# What are your top films of this decade? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556 "2009-10-04T16:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/21 "2009-10-05T09:12:28Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I don’t know, compared to the list you could come up with for the '60s, '70s, or '80s this seems like an extraordinarily weak decade for movies, even though a lot of these nominees are interesting, above-average films. But if the likes of _Gladiator_ (which was better in 1964 when it was called _Fall of the Roman Empire_), or _The Squid and the Whale_, or _Apocalypto_ are among the best… > > _City of God_; _Amores Perros_… those I can see. Maybe something like _Memento_ or _Irreversible_ - the ones that stretch the grammar of film… but I have a hard time accepting a lot of these others as the best of any decade. Hate to be a curmudgeon but I bet some others feel the same. I’ve got to agree, many of the films listed in this thread are not only not outstanding but they’re not even average pot boilers. Could it be that in a decade of genuinlly innovative excellence the viewing public become more demanding with the result that directors and producers have to try so much harder? The reverse of the coin of course is that uncomplaining media fodder get films just good enough to drag them away from the T.V. And for those who’ve only achieved the age of movie attending as adults this decade its a case of what you’ve never had you never miss. The O.P. says that they couldn’t think of any films better then D.K.,this wasn’t because it was such an incredible movie(Dont get me wrong it was good but not great) but because this decade there has been a woefully low number of anything much better. Being the best of the average doesn’t make you great,just T.B.O.T.A. Will people in years to come look back on these previous ten years and say “Yep there were some great movies made then?” I suspect that with a few noticeable exceptions they wont even remember a lot of the movies named in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/22 "2009-10-05T15:50:58Z")
I liked the Dark Knight, but outside of the Joker I really didn’t think it was all that amazing. With comic book films alone there are already 2 movies that I liked better. Top 10 for now (unsorted): Sin City Watchmen Spirited Away O Brother Where Art Thou In Bruges Secretary A History Of Violence American Splendor No Country For Old Men Grindhouse ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/23 "2009-10-05T15:53:37Z")
> [@Shig](#): > > Oh damn! Completely forgot “There Will Be Blood.” Wish I could 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/24 "2009-10-05T15:58:53Z")
As for whether this is a weak decade, I will say that I would have had a much harder time winnowing down to a top ten for the 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/25 "2009-10-05T18:29:13Z")
Not as many as I would have thought after nine years: \*The Incredibles Memento Pride and Prejudice Iron Man The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Amelie Gladiator Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World \* ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/26 "2009-10-05T19:04:30Z")
~10 best; 2000-present. Most of my choices depend on the movie showing me something new. Not the same old same old. Either a new concept, or a novel approach to something. Top 5: **Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon** – epic, totally engrossing story that opened up a whole new world to me \*\*A Tale of Two Sisters \*\*-- fantastic gothic/psychological horror that works on many levels **Mullholland Dr**. – fascinating combination of the mystery/thriller and the surreal \*\*Sin City \*\*-- innovative and visually stunning **Kill Bill** – Tarantino giving it all he’s got, pulling out all the stops. Thanks, Quentin. Almost top 5: \*\*Spirited Away \*\*-- it was my second viewing (in Japanese dialog rather than English; not sure how much that had to do with my greater appreciation) where I realized just how magical this film is. \*\*The Classic \*\*-- Korean romantic drama done about as perfectly as possible \*\*Infernal Affairs \*\*-- undercover cop and triad mole; the cat-and-mouse game is better here than in the U.S. remake \*\*Battle Royale \*\*-- I had never seen anything like that before. \*\*Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind \*\*-- asks a very thought-provoking question and then shows the ramifications in a very clever way [tie] **Hero** and **House of Flying Daggers** – Stunning visuals, cinematography, and use of color. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/27 "2009-10-05T19:32:26Z")
Here are some of my favorites, off the top of my head, in no special order. I bet that i’ll be smacking my forehead later for forgetting some movie that i loved. City of God/City of Men Children of Men The Lives of Others Pan’s Labyrinth The Proposition No Country for Old Men O Brother, Where Art Thou? This is England Downfall X2: X-Men United Winged Migration Casino Royale Looking at other people’s lists reminds me that there are a few movies that i have been meaning to see for ages, but have just never gotten around to putting on the Netflix list. Particularly: Amores Perros Requiem for a Dream ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/28 "2009-10-05T20:42:10Z")
Chocolat Beautiful Mind Crash LotR:FotR Other than that, not much has been of excellent quality this decade. Of course, they had some Star Wars movies, didn’t they? \ ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556/29 "2009-10-05T20:44:08Z")
It was kind of a weak decade for movies, especially when you compare it to the '90s. Hell I think 1999 alone had as many great movies (Magnolia, American Beauty, Being John Malkovich, The Matrix, etc.) as the 2000s. But if I had to make a list of the top films of the past decade it would be as follows: The Departed United 93 Y Tu Mama Tambien The Dark Knight Amores Perros City of God Inglorious Basterds Wall-E Spider-Man 2 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-films-of-this-decade/512556.md?page=1)