Staff Picks: top 10 movies of the last decade
Long Day’s Journey Into Night / Fruitvale station / The best Man: Holiday / Parasite / Fences
The decade is coming to an end and with it, a plethora of films starring people of color have come and gone. During the last 10 years, films starring people of color have reshaped the idea of how we could see ourselves on the silver screen. To chronicle this decade, each A Hot Set writer selected their top 10 list of films starring people of color, with commentary on their number one picks.
Devin Allen, TV Writer
Bi Gan’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night was surely one of the cinematic events of the year. Its 2018 New Years' Eve release in China was billed as the romantic event of the season. Couples were encouraged to attend the late-night screening in anticipation for an on-screen kiss that would occur exactly at midnight. Lovers and romantics alike crowded local theaters, sending the opening night sales metric through the roof. To the surprise of many, Long Day’s Journey Into Night was not the romantic event of the season, but rather a slow-burning art house film that tested the patience of its mainstream audience. The ratings for the film were extremely poor, but the news of the event spread around the world. Its financial success made way for greater distribution in the states and across Europe. The film’s narrative tracks the return of Luo Hongwu to his hometown which he has not been for many years. He is haunted by his past and a long lost lover. The film has this unrelenting feeling of magic and romanticism shrouded in darkness. The most startling moments of the film comes when the title card drops, viewers are prompted to put on their 3D glasses and are greeted to a 59 minute unbroken long take. The moment doesn’t occur until about 70 minutes into the film. I was lucky enough to see it in 3D and the experience was unforgettable. The film is a triumph on all fronts cinematic. It was particularly exciting to see a film of this magnitude grace local screens despite its potentially alienating structure.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Bi Gan (2018)
Our Time by Carlos Reygadas (2018)
An Elephant Sitting Still by Hu Bo (2019)
On The Beach At Night Alone by Hong Sang-soo (2017)
Vitalina Varela by Pedro Costa (2019)
Madeline’s Madeline by Josephine Decker (2018)
Season Of The Devil by Lav Diaz (2018)
Burning by Lee Chang-Dong (2018)
The Loneliest Planet by Julia Loktev (2012)
A Touch Of Sin by Jia Zhangke (2013)
Giovhan Dejoie, Media Writer
With such a crazy and hectic year, there is no better way to unwind than getting comfortable and throwing on a good movie. With 2019 coming to an end, it seems only right to sit back and recall some of these amazing films within recent years and the impact it made within the movie industry for people of color.
I think it goes without mention that Moonlight is most easily at the top of the list. This film nearly knocks down every stereotype possible within the black community; the role of a father within a black household, homophobia, the relationship between the police and blacks, etc. The symbolism found within the film is eye-opening and I recommend one watch it more than once to truly get the most out of it as it’s simply that dense. Hidden Fences, 13th, and Fences are easy high rankers based on the complexity and the actors. In fact, I’d argue that these films had some of the best people of color actors within the industry.
Hustlers was certainly a movie filled with many laughs yet covered many issues within different racial backgrounds. We see the affairs within an Asian American, African American, and Latina American while also tackling the dilemma of gender roles within this country. The writers and directors do a great job of connecting the races and seems to sever the division within all races. Get Out was certainly mind provoking for anyone who got the chance to see it and I feel the movie simply spoke for itself. Though I’m a big D.C. fan at heart, Black Panther was a film that will change the media world forever. With the all-black cast, well put together storyline and even better actors it’s easy to say that our children will be discussing this movie in their history classes as simply monumental for people of color all over. Last but certainly not least we end with Mudbound, Atlantics and Beasts of No Nation. Quite frankly I feel it’d be a disservice to not include these last 3. While all of them are Netflix originals, Netflix has been really doing their thing this past year or so in terms of the films they produce. Discretion is certainly advised with all 3 but nonetheless, I vouch that all Netflix subscribers give them a chance.
Moonlight by Barry Jenkins (2016)
Hidden Figures by Theodore Melfi (2017)
13th by Ava DuVernay (2016)
Fences by Denzel Washington (2016)
Hustlers by Lorene Scafaria (2019)
Get Out by Jordan Peele (2017)
Black Panther by Ryan Coogler (2018)
Mudbound by Dee Rees (2017)
Atlantics by Mati Diop (2019)
Beasts of No Nation by Cary Joji Fukunaga (2015)
Julia Fields, Media Writer
Black Panther changed the landscape of superhero movies in the best possible way. It made the genre worthy of academy recognition, deservedly so. Ryan Coogler creates a beautiful African landscape in the shape of Wakanda whose cinematography and scenery alone deserve awards. Chadwick Boseman takes T’Challa and makes him a strong and capable king and a superhero that millions of boys and girls can look up to and see themselves. This recognition transfers as well to the numerous strong female characters that Black Panther introduces into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially Shuri (Letita Wright) who remains one of the smartest heroes in the MCU. To see these characters originated in such an important way gives superhero fans hope for a future of inclusion and diversity in the genre. Being able to see these characters continue to dominate in other Marvel ensemble movies makes fans thankful for such a significant and beautiful beginning.
Black Panther by Ryan Coogler (2018)
Crazy Rich Asians by Jon M. Chu (2018)
Spider-man: Into the Spider Verse by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman (2018)
Get Out by Jordan Peele (2017)
The Help by Tate Taylor (2011)
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Susan Johnson (2018)
Moonlight by Barry Jenkins (2016)
Girls Trip by Malcolm D. Lee (2017)
The Hate You Give by George Tillman Jr. (2018)
Us by Jordan Peele (2019)
David Nole, Publisher
Films that go beyond people of color's identity and tells the stories of their daily trials and tribulations as people in society through a cultural lens are the best. With the sequel The Best Man: Holiday to the original film The Best Man viewers got a chance to revisit and see the changes in the lives of the upwardly mobile African Americans who inspired me after their 14-year absence from the silver screen.
Bringing back an all-star cast including Monica Calhoun (Mia), Morris Chestnut (Lance), Taye Diggs (Harper), Regina Hall (Candace), Terrence Howard (Quentin), Sanaa Lathan (Robyn), Nia Long (Jordan), Harold Perrineau (Julian), and Melissa De Sousa (Shelby). The story centers around the fact that Mia has been diagnosed with cancer and is in the last stages before death. Mia and her husband Lance have called everyone to their mansion for what is to be the last Christmas she will have. The reunion doesn't go off as planned and leads to past tensions resurfacing.
Writer and director Malcolm D. Lee got the right tone with a mix of comedy and drama set to the backdrop of impending tragedy through tightly interwoven narratives that culminate into a powerful ending.
What makes The Best Man: Holiday such a special film is paraphrasing the words of famed director Ava DuVernay, we're able to see black people through a lens beyond that of "people being black." Or a film that is not centered on our racial struggles, rather it focuses on the ups and downs that everyone experiences in life told through the African American lens.
The Best Man: Holiday by Malcolm D. Lee (2013)
Beasts of the Southern Wild by Benh Zeitlin (2012)
Fences by Denzel Washington (2016)
Sorry to Bother You by Boots Riley (2018)
BlacKkKlansman by Spike Lee (2017)
Fruitvale Station by Ryan Coogler (2013)
Moonlight by Barry Jenkins (2016)
Long Day’s Journey Into The Night by Bi Gan (2018)
Gook by Justin Chon (2017)
Brotherhood by Noel Clarke (2016)
Fabrice Nozier, Film Writer
All of the films mentioned on this list, including my honorable mentions, could easily sit at different rankings. I may have loved Justin Chon’s criminally underrated Gook a smidge more Lulu Wang’s debut feature The Farewell. The mind-blowing cross-continental, cross-decade story of Incendies just might place above into the Spider-verse, and Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk definitely could place in my top 5. All rankings on this are tentative up until the #1 spot where Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite indisputable earns the #1 spot on my top POC films of the decade.
I should preface by saying Parasite does not really exist within the POC films recognized in modern Hollywood. In Korea, it’s a film featuring ordinary people. Everywhere else however, Parasite is remarkably against the grain. In the United States, Joon Ho may have finally shaken film goers to realize a cinematic existence outside their borders. To many audiences of the West, Parasite is certainly their first introduction to the limitless imagination of The Korean New Wave.
Themes of class division are not foreign to any movement in cinema, especially here in the U.S. with the recent release of Jordan Peele’s Us and Boots Riley’s cult film Sorry to Bother You, but Joon-Ho manages to explore the timeless battle between the rich and poor with such a refreshing and unique perspective. Parasite is one of the decade’s funniest films but at the same time its most thought-provoking, and hopeless.
As the internet can’t seem to stress any less, Parasite is best watched going in cold. So, to best encapsulate this story without detailing anymore, here are five words which best sum up this film: (an) experience, (modern) masterpiece, thrilling, heart-breaking, comedic, and horrifying.
Parasite by Bong Joon Ho (2019)
Spider-man: Into the Spider Verse by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman (2018)
Shoplifters by Hirokazu Kore-eda (2018)
Incendies by Denis Villeneuve (2010)
The Farewell by Lulu Wang (2019)
Gook by Justin Chon (2017)
A Separation by Asghar Farhadi (2011)
If Beale Street Could Talk by Barry Jenkins (2018)
The Wailing by Na Hong-jin (2016)
Sorry to Bother You by Boots Riley (2018)
Brianna Staples, Feature Writer
My number one pick is 2013’s Fruitvale Station. Acting as Michael B. Jordan’s breakthrough role and Ryan Coogler’s first feature film, this movie felt like the first in a decade long attempt to disrupt Hollywood’s racial stereotypes and society’s depiction of POCs. The biographical drama recounts the last days of Oscar Grant, leading up to his unjust death at the hands of the San Francisco police. Based on a true story, this film comes at the beginning of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and, like so much of art does, reflects the building racial and political tension within the United States. I love this movie because it was one of the first times, I saw a challenge to the stereotypes surrounding victims of color perpetuated in the news. While I wouldn’t hunker in on a Saturday night to watch this movie for fun like I would for Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, the significance of this film would compel me to recommend this film to anyone who hasn’t seen it for years to come.
Fruitvale Station by Ryan Coogler (2013)
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, & Rodney Rothman (2018)
Blindspotting by Carlos López Estrada (2018)
Moonlight by Barry Jenkins (2016)
Get Out by Jordan Peele (2017)
Crazy Rich Asians by Jon M. Chu (2018)
Hidden Figures by Theodore Melfi (2017)
BlacKkKlansman by Spike Lee (2017)
Roma by Alfonso Cuarón (2018)
Hustlers by Lorene Scafaria (2019)
Carlos Tejeda, Editor-in-Chief
Fences is the story of Troy Maxson, played by Denzel Washington, a bitter man well past his prime whose dreams of becoming a professional baseball was diminished due to his age. Left with regrets, Troy raises a low-class African American family while battling poverty and reclaiming the glory that was taken away from him.
What makes this play turned movie number one is the relatable nature of its characters. The character of Troy Maxson, played by Denzel Washington, speaks to any man who lives by his moral beliefs as a way of self-preservation. It’s even further compounded as Troy pushes his beliefs on to his son, who's also trying to make it as an athlete. The character of Rose Lee Maxson, played by Viola Davis, embodies every woman who's chosen to stick by a husband and while still wanting more. One of the most beautiful aspects of her character is that as the film progress to the third act the viewer are introduced to the real Rose Maxson. Viewers are introduced to the woman who wanted more from life in the same way her husband wanted. After seeing who she really is, it can’t be helped but to see her in a whole new light.
While the movie is categorized as a family, in reality, it functions as a coming of age movie for any young person dealing with the struggles of being a provider and following your dreams in a world where doing so becomes increasingly impossible due to the social challenges and economic decency. Many young people of color men can relate to Cory Maxson, played by Jovan Adepo. Cory’s story arc in the movie is very relatable especially towards the end of the movie when his dreams are taken away and he’s left with only one choice, the military. So many young black men can relate to going to the military as an escape from a bad environment.
Black Panther by Ryan Coogler (2018)
Fruitvale Station by Ryan Coogler (2013)
Creed by Ryan Coogler (2015)
Searching by Aneesh Chaganty (2018)
Flight by Robert Zemeckis (2013)
The Book of Eli by Albert & Allen Hughes (2013)
Parasite by Bong Joon-ho (2019)
Ip man 2 by Wilson Yip (2011)
Fast & Furious 6 by Justin Lin (2013)
Top Picks
Fruitvale Station / Sorry To Bother You
Most Selected Top 10 Picks: The film Moonlight topped our writer’s picka appearing on four list. Also, the August Wilson play turned movie Fences, the biopic Fruitvale Station and the fantasy-comedy Sorry to Bother You followed appearing on three writer’s list each.
JAMES GOURLEY/REX/Daniel Remi Bergeron
Most Selected Directors Work: Ryan Coogler was the top writer’s pick appearing six times for directing the films Black Panther, Fruitvale Station and Creed. Barry Jenkins followed him appearing four times for Moonlight.