Day 47: Top movies of the 2000s: #20 - #1

Sorry for the delay on this, turns out it took much longer than originally anticipated...not that I have a tendency to get wordy or anything...err wait. Anyway, here concludes the top movies of the decade, and this part of the list was incredibly hard. I hope its appreciated, and I hope this also brings up some debate about possibly movies I could have forgotten or purposefully left off.

Alright here we go:

Top 50 Movies of the 2000's #20-1

#20

Wes Anderson's best movie was about a spiritual journey made by three brothers across India in an effort to reconnect with each other and themselves. Its chock full of the typical Anderson cast members, even if just for a cameo, with newcomer (to Wes Anderson flicks) Adrien Brody as one of the leads. The acting, directing, and cinematography are all phenomenal; if nothing else this serves as a faux love letter to the Indian countryside and makes me wonder exactly what Sweet Lime tastes like....ahem. The soundtrack serves to emphasize the action rather than paying homage to the director's favorite artists. You'll get sucked into the walkabout (or Trainabout rather) of Francis, Peter and Jack and my guess is you'll come back to this film again after not too long, I know I did.

#19

Maybe the quintessential comedy of the 2000s, and certainly Ferrell's best comedic performance since his run on Saturday Night Live. However its not one of those comedies held together by a single actor but rather an ensemble cast of funny actors, lines, and performances. This film was one of the few at the beginning of the decade that ushered in the Ensemble Comedy as a paradigm shift compared to the 90's style of comedies--think Ace Ventura and Happy Gilmore, both of those films were carried by a single comedian/character, whereas, the comedies of the 00's have trended towards entire ensembles carrying the comedic onus. This movie contains some of the funnier movie lines in recent memory, and while its slightly tangential at times (not that I would know what that's like...), and its most certainly not a plot driven comedy, its downright hilarious. Ribs...I had ribs for lunch, that's why I'm doing this.

#18

I will admit that I didn't actually see this movie until sometime in 2005 when I rented it just based solely on the cover art. These were the days when I had one of those unlimited rental accounts at Blockbuster and was running out of things to watch, so cover art was certainly an acceptable criteria for selection (in fact I had already rented all of the Star Trek Deep Space 9 DVDs, that's how desperate I was getting for things to watch...don't judge me). After my first watch I didn't fully understand the movie (Hell, I still don't), but I was completely engrossed by the characters, its strange story and it's non-campy homage to the 80's. The secondary characters were just as deep and interesting as the Darko family which is what really carries this movie, that and the f*cked up plot. However, without convincing the audience to really care about these characters it would be impossible for Richard Kelly (Writer/Director) to pull one over on us like he did. This tends to be one of those movies you either love or hate, really no in between, but I'm certainly in the camp of the former and its had me repeating the words "Cellar Door" in my head since my first viewing.

#17

I feel like I might be the lone advocate in the world for the genius of this movie. Most of the reviewers seem to think that it takes itself "far too seriously", but I fail to see how that's a problem. The storytelling of Rian Johnson and his direction of the film is what makes this movie so unique. You get a great sense of the two brothers (Stephen and Bloom) within the first ten minutes. From that point on, regardless of the wildness of their adventures, you're on board. All of the characters are quirky and unique, but they all blend together nicely, never bordering on annoying. This is basically the movie I wanted the Ocean's 11 (and the sequels) to be. It's a fun, very rewatchable, character driven plot with great performances that tell an outstanding heist story (sometimes bordering on fantasy). Though the heist is somehow less feasible than those from the "Ocean's" movies, I'm more inclined to believe it in this movie...maybe its the sincerity in the acting or how you can tell that the actors are actually having fun (rather than the stuffy overblown waste of a cast you'll see in those Ocean's flick...not that I'm bitter or anything).

#16

I'm not sure why this particular memory sticks out, but I can remember driving in North Carolina with my Grandpa and Grandma after having rented the audio tapes of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and insisting that they play the tapes in the car stereo. I can also remember the narrator's dull voice that rarely broke his monotone even during the most exciting of scenes. That same narrator's dull voice is also ingrained into my memory as he recanted the entire history of Middle-Earth (see the first 200 pages of Fellowship) in such a fashion that made the genealogy told in Genesis (see the Bible...) sound exciting. Where is he going with this story? Well this is my round about way of saying that when I heard there were going to be movies made out of these books, I was cautiously optimistic. I couldn't figure out how someone could make the history of Hobbiton sound even remotely exciting no matter how many montages were used to tell the tale...remember I grew up in the 80's, montages were common-place whether it be for learning some karate moves quickly or for training to fight Ivan Drago, montages would get the job done. So all of this is to say that I didn't think that anyone could possibly pull off telling the story that was hidden beneath the oppressing level of detail used by Tolkien (not to say he's a bad author, far from it, but he's verbose...speaking of which...). So after watching this film in the theater (opening night, per usual) I was totally blown away. There were plot nitpicks within the film, but given that Peter Jackson was able successfully navigate through the murky understory of Fellowship and produce a spectacular Sci-Fi/Fantasy film with no campiness is especially impressive. If you haven't seen this movie by now, well then I can't help you.

#15

I have a difficult time writing about this movie because of its unbelievable effect on the viewer. This was another of those Blockbuster rentals on a whim, but this time slightly based on recommendation (from The Onion's A/V Club). Having not heard much of anything about it from other people I was a bit suspect of its potential, never have I been so wrong about a movie. One of the more remarkable things that stands out is the stunning photography in this film, how Master and Commander (while a good movie, especially the Weevil joke) won the Best Cinematography Oscar is beyond me. I have yet to rewatch this movie, but as I write this I realize that its very warranted and will be happening very soon. City of God is one of those movies that will most certainly stick with you and shake you to your core, that is unless you're a soulless flake--in which case stick to the Transformers/Michael Bay variety film, it's more to your liking anyway.

#14

"My name is Daniel Plainview and this is my son H.W. I'm an Oilman..." Already this is one of the most misquoted lines from a movie, rivaling "If you build it they will come/If you build it he will come." Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece spends the first twenty or so minutes of the film with no dialogue, as the audience watches Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) get his "feet wet" in the oil industry. The character of Daniel Plainview is one of the most memorable characters in recent memory, similarly, Daniel Day Lewis' performance as this character is riveting. Had he not won the Oscar for Best Performance by a Lead last year then what little credibility the Oscars still had would have surely been tossed out the window. Given the complex nature of a P.T. Anderson film this, like all the others, requires multiple viewings to fully understand the film's plot (especially with Paul/Eli duality). Though it's been said the movie can get a bit long, which maybe there's some validity to that (but all of PT Anderson's films are this way), good luck getting out of your seat during the last twenty minutes of the film.

#13

Patrick Bateman's psychosis is front and center in this nearly cheesy upstanding slasher flick. If you can't appreciate his love for crappy 80's rock and obsession with business card color tones or his flexing and loving himself in front of the bathroom mirror then this probably isn't for you. The satirical portrayal of the 1980s American Yuppie and elements from the popular "horror" movies from the same time period combined with Genesis and lines like, "You're a fucking ugly bitch, I want to stab you to death and play around with your blood" make this an unforgettable movie. There are so many scenes that come to mind immediately and stand-out upon thinking of this film: The Business Card Scene, The ATM requesting it be fed a stray cat, The Night Club Scene, The Prostitute scene...Let's just say go out and rent this if you haven't seen it and get back to me because its one of the most gruesomely funny movies you'll ever watch. It has a ton of rewatchability for me as well, I think I've seen it probably 8-10 times since buying it a few years back....although I'm not entirely sure what that says about me....

#12

One of the three movies on this list to be released in 2009 was Neill Blomkamp's debut movie (essentially), District 9. I've now seen this movie three total times, but each time I come away with the same reaction: Wow. Its not just a sci-fi movie and its not just a critique of the Afrikaner run government of South Africa during the Apartheid era, its also a realistic look at how the human race might react if First Contact did actually occur. Its more Amistad than Independence Day, but more Star Wars than Roots. It's an action packed "mock-umentary" that follows the hard to like, at first, reporter Wikus van de Merwe as he travels through the slum known as District 9 during eviction proceedings. Rather than spoiling the rest of the movie, I'll just say that even if you're not a Sci-Fi fan, you'll like this movie, because while it's set in a "Sci-Fi" realm, the plot and story of the movie are really not Sci-Fi based. Its a critique on the greed of corporations, the ugliness of humanity, and the xenophobia inherent in a certain population of the country.

#11

Growing up my entire family and I were what can generally be classified as "Trekkies", although I tended to side more with Star Wars (although only slightly). My mom and brother and uncle would attend Star Trek conventions in downtown St. Paul, I have family members who've written fan fiction for the series. I used to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation every night before bed (the two back-to-back episodes that were on Fox before I'd switch it over to Conan). All of this is to illustrate that I am inherently biased when it comes to this particular series, more so than probably any other movie series. That being said, this is the best movie in the series (with Wrath of Khan at a close second), and I'm going to leave it at that. If you don't give the movie a chance based on its title or preconceived notions of what Star Trek is, well I feel sorry for you.

#10

Martin Scorsese directed three feature films this decade Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed along with two outstanding musical documentaries in Shine a Light and No Direction Home. The 2000s also saw Scorsese finally win his first Oscar, although I would argue it was for the wrong movie. Gangs of New York ranks number two in Scorsese's films for me (falling just behind Goodfellas, and just ahead of Taxi Driver). Another phenomenal performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting, which would have netted his second Oscar if not for a career performance by Adrien Brody, along with Leonardo DiCaprio's best performance since The Basketball Diaries 7 years earlier combine to make this an outstanding twist on a quasi-true story. Bill the Butcher is one of the most memorable characters in all of film for me, why? I'm not sure, he just really sticks out. Maybe its the fact that he's a very likable father figure turned villain, but maybe its just that its Daniel Day-Lewis' unbelievable acting. Whatever it is, he's definitely stuck with me. My only issue with this movie is the casting of Cameron Diaz, not that I don't like her, but I don't think she was convincing in this movie; which is unfortunate, giving how well the rest of the acting was. This was one of the first DVDs I ever bought and it will remaining in regular rotation in my collection for years to come.

#9

The final chapter in the best Sci-Fi fantasy series of movies ever made, The Return of the King is exceptional and could have been ranked higher on this list had it had some additional editing (especially during the final hour of the movie). That being said, it wrapped up the Peter Jackson directed series skillfully and left fans of the source material as happy as they could realistically be. As mentioned during my discussion of Fellowship, had Peter Jackson decided to maintain anymore of the literal integrity of the book I think these movies would have flopped severely, and for those who want the extra six hours of footage from the trilogy the extended cut versions do exists. I've never subjected myself to those, but I plan on scooping the Blu-Ray trilogy (extended edition) becomes available at a price that wouldn't require me to take out an adjustable rate mortgage. You've seen this movie, and if you haven't I'm sorry, I can't help you.

#8

Sideways is one of those movies that I can watch over and over, and somehow makes me want to actually drink wine while doing so--much in the same way Mad Men makes me want a scotch while watching it. Paul Giamatti's best performance (until the HBO miniseries John Adams a few years later) was largely ignored by the Academy Awards (although he got a make up call the following year for Cinderella Man). Its a dark comedy with great storytelling and some unforgettable scenes (Virginia Madsen's love of wine discussion, the couple banging in front of a TV with Bush and Cheney on it, "I'm not drinking any fucking Merlot!", just to name a few). As lame as it may sound, this movie has made me more interested in wine and doing wine tours, and in fact we did our very first wine tour last year...in the very place this was filmed.

#7

Bar none Jim Carrey's career best performance, one of the most original stories ever conceived, some outstanding acting by Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst (as her typical airhead) and Elijah Wood, and a sprinkling of Sci-Fi/Fantasy into this make Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind one of the highlights of the 2000s. Its an interesting conceptual plot which is gaining more relevance with each passing year as technology continues to advance. It asks the question, "Would you erase difficult memories if you could?" and offers a practical "commercialized service" that would do it for you. Its a unique tale of love, relationships and memories and their intersections, and worth seeing if for nothing else but Carrey's performance.

#6

Before this movie's premiere it has incredibly lofty expectations. With the recent death of Heath Ledger fueling the media publicity, his supposed amazing performance and an outstanding reboot of the series already in the bag (which eventually lead to many other movie series' following suit), there was a lot of pressure on this film. Well everyone knows how this ended, the movie was EXTREMELY successful on both an artistic and financial levels and was hands down Heath Ledger's career best performance. Christopher Nolan has three movies (The Prestige, Batman Begins, Memento and this film) on my top 50 movies of the decade with his only other release this decade, Insomnia, narrowly missing the cut. I'm excited for what he's got in store for the 10's (is that right?) and so far it looks good with his Inception coming out in the next month. Only critique of him would be to make Christian Bale stop with the ridiculous Batman voice when he's got the mask on, its already over the top...it needs to be toned down.

#5

What more needs to be said of this movie? While its gained a following (TeaParty-ish) of people who seem to think that because it's a formulaic plot and that it's not a worthwhile movie. While I can see the argument that the storyline has been done before, what movie isn't a remake or reinterpretation of something else? I think this is one movie that is as good or better than the hype and looks to be on its way to dethrone Titanic as the highest grossing movie of all time, which makes it even more awesome. Its story is a warning about the overreaching evil of capitalism without a conscience and its repercussions. Say what you want about the movie, but if the Home Tree scene didn't move you, in the way that George Lucas had intended the destruction of Alderaan (Star Wars: A New Hope) but ultimately failed in doing so, then you need to spend some time alone and figure out where exactly things went off the rails for you.

#4

Somehow this movie slipped under my radar when it was coming out, I had never read the comics or even heard of them for that matter. I went to it in the theater strictly on the basis that it was written by the Wachowski Brothers. This was one of those movies that shook me to my core when it finished. Its parallels to the political climate during its release made this movie topical, but not in the fashion that would easily be dated years later. Its warnings of the overexposure of media and its control over people is prophetic considering the 24-hr news cycle of today. The Fascist British government portrayed in the movie is an obvious exaggeration of what can happen if a leader is left to lead with unlimited/unchecked power. The timing of this movie was also particularly interesting. During the height of the "terrorists hating our freedom" here comes a movie with the protagonist as, what is essentially, a terrorist we want to cheer for. It's a sardonical critique of the hysteria of the mid-2000s which serves as a reminder that what we perceive as the truth isn't always the case. I just wish the Wachowski's could have followed this up with something a little more substantive than Speed Racer...ugh.

#3

This was a strange movie for me, I didn't think much of it coming into it besides it was directed by Alfonso Cuaron (director of the best of the Harry Potter films, Prisoner of Azkaban) and it starred Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine. I new the underlying premise of the flick: The population became infertile, for whatever reason and now this is what happens, but I didn't know much of anything else. This was perhaps the biggest snub for a Best Picture Nomination of the decade, I'm not saying it deserved to win, but it most certainly deserved the nomination. Had this movie starred Leo instead of Clive Owen, it would have undoubtedly been a shoe in. Its great story is only slightly overshadowed by the unbelievable camera work of Emmanuel Lubezki. Never before has a movie so transfixed me with its cinematography. There's a 12 or 15 minute scene in the middle of the movie's third act that is far and away the single best filmed scene I've ever watched, and its all done with a single shot--unheard of anymore. This movie has most definitely had a lasting effect on me and is one of the very best Sci-Fi movies ever made.

#2

Sofia Coppola's most memorable role will always (at least for me) be ruining Godfather III with her shitty acting. That being said, she's a much better writer/director than actor, hopefully she realizes this. I've received more than my fair share of criticism for liking this movie with the magnitude that I do, and I'm not sure I fully understand why I do like it as much as I do. Case in point, this is one of two movies I've bought more than twice (due to theft or wear and tear on the previous copies) and will be upgrading to the blu-ray version at some point in the near future. However, I do know that any movie that is character driven and keeps me interested with good acting and attention to detail will go far in my book. This movie takes the cake in all of those categories. Copolla's breakout movie (The Virgin Suicides wasn't bad, but not in the same ballpark as this) probably wins the Oscar for Best Picture in 2004 if not for Lord of the Rings lack of real recognition before Return of the King. From how I see it, the overall theme of this movie is illustrating the disconnect that we, as everyday normal people, have with everyone around us. This sentiment is echoed by the setting of the movie (Tokyo) and the characters' inability to communicate with anyone around them besides a few brief words. The movie illustrates how rare and powerful real meaningful connections with people can be and shows just how trivial most all everyday interactions are. The movie effectively shows that these connections don't have to be made through words; in fact, they're more often stronger when words are unnecessary. From the story to the characters to the outstanding cinematography and the use of metaphor and foreshadowing throughout the film, this film does it all for me.

#1

I'm not sure whether its timing, mood, location, or whatever else it is that makes the very first viewing of a movie so memorable--for me and my first O Brother viewing it was a combination of these factors. During the summer before my Freshman year of college we were required to read The Odyssey by Homer as part of the curriculum for a required Greek History/Intro to College class at Luther College called Paideia. The point of the class, from my best estimate, was to teach the students good study habits while "forcing" them to read ancient writings of the ancient thinkers and historians like Herodotus and Plato while eventually segueing into the more modern revolutionary thinkers like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. While a tremendous pain in my ass, it was actually a very decent class full of debates and intelligent discourse (or at least what's considered to be at age 18). The reason this backstory is brought up is that O Brother is loosely based upon Homer's The Odyssey and came out at the tail end of my first semester of Paideia. Having had to have read The Odyssey twice, for my lack of understanding it the first time through and its relatively difficult style of writing, I found this movie to be a much more interesting and entertaining version of the story than any of the shitty made for TV quality movies of The Odyssey that had been produced up to this point. This was the start of my man-crush for the Coen Brothers, as they took this long, complex story, replaced the Aegean Sea with the Deep South (Mississippi) during the 30s and followed a gang of three chain gang escapees. This movie is unlike any movie I've ever seen and is not just my favorite of the 2000s it is actually my all-time favorite film. I'm sure most people have either seen it by now or would recognize some of the songs by the (fictional) Soggy Bottom Boys in the movie, but if by some chance you haven't go do yourself a favor and do it right now, and if you've seen the movie but its been more than a few months do the same. I'm not quite sure the number of times I've actually watched this movie, but as alluded to in my review of Lost in Translation, I've actually bought this movie three different times (theft, wear and tear, beer spillage, etc.) and will be buying it on Blu-Ray when the time comes.