My 39 Favorite Movies of This Decade

Recently Valarie and I were watching a movie and got talking about how the decade is about 65% over, and thus wondering what were either the most well-regarded or our personally favorite movies of the 2000s are. We wound up focusing largely on the latter.

For example, I suppose for a lot of people, both critics and the public, the Lord of the Rings trilogy will be high on the list. But not mine. Then there's something ludicrous like Crash winning Best Picture at the Oscars. In many cases, I prefer smaller pictures like Beau Travail, my #1. But then again, the last installment of the Star Wars trilogy also made the list; although I usually destest multiplexes and popcorn movies, I'm not immune from their temptations either.

With any list of movie favorites, they tend to change all the time. A few days ago I ranked my top 15 movies from 2000 to present (10 was too hard), and for the most part I'm sticking to it so far. It's weighed fairly heavily towards the early part of the decade, because I was reviewing movies from 1998-2005 and have deliberately cut the number of films I actually watch. Then again, those kinds of factors are built into everybody's personal list. So, here goes...

1. Beau Travail (Claire Denis, 2000)
2. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
3. Lost In Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
4. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
5. What Time Is It There? (Tsai Ming-Liang, 2002)
6. In the Mood For Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2001)
7. Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2001)
8. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005)
9. Old Boy (Chan-Wook Park, 2003)
10. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, 2005)

11. 24 Hour Party People (Michael Winterbottom, 2002)
12. Rivers and Tides (Thomas Riedelsheimer, 2003)
13. Last Days (Gus Van Sant, 2005)
14. I’m Going Home (Manoel del Oliveira, 2001)
15. Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, 2006)

Honorable Mention: Croupier, The Emperor and the Assassin, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, The Filth and the Fury, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Life Aquatic, Collateral, Waking Life, Donnie Darko, Before Sunset, Ghost World, Wallace & Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Casino Royale, Under the Sand, The Man Without A Past, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, The Triplets of Belleville, The Virgin Suicides, Gerry, 28 Days Later, City of God, Winged Migration, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Barbarian Invasions, I'm Not Scared

Comments

[Sara]

My favorites so far (in no particular order, except that The Royal Tenenbaums is the unequivocal No. 1): The Royal Tenenbaums, Brokeback Mountain, Lost in Translation, Walk the Line, Hustle & Flow, Closer, Match Point, Eternal Sunshine, Whale Rider, Adaptation, Catch Me if You Can, Amelie, Ghost World, Erin Brokovich

[toni]

You're the only person I've come across who has seen What Time Is It There. Have you seen Love Letter, directed by Shunji Iwai? I thought it was good too.

[Brian]

I really love WTIIT - obviously, I guess, since it's on my list. I haven't seen Love Letter, but am going to check it out. I really love movies that take their time like that and establish a mood.

If you liked WTIIT, you might also enjoy some of Tsai Ming-Liang's other films. Many of them have the same actors basically portraying the same family. Although I still think WTIIT is my favorite of his.

There's a film of Tsai's called Goodbye Dragon Inn that takes place in one night at a movie theater on its last showing, and I think there must be five words in the whole picture. It got a little bit trying even for me, a big fan. But it definitely cast a spell, too.

[toni]

I just borrowed your #1 and #11 from the library. I can't wait!

[Mike Artherton]

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[Ned]

Here is my list...

Favorite Movies 2000 - 2007

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Old Boy (2005)
The Life Aquatic (2004)
Donnie Darko (2001)
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
The Princess and the Warrior (2000)
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Half Nelson (2006)
City of God (2002)
Spellbound (2002)

Honorable Mention

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
All the Lord of the Rings Movies
Amores Perros (2000)
Waking Life (2001)
Spirited Away (2001)
Stevie (2002)
The Station Agent (2003)
Master and Commander (2003)
Bad Santa (2003)
28 Days Later (2002)
The Incredibles (2004)
The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006)
Brick (2006)
Batman Begins (2005)
Beulah: A Good Band is Easy to Kill (2005)

BTW, I think the release date for Beau Travail was 1999.

[Brian]

The Squid and the Whale and Batman Begins could easily have been honorable mention listings for me. I know Beau Travail was made in 1999 but I'd thought it was released in the US in 2000. It was on my Willamette Week top ten list for that year, so I used that rationale.

[toni]

I watched In the Mood for Love this morning at 8am because it was due back to the library at 10am. The music (especially as she walks) had me mesmerized. Simply amazing cinematography.