Top Twenty Films Of The Decade: Part 1
It's hard to choose just twenty films from a decade so full of great work.
We've had one of the best blockbusters of all time in the shape of 'The Dark Knight', groundbreaking animation with 'Finding Nemo' and, the best war movie of the '00s, Iraq war thriller 'The Hurt Locker.'
Steven Soderbergh gave us the super-stylish 'Ocean's Eleven' and absorbing legal drama 'Erin Brockovich', while the Coen brothers made such classics as 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' and the oddly ignored 'Burn After Reading'.
Two old pros also made their mark in the noughties, with Martin Scorsese making 'The Departed', a gangster film that ranks among the best ever made, and Steven Spielberg creating a trio of visionary sci-fi's with 'Minority Report', 'War Of The Worlds' and 'A.I.'
Special mention must also go to some of the forgotten gems of the past ten years: Sofia Coppola's unique 'Marie Antoinette', Andrew Dominik's poetic 'The Assassination Of Jesse James' and Bernardo Bertolucci's hallucinatory 'The Dreamers'.
However, I make the rules, and there is only enough room here for twenty. There are even better films out there, films that, for me, rank above all others out of the last ten years. Not all of them are perfect movies, but each and every one stands out and are, for me, the finest of the last decade.
In no particular order, these are the first ten:
Kingdom Of Heaven: The Director's Cut (Ridley Scott, 2005)
Better-looking visually and more epic than 'Gladiator', this Crusades-set adventure is the swords 'n' sandals pic Scott should be remembered for. The Director's Cut doesn't improve the wooden Orlando Bloom, but we do get added screen time from an impressive cast on top form with Scott's themes, cut down for the theatrical release, given room to breathe. A true epic.
Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
An understated dissection of growing up, getting old and, most of all, finding true love as two lovers reunite after a decade for just a few hours together. The cliffhanger ending is one of the best in romantic cinema and the film itself is that rare thing: a sequel that betters the original.
Lost In Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
Nothing much happens in terms of story in this naturalistic romantic comedy, but the film's dream-like quality fits the feeling of alienation in otherworldly Tokyo perfectly. A warning: the plot is minimal, and you'll either love Sofia Coppola's freewheeling, improvisational style or hate it.
The Lives Of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2007)
A tragic thriller that looks at the suffocating effect of the state police in the former East Germany is also a dedication to the human spirit as a cold, emotionless 'Stasi' officer slowly begins to thaw, risking his own life for the sake of another.
Munich (Steven Spielberg, 2006)
Dread, paranoia and the fear of retribution permeate every frame of this brutal terrorist thriller, seemingly made by Spielberg's morose twin brother. In terms of style and content, it's a blip on the normally steady, predictable heart-rate of Spielberg's usual output - the likes of which we'll probably never see from him again - but it's the best blip of his career.
No Country For Old Men (Ethan Coen/Joel Coen, 2008)
Possibly the most suspenseful thriller made in the last ten years, 'No Country' is widely hailed by critics as the Coen brothers' best. It's also one of the darkest and most difficult films of their career - and it somehow made them mainstream Oscar-winners. Go figure.
Master And Commander (Peter Weir, 2003)
The underrated Weir's only film this decade is also one of the best. It's a meticulous exploration of seafaring during Napoleonic times, one with heart and soul courtesy of the gallery of salty seadog characters headed by Russell Crowe's captain and Paul Bettany's ship doctor, as the British man-of-war HMS Surprise stalks a superior French vessel across the Pacific.
Traffic (Steven Soderbergh, 2001)
Soderbergh's crowning triumph manages to somehow be a very human look at the complex intricacies of the drugs trade. Benicio Del Toro, giving his best ever performance, stands out in a fantastic ensemble, while the film itself, never anything other than gripping, looks incredible.
Kill Bill: Volume One (Quentin Tarantino, 2003)
Tarantino once again steals from a countless number of other films to make this entertainingly trashy, unapologetically violent revenge movie. Probably doesn't deserve to be on this list for that reason alone, but by God is it a fun movie. Avoid the lacklustre sequel, though, to keep happy memories of the first film intact.
Knocked Up (Judd Apatow, 2007)
The film that ushered in a new breed of semi-improvised, realism-based comedy with a heart (think 'Superbad' or 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'), but this remains the best of them all. For a comedy that is so full of belly laughs, it stays remarkably accurate and true-to-life throughout.
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Karl Benecke - is a third year Film Journalism student at the University of Huddersfield.
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Brogan Morris - is also a third year Film Journalism student at the University of Huddersfield.
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