As the thread title describes it.

We have a wide range of taste and preferences here on DLP, so I am rather interested to see what people view as their favorites.

Which movies of the past 10 years you consider your most favorite?

You can only choose 1 movie per year.

Here are mine picks:


2015 - Ex Machina

I just adore this movie, it is what I think a movie about AI should be. The acting is superb, the story is interesting and it forces the viewer to think.

2014 - Edge of Tomorrow

We have aliens, high-tech power armor, time travel and Emily Blunt. What's not to like? Despite not liking Tom Cruise as a human, I must applaud his acting in this movie, he did a great job here.

2013 - The Great Gatsby

One of DiCaprio's better movies. I like the setting of 1920s USA. The music is pretty awesome in this movie and made me look further into Electro Swing. In fact, I may just read the book this is based on.

2012 - Chronicle

See, this is how you make a movie about super-humans. When regular guys get superpowers, they use them for personal gain, which eventually backfires. I also like the fact that the "villain" is not a villain at all, but just a troubled kid who may have turned out differently if things went just a little better.

2011 - Limitless

This is the movie that sold Bradley Cooper to me. This movie takes the 10%-of-brain myth and makes it not only interesting, but fun. I'm so glad that it was later developed into a tv series, because I can't get enough of this setting.

2010 - Monsters

I don't like romance stories. But this movie is criminally underrated. Not only is the setting fantastic, the alien creatures have cool designs but I actually gave a fuck about the characters, which in love stories rarely happens to me. Also, I refuse to acknowledge that the sequel to this exists.

2009 - District 9

I'm a fan of alternate history, so I was glad that the setting has the aliens land in 1982 and live here for decades rather than have them land today. I'm not sure if we will ever get a sequel, but I'm curious what would happen. Would the aliens get revenge? Would they simply take their people and leave peacefully? On the other hand, the sequel might ruin it, so I'm not sure.

2008 - The Curious Case of Bejnamin Button

The old joke "Dude, what would happen if someone was born an old man and became younger? Lol!" And this movie actually makes it work. Now, I think that is an achievement in of itself.

2007 - The Man from Earth

Another criminally underrated movie. The fact that it takes place entirely in a single room with only a few people talking to each other and yet had me at the edge of my seat near the end is outstanding. Also, Roarian, we're waiting.

2006 - Stranger than Fiction

A movie that aspiring authors can appreciate. What if the main character from your book one day knocked on your door and asked you not to kill him? Well, watch this movie to find out. Will Ferrell isn't among my favorite actors, but I liked him in this movie.

 

Very difficult, so I'll play it by ear. I see a ridiculous number of movies.

2015: Ex Machina - edges out Inside Out slightly. A brilliant movie especially considering the low budget. Didn't hit me emotionally like Anomalisa or Inside Out, but it was stellar.

2014: Guardians of the Galaxy - really loved this movie, flaws and all. Edge of Tomorrow is up there, as is Whiplash and Captain America Winter Soldier.

2013: Her. No difficulty this year, I saw Her in December in 2013 and immediately knew it was #1. Amazing film.

2012: Django Unchained. It's not heads and shoulders above the rest, or even Tarantino's finest, but it was a damn good movie.

2011: 50/50. Best cancer comedy ever made.

2010: Toy Story 3. Black Swan. I can't pick between them.

2009: Inglourious Basterds. This is the Tarantino masterpiece.

2008: The Dark Knight wins this year. But The Wrestler is a very close second.

2007: There Will Be Blood. I suppose Enchanted was alright, but other than Amy Adams, it doesn't hold up so well.

2006: Pan's Labyrinth. But Casino Royale was great too.

 

2015:
I'll second Ex Machina, although it's a close run thing. Smart, unsettling SF with a trio of great performances.

2014.
Calvary. An outstanding central performance from Brendan Gleeson at the heart of a nuanced morality tale that never shies away from exploring the dark side and the abuses committed by the Catholic Church while at the same time highlighting the good that faith and religion can do. One of the best films I've ever seen, never mind just 2014.

2013.
Another close one, but I'll give it to The Wolf of Wall Street, the film that should have won Leo the Oscar.

2012.
Looking at the list of films released in 2012 suggests that this was a golden year for film. I'll pick A Late Quartet, largely for the last ten minutes or so, which will always stand as testament to the fact that Christopher Walken is a bloody good actor.

2011.
The Skin I Live In. A masterclass of steadily built tension and suspense, right up to the point where you realise precisely what's going on and just stare at the screen in shock. One of the most disturbing films I've seen, but so good.

2010.
Toy Story 3. This shouldn't need explaining.

2009.
Up. This shouldn't need explaining either.

2008.
As tempting as it is to make it three in a row for Pixar (with Wall:E), I'm actually going to go for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which is one of the greatest comic book films ever made. Guillermo del Toro's imagination running riot, perfect casting with Ron Perlman, thrilling setpieces and a cast of freaky characters that you genuinely care about.

2007.
Atonement. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy as tragedy beset lovers in the middle of WW2. Moving and heartbreaking.

2006.
The Fountain. A glorious headtrip of a movie (as far as I'm aware, there's still no definitive answer about questions as basic as how many levels of reality there are in the film), filled with gorgeous imagery and the best score I've ever heard in a film, all wrapped round a thoroughly compelling love story.

Ninja-edit to remove the eleventh entry. I got carried away.

 

Damn I forgot the Fountain was 2006. That trumps what I said.

 

2006: 300

It's super silly and super fun. Possibly the best thing Zack Snyder will ever do. Spartans in underwear, wearing their six-packs like armor, slaughtering the shit out of the Persian army is the shiiiiit. Honorable mentions go to The Departed (Nicholson and Leo), Prestige and The Devil Wears Prada (Meryl Streep)

"SPARTANS! WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?"

2007: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

My inner kid (I was 14 in 2007) went all "whimsy and magic and imagination, aaawwww!" when he saw Bridge to Terabithia and lemme tell you, it was the first time since Return of the King (btw, if you didn't cry man-tears during "My friends, you bow to no one", you have no soul) that I cried watching a movie. Still, HP takes it home. Dumbledore vs Voldemort did things to my mind I'm still unravelling today. This is how you film a magic duel. Honorable mention goes to Bourne's Ultimatum.

2008: The Dark Knight

Iron Man is a very close second (by a frog's hair), but Joker inches TDK into the lead. He made me want to become an anarchist and wear purple suits. Honorable mentions to Taken ("I will look for you. I will find you... And I will kill you.") and Hellboy 2.

2009: Inglorious Basterds

Fuck. Tarantino, man. Just... fuck. Honorable mentions to Pandorum (If you haven't seen it, watch it), Sherlock Holmes and The International (cuz Clive Owen).

2010: Inception

I'm still not convinced I'm not dreaming. TRRRRRRRRHHHHMMMMM! Honorable mentions go to The Social Network and The A-Team (because Sharlto Copley is ridiculously funny).

2011: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Oh yeah. I liked it. You were saying? Honorable mentions go to Deathly Hallows Part 2 (because HP), MI: Ghost Protocol (seeing this in cinema was one of the best decisions I've ever made, almost shat my pants during the Burj Khalifa climb scene), Contagion (diseases are fucking scary), Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ("Stupid, idiot man."), Margin Call (for Kevin Spacey and Stanley Tucci) and finally Easy A and Crazy Stupid Love (Emma Stone's breakthrough year).

2012: Zero Dark Thirty

Man, I was totally feeling it when Maya strapped into the plane seat at the end. Just awesome. The Hurt Locker can polish ZDT's shoes and it should be grateful. Honorable mentions (oh boy, there are many for this year) go to Django Unchained ("Sold! To the man with the exceptional beard!"), Avengers (because Iron Man), The Dark Knight Rises (because BATMAN), Lincoln (Thaddeus Stevens speech and the Washington joke), End of Watch (the found footage thing was trying at times, but Jake Gyllenhaal), The Impossible (that phonecall tore my heart out, munched on it, spat it out and put it back in my chest in time for the reunion scene) and Perks of Being a Wallflower (mostly because of Emma Watson, but also it's actually a good movie if you like this sort of thing).

2013: The Wolf of Wall Street

All three hours are super fun, though I feel a little guilty for enjoying the chest-thumping as much as I did (Matthew "Oscar Stealer" McConaughey). Her is second best, Wolf wins by just a few inches. Honorable mentions go to Prisoners (Jake Gyllenhaal), Now You See Me (I was like wtf, but boy is this fun), 12 Years a Slave (the payoff at the end when Northup reunites with his family, ah the feels man), Lee Daniels' The Butler (it was Oscar bait, but I enjoyed it all the same), Man of Tai Chi (Keanu Reeves kicking ass, aaaaayyyyeeeahh), Star Trek: Into Darkness (solely for Ben Cumberbatch) and can I just say fuck Man of Steel with a piece of rebar. Seriously.

2014: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Allow me to be unoriginal and reiterate that it's one of the best MCU movies (first place shared with Iron Man) and beyond that, it's just a damn good spy flick. Honorable mentions go to John Wick (see 2013, Keanu Reeves kicking ass, aaaayyyyeeah), The Limitation Game (bow to the Cumberbatch, bitches), Edge of Tomorrow (for Emily Blunt) and Nightcrawler (Jake Gyllenhaal being creepy).

2015: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

The middle of the movie is one giant action scene and it's the awesomest action this year. Sorry Bond, but you were just kinda... boring. Also, the plane in the opening scene. Badass doesn't come close to describing it, Ultron can go hide under a rock. That said, honorable mentions go to Avengers 2 (for various bits of awesome hidden in the general averageness), The Hateful Eight (a Tarantino locked room mystery? I'll take it. Not as good as Inglorious Basterds - honestly, I don't think even Tarantino can top that - but Sam Jackson has that magnetic quality I just can't deny), Mad Max: Fury Road (for the flame guitar guy and possibly the best film quote of the year: "What a day! WHAT A LOVELY DAY!"), The Big Short (for Margot Robbie in a bubble bath), The Force Awakens (for Finn/Poe bromance, however little there was of it, Han Solo and Kylo Ren), Sicario (for Benicio Del Toro and the road shootout) and Southpaw (Jake Gyllenhaal and especially Rachel McAdams).

Woah, that was a big post.

 

I had a lot of trouble choosing a single movie for most years so I've got a lot of honourable mentions.


2015 - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Incredibly charming, funny and touching film. Honourable mention Inside out and Spectre.

2014 - Whiplash. In my top 3 films of all time and the best one on this list. But this was an incredible year so here are a whole lot of honourable mentions: '71, The Lego Movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, Only Lovers Left Alive, Still Alice, Calvary and Big Hero 6. Seriously all of these are incredible.

2013 - Maybe my least favourite year of this. Pacific Rim takes the topspot for being incredibly fun to watch, if nothing else. Honourable mention Frances Ha.

2012 - The Intouchables. Brilliant French film that everyone should watch, technically from 2011 but I'm going off UK release dates. Honourable mentions: 21 Jump Street, Dredd.

2011 - The Guard. Really funny, kinda dark comedy. Brendan Gleeson plays the lead brilliantly. From the same people as Calvary and In Bruges which are also in this list. Honourable mentions: Drive and Troll Hunter, a Norwegian, found footage monster movie that is so much better than it sounds.

2010 - Kick Ass. The best super hero movie ever made. Honourable mentions: Inception, Winter's Bone, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, machete. (Edit: shit I forgot Toy Story 3, this comes a close second).

2009 - Up. Obvious reasons, it's just incredible. Honourable mentions: Taken, from when Liam Neeson shooting stuff was still interesting, Fantastic Mr. Fox and 500 Days of Summer.

2008 - In Bruges. The funniest film of the last 10 years, I've lost count of how many times I've seen it. Honourable mentions for Wall-E and Slumdog Millionaire.

2007 - Hot Fuzz. The second funniest film of the last 10 years. Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright at their very best. Honourable mentions: Juno, Superbad, Into The Wild and The Simpsons Movie

2006 - Casino Royale. A fairly weak year, but I do love some Bond. Mentions for Cars, V for Vendetta and The Prestige.

 

Oh man, I forgot about V for Vendetta, but I was juggling so many movies in my head and I still edited the post a bunch of times.

This is a pretty good rec thread by now. Some of the movies mentioned have been on my To Watch list for ages but I still haven't got around to watching them. Whoops. Time to fix that.

 

We're doing honorable mentions? Right!

2015:
Mr Holmes, Mad Max: Fury Road, Inside Out, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Martian, Spectre.

2014:
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Guardians of the Galaxy, Birdman, Kingsman.

2013:
Warm Bodies, Dallas Buyers Club, Stoker, Pacific Rim, Gravity, Under the Skin, 12 Years a Slave.

2012:
Chronicle, Avengers, Cabin in the Woods, Rust and Bone, Dredd, Argo, Looper, Much Ado About Nothing, Life of Pi.

2011:
The Guard, The Artist, Super 8, Shame, Hugo.

2010:
Shutter Island, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Never Let Me Go, Easy A.

2009:
Zombieland, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

2008:
Son of Rambow, Wall:E, The Dark Knight

2007:
Hot Fuzz, Ratatouille

2006:
Slither, The Prestige, Pan's Labyrinth.

As with my other post, I suspect I actually saw some of these films in different years due to UK release dates, but I've just gone through the Wikipedia page for each year.

 

I'm just going through the Wikipedia pages and picked the ones that jumped out most. I skipped last year because there's still a few movies I want to see.

2006
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- Idiocracy
- Casino Royale

2007
- Hot Fuzz
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- 3:10 to Yuma

2008
- Iron Man
- The Dark Knight
- Tropic Thunder

2009
- Moon
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- Sherlock Holmes

2010
- Toy Story 3
- Inception
- The Social Network

2011
- Rango
- The Adventures of Tintin
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2012
- Chronicle
- The Avengers
- Dredd

2013
- Man of Steel
- Pacific Rim

2014
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Birdman

 

Man, this calls for some really tough decisions, but I gave it a shot. Really enjoying reading some of the other responses too, gives me some inspiration for future film viewings and the range of tastes on display is fascinating.

2015 - Mad Max: Fury Road
This is the last time I felt a keen sense of "this is awesome" while watching a movie. Shout outs to Inside Out, The Martian, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, though I felt last year was somewhat weak in film.

2014 - The Grand Budapest Hotel
So whimsical. So fun. Beautifully shot, too. I also joined the rest of you in enjoying Edge of Tomorrow, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: TWS. Great year for action movies.

2013 - Her / Short Term 12
This is the hardest one. Her is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time, it was so good I was still amazed by it the 2nd and 3rd time. There aren't many stories quite like it, the acting was excellent, and it also really captures our current zeitgeist. Short Term 12 will make you laugh, then cry, then lose your faith in humanity, then find it again, all while seeming incredibly genuine. I also love me some Frozen, and This Is the End is a great piece of absurdist disaster comedy.

2012 - Beasts of the Southern Wild
I'd barely even call it a movie, but Beasts is a hell of an experience. Quvenzhane Wallis is awe-inspiring and the music is great. I also agree that 2012 had a particularly high rate of good-to-great films, so I'll list a few more favorites: 21 Jump St (hardest I've laughed at a movie since the first Hangover), Django Unchained, Moonrise Kingdom, Skyfall, Pitch Perfect

2011 - 50/50
Best treatment of cancer I've ever seen on screen, with a few killer scenes. Didn't run away with it though - there were movies like Moneyball, Midnight in Paris, The Descendants, and Margin Call (which everyone should watch instead of The Big Short).

2010 - Inception
A great piece of filmmaking which was a true blast to watch and still has people guessing. I also considered 127 Hours (James Franco's best work), The Social Network (the most 2010 movie ever), The King's Speech (a critical favorite) and Tangled (strongly underrated Disney movie).

2009 - Up in the Air
Just another excellent all-around film. Great work by Anna Kendrick, George Clooney, and the lovely and mysterious Vera Farmiga. Stands up to multiple viewings as well. Shout outs to The Hangover (most influential comedy of the past decade, also hilarious), (500) Days of Summer (awesome soundtrack), and The Blind Side (guilty pleasure).

2008 - The Dark Knight
I'm not sure there's even a good argument for any other film. WALL-E was great, and Iron Man was hilariously entertaining (though these qualities have since been greatly diluted), but TDK was gripping and epic and character driven in ways we don't expect a blockbuster to be - it absolutely took over theaters the way no movie has until the latest Star Wars (well, except the eminently forgettable Avatar).

2007 - None
Atonement maybe? Juno? Charlie Wilson's War is decent. These are good movies, but in other years they wouldn't even make my top 5. I never realized that 2007 was such a forgettable year in film, but I could probably live without it.

2006 - Casino Royale
Come on. The greatest Bond film ever, by the greatest actor to play the role? Equal parts sexy, suspenseful, hilarious, action-packed, and tragic, it's a tour de force and one of the most complete films ever made. One of my all-time top 5. Also a minor miracle, given the preponderance of shitty blockbuster action movies at the time. S/o to the Bourne franchise for giving 007 a swift kick in the ass.

 

Going based on which movies I saw the most in theaters (number of times in parenthesis) in those respective years I'd say:

2015 - Tie: Mad Max: Fury Road/Star Wars: The Force Awakens (4)
2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy (5)
2013 - Gravity (2)
2012 - Dredd (4)
2011 - X-Men: First Class (2)
2010 - Inception (2)
2009 - Star Trek (3 - x2 on same day)
2008 - The Dark Knight (3)
2007 - Grindhouse (4 - x3 opening weekend)
2006 - The Prestige (2)

 

redlibertyx

I can't imagine seeing movies more than once in theaters.

 

Xandrel lots of times it was seeing it with different groups of people. Or I was in college and had nothing better to do and some extra money from selling textbooks. Or I wanted to see it in 3D or IMAX or D-Box (a '4D' movie format). But sometimes I just really liked a movie and wanted to see it again.

 

2006 - The Last King of Scotland

Loved Forest Whitaker in this, did an amazing job as Idi Amin.

2007 - No Country For Old Men

Stumbled across this one completely by accident. Was just one late night out with a couple of friends and they dragged me along. I fucking loved it. Javier Bardem was absolutely fantastic as Chigurh, stole the whole film, as is right.

Also, one of the few films which my father has watched numerous times and never minds rewatching it.

2008 - In Bruges

This is one of those rare films where I'm not annoyed at all by Farrell, somehow.

Also, Fleur, Moody and Voldemort were there too, so what's not to like?

2009 - The Road

Very, very dark film, but so good.

2010 - Centurion

That's the most memorable film from that year. Well, that and Womb, but that's not my favorite.

2011 - The Hunter

Ironclad would have been my favorite if not for that shoehorned-in romance.

What the fuck were they thinking?

2012 - Dredd

A fucking shame (disgrace) that it hasn't gotten a sequel by now.

2013 - Pacific Rim

The only complaint I have about it is that there weren't enough Jaeger/Kaiju fights.

2014 - Gone Girl

Loved it so much that I went out and bought the book. Loved it even more than the film.

Rosamund Pike was a magnificent cunt in this.

2015 - Ex Machina

Caleb was a stupid fuck, but God damn, the film is just plain great.

 

2015 - The Force Awakens. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and this pushed every button mine had. HM: Ex Machina, Sicario, The Big Short

2014 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This, to me, is still the best Marvel Movie. Sorry Deadpool, you're a damned close second. HM: Nightcrawler, Edge of Tomorrow

2013 - Kind of the least inspiring year of the lot, I thought. Pacific Rim was probably my favorite. HM: Meh.

2012 - Of all the great movies this year, I think Looper was the one I was most impressed by. HM: Zero Dark Thirty, Django, Skyfall.

2011 - 50/50. Personally resonant for me, still would have been my favorite anyway. HM: Moneyball, X-Men.

2010 - Inception. I might still have a brain-ache from this, but I'm not sure it's real. HM: How to Train Your Dragon, Easy A.

2009 - District 9. Amazing what they did with this, considering the budget. Toughest choice of all the years here. HM: Tough year, this. I was on deployment for almost all of it. Inglorious Basterds, Zombieland, The Road, Half-Blood Prince.

2008 - Tie between The Dark Knight and In Bruges. I can't decide at all. HM: Wall-E, Quantum of Solace.

2007 - Hot Fuzz. Everything else was just a bit too serious for me.

2006 - The Prestige. I was actually dragged to see this, as I thought it wounded dumb. Wow, was I an idiot. HM: Another packed year here - The Departed, The Devil Wears Prada, Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth.

 

2015 - Macbeth - I just adored it, first time actually having anything to do with Macbeth, never read or watched a play but the film blew me away, really well done. Inside Out and Sicario get recommendation as well.

2014 - Wow, umm The Grand Budapest Hotel with Gone Girl and Birdman close behind. Budapest Hotel was just so absurd that it was brilliant. The Raid 2 and Imitation Game are a definite watch as well.

2013 - All Is Lost - Dude fights for survival on a boat, rarely if ever talks, somehow was an amazing movie to watch, props to Redford.

2012 - Silver Linings Playbook - Just liked it, can't say much else as I think it was another mediocre year for me personally, really enjoyed Chronicle, Django and Dark Knight Rises though.

2011 - Coriolanus - I love Ralph Fiennes.

2010 - This year is Hard for me: Shutter Island just pips out Tangled, Inception and Despicable Me with other mentions to Date Night, The King's Speech and The Town. Great year for animated films. Tangled is my favorite Disney Movie though, love it greatly.

2009 - Nothing really stuck for me this year. Will probably lean with Sherlock Holmes or The Road, both are favorites but in the grand scheme neither were great, just very watchable for me. UP and Watchmen were also movies that I didn't mind.

2008 - In Bruges and The Dark Knight - I can't separate these two, I only watched In Bruges last year but the movie immediately shot to one of my favorites ever and while people think ledger's performance to be overrated I was captivated when he was on screen. Honorables to Benjamin Button, Let The Right One In (Best Vampire movie of this century so far), Tropic Thunder and Gran Torino

2007 - The Bourne Ultimatum - One of the best Action films of all time. Honorable mentions to Gone Baby Gone and HP5

2006 - V For Vendetta - Stands as one of my Top 5 movies of all time and I consume it roughly 3-4 times a year even now. Very Honorable mention to the Prestige, love that film

 

2015 - The Martian

2014 - Winter Soldier

2013 - Pacific Rim

2012 - Avengers

2011 - Warrior, just one of my favourite films of all time really.

2010 - Inception

2009 - So many good films this year imo. But Avatar had the most effect on me, next Star Trek remake.

2008 - Dark Knight

2007 - Transformers… another iffy year, Megan Fox.

2006 - Casino Royale.. weak year for films imo. This was my fave tho.

 

Completely forgot about Warrior, great mention.