Best Films of the 2000's

Day 1: Best Films of the 2000's

This is the list that I've been building up to this whole time. It's an expansive list and because of that, it's also a very fluid list. Outside of the Top 50, movies could move up and down this list pretty easily given my mood at any moment, so keep that in mind. If you've been following my lists, then much of it won't come as a surprise to you. Feel free to comment and I hope that you enjoy!

100-91

100. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
99. Gosford Park (2001)
98. Fearless: Director's Cut (2006)
97. In the Bedroom (2001)
96. The Fountain (2006)
95. Children of Men (2006)
94. Almost Famous (2001)
93. Red Cliff Parts 1 & 2 (2009)
92. King Kong (2005)
91. Hustle & Flow (2005)

90-81

90. Capturing the Friedman's (2003)
89. Chicken Run (2000)
88. Friday Night Lights (2004)
87. Billy Elliot (2000)
86. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
85. Thirteen Days (2000)
84. Chicago (2002)
83. The Incredibles (2004)
82. Encounters at the Edge of the World (2008)
81. Sexy Beast (2001)

80-71

80. The Protector (2006)
79. Matchstick Men (2003)
78. Bad Santa (2003)
77. Grizzly Man (2005)
76. Coraline (2009)
75. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
74. Snatch (2000)
73. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
72. Role Models (2008)
71. The Royal Tenenbaums (2002)

70-61

70. A Mighty Wind (2003)
69. The Proposition (2006)
68. Traitor (2008)
67. Shanghai Knights (2003)
66. Hero (2004)
65. Ip Man (2009)
64. X2: United (2003)
63. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (2003,2004)
62. Spellbound (2003)
61. The Matrix Relaoded (2003)

60-51

60. In Bruges (2008)
59. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
58. Infernal Affairs (2004)
57. Shaolin Soccer (2001)
56. The Squid and the Whale (2005)
55. Wedding Crashers (2005)
54. The Life Aquatic (2004)
53. The Class (2008)
52. Doubt (2008)
51. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

50-41

50. Black Hawk Down (2001)
49. Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith (2005)
48. Shrek (2001)
47. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
46. The Lives of Others (2007)
45. Pieces of April (2003)
44. Speed Racer (2008)
43. Stevie (2003)
42. Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
41. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

40-31

40. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
39. Zodiac (2007)
38. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2002)
37. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
36. City of God (2003)
35. The Descent (2006)
34. The Bourne Identity (2002)
33. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
32. Crash (2005)
31. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

30-21

30. Minority Report (2002)
29. In America (2003)
28. The Road to Perdition (2002)
27. Meet the Parents (2000)
26. American Gangster (2007)
25. The Prestige (2006)
24. Sideways (2004)
23. Finding Neverland (2004)
22. Casino Royale (2006)
21. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

20-11

20. No Country For Old Men (2007)
19. Gladiator (2000)
18. Before Sunset (2004)
17. Shrek 2 (2004)
16. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
15. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
14. Unbreakable (2000)
13. Cast Away (2000)
12. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
11. Finding Nemo (2003)

10-1

10. Adaptation (2002)

9. The Dark Knight (2008)

8. Mystic River (2003)

7. Lost in Translation (2003)

6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

4. The Passion of the Christ (2004)

3. United 93 (2006)

2. Munich (2005)

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Best Performances of the 2000's

Day 2: The Best Performances of the 2000's

Outside if the Top 100 Action Sequences, this has been the hardest list for me to make. In order to keep it to a manageable level, I've limited myself to ten performances in each category. They have been assembled into chronological order. For those who expect this to be a Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman fest, you might be a little surprised by the list. Did I miss any major performances? Feel free to comment.

Best Supporting Actresses of the 2000's

Kate Hudson Almost Famous (2000)
Jennifer Connelly A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Meryl Streep Adaptation (2002)
Shohreh Aghdashloo House of Sand and Fog (2003)
Patricia Clarkson Pieces of April (2003)
Catherine O'Hara A Mighty Wind (2003)
Renee Zelweger Cold Mountain (2003)
Cate Blanchett The Aviator (2004)
Virginia Madsen Sideways (2004)
Amy Ryan Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Best Supporting Actors of the 2000's

Ben Kingsley Sexy Beast (2001)
Chris Cooper Adaptation (2002)
Paul Newman Road to Perdition (2002)
Andy Serkis The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Sean Astin The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Tim Robbins Mystic River (2003)
Thomas Haden Church Sideways (2004)
Vince Vaughn Wedding Crashers (2005)
Tommy Lee Jones No Country for Old Men (2007)
Heath Ledger The Dark Knight (2008)

Best Actresses of the 2000's

Ellen Burstyn Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Sissy Spacek In the Bedroom (2001)
Naomi Watts Mulholland Drive (2001)
Jennifer Connelly House of Sand and Fog (2003)
Samantha Morton In America (2003)
Charlize Theron Monster (2003)
Julie Deply Before Sunset (2004)
Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Helen Mirren The Queen (2006)
Meryl Streep Doubt (2008)

Best Actors of the 2000's

Tom Hanks Cast Away (2000)
Russell Crowe A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Tom Wilkinson In the Bedroom (2001)
Nicholas Cage Adapation (2002)
Daniel Day Lewis Gangs of New York (2002)
Bill Murray Lost in Translation (2003)
Sean Penn Mystic River (2003)
Paul Giamatti Sideways (2004)
Eric Bana Munich (2005)
Daniel Day Lewis There Will Be Blood (2007)

Best Ensemble Casts of the 2000's

The Lord of the Rings Cast (2001, 2002, 2003)
Adaptation (2002)
In America (2003)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Mystic River (2003)
Before Sunset (2004)
Sideways (2004)
Crash (2005)
Munich (2005)
The Departed (2006)
Doubt (2008)

Best Horror Films of the 2000's

Day 3: Best Horror Films of the 2000's

It might seem odd to post a list of best horror films, but I do enjoy the best entries into this genre and I try to watch a couple every year hoping for the best. Unfortunately, this genre gets more than its fair share of stinkers, so I end up sitting through quite a few terrible films. It's worth though in the end when you find that film or two that really nails the potential of what the horror genre has to offer. Anyways, here are what I found to best 10 horror films of the 2000's.

10-1

10. Saw II (2005)

9. Silent Hill (2006)

8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

7. 28 Weeks Later (2007)

6. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

5. The Others (2001)

4. Signs (2002)

3. Saw (2004)

2. The Host (2007)

1. The Descent (2006)

It was an unlikely event that I even saw the film, but for it to climb its way into this list in front of other horror films like Psycho and Scream is a surprise for me. The Descent looks like a typical horror gore fest on the surface, but to me it’s one of the best cautionary tales about forgiveness, the effects of tragic deaths, and moving on that I’ve ever seen.

A year after the tragic death of her husband and child, Beth heads out to the Appalachian Mountains to spend some time and return to normal with her fellow daredevil girlfriends. They decide to spend their time spelunking in some of the Appalachian caves when one of the caves collapses and traps them underneath.

It’s true that there are scary creatures that kill their team off one by one (providing the standard genre fare), but it is done so well that there is some truly great moments of shock and gore. There are some perfect homages to other horror films as well, ranging from Apocalypse Now to The Blair Witch Project. This film gets the scares right, the logic of the scares, and it even gets the fighting back right.

Even better though is the social dynamic between all the women. Each woman is given a personality that adds something essential to the group dynamic creating a group of people as interesting as the jurors in 12 Angry Men. I appreciate that Neil Marshall is able to tell the personality and psychology of each of the women through the action and not through long takes of dialogue. It really is a superbly directed film.

I wouldn’t want to spoil the details of how the whole group unravels (that’s one of the true pleasures of the film), so I’ll just share with you my favorite aspect of the story. Beth’s inability to move pass the death of her child as well as forgive her friends (for reasons I won’t spoil here) are vital in how the story progresses. If you watch the film, I suggest you watch the unrated cut as it contains the original ending and not the American ending (its s British film).

This original ending is a powerful confirmation that unforgiveness and vengeance are caves of darkness with their own demons. The ending moments are just plain devastating for me. Its not an ending that satisfies genre convention, but it's one that truly transcends the genre. For those not into horror films, especially ones with gore, this may not be a film for you. However, if your just a little bit adventurous and willing to take a risk, I heartily recommend this film to you. This is my favorite pure horror film and the only one that I wouldn't want to live without.

Best Dramas of the 2000's

Day 4: The Best Dramas of the 2000's

Continuing my best of the 2000's list comes this one featuring the best dramas of the decade. I've decided to make it a Top 25 list to minimize the duplication possibly find in the final Top 100 of the decade list. Feel free to leave comments.

25-21

25. The Squid and the Whale (2005)
24. The Class (2008)
23. Doubt (2008)
22. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
21. The Lives of Others (2007)

20-16

20. Pieces of April (2003)
19. Zodiac (2007)
18. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
17. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2002)
16. City of God (2003)

15-11

15. Crash (2005)
14. In America (2003)
13. Road to Perdition (2002)
12. American Gangster (2007)
11. The Prestige (2006)

10-1

10. Finding Neverland (2004)

9. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

8. No Country for Old Men (2007)

7. Before Sunset (2004)

6. Unbreakable (2000)

5. Cast Away (2000)

4. Mystic River (2003)

3. The Passion of the Christ (2004)

2. United 93 (2006)

1. Munich (2005)
No film challenges me more than this one. The structure, plot, and arguments all play with and on my viewpoints as I watch this film. Richly layered with several intersecting themes and ideas, Munich also plays as a first rate thriller as well. Although it scored an Oscar nomination, I think this is one of Spielberg's masterpieces that has been overlooked. It cleverly plays on themes and ideas in his other masterpiece Schindler's List. While I think that Schindler is a better film, it's also an easier one. Munich challenges and interacts with Schindler, but it's also a harder film to enjoy and to walk away from. Simply the best drama of the 2000s.