My 15 Films of the Decade...

I figured I would make a best of the decade list for films...

This is the decade that saw me transformed me from someone who thought they were fun to someone who thinks about film almost constantly and studied it extensively. Weird to think about. These are my personal favorites... I think.

It is almost impossible to make a list like this, but this is composed of things I liked, passed my critic test and felt were important. Honorables in the comments.

15) Mulholland Drive



I can understand why some don't like this film, but this along with Blue Velvet are two of the things from David Lynch that I love through and through. Things that I love as much as about any piece of art. This one has a great vibe and air of mystery throughout. The cast delivers fantastic performances all around... this movie is just very special and can deliver feelings that few other films can. You may have to watch it a handful of times to decipher something out of it, but that is half the fun.

14) 25th Hour



Spike Lee's best film? Maybe. This is a film I feel is hugely important. It was made by a New Yorker very soon after 9/11. Other films tried to capture a panic type feeling from the event or not even bring it up... in this one the reality of the situation is just a part of the characters' everyday lives. There is some truly haunting imagery that comes with the story of a man who messed up and is now trying to figure out if he has any options left in his life. I think this film is overlooked a bit. Everyone should watch this film.



13) Memento



This film would announce the arrival of Christopher Nolan. Of course he has had a killer decade, but this film is really special. True, it loses a touch on repeat viewings... nothing really compares to sitting through this one for the first time, but with incredible direction, writing, editing, acting, music, cinematography, and more... it is a fantastic film. The writing is incredibly tight... absolute awe on my part. This film also seemed to be part of a really nice neo-noir set that was emerging, which seems to have since cooled in many ways. Shame.



12) City of God




A film that has probably sworn me off of going to Brazil forever... incredibly real with its depiction of life in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, it shows what paths are open to some youths and how no option is really a "good" option. Forget last years Slumdog Millionaire, this is the real deal. A much more powerful and real portrait which ultimately makes it one of the decade's best.

11) The Incredibles



Brad Bird's (Iron Giant, Ratatouille) first film at Pixar seems like the perfect film from that studio. A fantastic superhero film with a great score and so many homage's to old Bond films makes for a throughly entertaining film for all ages. The family dynamic presented here is very true to life and each character is three dimensional and feels very real. Just a complete joy from start to finish. This along with Wall E, Ratatouille, and UP show just how universal and endearing to all that Pixar's medium can be.

10) OldBoy



I don't think a director had a better decade than Chan-Wook Park. This guy is an insane talent and he absolutely killed this decade. In terms of a director of the decade award, it is either this guy or Darren Aronofsky. JSA, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, OldBoy, Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg but That's OK, and Thirst. All in the 2000s. This is probably his most liked and well received film. I love it and what it does with traditional anti-hero archetypes. This is sort of a Man with No Name meets the Count of Monte Cristo. Incredibly powerful, disturbing, and thought provoking.

9) Inglourious Basterds



This is one of my most fun, favorite films ever. If that makes sense. I just have a blast watching this film. The writing is the usual stellar Tarantino dialog we expect. The performances are out of this world (Christoph Waltz for best supporting actor!)... bringing so many unique and colorful characters to life. A WWII film that changes history and laughs as it does so... so cry about it and you cry alone. As for its style, a balanced homage to Spaghetti Westerns and French New Wave wraps it all up in a way that lovers of film should squeal about. Some people have tried to rain on Quentin's parade since he changed cinema in 94. This is his best movie since then (and I really like all his films period) and shows that he will be around to annoy his detractors for a long, long time. Oh... and a David Bowie song piping in at full blast = win.

8) Lord of the Rings trilogy



A bit of a cheat having all films in one spot. But it is what it is... truly epic film making on a scale that is rarely seen. These films definitely have more in common with Lawrence of Arabia than other films that share the "fantasy" tag. A completely believable world brought to life with considerable care and love by the whole cast and crew. Great pacing for such a long epic... just astounding work. A huge gamble that paid off creatively, financially, and critically.

7) Spirited Away



The master Hayao Miyazaki's best film? Probably. Which certainly means it is in the conversation for greatest animated feature of all time. Very beautiful and very poignant with its emotional attachments, the film brings a hugely fantastical look to an awkward time in a little girl's life. A+ work from every single angle. I love getting swept off to this land that has been so vividly brought to life.... over and over again.

6) Amelie



This film absolutely makes my heart soar. I love the director and this film is just so full of the idiosyncrasies that he and his characters are known for... love it. Expertly made with cinematography that makes me giddy... actually the whole film makes me giddy. So in love with life and all that it entails, this film is for everyone. Expertly showing that bravura storytelling can be saccharine, but still possess the upmost artist merit. I get so sick of women who try to defend Twilight as something "for them"... so lay off... no. No. No. Terrible is terrible and there are too many examples in art, such as Amelie, where something can be made for the hopelessly romantic and still produce stellar results with true merit. Thank you, Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I look forward to your newest film, Micmacs... which is coming soon!

5) The Departed



Based on a Chinese film (Infernal Affairs) that could have just as easily made the list, the Departed is Martin Scorsese showing that he knows best. A thrilling ride with proper twists and turns that is assembled as only a true master could. Scorsese returns to the genre that made him famous and shows no one can do it better. Loaded cast delivering a great script to you. Be grateful. Enjoy this ride again and again. The film also has an amazing use of music, showing why in addition to theme and style, others such as Tarantino and Mann have also learned from Scorsese's deft use of "modern" music. Anyways, a fabulous tale of the lengths the good will go to take down evil.

4)The Fountain



A film I did not have the pleasure of seeing upon release... something I regret massively. I want to see this on the big screen so bad. This film is beautiful. Just, tear inducing. The visuals are astounding. The message and emotion present... heart breaking. The Clint Mansell score can make me tear up all on its own. Maybe my favorite score of the decade. Crushing. This film I had skimmed some reviews of before release. After viewing the film, most of the reviews were dead wrong on everything. Absolutely off point. The film is incredibly small in scope, there are some large visuals and themes present, but it is a very intimate story. The best kind of storytelling. It never holds your hand and deals with things that everyone secretly fears and thinks about. A piece of art so raw and honest in its emotional delivery it can be hard to watch without want to look away.


3) No Country for Old Men



An absolute mind blowing film. Richly layered with great themes that really seem like universal truths. I feel like this film is oft misinterpreted, even by those that really like it. One of the most thrilling films I have seen and one that comes by everything very honestly. Almost no score is present throughout its entire duration, so you know the tension is truly present and earned. The Coens are masters of so many genres and this film is their crowning jewel. Weirdly, all Coen films feel like the Coens no matter how different they are... great talents.

2)Let the Right One In



A taut and small film that really deals with some universal subject matter in interesting ways. The film centers on a young boy and his encounter with a vampire. The film is fabulous. I really like films that deal with the awkward stage that the lead character is in, and this film delivers. When all you want in the world is a friend, but you don't have a lot of experience in that area... how do you behave. A great coming of age story that shows the power of friendship and loyalty. This film along with Thirst and the upcoming Daybreakers show that there is still a lot of creative material to be mined from vampire lore... despite the vampire's current vogue status and apparent creative bankruptcy.

If you have yet to check this film out, please do so... but a HUGE word of warning. There are two subtitled versions running around in the retail sector. If you get it from a rental store, Netflix, or even a retail store... you will probably get the bad one. You have to search for the one that says subtitled (THEATRICAL) on the back to get the good one. The correct version came out later... so look for the theatrical subs.

1) Children of Men



Yup. This is my favorite of the last 10 years. A movie that has some amazing contrast and visuals. A movie set in the near future that deals with a world where child birth is impossible. This film absolutely hammered me. A simple premise anchored by an incredibly weighty performance from Clive Owen and rounded out with great performances from all. This movie is about hope most of all... including the lack of it. Some see it as bleak, but I see it as incredibly bright and the length humanity will go to preserve hope. The music in this film is amazing... another score I listen to regularly. The direction for this one is out of this world. If you have an appreciation for film making, you will have your jaw on the floor.

This film is also part of a seeming sci-fi resurgence. But it leads the pack there and amongst most others. It is a true example of what cinema should strive to be.... tight, emotional, gripping, ambitious, beautiful, real, intimate, intelligent and large in meaning.