| Title |
Year |
Rating |
Rank |
Review |
| Wolf of Wall Street, The | 2013 | 100 | 1 | - When Scorcese is THIS good, this pure and uncut, it's a high rivaled by any of the drugs his deliciously immoral characters partake in. |
| Zero Dark Thirty | 2012 | 95 | 2 | - I'm not sure this story could be told better in 100 attempts. People will come and watch for its historical and personal importance, but they'll leave satisfied solely off of Kathryn Bigelow's vision. |
| Argo | 2012 | 94 | 3 | - Ben Affleck is quickly establishing himself as the next great American storyteller. But for all the rave reviews his acting gets in the film, Bryan Cranston is sorely overlooked. He is phenomenal! |
| Inception | 2010 | 94 | 3 | - It's a dream inside a dream inside a dream. It's also a good movie inside a great movie inside a terrific movie. |
| Social Network, The | 2010 | 94 | 3 | - Great on so many levels. The only thing holding it back is how fast and loose it plays with how events actually went down. |
| Captain Phillips | 2013 | 93 | 6 | - A sensational thriller. The emotional heft the story brings only further cements you on the edge of your seat. |
| Moneyball | 2011 | 93 | 6 | - The only downside here is Brad Pitt looks and feels nothing like the real Billy Beane. Other than that, it's one of the best sports films of our generation. |
| Spotlight | 2015 | 93 | 6 | - For all the talking heads, half-truths, and sensationalism that dominates the so-called "news channels" these days, we needed this film. Not only to remind us what passionate people can still do, but what journalism, true journalism, can still be. |
| The Theory of Everything | 2014 | 93 | 6 | - For the truly talented actors and actresses, there comes a role and a performance that forever puts them on the map. For Mr. Redmayne, this is that film. |
| 12 Years a Slave | 2013 | 92 | 10 | - What makes '12 Years a Slave' stand out is its unwillingness to censore itself. While the characters are clearly shaded in either more darkness or light, no supposition is absolute. Thus, a brilliant level of honesty comes out. |
| Django Unchained | 2012 | 92 | 10 | - It's a Tarantino Western. If I say that, you'll know exactly what to expect. |
| Fences | 2016 | 91 | 12 | - Probably the best all-around acted film of the year. |
| Hidden Figures | 2016 | 91 | 12 | - Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae are nothing short of terrific while Octavia Spencer brings another solid performance. |
| Dallas Buyers Club | 2013 | 89 | 14 | - Matthew McConaughey's best performance since 'We Are Marshall'. And Jared Leto's best performance since, well, ever. |
| Fighter, The | 2010 | 89 | 14 | - Christian Bale is nothing short of phenomenal in this movie. If for no other reason, watch it to watch him. |
| Help, The | 2011 | 89 | 14 | - Who turns in the best performance? Chastain? Stone? Davis? The debate could go on for hours. That's just how strong the performance of this cast is. |
| La La Land | 2016 | 89 | 14 | - Here's the thing: I wanted to not like this movie. As seeming like nothing but pure Oscar bait, I want to loathe this film with every ounce of my soul. But I liked it. Dare I admit it, it's very good. |
| Lincoln | 2012 | 89 | 14 | - Daniel Day Lewis is nothing short of brilliant as Lincoln. Outside of that, though, the film is a little too long and meandering for its own good. |
| Room | 2015 | 89 | 14 | - Both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time for the duration. |
| Toy Story 3 | 2010 | 89 | 14 | - It's the ending the franchise deserves. As some who grew up semi-parallel to Andy, I will never watch this movie again. The final half hours is nothing short of gut-wrenching. |
| Gravity | 2013 | 88 | 21 | - Gravity's biggest strength is how dynamic it is. It can be both very small and very large at the same time, and that's as cool as any of the visuals. |
| Selma | 2014 | 88 | 21 | - Very dark but very, very powerful! |
| The Big Short | 2015 | 88 | 21 | - Adam McKay's first 'serious' film is a palpable entry. |
| The Martian | 2015 | 88 | 21 | - It's rare that a cast of this level of notoriety is also so well used. 'The Martian', both in development and in execution, tells you it takes an army to truly save one man. |
| Mad Max: Fury Road | 2015 | 86 | 25 | - Stylistically, it's unlike anything you've seen before. |
| The Revenant | 2015 | 86 | 25 | - Tremendously well-acted. Beautiful and brutally unfiltered cinematography. If it was about a half-hour shorter and trimmed some of the fat it would be a darn near perfect movie. |
| Whiplash | 2014 | 86 | 25 | - Together Damien Chazelle, J.K. Simmons, and Miles Teller have created a film here that redefines the word "intensity". |
| American Sniper | 2014 | 85 | 28 | - It's amazing how a story so visceral, gripping, and emotional can be ruined by one damn fake baby. |
| Winters Bone | 2010 | 85 | 28 | - The no-fills film is as rustic as the Ozark backwoods it takes place in. Even with simplicity, the film has the ability to draw you in as if it were the most complex of thrillers. |
| Beasts of the Southern Wild | 2012 | 84 | 30 | - If you're into artsy movies, you'll absolutely love it. Otherwise, it's just "good". |
| Bridge of Spies | 2015 | 84 | 30 | - At its core, 'Bridge of Spies' is not a thriller about a few prisoners. No, it is a dissection of what made the 'Cold War' a terrifying and tense time. |
| Brooklyn | 2015 | 84 | 30 | - A pretty beautiful romantic drama. |
| Hell or High Water | 2016 | 84 | 30 | - No one performance is particularly weak, but they are all blown away by Ben Foster who is just sensational. |
| Manchester by the Sea | 2016 | 84 | 30 | - In the darkness that is 'Manchester by the Sea', there is a certain beauty. Emotionally-scarred characters learning to cope with tragedy once again. And bonds that otherwise may not have ever been made. |
| Silver Linings Playbook | 2012 | 84 | 30 | - If you go into this thinking it's a sports flick, you'll be disappointed. Rather, it's an essay on finding the right person for us and the struggle to realize it when we meet them. |
| Boyhood | 2014 | 82 | 36 | - Richard Linklater deserves all the credit in the world for his industry-changing work here. |
| Grand Budapest Hotel, The | 2014 | 82 | 36 | - One of Wes Anderson's best works yet. |
| Moonlight | 2016 | 81 | 38 | - A thoughtful and methodical drama. |
| 127 Hours | 2010 | 80 | 39 | - Any movie that takes place largely in just one nook in between two rocks and manages to keep you captivated is fine filmmaking. |
| Arrival | 2016 | 80 | 39 | - It's a good, not great, film. And beware of rave reviews. Those buying wholeheartedly in 'Arrival' are giving it credit for being smarter than it really is. |
| Descendants, The | 2011 | 80 | 39 | - A dark family drama set in paradise is the only example you need to accurately portray the film's originality. |
| Nebraska | 2013 | 80 | 39 | - Its oversimplified stereotypes of midwesterners aside, it's a cute little story. |
| The Imitation Game | 2014 | 80 | 39 | - The tension of the moment is cut only by the film's inisistence on being both a biopic and a World War II era period piece. In truth, had it stuck to one, it probably would've gone a lot further. |
| American Hustle | 2013 | 77 | 44 | - As far as David O. Russell's last three films go, his personal own "Oscar trilogy", this is by far the weakest. |
| Philomena | 2013 | 76 | 45 | - 'Philomena' is good, but ultimately what holds it back from being great is its own indecision as to what it is. Is it a history-hunting thriller? Is it an artsy tale of the unlikely kinship between two people worlds apart? Or is it period piece with a scathing message for how Irish nunneries conduct themselves? Trying to be all three, as Stephen Frears' latest film does, can only have so much success. |
| Birdman | 2014 | 75 | 46 | - 'Birdman' is like a three-ring circus. While it's both wonderous and amazing, there's also a little too much going on. |
| Hacksaw Ridge | 2016 | 74 | 47 | - A frustrating film. With such high positives and low negatives, it's hard to decide where 'Hacksaw Ridge' should truly sit amongst this year's films. |
| Black Swan | 2010 | 73 | 48 | - Sort of plays like a choppy music video, rife with innuendo and insinuations. It's rather easy to delve into the mind of a crazy person and call it art. |
| Green Book | 2018 | 70 | 49 | |
| Kings Speech, The | 2010 | 63 | 50 | - Sorely overrated. If you can't sell the audience on caring about the protagonist's struggles, what chances does your film have? |
| True Grit (2010) | 2010 | 60 | 51 | - I won't even compare it to the original. As a standalone film, it's a notch above mediocre. |
| Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close | 2011 | 55 | 52 | - Imagine the darkest of clouds with the tiniest of silver linings. That, in a nutshell, is 'Extremely Loud'. |
| Midnight in Paris | 2011 | 55 | 52 | - Too odd for its own good. Aside from the history hysteria, there's not much worth sticking around for. |
| Artist, The | 2011 | 54 | 54 | - Sorely overrated. Go into it with a blank mind, not thinking it's good because it took some Oscars. |
