# The Onion's best films of the decade **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931 "2009-12-04T01:40:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/1 "2009-12-04T01:40:17Z")
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](http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-films-of-the-00s,35931/1/). 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 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/2 "2009-12-04T01:49:39Z")
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.” ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/3 "2009-12-04T03:28:06Z")
I didn’t see _Downfall_ or _The Lives of Others_ on that list… ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/4 "2009-12-04T04:03:07Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/5 "2009-12-04T04:08:47Z")
They picked The Two Towers as the best of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Seriously, wtf. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/6 "2009-12-04T05:13:00Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/7 "2009-12-04T05:26:46Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/8 "2009-12-04T06:20:07Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Run-of-the-mill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9de053/32.png) [@Run-of-the-mill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Run-of-the-mill)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/9 "2009-12-04T11:59:08Z")
1. Waking Life …FAIL There are two films that I despise: 1. Richard Linklater’s Waking Life. 2. David Lynch’s Inland Empire. I appreciate that people’s appreciation of art varies, but these films are the Emperor’s new clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/10 "2009-12-04T14:15:40Z")
Here, for comparison purposes, is [Paste’s Top 50 list](http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/11/50-best-movies-of-the-decade-2000-2009.html). ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/11 "2009-12-04T14:26:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/12 "2009-12-04T14:48:17Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/13 "2009-12-04T15:18:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/14 "2009-12-04T15:31:44Z")
> [@Run-of-the-mill](#): > > 1. Waking Life …FAIL 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.” ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/15 "2009-12-04T15:39:20Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/16 "2009-12-04T15:48:13Z")
Any such list which doesn’t contain **“Let the Right One In”** cannot be taken seriously. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/17 "2009-12-04T15:50:29Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > 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 🙂 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/](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. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/18 "2009-12-04T16:05:35Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/19 "2009-12-04T16:38:29Z")
> [@Talon\_Karrde](#): > > The AV Club did similar lists for music, television and books that are also interesting. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931/20 "2009-12-04T16:47:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Here, for comparison purposes, is [Paste’s Top 50 list](http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/11/50-best-movies-of-the-decade-2000-2009.html). 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](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=542486), from which we can compile our “Best 100” or “Best 50” lists. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onions-best-films-of-the-decade/519931.md?page=2)