Best Movie of the 2010s, Round of 64: Princeton Garden Theatre Region
Now that our vacation is over, we’re back on the grind! We were all over the place in this set of movies: there were 4 popular vote tiebreakers - including one win by ONE single vote, 2 blowouts (sorry Enough Said), and 2 where our choices went against the grain, including a major upset of a strong contender. And a Best Picture winner is GONE. Here are the results:
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018)
ROOM (2015)
Erin’s Pitch for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: I am not a huge superhero movie person, but I always like a fresh take on the genre, and have a soft spot for Spider-Man films. This one has it all: a great cast, innovative animation, and a real sense of fun. Great watch!
Tom’s Pitch for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Spider-Verse is my favorite Marvel movie. It’s filled with everything you could want in a superhero film: heart, humor, fun, camp, drama, and Nicolas Cage. The animation is beautiful and fits the tone of the movie perfectly. And I loved seeing a Spider-Man story onscreen that wasn’t the same old Peter Parker origin story or some offshoot of it. It’s a true celebration of the character, the comics, and Black and Latino representation and it’s a complete joy to watch.
Erin’s Pitch for Room: I loved this movie. It is sort of The Florida Project-esque in that the movie isn’t as terribly depressing and morose as you would think because it is told through a child’s eyes. Brie Larson deserved her Oscar, Jacob Tremblay should have been nominated (DANG YOU CHILD BIAS AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS) and even though it needed to be cut down a tad, it was a beautiful film.
Tom’s Pitch for Room: Jacob Tremblay blew me away in this movie and it’s wild to me that he wasn’t nominated for Best Actor (Academy ageism is real, people). He plays Jack, a child unknowingly born into captivity after a man raped his mom Joy, and the pair are locked in a room accessed only by their captor. Told through Jack’s eyes, the movie uses point of view to perfection, and it’s a wonderful, if slightly too long, look at the shared strength between mother and child.
Erin’s Choice: I choose Room for the wonderful performances and the mastery of creating a movie that could be so sad and making it hopeful and filled with life.
Tom’s Choice: Room is an acting clinic and it’s an excellent movie. But Spider-Verse is close to the peak of animation and I just love it so much. I’m going with Spider-Verse.
The People: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - 22 (81.5%), Room - 5 (18.5%). As the great Jacob Tremblay once said, “Bye Room.”
WINNER: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018)
PADDINGTON 2 (2018)
UNCUT GEMS (2019)
Erin’s Pitch for Paddington 2: I have already written about my love for Paddington 2, but I can’t say it enough: it’s the perfect movie. For a brief, blissful moment, it was the KING of movies, beating Citizen Kane as the most rated 100% fresh film. The joy I felt...my soul lifted into the stratosphere for those few, fleeting days. Anyway, the Paddington series masterfully combines British culture, a sweet animated bear, and gentle but clear messages on immigration and prison reform. Who wants to come see Paddington 3 on opening day? Midnight showing?
Tom’s Pitch for Paddington 2: I don’t know if there’s anything I’m able to add onto Erin’s glowing description, but Brendan Gleeson is the man and also I’m curiously getting hungry for marmalade as I type this.
Erin’s Pitch for Uncut Gems: I stan a period piece made a mere eight years later. Can you even imagine it in your brain? A movie set in 2011 that’s made in 2019?! It blew my mind open in that movie theater. Right under that amazement was bubbling anxiety, bitten fingernails, eyes squeezed shut, and audible gasps throughout the entire thing. Adam Sandler is God-tier in this one. Sorry haters--Uncut Gems is so good.
Tom’s Pitch for Uncut Gems: An absolute heart attack of a movie that you either love or hate. Josh and Benny Safdie make movies like no one else - cacophonous cross-talking creates anxiety as Howard (Adam Sandler, who should have been nominated!!!) makes an escalating series of ill-advised decisions involving a rare black opal, Kevin Garnett, The Weeknd, and so much more. I can’t tell you how much fun I had watching this movie in theaters - special shoutouts to Julia Fox, the two weird brothers that pop up randomly throughout to ask Howard for money, Mike Francesa, and that ending!
Erin’s Choice: ……friends, it’s Paddington.
Tom’s Choice: Gahh this one’s hard, but I have to go with Uncut Gems. Paddington is incredible but Uncut Gems was one of my favorite in-theater experiences.
The People: Paddington 2 - 15 (51.2%), Uncut Gems - 14 (48.8%). Holy crap. The fluffy bear leaves Adam Sandler bleeding on the floor. Paddington 2 moves on by one vote! Get me a Paddington chain NOW.
WINNER: PADDINGTON 2 (2018)
WARRIOR (2011)
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013)
Erin’s Pitch for Warrior: I LOVE MOVIES THAT END IN A COMPETITION. I always have. Bring it On, Pitch Perfect, Dodgeball, Best in Show, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam...it just works for me as a viewer. This one has the added bonus of a really great set up and cast. Joel Edgerton (underrated KING), Tom Hardy, and Nick Nolte are a fighting family, literally and figuratively. Good stuff all around. Dads have to love this one, right?
Tom’s Pitch for Warrior: In a way, Warrior is an MMA version of The Fighter, but it’s really not. It’s got some similar Dad Movie Vibes, but the surprisingly complex triangular relationship between Brendan (Joel Edgerton), Tommy (Tom Hardy), and Paddy (Nick Nolte) deconstructs hypermasculinity, alcoholism, and the concept of forgiveness. While very much in the vein of movies like The Fighter and The Wrestler, Warrior still exists in a space of its own.
Erin’s Pitch for Dallas Buyers Club: Now that I rewatched it, having already seen Big Little Lies, I was like “WHOA” because Jean-Marc Vallee has a distinctive *~*vibe*~*. Same with the movie Wild too. I really like this movie and it talks about a time in our country’s recent history that does not get nearly enough attention. I still feel like we don’t discuss the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s like we should, but with movies like DBC, as well as art like Rent, Angels in America, The Normal Heart, and How to Survive a Plague, we will continue to see more work their way into the public consciousness.
Tom’s Pitch for Dallas Buyers Club: I wasn’t sure how this would age given Jared Leto’s portrayal of a trans woman with HIV, but it actually wasn’t so bad. While both he and McConaughey won Academy Awards for this, it’s Matthew’s career-reviving comeback role that carries this movie for me. He is electric throughout and good enough to have beaten DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street for the award given his performance here.
Erin’s Choice: As a known MMA fan….lolz no but I still pick Warrior because of the really interesting family dynamics and because the final third happens in NEW JERSEY.
Tom’s Choice: Two big-time Dad Movies, but only one can prevail. Matthew McConaughey is just incredible in Dallas Buyers Club. Even though Joel Edgerton was a surprise MPM hero throughout the last year and a half, I’m going with DBC.
The People: Warrior - 10 (43.5%), Dallas Buyers Club - 13 (56.5%).
WINNER: DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013)
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (2018)
THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017)
Erin’s Pitch for If Beale Street Could Talk: Gorgeous gorgeous movie. With stunning visuals, heartfelt, achingly beautiful performances, and lovely cinematography, somehow the score rises to the top as the MVP of this movie. What a wonderful adaptation of James Baldwin’s work. A must see.
Tom’s Pitch for If Beale Street Could Talk: Barry Jenkins is a master. I don’t know how else to describe it: this movie just sings to me. The colors, the cinematography, the actors’ facial expressions, the music - it’s an absolutely stunning adaptation of the James Baldwin novel. You could watch this entire movie without dialogue and know exactly what it’s about just because of Jenkins’ ability to focus on sensory details that convey a wide variety of intense emotions.
Erin’s Pitch for The Shape of Water: This is WILLLLLLD. I love movies that start a conversation, elicit insanely varying reactions from viewers, and jumpstart a hilarious mountain of Tweets and memes. We don’t talk enough about how the fish guy literally eats Richard Jenkins’ cat and everyone just kind of shrugs it off. That water bill has to be through the roof too...
Tom’s Pitch for The Shape of Water: A modern day fairytale, The Shape of Water combines The Creature from the Black Lagoon with a Cold War-era twist and an absolutely unhinged performance from Michael Shannon to form one of the most unique Best Picture winners in recent years. It’s about feeling like a misfit and finding other misfits in a world that isolates so many different types of people. I love this movie, it’s absolutely beautiful.
Erin’s Choice: I am going go to with Beale Street, and only one reason is that if I were still in college, the soundtrack would be BUMPING in my earbuds on the third floor of the TCNJ library.
Tom’s Choice: Like I said, Beale Street sings to me. It’s incredible. I’m going Beale Street. My apologies to Richard Jenkins’ cat and to Michael Shannon’s unhinged (and snubbed) performance.
The People: If Beale Street Could Talk - 15 (68.2%), The Shape of Water - 7 (31.8%). Sally Hawkins’ gills might come in handy, because Beale Street drowns The Shape of Water.
WINNER: IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (2018)
ENOUGH SAID (2013)
MOONLIGHT (2016)
Erin’s Pitch for Enough Said: One of my favorite romantic comedies, Enough Said is lovely on its own merit, but is bolstered by its leads. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini are known for their iconic television roles, but should have gotten more recognition for this film. They have amazing chemistry, and are all in for this sweet, mature, awesome little movie.
Tom’s Pitch for Enough Said: Two of the greatest TV actors in history teamed up for one of the best rom-coms of the decade. That’s really all there is to it - it’s a must-watch. It’s a movie about two people living their lives with and without one another, and they live them how real people live them. They react to things how real people react to them. They treat each other like real people do. It mostly doesn’t even really feel like a movie. It’s excellent.
Erin’s Pitch for Moonlight: ...It’s Moonlight. I mean, do I need to say anything else at this point? Can I just wait?
Tom’s Pitch for Moonlight: Watch this movie and pay attention to the color blue. It tells the entire story. As I said about Beale Street, Barry Jenkins is a master. He’s probably on his way to becoming the best filmmaker of this generation. Moonlight is literary, it’s exceptional, and it’s essential viewing.
Erin’s Choice: 😇 love Enough Said but Moonlight wins.
Tom’s Choice: WATCH ENOUGH SAID. GANDOLFINI AND JLD ARE A DELIGHT. Moonlight is my vote.
The People: Enough Said - 3 (14.3%), Moonlight - 18 (85.7%). Yeah. Enough Said got a tough first round draw.
WINNER: MOONLIGHT (2016)
BLACKKKLANSMAN (2018)
NEBRASKA (2013)
Erin’s Pitch for BlacKkKlansman: This is a great one. Spike Lee’s film based on a true story is about a Black police officer who was able to successfully infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. The film is funny, thought-provoking, and the end is a sober reminder on how far we still have to go in our country.
Tom’s Pitch for BlacKkKlansman: Spike has a very specific style and it fit this premise perfectly. It’s stylish, funny (even where it shouldn’t be - Paul Walter Hauser’s character represents a large percentage of the country but he’s hysterical), and insightful all at once. This is also the first movie I saw where I *got* Adam Driver. He’s still hit or miss for me overall, but in this movie he’s great. John David Washington is the star though; he’s the centerpiece of this biting, timely film.
Erin’s Pitch for Nebraska: Bruce Dern and June Squibb. Heaven on EARTH!! Okay so basically Bruce Dern thinks he won the lottery and goes on a road trip with his son (Will Forte) to cash in on his ticket. It’s a tiny little movie, filmed in black and white, and my absolute favorite thing in the world about it (besides June Squibb flashing a grave in a cemetery) is that Dern’s character does not change. He’s not dynamic at all. While he remains the same, it is our perception of him that shifts as the movie rolls along. Genius storytelling, and much more realistic than most films.
Tom’s Pitch for Nebraska: Alexander Payne is such a unique director. Between this and The Descendants, he killed it with darkly comedic family dramas in the 2010s. I love this movie for the same reasons Erin said. But I also can’t help but laugh at the fact that a black-and-white movie about wispy-haired grouchy Bruce Dern on a road trip to claim lottery winnings and an eighty-something-year-old June Squibb dishing dirt on their neighbors’ sex lives ended up being the last movie released by Paramount Vantage before it closed in 2013.
Erin’s Choice: I never win these I swear…except for PADDINGTON 2. I chose Nebraska but what do I know?
Tom’s Choice: Only one of these movies shares a name with a Bruce Springsteen album, so I’m going with the other one. But seriously, we’re splitting hairs here and I crack up thinking about Topher Grace playing David Duke pretty often. BlacKkKlansman for me.
The People: BlacKkKlansman - 21 (87.5%), Nebraska - 3 (12.5%).
WINNER: BLACKKKLANSMAN (2018)
BLACK PANTHER (2018)
THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017)
Erin’s Pitch for Black Panther: I saw this for Tom’s birthday at the AMC Hamilton (RIP I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU) and it was one of my most memorable movie theater experiences. Oh dang, didn’t I just say earlier that I wasn’t super into superhero films? Ugh and now I’m completely going against that opinion? Maybe this is my superhero loving origin story...Black Panther is excellent!
Tom’s Pitch for Black Panther: ...maybe this is my favorite Marvel movie? I’m not sure. I generally like the MCU well enough, but there’s something different about Black Panther that elevates it. It felt like it mattered. Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) burst onto the scene and, regardless of your opinion on his performance, became probably the best villain in the chronology. And why was that? Because he had a point. That made him the absolute perfect foil for T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). Like a great heel in wrestling, Killmonger’s story complemented and elevated T’Challa’s. This is a special Marvel entry.
Erin’s Pitch for The Florida Project: This is one of my faves. I’m not supposed to give that away I think, but I’m the sheriff in this town so I can do what I want. I love Willem Dafoe in this movie about a little girl growing up in a motel right outside of Disney World. He is so lovely. Everyone is so good in this devastating but somehow hilarious film. The opening scene and the closing scene are two of my absolute favorites.
Tom’s Pitch for The Florida Project: I have a soft spot for movies that star non-actors. This was, amazingly, the first film role for both lead actresses and I can’t imagine a way where they could have put on better performances. It’s loving and funny and soul crushing and just brims with personality. You might not ever feel as good traveling to Disney World as you did before, but this movie is worth it. I’m STILL mad Dafoe lost Best Supporting Actor to Sam Rockwell. Whatever.
Erin’s Choice: I really liked both of these but The Florida Project has been a fave since I first saw Willem Dafoe haul that vending machine around with his son Caleb Landry Jones. 🙏
Tom’s Choice: This was a literal coin flip for me. Both movies made me feel a lot of things. In the end, I’m going with the underdog $2 million movie over the $200 million Marvel juggernaut. The Florida Project is just so pure. It edges past Black Panther in my eyes.
The People: Black Panther - 22 (73.3%), The Florida Project - 8 (26.7%). BITE US, LOSERS!
WINNER: THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017)
SING STREET (2016)
THE HATE U GIVE (2018)
Erin’s Pitch for Sing Street: You didn’t see this, did you? This is from the same guy who did Once!! Sing Street is going to be a Broadway show too! It’s so Irish and 80s and such a good time, and the boyfriend from Midsommar is in it and is so charming. Give it a shot and see if you don’t sing and laugh and swoon.
Tom’s Pitch for Sing Street: This is such a fun coming-of-age movie. I LOVE coming-of-age movies. The tone is like, Lady Bird mixed with Almost Famous mixed with Derry Girls (because Ireland!). It’s so fun and it has a huge heart. It’s like an hour and a half long and I promise you won’t regret watching it. It’s impossible not to hum or tap along to the music.
Erin’s Pitch for The Hate U Give: This is an excellent adaptation of a fantastic YA novel. Main character Starr witnesses the shooting death of her unarmed friend by a police officer. She then faces pressures from her school, neighborhood, family, and conscience on what action to take. Read the book, then watch the movie. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Tom’s Pitch for The Hate U Give: I’ve never read the book, but I loved the movie. It’s heavy-handed at times, as should be expected from any YA adaptation, but it uses that heavy-handedness to its advantage to show the effect of police brutality on Black and Brown communities. Amandla Stenberg is incredible as Starr, who has the perfect blend of energy, passion, and tenderness that a top-notch protagonist should have as the film tackles a police killing and its fallout head-on.
Erin’s Choice: Again, I loved both of these! But Sing Street is a true Irish viiiibe, lads.
Tom’s Choice: I was ENTHRALLED by Sing Street. The movie absolutely rocks. For such a small movie, it’s got so much subtle complexity and heart. Plus, it’s a mix of so many of my favorite things, and I love movies set in Ireland. Sing Street it is.
The People: Sing Street - 5 (35.7%), The Hate U Give - 9 (64.3%). Man, none of you saw these movies. Watch both of them!!
WINNER: SING STREET (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 Princeton Garden Theatre region as it stands:
