by Dale J. Nauertz

I’ve never reviewed an entire decade before, and I’m a little amazed that this site has been around for the whole thing. (Jones will have to correct me, or confirm this, but I think we started the site sometime in 2000.) I’m definitely a different person than I was when the decade began, as I’m sure all of us are. But one thing has remained the same: I’m still a movie geek, and proud of it. And this decade has given people like Jones and myself plenty of things to geek out about. What follows are, IMHO, the ten best films released between 2000 and 2009. Obviously, I haven’t seen every film made during that time span but I’ve seen more than my fair share and I’m pretty confident that these are the ten best films the decade had to offer. There were plenty of other great films that didn’t quite make the cut, but I still feel limiting it to ten is the way to go. I’ve seen some Best of the Decade lists that choose the top 30 or even the top 100 and, frankly, I think they run the risk of just listing every movie they liked. That’s why this list took so long to put up. It was hard choosing the top ten, and the titles shifted quite a bit between the time I had this brilliant idea (November) and the time I finally, confidently, posted it on the interwebs (mid-April, 2010). Here it is, for all posterity, the Top Ten of the past decade:

10. Hot Fuzz (2007)

The decade has brought us a lot of brilliant directors (several of which I will name during the course of this article) but one of these people, in particular, I feel deserves a lot more praise: Edgar Wright. A lot is said about Judd Apatow and he’s done some fine work (though I like the movies he produces, generally, better than those he directs) but I simply prefer the work of this Englishman when it comes to comedy. For one thing, he’s got more visual flair than any other filmmaker in the comedy genre. For another, he gets great performances out of his actors (Simon Pegg is never better than when Edgar is directing him) and fills his goofy, genre exercises with endearing, well-rounded characters. And for yet another, his films are a friggin’ blast. “Shaun of the Dead” was a rollicking comedy filled of exciting set pieces and huge belly laughs that actually had a lot more substance than was apparent on initial viewing. And “Hot Fuzz” is even better. It’s a great send-up/love letter to buddy cop action films that is infinitely clever, warm-hearted and insanely well-plotted. It’s got balls and a heart. Plus, you’ve got to love any movie that references both “Lethal Weapon” AND “The Wicker Man” without being derivative.

9. Up in the Air (2009)

Jason Reitman is another of the great directors to which this decade has introduced us. His films boast both a sharp satirical wit and a surprising amount of heart. His debut film, “Thank You For Smoking”, was a firecracker. And then he brought us “Juno”, a film that was snarky and clever and also quite moving. And this, his third film, was even better. “Up in the Air” is the story of a man who travels the country firing people for companies that choose to outsource this unpleasant task. When his company flirts with the idea of firing people over the internet, he suddenly finds his own job on the line. A movie about a man whose job is firing people may not sound like a good time but, unexpectedly, it really is. George Clooney could easily have played this character as a cool, jaded prick and we still would have loved him for it. But he pushes the character deeper, finding the humanity within this particular prick. The character serves up the surface gloss at first and then shows us that he actually cares about the people he’s laying off, and that he cares enough and is good enough to cushion the blow on what is probably the worst day of each of these people’s lives. In fact, every time the viewer thinks they’ve got this film figured out, Reitman finds a way to throw a curve ball and toy with their expectations. Not only is this one of the most relevant films of the decade, speaking to the current economic crisis rather than trying to avoid it, it’s also one of the most surprising.

8. WALL-E (2008)

So it turns out the most tender, sweet, warm-hearted love story of the decade was between two robots. That is the magic of Pixar, a company that reinvents the art of animation by emphasizing the importance of story (what a revolutionary concept). Sure, the visuals are astonishing (one is hard-pressed to think of another group of filmmakers adept enough to pull off a half hour of film without a single spoken word in it, or with the box office track record to back such a bold decision) but it’s the simplicity and subtle power of the story being told that really makes this movie dance (and it does, literally, among the stars themselves). Though they speak less than any other character in the film, Wall-E and EVA seem to have souls. They touch our hearts and remind us, ultimately, of ourselves. Not only that, but the movie manages to work in a message about taking care of our planet and appreciating the lives we live without being preachy. Virtually everything about this movie is magical, but that’s hardly surprising. With each film they make, Pixar makes the magical seem easy. This is simply the best they’ve done so far.

7. Kill Bill (2003 and 2004)

All right, I’m cheating here. But Volume One and Volume Two are simply that, two parts of one enormous epic (at least I’m not including all three “Lord of the Rings” films as one movie, that would be going TOO far). The first volume is the more exciting one with bloody, full throttle, eye-popping (literally) action set pieces. However, it’s also a remarkable cautionary tale of revenge. Each act of vengeance seems simply to beget another, and another and so on until the film has woven a never-ending chain of violence and horrible consequences. The second volume, however, finds more of the humanity and truth (so to speak) beneath these events. The first film is the legend, the second is the reality (well, the film reality anyway). Together, they perfectly complement one another and provide a rich, exhilerating filmmaking experience. In my opinion, this may very well be Quentin Tarantino’s finest work. It’s a marvelous demo reel of everything the man is capable of. It’s got dialogue that sounds the way we all wish we could talk, astounding action sequences, unexpected plot twists, emotional depth and brash film technique. It’s equal parts spaghetti western, samurai film, Italian giallo, anime and simple human drama. (Side note, one of the reasons I love this film so much is that Tarantino is one of the few filmmakers left that mainly rely on stunts and other practical effects to create stunning action sequences. For all of this flash and his gleeful profanity, his reliance on little niceties such as story, dialogue and stuntwork make him a refreshingly old fashioned director. Hopefully he never decides to make a film about CGI aliens…though, if he did, I would certainly be interested in what fresh spin he’d put on it.)

6. There Will Be Blood (2007)

The only thing most people seem to mention when they talk of this film is the powerhouse performance of Daniel Day Lewis. Lewis IS amazing here, giving perhaps the finest performance of the decade. Even if the movie surrounding him weren’t completely fascinating, Lewis would single-handedly push it into at least Honorable Mention category. However, “There Will Be Blood” has a hell of a lot more going for it than simply one of cinema’s all-time great performances. For one thing, there’s the haunting beauty of the cinematography. There’s the simple, understated elegance of the plot (which is all about a man’s soul and the various ways he compromises it in service of his own catastrophic greed. Seriously, has there ever been a more calculating cinematic bastard than Daniel Plainview? There isn’t a single decision he makes that isn’t designed to ingratiate himself into people’s pocketbooks or cement some kind of deal. Only at the end, once he’s worn his blackened soul down to the nub, does he really act from his cold, twisted heart.). There’s also the underappreciated performance of the fine Paul Dano (in dual roles, no less…though that itself seems up for debate). And above it all there’s P.T. Anderson bringing all his unique talent and filmmaking quirks to bear in the service of a story bigger, more enigmatic and more sheerly mesmerizing than anything he’s previously committed to celluloid. I admired each of the films he made before this, but I kept saying that he had yet to make his masterpiece. With “There Will Be Blood”, I think he finally did it.

5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl dumps boy. Boy sad. Before watching “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, I thought I’d seen every possible way this particular story could play out. My God, was I ever wrong. “Eternal Sunshine” is a story about love but it’s not a movie love story. It’s something far messier, something closer to the reality of relationships than perhaps any film I’ve ever seen. It’s about the maddening things people in love do to each other without even realizing it. It’s about the unique quirks we fall in love with and how those quirks can sometimes become the very things that drive a wedge between us. Just as importantly, it’s also about the importance of learning from mistakes. “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Few films illustrate that sad fact as well as this one. Charlie Kaufman’s mind-bending twists and turns are perfectly suited to this material. So too, for once, is Michel Gondry’s ability to create a loopy and dreamlike atmosphere. You see, it’s not just about love and mistakes, it’s also about the inner workings of the human mind itself. Oh, yeah, and it’s about memory. And if all that weren’t enough for me to rave about, it also features the best acting Jim Carrey will probably ever do.

4. Kingdom of Heaven: Director’s Cut (2005)

This decade brought us another war in the Middle East, and another handful of films about that war. But the best one was set during another conflict in the Middle East nearly a thousand years ago. “Kingdom of Heaven” explores that problematic region and all the reasons people have been fighting over it for centuries. It was marketed as another big, testoserone-heavy epic with swords and big battles “from the director of ‘Gladiator’” but that doesn’t even begin to scratch this movie’s surface. It’s about religion and family, it explores the things that are most important to us and the little differences that are often huge enough to make us kill one another. And it does so, as all the best movies do, by keeping the focus on a handful of people. There’s a man searching for meaning (Orlando Bloom, who does a fine job and actually reveals a fair measure of soul in this film), a man greedy for power (Martin Csokas who is, admittedly, kinda cartoonish) and the woman who is married to one and yearns for the other (Eva Green, fine in every sense of the word). These people represent every side of the Crusades and, to some extent, every conflict that has played out since. It’s a story full of nuance and emotion and tragedy painted on an enormous canvas with thousands of extras and truly breathtaking visual effects. It’s also the finest work director Ridley Scott has ever done. I always knew that he was a masterful visual stylist, but this work illustrates the complex emotional pull and important issues he’s capable of weaving into a film while sacrificing none of its spectacle (this is an Epic with a capital “E”). It’s an even-handed, though-provoking Epic, one that doesn’t rush to easy answers and illustrates the complexities and thorny consequences of even the most noble acts and intentions. Also, y’know, kick-ass battle scenes! I loved this film when I saw the theatrical cut, but Ridley’s Director’s Cut is even more astounding, adding sub-plots vital to the heart of the narrative and fleshing out each character with new levels of intricacy and motivation. The movie was already an epic, the extra footage simply capitalizes it.

3. Almost Famous (2000)

Cameron Crowe’s most personal film is also, not so surprisingly, his best. His ability to assembled a kick-ass soundtrack serves the film well, but so also does his masterful construction of well-rounded characters and marvelous ear for dialogue. With this film, Cameron Crowe created a bittersweet stew of emotions that resonate deep within my heart. All of his films do a good job of this (”Elizabethtown” was a mess, yet it still contained many wonderful moments that rang true) but “Almost Famous” has stuck with me more than any of his films to date. “Almost Famous” tells a simple story (boy loves rock and roll, spends several months following rock and roll band, jeopardizes his school career, forms crush on manic pixie dream girl) with a meandering narrative that could only be described as a “plot” in the most charitable sense of the word but, each time I watch it, “Almost Famous” hits me the same way, making me nostalgic for a time I never experienced and reminding me of the heartaches of young love which each and every one of us has inevitably felt and which are, in fact, a vital part of growing up. So, too, is realizing that your idols are not as perfect as you’d want them to be…and that neither are you. “Almost Famous” may not be the greatest movie ever made, but it captures those experiences better than perhaps any film I’ve ever seen. It’s also a perfect argument for the importance of music and the way it affects, gives meaning to and sometimes even changes our lives.

2. Children of Men (2006)

I was not a big fan of Alfonso Cuaron’s “Y Tu Mama Tambien” (I found it meandering, boring and ultimately pointless), but his chapter of the “Harry Potter” series remains the best. “Prisoner of Azkaban” pulses with more darkness, humor, excitement and pure artistry than any other “Potter” film to date. And though I loved “Azkaban” (and lay most of the praise for that movie’s success at his feet) I did not immediately rush out to see “Children of Men”. Quite frankly I thought it sounded depressing. After all, the movie is set in a future society into which no children have been born for nearly twenty years, a society in which suicide pills are legal and a woman who has become pregnant needs a bodyguard (Clive Owen) to ensure that she makes it to her delivery date. Even though my friends who saw the movie during its theatrical release raved about it, I still had my doubts. Really, how great could it be? It wasn’t until the movie’s DVD release that I discovered the answer: really friggin’ great. “Children of Men” is a captivating tale told in a breathtaking, harrowing manner sparing no measure of grit and despair that nonetheless lifts the human spirit by spotlighting tiny acts of dignity and grace in a world that is circling the drain. The acting is great, but it’s the film’s script, eye-popping cinematography (which is dazzling without calling undue attention to itself) and its sense of time, atmosphere and mood that set it head and shoulders above most films. Much has been made of the alleged realism with which the last two “Bourne” films approach their action sequences, but the ones that Cuaron and his collaborators bring to life here feel much more raw and immediate and accomplish this feat without inducing motion sickness. This is an incredibly gritty, haunting and subtle movie that feels like an immediate classic. In my opinion, it’s one of the few films from this decade that will be studied in films schools fifty years from now. It’s not only a flawless illustration of filmmaking craft, it’s also an emotionally engaging cautionary tale that creates one of the most unique (and eerily realistic) future societies I’ve ever seen.

1. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

When the early reviews of “Fellowship” began springing up on the internet and in print, I was skeptical. How could I not be? Any film that gets compared to “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Godfather” by the film critic community before it’s even released is going to have a hard time NOT being overrated. I sneered. There was NO WAY this movie could be that good. I mean, I didn’t really even like the book all that much (it’s pretty hard to follow at times, has too many similiarly-named characters and lacks the sense of urgency that it should have) and books are generally better than the movies they spawn. Then I saw it. It didn’t blow my mind at first. I liked it, but I didn’t start gushing…not right away. The next day I thought about the movie all day at work and then decided “Hmm, that was pretty good, maybe I’ll see it again tonight”. I did, and I liked it a little more. A day or two later, still unable to shake the great dialogue (”A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins, he arrives precisely when he means to”) the amazing special effects (dig that Balrog) and compelling characters (I cared more about Gandalf, Aragorn and especially Merry and Pippin than I ever did while reading the books), I saw it a third time. A fourth followed. In all, I paid to see “Fellowship of the Rings” seven times in the theater (my previous record was “Titanic” with six), dragging pretty much everyone I knew along for the ride, and I loved it more with each viewing. Even at home, I’m still thoroughly transported from my own thoughts and concerns every time I view it. I’m still awestruck by the spectacle. Lines like “I was there, Gandalf, a thousand years ago when the strength of Man failed” still give me goosebumps. Gandalf’s sacrifice in the mines of Moria still wrings a couple tears from me, even though I know he returns in the next film. “Fellowship of the Ring” is every reason I go to the movies rolled into one, everything I hope for when I buy a ticket, take my seat and wait for the lights to go down. I want to care. I want to be swept away. I want to give over my heart and soul as well as my eyeballs to images projected to a height of seventy-five feet. I want to get lost. “Fellowship of the Rings” gave me a magnificent world to get lost in. It respected my intelligence, it touched my heart, and it earned my tears. It didn’t do it all at once, probably because I wasn’t ready for something so truly magical, utterly thrilling, complex and smart and, above all, gorgeous. Dear God, this movie is absolutely gorgeous. That single image of Aragorn and Arwen on the bridge at night in Lothlorien married to Howard Shore’s transcendent score is more magnificent than anything else in recent memory, and this film serves up at least a dozen more that are every bit as stunning and haunting. Every image is like a painting. Every emotional moment is honestly earned. Peter Jackson has his faults, like any other filmmaker, but none of them are apparent in “Fellowship of the Rings”. “Two Towers” and “Return of the King” were almost as good, but they didn’t quite grip me as thoroughly as “Fellowship” (though Gollum is a spectacular achievement). Don’t get me wrong, they’re still fantastic movies. But “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” is the closest thing to perfection I witnessed in a movie theater between 2000 and 2009. Nothing else even comes close.

Honorable Mentions:

The Dark Knight (2008)
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Inglorious Basterds (2009)

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