The 15 Best Films of the 2000s (and the intro to our 2009 festival)
by George Watches Things
Finally a decade I know a little something about!
The Top 15 of 2000-2009
15. Goodbye Solo (2008)
Goodbye Solo was actually the first film I watched when I first got Netflix. And it wasn’t a bad move. Goodbye Solois glorious and its title gives it bonus points, in my book. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to very soon. That way, you’ll know what I’m talking about. By the way, do I count this as 2008 or 2009? It got its first US release in 2009, according to IMDb, but I’ve been counting it as 2008 forever. You decide.
14. Finding Nemo (2003)
The 2000 decade was the decade of Pixar. Only two of their films made the top 15 (albeit there were four in the top 25 and one clinched a top 5 finish for the 90s), but they made their mark. Their films don’t talk/teach down to kids. In fact, most of their films aren’t just for kids. Finding Nemo could have been a live-action flick, but that would have robbed it of all the fun.
13. My Winnipeg (2008)
Local political gripes aside, Guy Maddin has made a masterpiece. Oh, I’m sorry, did I just use the ‘m’ word? Yeah, I did. Because My Winnipeg is a masterpiece to not only Maddin and not only the people of Winnipeg, but to me. It’s a deeply strange genre-bending love/hate letter to his hometown, and I think it’s simply a must.
12. Best in Show (2000)
Best in Show is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. That’s basically it. No, that’s not basically it. This film reveals so much about who we are as humans, as well as our bonds to our dogs. I couldn’t bring myself to omit it.
11. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Slumdog Millionaire is innovative, story-wise. In a decade in which cinema seems to have run low on originality, it’s refreshing to see a movie like Slumdog Millionaire. I have three 2008 films higher on this list, but Slumdog was good enough to deserve Oscar’s Best Picture, since one is a Kelly Reichardt film, another is animated, and the third is a documentary.
10. Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
Some films aren’t meant to be realistic and some are. Usually, films that fail to make the audience believe they’re real are weighted down by less-than-average performances and anything awkwardly chronologically inappropriate. Fortunately for Good Night, and Good Luck, the performances nail it and the two major era-creating techniques (the black-and-white and actual interview material from McCarthy) work.
9. Wendy and Lucy (2008)
When we meet Wendy, she’s a blank slate. She’s trying to get away from her old life, and trying to create a new one. She hardly has any baggage, but she also hardly has any money. Wendy and Lucy is a reminder of the fragility of life, especially in these difficult economic times.
8. In the Loop (2009)
Ooh another comedy! I like those! Especially comedies like In the Loop, which are acute political satires with both strong characters and a strong message. Director Armando Iannucci is the series creator of HBO’s Veep.
7. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days comes from my mother’s homeland, Romania. (We’ll get to that in a little bit.) And this movie is seriously haunting, partially because it’s about abortion, but mostly because it feels so real. Cristian Mungiu established himself with this picture, and I can’t wait to see his next feature, which debuted at Cannes last week. The abortionist’s last name means “baby,” by the way.
6. The Life of Reilly (2006)
One of the best and, more importantly, most personal documentaries I’ve ever seen. The Life of Reilly is fascinating to listen to, and the final scene moved me to tears.
5. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)
I am very privileged to get to travel to Romania not just because traveling is cool, but because I get to see how another country lives. And I’m sorry to say that what is presented in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu as fact is indeed fact. That is exactly how hospitals (and basically everything else) run. The banner across the top of the DVD cover states that Lazarescu is “The Most Acclaimed Comedy of the Year.” I was perplexed by this. Is this movie supposed to be a comedy?
4. Wall-e (2008)
I’ll admit that Wall-e best parts are at the beginning, but it still deserves this spot. Pixar is extremely thorough, and every detail is important in their films. The idea for the film was itself conceived back in 1994. The script was a work-in-progress since 2002. The story and animation crews watched silent cinema for almost a year and a half just so they could master the silent scenes. The end result was definitely worth it.
3. No Country for Old Men (2007)
No Country for Old Men stunned me. What a deep, powerful story. And the Coen Brothers didn’t answer all questions, which is always key with films like this. Deserving of Oscars: Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, the Coen Brothers. Receiving Oscars: Bardem, the Coens. Also very good: Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
The other day, I submitted The Truman Show as proof that Jim Carrey could act. Well, I introduce to you Exhibit B, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a film that is too ambitious to allow one actor to dominate. Eternal Sunshine is so gloriously in favor of happiness and love that it is almost impossible not to get sucked in by it. It is very, very dark, but the film’s view on life is unique, captivating, and refreshing.
1. Man on Wire (2008)
Yes, yes, it’s true. I think Man on Wire is the best film of yesterdecade. It’s a very bold documentary. There’s something incredible about watching Philippe Petit talk about his life and his experience breaking in and walking between the Twin Towers. I cannot recommend it enough.
The Films I’ve Seen From 2009 So Far (In Order of Quality)
- In the Loop (****)
- Mary and Max (***½)
- Up
- An Education
- A Town Called Panic
- The Band That Wouldn’t Die
- The U
- Star Trek
- City Island (***)
- World’s Greatest Dad
- The Hangover
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
- The Blind Side
- The Proposal
- Without Bias
- The Invention of Lying
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (**½)
- Humpday
- District 9
- He’s Just Not That Into You
- Kings Ransom
- Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (**)
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Dadnapped
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
- Dragonball Evolution (*½)
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
The festival will run through the summer and into a couple of fall months. Each week, there will be either one or two 2009 film(s) that get(s) reviewed. Some weeks will be off-weeks, and mini-reviews of the above films will run those weeks. I’m sticking to mostly Netflix Instant films, since I’ve already seen a good amount of the Best Picture nominees and iTunes isn’t renting The Hurt Locker. If I deviate from the plan at all, I’ll let you know.
In general I thought 2000-2009 was a very good timeframe for movies and thus I’m not really surprised a bunch of other movies I really enjoyed from that time didn’t make this list. The Dark Knight came out in 2008. While it didn’t achieve quite the same acclaim as its sequel, I also enjoyed Batman Begins (2005) a lot. Black Hawk Down (2001) easily made the top 5 war movies I have ever seen.
Another solid, diverse list. Man on Wire is my favorite documentary ever, and Eternal Sunshine is my favorite film of all-time.
Those are two excellent films to have as favorites.
Oh dear.. that’s a tough one…
I’m so pleased to see films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck (though.. I’m not sure I would put this one on the top 10).
Films of the 2000s are just too recent to really be able to judge whether they will leave a mark in history.. but generally speaking I think there’s a few out there missing and they should definitely be mentioned:
- Memento (if anything, at least for making Nolan known to the world!)
- Amelie
- City of God
- Donnie Darko (again, not a massive fan.. but the film is now already a classic and you can’t really deny its charm and the mood it created).
– Anything by Pixar really… of course you mentioned Wall-E and Nemo, but Ratattouille and Up are quite something too
- 28 Days Later: not a masterpiece, but it injected a new life in the long deceased (sorry about the pun) zombi genre
- District 9 (most innovative Sci-fi of the decade, though I did love Children of Men too)
- Lord of the rings (I’m not a super-fan, but they made such an impact that their weight cannot be denied. Though you can argue the same about the Harry Potter movies)
- Almost famous (sorry but I love this one).
- Pan’s Labiryinth
- Bowling for Columbine (of course there are better docs, but the power of this one is considerable, and also it single-handedly brought documentary to the blockbuster crowds).
Oh crap! it’s 10 of them already!! This is an impossible task.. LOL ;)
I was surprised Good Night, and Good Luck made the Top 10. I just went back through the years and found all the movies I liked, then compiled a list.
I haven’t seen all of those films, unfortunately. Ratatouille and Up were in the next 10. And I didn’t really like District 9.
Thanks for commenting!
This decade just seemed bad for most films. Good list. I recommend Sideways and Brokeback Mountain, and The Hurt Locker is a must-see.
Sideways and Brokeback are on my list to see. We’ll cover The Hurt Locker in our upcoming marathon.
I agree that the decade in question was generally lousy for movies, but, as mentioned by others Batman Begins (and sequel) along with No Country For Old Men would make my list. I agree with Sunshine… , the rest… Probably not on my list of I were to make one. I do love these decade by decade lists. Maybe I will make one!
Actually, I haven’t seen most on your list!
And when you do, please let me know!
You’ver picked some real winners, my new friend! Good for you!
glad to see “life of riley” on the list. i think i fell in love with that one because it was like sitting around listening to relatives tell stories about the old days in new york.
I’m so happy to find “Man on Wire” at the top of this list, because I couldn’t agree more. I felt as high as those towers once stood after watching this movie.
Some fabulous choices here and some I don’t know yet. I really must watch Eternal Sunshine – I’ve been told repeatedly it is an excellent film and I do actually like Jim Carrey. Never knock comedians – they are usually bloody good!