Best Movie of the 2010s, Round of 32: AMC Hamilton 24 Memorial Region
Holy cow, friends! We are really making our way through our picks. I have to say, there were a few matchups that were really tough this round. That’s the name of the game, though—we have to make these decisions to get to the MONUMENTALLY IMPORTANT work of our time of what the two of us think is the best movie of the decade. Really essential stuff to our humanity and all that. 🥸
LITTLE WOMEN (2019)
21 JUMP STREET (2012)
Erin’s Pitch for Little Women: I think LITERALLY the only thing I don’t love about this movie is that they didn’t cast different actors for the flashback scenes…the “littler” women if you will. Other than that, *chef’s kiss* for this one.
Tom’s Pitch for Little Women: The Bob Odenkirk cameo where he smiles and exclaims “my little women!” is the work of a director and screenwriter at the peak of her powers. It’s like hearing your favorite artist play the opening notes to your favorite song. Or watching your favorite sports team making an incredible play to win a game. It’s euphoria.
Erin’s Pitch for 21 Jump Street: I don’t think I have ever met someone who hasn’t liked this movie. It’s so so funny and it has a rare awesome sequel. I also am pretty sure when I went to see this in theaters we were kind of late so we had to sit in the very front of the theater. And I STILL loved it, even with a neck injury from twisting to see the screen.
Tom’s Pitch for 21 Jump Street: Ice Cube is electric in this. Everything out of his mouth cracks me up, especially because Tatum and Hill are so good at turtling and taking his abuse. Korean Jesus doesn’t have time for you!
Erin’s Choice: I am team Little Women here because I cried in the movie theater when I watched it because it was just that good. I didn’t cry watching 21 Jump Street, believe it or not.
Tom’s Choice: The scene in Little Women where Amy (Florence Pugh) and Laurie (Timothee Chalamet) talk about life, love, and ambition in the art studio is a masterwork. I’m going with Little Women. Sorry Korean Jesus.
The People’s Choice: Little Women - 12 (41.4%), 21 Jump Street - 17 (58.6%). Unfortunately, there won’t be a third Jump Street appearance in this bracket. Little Women moves on.
WINNER: LITTLE WOMEN (2019)
SPOTLIGHT (2015)
EX MACHINA (2014)
Erin’s Pitch for Spotlight: OMG all the movies that are left are so good. Sometimes the post-movie cards with info on them are pointless, but in Spotlight, it was an incredible ending creating audience outrage with a true call to action. Also I had no idea what to call those black screens with words in them at the end of movies but Wikipedia called it a “textual epilogue.” Sounds a little fancy but it’s shorter than the other options I came up with here. 🤷🏻♀️
Tom’s Pitch for Spotlight: People love or hate Mark Ruffalo in this movie - I love him. He’s all in, and he’s the heart and soul of the cast. Watch the scene where he blows up at Michael Keaton in the office about running the priest story. That’s what got him his Best Supporting Actor nod, and he would have been a deserving winner. He provides the sense of urgency that makes Spotlight feel like a horror movie.
Erin’s Pitch for Ex Machina: Domnhall Gleeson was king of my movie world in 2015. He was in so much and he deserves better than PETER RABBIT. Anyway, I’m a sucker for big swings when it comes to endings, and this was a total home run.
Tom’s Pitch for Ex Machina: My jaw dropped for the entire ending sequence of this movie. Alicia Vikander perfectly showed the reticence, curiosity, and anxiety of an android wandering outside of her prison for the first time. It’s also fun that Domhnall Gleeson played opposite an android in this after having played Hayley Atwell’s dead AI boyfriend in the “Be Right Back” episode of Black Mirror just two years prior.
Erin’s Choice: This was a hard one!! I pick Spotlight!
Tom’s Choice: Uggghhhh this is painful - both of these movies left me stunned. This is one of the closest calls so far. I’m gonna go with…..Spotlight.
The People’s Choice: Spotlight - 14 (56.0%), Ex Machina - 11 (44.0%). Eleven of you are left screaming in a locked room while Spotlight ascends to the next round.
WINNER: SPOTLIGHT (2015)
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010)
LADY BIRD (2017)
Erin’s Pitch for The Social Network: It’s funny because when this movie was first released, Facebook was cool and seemingly harmless fun. Everyone I knew had one, and it was an integral part of my social life. Over a decade later, my Facebook has been deactivated for years, I cringe at the thought of what is being posted on the reg, and the company has done irredeemable harm to our society and democracy!! Erin is…sad that Facebook exists but is happy that this movie does and paints Mark Z as a true horror show. ☺️
Tom’s Pitch for The Social Network: The opening scene is one of the best in any movie in recent memory. Rooney Mara is perfect and it sets the tone so well to show how much of a piece of garbage Zuckerberg is (and really always was). Mara’s in the movie for like five minutes and they’re five of the most memorable minutes of an extremely memorable movie. She’s unreal.
Erin’s Pitch for Lady Bird: This movie is on my ever-growing “movies I wish came out when I was in high school,” which is kind of a trip because it’s set in the early 2000s…which is before I was in high school. Saoirse Ronan has been a fave of mine for a long time and this is my favorite role of hers.
Tom’s Pitch for Lady Bird: I’m not a huge Timothee Chalamet fan (yet?) and I hated him on my first go-around with this one, but on rewatch, his character is hysterical. I didn’t get the satire at first. He’s so obnoxious and every line he says makes me roll my eyes, like the fact that he’s in a band called “L’Enfance Nue” (which he pronounces with a French accent) It’s a perfect role for him.
Erin’s Choice: Another difficult choice!!! I really really love Lady Bird but I am going to pick The Social Network because of the incredible score and razor sharp criticism of its subject.
Tom’s Choice: I’m really splitting hairs at this point, but it’s Lady Bird for me. It’s less flashy and more nuanced, and I have more fun while I’m watching it. Plus it doesn’t have Armie Hammer, so that’s something.
The People’s Choice: The Social Network - 16 (61.5%), Lady Bird - 10 (38.5%). Money is not life’s report card, as Lady Bird’s mom tells her, but Mark Zuckerberg has a lot of it. The Social Network advances.
WINNER: THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010)
HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016)
SHORT TERM 12 (2013)
Erin’s Pitch for Hell or High Water: SHOUT OUT TO GIL BIRMINGHAM who is never mentioned when it comes to this film and isn’t on the posters but I think is the true heart of the movie. He is a wonderful actor and is so good opposite Jeff Bridges. I think it wouldn’t be nearly as good a film without him.
Tom’s Pitch for Hell or High Water: There are a lot of amazing action scenes (the bank robberies, the Ben Foster shootout, etc.), but the scene I think about the most is the Chris Pine-Jeff Bridges conversation on the porch toward the end of the movie. It’s tense, complex, and explains how basically the entire movie is centered around poverty. It’s beautiful.
Erin’s Pitch for Short Term 12: What’s really cool about this movie is that in different hands, it could be forgettable Netflix series fare. Director and writer Destin Daniel Cretton instead tackles the difficult topics with nuance and empathy. It’s not an easy-breezy watch, but it’s worth it!
Tom’s Pitch for Short Term 12: I knew most of this cast before watching this (Brie Larson, Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, Lakeith Stanfield, etc.) but I hadn’t really appreciated John Gallagher Jr. until afterward. Mason is such a complex, funny, imperfect character and Gallagher is a great counterpart to Brie Larson. I say it again: watch this movie!
Erin’s Choice: Hell or High Water is my pick because it’s a movie so good that I don’t care that it’s set in one of my least favorite settings: any place with lots of sand.
Tom’s Choice: Short Term 12 is excellent and I’ll say that one more time before I send it off into the abyss. Hell or High Water is my choice.
The People’s Choice: Hell or High Water - 10 (71.4%), Short Term 12 - 4 (28.6%). Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and the gang win another shootout and move on.
WINNER: HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016)
That’s it so far! Keep an eye on Instagram for the next region’s matchups! For now, we’ll leave you with the state of the AMC Hamilton 24 Memorial Region as it stands:
