenes of what it can be like to struggle with Bipolar Disorder, whilst again looking for the real joys in life’s bounty. The film also finds times to make you laugh!

4. Instant Family – Instant Family is a really fun and cool film about two adults who foster three kids. At first I wasn’t really interested in seeing it, but then I saw a few clips which garnered my interest. It’s a fun film with some real comedy moments, but then it has scenes which carry a lot of heart, and at other times, packs a real punch of drama. You can’t help but feel sad when they are sad, and happy when they are happy. Isabela Merced is fantastic as Lizzy, and the rest of the cast play a real part in supporting one another, to make a fun but powerful family drama!

3. 13 Assassins – This is easily one of my all time favourite movies! Directed by Takashi Miike and starring Koji Yakusho, 13 Assassins is a remake of a 1963 film of the same name by Eiichi Kudo, and follows a group of hired samurai tasked with killing an up and coming young lord who threatens the peace Japan has been enjoying for nearly 200 years! This is an incredible film, it tells an interesting story, and sets up characters nicely, from heroic warriors, to despicable villains. It features an epic soundtrack, and has some terrific moments, including an energy fueled, long, but never boring final battle, and an ending with a hero you don’t see surviving. I absolutely love this movie!

2. Your Name. – I was very lucky at the end of 2016 to get a chance to see this on the big screen, and it was wonderful. Your Name. (and yes, the full stop is part of the full title…on IMDb at least) is an animated romance film with a hint of science fiction. The story focuses on two teenagers, who keep swapping bodies, despite having never met, nor live anywhere near each other. It’s an interesting setup that leads to a cavalcade of comedy, but then it all dry’s up as something weird happens, which leads to a horrific discovery! Beautifully drawn and animated, with a story that you can jump right into and enjoy, easily one of the best, if not the absolute best animated film from the last decade.

1. Godzilla (2014) – Growing up as a Godzilla fan wasn’t easy, as it’s a very lonely topic to enjoy. It’s even harder when most of the time, when people find out that you like Godzilla; it turns out that the only one they had known about or seen was the 1998 film! Thankfully, 2014 was a great year to be a Godzilla fan! I had high expectations for this film, and it more than lived up to them. It’s the Japanese design with all the main characteristics of Godzilla, from the spines, to the legendary atomic breath. The story was really good, well set-up, driven at a nice pace, and the glorious arrival and introduction of the big G was fantastic. I loved this film all the way to it’s core, and even consider it as one of the best film’s in the entire series! Simply put: it’s Fantastic!