The 15 Best Screenplays Of The Last Decade
I had to start with just the last decade or otherwise this list would have been too daunting, but here they are, the 15 best written movies I have seen, recently...
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- 15 titles
- DirectorJohn Patrick ShanleyStarsMeryl StreepPhilip Seymour HoffmanAmy AdamsA Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.This film blew me away with its layers of meaning in all of the actions of the characters. I still have no idea how to write such a film.
- DirectorJ BlakesonStarsGemma ArtertonEddie MarsanMartin CompstonA rich man's daughter is held captive in an abandoned apartment by two former convicts who abducted her and hold her ransom in exchange for her father's money.The Disappearance of Alice Creed is still fresh in my mind because I saw it just a week ago, but it has quickly climbed all of my "best" lists. The characters are just so well crafted in this thriller that by the end it becomes about them and not the plot, and I am still blown away by it everytime I try to think about how he wrote it.
- DirectorAdrienne ShellyStarsKeri RussellNathan FillionJeremy SistoJenna is a pregnant, unhappily married waitress in the deep south. She meets a newcomer to her town and falls into an unlikely relationship as a last attempt at happiness.Cleverly walks the line between drama and comedy, and succesfully makes dark subject matter funny without losing its heart. Not an easy task to do at all.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyJames McAvoyBrenda BlethynThirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.After reading the book, I had no idea how to turn it into a film. After watching the film, I realized he took the book almost word-for-word and somehow made it into a comprehensible masterpiece, but I still have no idea how.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsScarlett JohanssonJonathan Rhys MeyersEmily MortimerAt a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for an actress who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law.Woody Allen is always very great at adding meaning to all the elements in his story, and in this story he was particularly great at adding a little bit of comedy to his dark murder mystery drama.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletChristopher FitzgeraldA young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.Revolutionary Road accurately painted a time, but even better, painted characters that are relevant in today's time.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsNicolas CageMeryl StreepChris CooperA lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.This should have been one of those stories that you just can't adapt, but Charlie Kaufman did it. But I also never attempt to understand the genius of Kaufman.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsJim CarreyKate WinsletTom WilkinsonWhen their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.Again it's the genius of Charlie Kaufman, here he took a crazy story but made it feel down-to-Earth enough so we could enjoy it.
- DirectorMarc WebbStarsZooey DeschanelJoseph Gordon-LevittGeoffrey ArendAfter being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.I will admit that I didn't get it at first, but the very clever twist with Zooey Deschanel's character makes this is a very well written film.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsAaron EckhartCameron BrightMaria BelloSatirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his 12-year-old son.Thank You for Smoking is one of the best satires ever. They pointed out the absurdity to all the sides and did it with some very smart humour. They also cleverly did it through creating one very good character that we could just follow - he was smart, sarcastic, funny, but also human.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsSean PennJosh BrolinEmile HirschThe story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first openly gay official.Milk was a powerful film, because of how personal the screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black, made it, but at the same time he kept true to the story and never inserted himself into it.
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsWill FerrellEmma ThompsonDustin HoffmanI.R.S. auditor Harold Crick suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire existence, from his work to his love life to his death.Stranger Than Fiction walked that fine line between fiction and absurdity, and created meaningful characters, and gave us just a fun comedy.
- DirectorKenneth LonerganStarsLaura LinneyMatthew BroderickAmy RyanA single mother's life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely seen younger brother returns to town.The true art of You Can Count on Me was creating real, accessible but flawed characters that were each able to express and exert emotion.
- DirectorLee Toland KriegerStarsAdam ScottBrittany SnowAlex FrostA man tries to warn his brother away from the new girlfriend he brings home during Thanksgiving, but ends up becoming infatuated with her in the process.A great example of how to write a dysfunctional family dramedy. The drama was honest, the comedy funny and touching, and the actors didn't have to carry everything through dialogue alone but also their actions.
- DirectorCharles Herman-WurmfeldStarsJennifer WestfeldtHeather JuergensenTovah FeldshuhA woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman.A great example of how to write a romantic comedy because it's accessible, smart, funny and all the characters are likable.
