The Best Movies: 2000-2009

The ‘10s and ‘20s are fondly remembered for Chaplin; German Expressionist films; other masterpieces of the silent era (from Murnau, Eisenstein, Griffith, Lang, Dreyer, Flaherty, etc.); the first Hollywood superstars such as Rudolph Valentino, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Lon Chaney, and Lilian Gish; and the arrival of sound. The ‘30s for glittering Depression-era musicals, family films, screwball comedies, and Disney. The ‘40s for film noir, Westerns, WWII propaganda and morality tales. The ‘50s for Hitchcock, Kurosawa, Italian neorealism, the rise of other world cinema, and Cold War-paranoia sci-fi flicks. The ‘60s for Technicolor epics, youth-oriented pop films, and French New Wave. The ‘70s for its maverick directors (Altman, Allen, Scorsese, Polanski, Coppola, Spielberg, Lucas, Bertolucci, De Palma, Lumet, Pakula, etc.) The ‘80s for modern summer blockbusters and teen flicks. The ‘90s for indie filmmaking, East Asian cinema (Zhang Yimou, Wong Kar-Wai, Ang Lee, etc.), and the rise of CGI. What will this film decade be remembered for? (Hint: it involves cheap cameras and strong convictions…)

Judging a decade’s best is different from judging a year’s best. For an annual list, one usually asks: “Was it well-made? Was it well-written? Did it say something new and unique? Did I actually care about its characters and message?” For a decade review, we also ask: “Will it, or does it, deserve to be remembered? Was it groundbreaking? Does it have the legs to stand among history’s best?”

Below is a running list of movies in alphabetical order that will eventually be ranked in a few years’ time. Many of these films did not earn a lot of money, and most were deprived of proper recognition. Film history is filled with now-revered classics that were once ignored or overlooked (Citizen Kane, Vertigo, Singing In The Rain, The Wizard of Oz, to name a few), and time has not been kind to many Oscar winners and most box office smashes that had hype and publicity to thank (um, A Beautiful Mind?). You will not see on this list many seemingly-obvious shoo-ins for lists of this sort, either because they’re too pretentious for words, or just not good enough.

This list will change from time-to-time, to delete those proven unworthy and to add more (I have yet to see movies such as Requiem for a Dream, Batang West Side, Capturing the Friedmans, many Pinoy digital films, etc.). Eventually, I will also be providing a list of the best performances, memorable characters, scenes/sequences, and technical achievements. Now do your part and watch, or re-watch, these movies and tell me what you think. If you do not agree with my list, then why not start your own.

(UPDATED LIST HERE).






24-Hour Party People (Michael Winterbottom, 2002) Web: http://www.partypeoplemovie.com/

28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002) Web: http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/28dayslater/main.php?deeplink=

9/11 (James Hanlon, Rob Klug, Gedeon Naudet, Jules Naudet, 2002) Web: http://www.jonhs.com/911/911.htm

A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005) Web: http://www.historyofviolence.com/

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001) Web: http://www.warnerbros.co.uk/video/ai/index.html

Adaptation (Spike Jonze, 2002) Web: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/adaptation-superbit/index.html

Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001) Web: http://www.die-fabelhafte-welt-der-amelie.de/

American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000) Web: http://homevideo.universalstudios.com/americanpsycho/

American Splendor (Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, 2003) Web: http://www.americansplendormovie.com/main.html

An Inconvenient Truth (Davis Guggenheim, 2006) Web: http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (Aureus Solito, 2005) Web: http://www.blossomingofmaximooliveros.com/ ; http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pagdadalaga_ni_maximo_oliveros/

Arisan! (Nia Di Nata, 2003) Web: http://arisan.kalyanashira.com/

Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) (Zacharias Kunuk, 2001) Web: http://atanarjuat.com/

Baadasssss! (Mario Van Peebles, 2003) Web: http://www.sonyclassics.com/badass/

Bad Education (Pedro Almodovar, 2004) Web: http://www.sonyclassics.com/badeducation/

Bagong Buwan (Marilou Diaz-Abaya, 2001) Web: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325043/

Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005) Web: http://www2.warnerbros.com/batmanbegins/index.html

Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004) Web: http://wip.warnerbros.com/beforesunset/

Belleville Rendezvous (The Triplets of Belleville) (Sylvain Chomet, 2003) Web: http://www.sonyclassics.com/triplets/

Best In Show (Christopher Guest, 2000) Web: http://bestinshowonline.warnerbros.com/

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, 2006) Web: http://www.boratmovie.com/

Bus 174 (Jose Padilha, Felipe Lacerda, 2002) Web: http://www.bus174.com/

Camp (Todd Graff, 2003) Web: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342167/

Cars (John Lasseter, 2006) Web: http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/cars/

Cast Away (Robert Zemeckis, 2000) Web: http://www.castawaymovie.com/index_frames.html

Catch Me If You Can (Steven Spielberg, 2002) Web: http://www.dreamworks.com/catchthem/jump2.html

Chicago (Rob Marshall, 2002) Web: http://fansites.hollywood.com/~chicago/

Chicken Run (Peter Lord, Nick Park, 2000) Web: http://www.aardman.com/chickenrun/

Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006) Web: http://www.childrenofmen.net/

Chunhyang (Im Kwon-taek, 2000) Web: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chunhyang/

Cinderella Man (Ron Howard, 2005) Web: http://www.cinderellamanmovie.com/index.php

City of God (Fernando Meirelles, Katia Lund, 2002) Web: http://cidadededeus.globo.com/

Curse of the Golden Flower (Zhang Yimou, 2006) Web: http://www.sonyclassics.com/curseofthegoldenflower/

Deliver Us From Evil (Amy Berg, 2006) Web: http://www.deliverusfromevilthemovie.com/index_flash.php

Devdas (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2002) Web: http://devdas.indiatimes.com/

Dogville (Lars Von Trier, 2003) Web: http://www.dogville.dk/

Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001) Web: http://www.donniedarko.com/

Erin Brockovich (Steven Soderbergh, 2000) Web: http://www.erinbrockovich.com/flasher.html

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) Web: http://www.eternalsunshine.com/

Fahrenheit 9/11 (Michael Moore, 2004) Web: http://www.fahrenheit911.com/

Fantasia 2000 (Eric Goldberg, et al, 2000) Web: http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.08/4.08pages/schifffantasia.php3

Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002) Web: http://www.farfromheavenmovie.com/

Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, 2003) Web: http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/findingnemo/index2.html

Gangs of New York (Martin Scorsese, 2002) Web: http://www.crazy4cinema.com/Review/FilmsG/f_gangs_NY.html

Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001) Web: http://www.mgm.com/ghostworld/ie/index.html

Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000) Web: http://www.uky.edu/AS/Classics/gladiator.html

(NEW) Grindhouse (Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino, 2007) Web: http://www.grindhousemovie.net/

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuaron, 2004) Web: http://azkaban.warnerbros.com/

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001) Web: http://www.get-hed.com/

Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2002) Web: http://www.heromovie.org/

High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000) Web: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146882/

Hotel Rwanda (Terry George, 2004) Web: http://www.hotelrwanda.com/

Howl’s Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, 2004) Web: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/castle/

In America (Jim Sheridan, 2002) Web: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/inamerica/

In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2000) Web: http://www.wkw-inthemoodforlove.com/ ; http://www.inthemoodforlove-wkw.com/

Infernal Affairs (Wai Keung Laum Siu Fai Mak, 2002) Web: http://www.infernalaffairs.com/2002/

Jarhead (Sam Mendes, 2005) Web: http://www.jarheadmovie.com/

Kandahar (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 2001) Web: http://www.makhmalbaf.com/movies.php?m=10

Kekexili (Mountain Patrol) (Chuan Lu, 2004) Web: http://nationalgeographic.com/mountainpatrol/

Kill Bill Vols. 1 & 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003-2004) Web: http://www.tarantino.info/wiki/index.php/Kill_Bill_References_Guide; http://www.tfmdistribution.fr/killbill/

King Kong (Peter Jackson, 2005) Web: http://www.kongisking.net/

Kubrador (Jeffrey Jeturian, 2006) Web: http://tornandfrayed.typepad.com/tornandfrayed/2006/08/kubrador.html

Lagaan (Ashutosh Gowariker, 2001) Web: http://www.lagaan.com/

Lost In Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) Web: http://www.lost-in-translation.com/

March of the Penguins (Luc Jacquet, 2005) Web: http://wip.warnerbros.com/marchofthepenguins/

Maria Full of Grace (Joshua Marston, 2004) Web: http://www.mariafullofgrace.com/

Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006) Web: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/marieantoinette/index.html

Match Point (Woody Allen, 2005) Web: http://www.matchpoint.dreamworks.com/

Mean Creek (Jacob Aaron Estes) Web: http://www.meancreekmovie.com/

Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000) Web: http://www.otnemem.com/

Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002) Web: http://www.minorityreport.com/

Moulin Rouge (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) Web: http://www.clubmoulinrouge.com/

Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) Web: http://www.mulhollanddrive.com/

Munich (Steven Spielberg, 2005) Web: http://www.munichmovie.com/

No Man’s Land (Danis Tanovic, 2001) Web: http://www.unitedartists.com/nomansland/

Oliver Twist (Roman Polanski, 2005) Web: www.sonypictures.com/movies/olivertwist/

One Hour Photo (Mark Romanek, 2002) Web: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/onehourphoto/

Osama (Siddiq Barmak, 2003) Web: http://www.osamamovie.com/

Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) Web: http://www.panslabyrinth.com/

(NEW) Pisay (Auraeus Solito, 2007) Web: http://www.pisaythemovie.com.ph/

(NEW) Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007) Web: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/ratatouille/

Riles (Ditsi Carolino, 2003) Web: http://www.pinoyfilm.com/riles-a-movie-executed-to-perfection

Russian Ark (Alexander Sokurov, 2002) Web: http://www.wellspring.com/movies/movie.html?movie_id=3

Sexy Beast (Jonathan Glazer, 2000) Web: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203119/

Shattered Glass (Billy Ray, 2003) Web: http://www.shatteredglassmovie.com/index_flash.html

Shrek 2 (Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon, 2004) Web: http://www.shrek2.com/

Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004) Web: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/sideways/

Sin City (Robert Rodriguez with Quentin Tarantino, 2005) Web: http://video.movies.go.com/sincity/

Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004) Web: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/spider-man2/index.html

Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) Web: http://www.spiritedaway.com.au/

Star Wars Episode VI: The Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005) Web: http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/

Super Size Me (Morgan Spurlock, 2004) Web: http://www.supersizeme.com/

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Park Chan-Wook, 2005) Web: http://www.lady-vengeance.com/lady_vengence.html

Tae Guk Gi (The Brotherhood of War) (Kang Je-gyu, 2004) Web: www.sonypictures.com/movies/taegukgi/

Talk To Her (Pedro Almodovar, 2002) Web: http://www.sonyclassics.com/talktoher/

Team America: World Police (Trey Parker, 2004) Web: http://www.teamamerica.com/

The Best of Youth (Marco Tullio Giordana, 2003) Web: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/best_of_youth/

The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, 2005) Web: http://www.theconstantgardener.com/

The Count of Monte Cristo (Kevin Reynolds, 2002) Web: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245844/

The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006) Web: http://thedeparted.warnerbros.com/

The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2005) Web: http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/incredibles/ ; http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/incredibles/

The Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003) Web: http://www.lordoftherings.net/

The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005) Web: http://www.thenewworldmovie.com/

The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson, 2004) Web: http://www.thepassionofthechrist.com/

The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002) Web: http://www.thepianistmovie.com/

The Queen (Stephen Frears, 2006) Web: http://www.thequeen-movie.com/

The Road to Guantanamo (Michael Winterbottom, 2006) Web: http://www.roadtoguantanamomovie.com/

The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) Web: http://www.royaltenenbaums.com/

The School of Rock (Richard Linklater, 2003) Web: http://www.schoolofrockmovie.com/

The War Tapes (Deborah Scranton, 2006) Web: http://www.thewartapes.com/the_film/

Traffic (Steven Soderbergh, 2000) Web: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181865/

(NEW) Tribu (Jim Libiran, 2007) Web: http://www.tribu-themovie.com/

Tsotsi (Gavin Hood, 2005) Web: http://www.tsotsimovie.com/

Tuhog (Jeffrey Jeturian, 2001) Web: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291530/

(NEW) Tulad ng Dati (Mike Sandejas, 2006) Web: http://www.thedawn.ph/

Unbreakable (M. Night Shyamalan, 2000) Web: http://www.mnight.com/unbreakable

Under The Sand (Francois Ozon, 2000) Web: http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/2138/

United 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006) Web: http://www.united93movie.com/

V For Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2006) Web: http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/

(NEW) Volver (Pedro Almodovar, 2006) Web: http://www.sonyclassics.com/volver/

Waking Life (Richard Linklater, 2001) Web: http://www.wakinglifemovie.com/

Wonder Boys (Curtis Hanson, 2000) Web: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185014/

Y Tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron, 2001) Web: http://www.mgm.com/title_title.do?title_star=YTUMAMAT ; http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/movies/review/2002/03/15/y_tu_mama/index.html

Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano, 2003) Web: http://www.zatoichi.co.uk/

Originally posted in paolospen.blogs.friendster.com