For those who fall under its spell, cinema is a magical thing. It is what we think about, it's what we dream about, it's certainly what we talk about, and it's what we write about. And the last of these is what led me to this present undertaking, one that is now finally finished. After having seen hundreds and hundreds of motion pictures in recent years, I came to the decision that rather than wait for the decade's conclusion for the traditional glance backwards I would do something different; I decided to try and present an in media res snapshot of how cinema looked during the first half of the twenty-teens. And while the effort was daunting it offered untold rewards in the process. Follow along to discover the best the silver screen has had to offer us of late. But first, some quick facts and superlatives!
Number of films on the list in a foreign language: 10 (1 Polish, 1 Italian, 1 Danish, 1 Swedish, 6 French)
Number of films on the list directed by women: 8
Number of directors with 2 films on the list: 8
Number of directors with 3 films on the list: 2 (which correlates directly with...)
The Best Director of the past half-decade: Christopher Nolan; 1st runner-up: David Fincher
The Best Actress of the past half-decade: Jennifer Lawrence; 1st runner-up: Scarlett Johansson; 2nd runner-up: Jessica Chastain
The Best Actor of the past half-decade: Ryan Gosling; 1st runner-up: Joseph Gordon-Levitt; 2nd runner-up: Michael Fassbender
And now, without further ado, here are the 100 greatest films from 2010-2014:
100. Prisoners
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano; Directed: by Denis Villeneuve
99. I Am Love
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini; Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
98. Killing Them Softly
Starring: Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini; Directed by: Andrew Dominik
97. Only Lovers Left Alive
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, John Hurt; Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
96. The Hunt
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Alexandra Rapaport, Thomas Bo Larsen; Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg
95. Win Win
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Alex Shaffer, Amy Ryan; Directed by: Thomas McCarthy
94. Blue Valentine
Starring: Ryan Gosling. Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel; Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
93. One Day
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Rafe Spall; Directed by: Lone Scherfig
92. Fury
Starring: Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf; Directed by: David Ayer
91. 50/50
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick; Directed by: Jonathan Levine
90. Blue Is the Warmest Color
Starring: Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux; Directed by: Abdellatif Kechiche
89. Wreck-It Ralph
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer; Directed by: Rich Moore
88. Kill Your Darlings
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Michael C. Hall; Directed by: John Krokidas
87. Django Unchained
Starring: Jamie Foxx. Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio; Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
86. The Ghost Writer
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams; Directed by: Roman Polanski
85. Kick-Ass
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicholas Cage; Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
84. Argo
Starring: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman; Directed by: Ben Affleck
83. Enemy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Melanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon; Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
82. 127 Hours
Starring: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara; Directed by: Danny Boyle
81. Amour
Starring: Emmanuelle Riva, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Isabelle Huppert; Directed by: Michael Haneke
80. The Help
Starring: Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone; Directed by: Tate Taylor
79. Mud
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon; Directed by: Jeff Nichols
78. This Is the End
Starring: Jay Baruchel. Seth Rogen, James Franco; Directed by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
77. Prometheus
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron; Directed by: Ridley Scott
76. You and the Night
Starring: Kate Moran, Niels Schneider, Alain Delon Jr.; Directed by: Yann Gonzalez
75. The End of Love
Starring: Mark Webber, Shannyn Sossamon, Michael Cera; Directed by: Mark Webber
74. Philomena
Starring: Judi Dench; Steve Coogan; Directed by: Stephen Frears
73. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Starring: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer; Directed by: David Fincher
72. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Jude Law; Directed by: Wes Anderson
71. Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Starring: Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling; Directed by: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra
70. American Hustle
Starring: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence; Directed by: David O. Russell
69. The Ides of March
Starring: Ryan Gosling. George Clooney, Evan Rachel Wood; Directed by: George Clooney
68. Weekend
Starring: Tom Cullen, Chris New; Directed by: Andrew Haigh
67. The Avengers
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson; Directed by: Joss Whedon
66. The Imitation Game
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode; Directed by: Morten Tyldum
65. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Starring: Quvenzhane Wallis, Dwight Henry, Gina Montanna; Directed by: Benh Zeitlin
64. Hannah
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana; Directed by: Joe Wright
63. Frank
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal; Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
62. Bridesmaids
Starring: Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne; Directed by: Paul Feig
61. Gone Girl
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris; Directed by: David Fincher
60. Don Jon
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore; Directed by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
59. The Town
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner; Directed by: Ben Affleck
58. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Adam Brody; Directed by: Lorene Scafaria
57. Love Is Strange
Starring: John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei; Directed by: Ira Sachs
56. Laurence Anyways
Starring: Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clement, Monia Chokri; Directed by: Xavier Dolan
55. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland; Directed by: Francis Lawrence
54. The Master
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams; Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
53. Starred Up
Starring: Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend; Directed by: David Mackenzie
52. Blue Jasmine
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins; Directed by: Woody Allen
51. Animal Kingdom
Starring: James Frecheville, Guy Pearce, Jacki Weaver; Directed by: David Michod
50. Short Term 12
Starring: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever; Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
49. Margin Call
Starring: Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore; Directed by: J.C. Chandor
48. Stranger by the Lake
Starring: Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Paou, Patrick d'Assumcao; Directed by: Alain Guiraudie
47. Black Swan
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel; Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
46. Not Fade Away
Starring: John Magaro, Jack Huston, Bella Heathcote; Directed by: David Chase
45. Magic Mike
Starring: Channing Tatum; Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey; Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
44. TiMER
Starring: Emma Caulfield, John Patrick Amedori, Michelle Borth; Directed by: Jac Schaeffer
43. The Cabin in the Woods
Starring: Kristin Connolly, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth; Directed by: Drew Goddard
42. Force Majeure
Starring: Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Kristofer Hivju; Directed by: Ruben Ostlund
41. Lincoln
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones; Directed by: Steven Spielberg
40. Whiplash
Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser; Directed by: Damien Chazelle
39. Heartbeats
Starring: Xavier Dolan, Monia Chokri, Niels Schneider; Directed by: Xavier Dolan
38. Winter's Bone
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkins, Dale Dickey; Directed by: Debra Granik
37. Foxcatcher
Starring: Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo; Directed by: Bennett Miller
36. The Dark Knight Rises
Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy; Directed by: Christopher Nolan
35. Blue Ruin
Starring: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves; Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
34. Captain Phillips
Starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Catherine Keener; Directed by: Paul Greengrass
33. Hugo
Starring: Asa Butterfield. Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen; Directed by: Martin Scorsese
32. Safety Not Guaranteed
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson; Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
31. Guardians of the Galaxy
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista; Directed by: James Gunn
30. Cloud Atlas
Starring: Tome Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess; Directed by: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer
29. Take Shelter
Starring: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham; Directed by: Jeff Nichols
28. Anna Karenina
Starring: Keira Knightley, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jude Law; Directed by: Joe Wright
27. Young Adult
Starring: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson; Directed by: Jason Reitman
26. Frozen
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad; Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
25. Interstellar
Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain; Directed by: Christopher Nolan
24. Frances Ha
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver; Directed by: Noah Baumbach
23. The Place Beyond the Pines
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes; Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
22. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieren Culkin; Directed by: Edgar Wright
21. Nightcrawler
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed; Directed by: Dan Gilroy
20. 12 Years a Slave
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender; Directed by: Steve McQueen
19. Looper
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt; Directed by: Rian Johnson
18. Life of Pi
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall; Directed by: Ang Lee
17. Zero Dark Thirty
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Ehle, Chris Pratt; Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
16. Dallas Buyers Club
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner; Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallee
15. Inception
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page; Directed by: Christopher Nolan
14. Boyhood
Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke; Directed by: Richard Linklater
13. Silver Linings Playbook
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro; Directed by: David O. Russell
12. Her
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams; Directed by: Spike Jonze
11. Fish Tank
Starring: Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender, Harry Treadaway; Directed by: Andrea Arnold
10. Ida
Starring: Agata Trzebuchowska, Agata Kulesza, Dawid Ogrodnik; Directed by: Pawel Pawlikowski
9. Moneyball
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Chris Pratt; Directed by: Bennett Miller
8. Drive
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac; Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
7. Skyfall
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench; Directed by: Sam Mendes
6. Under the Skin
Starring: Scarlett Johannson, Adam Pearson, Paul Brannigan; Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
5. The Social Network
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer; Directed by: David Fincher
4. Beginners
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, Christopher Plummer; Directed by: Mike Mills
3. Gravity
Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney; Directed by Alfonso Cuaron
2. Inside Llewyn Davis
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake; Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller; Directed by: Stephen Chbosky
...And now, unfortunately, here are the 10 worst offerings I watched during the past half-decade:
10. The Double
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn; Directed by: Richard Ayoade
9. Man of Steel
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon; Directed by: Zack Snyder
8. Elysium
Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley; Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
7. The Adventures of Tintin
Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig; Directed by: Steven Spielberg
6. Top Five
Starring: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Hart; Directed by: Chris Rock
5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx; Directed by: Marc Webb
4. Daydream Nation
Starring: Kat Dennings, Josh Lucas, Andie MacDowell; Directed by: Mike Goldbach
3. Super
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler; Directed by: James Gunn
2. This Must Be the Place
Starring: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Eve Hewson; Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
1. Sucker Punch
Starring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone; Directed by: Zack Snyder
