Films of the Decade

As we moved into 2020, we move into a new decade. It's fitting at markers such as that to look back at the events, people and pop culture landmarks that stood out from that period of time. For me, that means looking at films.

Some released their list of the best films in December as the decade turned over, but I wanted to wait a bit. The films of 2019—including those released at the end of the year—are part of the discussion. And so the first bit of the year, I've been thinking about my own list.

If you wanted to get a list of the 10 films that the industry called the best, you could turn to the Best Picture winners. That is considered the standard for films. Below are the 10 winners from the last decade.

2010: The King's Speech

2011: The Artist

2012: Argo

2013: 12 Years A Slave

2014: Birdman

2015: Spotlight

2016: Moonlight

2017: The Shape of Water

2018: Green Book

2019: Parasite

When you look at that list, you see some fine and compelling films. Some may have different favorites, and they may recall memories. It's also common, among those who love films to want to revisit what was the "best" film of the year after a period of five years or so because the legacy and enduring view of films changes with time. As I undertook my look at the movies that stood out to me over the past decade, I considered just that—what they meant to me.

The love of film is subjective. While in my reviews I attempt to objectively look at the construct of a film to review it. But when I do my Top 10 lists, I acknowledge that they are the films I loved best. It's personal. You can't place films on lists like this without them meaning something to you.

So, for the following 25 weeks, I'll be presenting the films that made my decade list. This will also include some broken into categories. So head back the next few weeks to see films I enjoyed from the past decade.