Foreword
There have been more great films in this decade than perhaps any other in the history of the movies. I can not claim to have seen them all. Certainly there are many great pictures from the last ten years that I have not seen. Some I may have simply overlooked. This list is based on my knowledge of the movies I have seen, and nothing more.
As I am posting this there are still several titles for 2009 I have not been able to catch, specifically Public Enemies, Invictus, The Lovely Bones, Collapse or Avatar. There is a great likelihood that one or more of these films may need to be added to this list somewhere. A revised edition may come out after Jan. 1, 2010.
Clicking on the image with each movie will direct you to the theatrical trailer, while clicking on the poster will route you to the film's IMDB page for additional information, trivia, etc. I would strongly recommend that if you use a rental service (like Netflix) you open your queue up in another window. There are treasures here.
These lists are silly. They always have been. To say one film should be ranked number 47 versus number 46 is splitting hairs at best. The order of these films is the order in which I felt an emotional reaction to them. This list is entirely my opinion, and is not meant to discount yours. There are many titles, specifically in the low numbers, that could be just as easily replaced with titles in the honorable mentions list. [I do think, however, that my top 10 is pretty accurate. :)]
Above all else this list -hell, this site- serves the purpose of reminding, reflecting and educating readers about the great movies. The movies are important. They allow us to empathize with others, experience sights unimaginable, and feel the scope of human emotion. Sharing a movie with a loved one is a form of sharing that emotional connection. If you see even one movie on this list you have not seen before, the list has served its purpose. Enjoy these films. They are some of the best the world has had to offer.
-SH