A Filmmaker's Guide to: 20 Films of the 2010s

The 2010s is often a difficult era to find 20 great films for because of the fact the era itself is not very varied with its approach to filmmaking technique, storytelling and the acting is nowhere near as good as the eras that preceded it. However, I have managed to compile a list of films that would suit this era to be talked about in the years to come and hopefully become classics of our age because of their difference. The only problem is, in most cases, difference does not make a ton of money unless you're "Black Panther" (2018).

At the beginning of the decade we are met with something I pretty much dragged people to watch in the cinema about ten years' ago - Christopher Nolan's "Inception" (2010) is an amazing feat of a movie. Blending psychological thriller with high drama, this film is subversive, difficult to understand and has all the trademarks of Nolan's film "Memento" (2000) except for the fact that this film is in chronological order. Nolan does something very clever, he hooks you in with the story which includes one of separation, human indecency and possible psychological disorder - and then he forces you to watch it many times in order to understand it. With a cast including Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard, there is really no way he could go wrong. A cinematic experience, this film will always be something watchable, will gain our concentration and will possibly obliterate our eardrums in the process.

But this was also the age of social awareness, dramas to show what money can do to people and Aaron Sorkin's brilliant writing brought to "The Social Network" (2010) gave rise to that vision. Based on the rise of Mark Zuckerberg and his company "Facebook", this film deals with the social in the way we have not yet seen on screen. It deals with the physical social and the virtual social at the same time. The high drama is caused by the very real life tensions, the court cases and the requirement to do something with life. It is a brilliant nod to the social dramas and courtroom dramas of the 60s and 70s with its absolutely captivating soundtrack and intense approach to acting and filmmaking.

"A Star is Born" was obviously going to be remade again but this time we got "The Artist" (2011). A silent French film about pretty much the same thing that "A Star is Born" was about. However, we are met with the silent age's greatest acclaim - the use of facial expressions and movement in acting. The use of spacial awareness and proper drama for which we have not seen for many years. A fun and possibly incredibly emotional film, this brought on a new era of people wanting to film things in black and white. Something not done since Spielberg's "Schindler's List" (1993) and even with that great movie, he could not start this craze.

Social awareness could not come sooner than the groundbreaking drama, "Spotlight" (2015) starring Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams. A film about the sexual misconduct claims about the Catholic Church in Boston and based entirely on a true story, this film was shocking in more than one way. The filmmaking style really made it look like a psychological thriller and gave it the same qualities that you see in films like "Zodiac" (2006) and "Seven" (1995) just without making it as dark. A brilliant newsroom drama, this film is bound to be shelved as a classic in the years to come.

If you want to concentrate on the social awareness quality of this era, another film that is bound to become a classic in the next decades is the crime drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (2017). A brilliant nod to the problems with law enforcement and the corruptions of the power politics that come along with it, this film is an excellent story of unjust people and those who want closure. The filmmaking style is incredible, if you were to just watch the scene where the police station catches fire then you'd know what I'm talking about. It is a movie which I can possibly say is one of the greatest of the decade.

As the decade came to a close, I think that the biggest blow to the film industry was possibly the retirement of Sir Daniel Day-Lewis. Going out with a bang in "Phantom Thread" (2017), he certainly gave a fine performance as a man wrought with passion projects and sadness over his mother's death. A beautiful performance to retire on, it is one of those films that once you watch it, you could never ever forget. You can definitely see that he wanted to go out on a high rather than work himself to the bone. Again, through its incredible creation of vivid emotion, its amazing style and grace, this film has got to be one of my favourites of the decade. But, Paul Thomas Anderson, I think you broke Sir Daniel Day-Lewis...

20 Films of the 2010s

Biopics, High Drama, Courtroom Cases and try-hard filmmaking styles - this era is definitely filled with surprises if you look close enough. Ignoring the recent trend in superhero films with only "Black Panther" (2018) possibly making the list for its inclusion of an all-Black main cast, this era was somewhat difficult to write for. I have all to vivid memories of being worried to death that certain films would be crushed under the weight of tiresome superhero films and that was what initially drew me away from starting with this era. I definitely needed time to think. So here it is.

They are in no particular order.

1. Skyfall (2012)

2. Joker (2019)

3. The Imitation Game (2014)

4. Inception (2010)

5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

6. The Social Network (2010)

7. The Artist (2011)

8. Lincoln (2012)

9. Spotlight (2015)

10. Blackkklansman (2018)

11. The Shape of Water (2017)

12. Dunkirk (2017)

13. The Danish Girl (2015)

14. Split (2016)

15. Phantom Thread (2017)

16. Black Panther (2018)

17. Shutter Island (2010)

18. I, Tonya (2017)

19. The Big Short (2015)

20. Moonlight (2016)