If you asked me in 2010 which studios’ films would be amongst my favorites over the next ten years, I probably would have answered two correctly: Fox Searchlight (11) and Sony Pictures Classics (7). Those are two independent shingles of big Hollywood names that have been pumping out quality pictures for decades. Next up would have been The Weinstein Company (5), Warner Bros. (4), Paramount (4), Universal (4), and Sony Pictures (3) because they were cinema. So why are they barely beating those other two combined? Because the game changed.
A24 (9) hit the scene in 2012 and bet big on artists. Drafthouse Films (3) bowed in 2010 before evolving to NEON (3) in 2017. Magnolia (6), IFC Films (5), and Oscilloscope (3) kept growing. And the streamers arrived with Amazon (4), Netflix (2), and Hulu (1) providing top-tier content.
It’s only going to get wilder as the behemoth that is Disney/Fox unveils its strategy while A24, NEON, and the like continue to fill the void Weinstein has left. I hope it all becomes even more chaotic than it already is because it means money will be thrown at filmmakers of all genders, sexuality, and backgrounds to bring audiences unique visions unlike any we’ve seen before. More competition is never a bad thing (especially when the likes of Disney continue seeking to destroy it).
Until then, however, here are the 100 films (in alphabetical order) that left their mark on me the past ten years. I cheated a bit by simply compiling all my revised Top 10s together, but the margin of error between a #8 selection and a #15 is so small that having a built-in cutoff didn’t sacrifice much (while saving me increased levels of stress whittling things down). I’m pretty happy with the mix. And if you’re desperate to know what my #1 is … just look at the header image. (It’s Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight.)
Au revoir, 2010s.
12 Years a Slave
2013 | Steve McQueen | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
50/50
2011 | Jonathan Levine | Summit Entertainment
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
The Act of Killing
2012 | Joshua Oppenheimer | Drafthouse Films
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
2013 | David Lowery | IFC Films
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
American Animals
2018 | Bart Layton | The Orchard
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Aniara
2019 | Pella KÃ¥german & Hugo Lilja | Magnolia Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Arrival
2016 | Denis Villeneuve | Paramount Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Beasts of the Southern Wild
2012 | Benh Zeitlin | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
2014 | Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Black Swan
2010 | Darren Aronofsky | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Blue Valentine
2010 | Derek Cianfrance | The Weinstein Company
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Call Me By Your Name
2017 | Luca Guadagnino | Sony Pictures Classics
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Calvary
2014 | John Michael McDonagh | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Carlos
2010 | Olivier Assayas | IFC Films
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Carol
2015 | Todd Haynes | The Weinstein Company
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Cloud Atlas
2012 | Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski | Warner Bros.
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Coherence
2014 | James Ward Byrkit | Oscilloscope
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
2015 | Marielle Heller | Sony Pictures Classics
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Dunkirk
2017 | Christopher Nolan | Warner Bros.
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Enemy
2014 | Denis Villeneuve | A24
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Ex Machina
2015 | Alex Garland | A24
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
The Farewell
2019 | Lulu Wang | A24
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
The Fighter
2010 | David O. Russell | Paramount Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
First Man
2018 | Damien Chazelle | Universal Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
For Sama
2019 | Waad Al-Kateab & Edward Watts | PBS
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Frances Ha
2013 | Noah Baumbach | IFC Films / Sundance Selects
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Fruitvale Station
2013 | Ryan Coogler | The Weinstein Company
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Fury
2014 | David Ayer | Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Get Out
2017 | Jordan Peele | Universal Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Gisaengchung [Parasite]
2019 | Bong Joon-ho | Neon
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Hell or High Water
2016 | David Mackenzie | CBS Films
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Hellion
2014 | Kat Candler | IFC Films / Sundance Selects
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Her
2013 | Spike Jonze | Lionsgate
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
High-Rise
2016 | Ben Wheatley | Magnolia Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Holy Motors
2012 | Leos Carax | Indomina Releasing
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Honey Boy
2019 | Alma Har’el | Amazon Studios
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
2016 | Taika Waititi | The Orchard
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
I Am Not Your Negro
2016 | Raoul Peck | Magnolia Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
If Beale Street Could Talk
2018 | Barry Jenkins | Annapurna Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Inception
2010 | Christopher Nolan | Warner Bros.
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Inch’Allah
2012 | Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette | Entertainment One
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Inside Out
2015 | Pete Docter | Disney / Pixar
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Intouchables [The Intouchables]
2011 | Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano | The Weinstein Company
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Io sono l’amore [I Am Love]
2010 | Luca Guadagnino | Magnolia Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
It Comes at Night
2017 | Trey Edward Shults | A24
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Jackie
2016 | Pablo LarraÃn | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Jagten [The Hunt]
2013 | Thomas Vinterberg | Magnolia Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
James White
2015 | Josh Mond | The Film Arcade
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Jusqu’Ã la garde [Custody]
2018 | Xavier Legrand | Kino Lorber
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Lady Macbeth
2017 | William Oldroyd | Roadside Attractions
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Leave No Trace
2018 | Debra Granik | Bleecker Street Media
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Looper
2012 | Rian Johnson | TriStar Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Luce
2019 | Julius Onah | Neon
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Mad Max: Fury Road
2015 | George Miller | Warner Bros.
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Madeline’s Madeline
2018 | Josephine Decker | Oscilloscope
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Manchester by the Sea
2016 | Kenneth Lonergan | Amazon Studios
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Marriage Story
2019 | Noah Baumbach | Netflix
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
The Master
2012 | Paul Thomas Anderson | The Weinstein Company
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Melancholia
2011 | Lars von Trier | Magnolia Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Midnight in Paris
2011 | Woody Allen | Sony Pictures Classics
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Minding the Gap
2018 | Bing Liu | Hulu
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Moonlight
2016 | Barry Jenkins | A24
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Mudbound
2017 | Dee Rees | Netflix
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Never Let Me Go
2010 | Mark Romanek | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Oslo, 31. August [Oslo, August 31st]
2011 | Joachim Trier | Strand Releasing
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
ParaNorman
2012 | Chris Butler & Sam Fell | Laika Entertainment / Focus Features
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Pariah
2011 | Dee Rees | Focus Features
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2012 | Stephen Chbosky | Summit Entertainment
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Portrait de la jeune fille en feu [Portrait of a Lady on Fire]
2019 | Céline Sciamma | Neon
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
A Quiet Passion
2017 | Terence Davies | Music Box Films
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Rabbit Hole
2010 | John Cameron Mitchell | Lionsgate
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Relatos salvajes [Wild Tales]
2014 | Damián Szifron | Sony Pictures Classics
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Rundskop [Bullhead]
2011 | Michaël R. Roskam | Drafthouse Films
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Saul fia [Son of Saul]
2015 | László Nemes | Sony Pictures Classics
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
2010 | Edgar Wright | Universal Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Selma
2014 | Ava DuVernay | Paramount Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Shame
2011 | Steve McQueen | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Short Term 12
2013 | Destin Daniel Cretton | Cinedigm
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
The Social Network
2010 | David Fincher | Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Sound of My Voice
2012 | Zal Batmanglij | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Spotlight
2015 | Tom McCarthy | Open Road Films
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Spring
2015 | Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead | Drafthouse Films
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Spring Breakers
2013 | Harmony Korine | A24
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
2019 | Henry Dunham | RLJ Entertainment
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Steve Jobs
2015 | Danny Boyle | Universal Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Thelma
2017 | Joachim Trier | The Orchard
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2017 | Martin McDonagh | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Toni Erdmann
2016 | Maren Ade | Sony Pictures Classics
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Transit
2018 | Christian Petzold | Music Box Films
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
The Tree of Life
2011 | Terrence Malick | Fox Searchlight Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Under the Skin
2014 | Jonathan Glazer | A24
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
Upstream Color
2013 | Shane Carruth | erbp
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Waves
2019 | Trey Edward Shults | A24
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
We Need to Talk About Kevin
2011 | Lynne Ramsay | Oscilloscope
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Whiplash
2014 | Damien Chazelle | Sony Pictures Classics
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Wildlife
2018 | Paul Dano | IFC Films
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
The Witch
2016 | Robert Eggers | A24
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
The Wolf of Wall Street
2013 | Martin Scorsese | Paramount Pictures
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review
Wonderstruck
2017 | Todd Haynes | Amazon Studios
★ ★ ★ ½ | Review
You Were Never Really Here
2018 | Lynne Ramsay | Amazon Studios
★ ★ ★ ★ | Review