Best movies of the 2000s - Yearly Top 5 lists

[Borealis]

Oh, my, and another of Clint's - the most depressing and sad "Million Dollar Baby". He really has a knack of taking you along a story line and then in an instant; the blink of an eye, change the mood to dead serious, and if you've seen these three films you know what I mean.

Actually, despite my high school job experience and Golden Entertainment story line, I'm not the biggest movie buff. Many of the films John mentions I haven't seen. Except for the Star Wars films I tend to skip the sci-fi stuff. I did see Avatar, but more out of curiosity. I could see how if that was your thing you'd be blown away. Graphically it was pretty cool.

I think my favorite film on the lists (actually not on the lists) was The Last King of Scotland. Forrest Whitaker was amazing. That was the film that deserved the Oscar that year, not the lame Departed - violence for the sake of violence is a big turn off for me. I, too, thoroughly enjoyed the Lord of the Rings films. The majesty in which they were filmed was tremendous and lent to the emensity of the journey. I just wished that in the end that it ended; it was like the energizer bunny - it kept going, and going.....

Loved Inglorious Bastards. The opening was really long, but as the movie goes on you appreciate the tediousness of it, as character building was in earnest. No Country was just plain weird; good, hated how it ended, but weird, as was There Will Be Blood. Reminded me a little of the 21st century Chinatown. I loved Raising Arizona by the way, and Fargo was just strange, but it work. North Dakota must be like that. We'll take note next time the Borealis head north to play the Dinosaurs. Hated Pans Labyrinth. I wouldn't have argued Indiana's placement as the worst film in '08 - it was a stinker!

I'm glad to see Insomnia (not the S. King novel) on the list. I had forgotten about this film, but a very under-rated flick. I think it's one of Pacino's better roles. Robin Williams wasn't bad either. John has Minority Report on his list. Isn't that Tom Cruise? Not a big fan, and it's outside this decade review, but Kubricks Eyes Wide Shut (99) might be my fav of Cruises work; that and A Few Good Men. Lastly for my thoughts on the lists, Master & Commander: Did anyone get a word Russell Crowe said? His mumbling ruined it for me. OK, I lied... one more thought: Alien? All time best horror film?

[Steel Dragons]

Worst of the Year - The Hangover. It's not that I don't get why lots of people found this to be hilarious. It's just that this is not my kind of comedy. It's just too petty and mean-spirited for me to enjoy myself. I'm not going to say there weren't moments (the cameo by The Daily Show alum Rob Riggle was cute), but I spent more of my time feeling uncomfortable than laughing.

I'm glad someone else shares my feelings toward this. 75% of the "punch lines" in The Hangover revolved around a character who had all the tell tale signs of Asperger syndrome. The sad truth is that there are many movies like this. People are taught from a young age to laugh at people with Autism.

I wish I could find a link to a show I watched about 5 years ago on The Learning Channel. It was about a teenage girl with autism. She was absolutely brilliant using a computer to speak, yet she couldn't even say "hi" verbally. The camera's really caught her emotions as she struggled with it. I used to laugh at a lot of the mean jokes. After seeing that program, they make me sick now. Prejudice towards disabled people in 2010 is just as big of a problem as racism was in the 40-50's. The only difference is that most of the people effected can not articulate enough to defend themselves while movies like The Hangover exploit them.

[John]

Oddly, I didn't see a single 2000s Clint Eastwood-directed movie. Not sure why that was, exactly. I guess Eastwood was before my time and I never caught up on his body of work. I know his recent films have received quite a number of accolades.

I'd definitely have to give the nod to Alien for best horror film overall, even after all these years. I just love how the entire first half of the movie is so slow-paced - you're lulled into a sense of security, and then *BANG*... that iconic chest-burster scene. And really, is there a more terrifying movie monster than H.R. Geiger's alien? I'd be hard pressed to think of one.

I may not be the biggest horror movie connoisseur, but I do appreciate a good scare every so often, so if anyone has any recommendations of horror movies worth seeing, by all means pass them along.

[Zephyrs]

Awesome reading John---makes me wanna go to Hulu or some site and find some of your movies

I've only seen 10 of John's top 25 of the decade.....man I don't go to the movies enough :)

Of the ten I've seen, I'd rank them as follows:
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(I'm rating that higher than Fellowship simply because rarely does a trilogy or series end on such a high note)
Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings, Two Towers
Avatar
District 9(my wife hated it, I loved it)
Collateral
Tropic Thunder
Blood Diamond
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gladiator

Here's a few more of my faves from the oughts:
The Dark Knight----what a superhero movie should be

Hotel Rwanda---I teach geography and show it every year and never get tired of it

Finding Nemo & The Incredibles---I know, call me an idiot for praising animation...but they are both greatness

Cast Away---one word: Wilson; but seriously, acting with a volleyball as the only co-star for a good hour to me is what makes that movie special

Ocean's Eleven---I wish I was as cool as that cast; loved 13 as well

Fast and the Furious---see Ocean's Eleven

Remember the Titans---who knew the girl would become all grown up?

The 40 Year Old Virgin---stupid movies I either love or hate; Steve Carell cracks me up so this qualifies as love

[Reg]

I find it interesting that you don't have much interest in westerns...after watching the first three episodes of firefly which include but is not limited to ...a bar fight, a train robbery, and a shoot out (horses include) and characters who more or less walk around with six shooters in hip holsters....not to mention a undeniable country and western theme song....

sure they also fly a big spaceship...but the western vibe is still extremely strong

[John]

I find it interesting that you don't have much interest in westerns...after watching the first three episodes of firefly which include but is not limited to ...a bar fight, a train robbery, and a shoot out (horses include) and characters who more or less walk around with six shooters in hip holsters....not to mention a undeniable country and western theme song....

sure they also fly a big spaceship...but the western vibe is still extremely strong

Isn't that bizarre? You're absolutely right about the strong westerns themes running through Firefly. I'll confess that I didn't watch the show when it was on television (me and pretty much everyone else in the world), and that westerns flavor may have had something to do with it, but man alive, I loved the heck out of it once I discovered it on DVD.

I guess the best I can figure is that I'm not really anti-westerns; it's just that most westerns tell a tale that's a little narrow in focus and maybe not particularly compelling to me. Firefly, while carrying over many of the same themes that feature prominently in westerns, sets the stage for a much larger story (one that gets completed in the feature-length film Serenity). So it's kind of like the best of both worlds: the intimate, personal themes of rugged individualism you see in lots of westerns coupled with the star-spanning scope of a large-scale sci-fi epic.

Thanks for the post, Paul. It gave me a chance to think over why I love that show so very much. It also lets me know that my big dump of a thread here may be having an impact on someone. I'm so glad that you've been inspired to watch the show!

[Reg]

I find it interesting that you don't have much interest in westerns...after watching the first three episodes of firefly which include but is not limited to ...a bar fight, a train robbery, and a shoot out (horses include) and characters who more or less walk around with six shooters in hip holsters....not to mention a undeniable country and western theme song....

sure they also fly a big spaceship...but the western vibe is still extremely strong

Isn't that bizarre? You're absolutely right about the strong westerns themes running through Firefly. I'll confess that I didn't watch the show when it was on television (me and pretty much everyone else in the world), and that westerns flavor may have had something to do with it, but man alive, I loved the heck out of it once I discovered it on DVD.

I guess the best I can figure is that I'm not really anti-westerns; it's just that most westerns tell a tale that's a little narrow in focus and maybe not particularly compelling to me. Firefly, while carrying over many of the same themes that feature prominently in westerns, sets the stage for a much larger story (one that gets completed in the feature-length film Serenity). So it's kind of like the best of both worlds: the intimate, personal themes of rugged individualism you see in lots of westerns coupled with the star-spanning scope of a large-scale sci-fi epic.

Thanks for the post, Paul. It gave me a chance to think over why I love that show so very much. It also lets me know that my big dump of a thread here may be having an impact on someone. I'm so glad that you've been inspired to watch the show!

Yep ever since tyler and you discussed the show way back it has been in my netflix queue, but I really got excited about it because I have recently become a huge fan of chuck watching all the seasons of that..which also stars adam baldwin...who plays in firefly...so slowly but surely i am working my way through Firefly....

Also I highly recommend eternal happiness of the spotless mind...kind of an offbeat film that makes you think

[Evas]

Is Chuck really any good? I recently had it recommended to me, but I'm pretty skeptical.

[Reg]

Is Chuck really any good? I recently had it recommended to me, but I'm pretty skeptical.

I have definitely found it to be quite good, it has a combination of action, comedy, and even some romance....it centers around a guy who is a nerd (would probably play ootp if he had any spare time)...so I highly recommend it...

[Nigel]

I just signed up for netflix last Monday night and am planning on catching up on some movie watching I've neglected for the last few years. One of the first things I watched was Eternal Sunshine. I really enjoyed it. Definitely has a different vibe to it, but it's a strong film for sure.

[Tyler]

Is Chuck really any good? I recently had it recommended to me, but I'm pretty skeptical.

What Paul said. It's not great, but it's a solidly good show that I best describe as a sci-spy action comedy. How's that for a genre? It's worth your time to check it out to see if you like it.

[John]

Seems like there's a lot of interest in TV shows. It just so happens that I'm a bigger fan of TV shows than I am of movies. I (or one of you) will have to set up a Top 5 TV show thread. I know precisely which show would be my favorite of all time (no, it's not Firefly). Limiting myself to shows that began airing in the 2000s would make things a little more challenging... I'll have to think about that.

[Paul Moots]

I just noticed the off-topic discussion thread, and more specifically the movie thread. I'm sure there are only one or two of you who knows this, but I just recently finished making my first documentary on people who break Guinness World Records, called Breaking and Entering. It took a little over four years to shoot and edit, and in its current form it's 98 minutes long (but we might be forced to cut five or six minutes). If you're so inclined we put together a trailer that you can view here: http://www.chump-change.com/bandeqt.html. But I ask that you don't spread it around to anyone just yet if you watch it, because we don't even have the website finished that is promoted at the end.

The reason I bring it up in this thread, is to say that I was definitely influenced by some of the movies listed here, and a lot that weren't listed here. The documentary American Movie was made in the late 90's I believe, so it wouldn't make this list, but it's brilliant if you haven't seen it. It was the first documentary that I saw that was a comedy, and that concept was foreign to me at the time. Two more documentaries I love are Worplay and Spellbound. Structurally I was definitely influenced by both. I have been lucky enough to be in contact with the director and producer of Wordplay and they are painfully supportive and nice.

Lastly Anvil: The story of Anvil is my favorite movie of the year last year. I'm keeping my wife awake typing so I'll add more later.

[Arroyos]

I just recently finished making my first documentary on people who break Guinness World Records, called Breaking and Entering.

Benjamin,

Fabulous trailer for Breaking and Entering. Can't wait to see it in its entirety. Please keep me posted. By the way, did you find that by and large men are more obsessed with breaking records than women?

Bob

[Mike Branda]

lol your going to hate the new predator lol John

Also yes a great trailer indeed