You know, I just realized earlier this evening: the oughts (or whatever) are over 90% done. Therefore, even though some really great movies will undoubtably be released this year, what films released since 1-1-2000 will demand careful consideration for your “10 best of the decade” list(s)?
I’ve been much less of a moviegoer in this decade than in the 1990s. But the romantic in me insists on including The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Overall, it hasn’t been the worst decade for film - not like the 1980s, which, to me, look worse with each passing day. (Not every movie, but most of them. Yuck.)
(For reminders as to what played, you can’t do worse than going to Box Office Mojo and look at their top-150 movies for each year. IMDB has the same lists, separated by year, but theirs is so comprehensive as to be near useless for casual reviewing).
Here are some of the films I would have to consider…
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the life of Robert MacNamara (The best example from possibly the finest decade for documentaries in possibly ever).
The Lord of the Rings (All three movies, though the link only takes you to FOTR)
Kill Bill (In a decade dominated by comic book movies, Tarantino made the best, by far, of all).
Moulin Rouge!
The Incredibles
The War of the Worlds (The favorite film to watch with my daughter, who absolutely adores it (that, and LOTR, which resulted in Sophie’s first verbal burst of passion, once emphatically murmuring to the TV (during the scene where he kills that elephant thing) “Legolas, I love you!” Daddy then christened him Legolove, a name that has since stuck in the Mr and Mrs T household).
Anyway, once, when taking her to kindergarten, I asked her if she could say a favorite line from a movie…
“Sophie, do you know any movie quotes?”
“What’s a ‘movie quote’, Daddy?”
"You know, things that people say in the movies. Like if I asked you for a SpongeBob quote and you said ‘Iiimmaaaggginnaaatttiiiioooonnnn.’ " (Those of you Wise in the Ways of SpongeBob recognize that line). “Do you have a favorite movie quote?”
“Oh!” thinks
“… No, Robby! Not like Europe!”
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Brokeback Mountain
In the Bedroom (One of those movies where nobody ends up better in the end. I love those films).
Million Dollar Baby. (Come to think about it, the above three films are all in which nobody ended up better in the end (same thing with Moulin Rouge!, above. Like I said: I like depressing in an ending).
United 93
Iron Man. (You know, this held up better on second viewing than did The Dark Knight, which is why it gets some possible consideration. I’ve never really cared for how comic book films dominated the decades box-office and publicity, but you throw enough shit and something is bound to stick).
No Country for Old Men
Grindhouse
Both Batmans.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban
Broken Flowers
The Dark Knight
The Departed
Gangs of New York
Kingdom of Heaven
Amelie
The Aristocrats
Big Fish
Clerks II
The Departed
Gone Baby Gone
Hustle & Flow
Juno
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Kung Fu Hustle
Lilo & Stitch
The Lookout
Love Actually
The Matador
Memento
Monsters, Inc.
No Country for Old Men
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Shaun of the Dead
Sideways
Snatch
There Will Be Blood
Waitress
The Incredibles - Pixar’s crowning achievement. And that’s saying a lot. Pure action-packed fun, and with a cute and believable family too.
Borat - Yeah, this one will never be agreed on. But I think this is a masterpiece in exposing people’s underlying preconceptions and sillyness
Adaptation / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - One of these Kaufman films deserve a spot. I would let it go to Adaptation, but I find the ending boring. If only he actually had a twin brother who could write action better.
No Country For Old Men was one of the better movies I’ve seen in a long, long time.
I’d echo your choice of The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the life of Robert MacNamara too. Extremely well done.
Beyond that, I’m way behind on what are I’m sure many worthy candidates.
Pan’s Labyrinth would top my list for sure. Perfectly crafted.
They’re hardly deep, but this decade saw a real renaissance, so to speak, in superhero movies. Up until Spider-Man, the studios had been half-assing these movies, with crappy directors and crappy plots. When they saw that movie-goers responded well to well-made superhero movies, they started to turn things around. Marvel especially has done a fantastic job in this respect. Iron Man, as one example, is just a great movie all around, not just a good superhero movie.
Now we just need to drag Uwe Boll away from the game movies and get some decent people to do those…
Limited by movies I have seen (and I am sure I am missing a few)
by years:
2000 (? as to whether this counts…)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Chocolat
Amores perros
2001
Y tu mamá también
Shaolin Soccer
2002
The Pianist
Frida
Cidade de Deus
2003
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Big Fish
Koi… Mil Gaya
2004
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Hotel Rwanda
Ray
2005
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Pride and Prejudice
Hustle & Flow
2006
Snakes on a Plane
2007
No Country for Old Men
Grindhouse
Hot Fuzz
2008
I haven’t seen enough of them yet
The Royal Tenenbaums
City of God
Spirited Away
Honorable Mentions (these aren’t so much great films but deserve recognition for other reasons):
An Inconvenient Truth
Hotel Rwanda
One I’d like to see up there, but nobody else is likely to have:
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
My rough top ten for this decade in no particular order:
Master and Commander
The Lives of Others
Spirited Away
The Incredibles
Memento
The Queen
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Gosford Park
Lord of the Rings
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Seeing Wallace and Gromit listed made me remember a film that I consider to be the best non-Pixar animated film done this decade: the sadly underviewed and underappreciated Hoodwinked.
I adore Hoodwinked, but I don’t know that I’d call it one of the best films of the decade. Definitely in the top 25, though.
These aren’t the definitive lists, just films that we, personally, would have to consider when making said “top-10 of the decade” lists. Hoodwinked probably won’t make the list, but I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand, like I would, say, Gigli.
Many good choices in this thread, but I came in here specifically to make sure someone mentioned this movie (since it’s foreign, a lot of folks could have forgotten it).
I’ll echo the other comments: this has been a pretty lousy decade for movies. It seems to me like we go in 20 years cycles: the 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, and 1990s were probably the best decades for movies, while the 1940s, 1960s, 1980s, and this decade have been noticeably weaker.
Exceptions to every rule, of course, but there does seem to be a generational pattern. . .
Speaking of non-Pixar animated films, some that come to mind are Triplets of Belleville, Millenium Actress and Persepolis. And Spirited Away of course. I haven’t seen it yet but Miyazaki’s latest: Ponyo on the Cliff sounds terrific as well.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Lord of the Rings
Kill Bill
Talladega Nights: Ballad of Ricky Bobby (I have not laughed harder during a movie this decade than this one)
Love Actually
and…
Speed Racer (not without its flaws, but dang if that movie isn’t as much fun to watch the 5th time as the 1st)
Hmm, I’m not a racing fan but I have 2 racing influenced movies up there. Also I apparently rate movies on how likely I am to rewatch them.