Favorite Films of the Decade Picpsam
Top 15 Films of the Decade (2000-2009)
I've been planning a decades-end list for a while actually ever since a bunch of magazines and film sites have started prematurely naming 'best of the decade' stuff.
This is in chronological order because I really hate ranking. And I tried to space them out a bit through the years so I didn't have half the list be from 2007 or something.
Honorable Mentions: Billy Elliot (2000), Dancer in the Dark (2000), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Amelie (2001), Memento (2001), Gosford Park (2001), Gangs of New York (2002), The Hours (2002), Lost in Translation (2003), The Fog of War (2004), Pride and Prejudice (2005), Good Night and Good Luck (2005), The Departed (2006), United 93 (2006), Children of Men (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), Waltz with Bashir (2008), Pretty much all the Pixar movies except Cars
Moulin Rouge (2001) Directed by Baz Luhrman
This movie clearly isn't for everyone. Some love it to death; others are made nauseous by it. I personally loved it. Musicals have always been a favorite genre of mine and the crazy cuts, lavish costumes/sets and simple love story totally pulled me in. Nicole Kidman was so exquisite in this and shared lovely chemistry with Ewan McGregor. The use of 20th century pop songs was a risky choice and it's understandable that part of the audience just wouldn't buy it. And it's just visually so beautiful to look at.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress
Mulholland Drive (2001) Directed by David Lynch
This is such a bizarre and out there movie, which is exactly what you'd expect from Lynch. The film literally takes you in one direction for half the movie and makes a complete turn around. It's confusing and extremely engaging all at once. Naomi Watts gives one of the best performances I've seen in her breakthrough role, and was completely snubbed at the Oscars.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Director
Far From Heaven (2002) Directed by Todd Haynes
Before there was Mad Men... This homage to the 1950s features a perfect performance by Julianne Moore, as the ideal Conneticuit housewife whose life takes a turn away from the ideal. A beautifully shot and lush examination of 1950s social mores and racial attitudes, this film features strong supporting turns from Dennis Quaid, Patricia Clarkson and Dennis Haysbert.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay
25th Hour (2002) Directed by Spike Lee
To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of Spike Lee. I admired Do the Right Thing, but his films never really appealed to me until 25th Hour. Edward Norton turned in yet another brilliant performance as a convicted drug dealer who spends his last day of freedom with the people close to him before a 7 year prison stay. The first major post-9/11 film that had the characters live in the aftermath of the massive tragedy, the film also benefits from the performances of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Barry Pepper. It was almost ignored when it first came out but it seems its appeal has increased dramatically over time. It's consistently being highly-ranked on several critics' end of the decade lists.
Major Oscar Nominations: None (!)
Angels in America (2003) Directed by Mike Nichols
Based on the play by Tony Kushner, this 2003 miniseries has some serious pedigree. Directed by Nichols and starring Meryl Streep, Al Pacino and Emma Thompson, the film adaptation deals with the 1980s AIDS epidemic and the social and political climate surrounding it.
Emmy Nominations: It won pretty much everything that year in the mini-series categories.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Directed by Michel Gondry
A truly original, funny and poignant romantic comedy, this movie plays with the fictional science of selectively removing memories. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are perfect as the lovers who are total opposites, Joel and Clementine. Unconventional yet thoroughly entertaining.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay (WIN)
Brokeback Mountain (2005) Directed by Ang Lee
What this film did can only be described as revolutionary. Pre-Brokeback Mountain, for an actor to play a gay character in a gay romance, was considered the taboo to end your career. By casting hunky young actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal and telling a truly moving love story, Ang Lee made this film a huge box office success that played to sold out audiences from San Francisco to Kansas City. Ledger's performance will go down as one of the all-time greats. This movie was completely robbed of the Best Picture Oscar in what is considered to be one of the most egregious upsets in history.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director (WIN), Best Adapted Screenplay (WIN), Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress
Joyeux Noel (2005) Directed by Christian Carion
Based on the Christmas Truce in December 1914 during the first world war, this film may be a tad sentimental but it is beautifully shot, acted and truly depicts the humanity of its characters. Told through the perspective of both sides of the war, it features a terrific European cast including Diane Kruger, Guillame Canet and Daniel Bruhl. Moving and inspiring to say the least, its anti-war message was at least partially a sign of the times.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Foreign Film
The Painted Veil (2006) Directed by John Curran
Both Edward Norton and Naomi Watts make it twice on this list, this time in a lovely romatic drama set in 1920s China. From it's gorgeous location shoots to the sizzling chemistry between Norton and Watts, I enjoyed every minute of this lush period piece. It also features a beautiful score by Alexandre Desplat.
Major Oscar Nominations: None
Pans Labyrinth (2006) Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
A creative masterpiece about a young girl who escapes into a magical and terrifying fantasy world while living in 1940s Fascist Spain, this Spanish film excels on every level. Everything from the cinematography and clever visual effects to the score to the strong performances makes it a beautiful film to experience. Del Toro proves you don't need an excessively large budget to make a wonderful fantasy movie.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Foreign Film, Best Original Screenplay
No Country for Old Men (2007) Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
I feel like everything has been said already of this film. All I can add is that I agree with it. I had some questions about the ending like almost everyone else, but the suspense and mood of this brilliant thriller is unmatched. And Javier Bardem plays one of the most terrifying characters in a long time. A truly well-deserved Best Picture win, which is something that cannot be said for many Oscar years.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Picture (WIN), Best Director (WIN), Best Supporting Actor (WIN), Best Adapted Screenplay (WIN)
Atonement (2007) Directed by Joe Wright
Boy, if this movie came out any other year, I think it could've easily swept the Oscars a la The English Patient. However, it had the unfortunate luck of being released in one of the strongest years of film in recent memory although it still deserved a Best Director nomination more than freakin' Juno. A faithful adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel, this film features a great performance from young Saoirse Ronan as well as appealing romantic leads, Jame McAvoy and Keira Knightley.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) Directed by Julian Schnabel
Based on the memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby, this inventive film depicts Bauby's life after he had suffered a massive stroke leaving his entire body paralyzed. It begins with the point of view of Bauby himself and slowly broadens out to the world around him and glimpses of his pre-stroke life. Very moving and heartwrenching.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay
Wall-E (2008) Directed by Andrew Stanton
You can't have a list of film of the 2000s without some Pixar representaiton. In fact, I'd say Pixar is by far the most consistently brilliant studio of the decade. Their crowning acheivement, in my honest opinion, is this little robot love story. What's truly amazing about it is that Stanton has somehow created a thoroughly entertainly, poignant and funny movie that enthralled children and adults alike with extremely minimal dialogue. Probably the most ambitious and mature of Pixar's history.
Major Oscar Nominations: Best Animated Film (WIN), Best Original Screenplay
Inglourious Basterds (2009) Directed by Quentin Tarantino
I'm a little reluctant to put a movie on the list that came out this recently just cause I do like to let a movie sink in for at least a few months. But having seen this movie multiple times already, it certainly loses none of its pure entertainment upon repeat viewings. Featuring great performances all around the board, especially Christoph Watlz, Inglourious Basterds may not appeal to all (its revisionist and quirky take on a serious war subject may be a little hard for some to take). But this was probably the most purely enjoyable film in a while.
Major Oscar Nominations: TBA
Comments/thoughts? These are totally of personal taste. Some of these I probably wouldn't even give the highest ratings to but they just resonated with me over time. And it's a fairly foreign-leaning list.