I wanted to include a year-end 2005 best movie list but discovered that there weren't any stand-out great movies released this year that I've actually seen. I mean, when my favorite movie of the year was either Batman Begins or The 40-Year-Old Virgin, I'd say it's been a light year in film. And along that vein, I'd been wanting to put out an all-time favorite movies list, but I struggled with how to compare films across eras. Ferris Bueller's Day Off was always my favorite movie ever, but it's a little tough to compare to Lord of the Rings. Or to Star Wars. So here's my solution. A periodically posted favorite movies of the decade, starting with this current decade. To be eligible, the film only had to be released in 2000 or later. I came up with 20, read on if you want to see. And I'm counting backwards to increase the suspense.
20. The Perfect Storm (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg) 2000. The first problem I had with this list is that this has so far been a pretty weak decade for movies, at least for me. I remember liking this movie when it was released, but it was based on one of the most enjoyable books I'd ever read and as such, it was a little disappointing. Yet it still made my top 20 of the decade. Which I think has more to say about the rest of the recent slate of pictures than about how great this movie was. It's still good though.
19. Ocean's Eleven (George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon) 2002. Clooney back to back? Hey why not? This was not exactly a high-brow picture, a remake of the "classic" Rat Pack film on the same name, but I thought the casino vault heist was just brilliantly executed and the breezy pacing and fun interaction by the cast of superstars was highly entertaining. The movie is very rewatchable, even knowing the ending, and the early poker scene featuring the twentysomething WB stars trying to learn from Pitt is just a perfect addition. Great flick.
18. Minority Report (Tom Cruise, Stephen Spielberg) 2002. Another movie that I was somewhat disappointed with when I first saw it in the theaters, but I came to really appreciate it in subsequent viewings. The action was tense, the story was complicated but intriguing, and the futuristic venues were well directed. This was not quite Spielberg at his best, but it was pretty close, and a more enjoyable ride in retrospect than the other more highly acclaimed film he released that year, Catch Me if You Can.
17. Almost Famous (Heather Graham, Billy Crudup, Jason Lee) 2000. Cameron Crowe has certainly been hit or miss in his career, with a little too much sap at times (Jerry Maguire), but this was a pretty great film, perfectly chronicling a rock band on the road in the '70s. It features a lot of laughs, a lot of insane shenanigans, and not quite too much sap. And I had to get a Jason Lee movie on this list, since Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back didn't quite make the cut.
16. Shaun of the Dead (some unknown guys) 2004. I mentioned this in my favorite scary movie Halloween list, but I've watched it a few times since then and it's just gotten better and better. A perfectly satirical riff on both cheesy horror films and celebrating human lethargy, it's just damn funny. With a lot of cool blood and guts stuff as well. A well made pleasure.
15. Super Size Me (directed by Morgan Spurlock) 2004. The most highly publicized documentary of the decade not made by Michael Moore, this one had the effect of getting McDonald's to end their "supersize" menu, which is certainly good for the health of Americans, especially Switsky. But this was a really well made film, very interesting and informative and quite entertaining, especially for a documentary. Plus, that fatass Michael Moore wasn't in it, so that was a plus.
14. Friday Night Lights (Billy Bob Thorton) 2004. A film about a Texas high school football team in 1988, based on a true story from a book of the same name. But something about this movie elevated it beyond a simple sports movie or football movie. The soundtrack was superb (local post-rockers Explosions in the Sky did all the music). The story was excellent (the insanity of the Texas townsfolk living vicariously through the football team). The acting was solid (an understated Thorton and the kid who played the QB). There was tragedy and drama and brief moments of comedy. And the football scenes were some of the best I'd ever seen filmed. Just well done all around.
13. Wonder Boys (Michael Douglas, Robert Downey Jr, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes) 2000. Just look at that cast. This is an actor's masterpiece, and a writer's wet dream, a wonderful film about an English professor dealing with a mid-life crisis amidst a strange and whimsical world that the viewer can't help but being dragged into. Michael Douglas in particular is brilliant, but everyone elevates their role and I couldn't help but be captivated by Katie Holmes' portrayal of the not-so-innocent Hannah, coming on the heels of her wonderful work in 1999's amazing and underrated Go. Sadly, she's given up acting to become a Scientologist so that's it for that.
12. Pirates of the Caribbean (Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom) 2003. Just an all-out enjoyable romp. Johnny Depp was absolutely perfect as the wise-cracking Captain Jack Sparrow and Orlando Bloom makes his first of several appearances on this list (although truly not due to his own brilliance). Two more sequels are scheduled over the next two years, so that could ruin the mood, but right now, this is one of my favorite movies of the decade.
11. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox) 2003. Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs is one of my top 10 favorite movies of all-time. And Pulp Fiction is in the top 20. So I was eagerly awaiting this movie, his first writer/director appearance in 6 years. And it really blew me away. There wasn't much story - well, certainly not enough for two films, but it just worked for me. The cinematography was brilliant - especially the final scene in the Japanese restaurant, and the action and choreography was truly excellent. Uma Thurman does well as The Bride, and the non-linear timeline and unexplained parts helped the movie in my opinion. It all kind of fell apart in Vol. 2 for me, though, which was too slow-paced and repetitive, and needed the first part's brilliance to prop it up. But since the movies were released separately, I'm ranking them separately (much like the LOTR trilogy), so Vol. 1 gets a spot on the list. And the O-Ren Ishii and her Crazy 88's crew that gets killed off one by one by Uma Thurman is just absolutely wonderful theater.
That's it for today. Top 10 coming tomorrow.
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