Thursday, December 17, 2009

Top 50 Movies of the Decade

Every couple days I will be adding to my list of the top 50 movies I have seen this decade. Every movie has come out this decade and I have seen each one. I'm sure there are some movies that are amazing and I probably should have seen them but I didn't so they are not on the list. Feel free to discuss



50. 300 (Zack Snyder 2006)

A very well filmed and edited action flick. A must see for anyone who is a fan of big fight scenes and digitally rendered six packs.

49. Borat (Larry Charles 2006)

For the simple fact that I don't remember laughing so hard in a theater, this film made it on my list. It is by far one of the funniest movies that has been made in any decade. This movie made Sacha Baron Cohen a house hold name for better or for worse.

48. Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller 2008)

With the best ensemble cast put together this decade, this movie is an instant classic. Not only is it one of Ben Stiller's best movies, but it also helped revitalize both Robert Downey Jr and Tom Cruise's career.

47. The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky 2008)

you can tell by watching this movie that Mickey Rourke understood and identified with his character more than most actors could. This extremely depressing film about addiction and obsession shows that very rarely life has a fairy tale ending.

46. Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle 2008)

The first Danny Boyle movie to appear on my list and definitely not the last. Slumdog is a fun and entertaining fairy tale about love and overcoming diversity.

45. X-Men 2 (Bryan Singer 2003)

The best out of all of the X-Men films and one of the best comic book movies made. Very well directed and acted, this movie raised the bar on comic book adapted films and led the way for movies like The Dark Knight.

44. The Incredibles (Brad Bird 2004)

My personal favorite Pixar movie and one of the few animated movies on my list. pixar proves they can make movies for kids and adults with this gem.

43. The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky 2006)

As beautiful as it is gutwrenching this love story about the Fountain of Youth show's that love will drive a man to sacrifice anything in order to preserve it.

42. Moon (Duncan Jones 2009)

First time director Duncan Jones hit the ball out of the park with this sci fi Thriller staring Sam Rockwell. Rockwell does an amazing job playing multiple versions of the same character and Jones does an amazing job displaying how a human being can break down after years of isolation.

41. Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer 2009)

This movie was way too much fun to not include in this list. Even if the media has been over saturated with Zombie stuff, i'm completely fine with this movie being the peak of zombiploitation this decade.

40. The Mist (Frank Darabont 2007)

This Stephen King instant classic shows that many times people can be more terrifying than monsters. A cool social tale mixed in with sci fi creatures makes this movie one of the scariest films of the decade.

39. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a son about his father (Kurt Kuenne 2008)

The first documentary on the list, Dear Zachary is one of the most depressing and upsetting movies I have ever seen. I hope that no other movie ever makes me cry more than I did the first viewing of this film. Very well edited with a gut wrenching story you will never forget.

38. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel Coen 2000)

The Coen brother's adaptation of Homer's Odyssey is a beautiful depiction of the south during the great depression. Besides the witty plot, the movie is well acted and directed. It's not only one of the most memorable Coen Brothers films, it's also one of their best.

37. Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet 2001)

If you can't tell already, i'm a sucker for fantastic cinematography. Since this film came out in 2001 it has been copied over and over by other film makers. It's very difficult to beat the over all beauty of this film. Making it a instant art house classic.

36. District 9 (Neill Blomkamp 2009)

Take South African history, add aliens, a spaceship, and some of the most badass guns you will ever see. Film all of that in a mock documentary style on a 30 million dollar budget and you get District 9. An over the top, action packed, sci-fi fan's wet dream.

35. The Departed (Martin Scorsese 2006)

Scorsese's main contribution to this decade is a remake of the equally impressive Hong Kong flick Infernal Affairs. This cops and robbers drama has so many twists and turns your head will spin. It also has one of the most shocking endings seen in a film this decade.

34. Sin City (Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller 2005)

Everything about this movie is just bad ass. With a never before seen style and a fantastic cast, this film rocks from the first second to the last. In ten years I hope to be writing about how awesome the sequel was.

33. Sunshine (Danny Boyle 2007)

Danny Boyle's movie about a space crew sent on a mission to reactivate the sun before it fizzles out and destroys earth is a fantastic and well film piece of sci fi art. Fox essentially buried this movie. Even with a lackluster ending, this movie still delivers an intense and wonderful story.

32. Munich (Steven Spielberg 2005)

This movie is essentially two and a half hours of Jews kicking ass and taking names. Eric Bana and Daniel Craig are both fantastic and Spielberg does a great job showing how horrible and sad the Munich Massacre was.

31. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson 2008)

The only Vampire movie actually worth a shit that has come out this decade. This amazing coming of age story is about to be bastardized and ruined by American film makers later next year.

30. 28 Days Later... (Danny Boyle, 2002)

The Danny Boyle trifecta is complete. This modern day retelling of Night of the Living Dead helped usher in the zombie craze that has taken over this decade.



29. Avatar (James Cameron 2009)

I originally wasn't going to include this film but the previous movie at my number 29 spot actually came out in 1999 so I had to find a replacement. Some people say that this film was ruined by a generic plot. I say, when you have special effects like these who gives a shit about the plot. This movie is fun, beautiful and shows what we have to enjoy the next decade.

28. Knocked Up (Judd Apatow 2007)

Most likely Judd Apatow's crowning achievement in film making. This well written film is probably the most funny and realistic comedy of the decade. Apatow can create dialog and characters like no one else in Hollywood and this movie shows off his talent exceptionally well.

27. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright 2004)

Just thinking about this movie makes me smile. It showcases everything that is great about modern British comedy and ushered in a whole new genre called Zomedy.

26. Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore 2002)

Instead of force feeding a liberal agenda down his viewers throats, Michael Moore asks one simple question in this 2002 documentary "What are Americans so afraid of?". Using a (mostly) unbiased view of gun control and gun obsession he does a fantastic job making you think about why we as a country is so afraid that someone may kill us at any moment.

25. The Proposition (John Hillcoat 2005)

Written by musician Nick Cave, this Australian western about the gray line of morality and how it is perceived by different people involved is an amazing film to watch. The cinematography and directing are top notch and the acting was only trumped by the fantastic script.

24. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro 2006)

This extremely dark fairy tale by Mexico's own Guillermo Del Toro is a real highlight of 2006. Only Del Toro can make something horrifying and beautiful at the same time. After seeing this, I know that The Hobbit is going to be off the chain.

23. Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2000)

The title translates to 'Love's a Bitch' and that is an accurate description of what is portrayed in this film. Basically this movie is about how cruel and heartless people can be to one another. Very Pulp Fiction-esque with it's layering of the three stories, this movie is very captivating and depressing.

22. Bad Santa (Terry Zwigoff, 2003)

Seeing as it is the Christmas season, how could I forget my favorite Christmas movie?
This dark comedy about the overall ridiculous holiday season that we force each other to partake in every year was an instant classic the moment it was released. This movie helps to immortalize comedy greats John Ritter and Bernie Mac and I will continue to watch it every Christmas for a long, long time.

21. Memento (Christopher Nolan 2000)

This mindfuck first introduced American audiences to Christopher Nolan. A wonderfully put together puzzle piece of a film demanded multiple viewings in order to understand.

20. Kill Bill vol.1 (Quentin Tarantino 2003)

QT's very stylized kung-fu film debuted in 2003. He managed to meticulously capture the beauty and the artistry of the Asian cinema that the film pays homage to. Well developed characters and an extremely high kill count puts this film not only on this list, but the list of my favorite movies of all time.

stay tuned... the teens are next

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