The Top Ten of The Last Ten

10 - The Social Network (2010)

The protagonist of Fincher's Facebook film may have lost some of our respect over recent years, following criticism of his involvement with Cambridge Analytica and attitudes to ads, but whilst Mark Zuckerberg has fallen, The Social Network has soared. Its razor-sharp dialogue, powerful editing, and compelling acting never presents its characters as anything but flawed and broken trying to make it in a world that only cares about popularity. It's still a highly entertaining, and culturally damning, portrayal of the power of social media and the overwhelming desire to be liked. It could be argued that it is more meaningful now than ever.

9 - The Hurt Locker (2009)

Really, The Hurt Locker is what started everything for me. Not my love for films, that was well established, but my love for all things Oscars. The Hurt Locker was one of those rare films that took my breath away like nothing had done before. So why the love for the Oscars? In my mind, Avatar was going to win Best Picture; it was a two horse race. But Hurt Locker won. That was exciting - to see this superb piece of cinema topple the $2 billion behemoth. And every year there's a competition, a battle with a winner to predict. But that's not why The Hurt Locker is so high on this list. Yes it holds a special place in my heart, but it is also a gosh-darn great movie.

8 - Up In The Air (2009)

Some films get better the more you watch them, some get worse. My master's thesis focused on airports in American Cinema (fun, right?)*, looking at 2004's The Terminal and 2009's Up in the Air. I liked both films when starting but now I'd be happy to never see a single frame of The Terminal again. Up in the Air, however, got better with every viewing, despite excruciating analysis. Now that's the sign of a good film. A beautifully crafted movie with George Clooney's Ryan as a living embodiment of airport life - busy, impressive, free, but ultimately empty, devoid of any solid, concrete relationships, revelling only in temporary connections. It's as warm as it is heartbreaking, and much more grounded than its title lets on.

*Full title: Representation of the Airport in American Film: Exploring Marc Augé's Non-Place, its Effect on Relationships, and the Concept of Home in The Terminal and Up in the Air

7 - Django Unchained (2012)

Slavery may not seem like a natural topic for Tarantino, the wise-cracking, violence-loving, history-warping filmmaker that he is. In fact, slavery should surely be treated with the upmost sincerity? I mean, look at 12 Years a Slave - they won Best Picture with their very serious (and very good) representation of one of the darkest times in American History. But with Django, an organic pairing emerges. Tarantino does not treat slavery lightly, but never does he let his audience dwell in sorrow. While this is a victorious story, it still shows all the gruesome realities of slavery and doesn't hide the ugliness of revenge. Is it stylised, yes. Is it often tongue-in-cheek, yes. But does it ever downplay the suffering of those who were enslaved or make light of their plight? No. It could very easily be a disaster, but in Tarantino's hands, it is a major success.

6 - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) 

It's tempting to assign Birdman's success to a gimmick: the single long take in which the film is shot. And whilst it's stylistic properties are worth all the merit they're given, Birdman is so much more than clever camera work. As well as being the highest Best Picture winner on this list, it's a stunning piece of visual artistry and outstanding strong telling, contained within the parameters set by the single wandering viewpoint. It's immersive and subversive, funny and miserable, stacked with world-class performances and complimented by a strong rewatch value. Well, how could Birdman not make the top ten?

5 - The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

At three hours long, The Wolf of Wall Street is easily the longest film to break the top ten, but unlike other similar-length films, particularly those released around Oscar season, it never drags. It portrays the exhilarating appeal of Belfort's lifestyle, regardless of its condemnable morality, whilst not shying away from the ugly, crushing devastation that it brings. It is bold, brutal, breathtaking, and boasts a career-best performance from Leonardo DiCaprio (don't @ me). The picture it paints may be shades of moral and ethical grey, but grey has never dazzled so brightly.

4 - Black Swan (2010)

What happens when you combine the high art of ballet with spine-tingling unease and paranoid suspense of a horror film? The answer: you get one of the best films of the last ten years; an unnervingly dark dive into the human psyche as it pursues perfection. Black Swan is as scary as it is steamy, whilst never being insincere and we, as the viewer, share in Nina's swan dive into madness, experiencing every second of it through her as our unreliable guide with Aronofsky's directing perfectly positioning his audience to constantly surprise, scare, and shock us. As far as films go, this one is on pointe (sorry).

3 - Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

There's no other film on this list quite like Mad Max: Fury Road. Firstly, it's a sequel. Not only that, it's a reboot-sequel. And not only that, but it's a reboot-sequel set in dystopian wasteland, ruled by a cult of radioactively decaying, kamikazing mad-men that drive spikey sand-buggies and swing flamethrower-guitar players from ropes whilst chasing the few females left in their world. Not your typical Oscar bait, but simply brilliant. A visual masterpiece, a joyous thrill-ride, an overwhelmingly unique piece of cinema; Fury Road is all these things and more. But what does Fury Road have that few others on this list have? Fun. It takes it's fun seriously, and as a result it is seriously fun. Whilst other films may make us well up or pull on our heartstrings, Fury Road begs us to watch again and again and again. It says 'hey, hop in. Enjoy the drive', and we can't not. It's just too good.

2 - The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Auter is not a word thrown around much these days, and probably for good reason. Do many directors today really have a distinguishable style, something immediately recognisable? A few names spring to mind, but none more so than Wes Anderson; his style is uniquely crafted and The Grand Budapest Hotel is the jewel in his crown. A ridiculously comic, character driven caper featuring a dream cast, a non-linear narrative (complete with complementary aspect ratios) and signature cinematography. It is a meticulously detailed cinematic experience which never sacrifices its entertainment value or its beauty. In fact, it truly encompasses all that the medium of film has to offer in order to tell a fantastic and phenomenally funny story.

1 - Whiplash (2014)

It's not often I finish a film and want to re-watch it immediately, but that's what happened with Whiplash. I was rewatching it the very next day after thinking about it all night. Almost five years since its release, and I'm still thinking about it all the time. It is a reminder that films don't have to be box-office behemoths filled with cherished intellectual property to be brilliant, but great performances, a sharp edit, a contained narrative, and only personal stakes can do the job fine. Damien Chazelle has become a regular at the Oscars (with La La Land and First Man in the last few years) but not because his films are 'Oscar-bait', but because they are good films without appealing to the conventions of a typical winner. And sure, he hasn't gone home with a Best Picture gong yet but his best film to date gets the absolute privilege of sitting at the top of this completely pointless list, on this completely pointless blog with an author who will fight tooth and nail for it to stay there.