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If comparing music from Gillian Welch and Outkast in our 50 Best Albums of the Decade is like apples and oranges, ranking films like Amélie, The Dark Knight and Mulholland Drive is more like apples, ice cream and foie gras. But despite the wild variety among our 50 Best Movies from 2000-2009, each is an exquisitely made, exceptionally satisfying piece of cinema that we believe will endure well after the decade has ended. There are masters like Martin Scorcese and Lars Von Trier, and relative newcomers like Fernando Meirelles and Anna Boden. There are documentaries, comedies and dramas, as well as animated films and even a super-hero flick. Mirroring a decade of globalism, the filmmakers are from the United States, New Zealand, Taiwan, Germany, Ireland, France, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Denmark, Romania, Thailand, Brazil, and nearly every part of the U.K. Let these be our recommendations for your Netflix queue—or in the case of #21, a theater near you. Personally, after reading the loving descriptions in these pages, I’ve already got films I missed the first time around—like Syndromes and a Century and Beau Travail—on the way.—Josh Jackson, Paste editor-in-chief
50. The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Writer/Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Borrowing themes from his previous films—children of failed marriages; characters whose bookish smarts seem to work against them; a floating sense of fatalism—The Squid and the Whale creeps ever closer to Noah Baumbach’s own tempestuous past. His parents’ faltering union isn’t just a detail used to add depth to a certain character. It’s the whole story—a gorgeous, candid portrait of the messy car crash of divorce, from all angles. “It’s hard to even put myself in the mindset of those movies anymore,” he told Paste in 2005. “With Squid, these are reinventions of people that are close to me, and this is the movie I identify with the most. It is a natural extension of what I have intended and what I feel. I trusted myself more on this one.”—Keenan Mayo
49. High Fidelity (2000)
Director: Stephen Frears
Writer: Nick Hornby (novel)
Stars: John Cusack, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Todd Louiso
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Funny, insightful and insanely quotable, High Fidelity plays like an ultra-hip Woody Allen movie. Writer Nick Hornby tapped into the psyche of the 20th century male, with John Cusack playing an everyman who retraces his past girlfriend history only to find he let the perfect woman slip through his fingers.—Jeremy Medina
48. Flight of the Red Balloon (Le voyage du ballon rouge) (2008)
Writer/Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Stars: Juliette Binoche, Hippolyte Giradot
Studio: IFC Films
It’s tempting to put the latest movie by Hou Hsiao-hsien into a neat little box. Although it’s not a film for kids, it’s an homage to Albert Lamorisse’s endearing children’s short “The Red Balloon,” and at times it seems as buoyant and aimless as a helium-filled toy. Hou is working in France instead of his usual Taiwan, and with Academy Award-winning actress Juliette Binoche instead of his cast of regulars. This makes the entire project feel like a detour for an artist best known for complex, austere films about Taiwan’s pulsing present and tumultuous history. Lamorisse’s short is about a loner of a boy who has the best of all possible friends, an amazingly reactive balloon, but Hou’s film is a realistic look at the inside of this fantasy, at the modern-day stresses on close-knit families. He slips behind Lamorisse’s facade like the Taiwanese amateur filmmaker who takes a job as Binoche’s nanny, an echo of Hou within his own story; the nanny even tells us how special effects make the balloon move. Since Flight falls at the simple-but-elegant end of Hou’s spectrum, the mysterious and lyrical finale in the Musée D’Orsay comes as a surprise; this balloon is anchored by some heft.—Robert Davis
47. Grizzly Man (2005)
Writer/Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Timothy Treadwell, Werner Herzog
Studio: Lions Gate Films
This profile of nature lover Timothy Treadwell, who unwisely tried to live among wild bears in Alaska until he was devoured, cuts a Herzogian swath across the hillside: A man attempts to find harmony with nature but instead finds, as Herzog puts it, “chaos, hostility and murder.” Looming over the film is not only the horror of Treadwell’s demise but also an audio recording of the tragedy, taped inadvertently by the video camera in Treadwell’s tent. Herzog tastefully omits it from the film, but he makes the viewer aware of its existence. “The question of the tape which recorded Timothy Treadwell’s death and Amie Huguenard’s death is something that I had to address,” Herzog told Paste in 2007. “So I listened to it, and that’s the only time I appear in the film. You only see me from behind, listening to it with earphones. The interesting thing is that Jewel Palovak who was working with Treadwell and living with Treadwell for 20 years tries to read my face, and it’s very, very intense and moving for her. The moment I heard the tape it was instantly clear: Only over my dead body is this tape going to end up in the movie. I’m not into doing a snuff film, and I have to respect the dignity and privacy of two individuals’ deaths.”—Robert Davis
46. Iraq in Fragments (2006)
Director: James Longley
Studio: HBO Documentary Films
Applying the full spectrum of cinematic technique to a nonfiction film, Longley made one of the most striking movies this year, an immersive view of life in Iraq; a record of opinions and faces from across the country, all captured at close range.—Robert Davis
45. Whale Rider (2002)
Director: Niki Caro
Writers: Witi Ihimaera (novele), Niki Caro (screenplay)
Stars: Keisha Castle-Huges, Rawiri Paratene
Studio: Newmarket Films
Whale Rider tells the story of a young girl, Paikea, who lives in New Zealand with a stern grandfather who, apparently, needs to get modern. Every scene tells us this and gives us an opportunity to tsk-tsk his staunch rejection of his granddaughter who he believes, despite her lineage, can’t inherit the leadership of this Maori village because of her gender. She’ll need to convince her grandfather she can lead just as well as the boys can, and she’ll need to do it before the end of the movie. But just when you think you have the film pegged, its sincerity manages to break through the thin characterizations and age-old plot. Young actress Keisha Castle-Hughes gives Paikea a richly expressive voice, and the turning point is an astonishingly heartfelt speech she delivers at a school program for parents. Castle-Hughes’ grace and beauty on the screen is probably the main reason Whale Rider became a surprise art-house hit.—Robert Davis
44. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Director: Terry George
Writers: Keir Pearson, Terry George
Stars: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix
Studio: Lions Gate
While Hotel Rwanda attempts to document the country’s genocide in 1994, it does so by focusing on the character of Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle), who gave refuge to hundreds of fleeing Tutsis. Calling in dozens of favors with his extensive network of contacts, he was able to hold the Hutu extremists (the Interahamwe militia) at bay, until the Tutsi rebels drove the Hutu from power. Cheadle portrays Rusesabagina as an efficient manager who cares deeply about his family and the people in he looks after It’s a gripping film that bears witness to both a historic tragedy and one man’s bravery. “I never thought I was doing something different,” Rusesabagina modestly told Paste just after the film’s release. “I thought I was just acting as a normal hotel manager.”—J. Robert Parks
43. In America (2004)
Director: Jim Sheridan
Writers: Jim, Naomi and Kristen Sheridan
Stars: Paddy Considine, Dijmon Hounsou
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Approximately one minute of this film is all it takes to fall in love with the two girls in the lead roles (real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger). Four minutes later, you’re in love with the parents (Samantha Morton and Paddy Considine), too. This Irish family is recovering from tragedy by immigrating to the tenements of New York. Their attempts to mend their broken hearts and scarred psyches after the death of their son—with the help of AIDS-stricken Djimon Hounsou, and a new baby—is heartrending, but the wide-eyed candor of the girls and writer-director Jim Sheridan’s sense of humor save it from being maudlin.—Emily Riemer
42. The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Writers: Giles Foden (novel), Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock (screenplay)
Stars: Forrest Whitaker, James McAvoy
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
The brutality of this film is at times difficult to bear, but harder still would be tearing your eyes away from Forrest Whitaker, who is fully inhabited by the charismatic monster Idi Amin. Director Kevin Macdonald pulls us gradually into the world of the Ugandan dictator through Amin’s Scottish personal physician, making for a Faustian seduction with horrific returns.—Josh Jackson
41. L’Enfant (2006)
Writer/Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Stars: Jérémie Renier, Déborah François
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
The Dardenne brothers specialize in poetically ambiguous titles, and in their latest film, it’s the new parents and their cohorts who seem like children. But the Dardennes love them anyway, telling their story in the unvarnished style that’s become their trademark.—Robert Davis
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The 25 Best Documentaries of the Decade…
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Not much argument from me. The Lord of the Rings shouldn't be on there. Those movies are grandiose showpieces of technology, and nothing particularly special. Read the books instead. (Then again, that's my advice for a lot of things.)
I'd probably "rate" High Fidelity higher, if we're suggesting that #1 is somehow "better" than #50. I tend to take such listings as this as collective groupings rather than rankings of superiority. High Fidelity is one of my favourite movies ever...at least the equal of Almost Famous.
Maybe I missed it (it's early here) but I don't remember seeing the Diving Bell and the Butterfly on here.
My Netflix list just grew enormously. Great top 3 picks, though.
No Requiem for a Dream or Pi or Butterfly? No Aronofsky at all? Odd.
Mostly good selections, some way too high, but 1 terrible, terrible, terrible, almost unforgivable mistake... The German film the Lives of Others does not qualify as one of the 50 Best Films of the Decade? A possible top 10 of the decade on any respectable critics' list and it does not even gain entry?
I usually don't use those internet abbreviations, but WTF? OMG?
Take the chance to sit your entire staff down for a couple of hours and watch this film. It is something that must be done before you review another film. As a Pan's Labyrinth freak, I was shocked when it lost best foreign film to this film, until I watched it.
You must ask yourselves, what else are we missing?
In Bruges? The Lives of Others?! Pan's Labyrinth ranked lower than Almost Famous?!!
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly should definitely be on here. So much more moving than L'enfant in my opinion.
I think an argument could be made for Crash and V for Vendetta as well.
A good chunk of my personal favorites are on here. But I definitely have some more movies to check out now!
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly should definitely be on here. It was much more moving than L'enfant in my opinion.
An argument could be made for Crash and V for Vendetta as well.
Overall, good picks! A good chunk of my favorite movies are on here, but I definitely have several to check out now!
OK, one glaring omission from my P.O.V.: Clean by Olivier Assayas. Stars Maggie Cheung, Nick Nolte and it opens with a killer performance by Metric.
It's one of my favourite films of all time.
Any movie that can make the shithole that is Hamilton, Ontario look interesting should be on this list.
No STATION AGENT? Easily a top 5 movie of the last 10 years. Nothing by Shane Meadows? Really? Totally agree with THE LIVES OF OTHERS comment. Would also add in LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, SYBECDOCHE NY, FROZEN RIVER... Lists like this are always conspicuous by what they leave off.
Just a heads up. The box cover for #41 is incorrect. While both are French films from this decade, L'Enfant(The Child) and Le Renard et l'enfant (The Fox and Child) are two different movies.
Rick, I attended the premiere of The Lives of Others in Toronto and reviewed it in Paste (before it won the Oscar, by the way). Just don't want you to think its omission from this list was solely because nobody had seen it.
Of course this isn't my personal collection of favorite films, even though I contributed votes and blurbs (and reviews from which blurbs were pulled). And it includes a few I wouldn't have, but that's the nature of group lists, and it's pretty hard to winnow the thousands of movies released in a decade down to 50 slots. What else are we missing, you ask? That's easy: tons.
I will forgive you for forgetting Lives of Others if only because you did not put Crash & Brokeback Mountain on the list. To see a list of Top 50 and not see that treacle is heart warming.
Robert, you do need to smack some sense into your colleagues for forgetting it though.
Glad to see that City of God got much deserved respect. Bonus points for Junebug and Iraq in Fragments
Judging by your critera of each choice being "an exquisitely made, exceptionally satisfying piece of cinema that we believe will endure well after the decade has ended," I have a few critiques.
Requiem for a Dream will stand the test of time. It is better written, directed and acted than most of these choices.
Half Nelson- Great performances (I love all three of those actors), but not much else that hasn't been done better in other movies.
While Man on Wire was both enlightening and entertaining, there are a number of better documentaries out there. Born Into Brothels, Taxi to the Dark Side, Encounters at the End of the World, to name just a few.
Other notable omissions:
Amores Perros
Road to Perdition
The Pianist
Slumdog Millionare
Narc
Shaun of the Dead
Inglourious Basterds (maybe a little soon, but I think this one will be around for years to come and though it stings a bit to say this, it's a better film than Kill Bill)
There's no such thing as a definitive list, though. I applaud you for this effort. It's a thoughtful one.
theagent37, check back next Tuesday for our list of the 25 Best Documentaries of the Decade.
Missing from my own personal list: All the Real Girls, To End All Wars, Narc, Training Day, Hot Fuzz, Anchorman, Punch-Drunk Love, Team America, Shotgun Stories, Gladiator, War Dance (docu), In Bruges. I realize that Anchorman and Team America would never make a list of top "respectable/indie" films, but damn, they do make me laugh. And Ben Kingsley's performance in Sexy Beast rivals--and exceeds--that of Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland... so I'd perform a switcharoo there.
Missing from my own personal list: All the Real Girls, To End All Wars, Narc, Training Day, Hot Fuzz, Anchorman, Punch-Drunk Love, Team America, Shotgun Stories, Gladiator, War Dance (docu), In Bruges. I realize that Anchorman and Team America would never make a list of top "respectable/indie" films, but damn, they do make me laugh. And Ben Kingsley's performance in Sexy Beast rivals--and exceeds--that of Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland... so I'd perform a switcharoo there.
Missing from my own personal list: All the Real Girls, To End All Wars, Narc, Training Day, Hot Fuzz, Anchorman, Punch-Drunk Love, Team America, Shotgun Stories, Gladiator, War Dance (docu), In Bruges. I realize that Anchorman and Team America would never make a list of top "respectable/indie" films, but damn, they do make me laugh. And Ben Kingsley's performance in Sexy Beast rivals--and exceeds--that of Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland... so I'd perform a switcharoo there.
I like the list overall, almost all my favorites were there. I've long said "City of God" was one of the most powerful films I ever saw. I was glad to see the little noticed "Elephant" get such props, that movie is haunting to its core. "Half Nelson," "Junebug," and "Millions" were all Indie Gems that triumphed.
I was surprised that no love was given for the epic Musicals of the past decade. No "Moulin Rouge" or "Chicago"?
theagent37, I disagree about Half Nelson. It's a much more complex film than just a few good performances, as good as they are. It works on several levels, and I appreciate that someone can enjoy one without caring about the others. For me, it's a time capsule of a certain political sentiment that a few films from that period (Old Joy is another) captured quietly and subtly.
Of the omissions you mention, the only one I'm really partial to is Inglourious Basterds. I'm eager to see it again.
I was surprised to see you left off the two epic Musicals of the past decade: Moulin Rouge! and Chicago
Errr....think I'm not in your demographic.
Some great flicks, but Requiem for a Dream is conspicuous by its absence.
Y tu Mama Tambien or Amores Perros?
Station Agent? Doubt?
It is a shame there aren't more to choose from, but the creative bankruptcy continues.
Even though like Rob, my personal list doesn't look too much like what we have here, I'm pretty content with how things turned out (even though I have a hard time even finishing Amelie ...).
I think Josh summed up why in his summary. The sheer variety of what's there makes me happy. Here's to another decade of great art
Where's "Crash" ?
The lack of WALL-E on this list makes it an instant failure.
A total lack of WALL-E makes this list a total failure.
Hilarious. You should probably put a little more thought into these lists aside from what gets a high rating on IMDB and the last few Sight & Sound polls. Otherwise, I suggest your rag stop covering film entirely.
i cant believe "the fall" didnt make this list...
Tarsem's The Fall is certainly visually ravishing, and I like the way the fantastic story is filtered by the head of a little girl (kind of like Pan's Labyrinth in that way), but it's dramatically inert. I'd need to see it again, but my first reaction was that it was a clever construction but hard to warm up to because the color-coded characters are not only thinly drawn but keep changing every time the story resets. It's a little like Hero in that way, and I have similar reservations about Zhang Yimou's film.
I was a little disappointed to see a lack of Chinese and Korean films on here. With contenders like Oldboy (2003, Chanwook Park), 2046 (2004, Kar Wai Wong), Se, Jie/Lust, Caution (2007, Ang Lee), In the Mood for Love (2000, Kar Wai Wong) and Ying ziong/Hero (2002, Yimou Zhang), it's sad to see a very large market of films completely overlooked. The list is fairly solid, and you did a great job of recognizing many excellent foreign films as well as American films, but it feels strange to see you overlook one of the most respected suspense movies of the decade (Oldboy).
I was a little disappointed to see a lack of Chinese and Korean films on here. With contenders like Oldboy (2003, Chanwook Park), 2046 (2004, Kar Wai Wong), Se, Jie/Lust, Caution (2007, Ang Lee), In the Mood for Love (2000, Kar Wai Wong) and Ying ziong/Hero (2002, Yimou Zhang), it's sad to see a very large market of films completely overlooked. The list is fairly solid, and you did a great job of recognizing many excellent foreign films as well as American films, but it feels strange to see you overlook one of the most respected suspense movies of the decade (Oldboy).
Not even one Harry Potter movie?
http://www.ifeelyaophelia.com
E. Kaplan, I think you're probably right about that. In some ways, the list reflects the reality of movie watching in the United States. A list with a heavier weighting toward films from mainland China, Hong Kong, or South Korea might match the world's cinematic output, but it wouldn't match the movies seen in America. No matter how strong the films of Jia Zhang-Ke (my pick for the decade would be Still Life) or Wong Kar-Wai (I'd pick In the Mood for Love), they're little-seen in the US relative to the English-language films in the list. Jia is almost exclusively a festival phenomenon in this country. Not surprisingly the "best albums" list here (and elsewhere, like Pitchfork) have the same Western slant. You could see these biases as limitations, or you could see them as properly reflective of the people who made the lists and the people who read them.
But ignoring all that, my favorite South Korean filmmaker is probably Hong Sang-soo, even though his films aren't as conventionally satisfying as Park's Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr/Lady Vengeance. This list includes a film by Hou Hsiao-hsien at #48 (another personal fave), but Flight of the Red Balloon is his most Western film to date, and we could almost as easily have included films by his contemporaries Tsai Ming-liang (either What Time is it There? or The Wayward Cloud) or Edward Yang (his swan song, Yi-Yi).
The list does swing to the adventurous in spots, though. You'd be hard-pressed to find a film more foreign, in every sense of the word, than Syndromes and a Century, proudly sitting at #18, or a film more aware of the very state of foreignness than Beau Travail at #6 or even, in its own way, Lost in Translation at #7. I love that about all three.
no slumdog millionaire ?
i can't believe diving bell and the butterfly didn't make it on there at all. big miss there.
Some good suggestions on here. I haven't heard of Beau Travail and am looking forward to it. But the list strikes me as odd. Royal Tenenbaums? Almost Famous? Why do people like Almost Famous, by the way? I found it mediocre on first viewing and haven't the slightest interest in seeing it again. I saw Revanche last night and think it blows away those two movies and a good many others on this list.
No "Broken Flowers?"
Your exclusion of "In the Mood for Love" and its loose sequel "2046" are in-freaking-excusable.
Great Top 10, but any list that includes Juno should be dismissed. That movie was AWFUL!
mumble mumble 'Lost In Translation' mumble mumble 'Before Sunset' mumble mumble 'Primer' mumble mumble '25th Hour'
Glad to see I wasn't the only one who was shocked to find The Lives of Others left off. As I was reading through, I thought of it, but simply expected to see it at number one.
Great list, guys and a really fun game to play.
Here's mine:
http://twynne105.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/everyone-loves-lists/
Some of our favorites from the decade that didn't make your list (that you weren't already called out for):
Children of Men
Lars and the Real Girl
You Can Count on Me
House of Sand and Fog
Stranger Than Fiction
There are loads more, these are just off the tops of our heads. We're not complaining, though. There's no way to please everyone.
Then again, we loathed Lost in Translation and City of God, which most likely makes us traitors to our generation.
too politically correct...
films missed:
la pianiste /michael haneke/ 2001
requiem for a dream /darren aronofsky/ 2000
stellet licht /carlos reygadas/ 2007
and the best of all:
into the wild / sean penn/ 2007
Two glaring omissions:
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (easily a top 3-5 film of the decade)
The Lives of Others (eh, maybe top 20 at worst)
I see lots of faves here, but the most glaring omission is my pick for number one: Before Sunset.
Man this decade started out so well, but it kinda petered out. I remember circa 2001 there was a lot of talk about a new golden era of cinema with the likes of Mulholland Drive, Y Tu Mama Tambines, LOTR.
Enough good stuff made it through to put this naughties over the crummy 80's and 90's.
This list is odd. Any list that puts Beau Travail and the Dardennes top 10 has rather committed itself to art cinema. But how can it then include the middlebrow preciousness of the Royal Tennebaums and (wince) Amelie. Also inexplicable: Mulholland Drive is not No. 1. I realize opinions vary about exactly how genius this film is, but not among people who, you know, care about art.
Lack of Aronofsky is a bit disappointing to me also. Where is Requiem for a Dream? Visually both shocking and stunning, a bit like watching Trainspotting but with a punch in the stomach instead of a pseudo-happy ending. Or The Wrestler with it's heart breaking portrayal of the ultimate broken man.
Not convinced by this list in many respects...didn't spot any Michael Haneke (correct me if I'm wrong) either. Also, where were Gladiator, Nemo and The Pianist?
Good list. I haven't watched about a third of the movies. I have a hard time believing anybody considers Ratatouille and Up better than Finding Nemo and Wall-E. I was also hoping Shaun of The Dead would make it.
Good list. I haven't watched about a third of the movies. I have a hard time believing anybody considers Ratatouille and Up better than Finding Nemo and Wall-E. I was also hoping Shaun of The Dead would make it.
Wow, aside from a few solid picks, apparently a lot of the criteria for best of the decade was split between "Of the moment" films and cliche standard indie fair. Juno is 15? Groundbreaking!
Correction: "The 50 Best Art (House) Films of the Decade" (with the exception of LotR and maybe a couple of others). Do bear in mind that not everyone is into this kind of movies and claiming that these are the best movies of the decade without even considering mainstream Hollywood blockbusters/movies (that many more people enjoy, regardless of whether you agree) is - in fact - quite pretentious and arrogant (sadly enough, being pretentious and arrogant is what part of the Art Film scene is often all about).
Interesting collection, well put together.
Just not sure about 'Elephant'.
UP over WALL-E? One's a 10 the other's a 9.5, but you got them wrong.
did someone seriously suggest Crash? that movie is elementary at best. i still struggle to find what people find so interesting about its limited approach to exploring racial tensions.
Altogether a fairly tight list. My major gripe is, I fail to see how "The Dark Knight" ranks at 11 and worst still higher than "There Will Be Blood".
The former is a decent action movie with a stand out performance from Heath Ledger, it does however have some serious flaws. The plot was too bloated and sprawling. The two ships sub-plot was ridiculous. Christian Bale's performance and fight scenes were boring and wooden.
The latter is monumental and almost perfect. Definitely should be in the top three.
i seen pretty much all the movies on this list for free and completely legal at http://www.doesthatwork.co.uk
i seen pretty much all the movies on this list for free and completely legal at http://www.doesthatwork.co.uk
WHERE IS V FOR VENDETTA???
This list is terrible. I hope you die.
No Wall-E? Really? C'mon, Paste.
No Country for Old Men is the most overrated movie of the decade. Theme "the futility of being good and just in the face of abject evil"... Really? Reviewer is way too impressed with himself and the setting of the movie...
And for the commenter who thought that pi should be included in the list, what are you smoking? Can I have some?
Almost Famous before LOTR......you're an idiot.
You guys have a great list here (Royal Tennenbaums being in the top tells me that this fantastic film is getting the praise it deserves) you left off two movies though;
Minority Report: Steven Spielberg shows why he is one of the greatest directors to grace the earth. A story about how governments can control our lives. The beginning scene where the Precrime unit is sent to stop a murder just seconds away from being carried out, Tom Cruise after his eye operation going through the disgusting apartment and the eyeball running down the hallway. Such great scenes. I remember being twelve and seeing this movie, sitting in the theater in suspense about what will happen next.
Children Of Men: Probably the greatest ending of any movie I have ever seen, where the walk down the stairs and out of the building. I was in tears. Tears, damn it all.
It is easy to complain but overal I think you guys made a worthy list. The movie this decade that had the biggest impact on me though was Amores Perros and feel it should be up there right with City of God, also great. I also would have like to have seen Ghost World (and I am not sure about Juno being so high) but I understand there were alot of choices and more than one editor. Fun to read and a reminder that this was not a bad decade for movies. (As long as you can forget watching August Rush :))
Good list, were doing much the same on our site. Must say Hidden is a worthy winner.
We have a poll on ours to see what everyone else thinks, would be great if you'd come along and vote
www.lastsiteontheleft.blogspot.com
I hate throwing this word around, but City of God is a genuine masterpiece, and very deserving of best film of the decade. My only complaints are that Boden and Fleck's Sugar (2009) deserves a spot on this list, and why aren't there any Aronofsky films?
We're compiling a top 100 of the decade on our site
www.lastsiteontheleft.blogspot.com
one writers list is alread up, so feel free to have a look and see what you think.
there's also a poll so feel free to come and vote.
Dogville is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Dancer in the Dark is a better choice
Once is a Single in search of a movie.
Missing: Diving Bell, Wall-E, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
you guys are trippin. i've had it with these lists.
ok granted your obvious artsy neurotic taste..
in this company you've failed to mention
'the fall'
and you've jumped on the bandwagon with
'The Royal Tenenbaums' over 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' (his true masterpiece)
The Dark Knight.. OVERRATED!!! Yeah Heath Ledger was great.. yada yada yada. Still not the best Batman Movie Ever.
Terrible List. I'm out.
Ghost Dog is 1999...
If there was a "Top 10,000,000 Movies Of All Time" list and Juno were on it, the list could immediately be rendered garbage.
also..21 Grams? The Constant Gardner? Atonement? Into The Wild? Brokeback? and on, and on and on....
City of God was one of the few things right about this list.
all of this....IMO, of course!
You compiled a very nice list of movies I must say and give credit. As a matter of opinion, I have to disagree with at least the top 10. I honestly just don't get it.
I love your site by the way. Very appealing and welcoming!
Not a bad list at all, guys! Excellent to see "In America" (agree completely about the Bolger girls) and "Ghost Dog", in particular, included here. Here's some omissions that I loved this decade:
1)Mystic River (!!!) *Might be my personal number one.
2)Before Sunset
3)Rachel Getting Married
4)Little Children
5)School of Rock
6)Michael Clayton
7)My Kid Could Paint That
8)Sideways
9)The 40-Year Old Virgin
NO SERIOUSLY: The Royal Tenenbaums, Best Film of the Decade
Set in a fairy tale version of New York City, The Royal Tenenbaums tells the story of a once great family of geniuses, uncomfortably settling into mediocrity. Richie, the former tennis pro, is literally “out at sea,” tormented over romantic feelings he has for his...
READ MORE at theumpteenthtimes.com/?p=1747
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Here's my list:
http://sdrury.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/the-nextflix-decade-the-best-movies-of-the-2000s/
This comment may seem delayed, but it's still not the end of the decade. "City of God" sits just outside my top 25, and "Amelie" doesn't even make my top 100. The over-rating of both films seems to ignore the fact that (a) they are too coldly objective: "City of God" doesn't take us inside Rocket's head or heart, only his camera; Amelie is likeable, but we are meant to accept she likes some creep without feeling any justification for her affection; and (b) they are too repetitious: both films show similar scenes multiple times without counterpointing this with any real development. On the other hand, one of the best films of the decade, which did not make this Top 50 list, "Sideways" commits none of the sins and has a superior screenplay. It is debatable whether some critics over-rated it, but there is no question that whoever put this list together has severely under-rated it.
When I read my way until the top ten I was thinking, wow a top 50 list that didn't include City of God. Read my way to the top 5 and said to myself "I'm writing an angry letter to someone". Then when I saw that film number 1, I thought, are these people crazy?
i can't understand why Mystic River is not on this list.. its one of the most moving and shocking movies of all time...
Excellent list. I'd like to cast a vote for the criminally underappreciated Children of Men.
1. In the Bedroom
2. Hotel Rwanda 44
3. The Machinist
4. American Splendor
5. O Brother, Where Art Thou? 24
6. Spirited Away 39
7. Up 14
8. Good-Bye Lenin
9. Lost in Translation 7
10. Rabbit-Proof Fence (Noyce, Phillip; 2002)
11. In America 43
12. Bloody Sunday
13. Punch-Drunk Love
14. Billy Elliot
15. Slumdog Millionaire
16. Capturing the Friedmans
17. Ratatouille 32
18. No Country for Old Men 9
19. Hairspary
20. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 7
21. Chicken Run
22. The Dark Knight 11
23. District 9
24. Ali
25. Sideways
26. Ghost World
27. Donnie Darko 38
28. Fat Girl
29. Bowling for Columbine
30. Tarnation
31. Sicko
32. Ghost Dog 26
33. American Psycho
34. Monsters, Inc.
35. Shrek
36. Moulin Rouge!
37. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The
38. Incredibles, The
39. Star Trek
40. Traffic 23
41. Crash
42. Shaun of the Dead
43. Watchmen
44. Royal Tenenbaums, The 10
45. Pan’s Labyrinth 25
46. Catch Me if You Can
47. V for Vendetta
48. 25th Hour
49. Memento 17
50. Minority Report
Where's Crash???? That was an ver impacting movie.
Liste so i.O. Kann in Druck.
Missing from this list is "Let The Right One In", the best film of the vampire genre.
1. No Country For Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Pan's Labyrinth
4. Old Boy
5. Cache
6. Lost in Translation
7. The Hurt Locker
8. Wall-e
9. Thank You for Smoking
10. High Fidelity
What about Gangs of New York?
Where the hell is Gran Torino??? Seabiscuit? Michael Clayton??
Your post is weak...you are like a baby
KUNG FU HUSTLE
You had me until Almost Famous. It was okay, but not even close to the Top 50.
why are all the films about Black folks always pointing out their dysfunctions but never any films about the evil,pervasive, powerful and still continuing influence of the white west in Black folks lives?
Chop Shop
Into the Wild
Let the Right One In
Tribute
Tarnation
The Proposition
Pan's Labyrith
Good Night and Good Luck
possibly King-Kong but I'd have to see it again.
You lost me wth Lord of the Rings, Almost Famous and the start of Wes Anderson's Jump The Shark. Rushmore is his masterpiece.
Yes I appreciate how it rips on people from River Oaks, Houston, Texas but it is a fairly weak rewrite of a Christmas Story and not an art film- he just put things in from his privilaged background because he is nostalgic. Not Rushmore.
Was the Fast Runner this decade? I'm surprised no one mentioned the Kite Runner but I get that one not making it.
Oh, I forgot- Emille is not as good as Delicatessen. If you are going with Lord of the Rings then you should also include Cinderella Man or whatever that Boxing feel-good was called.
I know it's important for Paste to have a Top 50 list that's cool and indie - I get that, and agree with most of the selections. But it's hard for me to think of a person who had a greater decade than Clint Eastwood. 'Million Dollar Baby' should have been Top 5 - it was the first movie I thought of when trying to make my own Top 10 list last week - because it left the strongest emotional impact.
This list looks like you're trying to look like a discerning movie vierwe...only picking the not so well known and "independent" type files that people will sip coffee over and discuss in movie groups at the local community college.
The people who made this list are OBVIOUSLY Anti-Harry Potter douchebags. Prejudice should NEVER affect the way a list is prepared. It's a shame that such childish and DISGUSTING people are allowed to clutter the internet with their lies.
So so so sad.
don't get me wrong, i liked the movie ratatouille but its on the list when WALL-E isnt??? wall-e was seriously groundbreaking and incredible...up was good too but i think wall-e should even be higher than it...plus where is brokeback? gladiator? either moulin rouge orrr chicago, mystic river, finding neverland, milk, walk the line, into the wild? so many big ones left out...also i would have loved to seen a judd apatow film on the list! and not a single movie one of meryl streep or sean penn's movies on the list? that has to be sacrilegous
Great list! I only have a problem with two films which I believe are overrated and should not be on the list. One is "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," which I couldn't quite grasp or take seriously, and "No Country for Old Man," which is a great movie but is limited by its lack of breadth.
OMG, you completely forgot Casino Royale, which should hover around number 1!
Some of those commenting above definitely have the right idea: Good Night and Good Luck is an instant classic!
Well, i dont see any of the shreks, or finding nemo. In fact, most of pixars movies should be up on this list. there are a lot of movies that should be on this list, and a lot that need to be taken off
"Lieutenant, you'd be a General in the bitch army!" - Bruno
I realize that we all have different tastes, so I won't quibble about the vast majority of the list -which if not exactly what I would have picked, is very defendable. Bur c'mon - 'Up' as a top movie of the decade? The first twenty minutes were extremely good - the rest was not up to Pixar's usual standard (Bugs Life, Wall-E, etc.) for either laughs or plot.
I like the list for the most part and my list of movies to watch grew as well. Now on my own personal lists would have been such historical war epics like The Last Samurai and especially Gladiator, but I can also understand those movies being left off too. My only real objection is that Munich is not on this list ANYWHERE! Most consider Schindler's List Spielberg's masterpiece, but I think Munich is even better. Wherever one would rank Schindler's List on a 90's list, I think Munich deserves equal consideration for the latter decade...and I'm not Jewish
this list is garbage, lost in translation? are you kidding me? that was the worst movie of the decade, the royal tenenbaums fits in as one of the most overrated movies of the decade
Just a few comments...
Should be rated higher:
Mystic River
Crash
Little Miss Sunshine
Knocked Up
Should be rated lower:
Dark Knight
Lost in Translation
Although a lot of people didn't like "No Country for Old Men" I thought it was good because it left a lot of questions and made me think.
this list has midget legs to stand on. how does children of men not make the cut?
I am amazed that "Brokeback Mountain" is not on this list. It is definitely high in my personal top ten and does not deserve to be overlooked.
What the hell is all this artsy sh#$. Really, this is complete crap. Seriously, no one has heard of virtually any of this crap. You feel like this is deep or something. It's complete crap. albeit some of them were pretty good, but you totally missed the boat on so much.
I'd also like to point out that I have been watching family guy for the past 17 hours, so ....... well, regardless, this list is still crap..... like legit, it;s just.... not good. get over it... get to a theater, and good night.......
What the hell is all this artsy sh#$. Really, this is complete crap. Seriously, no one has heard of virtually any of this crap. You feel like this is deep or something. It's complete crap. albeit some of them were pretty good, but you totally missed the boat on so much.
I'd also like to point out that I have been watching family guy for the past 17 hours, so ....... well, regardless, this list is still crap..... like legit, it;s just.... not good. get over it... get to a theater, and good night.......
Gday,
awesome list and i had most of those in my top 20 list that i did for Alternative Magazine Online. If you'd like to take a look and let me know what you think i'd be very grateful!
once again, awesome list!! I wish i'd had the time to do top 50, what a great decade of movies we had!!
Matt
http://alternativemagazineonline.co.uk/2010/01/01/alternative-musings-the-top-20-movies-of-the-last-decade/
Lord of the Rings is overrated, and I'm not sure Dark Knight will stand the test of time. I would personally place Pan's Labyrinth much higher - probably in the top 5. Did Wall-E make an appearance or did I miss that?
I would also add:
Motorcyle Diaries
Requiem For a Dream
The Lives of Others
These are the best and awesome movies i like them.
------------------
Russ Dotson
vancouver flowers
Another bad list that's trying too hard to be highfalutin.
No, i dont think a lot of the movies of the list even deserve to be on there. If anything 15 out of the whole list do. Almost famous is hardly one of the best movies of the decade. Didn't see let the right one in anywhere. i'm just surprised you didn't add "donnie darko" most were so predictable.
There Will Be Blood is only 12? Under The Dark Knight? Don't get me wrong, Heath Ledger did an amazing job with his character, but Day-Lewis's performance in Blood was the best of the decade.
Good list overall though. Takes balls to make one of these.
What about "Punch Drunk Love"?
Not much argument from me--except maybe There Will Be Blood not being in the top 10. Everything else was more or less spot on.
im so glad once made the list.It's so simple and beautiful with a great soundtrack.wish it got higher though....
How could you not have The Passion of the Christ in here ? Because it was a Catholic movie ? Because it maybe offended Jews ? Was it to gory ? Come on you all know that The Passion deserves to be here.