25 Best Movies of the Decade: 1

"I'd wanna let the movie exist, rather than be artificially plot-driven."

1. Adaptation. (2002)

From one Charlie Kaufman film to another. Starring Nic Cage as...Charlie Kaufman. And Charlie's twin brother Donald. Who doesn't actually exist.

Okay let's back up for a second. Charlie Kaufman is hired to write a screenplay for the real life novel The Orchard Thief which he wants to be a faithful adaptation, but is near impossible to adapt due to the lack of a narrative. His brother Donald is also a writer who is making a six figure deal on a generic psychological thriller called The 3.

Suffice it to say, Adaptation is a very surreal film. Written by a real writer about himself writing an adaptation of a real book. And if you ever have any doubt that Nicolas Cage is actually a real good actor when given the proper outlet, watch this. Or Raising Arizona. Or Leaving Las Vegas. Or even .

I think what makes it even more amazing is that it works as a perfect parallel to Kaufman's first screenplay, Being John Malkovich. While John Malkovich is a literal journey into an actor's mind, Adaptation is a much less literal observation of Kaufman's own mind, the mind of the writer. Donald may not be real outside of the film, but he's definitely a facet of Kaufman's own personality. He's the id, a representation of the pleasure principle of Kaufman's mind, the desire to just say "fuck it" to making the meaningful and strange, and to delve into the popcorn flicks that make tons of money.

But he doesn't. And I'm eternally grateful for that.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 2

"I could die right now, Clem. I'm just... happy. I've never felt that before. I'm just exactly where I want to be."


2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(2004)

A strange and fantastical journey through the mind of Joel Barrish, a man trying to erase the memory of his relationship with Clementine Kruczynski after finding out she erased her memory of the relationship, Eternal Sunshine is a wonderfully bizarre film from a wonderfully bizarre team: writer Charlie Kaufman and Lego music video auteur Michel Gondry.

As Joel's mind goes, we see the relationship from the breakup and backwards until they meet, telling a unique love story. It's a brilliant deconstruction on the classic love story and just one element of why Eternal Sunshine is so great.

Other things: the direction is fantastic, as is the writing, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are at the top of their game, etc. etc. etc.

Suffice it to say Eternal Sunshine is an unbelivable film and one of my favorites.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 3

"Computer, define 'dancing'"


3. WALL-E(2008)

Let's just face it right now. If the second half of WALL-E was like the first half of WALL-E, it might be the greatest animated film ever made. Instead it just has to deal with being a film with breathtaking visuals and the most adorable first act of any film.

When the opening of a movie is a camera zooming through space set to music from "Hello, Dolly!," it's apparent that this is not like any other Pixar flick. And sure enough, we spend about 45 minutes seeing a relationship blossom between two characters who do not officially have real dialogue. It's hard not to find the growing love between the old, broken-down WALL-E and the sleek EVE an utterly precious love story.

It's debatable whether this is Pixar's best work or not, but you'd be hard pressed to actually hate it.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 4

"I like to look for things no one else catches. I hate the way drivers never look at the road in old American movies."


4. Amélie(2001)


Girl is quirky; helps people. Rarely is there more a simplistic story to a film. Yet Jean-Pierre Jeunet's most well-known film is so wonderfully told that it charms its way into your heart.

And of course there's Audrey Tautou, the beautifully adorable face of Amélie Poulain, the whimsical Montmarte resident. It's hard not to fall in love with her goofy demeanor and friendly altruism.

Amélie is frankly the most endearing film on this list. C'est la vie.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 5

"We're gonna see a brave new world where they run everybody a wire and hook us all up to a grid. Yes, sir, a veritable age of reason. Like the one they had in France. Not a moment too soon."


5. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Ulysses Everett McGill and the two guys hooked to his legs are in a tight spot. On the run from the law, looking for treasure in Depression-era Mississippi and trapped in a modern day Odyssey on the run from the law, but along the way they meet everyone from a one-eyed con man to real life Depression personalities like Tommy Johnson.

It's not as widely regarded as The Big Lebowski or No Country For Old Men, but this is probably the Coen Brothers finest work. A delightfully original take on the classic "hero's journey" style of storytelling. Every character is genuinely likable(even bipolar crazy gangster George Nelson) and the music. Good lord, the music. Imagine if Now That's What I Call Music was around in the early 1900s and that's what you'd have. It's a who's who of old-timey folk songs. Man of Constant Sorrow is one of my favorite songs. And it's all because of this film.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 6

"For 20 years, you've had this fuckin' thing hidden down here? This is, this is very illegal. I mean, this is... this is a fine — if they catch you with it"


6. District 9(2009)

It's rare to see a mockumentary taken out of its own style, but District 9 is one of the few to pull it off. What starts off as a somewhat goofy sci-fi doc about a mild-mannered manager in charge of alien affairs(with just a hand of not so subtle social commentary).

Very quickly, the film devolves into a chase film as Wikus van der Merwe, the former MNU manager, is slowly transformed into a "prawn"(the human-sized, bipedal shrimp-like residents of District 9). He's subjected to torturous experiments before making his way to the shantytown to search for a cure. Halfway through the film, it transforms from a chase film to an action film, and you never really question it. For the most part, it seems like a natural progression and it just fits. It's the writing.

Also, lightning guns? Never get old.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 7

"I'm just not the hero type, clearly. What with this laundry list of character defects and all the mistakes I've made, largely publicly."

Iron Man(2008)

As previously stated, Dark Knight is a trash toilet movie for trash toilet people and fuck everything. Iron Man is the worthwhile contender for best superhero movie.

It feels almost unfair to give credit to only Robert Downey Jr. with his performance of Tony Stark but god damn. The man exudes personality in every performance and he TURNS IT UP in this film, making an easily unlikable character like Tony Stark(alcoholic womanizing millionaire) into a rakish charmer that just seems like this cool guy.

Sure, the writing might have had something to do with it. But c'mon, could anyone do it like RDJ?

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 8

"I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself. Hey Paul!"

8. American Psycho(2000)

Patrick Bateman is trash and he knows it. A man who can barely come to grips with his own Yuppie reality that he escapes into a fantasy world of murder to even feel anything. Or does he? In a world like Patrick Bateman's, who knows what can be real or not. It could simply be Bateman's own escape from banality mixed with his unstable emotions.

Nevertheless, Mary Harron's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' landmark 1991 novel is at times simultaneously hilarious and horrifying. Able to take us on a ride through the eyes of madman Bateman, it's Christian Bale's performance that truly makes it, as he is capable of keeping Bateman from going over the edge(or too much over the edge) and making it look like he's not completely crazy.

Every fucking person talks about great American Psycho is. It's like Clerks. It became tired at this point so don't listen to me or whatever.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 9

"In extreme circumstances, the assailants can be stopped by removing the head or destroying the brain. I will repeat that: by removing the head or destroying the brain."

9. Shaun of the Dead(2004)

Shaun has no direction in his life. He's 29 and still working as a clerk at an electronics store, he has terrible relationships with his stepfather and flatmate(well, one flatmate) and his girlfriend, tired of their social life(specifically that he brings her to the same bar every night), breaks up with him. Despondent, Shaun finally resolves to sort his life out the morning after a binge. Only problem is, the next morning happens to be the dawn of a zombie apocalypse.

Shaun of the Dead could have easily been another Scary Movie. Just make a comedy with some horror background and then make stupid jokes. But Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and crew have a deeper appreciation for cinema and made a zom-com(technically a rom-zom-com) that doesn't mock or parody, but lovingly references. While the whole cast is fantastic, but the real stand-outs are obviously Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who have perfect chemistry as Shaun and his crude pal Ed.

To quote a review, "Shaun of the Dead isn’t just the best horror-comedy of the decade – it’s quite possibly the best horror-comedy ever made"

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 10

"What I say is true; anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great."

10. Ratatouille(2007)

Remy, gifted with a keen sense of smell and taste and the innate ability to cook, has the aspiration to become a great French chef. There's only one problem: Remy, for all his gifts, is the greatest enemy of any kitchen: a rat.

I think what makes Ratatouille so great is that it's not a WALL-E or an Up. It's a film that's on a smaller scale. It's just a rat who wants to be a great cook, inspired by the words of a deceased chef. But it's hard not to enjoy it and to see the obvious fun director Brad Bird had in making the movie. And the mix of fun animation and storytelling is able to make this film into some form of artwork.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 11

"What we saw was impossible. You know that, don't you? What do we say? How do we convince them? Ollie, what the hell were those tentacles even attached to?"

11. The Mist(2007)

Fear is what drives us. Everything we're afraid of, we can recognize and thusly have some kind of coping mechanism. But what if we didn't know what we feared? What if there was something out there, in the darkness, waiting to kill you? Would you try to cope under extreme circumstances or would you fight to survive?

David Drayton is soon forced to face this question as he and a choice number of fellow citizens find themselves trapped in a local grocery store trying to survive a mysterious fog filled with murderous creatures. Locked inside with a number of people trying to make sense of what has happened, the survivors slowly break down from stress and fear and eventually become devoted followers of unstable religious fanatic Mrs. Carmody, who soon tries to commit sacrifices to drive away the monsters.

By the end of the film, though, Drayton can't seem to leave the mist and, faced under immense pressure, has to make one of the most daunting choices any human being could make. One that he almost immediately regrets.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 12

"All the time you spend trying to get back what's been took from you, more is going out the door."

12. No Country For Old Men(2007)

In Texas, 1980, Llwelyn Moss is hunting pronghorn when he comes upon a satchel full of money(roughly two million dollars). Naturally he takes it and soon, very soon, regrets his decision. The men who the satchel belongs to hires cold hitman Anton Chigurh to recover the money by any means necessary. Soon after, another hired operative, Carson Wells also comes tracking down Moss, but to offer protection in return for money.

Eventually and by the time the final chapter of the film comes along we are answered the question we've been wondering: "Does Moss get away with it?" Once the answer is revealed we slowly come to realize this was never about Moss. This was never even about Chigurh(although Javier Bardem's portrayal of the killer is a terrifying three-dimensional slasher movie villain who thrives on the decision of a coin). It's actually about Sheriff Ed Bell and it may as well be. The middle-aged(going on elderly) Bell's search for an answer to the stolen money and escaped criminal is almost a representation of his own culture shock. His uneasy look towards the future that's changing the country from the one he knew as a child, from when he was growing up.

To realize that, near the end of a film, your supposed protagonist doesn't succeed in his task and to have your view shift to the perspective of a completely different character is something that film rarely makes you do: think.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 13

"Even though I'm no more than a monster - don't I, too, have the right to live?"

13. Oldboy(2003)

Oh Dae-Su has been locked in a hotel room for 15 years, severely tortured by his captors, with no knowledge of why. Released and bitter, he seeks revenge on the men who destroyed him, only to get caught up in a web of violence and fear and falling in love with an attractive sushi chef.

The way all of Oldboy presents itself is not what you would normally see in your traditional film. It strips down the bare essence of humanity and presents an almost animalistic quality to it. Everything within, the extreme violence and gore, the fearless approach of the subject matter and especially the plot as a whole once the ending is revealed, is raw and brilliant against all the other films that it could be put up against.

It's not often a film can make me feel so unnerved and so detatched from humanity. Oldboy can and does, almost as if it know it's just because it can.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 14

"Once you've met someone, you won't really forget them. It just takes a while for your memory to return."

14. Spirited Away(2001)

Ten-year-old Chihiro is moving with her parents to a new home only for the family to get sidetracked in the countryside. Soon Chihiro finds herself lost in a world of spirits, dragons, witches and other monsters.

If there was anyone we could owe animation to, it's Walt Disney. If there's anyone we could owe a return to the fantastic in animation to, it's Hayao Miyazaki. The reason Pixar exists, the reason it's able to make such beautiful, fantastical films is more or less because of Miyazaki. Much of his work is greatly influenced by great Japanese art which lends it an incredibly natural look to whole film.

It's fascinating to watch Chihiro's metaphoric, "Alice In Wonderland"-like maturation on her adventure in this traditionalist Japanese fantasy world.

Also No-Face is an awesome character.

Also also Hayao Miyazaki looks like a Japanese Colonel Sanders.

25 Best Movies of the Decade: 15

"All these years, all these memories, there was you. You pulled me through time."

15. The Fountain(2006)

It's really hard for me to vocalize what is so amazing about The Fountain. It could just be the beautiful visuals or the sweeping mesmerizing score. It could be the fantastic performances of Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz as lovers in three different time periods. But I think what really gets me is the themes.

The whole thing is about living longer whether it be Captain Tomas Verde's search for the tree of life or Dr. Tommy Creo's desperate search for the cure to his wife's brain tumor. It's a matter that we're all afraid of death and we all try to extend our life before the fear destroys us or death takes us.

And it's all told in one of the most beautiful ways possible. Seriously it's hard to explain this, so just watch it.

25 Best Movies Of The Decade: 16

"Just because she has on a funny dress doesn't mean she's a princess"

16. Enchanted(2007)

Disney has such a long long line of princesses and animated fairy tales, that it would only seem fitting that they end up mocking them, but Enchanted isn't just that. The story of Princess Giselle, your standard girly Disney princess, being forced from the storybook cartoon world of Andalasia(full of bright colors and talking animals) into the very real New York City, is both a mockery of the Disney princesses of yore and a sweet-natured tribute to all things Disney(Seriously).

Enchanted is a great film because, despite of its own tongue-in-cheek quality, is that it's also incredibly innocent in all of it. Princess Giselle's naivete, making the best of where she is, like cleaning up a house by singing a song and summoning a number of animals, all NY vermin(roaches, rats, pigeons).

Okay, bias time. I love Amy Adams. Seriously. I totally crush on her and it's partly because of Enchanted since she is unbelivably adorable in this movie. Reacting with wide-eyed innocent fascination to all her new surroundings and I just wanna go "AWWWWWWWW" in the whole thing.

If it wasn't for a film that will appear much later, Enchanted would be the cutest film on this list,

25 Best Movies Of The Decade: 17

"And Nicolas Cage...as...Fu Manchu!"

17. Grindhouse (2007)

I fucking miss old grindhouse movies(note: I am only 19). Like seriously, blaxploitation movies, women in prison films, the shockumentary mondo cinema flicks. It seems the only genres of exploitation cinema that made it out of the grindhouse cinemas of old are the Spaghetti Westerns(thanks to actors like Clint Eastwood) and the Slasher films.

That's why when Grindhouse came out, I wanted to pass out in excitement. An old-time gritty film double feature. It seemed totally authentic as if these films were fished out of some old dusty abandoned movie theater. The film was grainy and the plot was gory. The majority of the actors were character actors or people you never remember(Freddy Rodriguez, Danny Trejo, Rose McGowan, I'm looking in the direction of you guys). This was Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's giant love letter to the films that raised them.

The absolute best moments, though, come from the trailers before and between the films. Done by director friends(save for Robert Rodriguez's great "Machete"), the trailers are sneak peeks for quick faux-films and are the most uproarious bits of the entire double feature. Edgar Wright's Hammer-style "Don't," Eli Roth's '70s slasher "Thanksgiving" and Rob Zombie's horror/Nazi "Werewolf Women of tht SS" are all genuinely, hilariously enticing and are all films I would seriously want to watch.

And because I love that line about Nic Cage as Fu Manchu:

25 Best Movies Of The Decade: 18

"The sixties are an important and exciting time!"

18. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story(2007)

2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000. Every year this decade, a big name biopic has netted at least one Oscar for performance(Seriously, look that shit up).

I don't mind biopics. Some can be really, really good(see: Gandhi), but lately there has been an absolute glut of biopics. So I suppose it's good to see the shit shot out of them.

Walk Hard is brilliant in that instance. Everything you could possibly think that they would do in a biopic, they do in this movie. The terribly tragedy(slicing his brother in half with a machete), the choice to see how young an actor can play(in this instance, John C. Reilly starts playing Dewey at the age of 14), even the way the main character encounters important figures from that age.

That's one of the thing that really shines about Walk Hard. As Dewey Cox ages, he consistenly runs into the famous people of the era. The most chuckle-worthy being his encounter with an unintelligible, karate-chopping Elvis Presley(played by musician Jack White) and Dewey taking his band on a meditation trip to India with The Beatles(portrayed absurdly by Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Jason Schwartzman and Justin Long).

The music is equally amazing. Dewey's musical evolution from goofy pop singer(the sugary "Take My Hand" which incites a riot and people claiming it's the "devil's music") to bitter country superstar(the Johnny Cash-like "Guilty As Charged" underscoring a dark period in his life) to political folk singer(the offensive song of the people "Dear Mr. President" and the nonsensical Dylanesque "Royal Jelly"). The music perfectly reflects every musical biopic where all the music really means is "HERE IS THE YEAR."

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention John C. Reilly. Reilly is one of my favorite actors and the kind of actor I aspire to be. His ability to balance being an excellent comedic actor and an excellent dramatic actor is only enhanced by his incredible singing voice and great use as a go-to character actor. I don't even have to describe why I loved his performance of Dewey Cox. I've talked enough about Reilly himself to have you know why I liked the role.

25 Best Movies Of The Decade: 19

"Now, I don't know about y'all, but I sure as hell didn't come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half of Sicily and then jump out of a fuckin' air-o-plane to teach the Nazis lessons in humanity. Nazi ain't got no humanity. They're the foot soldiers of a Jew-hatin', mass murderin' maniac and they need to be destroyed."

19. Inglourious Basterds(2009)

After the dismal performance of the Grindhouse double feature(which is a shame because I fucking loved Grindhouse. Both films and all the trailers), it easily could have been thought that Quentin Tarantino was bound for another long dry spell between movies. Then all of a sudden, came the Basterds.

A World War II fantasy piece, Basterds explores a Spaghetti Western in the middle of Nazi-occupied France. In 1941, Col. Hans Landa, "The Jew Hunter" kills a family of refugee French Jews, leaving only Shoshanna Dreyfuss to run free. Flash-forward three years to American's involvement of the war and we meet the titular squad: a fierce Jewish fighting force led by Lt. Aldo Raine and including former Nazi Hugo Stiglitz and Donny Donowitz, whose vicious attacks with a baseball bat has led the Germans to dub him "The Bear Jew."

While most Tarantino works rely on more modern styles of cinematography, his direction in this one keeps it more related to the old war films of yesteryear. Scenes are held for absurdly long times to escalate moments to amazing tenseness. The writing as well shows a difference in style for Tarantino, as the characters are less verbose(especially Brad Pitt's Lt. Raine, who keeps things to a minimum, vocabulary-wise).

The acting especially shines. Both Pitt's portrayal of Aldo "The Apache" and Eli Roth's Sgt. Donowitz are hilariously over-the-top as every other word out of their mouths either instill fear or laughter. But for all the brilliance of the Basterds, the non-Americans seem to shine the most.

Shosanna, played by Mélanie Laurent, is absolutely amazing as she lives under an alias in Paris as a cinema operator, slowly working out her plan for revenge on the Nazis that killed her family. Laurent's performance masterfully blends the fear and anger that many Jews in hiding possibly could have felt. Then, there's Hans Landa. Cristoph Waltz exudes intensity as the slimy over-the-top Colonel and when he finally comes face-to-face with Aldo Raine in his captivity, he's able to balance the drama of the scene and Tarantino's ever-present use of comedy.

Inglourious Basterds is the greatest film with a misspelled film title I've ever seen.

25 Greatest Movies Of The Decade: 20

"I like the way I feel. I like thinking about the red dress and the television and you and your father. Now when I get the sun, I smile."

20. Requiem for a Dream(2000)

Legitimately one of the most disturbing, depressing films I have ever seen in my lifetime. Requiem for a Dream revolves around the lives of four individuals and how addiction ruins them. One by one, being toppled by the reality that shatters their illusions of life.

As Harry Goldfarb, his girlfriend Marion and his friend Tyrone all abuse and sell heroin for profit so they can fulfill their dreams, Harry's mother Sara slowly becomes addicted to diet pills in a desperate attempt to fit into an old red dress before an appearance on motivational speaker Tappy Tibbon's infomercial. All of them are splendidly performed by their actors(yes, including MARLON WAYANS as Tyrone). And as with this stuff, things seem to be fine at first, until moments slowly unravel and by the end it all falls down. Tyrone has been jailed and left alone, Marion is selling her body for drugs, Harry had to have an arm amputated and Sara is forced to undergo electroshock treatment after the diet pills and her own anxiety about her weight leaves her losing her sanity.

In Requiem for a Dream, there is no fairness, only truth. And Darren Aronofsky's direction shows it through a lens of fear and isolation.