When we think of classic movies, our minds tend to dig up fossils from decades past: Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia. The list goes on and on. But every now and then a new release comes along that instantly becomes a modern classic. It has all the right ingredients, such as great performances and an intriguing story. But most importantly, this hypothetical movie captures the hearts and minds of audiences and stays with us long after the credits. We rave about it to our friends and call them masterpieces.
Here are ten recent ones drama releases that are already seen as modern classics.
10 Dunkirk (2017)
Christopher Nolan has directed many great movies. Dunkirk is the acclaimed filmmaker’s World War II epic, chronicling the historic rescue of 338,000 Allied soldiers trapped in the north of France. In typical Nolan fashion, the film unfolds in a non-linear fashion and uses more practical effects than CGI. It contains very little dialogue and relies on cinematography and sound to tell its story. Like most of Nolan’s works, Dunkirk was a critical and box office success and is one of the most respected war films of the 2000s. It may not be Nolan’s magnum opus, but it is considered by many to be one of his best films.
9 Hidden Numbers (2016)
Hidden figures is the powerful true story of the behind-the-scenes math geniuses at NASA: three African-American women who worked to put America on the moon in a time of racial prejudice and segregation. It brought to light an important piece of history and showed the power of perseverance. Hidden figures was acclaimed by audiences and critics and earned multiple Academy Award nominations. It is considered one of the best historical dramas in Hollywood and deserves to be mentioned Apollo 13 as one of the best NASA related movies.
8 CODA (2021)
CODA was the masterpiece that claimed the Oscar for Best Picture of 2021. It’s a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Ruby (Emilia Jones), who has an incredible singing voice and struggles to relate to her deaf family. CODA, which stands for child of deaf adults, is an insightful, moving look at the deaf community. It was notable for casting deaf actors, one of whom (Troy Kotsur) earned the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. One of the movie’s most memorable scenes, and one of the best movie scenes of the past decade, features Ruby’s performance from the perspective of her deaf family. The girl sings at the top of her voice, yet everything is silent. Only by looking around at the audience and seeing the smiles on their faces can Ruby’s family finally understand and appreciate her musical talent.
7 Boyhood (2014)
It’s not easy to make a movie in a way no one has ever done before, but in 2014 Boyhood just going to do that. The film, an impressive body of work, was shot over a period of 12 years with the same cast to capture the real growth process. It’s an epic the public has never seen before — and the time and effort to create it has paid off. The film was praised by critics for its performance and is considered one of the best films of the 21st century. At one point, it even had the rare and coveted 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Boyhood still holds that score on Metacritic and is one of only nine films to do so. Despite the perfect score, the film still has its flaws. However, the 12-year commitment will undoubtedly remain Boyhood on the radar of film experts for years.
6 Prisoners (2013)
How far would you go to protect your family? That’s the question that crime thriller Prisoners wants to explore, as a devastated father (Hugh Jackman) grapples with his daughter’s kidnapping. The film features an all-star cast, including Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, and Paul Dano. However, it is director Denis Villeneuve who ultimately becomes the star of the film. Prisoners was his first American feature film and is responsible for launching his Hollywood career. Since prisoners, he has directed a number of critically acclaimed films such as Arrival, Dune, and Sicario. Now Villeneuve is one of the hottest directors in the industry. In the years to come, Prisoners will be viewed in the same way as that of Martin Scorcese Mean Streets: a flawed and gritty classic that kickstarted a prolific director’s career.
5 Birdman (2014)
Hollywood has become oversaturated with superhero movies. That was part of the message of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar-winning film bird man. The movie brought Michael Keaton, the star of 1989 Batman, back to his superhero roots, as an elderly actor trying to rediscover himself. His days of playing the commercially successful superhero Birdman are long behind him, leaving the forgotten star desperate for a comeback. In a sense, Keaton used to be this character — and bird man was the comeback of the actor in real life. He claimed the Best Actor Oscar for this role and has since starred in a number of critically acclaimed projects such as Spotlight, the founder, and TV program Dopesick. The film featured an all-star cast such as Edward Norton and Emma Stone and was shot brilliantly to look like one long take. It was a clever commentary on the state of Hollywood and was hailed as one of the best films of the 2010s. bird man also has one of the best ambiguous endings of any movie, which fans argue about to this day.
4 Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Silver Linings Playbook is a drama comedy from acclaimed filmmaker David O. Russell. It explores romance and mental illness, showing both the beautiful and the ugly sides of relationships. Some scenes will make you laugh out loud, while others will make you cry. Like most Russell movies, it features a star-studded ensemble including Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Chris Tucker. Lawrence’s portrayal of her emotionally complex character earned her the Oscar for Best Actress. It is one of the most enjoyable films of the 2010s and is considered one of Russell’s best films.
3 Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Audiences have seen many World War II movies over the years, but never anything like it Jojo Rabbit. The film follows an impressionable Hitler Youth named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) and how his perception of the war changes when he learns that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home. Both emotional and humorous, Jojo Rabbit was an exceptional film that flew under the radar at the time but has since become one of the best films of the 21st century. Johansson’s comedic and lovable character was one of the best roles of her career. Jojo Rabbit was directed by Taika Waititi, who is now one of Hollywood’s top directors. He also co-starred in the film playing Jojo’s absurd and imaginary friend Hitler.
2 Whiplash (2014)
Before 2014, audiences had never heard of up-and-coming director Damien Chazelle. That all changed with whiplash. The film explores the trials and tribulations of a talented drummer (Miles Teller) and his tumultuous relationship with his famous instructor, played perfectly by JK Simmons. whiplash is by no means an action movie, but the intense and explosive scenes had moviegoers on the edge of their seats, adrenaline pumping through their veins. It’s a masterpiece that earned Simmons an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and put Chazelle on the map. Since 2014, Chazelle has directed several highly anticipated films, though not all of them were as successful as Whiplash.
1 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Sometimes a masterpiece comes along that rattles moviegoers to their core. biographical feature film by Steven McQueen, 12 years slavewas such a movie. It captured the true story of Solomon Northup, a free African American man who was kidnapped and wrongly sold into slavery. 12 years a slave did something about slavery Schindler’s List did with the Holocaust: it provided a visceral, painful portrayal of a poignant real-world event. It showed the horrors of slavery in a way never before seen in a movie. His brutality made you want to cover your eyes, while his grandeur urged you to keep looking through the cracks between your fingers.
The film rightfully claimed the Academy Award for Best Picture. It featured compelling performances from lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and supporting star Michael Fassbender, who played Solomon’s terrifying and unhinged slave owner. in particular 12 years slave was the debut for Lupita Amondi Nyong’o, whose role in this film earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and launched her Hollywood career. 12 years slave is a true modern classic, an essential and important film that everyone should experience.