Decades of Cinema - 10 Best of the 2000's

If you were curious to check out my previous "Decades" lists and other stuff as well, this link will take you there.

Here are my ten favorites released between the years 2000 and 2009.

10. Oldboy

Gosh, if you haven't seen Oldboy, you should, but let me follow that up with a disclaimer: if the content or the direction the narrative takes proves to be disturbing, please don't come back and blame me. I'm sure this Korean revenge thriller would be too much for some, but it's just right for me.

Also, please, don't watch the recently released Spike Lee U.S. remake before seeing the original. Start with the masterpiece, then decide if you want to compare the two. 

9. Memories of Murder

Let's just stay in South Korea with the incredible based on a true story crime-drama Memories of Murder. This one tells the story of the first ever documented serial killer in the history of the nation, and it is an atmospheric, chilling and flat out great film. Have a South Korean movie night and watch the first two on this list back to back. 

8. Zodiac

From back to back South Korean films to now back to back tales based on truth involving serial killers, notice a theme thus far to my favorite films from this decade? Yes, I like my dark and ominous thrillers. They just tend to work for me, especially when they are as brilliant as David Fincher's Zodiac. 

7. The Dark Knight

We stay in the darkness but with a bit more of a fun flair, moving into the superhero sub-genre with The Dark Knight, although really this is just an epic crime drama masked as a comic book movie. Without a doubt the masterpiece of the Nolan Batman trilogy featuring that already pretty iconic performance from the late Heath Ledger. I recall when The Dark Knight was first released there was a lot of "greatest movie of all time" talk associated with it. Unfortunately I can't go that far, but it certainly is one of the finest achievements of its decade.

6. Children of Men

7 years before he won the Oscar for Best Director for his work on Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron gave the world Children of Men and it is a science fiction thriller that works in every possible way. Written, directed and performed with perfection and that glorious photography from Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, this is a movie that literally, and let me stress that word because when I use it, I use it correctly, LITERALLY gave my wife a panic attack as she watched a battle sequence. 

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

This is the moment where people think, oh okay, so three of the top five will be the Lord of the Rings trilogy. No, you may be surprised when one, probably considered the greatest installment by the majority is actually left off the list. The Fellowship of the Ring, however, is a totally worthy epic fantasy adventure, and the trilogy as a whole I revisit every single year when fall rolls around and the weather outside gets brisk. It just feels right.

4. Spirited Away

The attention to detail from Hayao Miyazaki in Spirited Away is breathtaking, arguably not only the defining masterpiece from Studio Ghibli but also in the history of animated cinema. Magical, mystical, haunting and beautiful, You might see this and think, but I can't watch animated movies anymore. I'm an adult. Nonsense. The craft of a Miyazaki should be admired by people of all ages.

3. No Country for Old Men

Surely you saw this one coming, right? I named my blog after it! A flawless film with a perfect conclusion, an ending that angered some but for me it was sublime. No Country for Old Men is a Best Picture winner that was worthy of the award.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

What a glorious example of perfect blockbuster filmmaking. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers has always been and will continue to be my favorite installment in the trilogy, a perfectly paced marvel that feels so damn epic, it's more like an event than a movie. The Battle of Helm's Deep is my favorite sequence in the entire saga, which helps elevate this one to the top.

1. Inglourious Basterds

The second time Quentin Tarantino has held the top spot of a decade for me, and Inglourious Basterds happens to me my second favorite of his work behind only Pulp Fiction. The ultimate revenge story, a grand what if tale involving Nazi's and a woman avenging the brutal deaths of her family members. It's clever, it's funny, it's made with astonishing confidence and as usual it has a screenplay that you could close your eyes and just listen to and still love the experience. A few specific scenes, like one that takes place at a basement bar, are so perfectly executed and so deliciously Tarantino. No one else on the planet could make a scene like that work so damn well.

Next list will be the last, my ten favorite films released between 2010 and now. Might sound like a small, watered down sample size, but trust me...this decade has been pretty incredible, including my favorite film of all time.

100 Favorite Films - #70 - #61

A continuation of my list counting down my 100 favorite films of all time.


70. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

I thought this was the coolest movie ever when I saw it as a kid. I think it is pretty damn cool as an adult, too.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is one of those sequels that actually managed to rise above the original, and to be clear, I am a fan of the first one as well. The special effects were ground breaking and the action is intense and overwhelmingly fun, and the connection between a boy and a terminator actually managed to be pretty moving stuff. I revisited this film not too long ago and I had the biggest smile on my face, probably similar to the one I had back then.


69. A Man Escaped (1956)

My Review for A Man Escaped

On my previous list I included the film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky and I mentioned that he was quoted as saying the only two opinions he cared about with his film were Robert Bresson and Ingmar Bergman. A Man Escaped is a Bresson work that I treasure, a brilliant drama about a man named Fontaine, a member of the French Resistance who is incarcerated and vows to figure out a way to escape before his death sentence is carried out. Most of what happens throughout the film takes place inside his cell, making us feel just as claustrophobic and trapped as Fontaine, and the results are beyond riveting.



68. The Insider (1999)

Based on the true story of the controversy and chaos that surrounded an interview with Jeffrey Wigand on the show 60 Minutes, this is an expertly crafted film by Michael Mann. Wigand was an employee in the tobacco industry and he went against his confidentially agreement to do the interview, and the film highlights just how far a major corporation will go to keep their public perception from being tainted. Sure, the film is likely over-dramatized for entertainment purposes but that usually comes with the the territory for entertainment derived from true events. The Insider is a gem.


67. Moon (2009)

Duncan Jones may not be a household name like his father David Bowie, but his assured, compelling debut film Moon certainly put him on the map. A minimalist work of science fiction, a man named Sam Bell (played brilliantly by Sam Rockwell) is in the midst of a three year contract working on the moon, extracting a gas that has the potential to reverse the energy crisis taking place back on Earth. Back home a beautiful wife and daughter await him and Sam is eager to escape the isolation he feels from a lack of human interaction, but after an accident occurs secrets are revealed about the motivation of the company that hired him and his now questionable future.

An emotionally stirring, thematically rich film, if you haven't seen Moon yet check it out.


66. The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)

My Review of The Spirit of the Beehive

Perplexing, symbolic, and imaginative, The Spirit of the Beehive was the debut film by Victor Erice and is the influence behind Guillermo del Toro making the modern masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth. The film has a natural, gorgeous glow to it, as if you spend the entire feature stuck inside a beehive, and the concept of a child becoming lost in a film in order to escape her reality is one that really resonates with me.


65. Jurassic Park (1993)

One of the finest blockbuster films ever made, Jurassic Park is a cinematic spectacle that evokes terror and delight from the audience, and I still remember being totally in awe of every single moment when I saw it on the big screen as a child. Despite being released over twenty years ago now, nothing about this work feels dated and the special effects still completely hold up against more recently released summer fare. The magic of the park is still alive with every single viewing.


64. The Dark Knight (2008)

The single greatest superhero film ever made, Christopher Nolan's middle installment of his Batman trilogy transcends the sub-genre because in actuality it is a brilliant crime thriller that just so happens to feature iconic comic book characters. Heath Ledger is the definition of perfection in his turn as the Joker, a role that posthumously won him an Academy Award, and every gritty moment of The Dark Knight is top notch entertainment.


63. Modern Times (1936)

My Review of Modern Times

Charlie Chaplin brought quite a few fantastic silent features to the cinema, but for me none have more heart and imagination and entertainment value than Modern Times, a film filled with tons of laughs but also an emotional pulse that beats through the story and the central romance. Taking place during the Great Depression, the film is remarkably relevant even today as our recent economic recession makes the concept of love transcending financial wealth all the more poignant.



62. Fight Club (1999)

A film that is already firmly established as a contemporary classic, Fight Club is a remarkably entertaining social satire that is so expertly put together by David Fincher it almost defies logic. Honestly, I still recall the first time I saw a trailer for the film and I assumed I was going to absolutely loathe it. A club of dudes fighting each other in basements? Nothing could sound more boring, which is why my mind was blown when I actually got a chance to witness this unlikely masterpiece.



61. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

I know for many this is a film that is made up of a masterful first act and then a disappointing second, but I actually appreciate the entire experience that is Full Metal Jacket. Sure, the first half telling the story of Leonard Lawrence, nicknamed "Gomer Pyle" after quickly standing out to Gunnery Sergeant Hartman for all the wrong reasons, is far more memorable than the rest of the film. In fact it is probably one of the most memorable and beloved halves of a film in cinematic history, but I still admire the brutal anti-war sentiments of Stanley Kubrick that seep out of the narrative of the second half of the film.

The next list will continue on with #60 through #51. Above is an image from a film that will appear on that list.