A) I have not seen every single movie this decade. I haven't even seen Inglorious Basterds. And while Jon might not understand how that's possible, it's true. Other sites out there, other critics, have seen way more movies than I have this decade, and can make a more comprehensive list than I can.
B) As a follow up, I'd like to apologize to Sherlock Holmes, which hasn't come out yet. And Avatar, which I haven't seen (but don't think looks that good anyway). And any other movie that has yet to open that might end up being fantastic. And Amelie, which I still have yet to see (and I know this is considered a crime by many). And Gangs of New York. So if there's a movie that seems like it should be an OBVIOUS addition to the list, but you don't see it, chances are I just haven't seen it yet. Or maybe I have seen it, and I just didn't think it was that great.
C) I haven't seen any Harry Potter movies, so don't get your panties in a bunch if you don't see them here. I also haven't seen any of the new Star Wars movies (I - III).
D) While some awards, like the Golden Globes (and to an extent, the Oscars) don't like to group all different kinds of movies together, I do. So this list does not exclude animated movies, documentaries, foreign movies, or, you know, "comic book movies which don't deserve Oscars". They're all in here. Though I suppose I don't include any shorts. So forgive me for that.
E) I've found it to be exceedingly hard to rank these movies. I built a program to help me out with this task, but that can only go so far. As such, this list is a generalization. Movies that find themselves in certain groups (ie Top 20) do belong in that group. But along the way, given how difficult the challenge is, I might have an instance where I flip flop on say, #123 and #124, and can't decide which I really like better. If you think it's easier than I'm making it out to be, try doing it sometime.
F) I'm open to discussion (argument). In fact, I think that's the whole purpose of doing these lists. To incite argument.
Here goes:
Honorable Mention:
205. Off the Black (James Ponsoldt, 2005)
204. Best In Show (Christopher Guest, 2000)
203. The Shape of Things (Neil LaBute, 2003)
202. Asylum (David Mackenzie, 2005)
201. Venus (Roger Michell, 2006)
200. Radio (Michael Tollin, 2003) - I don't think I've heard of anyone who dislikes this movie. It was a pretty touching story, well done, even if it didn't do anything new. A good family film.
199. Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008) - Compared to what some critics thought of this movie, this is a poor ranking for it. I thought it was good, I thought Michelle Williams was believable and strong in this performance, but it wasn't really the epic breakthrough I think many people claimed it was. A quaint little story, but not enough happened for it to really be worth a second view.
198. The History Boys (Nicholas Hytner, 2006) - A good English film adapted from a stage play. Probably a who's who of young British actors, but since we don't live there, they're not all that recognizable. I thought the students' character definitions were too loose, but a terrific performance by the boys' primary teacher, Hector (Richard Griffiths).
197. A Mighty Wind (Christopher Guest, 2003) - Already the second Guest movie to appear here. It was clever and amusing, but for me rarely laugh-out-loud funny. I know some people really love this movie--and his movies in general--but I guess it's just not my totally my thing.
196. Notes on a Scandal (Richard Eyre, 2006) - I have to admit. I actually had this ranked higher, but at the last second, moved it down a little, particularly because I realized that, while well executed and well acted, there wasn't that much memorable about the film (other than Phillip Glass's score). Judi Dench is creepy and sad, Cate Blanchett is solid (but a little bit unbelievable). Well-deserving of it's nominations, but rightly so did not win.
195. Bad Guy (Nabbeun Namja) (Ki-duk Kim, 2001) - Korean movie with a well crafted story, and nicely shot. I had some issues with the main character, a mute and borderline abusive hero/anti-hero, but overall it didn't take away from the concept of the film. Certainly interesting.
194. Rudo y Cursi (Carlos Cuaron, 2008) - First film by Alfonso's brother to make a splash in the US, pairing Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna again, this time as brothers and competing soccer stars. It was obvious that they were lacking in functional soccer choreography, but the on-field action wasn't really the main focus of the story anyway. It was a good character-driven piece that made you feel both sympathy and disdain for the two brothers.
193. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2000) - This is the weird comic book movie that seems nothing like a comic book that will probably be best known for introducing Scarlett Johansson as a young woman. Buscemi really carries this movie. Unfortunately he's kind of perfect to play a loner, or a bit of a creep.
192. Remember the Titans (Boaz Yakin, 2000) - Denzel Washington's first appearance of many on this countdown. All around good movie, I don't think there are many people out there who would argue with it. I think some people might consider Friday Night Lights to have surpassed in, in terms of a football movie, but I disagree. Maybe the action on the field was more realistic and updated, but I like the story of Titans a lot--even if it seems like a too pleasant imagining of racial relationships in the South at the time.
191. Lost In Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) - I think by this rank you can tell I didn't love this movie as much as some other people did. My dad actually walked out of it halfway through (I guess it wasn't his take on a "Bill Murray movie") and I have to believe for a lot of people it didn't match the long-established image of Murray. But I think it did open the door to the new Murray--even drier, angsty, and introspective. And the interaction with the Tokyo landscape was phenomenal.
190. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess, 2004) - Admit it, Napoleon Dynamite was huge when it came out. Everyone was doing the "gosh" thing, asking for chapstick, and saying "Your mom goes to college." It was an oddity for the time, when comedies were trying to up the ante by being raunchier and more exploitative, Dynamite comes along and flips the convention on it's head. It seems like it was written by twelve year olds, and maybe that's why it was so funny--because everyone could appreciate the simplicity of the humor.
189. Mean Creek (Jacob Aaron Estes, 2004) - Uncomfortable. It's hard to watch this movie and not feel uncomfortable the whole way through. You just know bad things are going to happen. And eventually they do. And it seems like one of those easily preventable situations. You want to jump in and tell these kids to stop being so cruel and petty, but in the end, they're kids, and that's what they do. Josh Peck was too perfect for the role of needling fat kid George, and even he probably looks back and feels a little bit sad for himself at that age.
188. Tape (Richard Linklater, 2001) - Linklater has pretty much established himself as the guy who can make movies about people sitting around talking. And Tape is a great example of this. The whole movie takes place inside one room, with only three characters, and you learn so much and feel so much disgust for them throughout the course of the movie that they become real. Ethan Hawke at his sickest and most reprehensible.
187. Ice Age (Chris Wedge, 2002) - Come on. Everyone likes this movie. It's fun, it's funny, and that little squirrel who runs around is pretty much everyone's favorite character. It wasn't ground breaking by any means, but it has a good story that keeps your attention, clever sequences, and nice life lessons for both children and adults. What's not to like?
186. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (George Clooney, 2002) - Every nice life lesson from Ice Age is probably undone by this movie. About TV producer Chuck Barris's supposed "secret life as a CIA agent", it's vulgar, filthy, and questionable, which of course means it's a great time. Funny and not poorly constructed, Clooney's first directorial feature was memorable. But most of the credit here would go to Charlie Kaufman's writing and Sam Rockwell's spot-on performance.
185. Bread and Roses (Ken Loach, 2000) - I saw this as part of a class which focused on Ken Loach and his experimental realism. It stars Adrien Brody before he was Adrien Brody, and a bunch of no-name Latin American actors as immigrant janitorial workers trying to unionize in a large Los Angeles office building. It is especially notable for a powerful scene between two struggling sisters, arguing over the difficulties they've faced making it in America, and for the strong performances by actors who had little to no previous screen experience. And turns out Brody was pretty solid even as a normal guy, and not an eccentric.
184. Boiler Room (Ben Younger, 2000) - It comes off as a complete vanity piece, with little to no redeeming value, but I really enjoy this movie. I think Giovanni Ribisi is a really polarizing actor--with more people falling on the side of "dislike"--but he seems well-fit for his role as a naive stock broker in a too-good-to-be-true company. The overloaded machismo fits a lot of the name actors, despite their relatively small roles, and in light of recent Ponzi scheme scandals, the concept takes on devilish new layers.
183. For Your Consideration (Christopher Guest, 2006) - Again, another Guest piece. I thought this was the strongest of them, quite amusing and very on-point in regards to the way actors treat potential Oscar consideration. It seemed the most realistic of the mockumentaries, even though it's getting a little difficult to separate all the same recurring actors from their supposed characters.
182. Antwone Fisher (Denzel Washington, 2002) - Hailed as Denzel's directorial debut, and Derek Luke's coming out party. It ended up being one of Denzel's weaker acting jobs, perhaps because he was splitting his time so thin, but Derek Luke was pretty impressive, and the story is sympathetic. Pretty painful scenes when he returns to confront his family.
181. Igby Goes Down (Burr Steers, 2002) - One of the many coming-of-age indie stories throughout the decade that sported a mixed bag of casting decisions and characters who "just want to be normal". It kind of makes you think that writers and artists out there all come from fractured childhoods and just want to be loved and mothered. But at least this one was entertaining. I think a lot of people thought Keiran Culkin was going to explode after this movie, but surprisingly he hasn't been in a whole lot since. Goldblum is enjoyable, as always.
180. House of Sand and Fog (Vadim Perelman, 2003) - This movie came out with a lot of hype, a good cast (Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly), but it kind of got lost in the shuffle after it left theaters, popping back up thanks to Shohreh Aghdashloo's deserved end-of-year kudos. It's a really emotional movie, though in some situations I think they're trying too hard to make it that way. In the end you just find yourself feeling bad for all the characters.
179. District B13 (Banlieue 13) (Pierre Morel, 2004) - A French film that leaned heavily on parkour and the acrobatic martial arts of its actors, one of the very few non-Asian films that used real stunts in an impressive manner. The story was pretty solid, featuring a dystopian future Paris (of the year 2010... something tells me it won't end up looking like this next year) that has closed off District B13 and all its criminals and miscreants. It's pleasantly short enough (84 mins) to keep the action rolling and intensity up without overwhelming you.
178. Anchorman (Adam McKay, 2004) - I found it tough to rank the top comedies of the decade, including Anchorman, which for about six months dominated movie quoting and provided ample rewatchability. Even now the one-liners still work, despite being circulated for five years. Will Ferrell at his odd best, actually playing a character (albeit a relatively thin one) instead of Will-Ferrell-as-obscure-athlete-du-jour.
177. Finding Forrester (Gus Van Sant, 2000) - Look, I'll admit it. It's almost impossible to separate this movie from the now infamous "You're the man now, dog" line that has permeated the internet as ytmnd.com. But I like this movie. It has a kind of bizarre cast--Anna Paquin, Michael Pitt, no-name Rob Brown, Sean Connery, Busta Rhymes--but I like the overachiever storyline and it's interesting to see Connery play a vulnerable old man instead of a ruthless hero like he almost always is. It may have a ridiculously outdated take on urban culture, but it's a good movie. I love the scene where Jamal explains the history of the BMW logo, "but you probably already knew that."
176. The King (James Marsh, 2005) - A peculiar movie that opened to little fanfare starring Gael Garcia Bernal as a decommissioned soldier and William Hurt as his long-lost father, who completely disowns him on sight. The story is a bit twisted, as Elvis (Bernal) tries and tries to win the favor of David (Hurt), alternating between sweet sincere attempts and questionable, sometimes violent outbursts. The role seemed a bit of a challenge for Bernal, and I think he succeeded, though not quite as well as he has in other films. It's a film that's worth seeing, even if you have a hard time accepting the events of the plot.
I'll try to post #175-151 as soon as I can.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Or if you don't celebrate, I'd still like it if you enjoy your day.
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