20. The Saddest Music in the World (2003) – Guy Maddin is one of the most clever and inventive directors out there. And this is probably his best movie so far, at least of his movies I've seen. His aesthetics are odd and unique, and I honestly was surprised I was so into them. He has a great knowledge of cinema history like Tarantino but a much more specific style. The best way to describe this particular movie is intoxicating (and not just because the plot is about beer). Side note, if you're not sure about committing to a feature-length film by this guy (he can be polarizing) then start with his short film The Heart of the World which will introduce you to Maddin’s style in 5 hyper-brilliant minutes.
19. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) – Miranda July’s quaint little picture seems slight and fleeting, but it stuck with me even years later. It’s touching, funny, a little off, and delightful. It comes across like a series of interconnected short stories (which is fitting since July also wrote the short story collection No One Belongs Here More Than You, which is one of the best pieces of literature of the past decade). July is a charmer, and her movie is too.
18. Requiem for a Dream (2000) – I went into this movie unprepared, watching it by myself one rainy night. It was a harrowing experience. This is one of the most effective depictions of addiction, especially the spellbinding performance by Ellen Burstyn. Darren Aronofsky makes consistently interesting movies, but this is by far his most impressive one.
17. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) – This movie is hot. It’s a coming of age tale, a political allegory, and a buddy picture. It works on many levels, and the simple story that it originally appears to be quickly turns out to be so much more (Cuaron’s script is pretty genius). Oh, and this movie brought Gael Garcia Bernal into my life, so mad props for that.
16. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) – This is hands down my favorite comedy of the decade. I considered some of the “better” movies that Apatow was involved with (40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up) but when I want to laugh my ass off, this is the movie I put on. Will Ferrell is ridonkulous and at his most hilarious here, and don’t underestimate the able support from Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell. It’s a perfect comedy whose only fault is that they didn’t use Christina Applegate as well as they could have.
15. Waltz with Bashir (2008) – This is one of the best movies about war ever made. It’s a striking meditation on memory and trauma, and does more to show the (sur)reality of war than all the Saving Private Ryans out there. Add into this the stunning animation and brilliantly original visuals, and you have a documentary that I’m flabbergasted didn’t get more attention.
14. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003) – I never read the books and I am not really big on fanboy nerdom stuff, but I did see each of these movies in the theater and left each time thinking I had just watched great entertainment. Obviously, there were many problems throughout the series (how could there not be in 9 hours of cinema?) but the great stuff overpowered the weaknesses. Oh, and I don’t consider it cheating to have all three movies listed as one, so shove it.
13. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) – Wes Anderson only makes movies that range from very good to great, and The Royal Tenenbaums is his best of this decade (although it’s not as good as Rushmore, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox snuck up on me and almost grabbed the top spot for my favorite film of 2009). It’s nice to know that everytime Anderson makes a movie, you’re going to get to see the art of a brilliant control freak. While the cast sometimes seems to be working at different speeds, nothing ever strays too far from fitting exactly into Anderson’s vision. Also, this is the first time he worked with Anjelica Huston, who I feel is some sort of awesome muse for him.
12. Monster's Inc. (2001) – While everyone creams their shorts over every Pixar movie (and I am one of them) I’m always surprised at how much I have to defend this one. Other than the Toy Stories, I think this is the pinnacle of Pixar. It certainly is the best at mixing both comedy and a heartwarming story, and the climactic chase with the characters riding doors like a roller coaster is as great as any action scene. And John Goodman, always so underrated, gives one of my favorite voice performances ever in this movie.
11. Moulin Rouge! (2001) – I’ve almost wrote a paper on this in college (and I still might one day) but I think the brilliance of Moulin Rouge! is that it is a spectacle that defines cinema. This movie starts with cliché, but then transforms it using all the tools that only a film could unanimously employ. The plot, were this just a novel, would be trite, predictable, and disposable. So Baz Luhrmann then builds upon this by adding music, kinetic editing, colorful art and set direction, all together to work in a way that no other single medium can achieve. This movie is a celebration of cinema.
10. Mamma Mia! (2008) – Fuck you, I love this movie. This is my Top 20 of the decade, so if you don’t like it then make your own list. I’m not saying this is the BEST, but it’s certainly one of my favorites of all time and I would feel untrue to myself if I left this off my list. I know many people will argue that this isn’t worthy of being one of the 10 best movies of the 2000s, or that I shouldn't include a movie that (despite seeing it over 10 times now, 6 of which were in the theater) I have yet to watch sober. But I also doubt that there are many people out there who didn’t feel an explosion of joy watching this movie. This movie just exploded in me a little more than the rest of the world. Suck it.
9. Children of Men (2006) – I’m normally not big on dystopian sci-fi movies, but Alfonso Cuaron (who is the only director to make two appearances on my list) has made a movie that people will be talking about for decades after this one. He is a technical master, but everything he does serves the overall purpose of the movie. Those two incredible long takes are great examples of this—you’re not just thinking that this is a really cool movie, you’re also riveted to the story. It’s masterful storytelling by a virtuoso.
8. City of God (2002) – I remember being assigned to see this movie for a class on children and violence and, having heard nothing about it, assumed it was going to be a small, cheap little movie. I don’t think I’ve ever been so blown away by incorrect assumptions. This movie is as stylized and impressive a feat of film-making as a Tarantino movie (and as violent) but with an added weight due to its serious subject matter. The Oscars rarely get things right, but one of the most impressive nominations they gave was remembering Fernando Meirelles that year for best director.
7. Kill Bill Vols 1 & 2 (2003-2004) – Quentin Tarantino is probably America’s best living director. He will never make a movie that isn’t worth watching. Inglourious Basterds (the best film of 2009) and even Death Proof (with the most smile-inducing climax to any movie this decade) were so good that I considered them for this list, but nothing he did in the past 10 years matches the intensity and scope of the Kill Bills. After waiting 6 years between his previous movie and the first installment of this, I started to get scared that he wouldn’t be able to live up to the expectations. But these movies are his best outside of Pulp Fiction and are insanely rewatchable, a key Tarantino trait.
6. Spirited Away (2001) – I was surprised by the number of animated films that made it in my Top 20, but I couldn’t imagine a list without this movie. It is such an imaginative film that really has nothing you can compare to it (the closest things would be other Miyazaki movies). Rarely is a movie so completely spell-binding with every single frame. Without a strong background in Japanese culture, I’m sure tons of this movie is lost on me. But that just goes to show what a fantastic film this is when, despite only having a percentage of it truly register, it is this fascinating to watch.
5. Donnie Darko (2001) – How I love this highly imperfect film. It’s a polarizing movie, and I totally understand why lots of people don’t like it. But it really works for me. The plot is convoluted and ultimately silly, but the atmosphere and the characters are so well-developed that I forgive all the shortcomings. In fact, I might love this movie all the more because of its imperfections. I’ve seen this movie at least a dozen times and it’s never diminished.
4. There Will Be Blood (2007) – This movie left me stunned. Rarely does a movie (especially recently) live up to its status as epic. But between Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance, Johnny Greenwood’s score (which might as well be a character in its own right), and Robert Elswit’s well-deserved Oscar-winning cinematography, I think this is going to be the movie that an entire generation latches onto as one of their defining films. It is both a period piece and a political statement about America at the start of a new century 100 years after it takes place.
3. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) – I was so uninterested in this movie when I heard about it. A rock opera about a European transsexual? But when I finally saw it, I was floored. The soundtrack alone qualifies this as one of the greatest musicals ever made (oh, but that’s another list). It’s hysterically funny (so many sly asides and throw away jokes that take multiple viewings to fully appreciate) and a brutally heartbreaking love story. This is the most unique movie in my Top 20.
2. Angels in America (2003) – This HBO miniseries (shut up, I’m counting it for this list as a movie) is one of the greatest pieces of art ever made. I don’t think that’s hyperbole. I don’t think there’s anything else out there that is 6 hours long but I would drop everything in a second to watch in its entirety. Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, and Mary-Louise Parker all in the same movie? My brain almost exploded. But it really is the quality of Tony Kushner’s writing that makes this movie so superb.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – Is it the greatest romance ever? Maybe. With fantastic performances from the entire cast (but especially Kate Winslet), this movie makes one of the most profound statements on love out there (my last name gives me the clout to make that comment). Charlie Kaufman is definitely my favorite screenwriter, and this is his best movie of the decade. And Michel Gondry is so startlingly original and creative that he is the perfect partner for Kaufman’s brilliance. There is no other way to put it: I love this movie.
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