It is here — the end of both a year and a decade. To mark this epic occasion, we ask each of our critics to look back at the past 10 years and pick out the film that, to them, is a particular year’s crown jewel. The cherry on that certain twelvemonth sundae. So on, so forth.
Without further ado, the Houston Film Critics Society’s Best of the Decade list.
2010 — Despicable Me
2011 — The Help
2012 — Life of Pi
2013 — Saving Mr. Banks
2014 — Whiplash
2015 — Room
2016 — (tie) Hell or High Water; Hidden Figures
2017 — Get Out
2018 — Green Book
2019 — Joker
2010 — Inception
2011 — Take Shelter
2012 — The Impossible
2013 — Gravity
2014 — Interstellar
2015 — Room
2016 — The Revenant
2017 — Lion
2018 — Call Me By Your Name
2019 — The Aeronauts
2010 — The Social Network
2011 — Drive
2012 — The Master
2013 — Inside Llewyn Davis
2014 — Boyhood
2015 — Carol
2016 — The Lobster
2017 — Call Me By Your Name
2018 — Burning
2019 — Uncut Gems
2010 — Black Swan
2011 — Drive
2012 — Beasts of the Southern Wild
2013 — 12 Years A Slave
2014 — Boyhood
2015 — Ex Machina
2016 — Hell or High Water
2017 — The Shape of Water
2018 — Black Panther
2019 — Motherless Brooklyn
2010 — Inglorious Basterds
2011 — Inception
2012 — The Tree of Life
2013 — The Wolf of Wall Street
2014 — Birdman
2015 — Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 — Moonlight
2017 — Phantom Thread
2018 — A Star is Born
2019 — Once Upon A Time... in Hollywood
2010 — Toy Story 3
2011 — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
2012 — Wreck-It Ralph
2013 — Frozen
2014 — Big Hero 6
2015 — Room
2016 — 10 Cloverfield Lane
2017 — Coco
2018 — Hereditary
2019 — Knives Out
2010 — True Grit
2011 — War Horse
2012 — Django Unchained
2013 — August: Osage County
2014 — Birdman
2015 — The Revenant
2016 — La La Land
2017 — The Shape of Water
2018 — Green Book
2019 — Marriage Story
2010 — The Fighter
2011 — Midnight in Paris
2012 — Django Unchained
2013 — The Great Beauty
2014 — A Most Violent Year
2015 — Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 — Silence
2017 — Brawl in Cell Block 99
2018 — The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
2019 — The Irishman
2010 — Animal Kingdom
2011 — Attack the Block
2012 — A Royal Affair
2013 — The Place Beyond the Pines
2014 — Big Hero 6
2015 — Macbeth
2016 — Arrival
2017 — Get Out
2018 — Annihilation
2019 — Parasite
2010 — The Social Network
2011 — A Separation
2012 — Killing Them Softly
2013 — Inside Llewyn Davis
2014 — Nightcrawler
2015 — Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 — Moonlight
2017 — Columbus
2018 — Shoplifters
2019 — Waves
2010 — Toy Story 3
2011 — Certified Copy
2012 — Moonrise Kingdom
2013 — The Great Beauty
2014 — Two Days, One Night
2015 — Chi-Raq
2016 — O.J.: Made in America
2017 — Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2018 — If Beale Street Could Talk
2019 — The Farewell
2010 — The Social Network
2011 — Moneyball
2012 — The Master
2013 — Inside Llewyn Davis
2014 — Boyhood
2015 — Spotlight
2016 — Manchester By the Sea
2017 — Phantom Thread
2018 — Vice
2019 — Marriage Story
2010 — The Social Network
2011 — The Help
2012 — Moonrise Kingdom
2013 — Frozen
2014 — Whiplash
2015 — Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 — La La Land
2017 — Get Out
2018 — Black Panther
2019 — Avengers: Endgame
2010 — The Social Network
2011 — The Artist
2012 — The Avengers
2013 — her
2014 — The Babadook
2015 — Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 — Arrival
2017 — Get Out
2018 — Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2019 — Jojo Rabbit
2010 — Black Swan
2011 — Drive
2012 — Beasts of the Southern Wild
2013 — Before Midnight
2014 — Birdman
2015 — Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 — The Witch
2017 — Blade Runner 2049
2018 — The Favourite
2019 — Marriage Story
2010 — The Social Network
2011 — Midnight in Paris
2012 — Holy Motors
2013 — Inside Llewyn Davis
2014 — Nightcrawler
2015 — Inside Out
2016 — Embrace of the Serpent
2017 — Blade Runner 2049
2018 — Shoplifters
2019 — The Irishman
2010 — I Saw the Devil
2011 — Dragon
2012 — Holy Motors
2013 — Snowpiercer
2014 — What We Do in the Shadows
2015 — The Boy and the Beast
2016 — Swiss Army Man
2017 — Blade of the Immortal
2018 — Isle of Dogs
2019 — Weathering With You
2010 — The Social Network
2011 — The Tree of Life
2012 — Django Unchained
2013 — 12 Years A Slave
2014 — Boyhood
2015 — Carol
2016 — Moonlight
2017 — Lady Bird
2018 — Roma
2019 — Parasite
2010 — Carlos
2011 — The Tree of Life
2012 — Zero Dark Thirty
2013 — The Unknown Known
2014 — Whiplash
2015 — The Big Short
2016 — O.J.: Made in America
2017 — Lady Bird
2018 — A Bread Factory
2019 — For Sama
2010 — 127 Hours
2011 — Moneyball
2012 — Zero Dark Thirty
2013 — Inside Llewyn Davis
2014 — Boyhood
2015 — Spotlight
2016 — Manchester By The Sea
2017 — Logan
2018 — Vice
2019 — Marriage Story
2010 — The King's Speech
2011 — Take Shelter
2012 — Argo
2013 — 12 Years A Slave
2014 — The Imitation Game
2015 — The Martian
2016 — Hell or High Water
2017 — The Florida Project
2018 — Free Solo
2019 — Hotel Mumbai
