I thought what better introduction to a blog then a top 100 films list. There are only a couple rules I followed when making this list, the films had to be released between the years 2000-2009 and obviously I had to have seen them. You may ask yourselves why certain films didn't make this list, and the answer is that either I haven't seen them or I just didn't think they were good enough.
The glaring omissions of films I haven't seen are Traffic, Letters From Iwo Jima, The Hours, Munich, Precious, Ray, Talk to Her, Dancer in the Dark, etc.
I'm sure there are plenty of people that would disagree with me, but remember just because a film didn't crack the top 100 doesn't mean that I didn't like it.
100-51
100. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004, Alfonso Cuaron)
99. Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (2008, Tony Jaa)
98. Finding Neverland (2004, Marc Forster)
97. Bridge to Terebithia (2007, Gabor Csupo)
96. Milk (2008, Gus Van Sant)
95. The Incredibles (2004, Brad Bird)
94. The Bourne Identity (2002, Doug Liman)
93. Bad Santa (2003, Terry Zwigoff)
92. Owning Mahoney (2003, Richard Kwietniowski)
91. Love Me If You Dare (2003, Yann Samuell)
90. Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Fleet Street (2007, Tim Burton)
89. In Bruges (2008, Martin McDonagh)
88. Minority Report (2002, Steven Spielberg)
87. Ghost Town (2008, David Koepp)
86. Donnie Darko (2001, Richard Kelly)
85. Pan's Labyrinth (2006, Guillermo del Toro)
84. Amores Perros (2000, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)
83. The Aviator (2004, Martin Scorsese)
82. Brokeback Mountain (2005, Ang Lee)
81. Monster (2003, Patty Jenkins)
80. Chicago (2002, Rob Marshall)
79. 3:10 to Yuma (2007, James Mangold)
78. Cinderella Man (2005, Ron Howard)
77. American Splendor (2003, Shari Springer Berman)
76. Chocolat (2000, Lasse Hallstrom)
75. Sherlock Holmes (2009, Guy Ritchie)
74. 40 Year Old Virgin (2005, Judd Apatow)
73. Shrek (2001, Andrew Adamson)
72. American Psycho (2000, Mary Harron)
71. Catch Me If You Can (2002, Steven Spielberg)
70. Spider-Man 2 (2004, Sam Raimi)
69. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005, Shane Black)
68. Dark Knight (2008, Christopher Nolan)
67. Batman Begins (2005, Christopher Nolan)
66. Good Night and Good Luck (2005, George Clooney)
65. A Beautiful Mind (2001, Ron Howard)
64. Lady Vengeance (2005, Chan-wook Park)
63. Sin City (2005, Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez)
62. Lord Of The Rings (2001, 2002, 2003)
61. The Royal Tennenbaums (2001, Wes Anderson)
60. The Hangover (2009, Todd Phillips)
59. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, Tommy Lee Jones)
58. Juno (2007, Jason Reitman)
57. Redbelt (2008, David Mamet)
56. Hard Candy (2005, David Slade)
55. Mystic River (2003, Clint Eastwood)
54. Muholland Dr. (2001, David Lynch)
53. Wall-E (2008, Andrew Stanton)
52. Michael Clayton (2007, Tony Gilroy)
51. Inglorious Bastards (2009, Quentin Tarantino)
Note: Possible spoilers to follow, you have been warned.
100. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - All of the Harry Potter films are entertaining, but this is the best one and the only one worthy of the list. This is the film where Harry Potter becomes a man. He frequently relies on other people to save him (i.e. his dead father), until he finally realizes he is capable of saving himself. Unfortunately he regresses in the films that follow.
99. Ong Bak 2: The Beginning - Quite simply the best stunts I have ever seen in a film. Tony Jaa is a genius at what he does, although we won't see any more from him anytime soon since he has fled the Thai film business to become a buddhist monk.
98. Finding Neverland - This tells the story of a man that never really wanted to grow up and a boy that was growing up too fast. Rumor has it that upon the late Michael Jackson's first viewing of this film he was so moved by Freddie Highmore's incredible performance that it left him reaching for a tissue (for his tears).
97. Bridge to Terebithia - That's right, it made the list. A couple of kids that were up to some good, have trouble with bullies in their neighborhood. The two kids got scared, so they decided to create an imaginary world they both could share. They got in a fight that separated the pair, the tragedy that followed would bring a tear. (I was staggered by this movie much more than I thought I would be.)
96. Milk - Sean Penn, James Franco, Emile Hirsch all give inspired performances, Josh Brolin kills it in this one. If only it came out a couple months earlier at a time where it could have affected voting on Prop 8. That reminds me, if I ever get arrested for a felony I'm going with the twinkie defense.
95. The Incredibles - A dis-functional family with overweight issues living a lie, it sounds like so many families I knew growing up in the midwest. The movie is clever, funny and one of Pixar's best.
94. The Bourne Identity - The first in the Bourne series I think is still the best. Jason Bourne is often compared to James Bond, but Bourne is clearly the cooler side of the pillow. The true comparison should be Charlie Baltimore from a Long Kiss Goodnight, a character who also gets shot, falls into the ocean and loses her memory. (Incidentally Bryan Cox plays a very similar role in BI and LKG as he does in X2: X-Men United, and even Glimmer Man, 1 character = 4 jobs.) Regardless of the similarities, Bourne is gritty, smart and the action seems real which neither Bond films or Goodnight can say.
93. Bad Santa - This film reaches new heights in disgust, I highly recommend it. The film in every way lives up to its title; Billy Bob Thornton plans heists in malls, drinks on the job, spends his breaks in the rest room putting women in a very uncomfortable position, and he beats up kids (which may be nicest thing he has ever done) in this unlikely tale of redemption.
92. Owning Mahoney - PSH plays a compulsive gambler who heads a large Bank branch (not unlike the American banking system). This man's compulsion and addiction go deeper and deeper leaving the audience in a constant state of uneasiness.
91. Love Me If You Dare - This is not a Madonna biography as one might expect. It is a game of truth or dare (without the truth part) that two people play throughout their lifetime. There is just one rule, you must accept each dare regardless of the consequences to themselves or others. The stakes are raised as they fall in love and the dares escalate.
90. Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Fleet Street - If you like blood and guts (especially in your pie), you'll love this movie. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaborate once again in this loose sequel to Edward Scissorhands, JD is still cutting hair as well as throats.
89. In Bruges - Colin Farrell is not short on charisma, and he has worked with the best directors that Hollywood has to offer (Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Joel Schumacker, Terrence Malick, Terry Gilliam, Woody Allen, Michael Mann, etc.), but he seems to excel in smaller films like this one.
88. Minority Report - I've seen a lot of people rolling their eyes, but I had never seen anyone chasing after their own rolling eye until this movie (thank you Mr. Spielberg, it almost allows me to look passed your next Cruise collaboration, almost). One of the best sci-fi films of the 00's.
87. Ghost Town - This movie had a great tagline, "He Sees Dead People and They Annoy Him." The perfect movie for both Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear.
86. Donnie Darko - Best movie with a giant Bunny since Harvey. Double D figures out the way to solve suburbia's mass amount of problems, that's right, wormholes.
85. Pan's Labyrinth - Alice in Alice and Wonderland, Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, and many others find themselves in an imaginary world only to realize how good they have it back in reality. This little girl has to create an imaginary world to free herself from the horrors of reality. (note: David Bowie is not in this film.)
84. Amores Perros - Most recently there have been many films with different interweaving story-lines (Syriana, Babel, 21 Grams, etc.), and this is one of the first and one of my favorites. (I've also been told that this movie acts as an instructional video for NFL quarterbacks that are thinking about starting a side business.)
83. The Aviator - If someone was going to "show me the blueprints" for a movie depicting a classic case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, this would be it. Whenever I have to pee in a cup I think of this movie.
82. Brokeback Mountain - Two men pitch tents on a mountain. Mountain men mounting men. Say whatever joke you want, but this is a very good and effective movie.
81. Monster - Charlize Theron in one of the greatest transformations ever for a role, both physically and emotionally (right up there with De Niro in Raging Bull, Tom Hanks in Cast Away, Christian Bale in The Machinist).
80. Chicago - A musical about the spectacle of the justice system in Chicago during the 1920's, this instant classic was of course filmed in Toronto.
79. 3:10 to Yuma - Christian Bale and Russell Crowe talk and Ben Foster kicks ass and takes names.
78. Cinderella Man - A down and out boxer climbs his way back up to the title during the depression. Move over Seabisquit because this is the best inspirational sports film that takes place during the depression era.
77. American Splendor - Part Documentary and part feature film, all great movie. Paul Giametti is at his best in this film as a comic creator.
76. Chocolat - The only movie starring Johnny Depp as a pirate on the list. Juliette Binoche is very good as a spiritually enlightened woman who opens up a chocolate shop in a small town during Lent. Alfred Molina steals the show as the mayor who preaches self-control, only to fall prey to temptation in the form of chocolate.
75. Sherlock Holmes - You don't have to be a detective to realize how good this movie is. Jude Law and RDJ have as much chemistry as Bogart and Bacall, Hope and Crosby, milk and cookies.
74. 40 Year Old Virgin - Apatow's first and his best in the director's chair. The movie is sincere and hilarious.
73. Shrek - The first movie to win Best Animated Feature (Walt Disney must have be rolling over in his freezer).
72. American Psycho - This 80's satire gave us such one-liners as "You're a fucking ugly bitch. I want to stab you to death, and then play around with your blood." and when a Waiter asks, "Would you like to hear today's specials?" Patrick Bateman responds as anyone would, "Not if you want to keep your spleen."
71. Catch Me If You Can - As compelling a cat and mouse film as there is, at least without starring Tom and Jerry.
70. Spider-Man 2 - One of the very best comic book films ever made. Unfortunately the mess that is Spider-Man 3 hurts the value of this film.
69. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - The title is much better than its original Smooch Me Twice, Double Shot. Famed Screenwriter, Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, A Long Kiss Goodnight), tries his hand at directing and leaves me wondering why he didn't do it earlier. This is the first and best of the RDJ action films released in the 00's.
68. Dark Knight - Probably the best performance for a comic book villain on film, can't wait to see what kind of Joker hijinks we will see in the sequel.
67. Batman Begins - I know what you're thinking, but I actually think that Batman Begins is better than Dark Knight. The supporting characters are better in DK, but the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne is much better in BB.
66. Good Night and Good Luck - It is strange how much of an effect a jackass from Wisconsin who has eaten too much cheese can have on a nation, and without people like Edward R. Murrow he would have done even more damage. On a side note I rarely play the violin, but I bring it out on rare occasions of deep sympathy, Mr. Clooney having to settle for the Supporting Actor oscar was one such occasion.
65. A Beautiful Mind - This film was well deserving of its Oscar. She don't age yo, that means she ain't real. (After Todd Bridges' viewing of this film he checked himself in to an insane asylum.)
64. Lady Vengeance - If you were framed for murder and were sent to prison for 13 1/2 years you would be pissed too. A woman hellbent on revenge, but like any Chan-wook Park film, it isn't quite that simple.
63. Sin City - The comic book world comes to life in Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's adaptation of his own work. One of the rare instances of CGI enhancing a film experience, as a matter of fact I don't think it could have been done without it. This film also laid the foundation for Mickey Rourke's comeback.
62. Lord Of The Rings - Wizards, Hobbits and Dwarves, OH MY! Tough to view it film by film, I see them as one fantastical experience.
61. The Royal Tennenbaums - Everything about this movie is unique: the story, the characters, and especially the tone. My favorite Wes Anderson movie and my source for everything I know about tennis.
60. The Hangover - The cross between Dude, Where's My Car and Bachelor Party keeps getting better each time I watch it. Zach Galifinakas and Bradley Cooper get a lot of the credit, but Ed Helms is every bit as good. This film also marks the first time a baby has ever masturbated on film, which is long overdue. "You probably get this a lot. This isn't the real Caesar's Palace, is it?"
59. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - First time director Tommy Lee Jones creates an atmosphere to rival Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. Two guys travel with a dead guy, but it doesn't quite have the hilarious hijinks of Weekend at Bernie's.
58. Juno - Ellen Page and Michael Cera at their best, and the emergence of screenwriter Diablo Cody. My favorite line, Juno says, "No... I mean for real. 'Cause you're, like, the coolest person I've ever met, and you don't even have to try, you know..." Paulie responds, "I try really hard, actually."
57. Redbelt - I "insist" that you check out this film. David Mamet realizes that a "red belt" is more than just a device that holds up ones pants. The film tells a tale of a martial arts instructor and his unwavering integrity. Mamet also takes a shot at the Hollywood film industry with some sketchy characters.
56. Hard Candy - Ellen Page kicks some serious ass in this reversal of the classic Red Riding Hood story (ever want to see the Big Bad Wolf neutered?). As a male, this film is difficult to sit through, but it is so compelling that you can't take your eyes off of it.
55. Mystic River - This tragic film is probably Eastwood's best film of the 00's. From the beginning of the film you realize things aren't going to end well for Tim Robbins.
54. Muholland Dr. - David Lynch with another enigma that leaves you saying WTF. Many have tried to make sense of this film, but Lynch lets his work stand on its own offering no interpretation. One theory is that the film is the mind's eye of Naomi Watt's as she has her way with herself.
53. Wall-E - Pixar's best film of the 00's. There was skepticism before this film came out whether audiences would embrace a robot that doesn't talk, but there is nothing artificial about Wall-E's love.
52. Michael Clayton - I won't describe the complex character that is Michael Clayton, I'll let him do it "I'm not the guy you kill. I'm the guy you buy! Are you so fucking blind that you don't even see what I am? I sold out Arthur for 80 grand. I'm your easiest problem and you're gonna kill me?"
51. Inglorious Bastards - The first time I saw this film I liked it, but wasn't sure if I loved it. When I look back, I realize how great so many of the scenes are (the opening is amazing, the bar scene, the party, the first presentation of the Bear Jew). Chris Weitz is tremendous in one of the best supporting rolls I have ever seen. It is also fun to see Tarantino change history.
Stay tuned for more . . .
