Best Films of the Decade

Here are my favorite films of the past decade (in order of release):

ALMOST FAMOUS (2000)

Inspired by events in his own life, Cameron Crowe’s tale of a young journalist who goes on the road with a rock band in the ’70s is irresistable cinema. A “smile all the way through” movie. Crowe’s best work to date.

GOSFORD PARK (2001)

Robert Altman’s murder mystery is a modern masterpiece, a complex tale of upper and lower classes set in an English country house in the 1930s. The business of murder is simply the backdrop in a thoroughly compelling character study. No one could juggle an ensemble cast as effortlessly as Altman.

SPIRITED AWAY (2002)

Certainly in the top tier of Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki’s work, Spirited Away is an extraordinary work of the imagination. Ten year-old Chihiro wanders into an abandoned amusement park and suddenly finds himself in a bathhouse of the gods. Miyazaki’s creativity is staggering. Watch how he deals with the theme of identity throughout the film.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001)

The best of Wes Anderson’s films, Tenenbaums follows the ups and downs of an eccentric New York family portrayed with gusto by an extraordinary cast. At first, it’s merely quirky comedy, and then a moment comes along when we realize that we actually care about these people. The wonderful art direction, cinematography and music are then just icing on the cake.

TALK TO HER (2002)

Pedro Almodovar’s masterpiece about women in comas, and the men who love them, goes places you might not expect; and it has you sympathizing with the characters in ways you couldn’t have imagined. Almodovar is one of the great filmmakers of our time, always challenging us with the moral dilemmas of his characters.

LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003)

Sofia Coppola’s film about two lonely Americans in Tokyo reaches beyond the limits of a movie and becomes an experience. It’s the film that launched Scarlett Johansson’s career and reminded us that Bill Murray is more than just a funny guy. A modern masterpiece.

A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (2004)

France in the 1920s. When Mathilde (Audrey Tatou) receives word that her fiance has died in the war, she refuses to believe it, setting out on a quest to uncover the truth. A stunning film by visionary director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. In my opinion, his best work to date.

THE NEW WORLD (2005)

Terrence Malick has made just four films in his 30-year career. The New World is in his top two. This retelling of the John Smith/Pocahontas story is slow-paced, graceful, meditative. In other words, quintessential Malick. Let it wash over you.

PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006)

In the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, a young girl moves into a house in the country with her mother and stepfather, a captain in the army who likes to smash peoples faces in with bottles. She escapes into a fantasy world as dangerous as the real one. Is the fantasy real or just a means of escape? Decide for yourself.

THE FOUNTAIN (2006)

A lot of people hated Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain. They called it indulgent, overly ambitious, too cerebral. All reasons why I love it. The poignant story of a man searching for a cure to his wife’s cancer is a supreme example of tone. A beautiful and haunting cinematic experience.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)

Paul Thomas Anderson made some wonderful films prior to There Will Be Blood (Boogie Nights, Magnolia), but his chilling character study about an oil tycoon, set in the dry plains of California in the early 1900s, elevated him to a different level. His most accomplished film, and one of Daniel Day-Lewis’s best performances.

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