And then there were ten.
Before I wrap up the list that I’ve trickled out over the last five days, I suppose I should write a few words on the decade that was. I entered the 2000s as a 16 year-old boy in Johannesburg who thought he knew a lot about movies. I left it as a 26 year-old man in London who knows a lot more than he did then — but realizes that he knows a lot less. There is still so much to see that I’ve barely touched upon — from this past decade alone.
Probably no filmgoing decade in my lifetime will be as crucial to me as the one that passed, in terms of the shift and growth in my sense of how to read (and write) film.
I may have already known that I loved movies, but in the 2000s I gained a sharper sense of how to love them, what I really respond to in a film — and the 50 titles gathered here (along with many, many others) helped fine-tune that notion.
With that kind of personal learning curve attached to the decade, it’s hard to stand back and judge how it might stack against previous ones; strong, weak or average, it’ll always feel like my decade. As I compiled the list, however, did arrive at the conclusion that it started better than it finished. Sheer mathematics supports this personal view — the top 10 films I’m about to reveal all landed in the decade’s first half, and I don’t think that’s merely down to the advantage of distance.
One brand-new film, for example, could have broken that pattern in the top 10 — which is where I’d like to hand some sort of special citation to my #1 film of 2009, Claire Denis’s “White Material.” In my first draft of the list, it slid comfortably in at #9.
But after due consideration, I decided that, while could afford to be cheeky with my 2009 list, it would be cheating to put a film no one has yet seen outside of a festival environment in a survey of the decade’s greatest. If you’re not bothered by that, feel free to mentally adjust the list; otherwise, the “best of the 2010s” honors start here.
And with that, the Top 10:
#10
“SPIRITED AWAY”
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, 2002
After a decade that has seen such bold formal leaps in the medium of animation, I surprised myself a little by finding room for only one such film in the list. But for me, even the most sophisticated of Pixar’s works can’t compete with the storytelling breadth, and loopy visual extravagance, of Miyazaki’s new-standard fairytale. Narratively knotty where even more adult-oriented fantasy seeks short cuts, “Spirited Away” channels Lewis Carroll and “The Wizard of Oz” while remaining, surely and strangely, itself.
#9
“AMORES PERROS”
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2000
For Iñárritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga, the repetition – to ever more complicated structural effect – of this film’s triptych narrative form through “21 Grams” and “Babel” reaped slightly diminishing returns. That, however, is no reason not to marvel at the density and dexterity of its execution in this sucker-punch of a debut. The key to its success lies in the wildly differing tonal and emotional textures of its three stories, spanning mournful character study, cruel social satire and fizzing urban thriller.
#8
“KILL BILL VOL. 1”
Directed by Quentin Tarantino, 2003
A rollicking feat of high-wire filmmaking that has no right to work, and yet arrogantly, deliciously does: this in spite of a story that was seemingly plotted on a couple of dayglo Post-It notes, without so much as the courtesy of an ending. (Yes, yes, we get there in Vol. 2, and you know what? It’s not as much fun.) But the set pieces are so masterful as to render such technicalities trivial, while Uma Thurman’s graceful, ferocious and hilariously humorless Bride is a vital film-carrying creation.
#7
“Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN”
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, 2002
Between this film, “Children of Men” and the only “Harry Potter” film with an ounce of directorial personality, Cuarón undoubtedly enjoyed one of the most intriguing decades of any filmmaker. His masterpiece, however, lies in his most modest effort, a teen comedy with all the empathy, human interest and joyful dirtiness that tag so rarely promises. Breaks your heart when you least expect it, and then does it all over again in one of the most quietly shattering final scenes in all cinema.
#6
“BIRTH”
Directed by Jonathan Glazer, 2004
Shamefully dismissed by critics upon its release, Glazer’s magnificently disconcerting psychological thriller represented a creative quantum leap from his more acclaimed debut “Sexy Beast.” Nicole Kidman’s monumental, career-best performance deserves its own tribute, but it’s only of a piece with the pristine craft on display here, from the minty chill of Harris Savides’ lensing to the hypnotic swirls of Alexandre Desplat’s score. It all comes to a head in that opera sequence, a small cinematic miracle in itself.
#5
“ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND”
Directed by Michel Gondry, 2004
Regular readers will agree that any film that can unite Kris, Chad and me in agreement (hell, even a few Oscar voters, too) has got to be packing some special sauce. And “special” this bittersweet tale of hearts lost and found is, fleshing out the cold formal genius of its story architecture with a joyfully candid expression of what it means to be in love in the real world – or otherwise. Clever but never remote, fanciful but never fey, with two lead performances their creators will be lucky to surpass.
#4
“DANCER IN THE DARK”
Directed by Lars von Trier, 2000
The soaring high point of a productive decade for modern cinema’s most brazen experimenter, “Dancer in the Dark” put forth the most aggressive reimagining of the thematic boundaries of screen musicals since “Cabaret” 28 years before it. Foreshadowing the concerns of American community the outsider that would take hold in “Dogville” three years later, von Trier makes a stunning virtue of their incongruence with his lavish, ecstatic production numbers, aided immeasurably by the naïve wonder that is Björk.
#3
“TALK TO HER”
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, 2002
Spanish-language cinema has been in notably rude health this decade, but its crowning achievement was also that of a comfortably established auteur. At once comfortable in its impeccable polishing of long-practised manners of mise-en-scène, yet restlessly inquisitive about its own social, sexual and sensual statements, this is the emphatically identifiable work of an artist at the peak of his powers, a status since borne out by the soft, if not unenjoyable, slide towards “Broken Embraces.” Let’s see what the next decade brings.
#2
“LANTANA”
Directed by Ray Lawrence, 2001
Oh, how I was tempted to console the commenters concerned that “Jindabyne” would be loris-like British-Australian director Ray Lawrence’s only entry in the Top 50. Just imagine if he deigned to make more than one film a blue moon. Would he maintain the searing insight and intensity of this rich, rewardingly tangled domestic thriller? A film that feeds not just my filmgoing passions, but my writing ones, too: a well-thumbed copy Andrew Bovell’s screenplay has a permanent place on my bedside table.
#1
“MOULIN ROUGE!”
Directed by Baz Luhrmann, 2001
What do they teach people Down Under? Luhrmann’s unruly, unhinged and thoroughly rhapsodic cinematic burlesque has rewarded me with more replay value than any film of the last ten years. If its overwhelming visual and sonic design keeps finding new ways to take your breath away before you’ve regained it, the sweet, giddy sincerity of its dime-store romance gives it a simple human core. A one-of-a-kind film that inspires a little more belief in it – and its corny, unimpeachable values – every single time I see it.
And there you have it. I only just noticed how nicely my #1 and #50 picks bookend each other stylistically, and I’m rather content with that. Thanks for your lovely response to my musings, but if you missed any of the write-ups, here are #41-50, #31-40, #21-30 and #11-20. Finally, in full, my top 50 films of the 2000s:
1. “Moulin Rouge!”
2. “Lantana”
3. “Talk to Her”
4. “Dancer in the Dark”
5. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
6. “Birth”
7. “Y tu mama tambien”
8. “Kill Bill Vol. 1”
9. “Amores Perros”
10. “Spirited Away”
11. “Far From Heaven”
12. “Before Night Falls”
13. “Time Out”
14. “Morvern Callar”
15. “Mulholland Drive”
16. “Dogville”
17. “Caché”
18. “This Is England”
19. “Heaven”
20. “Junebug”
21. “Brokeback Mountain”
22. “The Class”
23. “Beau Travail”
24. “In the Mood for Love”
25. “Jindabyne”
26. “No Country for Old Men”
27. “Once”
28. “Spider”
29. “The Departed”
30. “Wolf Creek”
31. “Last Resort”
32. “Wendy and Lucy”
33. “There Will Be Blood”
34. “Fish Tank”
35. “The Bourne Ultimatum”
36. “A Prophet”
37. “Moolaadé”
38. “Me and You and Everyone We Know”
39. “Intimacy”
40. “The Good Girl”
41. “The Hurt Locker”
42. “The Beat That My Heart Skipped”
43. “Lust, Caution”
44. “Iraq in Fragments”
45. “Jesus’ Son”
46. “Japanese Story”
47. “Saraband”
48. “City of God”
49. “Zoolander”
50. “Devdas”
Comments
105 responses to “Guy’s top 50 of the decade: #1-10”
I feel bad I haven’t seen 6 of your top 10. Very interesting assortment and I also have Eternal Sunshine at 5 on my countdown too.
http://nevermindpopfilm.blogspot.com/2009/12/best-of-decade.html
Happy to see three top 10 overlaps. Great minds think alike!
Guy I gave Birth a chance a few weeks ago and was blown away. Margot at the Wedding wasn’t bad either, and Dogville’s next on my list.
Chad: All that … and Zoolander. Hurray for consensus!
Just checked out your list today, now that I’m finally free of my own, and it’s great stuff. So many titles that almost made the cut for me.
Wow, I didn’t see Moulin Rouge! coming. I figured it was going to be another film I hadn’t seen (there are a lot of them in this list of 50 – I’ve only seen 18 of them).
I can’t believe that I totally forgot Spirited Away in my top 24.
I took the liberty of combining Guys list with mine and Kris’s. A bit imbalanced since Kris only did 10, Guy did 50 and I did 100 but assuming Tapley’s honorable mentions count as a tie at #11, this would be our collective list (appearing on at least two of three being a must)
10. Wendy and Lucy
9. Punch-Drunk Love
8. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
7. Cache
6. Moulin Rouge!
5. There Will Be Blood
4. Dogville
3. Y tu Mama Tambien
2. Dancer in the Dark
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Hi Guy, excellent list, I think is one of the most personal “decade best” lists I have read so far. I love the fact that two of the films in your top 10 where Mexican (I’m Mexican by the way) and that you made room for even some films that weren’t really the critics favorite choice (aka. Zoolander). I really enjoyed reading your list thru the week and can’t wait to see various of the films you mentioned. I have just a question: why didn’t you include Pan’s Labyrinth nor Babel? Hope you can answer my doubt.
Guy, you’ll be mad at me and then happy with me two seconds later.
I’ve never seen “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” It was one whose greatness I doubted, even in the face of raves, due to a scathing review that a friend gave it. You know how it goes, I’m sure: a friend hates it, while critics love it, but you don’t see it because of the friend.
Well, now that you’re mad at me, you’ll be glad to know that my brother, thinking I’d seen it and loved it, bought it for me as a gift for Christmas. My plan is to watch it this Friday as a reward for finishing Wintermester at my college. I’ll let you know what I think. :) I’m a Kaufman fan as of very recently, due to “Synecdoche, New York” being among the most haunting and perplexing films I’ve ever seen, so I count him as a great filmmaker, much like you, Kris, and Chad obviously do.
That top 10 list is fantastic. I think pretty much all of those films would at the very least hit my top 50, most top 20 and at least half my own top 10. And I must admit I’m THRILLED to see Lantana there!
Nice work.
In case you didn’t see Chad’s list:
http://chadhartigan.wordpress.com/2009/12/31/best-films-of-the-decade-part-five/
Oh and here’s a question: Did you have as much weird trouble finding a decent Moulin Rouge! photo as I did?
This list confirms everything I ever thought about your tastes, Guy.
Oh and by the way, you somehow linked Chad’s 11-20 on your 11-20. Just thought I’d let you know.
Just one more question…where’s almost famous???
kris can you link us to your top 10?
It’s funny how you were a sixteen year old who thought you knew about film going into last decade, since I’ a sixteen year old entering this decade, I hope this one will be as monumental for me as it was for you. I tried to make a top ten list myself but it seems so unnecessary considering how little films I’ve seen that are on your list. If you have any interest in seeing it it’s here http://enoughtobeabuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/not-quite-best-of-decade-list-part-2.html
Moulin Rouge! is a hideous mess, like all Lurhmann’s films. Why bother when Gene Kelly & various collaborators had far surpassed what he attempts in MR fifty years earlier?
Dancer in the Dark is another horrible choice.
I like 10, 9, 7, & 3. I used to love Eternal Sunshine but after rewatching all his films I’m convinced Charlie Kaufman – though clever and interesting – can’t write a decent piece of dialogue to save his life.
Kris: YES. It took forever to find one even halfway usable. What’s up with that? I thought I’d have scores to choose from.
Interesting, given the arty bend (certainly nothing wrong with that) of most of Guy’s choices, how a really goofy, over-the-top melodrama with a serious case of ADD tops the list. So his favourite film of all time is Gone With The Wind, and his favourite of the decade Moulin Rouge. Curiouser and curiouser.
That said, most of the films on the list would probably qualify as “mainstream art films”, so it’s nowhere near as obscure as some lists I’ve seen. But rest assured that next decade’s list will probably feature more lesser-known films. Guy will keep digging, as it were.
It’s so lovely to see Birth placed that high. I still find it baffling as to why it was torn apart by so many upon it’s release.
It’s a small, quiet masterpiece in my book.
GUY OMG I couldn’t agree with you more when you said that moulin rouge, ” has rewarded me with more replay value than any film of the last ten years.”
Though I don’t know you I can tell you for sure we have a connection….LOL …even if it’s just moulin rouge.
I have been obsessed with the movie since I first saw it. So obsessed I’ve thrown it away twice and bought it back twice. I know it sounds crazy but this movie has defintley had a lasting impact on my life and the stunning visual brilliance (and everything else this movie encompasses) that it is keeps calling me back to watch again and again. WOW GREAT CHOICE!
Chad: For the most part, I can totally get with that combined list.
Miguel: Glad you like the list so much. As for “Babel,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Almost Famous,” I’ll be here forever if I detail why this or that film made the cut. Suffice to say I find the first two films problematic, though I still like them. “Almost Famous” I like a great deal but, well, 50 films is quite a small number.
Joel: I envy you the chance to discover “Ternal Sunshine” with fresh eyes. In future, don’t listen to friends or critics. Just trust your instincts. (Oh, and the link is corrected. Thanks.)
Maxim: I assume you don’t mean that in a good way.
Aleksis: Because, for better or worse, he’s not attempting remotely the same thing that Kelly, Donen, et al were?
Clayton: It’s others who have been calling the list obscure, not me! Personally, I don’t really take into into account the visibility of a film when I include it — I like what I like.
TWC: That doesn’t sound crazy. What’s crazy is that you threw it away twice!
Just wish “United 93” made your list. For personal reasons, this film is the most important film of the decade. And personal reasons put aside, I still believe it to be one of the 10 best of the decate.
I’ve got to say, Guy, I am very surprised by your choice for number 1. But I can also say I’m absolutely delighted. Luhrmann’s film truly tests the audience for the first 15 minutes, but it’s built like a brilliant pop song, in the way it completely breaks through your defenses. I can always remember loving it, but rewatching it in the past month, I was in tears for about the first 5 or 10 minutes. It’s a very powerful experience, absolutely fearless.
Also so glad to see Dancer in the Dark rank so high–Bjork’s is one of the finest performances of the decade, for my money.
Lantana is the only one on your list I haven’t seen yet. Suffice it to say this is going on my Netflix queue right about…now.
Patryk: Well, I wouldn’t (and couldn’t) dare argue with your personal reasons. But to be quite honest, I don’t much care for the film, immaculately crafted as it is.
I totally did not see Moulin Rouge as your number one. I’m happy it is because I did not think there was anyone out there but me who would put it in that place.
What is it about Birth that keeps appearing on top lists and was dismissed when it came out? I guess I need to see it!
Big fan of these choices though. Seeing Spirited Away in the theater is still one of my favorite movie-going experiences. Hadn’t seen a Miyazaki film before that.
Moulin Rouge!! In my top5 of the dacade for sure!
Glad to see the mentions for Amores Perros and Y Tu Mama Tambien. I’d include both of those in my best of the decade list as well.
Guy, I love you. I absolutely love how much attention “Moulin Rouge!” is getting in all of these end-of-the-decade lists. And your #1 is a match to mine, and I couldn’t have put the reasons why more eloquently. Bravo.
Yay for Moulin Rouge. One of the very few DVD’s I’ve ever purchased…
I wish Bjork did not have the reported meltdown while filming Dancer in the Dark and did not have such a bad relationship with Lars Von Trier b/c she is such an amazing actress that would have done great work if this film (and the Juniper Tree) are any indication. Oh well, at least she is an amazing musician and I look forward to every new album, music video, and tour that she does.
Oh and I love your list Guy, there is about a 20 film crossover with my top 50 which is pretty damn good.
Nicole Kidman and Gael Garcia Bernal both make 2 appearances in the top 10. I must revisit both “Birth” and “Moulin Rouge” ASAP…
I might add that there is “a short wait” for “Lantana” on my Netflix queue right now!
Guy: I learned not to wholly judge my opinion on critics’ a hell of a long time ago. :P Good advice, though, definitely. I think I’m the only one on this sight who loved “Fantastic Mr. Fox” so much as to award it a higher spot on my Top Ten of 2009 than “Up” (which didn’t make the list, by the way). For “Eternal Sunshine,” it was during a time where I, horribly and wrongly, DID judge my opinion on other critics’ or other people’s, something I now find to be ridiculous, i.e. hating “The Blind Side” when so many of my friends loved it or loving “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” when critics slammed it.
Don’t mean to go on a rant here, but here goes: I’m not the critic I was in 2008, or even last March. Any other year, I would have praised “Avatar” as being the greatest thing to happen to movies ever OMG, but in truth, I found “District 9” superior and more worthy. I think this dichotomy was sparked by seeing “Magnolia” this summer, the most haunting and emotionally resonant film ever made, in my opinion (and also the best directorial effort ever). Now I’m more intuitive about what emotions in every film I see are real and what aren’t. Another example: “Invictus.” In 2008, I would’ve championed it; in 2009, I thought it was sort of solid with great performances, but rather spineless and overly sappy.
Guy, if I might ask, what was your “Magnolia” moment? Yours, Kris? Yours, Chad? Just curious.
Lantana almost made my list. I remember liking it very much in 2001 but in honesty, I couldn’t remember a thing about it. Even watching the trailer failed to trigger much so I couldn’t in good conscience include it.
I’m starting to feel very alone in my dislike for “Moulin Rouge!”. All my favourite writers love it, and I just don’t understand why. Oh well. I was quite shocked to see it as your number one, though.
Anyways, totally interesting list, Guy. “Lantana” was already one I knew I needed to see, but thanks for the reminder.
Never thought of you as a Kill Bill-Moulin Rouge kind of guy…
Oh, and it’s the first time in my life I read about a film called “Lantana”. Can’t wait to see that!
Great top 50, Guy. Thanks for sharing.
bill: Here’s my list:
http://incontention.com/?p=19637
Love that Moulin Rouge is tops… and appreciate the high placing of Eternal Sunshine…but…
No Pixar in your top 50?
Okay, some excellent choices in the final 10 (Kill Bill, Sunshine, Amorres Perros).
But I can’t forgive the omission of BEFORE SUNSET from the entire list. =(
Joel: Good question. To be honest, I had a bit of a “Magnolia moment” myself when I saw that very film in my last year of high school.
But my pivotal moviegoing moment happened a lot earlier. When I was 11, my parents took me to see “Three Colours: Red,” and from the opening shot, it blew my mind. I was into movies well before then, but that made me see them in a new way.
A-Mad: No, no Pixar. “WALL-E” would be closest (but probably still not that close).
Raffi: I love “Before Sunset.” It was THIS close to the top 50 … cutting the list down was heartbreaking.
Rock on on “Spirited Away”, “Kill Bill Vol. 1”, “Talk to Her” and “Eternal Sunshine”. Amazing movies. Amazing choices.
Well, I guessed your #1, which is a movie I dearly wish I loved as much as everyone else. But #2 blindsided me — at the moment I think I prefer Jindabyne, but this is reason enough to take another look. And I heartily echo your thoughts on #8, which is certainly my favourite Tarantino movie of the decade. It’s a brave pick, that — my favourite from your list that’s not on mine (though it maybe should be). Obviously, #3, #5, #6, #7 and #9 need no further defending — wonderful all.
“Spirited Away” and “Moulin Rouge!” both crack my top ten too. Well done.
Wow, a very admirable top ten, let’s see what you chose for number 1…NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Joel- My Magnolia moment was probably with “All the Real Girls in 2003.
And Magnolia is not a directorial debut. Watch Hard Eight and Boogie Nights for more pure genius.