Big Picture Big Sound

I've been very open about my deranged enjoyment of film list-making here but it's truly a fool's errand to distill a decade of movies into a list. The 2010s have brought us so many memorable, fun, entertaining, thought-provoking and of-the-moment movies, which will stand the test of time.

Funny enough, as difficult as it was to make this list, the top spot has been a fait accompli since the moment the credits rolled on October 1, 2010. At the tail end of the first year of the decade, David Fincher's "The Social Network" cemented itself as a modern day "Citizen Kane" - a comparison not used lightly - and has remained the best film of the 2010s.

Many great films have come since "The Social Network" but Fincher's masterwork (another tough call to make, especially following his "Zodiac") remained the movie on my mind as the years went on. To paraphrase Roger Ebert, every great film should feel new every time you watch it. That's exactly what Fincher achieved with "The Social Network."

In ascending order (because I couldn't help but to spoil the top pick), the best movies of the 2010s are:

1. "The Social Network" (David Fincher, 2010): It's everything stated above and more. When the trailer first appeared for "the Facebook movie," eyes rolled everywhere. Fincher's film subverted expectations, creating a film where each department works in perfect unison. The performances, Aaron Sorkin's script, the score, the editing and the cinematography all come together to create a film without a flaw.

2. "Burning" (Lee Chang-dong, 2018): In some ways, I'm still wondering what everything in "Burning" means. The gorgeous, ambiguous fever dream is opened to interpretation, which is what makes it so magnificent. "Burning" features a trio of great performances, including one of the great supporting turns of the decade by Steven Yeun.

3. "Zero Dark Thirty" (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012): Kathryn Bigelow followed-up her Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker" with a tense and sprawling procedural about the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden. The movie was met with a great deal of controversy about its depiction of torture but Bigelow never glorifies; she simply dramatizes the events. Jessica Chastain stars in one of the great screen performances of the last 10 years.

4. "A Ghost Story" (David Lowery, 2017): "A Ghost Story" is another movie open to interpretation about what it all means. David Lowery's sparse marvel is built on a gimmick and transcends beyond to create a movie that will make the most skeptical consider the possibility of the afterlife. Haunting and elegiac, "A Ghost Story" is a singular work of beauty.

5. "Boyhood" (Richard Linklater, 2014): "Boyhood" follows an everyday family over the course of 12 years, which was Richard Linklater's technique in making the movie. He used the same actors (including Patricia Arquette in an Oscar-winning role and Ethan Hawke, who earned a nomination) and we simply watched them grow over the throughout the film. It's easy to say nothing happens in "Boyhood" but it wouldn't be accurate. Everything happens. Life happens.

6. "The Place Beyond the Pines" (Derek Cianfrance , 2013): One of the more forgotten films of the 2010s, "The Place Beyond the Pines" is an epic drama about fathers and sons. Told in triptych, the movie follows Ryan Gosling's bank robber, Bradley Cooper's police officer and how their lives are forever intertwined. Derek Cianfrance's film is a brilliant feat of storytelling.

7. "Call Me by Your Name" (Luca Guadagnino, 2017): The 2017 movie shows how to use time and space to further a story. Timothee Chalamet became a star before our eyes as Elio, who spends the summer at his parents' Italian villa. His young life changes when he meets Oliver (Armie Hammer), who stays with the family. Their bond grows strong in the lazy, hazy summer of 1983 and blossoms into a romance, which cannot last.

8. "Spotlight" (Tom McCarthy, 2015): The true story about the Boston Globe's reporting of sex abuse in the Catholic Church is a gut-wrenching and infuriating film to endure. The great ensemble cast brings the story to the screen about a group of reporters, who wanted to bring justice to those who were victimized at the hands of the Catholic Church. It's the superhero story of the decade.

9. "Manchester by the Sea" (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016): Kenneth Lonergan's story of tragedy and its lingering effect is as surprisingly funny as it is harrowing. Casey Affleck won a deserved Best Actor Oscar for his role and audiences were introduced to Lucas Hedges in a big way (he was Oscar nominated for his performance). It's a tough sit but "Manchester by the Sea" leaves an impact long after the movie is over.

10. "Get Out" (Jordan Peele, 2017): In some ways, "Get Out" is the movie of the decade. It's the one that took audiences, critics and the box office by surprise. Jordan Peele's debut feature magnificently balances social commentary in a hybrid of genres. Movies like "Get Out" don't get embraced at the Oscars but Peele's work was undeniable (the film was nominated for Best Picture, among others, and won Best Original Screenplay). "Get Out" is a movie to be studied for decades to come.

Why stop at 10? Other great films from the decade include:

"Amy" (Asif Kapadia, 2015)

"BlacKkKlansman" (Spike Lee, 2018)

"Bridesmaids" (Paul Feig, 2011)

"Certain Women" (Kelly Reichardt, 2016)

"Ex Machina" (Alex Garland, 2015)

"Faces Places" (Agnes Varda and JR, 2017)

"Lady Bird" (Greta Gerwig, 2017)

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" (Sean Durkin, 2011)

"Midnight Special" (Jeff Nichols, 2016)

"Moonlight" (Barry Jenkins, 2016)

"A Most Violent Year" (J.C. Chandor, 2014)

"Personal Shopper" (Olivier Assayas, 2017)

"Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri" (Martin McDonagh, 2017)

"Widows" (Steve McQueen, 2018)

The list could continue because it's been such a wonderful decade at the movies. We are living in a time when filmmakers are taking risks and telling meaningful stories, which allows us to live within their films. Hopefully they continue to do so for a few more decades to come.