Top Ten Films of the 2000s

What a wonderful decade in movies. Picking the best ten will be nearly impossible. But here we go…

10. Children of Men – 2006

I was already a huge fan of Alfonso Cuaron and was looking forward to Children of Men on its release. Children of Men is the best science fiction movie of the the decade. Better than Avatar? You bet. It can almost be called as much as a bold visual achievement. It is hard to write about it without talking about the long takes, but I have to. They’re amazing. Faked, but amazing. Moreover, taking Cinéma vérité into a post- apocalyptic word with such undeniable success is nothing short of audacious. What a miracle this film got a green light. It probably only made back its budget, but it is a cinematic treasure.

9. Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind – 2004

You could say Michel Gondry’s film is science-fiction, which it is. You could also say it is a romantic-comedy, which it is. Regardless, it is a spectacular film about love and the devastation of break-ups. My brother often comments that it is the best romantic comedy of all time. Macho men might avoid this because of its tenderness, but it is truly a universal movie. Both men and women will enjoy the emotional core created by Jim Carry and Kate Winslet. The dialogues in Carry’s mind between the two are heartbreaking, yet wonderfully true to life. What’s the word? Oh, yeah. Bittersweet.

8. Lost in Translation – 2003

I dismissed this film at first. I don’t know why. I assume it is the arrogance of youth (I was 17 back then). I had also lived in Asia myself and couldn’t avoid comparing my own extraordinary story with Sofia Coppola’s. What a wonderful movie though. I hate to call it existential, but it really is. It is the kind of greatness you are not at ease describing. No story could be more simple. Two people are lonely, they find each other in a foreign city, spend only a week together, and are changed forever. There is no sex, but something more powerful, almost spiritual in a non-religious sense. The final scene might feel like a cop out, but who really cares?

7. Mulholland Drive – 2001

Mulholland Drive is Lynch’s greatest film. Many might have come across the lesbian sex scenes from this movie on porn sites. I know I have. But before discussing the movie, one has to discuss the sex. It is the sexiest, most character-driven intercourse put to film. Moreover, it is also a haunting story of Hollywood and a spiritual sequel to Sunset Boulevard. Its weirdness will alienate some, but stick with it.

6. Once

I am a musical fanatic. My brother is certainly not, but nonetheless forced me to sit down and watch a no-budget musical that he loved. It is truly a masterpiece. A musical for ever person that every claimed they love music. It understands the power of music and the outlet it provides for the artists that play it. Like Lost in Translation, the story is so simple, so universal. Two people are incredibly lonely. They meet. Play music with each other and go their separate ways. I think it was Woody Allen who said the only romantic love is unfulfilled? So true.

5. Pan’s Labrynth – 2006

Few films ever get put on Roger Ebert’s “Great Films List” the moment they are released. Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the few to have that honor. Ebert knew right away that Guillermo had made a masterpiece. Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy-war film is an epic undertaking. It has fantastical elements of a fairy tale, but the shocking realities of a war film. It has a dead-on technical brilliance that moved Del Toro into the category of visionary genius along with Cameron, Speilberg, Lucas, and Jackson. None of the four have come close to delivering such powerful visuals along with such a humanistic story.

4. Babel - 2006

The only other movie in recent memory to get added to Ebert ‘s “Great Films List” almost immediately. This move split audiences. I call it one of my favorite movies and I can’t put my finger on why. It isn’t exactly the most critically acclaimed film ever, but says something provocative about human beings. If you haven’t seen Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s break out film Amores Perros, go check it out first. Like his earlier films, Babel follows the lives of strangers connected by a single “event”. What makes the Babel so different is the “event” is almost incidental, even irrelevant. Babel hopes to show us how we share this planet with each other and are so little alike, but ironically, so similar. Also, the Japanese segment is most certainly relevant and probably the most emotionally involved. Four of the ten movies on this list are a part of the Mexican New Wave, a film movement which deserves attention and deep admiration.

3. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Not much can be said about the Trilogy. It should be number one. It is epic and wonderful. At any moment in my life I’ll immediately be ready to sit down and watch all three films. What a genius Jackson and company are. What an awesome, bold move it was to finance all three films at once, unknowing of Jackson’s potential. What a powerful hold Jackson, and his writing team, have on the hero’s journey and the art of story. Even Robert McKee was probably impressed…maybe…

2. City of God – 2002

I choose this film as a Alternate DVD pick of the week on my last podcast and with good reason. It is truly a masterpiece. It could be called The Godfather of our time. I laughed off comparisons with Gomorrah, a similar look at crime, but focuses on  a modern-day Italian crime. COG was largely ignored on its release, but has been steam-rolling towards greatness ever since. It deserves to be sought out and hailed as the best film of all time. Fernando Meirelles hired no-name actors off the street and made dramatic characters out of them. How many characters are as memorable as Lil Ze? It moves with the pace of an action movie, but holds the emotional center of a great epic. It should be studied in film school and analyzed by any would-be filmmakers. It can be enjoyed by any class, creed, or nationality, even Americans, despite its length and subtitles. It is not number one for no other reason but I personally like the number one more.

1. Y Tu Mama Tambien – 2001

When people ask me what my favorite movie is, nine times out of ten I answer : Y Tu Mama Tambien. Why? Fuck if I know. Some movies just effect you deeply at a vulnerable time in your life. I’ve read that Gene Siskel saw Saturday Night Fever, another coming-of-age story, seventeen times on its release and bid on, and won, the suit worn by Travolta at the end of the film. You could say I have a similar affinity for Alfonso Cuaron’s story.

Most people respond, “Isn’t that about two gay dudes that kiss?” Well, yes. Kind of. It is about two boys who ultimately kiss and have feelings that are bisexual-in-nature. But it isn’t simply a “gay” movie. Like Chasing Amy isn’t just a “gay” movie. Tambien is about death, poverty, class hierarchy, sexuality, machismo, and about a thousand other things. If you’re a male and remember what being young and having sex was like, there is no reason this movie shouldn’t resonate with you.