Top 10 of the 00's

The last decade has been defined in several arenas (Pixar's dominance, fantasy films and quirky independent comedies).  Unlike the 90's the last decade didn't see an indpenedent director make the impact the way Tarantino, Soderbergh and Smith had on the last decade.  Martin Scorsese finally Oscar success and David Fincher got nominated for one of his weakest films, while Zodiac went overlooked.  Lars von Tier made his mark on world cinema and Oscar shocked us with Crash instead of Brokeback Mountain.  My top picks for the decade:

honorable mention: Pan's Labryinth, Memento, Gomorrah, (500) Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, Munich, Zodiac, The Wrestler, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, About Schmidt, The 40-Year Old Virgin, O'Brother Where Art Thou, Shaun of the Dead, Gladiator, Traffic, Oldboy,


10. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) - Wes Anderson

No other filmmaker has exemplified quirky comedy in the last decade than Anderson.  Despite the relative disappointments of The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums stands as his best work, with all due respect to Rushmore admirers.  The Royal Tenenbaums reveals new layers upon each viewing and contains one last great performance by Gene Hackman.  Anderson doesn't just write for quirks sake here, but creates real characters in a real world.  The audience invests in these characters despite their shortcomings, and while no family may be quite like this one we still identify with the problems that they face.

9. Mulholland Dr. (2001) - David Lynch

David Lynch certainly isn't a filmmaker for everyone, and I understand people being confused by his disjointed plot structure, abrupt violence and surreal imagery.  Maybe it's my own cynicism though that doesn't require everything to make sense, and Mulholland Dr. is a hypnotic dream, where knowing the mystery isn't necessarily important.  Perhaps its my preference for films that play like dreams containing surreal imagery that take on a myriad of interpretations, but I was mesmerized the first time viewing this brilliant film.  Sadly his follow-up Inland Empire was too much of an attempt to be a puzzling mystery and just plain boring, doesn't make Mulholland Dr. any less mesmerizing.

8. Requiem For a Dream (2000) - Darron Aronofsky 

This movie featuring perhaps the performance of the decade from Ellen Burstyn should be required viewing for every incoming freshman in high school.  The movie presents every ugly side of addiction, from that first hit to desperation to hitting rock bottom Aronofsky doesn't let up his assault of the audience.  Paired with a great ensemble cast, great editing and a terrific score the viewer is left brutalized and marred from his or her viewing.

7. A History of Violence (2005) - David Cronenberg 


The greatest study of violence and masculine identity of the decade, David Cronenberg's A History of Violence has a simple story structure and filled with short quick bursts of violence.  That doesn't make the film any less compelling, whether it be a teenage son getting into a locker room fight, a married couple exploring their love, or a man confronting his past demons he has tried so hard to keep hidden.  Viggo Mortenson, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ed Harris and Ashton Holmes deliver great performances in one of the decade's best thrillers.

6. The Dark Knight (2008) - Christopher Nolan


The biggest blockbuster of the decade before Avatar, Nolan's second Batman film is likely to hold a greater audience over time, for its greater story and one terrific performance from Heath Ledger.  Nolan started the decade with the great Memento, a film that relied on a non-traditional story structure to gain its fame, but with Dark Knight proved he could tell a story with the most linear of story structures.  A movie dealing with anarchy, heroism, duality and the power of symbols The Dark Knight provided one of the most thrilling rides of the decade, while also allowing our brains to actually think during an action movie.

5. The Departed (2006) - Martin Scorsese


It's a shame that Scorsese has directed  so many great films that his latest masterpiece has been labeled as a lesser work.  The Departed is still his greatest work since Goodfellas, and no less worthy of the praise his other films have garnered.  Focusing more on delivering a pure entertaining movie than Gangs of New York  or The Aviator allowed Scorsese to be more relaxed and delivered another great gangster movie.  Buoyed with a terrific cast and a focus on identity Scorsese finally won that elusive Oscar.

4. No Country For Old Men (2007) - The Coen Brothers


Perhaps the greatest filmmakers to emerge from the last twenty-five years this duo have shown they can handle any material.  Always known for their dark humor and existential crises, the Coen Brothers delivered their bleakest movie to date.  Javier Bardem also created one of the most terrifying villains of the decade a man living by his own code without respect to the time in which he lives.  James Brolin plays his role to perfection as well, as a man adept at handling most situations but in over his head against Bardem.  Lastly Tommy Lee Jones gives his finest performance as a sheriff that sees the evil facing Brolin and without an understanding of evil's existence and what that means for the future.

3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - Michael Gondroy


A film made by its brilliant script from Charlie Kaufman, Eternal Sunshine is unlike any romance that has become before.  A movie that challenges our ideas that we have about ourselves, our partners, our friends and our memories.  By deleting our memories of a person does that delete our urge to be with them?  Are we still drawn to that person? Despite the pain of a break-up do those memories still have importance?  Don't those memories forge our future selves?  Lastly the movie wouldn't be nearly as strong if both Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey gave the movie everything they had.

2. There Will Be Blood (2007) - Paul Thomas Anderson


Anderson had spent the last decade crafting great ensemble dramas, especially Boogie Nights, and Magnolia, both leading up to his most daring film There Will Be Blood.  A two and a half hour film centered on a singular personality played by Daniel Day-Lewis.  Anderson uses Daniel Plainview to study family, greed and religion in a changing America.  Anderson has such confidence in his script and story, backing it up with great direction that includes long periods with minimal dialogue, amazing cinematography and a terrific score.  A movie that not everyone will be able to sit through, but if you do it was well worth the trip.

1. The Lord of the Rings (2001-03) - Peter Jackson

The most immersive movie experience I have sat through, Jackson's trilogy is not without flaws. However, Jackson must be commended for taking on such a difficult project, while installing the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork.  The series is emotional, inspiring and rousing all at once and reminds us of the power of cinema that other small intimate movies are unable.  For my money there was no more enjoyable cinematic experience of the decade.