WILL MOVIES EVER DIE?

15 Films Made in the Last Decade That Redefined the Art Form

the goal: to increase SEO for the film-logging app Letterboxd
how: appear higher in search results by writing articles that answer some of the most common internet searches relating to movies
Letterboxd is an online social media platform where you can rate, review, and log watched movies. Therefore, they have a huge stake in film not being dead!
As an answer to “Is film dead?”, this article presents fifteen examples of groundbreaking and utterly unique films from the past decade, proving that we have only scratched the surface of what cinema is capable of.
Most importantly, this article serves as an entry point into using the Letterboxd site/app. Readers will surely want to weigh in and share their opinions, whether they agree or disagree on my evaluation. This feeling is a trigger for the Letterboxd service, which allows you to rate, comment on, and share films in a social-media-style platform.
I used SEO tools AnswerThePublic and Google Analytics in my data research.
While researching recent internet activity relating to film, I noticed high online traffic on various iterations of “is film dead?” - see screenshots below.
shucks. why thank you!
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is film… dead?

by Tara Mar on letterboxd.com

We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of our beloved cinema – wait, what?

“Cinema is gone,” Scorsese said in a 2017 interview. “The cinema I grew up with and that I’m making, it’s gone.”

The rise in streaming paired with the impact of COVID-19 has certainly impacted the movie-going experience – but are the movies themselves really dead?

Dead, no. Changing, yes.

Gone are the days of TAXI DRIVER, THE GODFATHER, and other dinosaurs covered in film school. Audiences, at home or in a theater, will no longer tolerate slow storylines, flat characters, or casual racism and sexism. And yes, the risk-averse attitude of greedy studios is surely to blame for the lack of original content on our screens. But here enters the streaming service, with enough niche content to entrap a viewer of any demographic.

Although how/when/where people watch movies might be shifting, the art of filmmaking is just getting started.

*The earliest known cave painting, a life-sized boar or pig, found in an Indonesian cave.*

Consider the evolution of painting – the first evidence of mankind painting dates as far back as 45,000 years ago.

And 44,600 years later, enter Da Vinci in 1482, often renowned as one of the first great painters. Then in another four-hundred years, Van Gogh picks up a paintbrush in 1863. Dali and Kahlo redefine the art scene in the 1910’s. Warhol in the 1960’s.

Painting was with us for a very, very, very long time before we reached the works now taught in art school, those which modern society considers “the best.”

Now, let’s take a look at cinema.

For starters, the first “moving picture” (with a grand length of 2 seconds) was recorded in 1888. The first narrative film is arguably female film pioneer Alice Guy-Blaché’s THE CABBAGE FAIRY, made in 1896. Sound sync came next with the invention of “talkies,” led by THE JAZZ SINGER (1927). If we define a “film” as recorded moving images and sounds edited together to tell a story, then filmmaking has been around less than a century!

Critics - such as Scorsese - are unwise to put cinema in a corner based on the first 80 years of its existence. Eighty years into painting, we had probably just graduated to stick figures on a cave wall.

The Zoetrope, a spinning circle covered in still frames, was an early precursor to the moving image.

All this to say - cinema is far from dead. Filmmaking is an art form in its infancy, and we have barely scratched the surface of this powerful medium.

Here’s fifteen films produced in the last decade that have pushed the boundaries of cinema. Suck it, Scorsese.

Warm Bodies (2013)

After an unusual zombie rescues a living girl, their romance sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world.
Possibly the first original zombie movie, Warm Bodies breaks every rule in the zombie handbook (these corpses can talk, think, dance, and even love), proving that there are always ways to redefine a genre.
The Lobster (2015)

In a dystopian society, single people must enter into a romantic relationship within a strict time limit of 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice.
Surreal black comedy that doesn’t pull any punches. A quiet sense of foreboding will keep you on the edge of your seat during this bizarre trip through the human psyche.
Get Out (2017)

A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
Successfully adding humor and politics into a horror film is not a task to be taken lightly. Jordan Peele’s Get Out is truly frightening in a way the horror genre had never seen before. But worry not, it’s also full of cathartic, poetic justice.
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.
An early staple in the mockumentary space, this perfectly-paced film is potent with dark humor, fairy-tale references, and cutaway interviews - a tone that defied norms of traditional filmmaking.
Okja (2017)

For 10 years, young Mija has been caretaker and constant companion to Okja - a massive animal and an even bigger friend - at her home in the mountains of South Korea. But that changes when a food-production corporation reclaims Okja. Mija sets out on a rescue mission to New York City to save Okja from becoming bacon.
Gut-wrenching, heartfelt, and intimate, this film follows a storyline not too far from our own society’s. Released in the midst of food ethics pieces such as Supersize Me, this narrative argument against eating intelligent creatures was deemed far more impactful than any documentary.
Loving Vincent (2017)

A man visits the last hometown of Vincent Van Gogh, to deliver his final letter.
The world’s first fully-painted film took over 8 years to produce, with over 125 artists creating 65,000 frames. A visual masterpiece that must be seen to be believed. Here’s the trailer - you’re welcome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGzKnyhYDQI
Boyhood (2014)

The joys and pitfalls of growing up are seen through the eyes of a child named Mason, his parents, and his sister. Vignettes capture family meals, road trips, birthday parties, graduations and other important milestones.
A coming of age movie uniquely filmed with the same cast over the course of 12 years. Modest, clever, and heartfelt, this film captures the wonder of every-day life, towing the line between documentary and fiction.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

In the 1930s, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a popular European ski resort, presided over by concierge Gustave and Zero, a junior lobby boy. When one of Gustave's lovers dies mysteriously, Gustave finds himself the recipient of a priceless painting and the chief suspect in her murder.
Anderson’s use of vibrant color, symmetrical shots, and stunning locations effectively gives your eyes a much-needed massage. Quite possibly one of the most beautiful films ever produced.
It Follows (2014)

A young woman is followed by an unknown demon after a sexual encounter.
A simple psychological horror that triggers some deep, primal fear of being followed. Each of the characters in the film react differently to the sexually-transmitted demon - a commentary on the unique pressures of gender and sexuality in modern society.
Missing Link (2014)

Tired of living a solitary life in the wilderness, Mr Link, who is 8 feet tall and covered in fur, recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La.
The first stop-motion feature film to utilize 3D-printed models tells a charming story of two outcasts - an explorer and a Bigfoot - who come to find the meaning of family. A stunning technological advancement as well as a wonderful narrative for all ages.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

As bass guitarist for a garage-rock band, Scott Pilgrim has never had trouble getting a girlfriend; usually, the problem is getting rid of them. But when Ramona Flowers skates into his heart, he finds she has some baggage: an army of evil exes who will stop at nothing to eliminate him from her list of suitors.
This film’s campy graphics are a genius depiction of how to pay homage to the comic-book origins of films. Quick, light-hearted, and full of great music.
Hanna (2011)

A sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent.
Wonderfully acted by Saoirse Ronan, this simple plotline gets your blood pounding from minute one. The audience will fall for tricks that Hanna easily sees through, putting us at her mercy to navigate us through the cold world that her father tried so hard to hide her from.
Shape of Water (2017)

Elisa is a mute, isolated cleaning lady in a high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret -- a mysterious, scaled creature that the government is running cruel tests on.
Part period-piece, part fantasy, part rom-com. A beautiful love story between two silent lovers unlike any we’ve seen on screens before.
Arrival (2016)

Linguistics professor Louise Banks leads a team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors.
The first sci-fi to shake up the genre in years, successfully keeping audiences confused but engaged through a refreshing, nonlinear story regarding communicating with the extraterrestrials rather than fighting them.
Into the Spiderverse (2018)

Bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into the one and only Spider-Man. When he meets Peter Parker, he soon realizes that there are many others who share his special, high-flying talents.
Winner of Best Animated Picture. Totally original animation style that blends various illustration styles with comic-book elements to create the best Spiderman movie so far. That’s right, you heard me.