Top 10 Movies of Decade

[A-Tex Devil]

I am bored, and the aughts are winding down. I am not a very critical movie watcher and like most of what I see. But on occasion, I see a movie for the first time and say "Wow." All of my top 10 did that for me on some level.

My taste is fairly mainstream (arthouse films like "Dancer in the Dark" or "Dogville" and most Charlie Kaufmann written films elude me), but generally like indies. I haven't included documentaries, and if I did, something like Fog of War might make it up here, but I think comparing documentaries to features is apples and oranges. I've seen most animated films and none would be in my top 10.

Here are mine in a somewhat particular order (the top 2 are certain). I am likely completely forgetting one or two, but would love to see other's lists.

10. The Prestige
9. Snatch
8. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
7. There Will be Blood
6. The Departed
5. No Country for Old Men
4. Almost Famous
3. City of God
2. Memento
1. Children of Men

Just missed:
Eastern Promises
Dark Knight
40 year Old Virgin
Inglourious Basterds
Shaun of the Dead
Layer Cake
Pan's Labrynth
500 Days of Summer

[DukeUsul]

I am bored, and the aughts are winding down. I am not a very critical movie watcher and like most of what I see. But on occasion, I see a movie for the first time and say "Wow." All of my top 10 did that for me on some level.

My taste is fairly mainstream (arthouse films like "Dancer in the Dark" or "Dogville" and most Charlie Kaufmann written films elude me), but generally like indies. I haven't included documentaries, and if I did, something like Fog of War might make it up here, but I think comparing documentaries to features is apples and oranges. I've seen most animated films and none would be in my top 10.

Here are mine in a somewhat particular order (the top 2 are certain). I am likely completely forgetting one or two, but would love to see other's lists.

10. The Prestige
9. Snatch
8. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
7. There Will be Blood
6. The Departed
5. No Country for Old Men
4. Almost Famous
3. City of God
2. Memento
1. Children of Men

Just missed:
Eastern Promises
Dark Knight
40 year Old Virgin
Inglourious Basterds
Shaun of the Dead
Layer Cake
Pan's Labrynth
500 Days of Summer

Some good films here. I thoroughly enjoyed Children of Men, but I'm not sure it was the best film of the decade. And I thought No Country for Old Men was just awful. It was meandering and went no where.

No love for Lord of the Rings?

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

City of God is a deserving #1 imo.

[aimo]

Slumdog Millionaire
The Soloist
The Grocer's Son
Black snake Moan
Cadillac Records
Frozen River
Into the Wild

and for fun, I really enjoyed,
Superbad
Secret Life of Bees
Leatherheads

(yes, I just reviewed my Netflix history to do this list)

[Tommac]

I'll vote for the Lord of the Rings trilogy as my favorite movies of the decade.

[Mal]

Oh, man, limiting it to 10 is so hard. Especially if you expand it to "favorite" instead of "best." My viewing habits/tastes tend to lead me to put "serious" stuff on a top 10 list, so that opens it up to comedies and action.

Contenders for me:

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
City of God
Lost in Translation
The Pianist (please, no one turn this into a Roman Polanski thread)
Y Tu Mama Tambien
No Country for Old Men
Pan's Labyrinth
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
O Brother Where Art Thou
Memento
Children of Men
Goodnight And Good Luck
Slumdog Millionaire

I'll add the Lord of The Rings trilogy, but I'm not sure which I thought was best. Probably the second.

Dang, well over the limit already! Including less serious fare or movies I could watch over and over again makes it really unwieldy for me:

Minority Report
Catch Me If You Can
Superbad
Ocean's Eleven
Sideways
Old School
the Bourne movies
About A Boy

A-Tex, I'm surprised you liked The Prestige so much. I enjoyed it, but found it sort of plodding, and I was annoyed by Hugh Jackman. In the contest of the two magician-related movies that came out in close succession, I much preferred The Illusionist. I figured out the plot twist, but the acting (especially Giamatti, but Norton was very good, too) made up for it for me.

[A-Tex Devil]

Oh, man, limiting it to 10 is so hard. Especially if you expand it to "favorite" instead of "best." My viewing habits/tastes tend to lead me to put "serious" stuff on a top 10 list, so that opens it up to comedies and action.

Contenders for me:

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
City of God
Lost in Translation
The Pianist (please, no one turn this into a Roman Polanski thread)
Y Tu Mama Tambien
No Country for Old Men
Pan's Labyrinth
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
O Brother Where Art Thou
Memento
Children of Men
Goodnight And Good Luck
Slumdog Millionaire

I'll add the Lord of The Rings trilogy, but I'm not sure which I thought was best. Probably the second.

Dang, well over the limit already! Including less serious fare or movies I could watch over and over again makes it really unwieldy for me:

Minority Report
Catch Me If You Can
Superbad
Ocean's Eleven
Sideways
Old School
the Bourne movies
About A Boy

A-Tex, I'm surprised you liked The Prestige so much. I enjoyed it, but found it sort of plodding, and I was annoyed by Hugh Jackman. In the contest of the two magician-related movies that came out in close succession, I much preferred The Illusionist. I figured out the plot twist, but the acting (especially Giamatti, but Norton was very good, too) made up for it for me.

I saw the Prestige way late in the game (like 18 months after it was released), but wasn't spoiled. I had heard from many folks that it was disappointing. I loved it. There was a coolness about it that I've had a hard time explaining to friends even. It's something in Nolan's film-making style, I guess, as 2 of his 4 movies are in my top 10 and Dark Knight just missed. I have to plead pop culture gross negligence on the Illusionist as I have not seen it.

I like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I have seen each of them exactly once - all in the theater. They are amazing films visually, and I wasn't bored by the length. But when they are on TNT or whatever, I flip right by them unless it's the battle scene from the second movie. One of the main factors in being a favorite for me is "rewatchability." So while I can appreciate LOTR, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, a movie like the Wrestler, as great cinema, I don't feel the need to see it again.

Children of Men has been on ad nauseum on HBO and Cinemax lately, and whenever its on, that's what's on my TV.

Also edited to say that if District 9 is as rewatchable and holds up like I think it will, it could make my list. And I'll also readily admit this is a probably more of a "favorite of the best" and not "best" list which excuses my listing Snatch. Although I think my top 3 could all vie for "best".

[BlueintheFace]

Lord of the Rings Trilogy will top my list. I think it'll end up being top10-top20 on the AMC100 list eventually.

[soccerstud2210]

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
City of God
Lost in Translation
The Pianist (please, no one turn this into a Roman Polanski thread)
Y Tu Mama Tambien
No Country for Old Men
Pan's Labyrinth
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
O Brother Where Art Thou
Memento
Children of Men
Goodnight And Good Luck
Slumdog Millionaire

.

there's one that doesnt get much recognition and it was amazing! i loved that movie

[throatybeard]

I'm glad to see this thread. I started considering this question back in February, and made some lists.

I have three absolute non-negotiables in my top 10: El laberinto del fauno/Pan's Labyrinth (2006), No Country for Old Men (2007), and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005). Folks are familiar with the first two. The third is Tommy Lee Jones' directorial debut, a [revisionist quasi-Western that almost turns into Magical Realism at the end.

The other seven I'd have to pick from something like the following. Particular favorites are Before Sunset and Black Snake Moan, but both have a couple flaws and I'm not sure if they're truly great. I'm not sure about LotR: Two Towers anymore; the Peter Jackson films have not aged well for me, and I thought the third one was a mess from the git-go.

Netflix 5-stars
Before Sunset (2004)
Black Snake Moan (2007)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Heaven (2002)
Letters from Iwo Jima (2007)
LotR: Two Towers (2002)
The Pianist (2002)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Road to Perdition (2002)
Gran Torino (2008)
Ballast (2008)
The Road (2009)
Cidade de Deus/City of God (2002)
Traffic (2000)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Netflix 4-stars
El Espinazo del Diablo/The Devil's Backbone (2004)
The Dreamers (2003)
Gangs of New York (2002)
In the Valley of Elah (2006)
Das Leben der Anderen/The Lives of Others (2007)
The Magdalegne Sisters (2003)
The Man who wasn't there (2001)
Mystic River (2003)
Traffic (2000)
Y tu mamá también (2001)

Folks may not be familiar with Ballast. It's set in the Delta and follows the aftermath of a twin brothers' death, focusing on the living twin, the wife, the son, and a neighbor. It's visually arresting and powerful.

I disagree that No Country doesn't go anywhere. The following is an excerpt from where I was talking to Evans on email:

The drug syndicate kills Moss and Chigurh kills Carla Jean. There's
your "somewhere," the resolution, particularly the final Misfit-eque
encouter between Carla Jean and Chigurh, in which she behaves
differently from how all the men have in that encounter. If anything,
the story **outlasts** a typical Freitag's Triangle type trajectory
and gives us some time later to see how all this has affected Bell.

That's vintage McCarthy. Like Flannery O'Connor, he's all about toying
with conventional expectation about plot trajectory. They both like
to end a story just before, or just after what stories have trained us
to expect about resolution.

[cato]

Off the top of my head, one mortal lock:

Kill Bill

I'll need to think about the rest.

[Heelkiller1]

Lord of the Rings is a def. Old school is a classic. I agree with Snatch. Blood diamond was also very good .300 was epic. Just about every Kevin Smith film made me laugh my butt off. I will have to think of some more "top ten" picks later but some honorable mentions have to be Transformers (just because I love them as a kid). Fight Club,The Oceans triogly,and The Dawn of the dead remake. I know I am leaving alot out , but those are the ones of the top of my head .

[Olympic Fan]

Reading this thread, I'm so out of touch with the mainstream that I'm not sure I should bother responding.

Bored to tears by Lord of the Rings ... didn't get a laugh out of Old School (in fact, I don't think Will Ferrell has made me laugh since he left SNL). Absolutely hated Dark Knight. Disappointed by Slumdog Millionaire.

I did love:

Lost in Translation
O Brother Where Art Thou
The Man Who Wasn't There
No Country for Old Men

Maybe: Sideways and Mystic River

I also prefer The Prestige to The Illusionist

I prefer Hellboy to Pan's Labrynth and Inglorius Basterds to Kill Bill -- both not sure I'd put either in a top 10.

Interesting suggestion about Good Night and Good Luck. I love that film.

Thinking about it, I would add the most underrated movie of the decade:

Frailty (2001)

Also, my favorite cult film of the decade:

Bubba Ho-tep (2002)

[A-Tex Devil]

Lord of the Rings is a def. Old school is a classic. I agree with Snatch. Blood diamond was also very good .300 was epic. Just about every Kevin Smith film made me laugh my butt off. I will have to think of some more "top ten" picks later but some honorable mentions have to be Transformers (just because I love them as a kid). Fight Club,The Oceans triogly,and The Dawn of the dead remake. I know I am leaving alot out , but those are the ones of the top of my head .

1999. Believe me, I checked to make sure, because it would have been top 5. The 10th anniversary Blu-Ray is supposed to be phenomenal.

[Heelkiller1]

1999. Believe me, I checked to make sure, because it would have been top 5. The 10th anniversary Blu-Ray is supposed to be phenomenal.

I figured since it is 2009 and it was released in 1999 that I fell within the Decade rule .lol. Plus it is one kick *** movie

[BD80]

We could also have fun with a Ten Worst list. It would be easy for me, I could just list the last 10 movies I picked for family movie night. Just ask them.


On the best list, I would add Capote for consideration, and include Mystic River, Gran Torino, Inglorious Basterds, and Road to Perdition. Wow, there is a very dark side to my personality. I better add something a bit more light-hearted, how about Gladiator?

How come nobody has nominated Mama Mia?

[A-Tex Devil]

Am I the only one that thought Gran Torino was just awful, and was a little bit morally repugnant as well?

[darthur]

Here's my list, mostly off the top of my head:

10. Pirates of the Caribbean
9. Memento
8. The Departed
7. Spirited Away
6. The Dark Knight
5. Pan's Labyrinth
4. The Incredibles
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2. Lord of the Rings trilogy
1. The Wire (yeah, yeah, it's a TV show not a movie, but it's too good not to put down on a list like this)

A number of other worthy titles have been mentioned in this thread, as well as a few that I should see but haven't. I did not, however, particularly care for The Prestige, Kill Bill (even though I normally like Tarantino), or District 9.

[juise]

There are some very good mentioned in this thread. I'm just going to list my 10 favorites (not necessarily the "10 greatest"), keeping in mind that I started this decade at 18. A lot of this is driven by probably pleasant associations, but I those play a big role in making a movie/song an "all-time favorite."


Casino Royal
Children of Men
Finding Forrester
High Fidelity
Inside Man
Juno
The Matrix: Reloaded
Ocean's Eleven
Remember the Titans
Zoolander

How come nobody has nominated Mama Mia?

Because my wife made me watch it and I found it quite irritating (she loved it, though).

[BD80]

Originally Posted by BD80
How come nobody has nominated Mama Mia?

... Because my wife made me watch it and I found it quite irritating (she loved it, though).

Pierce Brosnan singing ABBA goes beyond irritating. The H1N1 virus is irritating. Mama Mia was unbearable.

I couldn't help but laugh when a male inlaw was given the Collector's Edition of Mama Mia, complete with the Soundtrack on CD sung by the cast members! Poor guy was surrounded by female relatives who thought it was a wonderful gift and I was wiping tears away, trying not to laugh out loud. It worked out well, he didn't have to pretend he liked it, nor did he have to watch it, and we got to make fun of the movie the rest of the weekend.