Somehow, I did not write much of anything all 2019. (Related: teaching is a lot of work.) But here I am now, to give my top ten movies of the last ten years. For me, the past twenty years have seemed like ten, so I frequently found myself reaching for movies that unbelievably are much older than I remember. If you’ve read my past musings, you probably have a pretty good understanding of my taste, and this list is sure to follow suit. As a quick disclaimer, please do not mistake this list of my personal preferences as a ranking of the best, whatever that means. I haven’t watched that many movies, but I’ve watched just enough to build out a list of films I’ve repeatedly returned to last decade as my clear-cut favorites. Here we go:

A coming-of-age story for black boys in the United States, Moonlight expertly wrestles with the struggles of entering manhood while grappling with circumstance, sexuality, and growth within a maturing black male body. More of these stories deserve to be told, and more spaces need to be available for these conversations, spaces that are rarely (if ever) available for personalities like Little, Chiron, and Black’s.

This movie has no business being so funny. None. Well-written and well-executed, Bridesmaids is quickly becoming one of our generation’s best comedies, full stop. Kristen Wiig deserves all of her flowers and then some for compiling this all-female cast, everyone somehow just as funny as their fellow castmates.

This film is pure fun, chronicling the particularly outrageous ascension of a rags-to-riches stockbroker in the 1980s. Few things are funnier than rich white people losing their minds.

Given the movie’s name, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is your typical slasher-cabin flick. And the movie leans into those assumptions at its start, one hundred percent. However, as the film progresses, small quips and innuendos cause you to think there must be more to the film’s plot than what’s clear in the moment, and the movie gradually becomes a satirical psychological thriller that is simultaneously funny and thought-provoking. The Cabin in the Woods borrows from our more standard horror films but uses those tropes to fuel a new, modern version that is unexpected yet refreshing.

I’m aware this movie wasn’t the most popular upon its 2014 release, but Christopher Nolan made this one specifically for me. Interstellar handles two of my absolute favorite subject matters: interdimensional travel and global warming. Spoilers coming: the film’s narrative revolves primarily around a widowed NASA pilot (portrayed by the inimitable Matthew McConaughey) and his remaining family who are inhabiting an mid-21st century Earth blighted by global warming. NASA subsequently asks McConaughey’s character to abandon his family to find an Earth-like planet in another galaxy; however, the task requires that he and other astronauts enter a wormhole that will significantly age his family while he, on the other hand, continues to age regularly. In an effort to return to his family, McConaughey’s character discovers interdimensional time travel, relaying his revelation to his daughter on Earth during the film’s present-day timeline. His discovery allows scientists remaining on Earth to construct another planet for mankind and McConaughey’s character is able to see his daughter one final time before she dies of old age. For me, Interstellar is the ultimate science fiction film. You’ll have to see it yourself to make complete sense of my description, but trust, it is worth the three hours.

I’m being kind-of (read: completely) sneaky with this selection, as it technically didn’t come out this decade. But my list, my rules. Besides, Watchmen is one of my all-time favorite films. This movie checks all the boxes when it comes to media and the type of movies I prefer. A superhero flick? Check. A commentary on the state of both domestic and foreign affairs? Check. Satirical? Check. Science fiction? Check. A proletarian uprising? Double-check. And if you’re living under a rock somewhere, Regina (the) King recently starred in a riveting serial reboot of the movie that just completed on HBO. Please do me and yourself a favor and check out both. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, I Am Not Your Negro beautifully chronicles the life of esteemed author and cultural analyst James Baldwin. Inspired by Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript Remember This House, this documentary recounts Baldwin’s experiences and his personal recollections of historical titans Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers, three of the most tragic casualties of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, each of whom considered Baldwin both a friend and colleague.

I haven’t seen Captain Phillips on any other decade-end lists, which is an absolute shame. This movie is awesome! Tom Hanks is an amazing actor (duh) with a knack for making you feel like you’re there with him in the story. On the surface, this movie seems pretty standard: boat gets captured by Somalian pirates; everyone fights for survival; roll credits. But what compels me most isn’t the storyline — based on a true story, by the way — but the execution of director Paul Greengrass in capturing both sides of the story: not just the side of those being captured, but the lives and situations of the pirates, as well. Greengrass is able to elicit empathy for the pirates almost immediately, so as the plot develops, the suspense of what’s to come is even more intense.

Get Out hardly needs my review by now. We’ve all seen it. We all know it’s great. More Black horror films, please and thanks.

Some time ago, I drafted a piece on Django Unchained for WHATSUITSHIM.com but never followed through on publishing it. I guess I sort-of talked myself out of reviewing a movie nearly a decade old, but now that we’re officially here in 2020, I am happy to declare Django my favorite movie of the last ten years. I also have no issue arguing how underrated this film is, and how those who judged it without seeing it or based on who made it are critical without knowing what exactly to criticize. Django makes this list (and a host of other decade-end rankings) due in large part to its masterful storytelling. Tell me the last time you’ve seen a genuine black western? Or the last time you’ve seen a slave redemption movie where the freed slave actually takes command of his own volition? Or the last time you’ve seen Sam Jackson portray a villain as vile and ruthless as Stephen? You haven’t, at least until you’ve seen Django Unchained. The film’s plot, acting, and scene progression all combine to make Django Unchained one of Quentin Tarantino’s best films to date.