A Glean movie guide
The Definitive 2010s Movie Guide
Modern Classics
A curated look at the films that defined a decade of modern cinema.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Parasite
A masterclass in genre-blending that explores class conflict with razor-sharp precision.
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
- 02
Mad Max: Fury Road
A relentless, visually stunning chase that redefined the modern action epic.
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
- 03
Moonlight
A poetic and deeply moving exploration of identity across three pivotal life stages.
The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.
- 04
The Social Network
A sharp, fast-paced drama capturing the birth of the digital age and its personal costs.
In 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg begins work on a new concept that eventually turns into the global social network known as Facebook. Six years later, Mark is one of the youngest billionaires ever, but his unprecedented success leads to both personal and legal complications when he ends up on the receiving end of two lawsuits, one involving his former friend.
- 05
Inception
A mind-bending heist thriller that remains the gold standard for high-concept blockbusters.
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
- 06
Get Out
A chillingly effective social thriller that uses horror to examine modern racial tensions.
Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
- 07
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
An innovative visual feast that breathed fresh life into the superhero genre.
Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only Spider-Man. While wrestling with the implications of his new abilities, Miles discovers a super collider created by the madman Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk, causing others from across the Spider-Verse to be inadvertently transported to his dimension.
- 08
Whiplash
An electrifying look at the brutal cost of perfection and the thin line between mentor and monster.
Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.
- 09
Arrival
A cerebral and emotional sci-fi journey that prioritizes communication over combat.
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
- 10
The Grand Budapest Hotel
A whimsical and meticulously crafted adventure through a fictional European history.
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.
- 11
12 Years a Slave
A harrowing and essential portrait of survival and the human spirit in the face of atrocity.
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
- 12
Lady Bird
A witty and authentic coming-of-age story that perfectly captures the friction of growing up.
Lady Bird McPherson, a strong willed, deeply opinionated, artistic 17 year old comes of age in Sacramento. Her relationship with her mother and her upbringing are questioned and tested as she plans to head off to college.