I love top X lists from any source, but this is an unusually good one, with a wide variety of films listed and interesting and well thought out descriptions of each one: The Onion’s top 50 films of the 00’s.
Pretty much every one of my favorite movies from the decade is there, and their choice for #1 (I won’t mention it in case anyone is reading the list and doesn’t want the surprise spoiled) is mine as well, which means it’s clearly 100% the right answer 
Yeah, I read this today when I was supposed to be working.
:rolleyes:
It’s a pretty good list. I probably wouldn’t have given their #1 #1, but it is a great movie so I’m fine with that.
I would have put The Dark Knight a bit higher. Dropped Waking Life and A.I. Moved Kill Bill way down (maybe off the list entirely. I enjoyed it, but don’t think it was necessarily as high as they rated it.)
Pretty much everything else though - I mostly nodded and said, “yep, great movie.”
I didn’t see Downfall or The Lives of Others on that list…
I don’t venture into the AV Club often, so thanks much for posting this.
There were several films I thought weren’t ranked high enough, a few that I would have left of the list altogether, and a couple that actually made me think the writers had lost their minds, but overall a good take on the decade’s offerings.
They picked The Two Towers as the best of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Seriously, wtf.
That was a weird choice to me, too. I thought almost everyone on earth agreed “The Fellowship of the Ring” was way, way, WAY better than the other two installments.
It’s a really interesting and well written list, though.
I’m waiting to read the entire list, but I checked the #1 and was a little surprised. I wouldn’t choose that, but I don’t vehemently disagree.
I’m glad No Country for Old Men is on the list and is as high as it is, but I’d probably put it as my #1. I think it should at least be above There Will Be Blood.
The AV Club did similar lists for music, television and books that are also interesting.
Eternal Spitshine of the Sunless Mind is number one? And FOTR doesn’t make the cut? I’ve just lost all respect for the Onion’s AV.
There are two films that I despise:
I appreciate that people’s appreciation of art varies, but these films are the Emperor’s new clothes.
I don’t have any major bones to pick with the Onion’s list, although when writing about their # 1 pick, they fail to mention the best acting performance in the movie, which was by Kirsten Dunst, not Carrey or Winslet.
Not so sure about The New World, that’s for certain. And I was surprised at how many times I was all, “That came out in 2000? I thought it was earlier!” American Psycho, I coulda sworn that was made in the 90s.
Bizarre thing about the list is that there are no 2009 films in it, so it’s a bit incomplete.
Or maybe movies this year really sucked.
Seconded, big-time. One of the most boring movies I’ve ever seen. It’s barely even a movie, it’s a series of unconnected monologues by dimwits about what reality is. A real philosopher could do it a thousand times better. They call it a “hypnotic cinematic dream state”, I say that’s just using fancy words to call it a “snooze.”
Damn. I’ll have to wait until I get home to read this one. Something on that page is crashing my browser everytime. Everything else at AV club is fine. Must be something in the comments.
Any such list which doesn’t contain “Let the Right One In” cannot be taken seriously.
I guess I need to rewatch the #1, because I remember enjoying it and being fascinated, but not regarding it as a “great movie.” Perhaps my perspective will have changed.
I thought the list of “Best Bad Movies” was more interesting: http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-bad-movies-of-the-00s,35881/2/ I don’t know if I should be proud or ashamed that I haven’t seen a single one.
Since the '70’s, no “Best Films of the Decade” list is complete without at least one entry by Woody Allen – “Match Point” and “Vicki Cristina Barcelona” are the top contenders this time around, although I also thought “Scoop” was brilliant. Also, Zhang Yimou’s spectacular “Hero” is conspicuously absent. Otherwise, a really excellent list. I too was surprised by the #1 film, and I wouldn’t have put it there, but both Mrs. Cliffy and I, who have very different taste in film, loved it without reservation. Which is pretty rare – I’m a notoriously tough critic of films, even of films I love.
–Cliffy
I don’t have a television, and typically I don’t read popular fiction at all, so I skipped those, but I will say that the “best of music” list sucked ass.
I like that list better than The Onion’s, though both have glaring omissions.
By the way, please help me create a master list of the best films of the 00s, from which we can compile our “Best 100” or “Best 50” lists.