I’m taking a step away from the health care debate to look at the best movies of the decade. I’m not really sure why; it seemed like a perfectly enjoyable thing to do. For a part of it I wrote a film blog for the Arkansas Times called The Moviegoer and occasionally reviewed movies for them. Watching movies, writing about movies, talking to my friends about movies is pure joy. I love it. I do. This can drive Mrs. Think Tank a little crazy.
Think Tank friend Philip Martin of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette already has my 2009 Top 10 movie list, and assuming he publishes it you will see what I liked in 2009. Until then, here are my thoughts on the decade’s best films. You won’t see a lot of Best Picture winners here, although there are a few. These are the films that over the past nine years made a lasting impression with me. I return to them over and over. They are, in my view, terrific.
Ten Best Films of 2000 – 2008
1. Almost Famous (2000)
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
3. City of God (2002)
4. The 25th Hour (2002)
5. The Dark Knight (2008)
6. Children of Men (2006)
7. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
8. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2008)
9. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
10. Gosford Park (2001)
Honorable mentions (by year): 2000 – Traffic, High Fidelity, You Can Count on Me, Best in Show, O Brother, Where Art Thou?; 2001 – Mulholland Dr., Memento, Shrek, Iris; 2002 – Far From Heaven, The Pianist; 2003 – Mystic River, 21 Grams; 2004 – The Door in the Floor, Maria Full of Grace, The Incredibles, Before Sunset; 2005 – Brokeback Mountain, A History of Violence, The New World, The Squid and the Whale, Junebug; 2006 – Casino Royale, The Departed, Once, Pan’s Labyrinth, United 93, Miami Vice; 2007 – The Bourne Ultimatum, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Into the Wild, No Country for Old Men, Superbad, There Will Be Blood, Zodiac; 2008 – Shotgun Stories, Wall-E, The Visitor, Tropic Thunder, Milk, Synedoche, New York, The Wrestler.
A note about 2009 - Because I don’t want to spoil my Top 10 I have intentionally omitted those films from this list. That said, if there is one movie that I think that stayed with me it’s “Avatar,” which is in a class all its own. It’s not my favorite film of 2009, but I think we’ll be talking about it ten years from now.
Those Top 10 lists will run beginning Jan. 1. Thanks for playing, BSR.
Interesting list. It looks like our tastes are largely similar, but there are a few on your list that I just can’t get with (A History of Violence, Muholland Dr., and a couple more). I haven’t seen 4 Months yet. If you get bored, you can check out my top 25 of the decade here.
Interesting list. Almost Famous. It is an awesome movie and well made but best movie. hrmmm… I’m not sure about that. I haven’t thought about movies but I willl be making a list. It will probably end up being done in January.
I would probably put Pan’s Labrynth on my top 10.