10. The Handmaiden (2016)
Our top 10 movies last 10 years list begins with a great one from South Korea. Park Chan-wook has made other critically acclaimed films like Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, and The Handmaiden belongs in that category.
In Japanese-occupied Korea, a con man operating under the sobriquet of “Count Fujiwara” plans to seduce a Japanese heiress named Lady Hideko, then marry her and commit her to an asylum to steal her inheritance.
He hires a pickpocket named Sook-hee to become Hideko’s maid and encourage Hideko to marry him.
Director: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong
Release date: September 27, 2016
Runtime: 144 minutes
9. Moonlight (2016)
A young African American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
With a budget of just one and a half million dollars, Barry Jenkins creates one of the best movies of the past two decades. Viewers will not only have a black experience, but a human one.
Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali
Release date: October 21, 2016
Runtime: 111 minutes
8. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Leading the comedy movies is Mr. Wes Anderson’s drama. The Grand Budapest Hotel is an adventure focused on Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes). Mr. H. is a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel.
He takes new lobby boy Zero (Tony Revolori), who later becomes his most trusted friend, under his wings. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, and the battle for an enormous family fortune.
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Léa Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, Tony Revolori
Release date: March 7, 2014
Runtime: 100 minutes
7. The Lobster (2016)
Colin Farrell stars as David, a man who has just been dumped by his wife. To make matters worse, David now lives in a society where single people have 45 days to find a new true love. If you don’t make this love connection, you are turned into an animal and released into the woods.
David stays at a mysterious hotel and searches for a new partner. But after several romantic misadventures, he makes a daring escape.
Not your normal relationship movie, but the shock value of many scenes holds your attention. The importance of time is made a premium by everyone. Lanthimos screenplays are off-kilter by design, and that’s exactly what makes Lobster a solid pick for our best drama’s list.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen, Ariane Labed, Angeliki Papoulia, John C. Reilly, Léa Seydoux, Michael Smiley, Ben Whishaw
Release date: May 13, 2016
Runtime: 118 minutes
6. Black Panther (2018)
#6 was made for the big screen a thriller you will not forget. After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to be made king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa’s place on the thrown is threatened.
Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.
Black Panther has pulled in $1.3 billion dollars at the box office. Making it one of the most profitable top ten movies on the last decade.
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis
Release date: February 16, 2018
Runtime: 134 minutes
5. Spotlight (2015)
Ranking in the middle of our roundup is a report involving the church. Spotlight is based on a true story that will disturb and enrage.
Editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan. Geoghan is an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than eighty boys.
Led by editor Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Matt Carroll and Sacha Pfeiffer interview victims and seek proof. The reporter’s sole mission is to get proof of a sexual misconduct within the Church.
4. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
In mid-1980s Texan Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is shocked to learn that he has AIDS. Though told that he has just 30 days left to live, Woodroof refuses to give in to despair.
He seeks out alternative therapies and smuggles unapproved drugs into the U.S. from wherever he can find them. Woodroof joins forces with another AIDS patient (Jared Leto) and begins selling the treatments. Dallas Buyers Club deals with a heavy head on.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto
Release date: November 1, 2013
Running time: 117 minutes
3. Birdman (2014)
Former cinema superhero Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) stages a monumental Broadway production to jump-start his stalled Hollywood career. Longing to be regarded as a serious actor, Riggan is facing difficult hurdles.
The least of which is fellow cast member, and loose cannon, Mike Shiner (Edward Norton). Other obstacles Riggan must deal with include rocky relationships with his daughter, ex-wife, girlfriend, and a gloomy critic.
Birdman took home Oscars in several categories including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and more. We think it is one of the best movies last 10 years. Let us know what you think below.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Cast: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts
Release date: October 17, 2014
Runtime: 119 minutes
2. Parasite (2019)
Just missing the top spot is an excellent movie that deals with social class. Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) and his family fold pizza boxes for a delivery company to make ends meet. This family also steals Wi-Fi access from the local coffee house and leaves their windows open when the neighborhood is being fumigated by the city.
Ki-woo’s life changes when a friend offers to recommend him as an English tutor for a girl he’s been working with. The friend is in love with the young girl and doesn’t want an untrustworthy tutor in his place.
As a result, greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the well-to-do Park family and the impoverished Kim clan. This Oscar movie for best picture recipient fully deserved the coveted award.
1. Get Out (2017)
Peele took home the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his directorial debut Get Out. The film also did a quarter billion dollars in ticket sales vs. a four-million-dollar budget.
It starts off simple enough, Chris Washington (Kaluuya) travels with his girlfriend Rose Armitage (Williams) to meet her parents. Rose assures Chris that even though she’s white and he’s black that her parents will have no problem at all.
They arrive at the house and the parents do not have a problem, but everything is weird. From a sighting of an old friend that doesn’t know who he is, to being hypnotized by Rose’s mom and not feeling himself afterward, the trip begins to turn.
Peele’s Get Out easily dominates the scary picture department, and is our #1 pick for the top feature film during that time too.
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, Catherine Keener
Release date: February 24, 2017
Runtime: 104 minutes