Director Title Belt Vol 4: Then Till Now

The first three volumes brought us to 2010 and from there will complete time as it has yet existed. Or to put it less ridiculously, we'll look at the eight years of this decade. Keep in mind the Oscars ceremony for 2018 has not yet been held. Check the earlier Volumes for the rules. At the end, I'll some wrap up. As a reminder, Spielberg has won back to back Decade Belts while Tarantino is the current Belt holder from '09.

2010

"Inception" Christopher Nolan

"Incendies" Denis Villeneuve

"Shuter Island" Martin Scorsese

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" David Yates

"The Social Network" David Fincher

"True Grit" The Coen Brothers

"The Fighter" David O Russell

"Alice in Wonderland" Tim Burton

This last decade started strong, the nonhits included Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood", Louis Leterrier's "Clash of the Titans", Tony Scott's last film "Unstoppable", M Night Shyamalan's double Razzie winner "The Last Airbender", Adam McKay's "The Other Guys", and James Mangold's "Knight and Day."

Villeneuve's second film was also his second hit. The French-language film is 93% fresh and earned Villeneuve a BAFTA nomination. 

The production team running the show for Harry Potter decided to cash in on two films for the final book. The first of them earned Yates a Saturn nom, is 78% fresh, and made $296 million. 

Burton's fourth film in a row was a hit as he adapted Lewis Carroll in his distinctive, bizarre style. Critically, the film was completely panned at 35% rotten but it drew moviegoers in droves, making $334 million. I agree with the critics on this one.

David Fincher also continued a hit streak with his third in a row. His controversial biopic of the prophet of social media, Mark Zuckerberg, is 95% fresh and earned Fincher an Oscar nom, and both a Globe and BAFTA win.  

The theme continues with Scorsese who made his third hit in a row. Teaming up with Leo for the fourth time, his psychological horror/mystery is an engaging, beautiful, and intense film. It earned the director a Saturn nom and made $128 million. The Globes also awarded Scorsese with a lifetime achievement award. 

"True Grit" was a classic John Wayne Western from 1969. The Coen Brothers remade it with superstars Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, and Matt Damon. Hitting on all marks, the film is 96% fresh, made $171 million, and earned the brothers three Oscar noms and a pair of BAFTA noms.

David O Russell had been making films since 1994 and had some critical acceptance. After a six-year break, he scored his first hit. "The Fighter" is most notable for the physical transformation Christian Bale undertook for his role as boxer Dicky Ecklund. However, Russell's handling of dialogue and the believably intimate nature of his character's relationships make the film tick. It is deservedly 90% fresh and earned Russell both an Oscar and Globe nom.

Leonardo DiCaprio had quite the year. While Scorsese had him doubting his own memory, Nolan had him delving into dreams. The normal cliches apply: intense, creative, exciting, fascinating, unique, and extremely cool. "Inception" is quite the ride. It earned Nolan a pair of BAFTA noms, a pair of Saturn wins, and solidified his status as one of the greatest filmmakers of our generation. 86% fresh (embarrassingly low) and $293 million both belie how good it is. 

Scorsese, the Coens, and Russell all flexed their considerable talents but the Belt is Nolan's.

TITLE BELT: Christopher Nolan (3)

2011

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" Brad Bird

"Hugo" Martin Scorsese

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" David Yates

"Super 8" JJ Abrams

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" David Fincher

"Rango" Gore Verbinski

"Captain America: The First Avenger" Joe Johnston

Shawn Levy's "Real Steel", Spielberg's "War Horse" & "The Adventures of Tintin", Bay's 3rd Transformers movie, and Zach Snyder's "Sucker Punch" are among the nonhits.

Verbinski's animated western wins the director an Oscar and a BAFTA is 88% fresh and made $123. He's hitless since.

Joe Johnston was somewhat inexplicably given the reigns of one of Marvel's core heroes with the first Captain America film. Remarkably, it stands as his 2nd most critically accepted film at 80% fresh ('99s "October Sky" 90%) and made $177 million. He hasn't made it back to the hit column since.

JJ Abrams continued his hit streak with a 3rd in a row, scoring a pair of Saturn noms, winning one, with paranormal Sci-Fi flick "Super 8." The influence of producer Steven Spielberg is unmistakable. It found well-rounded success with $127 million at the gate, the pair of award noms, and 81% fresh.

After three unmistakably dominant hits in the animated world, Brad Bird was given the helm of one of the more important re-launches in film history (at least that's how I see it). While not strictly a reboot, Ghost Protocol reinvigorated the Mission: Impossible film universe. It earned Bird a Saturn nom, made $209 million, and is 93% fresh.

Fincher alternated back from historical biography ("Zodiac", Social Network) to literary adaptation (Benjamin Button) with his 4th straight hit. The Stieg Larsson novel served as perfect kindling for Fincher's dark, brooding tone. Not nearly as successful as his earlier work, Dragon Tattoo still made $103 million and is 86% fresh.

Yates wrapped up one of the most ambitious and undeniably most successful multi-film sagas with Deathly Hallows, Part 2. The freshest of the HP's at 96%, it earned Yates a BAFTA win and a Saturn nom and made $381 million.

21 years, 9 films, and 3 hits removed from the apex of "Goodfellas", Scorsese amazingly soared again with "Hugo." An adaptation of Brian Selznick's fanciful and tender story of legacy and family laced with an homage to the first great filmmaker Georges Méliès. The differences between "Goodfellas" and "Hugo" are obvious and plentiful, but for Scorsese, they both meant seven award nominations and 90+% fresh (93%). Scorsese received a lifetime BAFTA, two additional BAFTA noms, a Saturn nom, two Oscar noms, and won a Golden Globe.

Yates' mastery of the HP universe is, I believe, too often overlooked. However, mastery may be more apt to describe Scorsese's uncanny ability to create emotionally tangible films across the widest of genre spectrums.  

TITLE BELT: Martin Scorsese (5)

2012

"Lincoln" Steven Speilberg

"The Dark Knight Rises" Christopher Nolan

"The Master" Paul Thomas Anderson

"Looper" Rian Johnson

"Moonrise Kingdom" Wes Anderson

"Life of Pi" Ang Lee

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Peter Jackson

"Magic Mike" Steven Soderbergh

"Silver Linings Playbook" David O Russell

"Django Unchained" Quentin Tarantino

"Frankenweenie" Tim Burton

An already busy year, it also included nonhits "Jack Reacher" by McQuarrie, "Men in Black 3" by Sonnenfeld, "Prometheus" by Ridley Scott, "Flight" by Zemeckis, and the Razzie earning "Battleship" by Peter Berg. 

Steven Soderbergh made a movie in 2012. It made $114 million and is 80% fresh. Of Soderbergh's seven hits, I personally hope to never see three of them.

In "Moonrise Kingdom", Wes Anderson is right at home with more oddness. 93% fresh, the film earned Anderson an Oscar, BAFTA, and Cannes nom. I definitely have come through this process wanting to watch more of his films.

The other Anderson made a somewhat controversial, not-quite biographical film, loosely based on the life of author and cult leader L Ron Hubbard. Difficult but well-crafted, "The Master" earned PTA a BAFTA nom and is 84% fresh.

David O Russell discovered he like to work with Jennifer Lawrence, paired her with Bradley Cooper, and scored his second hit in a row. Silver Linings earned Russell a pair of Oscar noms, a Globe nom, and won a BAFTA, is 92% fresh, and made $132 million.

With only his second Oscar nom, and a BAFTA nom, Tim Burton's last hit to date was a return to his stop-motion, doll-like work. At 87% fresh it is his most critically accepted film since "Ed Wood" in '94.

After the career-making Lord of the Rings epics, Jackson made one mess of a film and then managed to get the support he needed to go back to Middle-earth and adapt Tolkien's prequel novel The Hobbit. Guillermo del Toro assisted with the screenplays and Jackson developed the story into a trilogy of its own. The first installment earned him a Saturn nom and made $303 million. However, it was critically below-average at 64% and while a mostly enjoyable watch, I have to agree with the critics its far from perfect.

While I highly recommend Rian Johnson's first two movies, "Brick" and "The Brothers Bloom", his first hit was "Looper." The time-bending, dystopian sci-fi earned Johnson a Saturn nom and is 93% fresh.

None of those movies compete with the remaining four for the Belt. 

Tarantino followed his Belt-winning hit Inglourious with a Western in the spirit of '60s anti-racist cowboy-hero Django. QT received an Oscar nom, two Globe noms, two BAFTA noms, and a Saturn nom for the original screenplay. 86% fresh, it was QT's most commercially successful film yet, aking $163 million. 

Nolan completed his Batman trilogy with Saturn-winner "The Dark Knight Rises." At 87% fresh and with $448 million in receipts, it's actually the most accomplished of the three movies in the series. More significant in scope than the first two, Batman's enemies come from across the globe and threaten the complete annihilation of Gotham. An extremely exciting and engaging film, it, unfortunately, has a few minor issues which leave a bit to be desired.

Ang Lee's latest hit to date was the parable "Life of Pi." Told as a flashback, the analogy-laden tale is gorgeously depicted using some of the most advanced digital effects ever seen. Symbolically rich and philosophically impactful, Pi is a fantastic movie. Since Lee has yet to make a hit since (one bomb, two in development), a word about his extremely diverse career. It's hard to fathom how someone could make films as drastically different as "Sense and Sensibility", "Hulk", "Brokeback Mountain", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and "Life of Pi." Quite impressive.

Doris Keans Goodwin probably didn't expect Team of Rivals to be a book which would make good screenplay fodder. She probably also didn't factor in the greatest actor of our age teaming up with the greatest director of our age to do a biopic of the immensely important and extraordinarily interesting President Abraham Lincoln. Day-Lewis' transformation is breathtaking and he carries the film, but Spielberg's vision and touches of humor amid weighty and complicated events make "Lincoln" an absolute all-time great. 

All four Belt worthy films, but it comes down to Lee vs Lincoln. While "Life of Pi" was new and exciting material, it rested on computer-generated imagery for much, if not all, of its beauty and suspense. "Lincoln" drew every ounce of its weight out of the events and characters in the story. Spielberg returned to the top after a 14-year absence from the Belt.

TITLE BELT: Steven Spielberg (9)

2013

"Gravity" Alfonso Cuarón

"Fruitvale Station" Ryan Coogler

"Pacific Rim" Guillermo del Toro

"Wolf of Wall Street" Martin Scorsese

"Star Trek Into Darkness" JJ Abrams

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" Peter Jackson

"Inside Llewyn Davis" The Coen Bros

"Man of Steel" Zach Snyder

"Behind the Candelabra" Steven Soderbergh

"American Hustle" David O Russell

"Rush" Ron Howard

Also one-hit wonder "Lone Survivor" by Peter Berg, and nonhits (deep breath) "The Wolverine" by Mangold, "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" by McKay, "After Earth" and its two Razzie noms by Shyamalan, "The Lone Ranger" and its Razzie nom by Verbinski, "Prisoners" and "Enemy" by Villeneuve (the latter the weirdest movie I've ever seen), "Olympus Has Fallen" and "White House Down" by Fuqua and Emmerich, "Now You See Me" by Leterrier and "Jack the Giant Slayer" by Singer.

Ron Howard's latest hit featured the true stories of a pair of Formula 1 racing rivals. While only receiving a modest response from audiences ($27 million), critics are favorable at 89% fresh. Howard received a BAFTA nom for the film and I have it on my to-watch list.

After the relative success of "300" and "Watchmen", the fledgling DC Cinematic Universe tabbed Zach Snyder to reboot one of their core heroes, Superman. Working with a Nolan brothers screenplay, Snyder managed to make the least-bad Superman movie since Donner's original 35 years earlier. Least bad is the best I can give it and critics are with me as it sits at 56% according to the tomatoes. It's hit status comes as a result of the massive $291 million at the gate.

Soderbergh made another movie, his second hit in as many years, that I'll probably miss. The biopic of flamboyant pianist Liberacci is 95% fresh and earned Soderberg a pair of nominations at Cannes.

'13 was the debut year for rising star Ryan Coogler. His film "Fruitvale Station" gives an account of New Years Eve 2008 for Oakland resident Oscar Grant III. He, most believe very successfully, connects the viewer to the lives of the individuals involved in one of the clearest and most devastating cases of Police/minority violence in recent memory. Among the many deserved awards Coogler received were three nominations at Cannes one of which he won. The film is currently 94% fresh.

Scorsese and Leo scored again with the wild bio of Wall Street whiz kid (and criminal) Jordan Belfort. This movie is excessively excessive, just like its subject. Scorsese received a pair of Oscar noms and a BAFTA nom for the 78% fresh flick. Audiences also came out to the tune of $117 million.

Smaug was Jackson's second Hobbit film. I think its probably the best of the three and so do the critics who have it at 75% fresh. Audiences came out in slightly lower, but still ridiculous numbers, racking up $258 million in receipts. Jackson received two Saturn noms for this one, while only getting one for the first.

Benedict Cumberbatch had a big year in 2013 because while he wasn't doing motion-capture work as a Dragon, JJ had him rebooting one of the great sci-fi villains of all-time. Wrath of Khan is, in my opinion, comfortably the best Star Trek film yet, so I enjoyed at very least the concept of bringing him into the new timeline. The film is solid, with a nice Abram twist on the original concept and is 85% fresh. It also made big money at $229 million and earned Abrams a Saturn nom.

Somehow in the midst of writing the screenplays for the Hobbit trilogy, Guillermo del Toro managed to make a movie of his own. The giant alien fighting Robot movie, "Pacific Rim", enjoyed the most commercial success of any of del Toro's work bringing in $102 million and earned the bearded auteur a Saturn nom.

Perhaps more than any director in 2013, David O Russell was riding quite the wave of popularity and success. His third consecutive hit and third consecutive film over 90% fresh (92%) is his most awarded film to date. "American Hustle" earned Russell two Oscar noms, two Globe noms, and a pair of BAFTA noms of which he won one. It also set his commercial high at $150 million. However, rumors swirled about his difficult personality and the mistreatment of star actresses. And to be honest, the movie is all character and no story.

I have a surprisingly low watch rate of this years' hits missing 5 of them. The Coen brothers' exploration of life as a musician, personal struggles, and the psychology of the emerging '60s is near the top of my watch list. I'm a huge Oscar Isaac fan so this is truly a must see. 93% fresh, Llewyn Davis earned the Coens a Globe nom, a BAFTA nom, a Saturn nom, and won one of two noms at Cannes.

The runaway winner at the award ceremonies is yet another I haven't managed to sit down and watch. The list of awards Cuarón received for it is staggering. At the Oscars he won two of three nominations, at the Globes he won his one nom, at the BAFTAs he won two of four nominations, and he won two of three Saturn noms. That's 7 wins in 11 nominations, pure dominance. It wasn't just an award vehicle, however, "Gravity" also is 96% fresh and made $274 million. A complete sweep of the advanced benchmarks.

Having not seen Llewyn Davis or "Gravity" makes it difficult to choose between them. Word-of-mouth has always been more positive in its take on the Coen brothers film but Cuarón's dominance in every phase earns him his first Belt.


TITLE BELT: Alfonso Cuarón

2014

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" Russo Brothers
"Interstellar" Christopher Nolan

"Whiplash" Damien Chazelle
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" Bryan Singer
"Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" Alejandro G Iñarritu
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" Wes Anderson
"Gone Girl" David Fincher
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" Peter Jackson

2014 has the (dubious?) distinction of producing the most movies which I've seen. 75 films, including every hit in the above list. I'll restrict the nonhits to films I've seen as well: David Ayer's "Fury", Shawn Levy's "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb", Ridley Scott's "Exodus: Gods and Kings", Michael Bay's "Transformers: Age of Extinction", Antoine Fuqua's "The Equalizer", and Tim Burton's "Big Eyes" among the many, a complete list is here.

The X-Men franchise left its original helmsman to pursue other things after the massive success of X2 in '03. 8 years later, a new collection of mutants began their story and Singer provided screenplay work. The sequel to that film, Days of Future Past, was oddly the most successful X-Men film he'd be a part of. 90% fresh (which is surprising, to say the least - I was not high on the film myself), the film earned Singer a Saturn nom and made $234 million.

Peter Jackson once again completed a trilogy with Five Armies. At 59% fresh, it was a long way from the award-winning delirium of Return of the King. Jackson did receive a Saturn nom, however, and the film made $225 million.

After Joe Johnston's solid introduction to the First Avenger, the true architects of the MCU took over. The Russo brothers had found most of their success directing for television ("Arrested Development", "Carpoolers", "Community") with minimal traction in the film world. That has all changed, and it started with Captain America 2. In reality, the remaining Captain America films were the first Avenger films as they feature an ever-growing cast of superheroes. The Russos have established the modern standard for handling this type of multi-lead situation. In terms of the metrics, it works, Winter Soldier made $260 million, earned the Bros a Saturn nom, and was 89% fresh.

A rising star made his hit debut with the feature-length version of his own award-winning short. "Whiplash" is a brilliant piece presenting contrasting ideas of the pursuit of excellence. Extraordinarily intense, the film is both inspiring and human. It earned the young director an Oscar nom, two BAFTA noms, a Saturn nom, and a nomination at Cannes.

David Fincher's latest movie (he has a "World War Z" sequel coming), was his most commercially accepted film with $168 million at the gate. I can't say much about it, because the film's success is in the extreme manner in which Fincher toys with your mind and emotions and any details about the story would ruin that. I can vouch that it's very effective. Fincher coaxed career-best performances from Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike and tonally the film keeps the viewer off-balance in an almost rollercoaster type experience. The critics seem to agree that it's effective, having it 87% fresh and it earned Fincher a Globe nom.

The king of odd (my title), Wes Anderson, struck academy gold with his hit "The Grand Budapest Hotel." The peculiar examination of a luxurious Eastern European hotel features a fantastic cast, a topsy-turvy story, and some intricate and beautifully executed set pieces. The film is 91% fresh but catered to a limited audience making only $59 million. Anderson did extremely well at the awards, however, earning three Oscar noms, 2 Globe noms, winning one of three BAFTA noms, and earning a Saturn nom.

Wes didn't win any of those Oscars because Iñarritu scored his third hit and walked away with three Oscars, one win in two Globe noms, two BAFTA noms, and a Saturn nom. Birdman is 91% fresh and was a master class in acting from co-stars Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. It was literal candy for theater-nuts (which I'm guessing most of the Academy would be classified as) but had enough compelling drama and soul-searching to keep the more average viewer (me) engaged.

Nolan's fourth hit in a row was one of the most meta films to reach blockbuster-esque status maybe ever. Grappling with extreme sci-fi elements (interdimensional travel, time dilation, extraterrestrial colonization) while simultaneously expressing themes of family, love, and connection with breathtaking execution. You can fuss about the science all you want, at the end of the day "Interstellar" isn't really about science, its about the connection between a father and a daughter and the way that connection ripples through time.

Fincher, Wes, Alejandro, and Nolan all have legitimate claims at the Belt. 2014 is a year of excess for me as I've seen so many of the films. It's a year of piles and piles of average, B+/A- material. It is interesting then, that striding atop the mound of mediocrity stands four or five (Whiplash was amazing) of the best movies I've ever seen. For this year's Belt, I want to consider how I felt upon the conclusion of watching each movie. Even though I haven't watched any of them very recently ("Gone Girl" most recently, November of last year), the effects of each are still fresh. Fincher left me shocked, stunned, and repeatedly saying "what just happened" and "I'm never looking at ______ the same way again" and things of that nature. Anderson left me smiling, having thoroughly enjoyed the hijinks and personalities he presented. Birdman left me impressed but a bit disappointed, part of me feeling like an outsider getting a glimpse of a fascinating but terrible world and part of me glad I was detached from it. "Interstellar" left me inspired, touched, and in awe of the mixture of unbelievably cool and extremely relatably poignant. Each deserves the Belt, but there can only be one.

TITLE BELT: Christopher Nolan (4)

2015

"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" Christopher McQuarrie
"Bridge of Spies" Stephen Spielberg
"Creed" Ryan Coogler
"Sicario" Denis Villeneuve
"The Martian" Ridley Scott
"Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" JJ Abrams
"The Revenant" Alejandro G Iñarritu
"The Big Short" Adam McKay
"Trainwreck" Judd Apatow

Non-hits include Brad Birds' "Tomorrowland" (his only career miss to date), Levinson's "Rock the Kasbah", Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight", Emmerich's "Stonewall", Fuqua's "Southpaw", Shyalaman's "The Visit", Russell's "Joy", Columbus' "Pixels", Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea" and del Toro's "Crimson Peak."

McQ had some very early success as a screenwriter winning a pair of awards for Singer's "The Usual Suspects" in '95. Although his directing success was limited, he was given the keys to the Mission: Impossible franchise and has not disappointed. Rogue Nation matched the tone and feel of Ghost Protocol perfectly and scored extremely well with the critics (93% fresh). A moderate blockbuster, the 5th installment of Ethan Hunt made $195 million at the gate.

Fresh off his groundbreaking debut, Ryan Coogler worked up a spinoff to the immensely successful Rocky franchise. "Creed" was formulaic, sure, but it's a tried and true formula. Audiences and critics alike didn't complain as it's 95% fresh and made $110 million.

I am not in the target audience for Apatow's latest film, however, apparently, there are some out there who find Amy Schumer palatable. 85% fresh, $110 million.

Sir Ridley hit a bit of a dry spell with five straight non-hit rating out at 55% ("Body of Lies"), 43% ("Robin Hood"), 73% ("Prometheus"), 34% ("The Counsellor"), and 65% ("Exodus: Gods and Kings), so it was a welcome surprise when "The Martian" hit on all marks, 91% fresh, $228 million, and an Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, and Saturn nom, winning the Saturn. The common theme of man vs nature transplanted to the farthest imaginable destination gave it a fresh and renewed sense of danger and adventure.

Villeneuve got another nomination at Cannes for his hit "Sicario." Unlike the first Cannes hit "Polytechnique", the Mexican-cartel assassin film was in English and made a solid splash at the box office at $47 million. 92% fresh, the film sets a dark tone and rides the oh-so-cool personalities of its triple stars Blunt, Del Toro, and Brolin.

Leonardo DiCaprio has played many memorable roles throughout his career. However, for various reasons which have been well chronicled, up until 2015 he had failed to reach the supposed pinnacle of his craft, the Best Actor Oscar. Then Iñarritu cast him as Hugh Glass, a trapper trying to make his livelihood in the devastating environs of 1820s frontier America. A brilliant performance earned the esteemed actor his Oscar and launched a million "what is Leo's greatest role" debates. Another time perhaps, but this article is about the director. Iñarritu's latest film, "The Revenant", is a simultaneously beautiful and grotesque film. The characters in it are secondary to the environment they find themselves in, often struggling to survive. The shots of nature aren't just pretty, but awesome in the sense that they seem dangerous, uninviting, and powerful. Like in "The Martian" man vs nature, the classic Jack London tale, is familiar but not boring, revealing both the strength and fragility of the human spirit. The director earned two Oscar noms, winning one, and won a Globe and two BAFTAs. Only 78% fresh (ridiculous), it did well at the gate setting Iñarritu's personal record at $184 million.

In a meeting of the greats, Spielberg and the Coen Brothers collaborated on a biographical tale set in the Cold War. With a touch of exaggeration common to Hollywood, they shed a light on an American hero, James Donovan, as he navigated the dangers, philosophies, and injustices of the Red Scare endeavoring to preserve what America does and should stand for. It's rare for a film featuring a Supreme Court ruling to be this exciting, but Spielberg mixes the elements masterfully and the Hanks/Rylance pairing shines. A bit overlooked, the filme earned Spielberg an Oscar nom and a pair of BAFTA noms and is 91% fresh.

After ten years of financially successful but critically panned films, Adam McKay literally invented a genre. At least, as far as I'm concerned, before "The Big Short" I had never seen anything remotely like it. The structure and rhythm of a comedy, but with a decidedly non-comedic and even possibly boring historical topic, McKay's offbeat analysis of the housing crash is one of the most perfect films I've ever watched. Four superstar actors presenting almost characterizations but almost impersonations of completely anonymous yet extremely pivotal individuals explaining nuanced market-forces economics and delivering compelling, emotional performances. Simply wonderful. 88% fresh, McKay earned two Oscar noms, winning one, a Globe nom, and two BAFTA noms also winning one of those.

One of the most anticipated films in the history of cinema, ten years after the solid but still subpar conclusion to Lucas' ill-fated prequel trilogy, The Force Awakens annihilated the box office. $937 million, nearly $200 million more than Abrams other five hits combined! But not simply a cash cow, the safe but fresh reawakening (get it?) of the seminal franchise is 93% fresh and earned Abrams a pair of Saturn noms, taking home one. Thousands of words could be written about Abrams choices in casting, story elements, exclusions/inclusions, etc but I'll simply say the film was decidedly Star Wars and that's all I could've hoped for.

Iñarritu, McKay, and Abrams. A more different group would be hard to assemble. Each made an impact in a different way, Iñarritu made the best film of the three, I can comfortably say that, along with Leo's Oscar and the awards the director earned, it also won Best Picture, the second consecutive for Iñarritu after Birdman in '14. McKay invented a genre and if '18's "Vice" is any indication, it's a genre he intends to expand. Abrams gave rebirth to a frustrated yet fanatical fanbase. Three days after the premiere, I waited in a line for an hour and a half, a line that included two Chewbaccas, a litany of Stormtroopers, and at least one Jedi on the outskirts of a fairly large but by no means thriving city. Iñarritu and McKay gave us things we wanted but didn't necessarily know we wanted them, Abrams filled a need which we all felt.

TITLE BELT: JJ Abrams

2016

"Captain America: Civil War" The Russo Brothers

"Arrival" Denis Villeneuve

"La La Land" Damien Chazelle

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" David Yates

"X-Men: Apocalypse" Bryan Singer

non-hits include "Suicide Squad" by David Ayers which earned a whopping $325 million but also a Razzie nom, "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" by Ang Lee, "The BFG" by Speilberg, "Silence" by Scorsese a highly underrated and extremely interesting film, "The Brothers Grimsby" by Louis Leterrier (this is the last time you'll ever see "Silence" and Grimsby in the same sentence), "Allied" by Zemeckis, the double Razzie nominated "Independence Day: Resurgence" by Emmerich, the surprisingly good "13 Hours" by Michael Bay, "LBJ" by Reiner, the unnecessary but ok remake of "The Magnificent Seven" by Fuqua, the hilarious "Hail, Caesar!" by the Coens, Burton's latest "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children", "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" by Razzie nom'd Zach Snyder, "Split" by Shyamalan (missed hit status by 4%), "Patriots Day" by Peter Berg, and "Inferno" by Ron Howard to conclude(?) the Dan Brown trilogy.

A lot of quality material fell short in various metrics and the remaining films aren't nearly as inspiring as the previous two years, however, they're still potential contenders.

The last X-Men film Singer had a hand in was easily the worst of the franchise (48% rotten is evidence) but it made $155 million and earned Singer a Saturn nom. There is an enormous number of problems with this film, needless to say, it will not truly contend for the Belt.

After the success of "Whiplash", Damien Chazelle's next project was highly anticipated. A fact that only increased when it became clear the film would star young superstars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. A film made primarily for the subset of individuals who enjoy the making of movies as much as the movies themselves, the whimsical musical dealt with the same conflict as "Whiplash" between artistic achievement and a "normal" life. The film earned Chazelle two Oscar noms with one win, two Globe wins, and two BAFTA noms with one win. Critics and audiences also appreciated it at 91% fresh and $151 million at the gate.

One of the most anticipated and ambitious films to date, the Russo brothers conclusion of the Captain America trilogy was a huge success. $408 million and 91% fresh it earned the brothers a Saturn nom. However, possibly counter to popular opinion, the Marvel Universe has enormous issues which are all on display in Civil War. A quick list of things I perceive to be the primary issues in the MCU: 1) Their villains are on the whole horrible, 2) the humor of the films is extraordinarily juvenile, 3) the characters, with a few exceptions, have not changed one iota from film #1 to #22, 4) outside of the primary Avengers and a few other core characters, the acting is subpar (and in some cases, downright poor), and 5) the fact the films are comic book adaptations have not prevented the filmmakers from attempting to use them as vehicles for social and current events commentary. I don't suggest they aren't enjoyable, but I'm also not giving the Russo's a Belt for Civil War.

David Yates had steered the last four Harry Potter films to $1.27 billion in receipts and an average of 84% fresh on the tomatoes. So it only made sense he'd make some more films, turned out JK Rowling had more Harry Potter stories for the world so he didn't have to wait long. Fantastic Beasts was to Harry Potter like Force Awakens was to Star Wars - it just felt like a Harry Potter film. It worked to the tune of $234 million in receipts and a BAFTA nom for Yates.

The second year in a row Villeneuve scored a hit, this time in a Nolan-esque sci-fi. Combining linguistics, first contact, time, and a touch of familial connection, Villeneuve's story, and Amy Adams' performance are stellar. The film earned the director an Oscar nom, a BAFTA nom, and a Saturn nom. It also set Villeneuve's personal records to date with $101 million at receipts and 94% fresh.

TITLE BELT: Damien Chazelle Denis Villeneuve
(get it?)

2017

"The Post" Stephen Spielberg
"Dunkirk" Christopher Nolan
"Blade Runner 2049" Denis Villeneuve
"Phantom Thread" Paul Thomas Anderson
"Logan" James Mangold
"The Shape of Water" Guillermo del Toro

"Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi" - Rian Johnson

non-hits include "Alien: Covenant" and "All the Money in the World" by Ridley Scott, "Transformers: The Last Knight" by Bay, "Justice League" by Snyder, and "Logan Lucky" by Soderbergh.

I haven't had a chance to see del Toro's fish-out-of-water morality play, however, it did extremely well at the awards. The director won two of three Oscar noms, one of two Globe noms, one of three BAFTA noms, and a earned a pair of Saturn noms. 92% fresh, it's a good thing del Toro is around or Doug Jones might have trouble getting work, am I right?

I also haven't seen PTA's love story between the great (retiring?) Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps. PTA earned a couple Oscar noms and the film is 91% fresh. Like most of PTA's work, it didn't draw much of an audience though making only $21 million.

Star Wars has become hotly controversial these days and Last Jedi is easily the most polarizing entrance in the franchise yet. As far as the metrics are concerned it was nothing but a rousing success. Johnson won one of two Saturn noms, the film is 91% fresh, and it made $620 million almost ten times Rian Johnson's career earnings up to that point. No matter the noise, Johnson didn't only bring some welcome freshness and direction to the series but has also earned enough clout to have his own Star Wars trilogy in the works, which I, for one, am very excited about.

James Mangold made his largest career commercial splash four years earlier with the unnecessary but fun comic book film "The Wolverine." He returned to the character with what I believe is the best comic book film yet in "Logan." Nearly doubling his financial record with $226 million and 93% fresh, it earned him an Oscar nom and a Saturn nom. A gritty film about the passing of the torch featuring an excellent performance from Patrick Stewart, if "Logan" turns out to be the last time Wolverine graces the big screen as part of this film universe,  it was a fitting send-off.

For the third year in a row, Villeneuve scored a hit. Way back in 1982 Sir Ridley Scott's hit "Blade Runner" built a fascinating world and despite a reasonably concluded story left open the possibility of a sequel. It only took 35 years for Villeneuve to come along and finally make that film. Not without its flaws, 2049 is a wonderful example of the rich possibilities in many 70s and 80s sci-fi. Incidentally, Villeneuve's next project is a remake of '84s non-hit "Dune" and having read the source material, I'm very excited. Villeneuve earned a BAFTA nom and a Saturn nom on the 87% fresh film.

Spielberg's latest hit is a socially topical biographical piece on an extremely important episode which faced the Washington Post during the Nixon administration. With signature excellence, Spielberg captured the big picture while focusing the film on the people facing extraordinary circumstances. It's a very intimately filmed movie in which stars Hanks and Streep shined. 43 years after his first hit Spielberg earned yet another Oscar nom and Globe nom for the 88% fresh flick.

A few paragraphs up I described how Adam McKay pioneered a genre with "The Big Short" and how that genre seemed to be here to stay and could shape how some stories are told in the industry for quite a while. Nolan's "Dunkirk" has the potential of making a similar impact on filmmaking. An extremely immersive experience, initial viewings are likely to induce significant feels. Metrically, it checks all the boxes: $190 million, 92% fresh, an Oscar nom, a Globe nom, and a pair of  BAFTA noms. In describing it, I'm hesitant to get too specific, because the mechanics of the story, and his telling of it, are very unique and some of their effectiveness is enhanced in that unique state. Also, Nolan has formed a working relationship with Hans Zimmer which mirrors the Spielberg-Williams partnership is many ways. The most specific way would be the combined genius of the two men. Zimmer puts that genius on full display for Dunkirk matching Nolan's creative story structure musically.

Nolan may not have won as many awards as del Toro or made as much money as Rian Johnson but the creativity and gravitas of "Dunkirk" are simply on another level.

TITLE BELT: Christopher Nolan (5)

2018

"Incredibles 2" Brad Bird
"Avengers: Infinity War" Russo Brothers
"Mission: Impossible - Fallout" Christopher McQuarrie
"Roma" Alfonso Cuarón
"Black Panther" Ryan Coogler
"Bohemian Rhapsody" Bryan Singer
"Isle of Dogs" Wes Anderson
"Vice" Adam McKay
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" Coen Brothers

The non-hits include Yate's "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald", Spielberg's "Ready Player One", Zemeckis' "Welcome to Marwen", Fuqua's "The Equalizer 2", Chazelle's "First Man", Soderbergh's "Unsane", Joe Johnston's "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms", and Ron Howard's "Solo: A Star Wars Story".

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror films (the Saturn awards) haven't announced their '18 nominees at the time of this writing. So, it is very possible that "Ready Player One", "First Man", "Solo", or "Fantastic Beasts" could get nominations which would qualify them as hits. Also, the Oscars ceremony hasn't been held, just nominations announced, so that factor cannot be considered either.

After Brad Bird's only miss he bounced back with his first sequel, "Incredibles 2," and avoided many of the pitfalls of follow-up animated sequels. Not quite as fresh as the original, it still sits 1t 94% and made a whopping $609 million.

McQuarrie was given control on the Mission: Impossible franchise with the 5th installment (Rogue Nation) and Fallout matched it in both tone and success. 97% fresh and $220 million in receipts make it the most successful installment of the franchise yet.

Bryan Singer's latest hit was a biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. However, accusations of impropriety have dogged Singer for years and they finally caught up to him while working on Rhapsody. He was asked to leave the project and didn't even appear with the production team at the Globes. However, he did receive a BAFTA nomination for the film which made $187 million but is only 62% fresh.

Near the top of my need-to-watch list is Adam McKay's latest hit "Vice." Christian Bale literally transformed into Dick Cheaney which is the only reason I need to watch it. It earned McKay three Oscar noms, two Globe noms, and a BAFTA nom.

Wes scored his 4th hit in a row with a stop motion film featuring Dogs in Japan. Have I mentioned Wes Anderson likes odd? Despite the extremely peculiar setting the film was very interesting. It earned the director both an Oscar and a BAFTA nom and is currently 89% fresh.

"Black Panther" has the distinction of being the only comic book film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Coogler was nominated for a pair of Saturn awards winning one of them. The King of Wakanda is 97% fresh and brought out the crowds to the tune of $700 million.

Filmmaking is often a very personal experience for a director. That point has rarely been clearer than in Cuarón's latest hit "Roma." Masterfully crafted, the episodic black and white piece follows the twists and turns in the life of Cuarón's nanny from his childhood in Mexico. A very evocative film, my primary gripe with it was its often beleagured pacing. Cuarón earned four Oscar noms (and is probably the favorite to win), two Globe noms with one win, and an incredible seven BAFTA noms. "Roma" is 96% fresh but was directly released to streaming as a Netflix original so box office numbers aren't applicable.

Another direct to Netflix release made the list. The Coen brothers earned an Oscar nom for the 92% fresh film. Really a series of short films, the Coen's signature dialogue work and extreme characters give each episode independent value. A mix of original stories and adaptations, it includes material by Jack London and Stewart Edward White. It's difficult to pin down exactly what makes a Coen Brothers film great but one of the key elements is always speech. Coen brothers characters always speak in very a distinctive and usually colloquial manner. Many writers/directors have a particular voice which can be recognized and the Coen brothers don't necessarily differ from this observation however their "voice" translates into the socio-cultural setting of their films seamlessly. In Buster Scruggs they apply their voice to the Western genre and like elsewhere the fit is snug. 

The Russo brothers scored their latest hit as well. The MCU had been building towards a confrontation between the many heroes and the supervillain Thanos. Many of the issues at the core of the Marvel films were significantly less problematic in Infinity War. It's 84% rating feels low, particularly when compared with the Russo's other MCU films Civil War (91%) and Winter Soldier (89%). However, it made $11 million more than those two combined with $679 million at the gate. It's sequel, the end of an era, is one of the most anticipated films upcoming. 

Even though I enjoyed Buster Scruggs and Infinity War more than "Roma" its undeniable that Cuarón's work was a tour de force. 

TITLE BELT: Alfonso Cuarón (2)

 The '10s

Belts:
Nolan (3)
Cuarón (2)

Hits:
Nolan (4)
Villeneuve (4)

$$$:
Russo Bros ($1.347b)
Abrams ($1.293b)
Yates ($1.195b)
Nolan ($979)

"Inception," "Interstellar," "Dunkirk," and "Dark Knight Rises." Case closed.

Christopher Nolan

Despite claiming to be done after only three, I'll be adding yet another to wrap up the whole process. Thanks for reading - comments, criticisms, or creative differences welcome.