Top 100 of the Decade: Part 1, 75-100

Preamble: Every decade has something associated with it. The 80's was the era of the action hero and synthesizer. The 90's was the era of experimentation. That leaves us the 00's, which we haven't really even bestowed a universal name for yet much less something that really defines it. Besides overtly being a list like so many best-of-the-decade lists that people hastily put together towards the end of a decade, I think of this list as a look back at what happened during the 00's in the public conscience. There are films on here that range from awkward comedies to bleak, post-9/11 dramas from around the globe. However, if you are looking for a look back at the events that shaped the decade, this isn't the list for you.

These are the type lists that give a meaning to the previous decade while illuminating what we considered a good film. We can look back on this time to see how we developed as a society and as a time capsule of what we felt these years. It could also show where we're going. As the years progressed, CGI became more realistic eventually culminating in "Avatar". Film stories began to compete with television and vice versa as each became more advanced. Independent films eventually decayed as their most talented directors got co-opted by Hollywood. Yet it will probably take years to sift through all the films that came out until we can put a real stamp on what the overall aesthetic change to cinema that occurred. Hopefully this list will start to illuminate on common themes and threads that were present in the films of the decade.


75) Man On Wire
"If I die, what a beautiful death!"

A tense documentary on an incredible artist, "Man on Wire" had me on the edge even though you see said man on wire throughout the documentary as an interviewee in the present. It really shows how amazing this film works together.

76) Howl's Moving Castle
"You're wearing that hat? After all the magic I used to make your dress pretty?"

Another beautiful fairy tale from the master, Miyazaki. The man can do no wrong.

77) Gladiator
"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

The original creator of the "Bad-ass Greek/Roman historical picture", "Gladiator" may not stand up as well as it did. Nonetheless, the bad-assness remains. Epic and enthralling, it's the perfect film just to watch and turn your brain off.

78) Deliver Us From Evil

Moving from corporations to religious organizations, this documentary is the most damning film about the Catholic priest scandal in the 00's. Seeing how high-level officials moved pedophiliacs from parish to parish without excommunicating them, it's a wonder to see how the Church rebounded from such a publicity nightmare. It's a tough film to watch, especially if you are Catholic, but it is essential for the documentary head.

79) Michael Clayton
"I'm not the guy you kill. I'm the guy you buy! Are you so fucking blind that you don't even see what I am?"

George Clooney is not exactly a great actor. What he is, really, is a great leading man. White-collar crime was a common thread in the 00's. Corrupt corporations knowing that something they are doing is clearly evil while covering the truth was pretty much the archetype. By taking the film inside the corporation itself, it gives a different perspective to the costs of high profits.

80) Letters From Iwo Jima
"We soldiers dig. We dig all day. This is the hole that we will fight and die in. Am I digging my own grave?"

The 00's will forever be Clint Eastwood's best decade. Not because he made a ton of good films (a lot of them were pretty forgettable on hindsight) but because he became the go-to Oscar man. With "Letters From Iwo Jima" the second part of his two-part films based on the Battle of Iwo Jima, Eastwood made a film that actually stood up on multiple viewings. Instead of going for cheap emotional kicks, he really created a genuine portrayal of war.

81) Seabiscuit
"You don't throw away a whole life just 'cause it's banged up a little."

"Seabiscuit" is the reason why "Cinderella Man" sucked so much. "Cinderella Man" was about a man trying to pick himself up from the Great Depression and becomes an uber-hero. However, it all comes off incredibly fake, as if everyone involved was thinking it was destined to win Best Picture. "Seabiscuit" is the somewhat little film that could. It's all about how a nation rallied upon an unexpected winner. And what an unexpected winner this movie was. Truth be told, I have yet to rewatch it since the banking bust, but I bet it's as relevant as ever.

82) Sweeney Todd
"You're in a merry mood today, Mr. Todd."

The 00's were mostly lousy for Tim Burton. To start it off, he had to go and make "Planet of the Apes", which is perhaps the most forgettable and worthless remake ever made. Then he had to remake "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and make it all creepy. Nevertheless, Burton made a few apologies for these disasters. "Sweeney Todd" just happens to be the best of the lot. You're welcome, Tim Burton. You're welcome.

83) The Lives of Others
"The state office for statistics on Hans-Beimler street counts everything; knows everything: how many pairs of shoes I buy a year: 2.3, how many books I read a year: 3.2 and how many students graduate with perfect marks: 6,347. But there's one statistic that isn't collected there, perhaps because such numbers cause even paper-pushers pain: and that is the suicide rate."

In most film, East Germany and Nazi Germany are synonymous. One can always be exchanged for the other. "The Lives of Others", however, is clearly a film about what East Germany was from the inside. An amusing and, mostly, sad film about the effects of totalitarianism on the individual from the perspectives of the watcher and the watchee, it explores the bizarre connection that both these lives share. It's as if the watcher is merely seeing a television drama, but he becomes so involved that he leaps into the television screen to assist the main characters in the direction he feels the show should take.

84) The Counterfeiters
"I'm myself. Everyone else is everyone else."

Many of the best foreign films of the decade deal with compliance. Would you be able to do something for a country that you know is actively doing something evil? Even if it is to your own people? The main character of "The Counterfeiters" is a curious case. He's mostly looking to save his own skin but, in a way, tries to save more lives with the more people he employs. However, what worth is it if it's aiding the enemy?

85) Paprika
"Don't you think dreams and the Internet are similar? They are both areas where the repressed conscious mind vents."

"Paprika" could've been renamed "Mind-Fuck: The Movie" and it would've still made as much sense. Imagine David Lynch given the chance to direct an anime. Now imagine that film being made. It has something to do with a dream machine or it may not. Who knows? That's what makes the film so dreamlike in how little sense it makes but the meaning still comes together by the end.

86) A Serious Man
"The Uncertainty Principle. It proves we can't ever really know... what's going on. So it shouldn't bother you. Not being able to figure anything out. Although you will be responsible for this on the mid-term."

This film is as if the Coen Bros. read Victor Frankl's "Man's Search For Meaning" closed it and said "No." This is the antithesis to "Dear Zachary." It is a nihilistic film that boldly declares that there is no meaning to the universe and dwells on what we can make about what little meaning our lives can mean. It's a bleak message but it's something only the Coens really know how to juggle without us trying to kill ourselves afterwards.

87) Spider-Man 2
"You have a train to catch."

This is what a Spidey film should be about. It shouldn't be about the super-heroics but the roots to what make the comics special. This is and has always been the story of a man balancing his life as a superhero and all the other things in life. Dating, money, etc. Plus, come on, Doc Ock was pretty awesome.

88) Dear Zachary

If you ever thought "Well, perhaps, I am too happy of a person" this film is for you. Wow. This is one of the films that can break a full grown, steroid laden man to tears. It also is noteworthy because it really shows the value in people. Even if they aren't famous or seem to not have contributed anything great to mankind, they leave behind a legacy for all those that remembered them.

89) The King of Kong

If there was any film to put petty squabbles in perspective, "King of Kong" is the documentary for you. It's the David and Goliath story even if Goliath only thinks he's Goliath but, really, he's pretty much a smaller man in Goliath's clothing. It's also a fascinating look into the human psyche and how far people will go to keep even the smallest thing that gives them meaning. Even if it is just the high score for Donkey Kong Jr.

90) Iron Man
"Yeah. I can fly."

With all the angsty superheroes going around cinemas (I'm looking at you Spider-Man), it was a pleasure to find one with depth, charisma, and just plain fun. It's also fascinating to see how it made a once conservative comic book character (yes, Steve Ditko, one of the creators of Iron Man, was a huge conservative) into an actively liberal one that tries to take on the military-industrial complex single handingly. Of course, Tony Stark has his flaws but they make him one of the most complex main characters to come out of these film adaptations. Also, Robert Downey Jr.=win.

91) Serenity
"Can I make a suggestion that doesn't involve violence, or is this the wrong crowd for that?"

Showing what TV really can do, Joss Whedon made the greatest jump from screen to projector than any TV series really has. Finishing up the loose plot threads from his classic series "Firefly", "Serenity" gives things for fans and newbies really to enjoy. However, if you want to really get the full effect of the film, watch "Firefly" first. You'll thank me later.

91) Downfall
"The war is lost... But if you think that I'll leave Berlin for that, you are sadly mistaken. I'd prefer to put a bullet in my head."

Going back to monsters, this film examines, perhaps, the most monstrous man that ever lived: Hitler. In no ways does the film ever let you sympathize with him. Him and his entire cabinet are portrayed exactly who they were: monsters. However, this film deconstructs them to the point that they aren't the monsters that they themselves wanted to be portrayed as in history. They are miserable, petty, self-destructive people. If the film doesn't hammer that home enough, check out the YouTube spoofs of the scene when Hitler finds out that his army is finished. I highly recommend the Avatar trailer one.

92) Bowling for Columbine

Like von Trier, some may be turned off by Michael Moore's politics but, damn, if he isn't a great filmmaker. The film may be slanted towards his point of view but it doesn't force you to follow him. He allows you to make up your own mind by the end. The film's message isn't simply "guns are bad" but "why is America so fascinated with guns"? When you're finished, it asks more questions than it answers.

93) Chicken Run
"Now, the most important thing is, we have to work as a team, which means: you do everything I tell you."

Aardman may have had to be the best thing about Dreamworks Animation. Who knew that a spoof of "The Great Escape" and "Stalag 17" starring chickens would be so darn entertaining?

94) Manderlay
"You made us."

Some may be turned off by Lars von Trier's anti-American politics or the film's bare minimalist sets but, underneath, is a story really worth telling. Sure, it may be anti-American, but I view it more as a film that's anti-humanity. When the slaves are no worse off than the masters, it really says something about what von Trier thinks of what humanity is capable of.

95) Grindhouse
"I never miss."

Bad-ass. There is no other words really to describe this film. A bomb on its initial release and never re-released in its true 3-hour form, this is a film that was made for theaters. With new competition from better quality TV and the internet, film revenues did decline in the 00's with numerous films trying to find ways to fill the void. Grindhouse tried and spectacularly failed for the mainstream...but for those that actually went to see it, it has to be one of the most priceless theater experiences in years.

96) Monster
"I'm not a bad person. I'm a real good person."

What is a monster? The 00's tried numerous times to answer this question. Some see this film as a sympathetic portrayal of a notorious serial killer. Indeed, it tries to put a human face on it but that would still be too simplistic. The film never allows us to sympathize with her actions. By all accounts, the title is true about her. It only shows that monsters cry too.

97) The 25th Hour
"No. No, fuck you, Montgomery Brogan. You had it all, and you threw it away, you dumb fuck!"

A lot of the 00's can be defined as post-9/11. Indeed, a great swarth of most films aesthetics seemed to have evolved because of it. "The 25th Hour" has been considered by many as the first true post-9/11 film. Well, yes, but that would really simplify a film that works on so many levels. A tale of redemption without the redemption part, "The 25th Hour" is a sad journey of a man doomed to spend years away from the people he loves the most.

98) The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
"Can you put a price on your dreams?"

Terry Gilliam has to be the unluckiest director in showbiz. With his lead actor dying halfway through the production, many thought this film would end up the way "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote." Nonetheless, from tragedy, came art. Lucky for Gilliam, the film's mirror device allowed numerous actors to fill in for Heath Ledger. Heck, I was even surprise at the amount of material Ledger already completed. Nevertheless, what would've become a piecemeal film became a whole. This might as well be considered the true ending to his Dreams trilogy.

99) V For Vendetta
"Today, however, is a day, sadly, no longer remembered. So, I thought we could mark this November the 5th by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. Of course, there are those who do not want us to speak. I suspect, even now, orders are being shouted into telephones and men with guns are racing to this station. But regardless of what weapons they try to use to effect silence, words will always retain their power. Words are the means to meaning, and for some, the annunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country."

After 9/11, it was nearly a crime to criticize the president. Even during the Iraq War, a lot of pundits and government officials kept trying to pull this card to shut down the opposition. V for Vendetta was one of the loudest democratic responses. Originally a fantastic graphic novel by Alan Moore about 1984 with a superhero, this film helped patch together the fears of over half of the Americans that didn't vote for Bush into a succient, terrifying, fun film. It's also worth noting that this is probably the only great adaptation of an Alan Moore book. This includes the new Watchman movie.

100) Shrek
"Eat me!"

If the 00's was the beginning of a post-modern trend in traditional film genres and established film series, then Shrek has to be one of the first to shoot. Sure, it also opened the door up to a ton of miserable clones by other studios *cough*Fox*cough* but, for what it was, Shrek was a fantastic critique on Disneyfication. Of course, some of it comes off as none too subtle because of ex-Disney honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg's guiding hand but a lot of those jokes hit home. Some don't but, hey, at least the story is sound.