Nick’s Top 12 Films Of The 2010’s

Salutations fellow movie goers from across the globe. Today’s editorial is looking back at my personal favorite films of ranging from 2010-2019. Keep in mind, this is an opinion based editorial. If you want to share your top picks of films of The 2010’s, don’t forget to leave a comment. Anyways, here’s my “Top 12 Films Of The 2010s.” Why Top 12? Because I want to prevent an extra number from causing any bad luck. I wrote some non-spoiler review for some of the movies listed. If you’re curious to know more about them, feel free to check em’ out!

Nick’s Top 12 Films

12. Deadpool

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2016

Box Office: $782,612,155

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is notorious for changing Deadpool’s look by sowing his mouth shut. In 2016, Ryan Reynolds reprised his role as Deadpool in a reboot set after “X-Men: Days Of Future Past.” This time Deadpool can finally speak free without his mouth shut saying and doing whatever he wants. There’s a reason why he’s called “The Merc With A Mouth.”

Thank god Ryan Reynolds managed to knock it out of the park alongside Fox learning their lesson not to screw up an iconic characters fans know in love. When I first saw Deadpool’s proper big screen treatment, I was incredibly satisfied for its presentation of the title character “Breaking The 4th Wall” similar to Jim Carrey from “The Mask.” Humor is unapologetic because Deadpool can do whatever he wants in his movie without any form of limitations as in the PG-13 X-Men films.

In my opinion, Deadpool is my number one favorite film from 2016. I think Ryan Reynolds deserved an Oscar nomination for “Best Actor.” It’s 2018 sequel was also a hit, I can’t wait for a third movie to happen if Disney has enough room for him. Hopefully they get their gear together now that they own Fox.

11. Toy Story 3

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2010

Box Office: $1,066,969,703

The third installment of Toy Story 3 impressed me back when I was a high schooler passing the age of childhood and ready to enter the next step as an adult before I graduated in 2011. After rewatching the first two Toy Story movies, I compared them to the third installment and they’re all equal on the same Class A level.

The storyline involves Woody & his friends are accidentally transferred to a day care. They meet a teddy bear named, Lotso. The actual conflict comes from Woody has to make a decision. He either wants to be with his owner Andy who’s about to go to college, or stay with his pals.

Toy Story 3 an amazing threequel becoming the first computer animated movie (without live action like Avatar) to earn a billion dollars at the box office proving Pixar can tell heartwarming yet sad movies captivating movie goers and families alike. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen among many other players all did a fantastic job for their voiceover performances, the tone balances between comedy and dramatic territory, Character Development involving Woody, Lotso’s backstory, animation vastly improved among many things I’ve listed on my review for Toy Story 3. Feel free to check out full details.

Toy Story 3 is my favorite animated film from 2010 and it was so close to as the number one film of the aforementioned year. It totally deserved an Oscar for “Best Animated Feature.”

10. The Wolf Of Wall Street

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2013

Box Office: $392,000,694

After they collaborated in “Shutter Island,” Leonardo DiCaprio & Martin Scorsese reunite to make a non-fiction biopic about Jordan Belfort who also wrote a memoir,” The Wolf Of Wall Street” which is the basis for the movie based on it. The film introduces Margot Robbie to the public eye becoming a trailblazer in today’s entertainment. It also earned a record for most usage of saying The F Word surpassing “Casino,” “Summer Of Sam” & “Nil By Mouth.” Marty has a fetish for F Bombs.

Performances were amazing, Marty direction kept elements of the memoir intact, humor is filled with filthy dark humor, memorable moments such as the heart pounding scene with Matthew McConaughey, Jordan’s destructive path of swindling people affects his professional/personal life and those who are close to him such as his friends and family disowning him for his downfall.

The Wolf Of Wall Street is my number one pick of 2013. One of Marty’s best films from the last decade next to Shutter Island, “Hugo” and of course, “The Irishman.”

9. Mad Max: Fury Road

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2015

Box Office: $375,209,362

When I first saw “Mad Max: Fury Road,” I was on the edge of my seat feeling like I was in the car seat with Max & Furiosa attempting to evade the villains. Fury Road is very different from previous movies with Mel Gibson as Max. The entire movie is almost one big chase knowing what the heck is actually going on with the situation. Tom Hardy’s portrayal retains Mel’s character traits as Max. Charlize Theron’s character comes Furiosa has an interesting background. Equal screen time for both leads as we know they want to make it out alive. George Miller didn’t lose his groove, he’s still got it.

I was shocked this movie didn’t win “Best Picture” only losing to “Spotlight.” In my opinion, Fury Road felt like the perfect movie. By the way, it is the number one pick for 2015. “Oh what a day what a lovely day!”

8. The Avengers

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2012

Box Office: $1,518,812,988

“The Avengers” was the biggest movie of 2012 banding Tony Stark, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye & Black Widow recruited by Nick Fury to battle Loki who’s goal is to bring in army from space using a cube with the power to open a portal. As a lifelong fan of Marvel since Fox Kids,

The Avengers put a big smile on my face. Members of the team’s chemistry served as the main highlight. They learned to overcome their differences as a team without a temporary break-up as in almost every cop movie or rom-com. Performances by Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth. Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston & Samuel L. Jackson all did a fantastic job for their performances. Action Sequences made my blood pumping, Visual Effects were gorgeous, Joss Whedon took full responsibility shepherding a crossover movie as Joss himself is a real life Marvel fan who’s very passionate about every character from the comics.

The Avengers is my number one movie of 2012. Not even two of my favorite filmmakers Christopher Nolan & Quentin Tarantino couldn’t top this instant classic with their entries “The Dark Knight Rises” & “Django Unchained.”

7. Guardians Of The Galaxy

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2014

Box Office: $772,776,600

Another marvel movie on the list, “Guardians Of The Galaxy” became a sleeper hit among movie goers and critics. I’m gonna come clean. When I first heard of the team getting their own movie., I’ve never heard of them before. I was skeptical to see how they’re gonna pull off a team up movie like The Avengers. They managed to surprise me in a positive way.

James Gunn did an incredible job as writer and director coming up with witty dialogue, humor, songs from The 70’s, the tone and almost everything he did without breaking a sweat. The Cast all did a tremendous job especially Vin Diesel & Bradley Cooper as Groot & Rocket. Vin took the role as Groot, because both Rocket & Groot reminded him of his close friendship with the late Paul Walker.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is one of my all time favorite Marvel movies next to its sequel, Deadpool, Infinity War, Endgame & Logan.

6. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows (Parts 1 & 2)

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2010/2011

Box Office: $2,301,794,524 (total gross of both parts)

After a decade worth a ten year storyline, The Deathly Hallows lit a match to fuse the ultimate chapter completing Harry Potter’s ongoing battle with Lord Voldemort since “The Sorcerer’s Stone.” Harry and his friends must destroy horcrux, a source of Voldemort’s soul split for various objects in order to defeat him permanently. As a Potter fan, I was extremely happy to see this storyline finally getting a proper conclusion worth my childhood well spent.

All the actors did a decent job playing their roles one last time. David Yates took notes from the book by translating plot points into significant moments. Action Sequences were spot on. Computer Animation never felt fake. Character Motivations tied with everything connected to the last movies/books. A shocking plot twist reveals one character’s true motivation putting the whole storyline into motion. I cried at the end of the movie, I’m not gonna tell you if you haven’t seen or read the book. It’s as if my childhood is saying goodbye to me.

Hear me out, I consider both parts of The Deathly Hallows as one movie like other movies split into two parts such as “Kill Bill” & “Twilight: Breaking Dawn.” Think of Deathly Hallows as in epic four hour plus movie like “Spartacus,” “Ben-Hur” or “Lawrence Of Arabia.”

The Deathly Hallows is my number one pick of 2011 and my favorite Harry Potter movie. This should’ve been nominated for Best Picture.”

5. Avengers: Infinity War

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2018

Box Office: $2,048,359,754

After a complex culmination of installments interconnected to the MCU since 2008, “Avengers: Infinity War” brings many characters we all know in love in the biggest epic battle to prevent Thanos from acquiring the infinity stones, in an attempt to wipe out half the universe’s existence.

Many familiar faces reprise their roles. They all did an amazing job for their performances. I never got bored throughout, I was already invested with every single character since the Marvel Cinematic Universe kickstarted in 2008. The Russo Brothers fact checked all the characters to see if they factored in carefully. Action Sequences were spot on gorgeous alongside Computer Animation. Josh Brolin did a superb job for his portrayal as Thanos. It’s a travesty he didn’t earn an Oscar for “Best Supporting Actor” nomination.

Infinity War is arguably my number one pick from 2018. Plus, my personal favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe film. To paraphrase Captain America’s catchphrase. “I can talk about this all day.” Feel free to look up my non-spoiler review for Infinity War.

4. Joker

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2019

Box Office: $1,070,368,754

Like gritty comic book movies, “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” “V For Vendetta,” “Watchmen” & “Logan.” “Joker” further pushed the envelope on what comic book movies can do without running out of gas. This origin story set outside the DC Extended Universe, explores the iconic supervillains origin story made as an amalgamation of many elements found in previous Batman comics primarily Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke.” Besides comics, the film is a throwback to character driven movies from The 70’s to early 80’s influenced by “Taxi Driver,” “Dog Day Afternoon” & “The King Of Comedy.”

The story has nothing to do with the comics or the DC Extended Universe, Joker is it’s own thing not setting up a sequel or numerous spin-offs, just a single story, the equivalent of DC Comics’ “Elseworlds Stories” set outside the main universe.

Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a critical & box office juggernaut, Joker on the other hand managed to get The Academy Awards’ attention for many awards with Joaquin Phoenix ultimately winning “Best Actor” making him the second actor to win an Oscar for his portrayal as The Clown Prince Of Crime after his late friend Heath Ledger. Joker became the first R rated film to gross a billion dollars at the box office, proving not every family friendly comic book movie has to make over a billion.

Joker is my number one movie of 2019. For more details, check out my full review of the film.

3. Interstellar

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2014

Box Office: $677,471,339

“Interstellar” is an instant classic about a family man who’s recruited by NASA to travel to another galaxy in the hopes of saving humanity. When I first saw Christopher Nolan’s film, I was captivated by the visual effects and cinematography feeling like I was floating in space. Besides “Inception,” Interstellar is an ambitious, complex and convoluted movie making you want to find many answers.

The Cast led by Matthew McConaughey all did a superb job. Chris Nolan took a lot of gambles to perfect his work. Hans Zimmer’s score is very memorable. Twists & Turns will keep you guessing. The Three Act Structure retain the screenplay’s blueprints. I can pinpoint all the good things all day. If you feel like looking at my fully detailed non-spoiler article, don’t be shy.

Believe it or not, Interstellar is one of my favorite movies of all time & I also chosen this as my number one movie of 2014. Too bad The Academy never handpicked it as an eligible Best Picture nominee.

2. Inception

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2010

Box Office: $829,895,144

Another Christopher Nolan related movie, “Inception” is perhaps one of the most unique yet complex movies ever crafted by a brilliant filmmaker who never attended film school. When I first saw Inception, I was very confused as I tried to put the puzzle pieces together. Upon second viewing, I fully understand the themes, character motivation and how they want to steal a person’s idea.

The Cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio all did an incredible job for their performances. Christopher Nolan took a lot of risky routes to build a cohesive narrative to get the audience rolling along like detectives embarking on a complicated case. The Narrative felt perfectly executed never missing a bullseye. Action Sequences were bloody wicked. Practical Effects were heavily used to build elaborate sets. Computer Animation was used sparingly. The Ending will keep you guessing up to interpretation.

Inception is my number one movie of 2010 and one of my all time favorite movies beating out “Toy Story 3” for number pick of 2010. I’m still mad Tom Hooper and his movie “The Kong’s Speech” robbed Nolan’s “Best Director” & “Best Picture” Award.

Honorable Mentions

2010 – Shutter Island, True Grit, Tangled, Black Swan, Megamind, Despicable Me, The Fighter, Kick-Ass, The Other Guys, Jackass 3-D, The Expendables, The Fighter, The Runaways, The Town, The Social Network, Iron Man 2

2011 – Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Drive, Contagion, Rango, X-Men: First Class, Fast Five, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Muppets, Bridesmaids, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Adventures Of Tin Tin, War Horse, Super 8

2012 – Skyfall, Django Unchained, The Dark Knight Rises, Dredd, Argo, Wreck-It-Ralph, The Master, Lincoln, Ted, 21 Jump Street, Brave, The Amazing Spider-Man, Hotel Transylvania, Looper, Men In Black 3, The Expendables 2, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, ParaNorman, Frankenweenie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Jack Reacher, Killing Them Softly

2013 – This Is The End, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Pacific Rim, Frozen, Fast & Furious 6, Iron Man 3, The Wolverine, Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods, Despicable Me 2, Monster University

2014 – Edge Of Tomorrow, The Lego Movie, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Big Hero 6, 22 Jump Street, Birdman, American Sniper, Gone Girl, Kingsman: The Secret Service, John Wick, Inherent Vice, Penguins Of Madagascar

2015 – The Hateful Eight, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation, The Revenant, Inside Out, Furious 7, The Martian, Creed, Straight Outta Compton, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F, Ant-Man, Spectre, Avengers: Age Of Ultron

2016 – La La Land, Hacksaw Ridge, Sausage Party, Finding Dory, The Nice Guys, Star Wars: Rogue One, Captain America: Civil War, Dr. Strange, The Secret Life Of Pets, Zootopia, Fantastic Beasts, 10 Cloverfield Lane

2017 – Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, Dunkirk, The Lego Batman Movie, Wonder Woman, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, Baby Driver, It: Chapter 1, Justice League, The Fate Of The Furious, Kong: Skull Island, Thor: Ragnarok, I Tonya, John Wick: Chapter 2, The Greatest Showman, Get Out, Split, Captain Underpants, American Made, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Despicable Me 3

2018 – Mission Impossible: Fallout, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Deadpool 2, Incredibles 2, A Quiet Place, A Star Is Born, Ready Player One, Black Panther, Ralph Breaks The Internet, Annihilation, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tag, Game Night, Halloween 2018, Creed II, The Mule, BlacKkKlansman, Aquaman, Hotel Transylvania 3, Ant-Man & The Wasp

2019 – Avengers: Endgame, Rocketman, El Camino, Dolemite Is My Name, Toy Story 4, Shazam, The Irishman, Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Judy, Bombshell, The Dirt, John Wick: Chapter 3, Blinded By The Light, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Judy

1. Logan

Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Year: 2017

Box Office: $619,021,436

My number one movie of The 2010’s is Hugh Jackman’s hurrah as Wolverine in “Logan.” This final installment of the X-Men franchise in chronological order (not production order) about an aged Wolverine who embarks on one last job to project a girl from a shay government due to her being the daughter Wolverine cloned from his DNA. He reluctantly accepts the quest to protect girl with the help of Professor X. Unlike previous X-Men movies, Logan is a hard R film refusing to follow the rules filled with lots of crimsons stains, swearing coming from Wolverine, a somber tone making “Marvel’s Superhero Squad” look like “Veggie Tales.”

Performances by Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart & Dafne Keen all knocked it out of the park for their respective performances, James Mangold did a flawless job directing and writing, the film is more character driven rather than story driven in traditional X-Men entries, Action Sequences are gorier showcasing what Wolverine can do with his claws, Cinematography felt spot on, Plot Points deconstruct superhero tropes and the last but not least, the ending made me cry. Such a travesty Hugh Jackman never got a “Best Actor” nomination or the movie never earned a “Best Picture nomination. The closest thing was a nomination for “Best Adapted Screenplay.”

Logan became one of my favorite movies of all time. I consider it Marvel’s equivalent of “The Dark Knight” pushing the boundaries on what superhero movies can do. This felt like a breath of fresh air deconstructing superhero tropes in a more realistic tone described as “Unforgiven” meets Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Biutiful” with superheroes. I hear by declare Logan as the number movie of 2017 and the best movie of The 2010’s. Hugh’s performance as an aged Logan felt compelling to Javier Bardem’s Oscar nominated performance in Biutiful.

That’s all I got for ya fellow movie goers. What’s your favorite movies from The 2010’s? Please leave a comment.