The 2010s was a roller coaster of a decade for film.
We saw Disney dominating at the box office,
but we also saw the rise of streaming
and the decline of movie-ticket sales.
Despite the fact that so many amazing films were produced,
we did manage to narrow down our list.
So without any further ado,
here are our top 10 movies of the 2010s.
No. 10: "Call Me by Your Name."
Oliver: Call me by your name,
and I'll call you by mine.
Narrator: The mood of "Call Me by Your Name"
mirrors the hot and relaxing Italian summer days
that are depicted in the film.
Set in 1983, "Call Me by Your Name" tells the story
of the slow-burn romance between two young lovers,
Elio and Oliver.
Luca Guadagnino's stylized direction is entrancing,
as are the performances by Armie Hammer
and Timothée Chalamet.
And the movie also features Michael Stuhlbarg
delivering one of cinema's all-time-great monologues.
"Call Me by Your Name" is a realistic depiction
of young love that is amplified
by several tender original songs
from Sufjan Stevens.
All in all, any movie that can forever change
the way that society looks at peaches
is a film worth celebrating.
No. 9: "Eighth Grade."
Kayla: Being yourself can be hard.
And it's like, aren't I always being myself?
Narrator: Seeing life itself play out
with such specific detail can be scary,
which is exactly what "Eighth Grade" delivers.
The film follows Kayla Day in her last week of eighth grade,
dealing with the difficult moments
that this time of life brings.
She looks forward to the next big step, high school,
and, like everyone, she wants to be cool and confident.
The honesty of the film rests heavily
on the shoulders of Elsie Fisher,
who plays Kayla.
Her performance is painfully recognizable,
from the stuttering to the subtlest of eye twitches.
This film is very specifically of its time.
Kayla deals with social media, technology,
and changing social attitudes.
But Bo Burnham's script somehow also captures
something both individual and universal.
Even if you haven't lived as a middle schooler
in the time of YouTube videos
or the pervasive use of the internet,
even if you haven't experienced the joys and pains
of American girlhood firsthand,
at the heart of the film is an experience
that we can all relate to.
One of anxiety, wanting to be liked,
and having absolutely no idea what we're doing.
No. 8: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."
Peter Parker: What makes you different
is what makes you Spider-Man.
Narrator: When talking about
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,"
we have to talk about the visuals
and the technical achievement of pulling off
the wildly artistic vision of the art directors.
The animation is the bold combination
of an uber-saturated 2D comic book,
with its grid-like color cells,
and the more realistic 3D computer-generated animation.
It's visually stunning
and, quite simply, like nothing we've ever seen before.
But visuals can only carry a movie so far.
"Into the Spider-Verse" also fully delivers on story,
which is a tough challenge for any film,
but especially a film released in this context.
We've seen far too many iterations of Spider-Man
in less than two decades,
and frankly, the zeitgeist is a bit fatigued
by the constant reboots.
In addition to the humorous and whip-smart script,
one of the main reasons this spider-film is so fresh
is because our spider-protagonist isn't Peter Parker at all.
He's Miles Morales, a young Afro-Latino kid from Brooklyn,
bitten by a different radioactive spider.
"Spider-Verse" is the best animated film of the decade
because, despite all the cards stacked against it,
it's somehow the most original.
No. 7: "The Florida Project."
Moonee: The man who lives in here gets arrested a lot.
These are the rooms we're not supposed to go in.
But let's go anyway.
Narrator: The brightly colored cinematography
in "The Florida Project" contrasts with
the heavy nature of the film's subject
to create a darkly beautiful film about childhood.
The film is about Moonee, a 6-year-old girl
living with her struggling mother in one of the motels
near Disney World.
The fully realized characters are the heart of this film
and are elevated by the amazing performances
by Willem Dafoe and the rest of the cast,
which is especially impressive
considering that no one besides Dafoe
had ever acted before in a film.
Like in his previous film, "Tangerine,"
Sean Baker acts as writer, director, and editor,
proving that he is a master of his craft.
Additionally, he avoids exploiting the subject matter
of poverty in his film through an extremely honest
and unbiased depiction of his characters.
There are no protagonists and no antagonists, just people.
Baker has figured out how to distill
these seemingly simple moments
into an extraordinary film.
Bobby: I love you too.
Narrator: No. 6: "The Social Network."
He's directed so many masterpieces at this point
that it seems rather superfluous to praise David Fincher,
but when you combine Fincher
with an Aaron Sorkin screenplay,
the result is something that should probably
be acknowledged and revered,
which is exactly what we get with "The Social Network."
On the surface level, "The Social Network" is about the rise
of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook,
but the film is much more interested
in the human aspect of the story.
As Sorkin said, "The invention itself
is as modern as it gets,
but the story is as old as storytelling;
the themes of friendship, loyalty, jealousy,
class, and power."
Fincher brings Sorkin's neo-Shakespearean screenplay
to life, perfectly balancing a dozen characters,
nonlinear storytelling, and intertwining narrative arcs.
Jesse Eisenberg delivers his best performance ever,
and when you put all of those elements together,
you get an outstanding film
that will hopefully outlive Facebook itself.
No. 5: "Lady Bird."
Lady Bird: I wanna go to the East Coast.
I wanna go where culture is like New York.
Marion: How in the world did I raise such a snob?
Lady Bird: Or at least Connecticut or New Hampshire,
where writers live in the woods.
Marion: You wouldn't get into those schools anyway.
Lady Bird: Mom!
Narrator: Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan
are a match made in indie Hollywood heaven.
"Lady Bird" carries the same wit and tone we've seen
in films Gerwig has starred in,
but with her at the reins as writer and director,
we get a window into her soul,
as she shows us the painful
and endlessly funny roller coaster
that is the life of a teenage Catholic school rebel.
This semiautobiographical film is crammed full
of genuine moments,
showcasing the good, bad, and ugly aspects
of family, friendship, and growing up.
Ronan once again proved that she is
one of the most talented actresses ever
and works perfectly with Laurie Metcalf
to nail their contentious
mother-daughter relationship dynamic.
Gerwig shows that she's talented beyond her years,
as "Lady Bird" shrewdly explores family dynamics
and social status in an extremely honest
and entertaining film.
No. 4: "Mad Max: Fury Road."
Immortan Joe: Where is she taking them?
Narrator: Who would've thought that an artistic,
feminist movie from the man who made "Happy Feet"
would not only be one of the best action films
of the decade but one of the best films of all time?
Well, "Mad Max: Fury Road" is all of that and more.
Set in the not-so-distant dystopian future,
"Mad Max" has a fairly straightforward plot.
Max and Furiosa attempt to outrun and escape
the warlord Immortan Joe and his deadly caravan.
Technically, the film is flawless.
Its acting, directing, stunts, editing, and choreography
are all top notch.
The film's stripped-down plot allows room
for the action to really shine.
"Mad Max" has more memorable moments
in one five-minute action sequence
than other action movies have in their entire runtime.
The film is wild, immersive, and hardly ever slows
from its full-throttle action insanity.
No. 3: "Boyhood."
One of the many things that makes "Boyhood" exceptional
is that it was filmed over a 12-year period,
a singular and Herculean filmmaking achievement.
But "Boyhood" probably would've had a very good shot
of making our top-10 list
even if it was produced like a regular film
due to Richard Linklater's beautiful storytelling.
"Boyhood" follows the day-to-day life of a boy, Mason,
played by Ellar Coltrane,
who started filming at the age of 6
and finished at the age of 18.
Linklater created a fulfilling narrative,
slowly piecing it together as they filmed every summer
from 2002 to 2013.
Patricia Arquette deservedly won the Academy Award
for best supporting actress,
and Ethan Hawke turned in one of his
routinely outstanding performances as well.
A totally unique approach to creating a film,
combined with Arquette, Hawke, and Linklater
at the height of their powers,
created this stellar, one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
No. 2: "Moonlight."
Kevin: Who is you, Chiron?
Narrator: From director Barry Jenkins,
"Moonlight" follows Chiron,
a boy living in the projects of Miami,
as he grapples with his harsh home life
and his sexuality.
The film's earnest script is complemented
by a dreamy pastel color palette,
an aching score from Nicholas Britell,
and an outstanding cast from top to bottom,
including an Academy Award-winning performance
from Mahershala Ali.
It was also the first Academy Award best-picture winner
to feature an all-black cast
and the first one that had a prominent LGBT theme.
"Moonlight" is a beautiful and deeply moving
depiction of masculinity.
Every aspect of the film is perfect,
and yet, somehow,
it still manages to be more than the sum of its parts.
A magnum opus for everyone involved.
No. 1: "Get Out."
Dean: So, how long has this been going on,
this...this thang?
Narrator: Writer and director Jordan Peele
announced himself as an auteur with "Get Out,"
a mystery-thriller that is a spot-on commentary
about race in America.
"Get Out" begins with a black photographer, Chris,
tentatively agreeing to go visit and meet
with his white girlfriend's family for the first time.
Her family seems nice on the surface,
but Chris can't help but notice that something
seems strange about her parents' house.
Peele's script is tense, funny,
and rewards viewers for repeat viewings
with dozens of Easter eggs.
But more than anything, it's an incredibly sharp critique
of liberal racism and the lie of a post-racial America.
We think that this film is the best of the decade
for being exceedingly clever, thrilling, rewatchable,
and for its scathing and poignant social commentary.
So, what did you think of our list?
What's your favorite?
Let us know in the comments.