Friday, January 15, 2010

Because no one demanded it!


How can I be the only person not giving their thoughts on the best of the decade? So, here I go with the 25 movies of the decade I give a crap about. It's mostly in order but orders are subject to change, daily.

25) Slither (2006)
Dir: James Gunn
Fun, funny, and gross. Fillion has impeccable comic timing.

24) Ong-bak (2003)
Dir: Prachya Pinkaew
Knee to the head FTW!

23) The New World (2005)
Dir: Terrence Malick
I don't know why I had such low expectations for this, but it was, of course, totally mesmerizing.

22) Vera Drake (2004)
Dir: Mike Leigh
Leigh gives us the straight talk on abortion, not a fun two hours.

21) Kairo (2001)
Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Eerie and existential, booyah!

20) The Incredibles (2004)
Dir: Brad Bird
One of the best super hero movies in a decade full of 'em. Emotional and exciting with a great score.

19) Once (2006)
Dir: John Carney
Great scenes of people just making music.

18) Do You Believe in Miracles? (2001)
Writer: Bernard Goldberg
I dare you not to cry! Greatest sports story ever.

17) Le Moustache (2005)
Dir: Emmanuel Carrere
If you see no other movie about a mustache...

16) Battle Royale (2000)
Dir: Kenji Fukasaku
Killer teens with weapons on an island mixed with educational system allegory? Uhhh, yeah.

15) Waking the Dead (2000)
Dir: Keith Gordon
A truly authentic love story. And Gordon is a personal fave.

14) The Prestige (2006)
Dir: Christopher Nolan
Bowie as Tesla, come on!

13) Childstar (2004)
Dir: Don McKellar
Sharp, insightful, funny. More movies Mr. McKellar, please!

12) Lost In Translation (2003)
Dir: Sofia Coppola
Bill at his finest.

11) Eureka (2000)
Dir: Shinji Aoyama
One of my favorite theater going experiences ever. Not knowing what to expect, not sure what I got. But this proves that walking in to see anything at a small theater can pay off.

10) Ararat (2002)
Dir: Atom Egoyan
I learned a lot about Armenia and Turkey while being emotionally devastated.

9) Brother (2000)
Dir: Takeshi Kitano
Maybe not his best overall, but still hits all the right "beats". (sorry!)

8) CQ (2001)
Dir: Roman Coppola
It's like if Bava shook hands with Godard and neither knew what to say.

7) Spirited Away (2001)
Dir: Hayao Miyazaki
One of my favorite animated films ever. Everything good about Miyazaki times 1000.

6) Ghost World (2001)
Dir: Terry Zwigoff
Easily identifiable.

5) Brand Upon The Brain (2006)
Dir: Guy Maddin
Teen detectives at a lighthouse/orphange with cross-dressing, cannibalism, and a youth serum.

4) American Splendor (2003)
Dir: Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini
One of the only biopics I've ever liked. A fresh take on a really original voice in comics.

3) The Man Without A Past (2002)
Dir: Aki Kaurismaki
Dry since of humor, one of the best filmmakers ever.

2) The Dark Knight (2008)
Dir: Christopher Nolan
I love Batman, suck it.

1)There Will Be Blood (2007)
Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson
It makes me giddy every time I watch it. "I drink your milkshake" indeed.

1 comment:

  1. No CASINO ROYALE? (sigh)

    As always, an excellent list, sir. I am surprised BROTHER "beats" out WAKING THE DEAD (you asked for that pun, by the way).

    And what the hell do you mean no one demanded this?

    ReplyDelete