You Got Crit

Film reviews, critiques, and essays for movies old and new!

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Best Films of 2010-2020

I began writing You Got Crit in 2010. With 2019 wrapping up that means I’ve Crit an entire decade’s worth of films. Some were good, some were meh, plenty were garbage, some were the best movies I’ve ever seen, but they were all Crit. It was a decade largely defined by Disney’s success and domination of the market. Between 2010-2020, Disney acquired Star Wars and 21st Century Fox, lifted the super hero genre to new record-breaking heights, launched their streaming service, and entered a new golden age of animation. 

In this decade we witnessed the final Harry Potter film come to a magical end while the two Magical Beasts prequels failed to capture that same magic. We watched Mad Max: Fury Road and Inception prove the superiority of practical effects over CGI while Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino showed off their writing and action chops in Baby Driver and Django Unchained. Get Out proved what the horror genre can do if given enough thought and consideration, while Deadpool proved an R rating isn’t something for studios to fear.

Below is my list of the best films of the decade in no particular order (though some are grouped together by genre/studio). The five WORST films of the decade are listed at the bottom. Films in bold are films that I think are particularly fantastic and deserve your immediate attention. Enjoy.

The Best of 2010-2020

Django Unchained (2012)

Scott Pilgrim Vs the World (2010)

Baby Driver (2017)

Coco (2017)

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Zootopia (2016)

Big Hero 6 (2014)

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Inside Out (2015)

Moana (2016)

Avengers (2012)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Black Panther (2018)

Logan (2017)

Deadpool (2016)

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

The Shape of Water (2017)

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Inception (2010)

Get Out (2017)

True Grit (2010)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

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

The King’s Speech (2010)

Boyhood (2014)

The Martian (2015)

Whiplash (2014)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Skyfall (2012)

John Wick (2014)

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Sleepwalk With Me (2012)

Parasite (2019)

12 Years a Slave (2013)

The Artist (2011)

Dunkirk (2017)

The Muppets (2011)

Us (2019)

The Lego Movie (2014)

Black Swan (2010)

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

La La Land (2016)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

The Worst of 2010-2020

The Last Airbender (2010)

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Possession of Hannah Grace (2018)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

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Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

I have always loved Star Wars. As a kid I would watch the original trilogy endlessly on VHS, alongside my 90′s era action figures and my Action Fleet ships with the little mini figures inside. When that wasn’t enough I played games like Dark Forces and Rogue Squadron, and when that wasn’t enough I read the extended universe books. I was a loyal and knowledgeable fan.

So when the time came and the prequel films were released you could easily guess my initial excitement and subsequent disappointment going in and out of the theater. I believe most Star Wars fans experienced similar emotions. But despite their terribleness, the prequels never killed my love of Star Wars. Sure, those films did many, many, many things wrong, but they inexplicably still felt like Star Wars. It’s hard to explain, but in any case, I was a still a fan and I still loved Star Wars.

When Disney snatched up Lucasfilm in 2012, I was optimistic. Sure they’re evil, but they’d been doing great things with Marvel and a Star Wars without George Lucas could prove to be beneficial. I mean, the films couldn’t get any worse than this, right? 

Star Wars could only go up from here.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), while just a rehash of A New Hope (1977), was what the fans and critics had wanted for years. It felt like a Star Wars film: from its practical effects to its locations, its characters to its themes; this was Star Wars. Yes, it had its shortcomings, but overall it was fun and ticked all the right boxes. But most important of all was the potential it built. So much potential. There were so many questions, so many possibilities, so many outcomes, characters and story arcs to explore by the end of the film that it seemed certain that we were in for a fun ride for the next two movies.

Wasted potential: Exhibit A

And then The Last Jedi (2018) came and s*** the bed. Not just in Star Wars terms, but in cinematic terms. This movie s*** the bed. I could rant on for hours why and how The Last Jedi screwed everything up, but the big takeaway is that it took all that potential from The Force Awakens and either ignored it or wasted it. And by doing so, the film killed any interest I had for Episode IX, or Star Wars in general. The film is two and a half hours of subverted expectations where nothing is accomplished and even less is explained. There are exactly TWO cool action sequences (you know which ones), but the film is just people frantically running around or standing around with no payoff in the end. The story doesn’t really go anywhere. The film left a bad taste in my mouth that even the prequels had never done before, and for the first time ever I actually didn’t care about what the future would hold for Star Wars.

But now Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) is here to right the wrongs, clean up the mess that The Last Jedi left, and somehow limp across the finish line. Unfortunately, like its predecessor, it decided to ignore much of what had been established in the previous film. I’m not so sure if I mind this, but I should, because that was my main complaint for The Last Jedi. But at the same time I’m thankful because this means we can forget about much of the stupid that happened in The Last Jedi and move on with our lives.

Yep. Just going to ignore this.

There’s a lot packed in The Rise of Skywalker. Too much, in fact. Because The Last Jedi wasted a movie’s worth of plot accomplishing nothing, Episode IX is forced to cram in two movie’s worth of information, characters, story and cameos. The movie has a good handle of what it wanted for Rey and Kylo Ren, but it still didn’t know what to do with Finn and Poe. They spend their time trying to keep up with Rey and find reasons to be in the movie. 

Now before I go further, I’ll say that this film is better than The Last Jedi. By default. There are enjoyable parts and emotional moments, but it’s just not the grand finale we were all hoping for to tie all nine films together. The film is a confirmation that Disney’s trilogy was just following the same template as the original all along, and that they only had a vague notion of what the story would be.

To move the plot along The Rise of Skywalker implemented some unlikely threats and conflicts as the heroes set off on a wild goose chase throughout the galaxy. It’s never just cut and dry; one problem just leads to another that can only be solved on the next set location. There are times when the film stops dead and others when a million things are happening at once, making for some erratic pacing. A dozen new characters are introduced, yet none of them really matter. There’s plenty of fan serving cameos, but I’ve never experienced so many aggressively forced cameos like that before.

So this is where we leave one of my favorite franchises of all time, on the shores of mediocrity. But in the end I’m thankful for more Star Wars, for better or for worse. I know this won’t be the real end, just the conclusion of the Skywalker story line. You’d be crazy to think that Disney was done. On the bright side, you can view the Disney trilogy as one side to a crappy little bookend for the Star Wars saga, with the prequels book-ending the other side of a near perfect trilogy that was started a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker,

You Got Crit

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You Got Crit - Good Boys Review

We’re back! Enjoy the Good Boys review then like and subscribe here: https://youtu.be/jkC30HULXLg

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You Got Crit - Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood Review

Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (2019) was perhaps my most anticipated film of the summer, maybe even the year. It had the makings for greatness with the pairing of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt along with the writing and direction of Quentin Tarantino. I was prepared for a cinematic experience that showcased intensive, captivating acting, dialogue, over-the-top violence and a unorthodox presentation of the sequence of events. You know, a Tarantino film. But it slowly became apparent to me that this was in fact the least Tarantino-esque film of his whole catalog. Indeed, this is perhaps his most linear, most mature and most restrained project that he’s ever created.

Tarantino’s new film most resembles Inglourious Basterds (2009), as the film takes place in a bygone decade where the distinctions between history and fiction are blended and altered. The setting gives Tarantino another opportunity to demonstrate his love and knowledge of cinema history. And like the Nazis in Basterds or the slave owners in Django Unchained (2012), Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood requires a group to be on the receiving end of Tarantino’s brutally homicidal tendencies. Radicalized hippies, or more specifically, the cult members of Charles Manson’s “family”. That’ll work.

What we have in this film is an interesting “What if?” premise and climax, but we don’t get to enjoy it until two and a half hours into the film. Instead we’re taken on a painfully slow tour through Hollywood during the late Sixties, hitting all the visual and musical pop culture stops along the way. During this journey we follow the lives of struggling actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), his stunt-double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) and actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). But rather than play with the chronology of the film or fill the scenes with the suspense and humor that Tarantino is famed for, the movie consists of expositional and foreshadowing moments along with scenes that tease but ultimately deflate and subvert the audience’s expectations.

But the most aggravating aspect of the film is the lack of, or better yet, the assumption of context. Perhaps I’m a victim of my generation and age, but until this film I was only mildly aware of Charles Manson, his crimes, and his cult following. Therefore the significance of many of the film’s scenes, mainly those revolved around Sharon Tate, were lost on me. Without the required knowledge beforehand I found the film to be dreadfully slow, and Tate’s scenes to be worthless. But after doing my homework on the subject, I feel the same way. The film would have been better I think, had it not bored us with the day-to-day of Sharon Tate and diverted its focus on the relationship between Dalton and Booth.

That’s what I thought this film would be about; the dynamic between the insecure and fading Rick Dalton and his devil-may-care friend and confidant Cliff Booth. For what it’s worth, DiCaprio and Pitt have great onscreen chemistry, with DiCaprio giving another memorable and passionate performance while Pitt gives a laid-back and humorous delivery. But their stories never amounted to much other than setting them at the right place at the right time for the climax. The most intriguing scenes, such as one with Booth and Bruce Lee sparring with each other, were entertaining but brief, and only managed to portray Lee in an unfair and negative light.

It’s said that Tarantino only plans to make ten films, so with that in mind, I hate to say that this ninth film came off as such a disappointment. I just hope that it’s not a sign of a decline for what has been such an impressive career for Tarantino.

Once Upon a TIme … in Hollywood,

You Got Crit

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You Got Crit - The Lion King (2019) Review

Who cares if it’s a copy/pasted version of a better film, it’s in the past! Hakuna Matata, I guess! Like and subscribe here for more reviews: https://youtu.be/1oX1KneUAjk

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You Got Crit - Spider-Man: Far From Home Review

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) does the impossible by following Avengers: Endgame and managing to land on its feet. Like and subscribe here for more reviews: https://youtu.be/psHwRCv8I04

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You Got Crit - Yesterday Review

Far better than expected, Yesterday (2019) is a Beatles showcase with a thought-provoking premise and engaging story that doesn’t drown under its legacy. Like and subscribe here for more reviews: https://youtu.be/tJgbvRjK608

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You Got Crit - Toy Story 4 Review

Pixar did the impossible. The perfect quadrilogy. Be sure to like and subscribe here for more reviews: https://youtu.be/C5tM1c7xPJk

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You Got Crit - Men In Black: International Review

Sigh...

Thanks for watching, like and subscribe here for more reviews: https://youtu.be/gSM2vUqB3mw

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You Got Crit - Dark Phoenix Review

The final X-Men film in the franchise is a turd. Like and subscribe here for more reviews: https://youtu.be/WSCyiqhIM5I

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You Got Crit - Rocketman Review

Are you ready for the first biopic about an exceptionally talented, sexually confused, emotionally abused, eccentric, legendary 70′s-era rock star since the last one? Clearly there were going to be narrative similarities between Rocketman (2019) and Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), not to mention every other biopic about any famous artist or rock star. We’ve seen this story so many times; it’s just the sort of played out cliché that Walk Hard: The Ballad of Dewey Cox (2007) summed up rather conclusively. So how can Rocketman stand out from all these other films? It gives itself the full Elton John treatment, of course.

Rocketman (2019) sets out to tell the story of Elton John by capturing his outrageous stage presence, visually and stylistically. It’s bright, flamboyant, and nearly as transcendent as his music. The film, while historically accurate, prefers to dwell in fantasy, presenting events through a magical lens more akin to a musical than a biopic. Considering the subject matter, this is an appropriate and delightful approach for an otherwise predictable story. The biggest flaw with this direction is that, while songs in a musical are often performed in their entirety, we’re only ever given a medium portion of any given song. Additionally, the songs, while melodically appropriate for their specific scenes, lyrically have little to do with the situations at hand. So it’s more of a pseudo-musical where they force songs into the narrative.

But I don’t think I can give enough credit to Taron Egerton who plays Elton John. If Rami Malek could win Best Actor for his role as Freddie Mercury without even singing, then Taron Egerton should be a shoe-in. Egerton delivers a stunning vocal performance that doesn’t try to imitate Sir Elton but matches his intensity and range. But on the other hand, it’s clear from the camera angles and the blocking that Egerton probably isn’t as versed on the piano as Elton John, but then again how many actors are? Egerton shows wonderful chemistry with his friend and collaborator, Bernie Taupin, played by Jamie Bell, which was one of many thoughtfully crafted relationships depicted in this Elton John story. It’s hard to imagine anyone else capable of playing Elton John other than Egerton after a display like that.

Rocketman turned out to be a refreshing take on the rock ‘n roll biopic genre, changing up the formula by fiddling with the style and reality to compensate for its predictable story. It provides an iconic soundtrack to enjoy and digs somewhat below the surface of the man who composed those famous songs. A delightful experience overall, I hope that Yesterday (2019), which comes out soon, provides a similar experience.

Rocketman,

You Got Crit

(Thanks for reading! Please like, comment and/or follow! But if you liked that, be sure to subscribe here to my YouTube channel for more reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwyx_tHH2K5c9_UjU7CpF0g

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You Got Crit - Aladdin Review

A whole new world? Not at all! The only wish I'd like from this genie is to watch the original again. Like and subscribe here for more reviews: https://youtu.be/OGy4fx46wDk

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You Got Crit - Pokémon Detective Pikachu Review

Could this be the first GOOD video game movie ever? Find out in this review! Gotta Crit ‘em all! Like and subscribe here for more videos: https://youtu.be/vQMWIKYxx8Q

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You Got Crit - UglyDolls Review

Really didn’t feel like reviewing this one. So I got someone else’s opinion on the matter...

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SPOILER FREE REVIEW

Avengers: Endgame Review

Marvel's epic conclusion to their 11 year-long story will have you glued to your seat and feeling emotions previously unheard of from a Marvel film. Enjoy this SPOILER FREE review and click here to like and subscribe to more reviews: https://youtu.be/MyT3S05xpqQ

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You Got Crit - Missing Link (2019)

The real missing link is connecting the film's beautiful stop-motion animation to its less inspired story. Like and subscribe here for more reviews and videos: https://youtu.be/GRreZYYhr1A

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You Got Crit - Shazam! Review

DC is giving the people what they want: Marvel movies. Shazam! brings the laughs in the DCEU’s latest addition. Like and subscribe here for more reviews: https://youtu.be/xhRsgD73GNw