Films/DVD Asylum

My Top 20 of the Naughties

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This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: List your top ten movies of the noughties posted by Doug Flynn on December 09, 2009 at 22:57:41

I do understand why anyone thinks this has been a bad decade for the flickers...au contraire.
The following 23 films represent my favorite films of the past decade, not necessarily the films I think are the "best" - there are movies in the honorable mentions that are superior to some of the twenty. I just enjoyed these the most, possibly flaws and all. And since I need a couple repeat viewings and a little time for reflection, I've included no releases from 2009 - which is a pretty darned good year in its own right IMO.
Alas, our small independent arthouse that showed mostly foreign, docs and tiny independent movies went belly up a couple years ago, so I've still not seen some films (like Il Divo) that might have made the list. Unless it played at the local Landmark, or I got to see it while traveling, I missed a bunch of foreign films and haven't yet caught up. Some, Like The Assasination Of Jesse James etc I just plain missed due to work load...but I will catch that one on DVD.
I also can't help noticing how many films I included from 2006 - as mentioned below...what a year! There' a clutch of good ones from 2001 as well. I can't believe some of these films were made 10 years ago. There were some surprises - I thought O Brother Where Art Thou would be the Coen's entry in the top group, but when it came right down to it, No Country For Old Men is just too overwhelmingly good to deny the top slot.
Alphabetical order:
1. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
2. After The Wedding (2006)
3. Amores Perros (2000)
4. Children of Men (2006
5. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
6. The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)
7. Gosford Park (2001)
8. The Incredibles (2004)
9. Inside Man (2006)
10. High Fidelity (2000)
11. Let The Right One In 2008)
12. The Lives Of Others (2006)
13. Master & Commander, Far Side Of The World (2003)
14. Moolaade (2004)
15. Mulholland Drive (2001)
16. No Country For Old Men (2007)
17. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
18. The Piano Teacher (2001)
19. The Return (2006)
20. Secretary (2002)
21. Spirited Away (2001)
22. Talk To Her (2002)

I must also mention three documentaries that stood out for me in this golden era of docs: the devastating War Photogrpaher (2001), the thoughtful The Fog Of War (2003) and Spike Lee's massive masterwork When The Levee's Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts (2006)
The following are other notable films of the decade that grabbed me:
* 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days ((2007)
* The Aviator (2004) [I like it more than The Departed - a better film I cannot love.]
* Best In Show (2000)
* Bloody Sunday (2002)
* Brokeback Mountain (2005)
* Cache (2005)
* Catch Me If You Can (2002)
* Chicken Run (2000) [Gotta get Nic Park in here, and I like this better than Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.)
* Code 46 (2003)
* The Constant Gardner (2005)
* Dancer In the Dark (2000)
* Death At A Funeral (2007) [FUNNY!!]
* Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
* The Diving Bell & The Butterfly (2007)
* A History Of Violence ((2005)
* Hot Fuzz (2007)
* Infernal Affairs (2002)
* In My Father's Den (2004)
* Kitchen Stories ((2003)
* Last Orders (2001)
* Lilja 4-ever (2004)
* LOTR: Fellowship of The Ring (2002) [I love it, flaws 'n all so sue me.)
* Memento (2000)
* O' Brother Where Art Thou (2000)
* Once (2006)
* Pride & Prejudice (2005)[Gorgeous! It's like a dance...or a caprise on piano.]
* Requiem For A Dream (2000)
* The Road To Perdition (2002) [I like this SO much more than American Beauty.]
* Sexy Beast (2000) [Ghandi as a bad guy - ooooh!]
* Stardust (2007) [Princess Bride fans the wait is over.]
* This Is England (2006)
* Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story
* Vera Drake (2004)
* The Wonder Boys (2000)
* The Wrestler (2008)
* Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
* Yi Yi (2000)
* You Can Count On Me (2000) [Criminally underseen.]
* Zodiac (2005) (Underrated too.)
I think every Pixar release in the last decade has been notable, although Cars thrills me the least, but every one is a gem: Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Ratatouille. There's been nothing like this string of quality films since The Archers.

Edits: 12/10/09 12/10/09 12/10/09

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