The Best of the 2000's

At the end of the year in 2009, I embarked on quest to 'Round-Up' the 2000's in Film. I entitled this quest, the 12 Days of Christmas. With each day came a new listing of the 'Best Of...'. I've gathered all the days and lists below for your convenience and enjoyment.

Day 1: Top 100 Films of the 2000's

Day 2: The Best Performances of the 2000's

Day 3: The Best Horror Films of the 2000's

Day 4: The Best Dramas of the 2000's

Day 5: The Best Action Films of the 2000's

Day 6: Best Animated Films & Family Films of the 2000's

Day 7: Best Foreign Films & Documentaries of the 2000's

Day 8: Guilty Pleasures of the 2000's

Day 9: The Best Dramatic Sequences of the 2000's

Day 10: The Best Action Sequences of the 2000's

Day 11: The Most Underrated of the 2000's

Day 12: The Most Overrated of the 2000's

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.

Best Foreign Films & Documentaries of the 2000's

Day 7: The Best Foreign Films & Documentaries of the 2000's

Top 20 Foreign Films

20-16

20 Volver (2006)
19. In the Mood for Love (2000)
18. Russian Ark (2003)
17. Kung Fu Hustle (2005)
16. Kill Zone (2005)

15-11

15. Downfall (2005)
14. Red Cliff Parts 1 & 2 (2009)
13. The Counterfeiters (2008)
12. Black Book (2006)
11. Ip Man (2009)

10-6

10. Shaolin Soccer (2001)
9. Happy- Go-Lucky (2008)
8. The Host (2006)
7. Infernal Affairs (2004)
6. Hero (2004)

5-2

5. The Class (2008)
4. The Lives of Others (2007)
3. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2002)
2. City of God (2003)

Best Foreign Film of the 2000's
1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Top Ten Documentaries of the 2000's

10-6

10. The Fog of War (2003)
9. Lake of Fire (2007)
8. Touching the Void (2003)
7. King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters (2007)
6. Man on Wire (2008)

5-2

5. Encounters at the Edge of the World (2008)
4. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
3. Grizzly Man (2005)
2. Spellbound (2003)

Best Documentary of the 2000's
1. Stevie (2003)

Best Dramatic Sequences of the 2000's

Day 9: The Best Dramatic Sequences of the 2000's

As best as I could do, this list represents my favorite dramatic scenes of the last decade. Some of the scenes are insightful, others moving, suspenseful or educational, but all of them are true drama. As always, although they are ordered, there is a lot of fluidity on this list. Feel free to comment on any of them, or suggest ones that I may have missed.

50-41

50. "An undercover Mission is discovered by an SS Officer in a Basement and Ends in a Firefight" –Inglorious Basterds (2009)
49. "A Choice not to take his father’s revenge” -Edge of the Spear (2006)
48. "James J. Braddock fights two fights and sees what he is fighting for in flashback" –Cinderella Man (2005)
47. “What is real, how can you tell the waking from the dream” –A Beautiful Mind (2001)
46. “The child is shot off-screen” –Funny Games (2008)
45. "Harry coaxes the truth about Tom Riddle from Professor Slughorn" –Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
44. “Jason explains his role in her parents murder” –The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
43. “Gandalf consults Frodo in the Mines of Moria” - Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
42. “Marlon finds nemo at the bottom of the net” –Finding Nemo (2003)
41. “Philippe makes his walk across the towers” –Man on Wire (2008)

40-31

40. “Staring a killer in the eyes and knowing you found him” –Zodiac (2007)
39. “Mitch and Mickey sing and kiss at the re-union show” –A Mighty Wind (2003)
38. “I’ve abandoned my boy!” –There Will Be Blood (2007)
37. “Finding his Jaguar Shark” –The Life Aquatic (2004)
36. “Stevie and his mom share a moment before he is sent to prison” –Stevie (2003)
35. "Trying to understand the truth: was it rape?" –Tape (2001)
34. “Who Will Carry Him/Coming Home” –Gladiator (2000)
33. “Frankie calms the boy down to be killed” –Alpha Dog (2006)
32. “Theoden encourages his men before their charge into the Pellenor on their last ride” –Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King (2003)
31. “Yan is surprised when Superintendant Wong falls to his death” –Infernal Affairs(2004)

30-21

30. "Billy Defiantly Dances in front of his Father in the Gym" –Billy Elliot (2000)
29. “Please not my son” –House of Sand and Fog (2003)
28. “Soldiers swimming to end the film” -Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
27. “Sam recalls to Frodo why they continue to go on” –The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
26. “Final Confrontation between the Sister and the Father” –Doubt (2008)
25. “A lone penguin walks off to the mountains to certain death” –Encounters at the End of the World (2008)
24. “Remembering the accident after the heist” –The Lookout (2004)
23. “Matt Dillon Pulls Thandie Newton Out of a Burning Car” –Crash (2004)
22. “Peter Pan opens as the children arrive/To die would be an awfully big adventure” Finding Neverland (2004)
21. “Kareoke singing: "More Than This” –Lost in Translation (2003)

20-11

20. “Flying kites in Afghanistan/San Francisco” –The Kite Runner (2007)
19. “Sean asks Jimmy the last time he’s seen Dave Boyle” –Mystic River (2003)
18. “Spending the rent on a Carnival Game” –In America (2003)
17. “Jesse gets out of prison and meets his mother” –Capturing the Friedman’s (2003)
16. "Discovering what he's supposed to do in a train station, doing it, and coming home satisfied" Unbreakable (2000)
15. "The Scourging of Jesus” –The Passion of the Christ (2004)
14. “Teresa rescues Oleg and shoots his captors” -Running Scared (2006)
13. “The Final Stretch into the checkered at the Grand Prix” –Speed Racer (2008)
12. “Pulled from the rubble by everyone” -World Trade Center (2006)
11. “Batman interrogates the Joker leading to Rachel Dawes’ lasts moments, Harvey Dent’s downfall, and the Joker’s freedom” The Dark Knight (2008)

Top Ten Dramatic Sequences

10. “Rachel Readies Kym for the Wedding” –Rachel Getting Married (2008)

9. “The cab ride home leading to a waltz” –Before Sunset (2004)

8. “The Community Spells the Final Word” -Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

7. “Mom makes her visit for thanksgiving” –Pieces of April (2003)

6. “Stevie is given some wisdom by Patricia” –Stevie (2003)

5. “What do you like so much about Pinot?” –Sideways (2004)

4. “Bob whispers something secret and shares a moment with Charlotte” –Lost in Translation (2003)

3. “Sam and Frodo at the end of all things” –Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)

2. “Carrying the Cross - Jesus falls and tells Mary He makes All things New” ­–The Passion of the Christ (2004)

1. “Passengers Call Home/Passengers storm the cockpit” -United 93 (2006)