A-List: The Ten Best Movies of the 2000s
By Josh Spiegel
November 20, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
OK, now that I've got your attention, and your page views, let's get down to this week's A-List, the first part of, in some ways, a four-part series: the best movies and television shows of the 2000s. Yes, this is not the most original idea, and it is not the only list you're going to find here on the Interwebs, but hopefully, this list will anger and incense enough of you as to get the bile up. Before we begin my list of the 10 best movies of the 2000s, I wanted to go through a couple ground rules and list out some movies that would go on the honorable mention list for me.
First of all, the most important note is this: this list is created solely by me, and represents my opinion. By this time next year, the staff of Box Office Prophets will be preparing a Best Of list of movies, TV, books, and more. I'll take part in those lists, but this one is just me. Thus, though you may get angry or love my choices and rankings, remember, all the credit and blame can be focused on yours truly. Second, some of you may have wisely noted that it's still November, just about time for Thanksgiving; this means, of course, that I have not yet seen some of this year's so-called top films, including A Serious Man, An Education, and upcoming releases such as The Lovely Bones and Nine. However, my top ten list features no films from this year, partly because it's hard to say how much of an impact they have had over only a few months.
Lastly, before we get to the bottom five on my list, numbers 10-6, I wanted to list some movies that made it close to being in my top ten, but got eked out by a few more sterling choices, or movies that hold a more solid place in my heart. Among the movies on my list of honorable mentions are Memento, The Lives of Others, Adaptation., Punch-Drunk Love, Zodiac, Up, The Hurt Locker, Once, Sideways, United 93, Let The Right One In, The Wrestler, and WALL-E. Something else worth noting before we go any further: as much as I love them, as famous as they are, and as iconic as they may be, none of the Lord of the Rings movies are on this list. They're great, I love them, but no, they're not on the top 10 or on the honorable mentions. So get out your tar and feathers, folks. Let's get to the first part of this top 10. Editor's Note: Part Two will be posted as the regular A-List column for next week (i.e. sometime around Thanksgiving).
10. The 40-Year Old Virgin
You're about ready to break down my door, aren't you? How could this raunchy comedy about...well, a 40-year-old guy who's never had sex top my list as opposed to a depiction of heroism on one of this country's most tragic days, or a meta dramedy about writer's block, or even a tale of true vampiric love? Though I have laughed harder at a few movies this decade (Elf and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), there is no question in my mind that The 40-Year Old Virgin is also sweet, incisive, mostly realistic, and extremely, extremely funny. Here is the film that cemented Steve Carell's stardom, the film that made Judd Apatow something of a household name, the film that proved to mainstream audiences that Jane Lynch is a gifted comedienne (yes, there was a career for her before Glee), and the film that managed to begin with a man waking up to something of a raising of the proverbial flag and end with a Bollywood number.
Carell has never been able to evoke as many emotions in a movie as he does here; his Andy is thrilled at his newfound friendship with his co-workers, scared of the possibility of being with a woman, excited, frantic, crazed, everything. Yes, the comic set pieces, specifically the speed-dating sequence and Andy's ill-fated attempt to wax his chest, are amazingly funny, the latter all the moreso for Carell's dedication to actually doing the sunt; that blood is real and it's his. Andy's journey from overgrown if shy child to relatively functioning adult comes at a price, as he gives away all of his toys. But, on the other hand, he falls in love and enjoys having sex so much that he sings to the music of Hair. Silly, yes. Immature, sure. Poignant, touching, and believable? Yes, yes, and yes.
9. No Country For Old Men
I'm sure the question was asked sometime before 2007, but if you've ever wondered what the result of Joel and Ethan Coen directing a movie that features none of the typical Coen quirk would look like, the answer is No Country For Old Men, the 2007 winner of the Oscar for Best Picture. Based on the awe-inspiring novel by Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men is about how a satchel full of money turns an ordinary man's life upside down as he becomes hunted by the very personification of evil. As Llewellyn Moss, Josh Brolin went a little bit unheralded, but delivered a solid leading performance. Still, the role that got the most attention was that of Anton Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem in a performance that would get him an Academy Award. Chigurh is creepy at all times, able to be a seemingly textured and deep character despite being relentlessly single-minded.
What makes No Country For Old Men stand apart from even the other Coen Brothers great films, such as Fargo and Raising Arizona is its breathless suspense. The earliest chase scene, as Moss runs away from some drug runners as they chase after him and their money, manages to seem fresh in its you-are-there style, thanks mostly to the crisp and frequently jaw-dropping cinematography by Roger Deakins. Later, the major chase between Moss and Chigurh, centering around a hotel at nighttime is partly edge-of-your-seat filmmaking, partly visceral enjoyment. The finale, though faithful, threw some off, but the eloquence of Tommy Lee Jones' acting, as a local sheriff, and the at-a-distance direction from the Coens makes it all the more memorable. Not only one of the best of the decade, but the Coens' best.
8. Children of Men
What a shame that more people haven't taken it upon themselves to watch this haunting dystopian film, from visionary director Alfonso Cuaron. Set in the near future, Children of Men predicts a world where children are no longer born. What happens when the youngest person on the planet is a teenager? What happens to the way people live when the government strictly controls every one of your movements? Moreover, what happens if you happen to meet a young woman who actually is pregnant? Do you think about yourself, or do you think about the woman, even if you're not familiar with her, friendly with her? These are the questions posed by the film, and posed to the main character, Theo, played by a brilliant Clive Owen. Owen is his usual suave and rumpled self, but grows from a selfish coward into something close to a hero.
And, of course, those action sequences. Anyone who knows Children of Men knows that the film features some of the most fluid and frightening action sequences in a mainstream movie. The film's cinematography, by Emmanuel Lubezki, is flashy and stylish without ever rubbing your nose in it; a handful of lengthy scenes were shot in one take, over many minutes. The first scene, which ends not only with an explosion but a close-up of a woman who's just lost her arm in the blast, is one take. The climactic shootout in a war zone-turned-prison is also one take, even with a distracting patch of blood on the screen for a few seconds. Children of Men managed to mix technical prowess with a determined emotion personified by Owen and the antagonistic Chiwetel Ejiofor. Though underrated, this movie is a modern classic.
7. Ratatouille
Consider this the Pixar slot on my list, folks, because it's really hard to choose from such films as WALL-E, Up, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo. Still, all four of those films may be great, but they do not have one of the single greatest scenes and speeches I've heard in a film. The climax of Ratatouille, a biography of sorts of a young rat who wants to be a chef in Paris, has the main rat, Remy, and his entire family cooking a gourmet meal for a famed and freaky food critic. This is the scene, more than any, where the movie tips into silliness; that it takes 90 minutes for you to question the film's realism is a major credit. What makes the scene work is the critic's reaction: after taking a bite of the titular dish, the man is sent whooshing back to his childhood, then writes a revelatory review of the restaurant, opining on the nature of the critic. In this moment, I initially wondered how Pixar could get away with making a movie, or even a scene, that children would be baffled by.
What six-year-old is going to understand Anton Ego's review, aside from the implication that he loved the meal? Brad Bird, the film's director and co-writer, manages to make the speech to the critic in all of us, and tries to explain away the nasty stereotypes critics of all kinds are given by those who assume their opinions shouldn't matter. Whether it works or not is doubtful, but the speech is one of the most heartfelt expressions from a filmmaker to the world I've seen in a mainstream film. The rest of the movie, from Patton Oswalt's lead vocal performance (Patton Oswalt! The mind still reels) to the zippy Michael Giacchino score to the ultimately winning relationship between Remy and his human friend, Linguine, is joyful even when it asks deep questions. Ratatouille is, for me, Pixar's crowning achievement.
6. The Dark Knight
Is The Dark Knight still making money in theaters? It's been a year and a half, but the film's impact is still being felt. Aside from the countless rumors of a third film, there's the style of the action, the Christian Bale rasp, and above all else, the Oscar-winning turn from the late Heath Ledger. For those of you who have been reading my work on Box Office Prophets since last year, you know how much I loved this movie and how terrifically heartbreaking it was to not see the film get honored with a Best Picture nod. So how can I continue to wax philosophic on how unbelievably awesome this movie is? Should I even try? I mean, let's be honest, most of you already think it's a cool movie (and the others...well, we'll agree to disagree). What makes The Dark Knight a classic, a film that will give Christopher Nolan almost complete infallibility as a director (at least, meaning that I'll see anything he does), are the themes, the metaphors.
Oh, sure, the action's cool; the memory I have on seeing The Dark Knight is not of my jaw dropping as the semi truck flipped, but of the gasps elicited when Batman proceeded to ride up the wall of a building, and right himself in a second. No, what makes the movie work are the questions asked: when is something too far, even for a superhero? Batman, of course, is one of the most human superheroes, mostly because he doesn't really have any superpowers, aside from the power of having lots of money. Moreover, where is the breaking point for a person? Ledger's Joker tries to push people as far as they can go, and usually succeeds. His sly, wicked, and shrewd performance was instantly iconic, but the entire film is praiseworthy. Suffice to say, I am first in line for Nolan's next film; it may not be as good as this, but I'm very willing to give him slack. A movie like The Dark Knight tends to do that.