LogFAQs > #930130623

Best Filmmaker of the 2010s: Denis Villeneuve
Runners-Up: Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuarn, Yorgos Lanthimos, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino

A decade is not a long time for a director. Stanley Kubrick, for example, is probably the greatest ever, but I don't think there's a single decade you can say he "owned," since he only averaged about two films every five years. There are certainly more prolific filmmakers out there, but few are able to bang out high-quality stuff with every attempt. We have to remember as another counterpoint: for every great film Woody Allen has made, there are 3 or 4 lousy ones.

That being said, Denis Villeneuve has emerged as that rare director who can churn out a really good movie every 2 or 3 years, some of which have approached true levels of greatness. Let's break down the decade for him:

2010: Incendies - one of the 40 best films of the decade
2013: Prisoners - very good
2013: Enemy - one of the 20 best films of the decade
2015: Sicario - very good
2016: Arrival - very good
2017: Blade Runner 2049 - very good (and I know many would name this one of the best of the decade)

It's one hell of a resume that combines really grounded, smart, lower-budget dramas (Incendies, Prisoners, Enemy) with exceeding well-crafted sci-fi and action blockbusters (Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner). Villeneuve still hasn't found his masterpiece yet, but the dude is looking better and better every year, and if there's anyone in line to be the next James Cameron, it's him.

The runners up also deserve a whole heap of praise--in particular Scorsese and Tarantino, who continue to make movies that they really want to make deep into their careers. Until a new movement happens, these are probably the last throes of those big-budget auteurs, so I am going to enjoy them while I can.
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