I had already planned for this year's penultimate blog piece to cover the best 100 films of 2010-2019, so I thought I would offer my list for the decade previous in preparation. A version of this list is published in Everyone Else is Wrong (And You Know It): Criticism/Humor/Non-Fiction.
The original list included a disclaimer (and this will go for next week also) that many of the international films on this list are here because they had a wide and touted release in North America, so I'm comfortable with this list being my personal picks for the best films I saw from 2000 to 2009.
100. Superbad
A raucously funny and ultimately moving dissection of platonic male relationships.
99. Dancer in the Dark
98. Knocked Up
97. Mean Girls
96. Chicago
95. Walk the Line
94. Topsy-Turvy
93. The New World
92. Requiem for a Dream
91. Napoleon Dynamite
90. Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
A horrifying documentary about the most infamous cult the world has ever known.
89. Heist
88. Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones
87. The Last Samurai
86. The Bourne Identity
85. Changing Lanes
84. The Notebook
83. George Washington
82. Spartan
81. Frost/Nixon
80. Akeelah and the Bee
A touching comedy, endlessly watchable with two spot-on lead performances.
79. Unfaithful
78. Spider-man
77. Bend it Like Beckham
76. The Secret Lives of Dentists
75. Sideways
74. Inside Man
73. Cast Away
72. State and Main
71. Casino Royale
70. Thirteen
The quicksilver of adolescence is portrayed beautifully in Hardwicke's indie hit.
69. The Brown Bunny
68. Super Size Me
67. Grizzly Man
66. Ghost World
65. The Passion of the Christ
64. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
63. About Schmidt
62. Garden State
61. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
60. A Prairie Home Companion
Robert Altman's eulogy of Americana that was also his last motion picture.
59. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
58. Traffic
57. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
56. Love Actually
55. Open Range
54. Road to Perdition
53. Possession
52. Gladiator
51. The Golden Compass
50. Collateral
A remarkable action-thriller, Michael Mann's best film since Heat.
49. Remember the Titans
48. Lost in Translation
47. Catch Me if You Can
46. Frailty
45. Born into Brothels
44. Gosford Park
43. American Movie
42. Closer
41. Good Night and Good Luck
40. I Heart Huckabees
An off-the-wall, existential comedy. A film unlike any other.
39. The Company
38. The Prestige
37. The Incredibles
36. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
35. Batman Begins
34. Minority Report
33. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
32. Inland Empire
31. Cinderella Man
30. Across the Universe
Its flaws aside, if you don't like Julie Taymor's film, you may have no heart.
29. American Splendor
28. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
27. The Royal Tennenbaums
26. Capturing the Friedmans
25. Adaptation
24. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
23. The Piano Teacher
22. Monsoon Wedding
21. Monster’s Ball
20. Juno
An imminently quotable screenplay shot with tenderness and good humor.
19. In America
18. Match Point
17. Eastern Promises
16. Alexander
15. Mulholland Drive
14. A History of Violence
13. The Queen
12. The Aviator
11. King Kong
10. The Dark Knight
The finest superhero film ever made.
9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
8. The Departed
7. Almost Famous
6. Finding Nemo
5. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
4. In the Bedroom
3. Avatar
2. Spirited Away
1. The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King)
A masterful trilogy of technical marvels.
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