I left a lot of stuff off (mostly in the dishonorable mentions section) and I didn't include any Oliver Stone just to spite Gold Trumpet.
Top 25 Films of the Decade.
1. There Will Be Blood [2007] (wri/dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) – Easily the best cinematic achievement of the decade. Paul Thomas Anderson left his contemporaries in the dust with this one. He tried something new and hit it out of the park. I wish more of his immediate peers would attempt something this radically different in tone. (I’m looking at you, Wes Anderson). Daniel Day-Lewis gets the praise for his acting (well-deserved) and Jonny Greenwood gets the praise for his score (also deserved), but to me, Robert Elswit’s beautiful cinematography is the real star.
2. In The Mood For Love [2000] (wri/dir. Wong Kar-wai) – I didn’t see this until late and I’m glad that’s the way it played out because I don’t see myself appreciating this as much if I saw it when I was younger. Despite it’s title, it’s not a film that ever really goes the full love flick route. It restrains itself and that may be it’s ultimate appeal. It leaves the audience, and it’s main characters wanting more. Everything doesn’t get resolved, and that’s okay. That avenue is very refreshing for such a western influenced film. As with There Will Be Blood, the cinematography (this time by the always stellar, Christopher Doyle), is one of the main stars.
3. A.I. Artificial Intelligence [2001] (dir. Steven Spielberg) – Maybe the most controversial film Spielberg has ever done, and with good reason. A story that on the surface parallels that of Pinocchio, adds it’s own touches and twists including robotic prostitutes, phallic imagery and fairs where self-aware robots are slaughtered for the amusement of cheering crowds. America! Fuck yeah! Contemporary sci-fi has never been done better. The ending suffers the same fate as most Spielberg films do where they lay the saccharine on too thick, but this time, it’s only pretending to be a sweet ending. It isn't a happy ending at all. Whether Speilberg intended it that way or not will always be up for constant debate, but it’s the viewer that ultimately decides and that may be why it’s such a polarizing film.
4. The 25th Hour [2002] (dir. Spike Lee) – Spike Lee’s at his best when he’s making something with social relevancy that focuses on people first and foremost. He pulls no punches here. He’s aided by a top-knotch cast (including the highly underrated and oft-underused Barry Pepper) and a brilliant screenplay by David Benioff (based on his own novel). If Spike Lee was more consistent, I have no doubt that he would be mentioned with some of the all-time greats. A single viewing of this film proves that.
5. Irreversible [2002] (dir. Gaspar Noe) – Irreversible isn’t the first film to be told in reverse chronological order, but it’s certainly one of the most controversial. Say what you want about about Gaspar Noe (and everyone has), but the guy does it big here and really presents a film that keeps you glued to the television wondering what’s going to happen next despite the fact you may already know the ending. Is it over the top? Yeah, but I think it’s necessary for this sort of story and if you’re going to go over the top, this is your blueprint on how to do it right. Balance, people. Balance.
6. George Washington [2000] (wri/dir. David Gordon Green) – For a movie where nothing happens through the first hour, it sure does keep you entertained. Between the very genuine and endearing first time acting by the main cast (mostly children), and the beautiful cinematography (courtesy of Tim Orr) it really paints you a moving picture about what it’s like to take it easy during the summer in the south. Easily one of my most memorable viewing experiences of the decade.
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [2004] (dir. Michel Gondry) – Only Chuck Kaufman could come up with an idea this batshit crazy and only Michel Gondry could make a movie out of it. It’s almost perfect and in my mind, it’s Kaufman’s crowning achievement. Maybe it’s because I’m a pessimist but I always found the ending to be pretty tragic. When I talk to others, they always seem to think it's a happy ending. The only reason they regret getting their memories erased is because all the bad ones were already erased. If you only had memories from the beginning of a failed relationship, you’d probably think it was going to work out, too.
8. Talk to Her [2002] (wri/dir. Pedro Almodovar) – You could call Almodovar the best filmmaker of the last 20 years and you probably wouldn’t be wrong. Some would say Volver is Almodovar’s highlight of the decade, but in Volver, he does what he does best; write for women. Here he flips it and his two main characters are men and his writing doesn’t miss a beat. This is why I chose this film to represent Almodovar on my list.
9. Dancer in the Dark [2000] (wri/dir. Lars von Trier) – I had a tough time choosing between Dancer in the Dark and Dogville as far as which von Trier film to represent the decade. I eventually settled on Dancer in the Dark because, despite having so many things working against it (it’s a musical about a murderous Czech immigrant on death row losing her eyesight in 1964 Washington state, come on), it manages to take everything and put it together beautifully. The musical bits (especially the final number) are great and the hand-held digital camera Dogme 95-influenced look really makes it seem surreal.
10. The Incredibles [2004] (dir. Brad Bird) – I don’t think I’ve smiled more during a movie than I did during this. The scene where they’re in the plane and about to get shot down may be the most harrowing and thrilling scene in a movie in the last 10 years. It’s got like 3 endings and they’re all awesome.
11. Solaris [2002] (wri/dir. Steven Soderbergh) - It’s slow but never boring. Great performances all around. Soderbergh uses ambiance as another character and it works flawlessly. Doesn’t make the top 10 on account of an Insane Clown Posse song being used in the background during a key scene (what the fuck, Soderbergh?)
12. Let the Right one In [2008] (dir. Tomas Alfredson) – Probably one of the creepiest films I’ve ever seen, but that’s what makes it so great. The movie doesn’t work if the story involves teenagers or adults. It just doesn’t. The best thing about it is it’s innocence. Well, Oskar’s at least.
13. Children of Men [2006] (dir. Alfonso Cuaron) – Have you seen the last 20 minutes? It made my head explode. Anything that explodes a head deserves a spot on this list. Plus, contemporary sci-fi is awesome, especially when it’s dealing with the potential end of humanity. The whole movies a drag. Just dreary and drab and just not pleasant. A world where dudes can’t get women pregnant doesn’t sound too bad, though. If we’re being honest, I mean.
14. Wonder Boys [2000] (dir. Curtis Hanson) - One of the rare times where the movie is better than the book. Everyone is great in this, but it's Michael Douglas who steals the show as a down on his luck pot smoking literary genius. It’s a movie about college and getting high, but done in a way where Rhodes scholars can like it, too.
15. City of God [2004] (dir. Fernando Meirelles) - Initially, I didn’t want to include this flick because, even though it’s a really great movie, it’s kind of suffered the same fate as movies like Fight Club and Requiem For a Dream where they kind of caught on with the wrong audience who was digging them for the wrong reasons, but in the end, if I didn’t include it, then the homeboys won. We already lost Scarface to them, dated soundtrack and all. Can’t let them take everything.
16. 21 Grams [2002] (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) – The interweaving storylines that Alejandro González Iñárritu always does has kind of gotten stale, but this is where he does it best. I don’t think Naomi Watts has ever been better. And Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro are always great; no exception here.
17. Amelie [2001] (dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) – Audrey Tatutou is adorable. The best thing about it are the supporting characters. They give the film life. It’s imaginative and tells a great story. It's full of win.
18. Brokeback Mountain [2005] (dir. Ang Lee) – Gay cowboys lulz. But seriously, guys; it’s got that dork from 10 Things I Hate About You that always wore those gay leather pants doing a complete 180.
19. Nurse Betty [2000] (dir. Neil Labute) – Neil, you started off your career SO WELL. What the fuck happened? Get a grip, man. Go do some soul searching and get back to being awesome. Take a road trip, get arrested, kill a guy. Do whatever it takes.
20. Time of the Wolf [2003] (dir. Michael Haneke) – Haneke is a guy that I had to include on my list because he’s made some great films this decade and since post-apocalyptic films are some of my faves, I included this one. The beginning of this film is brutal. Haneke got me with that one. I put my guard down for ONE SECOND (you NEVER put your guard down during a Haneke film, even in the opening minutes) and BAM, he got me. Had to turn it off, collect myself, then resume watching during the daytime. He’s a real jerk.
21. Munich [2005] (dir. Steven Spielberg) – Like most Spielberg movies, it could have been a perfect film if Spielberg just let somebody else handle the third act. For being such a mild-mannered filmmaker, Spielberg sure nails the violence when he gets the chance. Nobody can do violence like Spielberg. The guy is just on another level when he’s allowed to get gritty. It’s like he goes all out with the violence because he knows he probably won’t be allowed to do it again for awhile.
22. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada [2005] (dir. Tommy Lee Jones) – After 21 Grams, I think this is the best thing Guillermo Arriaga has ever written. The aforementioned Barry Pepper turns in a solid performance here and Tommy Lee Jones does the Tommy Lee Jones thing. Awesome story, awesome pacing, awesome setting. This one seems to always fly under the radar for some reason.
23. You Can Count on Me [2000] (dir. Ken Lonergan) – It’s so simple and easy, but done so well. Quite possibly my favorite screenplay of the decade.
24. Mysterious Skin [2004] (dir. Gregg Araki) – Araki is a love him or hate him type of filmmaker and I can see where both sides come from. His movies are pretty terrible but they always had a youthful independent edge that anyone who was a teenager between the years 1995 and 2000 could always find infectious. Mysterious Skin is, in my opinion, Araki’s first real foray into serious adult filmmaking. It’s still riddled with Araki’isms (the awkward close-ups, the uncomfortable beats), but they aren’t annoying here at all and they actually work with the story. Joseph Gordon-Levitt kills it here.
25. Almost Famous [2000] (wri/dir. Cameron Crowe) – Top 25 because it’s one of those movies that will always be around. It’s had a rough few years and maybe doesn’t hold up as well as it did upon release, but it’s still a solid flick and holds sentimental value for a whole generation. Some of the writing is clumsy and the pacing is a bit off at times, but as a whole, it’s a great movie.
Honorable Mentions –
Punch-Drunk Love - [2002] (wri/dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Finding Forrester [2000] (dir. Gus van Sant)
Yu Tu Mama Tambien [2001] (dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
Traffic [2000] (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
Memento [2000] (dir. Chris Nolan)
Adaptation [2002] (dir. Spike Jonze)
Elephant [2003] (dir. Gus van Sant)
All the Real Girls [2003] (dir. David Gordon Green)
In The Bedroom [2002] (dir. Todd Field)
United 93 [2006] (dir. Paul Greengrass)
(Dis)Honorable Mentions
Gladiator [dir. Ridley Scott] – To me, the funniest thing about Ridley Scott is the fact that he tries so hard to be his less talented younger brother, but he always ends up accidentally being slightly better and you can tell that really pisses him off. Tony Scott isn’t what you’d call a good filmmaker, but he makes awesome action movies with the sole purpose of making awesome action movies. His brother on the other hand tries to make awesome action movies but they always end up having some sort of quality that appeals to a large group of people. Every time you see a Ridley Scott interview or listen to one of his commentary tracks, you can just tell he’s miserable. Blackhawk Down is pretty awesome, though.
Donnie Darko [dir. Some pretentious jerkoff who fell on an alright idea and got in way over his head when he felt like he needed to tell someone] – This movie makes absolutely no sense if you think about it. I wish I could travel back in time and erase it from ever being made. The cons of this movie being made far outweigh the pros.
A Beautiful Mind and anything Ron Howard EVER does. – The only thing worse than a filmmaker who tries to please 100% of all people and attempts to pass it off as art is when said filmmaker ends up pleasing 75% of all people. It’s pretty hilarious how Russell Crowe even does the Russell Crowe scowl while he’s crunching numbers like it’s tax season.
Crash – Oh, god, where to start? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more manipulative film. It just hammers you over the head over and over again with it’s messages. When it was over, I wanted to riot. I wanted to start fires. I stepped out of the theater looking for a vehicle to turn over.
Juno – Juno is quite possibly the most annoying character ever written. She’s a know-it-all who apparently didn’t know about safe sex. True story: I actually saw this with Gloria Steinem and halfway through the film she stood up, climbed upon a platform, grabbed a loudspeaker, pointed it at the screen and yelled, “Oh, god, can you please shut up!”
