BEST MOVIES OF THE DECADE: #35-#21

Continuing on with my best movies of the decade list:

#35 The Red Pill (2016)

The most fascinating thing about this documentary is the personal transformation that the director goes through.  She came in with an idea about her subject: the Men's Rights Movement.  But through the course of her investigation, she begins to question her own assumptions and ends up in a completely different place because of that.  Whether you agree with her conclusion or not, her journey is fascinating.

#34 The Town (2010)


This is the best of the movies that Ben Affleck as directed and it was so much better than I was expecting.  The script is one that constantly ramps up the tension both exterior and interior.  You can feel the main character's world being torn in two and that no matter what choice he makes, things will be bad.  Along with fantastic performances, this is a great film to see.

#33 A Quiet Place (2018)


From my review: This premise could have been simple horror-movie fare.  And I resisted seeing this movie for a while because of my general aversion to the horror genre.  But this movie is so much more.  Krasinski could have made a simple fright-fest scary film.  Instead, he wanted to say something that was deeply thematic.  I often cringe when directors try to insert themes into genre films.  But Krasinski did it the right way.  His first and foremost aim was to tell an incredibly compelling and tense story.  And in doing so, he laid plain some universal and primal insights into the human condition...

The dynamic between mothers and fathers was so well done in this movie that it is difficult to put into words.  In fact, putting it into words is always going to be a problem, because the truths about who we are are so deep.  But Krasinski follows the story-telling maxim "Show, don't tell."  We don't need characters philosophizing about the role of family dynamics.  Instead the characters act them out.

The closest imagery I could get to explain how Krasinski portrays the parents is this: fathers are swords and mothers are shields.  The father's job is to go out and provide for the family and to attack those who would do them harm.  His job is to extend outward into the world and help his children grow to do the same.  The mother is the shield.  She is there to protect the children from all harm.  She absorbs the pain and suffering to cover for the children's safety.  These roles are not simple and neat categories.  Swords can be used to defend and parry.  Shields can be used to smash and destroy.  But Krasinski presents a full picture of the complementarity that exists in God's design for the human family, whether he intended to or not. 

#32 Jane Wants a Boyfriend (2015)

Sometimes you just want a nice movie to make you feel good inside.  That's what you have with this film.  It is the story of an autistic young woman who wants to have what other people have, particularly she wants romance.  The story doesn't try to get gritty or edgy.  It is a straightforward lovely little romance that is a joy to watch.

#31 - Captain America: Civil War (2016)

From my review: As a philosopher, I love the fact that this is a superhero movie about ideas.  Tony and Steve are fantastic friends whose convictions are pulling them apart.  Anyone who has any kind of political or religious divide in their family and friends understands this tension.  And as in our own relationships, we hope that our mutual respect and affection will overcome all of the differences.  That is what makes Civil War so universal and so tragic...

Steve thinks Tony doubts himself too much.

The actions sequences are spectacular.  The hit you with small details (like showing our heroes run faster than cars through the streets) along with the eye-popping special effects.

But even through the philosophy the Russo Brothers remember that art must not only be provocative but evocative in order to work.  Ultimately, the battle comes down to some primary emotional chords that are so simple that they pull at the heart (but I will not spoil those here).  There is also an "evil villain" plot that is essential to moving the story forward, but is much less interesting (or so it seems) than the hero conflict.

#30 Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

From my review:  The biggest improvement on this movie than in the other Sequel films is the chemistry between the characters.  Finally we get our new trio (Rey, Poe, and Finn) to take their place together at the center of the story.  Their dynamic is fun and exciting.  The affection and romantic tension between Rey and Finn is strong.  The brotherly banter between Finn and Poe feels familiarity and masculine chop-busting.  The new dynamic between Poe and Rey is a welcome addition.  Poe respects Rey as the the best fighter they have but is frustrated that she doesn't step up and fight more while Rey tries to reign in Poe's constant reckless initiative.  But above all of that, there is a bond of friendship that is clear in how they interact.  It feels right and good and true. This is the movie where the handoff of the leadership from the Original Trilogy lead characters to the new generation feels natural and strong.  At one point, Poe feels lost and is struggling.  But a familiar voice from the Star Wars universe reminds him that our Original Trilogy heroes were no different.

#29 Harry Potter and the Deatlhly Hallows Part 2

The final installment of a series has to be the most important. All of the story elements build to the grand finale. It must hit all of the story elements and reach an emotional catharsis or it will be a let down. Thankfully Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 delivers on all fronts. For most of the series we've known that Harry has been marked as the chosen one. But all answers are revealed and the dark and terrible secret of Harry's life comes forth. The film begins with a calm scene by the sea, but that belies the breakneck pace found in the rest of the piece. There is so much story to get through that director David Yates takes the movie full throttle about 20 minutes in and then never lets up. Will the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione find the remaining Horcruxes? Will Harry fulfill his destiny? Who will live and die? And Will Ron and Hermione finally admit their affection? But as great as the ensemble cast is, the film turns on 3 performances. The first is Radcliffe himself. This was the most emotionally harrowing part of Harry's journey. Like Frodo at the Crack of Doom, this is simultaneously his highest and lowest point. Radcliffe captures Harry's utter terror at what lays before him, which makes his courage in the face of that fear all the more powerful. The second is Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. Up until this point he has been the perfect embodiment of evil. And yet as he begins to feel is impending peril, Fiennes allows us to see the Dark Lord's vulnerability almost to the point of pity. And finally there is Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. I shall write more on this later, but suffice to say his moments in the movie never disappoint. All in all, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 is a fond and glorious end to the 10-year-journey we've all taken with the Boy Who Lived.

#28 Lincoln (2012)

From my review: Rather than following his life from start to finish, as many biopics do, Lincoln is primarily about the 2 and a half months between his re-election to the presidency and his fight to get Congress to pass the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery.  By doing this, the movie avoids the major problem that most biopics have, where they are meandering and disjointed as they try to cram many unrelated historical events into the narrative.  But this story has a beginning, middle, and end because it focused only on a slice of Lincoln's life.  And while there is a good deal of his personal life that informs his actions, the movie is mostly about the political maneuverings of the time.  It feels very much like an extended episode of The West Wing set in 1865...

The movie is not a political allegory; it is not a mask for some other current political issues dressed up in 19th Century clothing.  It is rarer and better.  It has what Tolkien called "applicability."  You can use this story and apply it to any political cause.  For example, we Catholic Pro-Lifers seek to outlaw abortion because we believe in human rights for all, born and unborn.  But popular support in the country does not exist for banning abortion in the case of rape and incest.  So what is a Pro-Lifer to do?  Lincoln does an amazing balancing act of principled leadership and political pragmatism.

#27 Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

From my review:  The movie does two things very smartly that I was not expecting.  The first is that Thanos and his entire retinue of lieutenants are terrifying in their power.  The opening scene of the original Star Wars makes you feel like Vader and the Empire are an unstoppable juggernaut that will mow down any resistance.  Infinity War firmly establishes the same with Thanos' group in the first few minutes.  Other villains display their raw power in these types of films like Hela, Ego, or Justice League's Steppenwolf.  But the way Infinity War shows you the strength of Thanos' raw malevolence, you feel the shadow of doom looming over the entire movie waiting to cast everything into darkness.  Most super hero films leave little doubt that the heroes will triumph.  That is not the case here.

The second is that they somehow were able to extract pathos from Thanos.  This is extraordinary because he is a genocidal CGI villain.  How do you make genocide even remotely relatable?  And yet, there is a logic to his method that is understandable.  And after the above-mentioned Steppenwolf, I was worried about another flat, cartoonish animated adversary.  But I never really felt off-put by the graphics on Thanos.  You can tell that they were incredibly careful with him (though not so much with his lieutenants).

#26 Liberal Arts (2012)

From my review: This movie could have easily been a silly comedy about aging hipsters finding hot young chicks.  But Radnor wisely doesn't do that.  The script works so well because it understands bot Jesse's and Zibby's worlds.  Jesse has been beaten down by life and Zibby brings him a sense of rejuvenation, even in how he looks at music and NYC.  She lives life by her Improv Class ethic: say yes to everything.  And Zibby sees in Jesse an emotional maturity and worldly experience that she finds lacking in all other boys her age.

And yet that is also the main obstacle to their closeness.  Jesse is young enough and Zibby is mature enough for the potential romance to not come off as too creepy, so that is not the problem.  The issue is life experience.  Zibby looks at the world the way she does because she has only experienced college life and not "the real world."  And this is a bigger problem than you might think.

#25 Game Night (2018)

From my review: Game Night is one of those comedies that just seems to click.  Comedy is highly subjective, but I found most of the humor genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. The chemistry between the actors is great.  Despite the 10-year age difference, Bateman and McAdams mesh incredibly well.  I was worried that their competitiveness was going to devolve into a predictable antagonism between the two.  Instead the competition makes them tight-knit partners who strategize together.  Morris also has sharpened his comedic line-delivery from his years on The New Girl and it shows.  Most of the rest of the cast does a good job delivering the humor.

But special accolades must be given to Plemons as Gary.  This character is that socially awkward neighbor with whom any interaction is awkward and painful.  Everything he says and does is off-putting in the cringiest way.  And Plemons gives total commitment to embodying all of that awkwardness.  Even in the still photos in Gary's house, you can see Plemons give off that dead-eyed, slightly psychopathic stare that makes you both scared of him and sad for him.  Every time Plemons was on screen he made me laugh loudly.

#24 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

I left the theater after watching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World feeling as though I had just been through a dream. This, I think, is the best way to understand what Edgar Wright does, with audacious vibrancy, in this unique film about a young loser, Scott (Michael Cera) who has to defeat the 7 evil exes (not ex-boyfriends) of the girl of his dreams, Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). It is true that the movie plays like a comic book, with the sound effects lettering and super villain costumes. It is also true that it plays like a video game, with the familiar pvp graphics and music. In and of itself, this makes for an thoroughly enjoyable movie experience for any geek. But Wright understands that these elements are not ends in themselves, but tools to tell the story. In this case, all of the funny, jarring, downright strange visuals are used for great effect. And the effect is this: you are in a dream. I don't mean that Scott is dreaming the story, but that Scott's story contains the logic of a dream. The jarring non-sequiter jump cuts, the strange changes in setting and costume, and the superpowers that come out of nowhere that nobody questions are all part of Wright's style. To everyone in the movie, when the Vegan Police break through the wall or when Knives Chow (Ellen Wong) gets the highlights in her hair punch out... all of it is perfectly normal, just like in a dream. Not only is it normal, but it makes a kind of logical sense in the same way that the insanity of a dream makes sense to you as you dream it. This is not an easy thing to do. Either everything is too strange so that you can't connect or it is too normal and loses its ethereal quality. Edgar Wright balances the two to create a unique and dazzling movie.

#23 All Is Lost (2013)

This is a movie that showcases the power of Robert Redford as an actor.  He never gets too showy.  Every disaster is met with restraint, even when faced with utter despair.  Director JC Chandor deserves special accolades for telling this tale with almost no dialogue.  The power is completely in the acting, the visuals, and the haunting score by Alex Ebert.  The movie never goes for cheap thrills, but I was rivetted to my seat, desperate to see if Our Man would be rescued or consumed by the sea.

#22 Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

After watching The Rise of Skywalker, I went back and rewatched The Force Awakens.  I have to tell you that my estimation of the movie has gone up now that the trilogy is completed.  I truly appreciate how much JJ Abrams stepped up and made a movie that is a worthy successor to the Lucas saga while adding new elements to it.  I forgot how funny it was, especially Finn and Poe.  The scene on the bridge is genius in its visual and emotional composition.  And I still get chills when Rey grabs the lightsaber with the force and that classic theme plays.

#21 Les Miserables (2012)

Les Miserables works so well because Tom Hooper stripped everything non-essential away from the film until the bare bones of raw emotional truth were laid plain. I know this musical inside and out, and yet it felt fresh and new. I couldn't help let a few tears fall during “Little Fall of Rain,” or let out a full throated laugh during “Master of the House.” This is a showcase of the art of acting at its best. A great movie should pull you in and make you feel as though you have completed a long journey with the characters. The end credits should feel like coming up for air. And Les Miserables completely enfolds you in its world and it opens you up to the transcendent nature of art. It points to the higher and more perfect beauties of the world beyond in a way that does not seem cheap or flat, but is earned through the characters taking up their crosses out of love. I have not seen a musical, or any other movie, like it.