Top ten movies of the past decade

[Penicks]

From 2000 to 2009, which ones were your favorites? In no particular order:

21 Grams
Lost in Translation
Requiem for a Dream
Snakes on a Plane
About Schmidt
Atonement
Babel
Crash
Cast Away
Match Point

[Inkblades]

Memento
No Country for Old Men
Children of Men
City of God
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Salton Sea
Kill Bill
The Departed
Bad Santa
The 25th Hour

[endoeleven]

Requiem for a Dream
Spun
American Gangster
Running Scared
Kill Bill
Jackass
The Departed
Oceans Eleven
28 Days Later
300

[bright lights, big city]

City of God
Sin City
No Country For Old Men
Dark Knight
Knocked Up
Shaun of the Dead
Kill Bill
Mystic River
Pan's Labyrinth
There Will Be Blood

[Inkblades]

I'll do another ten:

Zodiac
Jarhead
28 Days Later
Inglourious Basterds
The Royal Tenenbaums
Sideways
The Man Who Wasn't There
Mulholland Drive
Punisher: War Zone (Yes, I'm serious.)
Freddy Got Fingered (Again, I am absolutely serious.)

[chick de la lynch]

This took me forever to narrow down to ten.

1.] Mulholland Drive - By far this is Lynch's best film to date. Naomi Watts was definitely robbed of an Oscar with this role -- I thought she was fucking brilliant in this film. I went as far as dressing up as Rita on Halloween when I was 14 (I got a couple of doors slammed in my face because they had no idea who I was). I have watched this film about three dozen times and each time I feel like I am closer to figuring out what this film really means.

2.] Y Tu Mama Tambien - One of the first foreign films I saw. I was amazed by the visuals and the cinematography, and fell in love with Cuaron's way of making you feel like a voyeur. The ending made me think about the film long after the film was over. It's profound.  That, and I saw this when I was 14 and was shocked and pleased with how much sex was actually in it. I actually watched it with a guy I was dating not too long ago and yeah...stuff happened.

3.] Ghost World - I was on the verge of going into high school/struggling through my awkward years when I saw this film. I can't tell you how much I related to Enid and Rebecca. This film was smart, witty, and fucking hilarious. This film could have gone wrong in so many ways making disgruntled youth even more annoying to watch on the big screen. Instead, it was amusing and in a weird way, comforting.

4.] Amélie - Most of the films I watched in my teenage years were depressing, but this one was one of the few that I loved that all around made you feel good. I fell in love with Audrey Tautou after this film. It's really hard to not like this film.

5.] Kill Bill, Vol. 1 - The first Quentin Tarantino film I saw. At the time, I was really freaked out about blood and gore so I was weary about seeing this film. In fact, the first time I watched it I covered my eyes through a good chunk of the film. When the film was released, it was played up as a very gory movie and I was curious. I was blown away by the cinematography, the storyline and the dialogue. Ever since then, I have been in love with Quentin Tarantino.

6.] Irréversible - I can't pinpoint exactly what I like about this film, but it's a favorite of mine. Monica Bellucci was exquisite, and granted, the acting didn't make me think "Oscar worthy", but it wasn't a Lifetime movie way of depicting rape and violence. And what really made this film shocking was the fact that it went backwards. It made the film even more depressing since it went from bad to good.

7.] Children of Men - I re-watched this movie again last night, and forgot how brilliantly made this film was. I can't think of another director than Cuaron who could make this film great. It depresses me though, because Cuaron is one of the most underrated directors. The guy knows how to make a film. Not to mention, I prefer Clive Owen as a hero in such a way where he is reluctant to be a hero, rather than deciding to be a hero. Owen is another person who doesn't get enough credit that he deserves.

8.] Match Point - I lost my Woody Allen virginity to this film, and I think it was a good one to lose it too. It's a bummer that the film released after this wasn't as great, but it's Woody Allen and he's put out his fair share of great films to stumble every now and again. i thought the plot was well put together, and Scarlett Johansson did a great job in this film. This would be the last time we would see a great performance from her, unfortunately. I don't know what the hell happened after this. I guess she got caught up in her sex symbol status. 

9.] Sin City - This was totally Robert Rodriguez's territory, and I thought he managed to make a comic book film into something more interesting. Comic book films tend to go wrong, but this was right in every single way. I could have done without Jessica Alba, Alexis Bleidel and Brittany Murphy (RIP), as they were the lackluster part of the film, but the rest of the cast was interesting and seemed to fit into their parts like a glove.

10.] City of God - One of the most shocking films I have seen. I was captivated from beginning to end, and the fact that they used average, every day people rather than actors worked in this films favor rather than working against it.

[theis]

High five for picking MD, Ghost World and Irréversible.

I really need to see City of God.

[bright lights, big city]

get on that, theis. asap.

[ben]

No order:

The Dark Knight
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Children of Men
Mystic River
Letters from Iwo Jima
Paprika
The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
Babel

[theis]

Mulholland Drive
Inglourious Basterds
The Dark Knight
Into the Wild
The Wrestler
Knocked Up
Zodiac
Session 9
The Rules of Attraction
Shutter Island

[Corleone]

High five for picking MD, Ghost World and Irréversible.

I really need to see City of God.

It's really well done

[one weak]

Not really an order

1. There Will Be Blood - Best movie, maybe of the last couple of decades, I see it rivaling many of the best of all time.
2. No Country For Old Men - No better storytelling. Read the book too.
3. The Royal Tenenbaums - Wes Anderson rules
4. Dead Man - Jim Jarmusch is underrated, and this film - if watched closely - will change your outlook on filmmaking
5.The Fountain - Most underrated film of the decade for sure. So much going on that no one seemed to appreciate
6. In The Bedroom - Exactly how I imagine the worst, most disasterous sadness/madness
7. Talk to Her - Almodovar confronts what no one in the US has the balls to do, and he does it so we get it.
8. Food Inc. - Not one of the best films, but something that should be watched in the US, because we are FUCKING RETARDED
9. Mulholland Dr. - not necessary to say anything
10. Pi - Aranofsky rules

[endoeleven]

Requiem for a Dream
Spun
American Gangster
Running Scared
Kill Bill
Jackass
The Departed
Oceans Eleven
28 Days Later
300

New List

1. Requiem for a Dream 2000
2. Blow 2001
3. Traffic 2001
4. 28 Days Later  2002
5. Sin City 2005
6. Kill Bill 2003
7. American Gangster 2007
8. Black Hawk Down 2001
9. Crank 2006
10. Saw 2004

[bright lights, big city]

10. Pi - Aranofsky rules

so you prefer Pi to Requiem? i liked Pi too, but a lot of people stroke off Requiem as one of the best movies ever (no offense to endoeleven, who coincidentally put that in his top 10).

[one weak]

yeah definitely. I think Requiem is good, but I'm a sucker for really good low budget films....especially those shot on super-contrasty 16mm film. Dammit, just thinking about how great that black and white cinematography is just gives me chills.

[E-Money]

The Dark Knight
Blow
American Gangster
Juno
There Will Be Blood
Pride and Glory
We Own the Night
No Country for Old Men
Zodiac
Miracle

[chick de la lynch]

10. Pi - Aranofsky rules

so you prefer Pi to Requiem? i liked Pi too, but a lot of people stroke off Requiem as one of the best movies ever (no offense to endoeleven, who coincidentally put that in his top 10).

I have to agree. I do prefer Requiem, but Pi still has a lot of charm.

I'm intrigued by the fact that one weak put In the Bedroom on his top ten list. Don't get me wrong, the film was haunting and Sissy Spacek was amazing but I actually felt the film lacked something. I was just curious if you could elaborate more on why it was on your top ten.

[deftjess]

No Country for old Men
Children of Men
28 weeks later
Finding Neverland
Road to Perdition
Spriited Away
Pan's Labyrinth,,,,

thats just from the top of my head

[one weak]

10. Pi - Aranofsky rules

so you prefer Pi to Requiem? i liked Pi too, but a lot of people stroke off Requiem as one of the best movies ever (no offense to endoeleven, who coincidentally put that in his top 10).

I have to agree. I do prefer Requiem, but Pi still has a lot of charm.

I'm intrigued by the fact that one weak put In the Bedroom on his top ten list. Don't get me wrong, the film was haunting and Sissy Spacek was amazing but I actually felt the film lacked something. I was just curious if you could elaborate more on why it was on your top ten.

actually while i thought sissy spacek was great (as usual) it was Tom Wilkinson that made the film for me. i dunno, maybe it;s sort of a subconscious young man/father thing for me in that i was attracted to his guilt and depression. the way he mourns his son is pretty moving, and the reason i think the movie is overlooked is because it falls into this great category of melodramas where a male confronts how to express himself.... ie: james dean in rebel without a cause. aside from all of that, this is one of those films where i just felt like it could happen to anyone and it played out how i picture it might.

i dunno, i took a class on the melodramatic film in college and i've had a soft spot for films like this one ever since.

[chick de la lynch]

Tom Wilkinson was brilliant in the film, and out of the many melodramas I have seen this particular film is probably the more realistic and practical. I did enjoy watching it, but I guess I was expecting more out of the plot than anything. I felt a little empty when I finished the film, and a bit unsatisfied.