Belated pondering of the decade’s best movies

By TYLER WILSON

Coeur Voice contributor

Back in December, professional critics and casual moviegoers alike revealed their lists of the Best Movies of the 2010s.

I didn’t participate. Still trying to catch up on titles from 2019, I wasn’t in the headspace to reconsider the entire decade.

Now we’ve got no new movie releases and plenty of time.

There are many ways to go about such a project. I like to cram as many titles in as I can, so my list will probably feature 20 movies as opposed to the traditional Top 10. Does every year need to be represented? That seems unreasonable with only 10 slots, but 20 picks allows for more representation across the time period.

I published Best of lists in the Press in each year of the decade, though those lists no longer represent my definitive choices for the year. Too often I made the lists before getting to see a few of the late-year contenders. Plus opinions change! As much as I still like the James Franco arm-stuck-in-a-rock movie, “127 Hours,” it definitely isn’t my favorite movie of 2010 anymore.

Like many film nerds, I use the smart phone app Letterboxd to track my viewing habits and ratings, as well as create various lists of my favorite movies and filmmakers. I’ve got Marvel Cinematic Universe and Pixar rankings in there, as well as countdowns of films from various directors like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Also present: Current (ish) Top 10 lists for each of the last 10 years.

I’m not sure how these lists will factor into my eventual Best of the Decade ranking. Some years boast multiple contenders while others seem somewhat irrelevant to the big picture.

For now, I’ll share the top ranked movie from each year:

2010: A tie between Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” and the Christopher Nolan sci-fi masterpiece, “Inception.” Yes, I use ties, because I’m extremely noncommittal.

2011: The statistics-centric baseball drama, “Moneyball” with Brad Pitt.

2012: Wes Anderson’s vibrant coming-of-age adventure, “Moonrise Kingdom.”

2013: Martin Scorsese’s boisterous “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

2014: Richard Linklater’s experimental, 12-years-in-the-making drama, “Boyhood.”

2015: Another Pixar gem - “Inside Out.”

2016: Modern musical “La La Land.”

2017: Jordan Peele’s brilliant comedy-horror mashup, “Get Out.”

2018: Spike Lee’s incendiary “BlacKkKlansman.”

2019: Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite.”

That’s a solid 10 right there, though it leaves out some pretty incredible #2 and #3-ranked titles, including “Moonlight,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Master” and more. I’ve got some decisions to make. Maybe a dark horse or two will climb the ranks, and maybe even a couple #1s will fall off the list.

Coming soon to this column space - A rundown of selections #11-20, with the Top 10 arriving the following week.

What are your favorite movies of the 2010s? Tell me what should make my list by emailing twilson@cdapress.com.