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Monday, August 24, 2009

Noughtie Movies





With four months left before the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Pitchfork has just compiled its list of the top 500 songs of the Noughties.

With that in mind, I'm interested in what people think are the greatest movies of the Noughties? What get your vote for the best movie(s) released since 2000?

I've been racking my brains about this one, and, for me, I think my vote for movie of the decade is United 93 (2006), Paul Greengrass' masterful, unbearably tense, and utterly devastating account of the events aboard the last hijacked plane on Sept 11, 2001. It's not only the movie of the decade, it's the movie for the decade.

Coming in a close second is The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (2007), Julian Schnabel's exquisite, profoundly moving adaptation of Jean Dominque Bauby's incredible memoir of living - for he does indeed live - with locked-in syndrome, each word painstakingly dictated to an assistant by blinking his eye.

The other contenders, in my opinion, would be (and I'm sure to be forgetting some!):

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(2000)
Almost Famous (2000)
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Traffic (2000)
Before Night Falls (2000)

Amelie
(2001)
In the Bedroom (2001)
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

City of God
(2002)
Adaptation (2002)
28 Days Later (2002)
Spiderman (2002)
Talk to Her (2002)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Goodbye Lenin!
(2003)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Finding Nemo (2003)

The Incredibles
(2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(2004)
Spiderman 2 (2004)
The Descent (2004)
Before Sunset (2004)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Maria Full of Grace (2004)
Sideways (2004)
Downfall (2004)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Brokeback Mountain
(2005)
The 40 year Old Virgin
(2005)
Good Night, and Good Luck
(2005)
Batman Begins
(2005)

Volver
(2006)
Hidden
(Cache - 2006)
Pan's Labyrinth
(2006)
Borat (2006)
Children of Men
(2006)
Shortbus
(2006)

There Will Be Blood
(for good and for bad, 2007)
Ratatouille (2007)
The Orphanage
(2007)
The Lives of Others
(2007)
No End in Sight
(2007)
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Juno (2007)

Wall-E
(2008)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Man On Wire (2008)
Dear Zachary: A Letter to His Son about His Father (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)

Star Trek (2009)
500 Days of Summer
(2009)
The Hurt Locker
(2009)



5 comments:

adrian said...

i came in to say Almost Famous but you covered it. 'it's all happening'

Michael said...

Where is Moulin Rouge! and Let the Right One In? They should make any noughties list, surely!

Other contenders would have to be Gosford Park, Vera Drake, Downfall, Spirited Away, Dogville, Little Miss Sunshine, Frozen River, The Constant Gardner Waltz With Bashir, and - three more divisive choices that'd be whole-heartedly supported by yours truly - I've Loved You So Long, The Fountain and INLAND EMPIRE.

But I think I'd go for Volver as my choice for the best of the decade...although that'll change with the wind. Or, more appropriately, when my excitement for Broken Embraces dies down a little.

Declan Cashin said...

How did I forget Moulin Rouge!? My bad. My serious bad

Michael said...

I'm not sure I'll ever forgive you for that. I think you should add Australia to your list for your sins! (I'd put it on mine anyway).

Declan Cashin said...

Hmm, I might have to fight you on the Australia front (though you know I secretly love it)