Top Ten Films of the 2010's

==10: Moonlight (A24) – Dir. By Barry Jenkins==
A masterpiece depicting the truth of love and masculinity, Barry Jenkins and company craft an experience of a film. Blending the realism and grittiness of the harsh urban life with a subtle and emotional hand that cinema offers, Moonlight bolsters itself with an outstandingly talented cast of actors. Much like the community the film seeks to embody and pay homage, ‘‘Moonlight’’ has a cool and fierce exterior matched by a tender soul. 
Best Scene: Paula Steals from Chiron 
==9: Spotlight (Open Road Films) – Dir. By Tom McCarthy== 
With an intelligent and unbiased pen, Tom McCarthy helps create a fascinating study on one of the 21st century’s most defining scandals. Thanks, in part to an entire ensemble of excellent performers, McCarthy’s vision is realized perfectly. Passionate and factual to a fault, the sheer magnitude of what McCarthy communicates to his viewers is numbing to behold. What seems like a fictional tragedy is even more affecting when McCarthy reminds the viewers that this happened, and it will shock those who truly understand it. 
Best Scene: Mike's Freakout 
==8: Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures) – Dir. By Alejandro G. Iñárritu== 
Revolutionary in terms of execution and sheer scope, this arthouse sensation proves that filmmaking is itself an art. Emmanuel Lubezki is a master of his craft, with his camera perfectly capturing every moment performed to excellence by an ensemble of truly fantastic performers. Michael Keaton and Edward Norton soar as more profound and fictionalized versions of themselves, but it’s the heartbreaking and fierce Emma Stone that defiantly creates a career in Iñárritu’s magnum opus. 
Best Scene: Opening Preview 
==7: Drive (FilmDistrict) – Dir. By Nicolas Winding Refn== 
A cerebral and eye-catching visual story, Refn and his crew manage to create one of the defining crime thrillers of this generation. With an eerily calm and silent Ryan Gosling and the aesthetic that will leave viewers astounded, ‘‘Drive’’ is as intense and action-packed as it is character-driven and provocative. A neo-noir that transcends the genre it reminisces about, Refn lets his strength in visual and auditory storytelling shine with color and ambiance.
Best Scene: The Driver's Opening Monologue 
==6. Crazy, Stupid Love (Warner Bros. Pictures) – Dir. By Glenn Ficarra & John Requa== 
Hilarity ensues when a touching tale of love lost, regained, and regretted is woven together perfectly in harmony with each other. Embracing the strange and beautiful nature of love, and how life tends to twist it in amusing and complicated ways, the cast is ready to play ball as they simply lay back, relax, and enjoy the craziness that love gives to everyone. 
Best Scene: The Backyard Fight
==5: Inception (Warner Bros. Pictures) – Dir. by Christopher Nolan== 
Christopher Nolan proves himself as a writer and director in his best in the chair of his career. Mesmerizing in execution on both a technical and intellectual level, the mind will be amazed as the eyes are gifted with breathtaking set pieces and smartly written dialogue is slung back and forth between this century’s most gifted modern performers. A defining piece of science fiction and action cinema, Inception is peerless in terms of sheer wonderment and ambition. 
Best Scene: Mal's Suicide 
==4: Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures) – Dir. by F. Gary Gray==
Biopics are always a complex genre, especially when one must deal with several subjects at once. However, what Gray manages to accomplish is a juggling act of powerful performances, evocative writing, and flawless direction that not only meets the bar, but far exceeds it. Perfectly balancing the more complex relationships of the N.W.A. with the pure energy of the group’s songs and members, Gray assembles a team worthy of immortal recognition. 
Best Scene: Fuck Tha Police
==3: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Summit Entertainment) – Dir. by Stephen Chbosky== 
Capturing the struggles and highlights of a teenager, Chbosky’s adaption of his very own novel is proof of how much the new generation of actors can offer. Logan Lerman is flawless as “Charlie”, proving himself as one of his time’s most gifted thespians. Emma Watson shreds the legacy of her Harry Potter days as the seductively broken “Sam”, while Ezra Miller’s “Patrick” is a delight to witness. The power of words is on full display, with Chbosky letting his work flow seamlessly and beautifully. 
Best Scene: Charlie's Story about his Best Friend
==2: Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics) – Dir. by Damien Chazelle==
With unbridled ferocity and intensity, ‘‘Whiplash’’ is a magnetic joy to behold. Flawless direction by the then up-and-coming director Chazelle allows his film to feel powerful and without reservation. Anchored by two dynamite performances from Miles Teller and J. K. Simmons, it holds nothing back in the goal of fulfilling one’s dreams and the sacrifices needed to achieve greatness. 
==Honorable Mentions==
*Boyhood (IFC Films) – Dir. by Richard Linklater
*Toy Story 3 (Pixar) – Dir. by Lee Unkrich 
*Lion (The Weinstein Company) – Dir. by Garth Davis 
*Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Warner Bros. Pictures) – Dir. by Stephen Daldry 
*Short Term 12 (Cinedigm) – Dir. by Destin Daniel Cretton 
==1: Silence (Paramount Pictures) – Dir. by Martin Scorsese== 
Often utilizing images to tell the story just as often as words, Silence is Martin Scorsese's magnum opus. No film rivals it in sheer heart, power, and theme, while the ensemble brought together here stands as one of the best in all-time. It brings up morality, faith, and reverence that unsettles the viewer, causing them to truly begin to think and question themselves as a person. There is nothing like it- Silence is an experience that transcends cinema.
Best Scene: Sebastion Sees the Face of Christ