Top 101 Movies of the Decade (40-36)

40. The Aviator (Martin Scorsese, 2004)

Throughout his career, Scorsese has always been interested in the rise and fall of his characters: Raging Bull, GoodFellas, Casino. The Aviator, based on the life of Howard Hughes, falls nicely into that tradition. Focusing principally on Hughes' better years, Scorsese crafts an epic and tragic tale of a man crippled by his own flaws. What makes the film effective, however, is Scorsese's choice to focus on the good portion of Hughes' life - merely alluding to his tragic end (living as a recluse in a single room for most of his last two decades).

Leonardo DiCaprio is phenomenal. The role calls for an epic performance and DiCaprio is completely game. Howard Hughes was a man who courted Hollywood starlets, made epic movies and designed - and crashed - airplanes before succumbing to crippling obsessive behaviors. DiCaprio is one of the only actors alive capable of not just taking on such a role but owning it and making it successful. While DiCaprio 'grew up' with the 2002 releases of Gangs of New York and Catch Me If You Can, it was with The Aviator that he truly established himself as one of the finest actors working today.

The film's investigation of Hughes' career is utterly compelling, even as his flaws begin to shine through. When filming the aviation epic Hell's Angels, Hughes needs not 24 cameras, but 26, borrowing two cameras from a Hollywood mogul to make sure the scene is just right. His plane designs MUST meet certain specifications, consequences be damned (even if those consequences involve crashing through Beverly Hills in an airplane). The film's supporting cast plays wonderfully off of DiCaprio's Hughes. Alan Alda and Alec Baldwin act as great rivals for Hughes. Cate Blanchett and Kate Beckinsale, playing Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner, respectively, both make lasting impressions. In the film's funniest scene Hughes has a meteorological professor (Ian Holm) scientifically analyze Jane Russell's breasts in the movie The Outlaw before the film censorship board to 'prove' that she showed no more cleavage than other starlets. With The Aviator, the world's greatest living director found a biopic perfectly suited to his skills.

39. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)

IMDB users have rated The Dark Knight the 10th greatest movie of all time. This perturbs me not just because The Dark Knight is the most overrated movie in film history, but because somehow the movie has come to completely overshadow its far superior predecessor: Batman Begins. [This write-up will have spoilers for both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.] I should preface the rest of this by saying I actually like The Dark Knight.

First, let's talk about the acting. In Batman Begins, Christian Bale is the perfect casting choice to bring something new to the role. Bale always brings intensity to his films and this role is no exception. But in Begins, Bruce Wayne/Batman has an actual character arc to follow: he grows from an immature young man to a believable hero. Wayne's training to become Batman, and his failures and struggles when starting out as the hero, are simply more compelling plots. The limitations of The Dark Knight script only allow Bale to do three things: smug Bruce Wayne, mopey and quiet Bruce Wayne and, worst of all, his Batman performance. As Batman, Bale gives the character a gravelly voice but in Dark Knight it feels like a spoof of the character - his growling is so over-the-top and embarrassing that it loses the believability found in Begins. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both have actual character development in Begins, whereas in Dark Knight they, and most of the rest of the supporting cast, simply appear and disappear from the film with no purpose, just because the script calls for it. Certainly, Heath Ledger gives one of the most compelling villain performances I've ever seen. But the villainous crew of Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe in Begins work better than the Ledger/Aaron Eckhart combination in Dark Knight as effective adversaries for Batman. The end of The Dark Knight careens wildly out-of-control as the motivations of Two-Face simply make no sense - there is literally no explanation (other than the plot 'needing' it) for why Harvey Dent would choose to go after Gordon and Batman instead of the Joker. Compare that to Liam Neeson's return in Batman Begins: the realization of Neeson's deception carries more emotional weight than anything in the second half of The Dark Knight, including Rachel's death. Also, and I'm not claiming she's a better actress overall, Katie Holmes is simply better in the Batman's girlfriend role than Maggie Gyllenhaal.

I don't want to go on-and-on forever about this so I'll focus on just a few more things about the movies. First of all, the action scenes, already poorly edited in Batman Begins, careen wildly out of control in The Dark Knight. It is literally impossible to follow some of the scenes as they are arranged: the flow of the action doesn't make sense and the viewer is required to guess what they're looking at and what is actually happening. The climax of Batman Begins is chaotic, exciting and relevant to the Batman character. The Dark Knights sees a putrid action scene with ridiculous Bat-sonar and a criminals versus citizens stare down to the death. That boat scene - will the normal people kill criminals to save themselves before the criminals kill them?!? - is the sort of scenario best left where it belongs: in the Saw series. The action in Begins is also grounded in reality - Bruce Wayne has to redesign his mask to protect his head more. In The Dark Knight it devolves into absurdity: somehow Bruce Wayne has access to a magical cell phone reading device that allows access to every cell phone conversation in Gotham but also to use the locations of the phones as a sort of sonar. Not only does this make no sense - why not use this technology to find the Joker sooner? - but the sonar is a vast deviation from the more believable technology in the first movie.

Clearly, I've turned this write-up into an assault on The Dark Knight. I guess I'm just annoyed that the decade's finest comic book adaptation has been sadly overlooked by its inferior successor.

38. Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005)

In 2002, Fox aired a series called Firefly about a crew of, basically, cowboys in space from Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On paper it's an absurd concept and Fox ran only 11 out of the 14 completed episodes (and ran them out of order too) before cancelling the show. But a funny thing happened on the way to obscurity: people started buying the show on DVD. And buying it. And buying it. And buying it. The buzz surrounding the deceased show spread. So successful were the sales of the DVD that Universal picked up the rights and decided to make a movie out of the series.

Serenity, the name derived from the crew's ship, is basically a Western in space, no aliens to be found here. As he does to all of his projects, Joss Whedon brings a unique vision. One area Whedon particularly excels in is dialogue. His characters all speak with a distinct lingo and humor that makes simple conversation a joy to watch. It helps as well that Whedon is a gifted director with a stellar sense of pace and a great understanding of where to put the camera. The show has the benefit of being perfectly cast as well. Each of the supporting players brings great life and humor to their roles, especially Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin. Nathan Fillion (now starring on TV's Castle) has the perfect wit and charm as the ship's smarmy, but lovable, captain.

Serenity is a great movie all by itself, but it is a more complete experience after watching Firefly. I highly recommend both.

NB: I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of Joss Whedon's other great creations this decade: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. Dr. Horrible is a series of three musical 'webisodes' each running less than fifteen minutes. Created during the writer's strike on a shoestring budget out of Whedon's pocket, Dr. Horrible is one of the funniest and most charming achievements of the decade (and it can be found on hulu.com).

37. Star Trek (J.J. Abrams, 2009)

I think Star Trek is one of the most surprisingly successful gambles in film history. Prior to Star Trek's release, the 'brand' had almost no appeal outside of its core fanbase and even that group had wained over the years (2002's Star Trek: Nemesis is considered a financial and artistic failure). The series had little-to-no success outside of the United States. The studio then decided to 'reboot' the franchise, recasting all the characters who had grown to the point of cultural assimilation. Even without having seen an episode of the old Star Trek show, everyone knows who Kirk and Spock are. Then they decided to hire a director whose only previous big budget movie, Mission: Impossible III, was a gigantic disappointment at the box office. And they decided to give that director, J.J. Abrams, $160 million dollars to make the movie. And the studio was forced to delay the movie's release from Christmas 2008 to the summer of 2009 (right in the middle of the heavily anticipated trio of Wolverine, Angels & Demons and Terminator: Salvation) because it simply wasn't ready to be released. All the signs pointed to disaster, but somehow Abrams has crafted one of the most enjoyable blockbusters of the decade.

The film opens with one of my favorite scenes of the entire decade. In just the ten minutes of a gorgeously crafted and acted sequence, wherein the father of the movie's hero sacrifices himself to save the crew of his ship including his newborn son, J.J. Abrams does the impossible: he makes Star Trek cool for the first time in 30 years. And, from there, we're off. The story, set in the formative years of the well known Star Trek characters, focuses on the relationship between Kirk and Spock, once played by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy now by perfectly cast Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, and how the two grew from rivalry to friendship. All of the other actors are great as well and Abrams and the screenwriters are wise enough to give each character a proper introduction and a moment to stand out during the film.

The production designs are stellar; the new look of everything is clean, modern and impressive. It's almost like the iPod designers gave the Enterprise a once-over. The special effects are well used and the action sequences are exciting. The writers also came up with a cute device to frame the story that allows for a cameo from Leonard Nimoy as the original Spock - his performance, though limited in screen time, is touching and memorable. For my money, Michael Giacchino's theme for the movie, Enterprising Young Men, highlights one of the most distinct and exciting film scores of the decade. Simply put, my two hours at Star Trek were some of the most enjoyable I spent in a theater this entire decade.

36. Walk the Line (James Mangold, 2005)

A man (Joaquin Phoenix) convinces a producer, the same producer that discovered, among others, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison, to give his gospel band an audition. They play a gospel song and clearly the producer is apathetic - the producer cuts them off mid-song and challenges the man to sing the one song he would sing if he was in the gutter dying, the song that would let God know how he felt about his time on Earth. From there, the man begins to play a song he wrote while in the Air Force: Folsom Prison Blues. At the moment he starts the song he's a nobody, one of countless struggling musicians. As he plays something changes. The producer sits up in his chair. The audience leans towards the screen. When the song ends, the man has become Johnny Cash.

That's my favorite scene in James Mangold's (3:10 to Yuma) stellar Johnny Cash biopic. It only works because of how spectacular Phoenix is in the lead role. Not just in his delivery of the song (and he has a great voice), but in his face and in his body language you see the transition. The film takes a broad treatment of Cash's life detailing from his youth through his ascent as a performer to his marital troubles and drug addictions culminating in his famous performance at Folsom Prison. The core that grounds most of the movie, however, is his relationship with June Carter. Carter, played by a never better Reese Witherspoon, brings an emotional heft and romantic core to the story. Their love story, difficult as it may be, remains at the heart of Walk the Line and it elevates the movie. One of the finest biopics of the decade, I'd recommend Walk the Line to anyone.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)
45: The Cove (Psihoyos, 2009)
44: Iron Man (Favreau, 2008)
43: District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009)
42: Atonement (Wright, 2007)
41: The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)
40: The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
39: Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005)
38: Serenity (Whedon, 2005)
37: Star Trek (Abrams, 2009)
36: Walk the Line (Mangold, 2005)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51
50-46
45-41

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (45-41)

45. The Cove (Louis Psihoyos, 2009)

Generally speaking, I don't much care for "message" documentaries. The Cove is the exception to that rule. The Cove deals with the Japanese slaughter of dolphins but not from the pedantic perspective you might expect. Rather than preach, the movie plays out like a great heist movie. Specifically, the movie shows the efforts of a group of activists to break into a guarded Japanese cove where it is believed dolphins are killed. Similar to Ocean's 11 each character has a specific role to play in the infiltration: camera men, drivers, free divers, etc.

The film focuses on Rick O'Barry, who had been the trainer on the Flipper TV show. That experience with dolphins led him to a life of activism. O'Barry and director Louis Psihoyos mastermind the effort to investigate what happens in the cove in the Japanese fishing town of Taiji. Often it is easy to be put off by hard line activists on any side of any issue, but O'Barry (and most of the other infiltrators) come off as informed, intelligent and reasonable. The Cove is one of the most exciting and affecting documentaries I've ever seen.

As The Cove is one of only two documentaries making my Top 101 - along with #71 In the Shadow of the Moon - I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a few of the other great documentaries this past decade. Below are my Top 10 best documentaries not on the Top 101:

10: Encounters at the End of the World (Werner Herzog, 2008)
A compelling study of the eclectic set of characters that choose to live and work in Antarctica.

9: Wordplay (Patrick Creadon, 2006)
A quirky documentary about the creator, players and world champions of the New York Times' Crossword puzzles.

8: Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, 2005)
The story of a nature loving activist who chose to try to live among wild bears in Alaska.

7: Murderball (Henry Alex Rubin/Dana Adam Shapiro, 2005)
Murderball is a compelling study of the paraplegic sport of full contact wheel chair rugby.

6: Super Size Me (Morgan Spurlock, 2004)
Spurlock's unique style as a documentarian is so effective that he was given his own TV show, 30 Days, to continue his madcap experience experiments.

5: Man on Wire (James Marsh, 2008)
Fascinating documentary about a man who illegally crossed between the towers of the World Trade Center...while walking on a wire 110 stories in the air.

4: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (Seth Gordon, 2007)
The story of the effort to set the world record high score in King Kong told hilariously as high tension sports drama.

3: Tyson (James Toback, 2009)
James Toback's documentary is a fascinating study of the psyche of one of the most controversial athletes of the century.

2: Lost in La Mancha (Keith Fulton/Louis Pepe, 2002)
Lost in La Mancha fascinatingly tells of Johnny Depp and Terry Gilliam's quixotic efforts to get a Don Quixote movie made.

1: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (Martin Scorsese, 2005)
Martin Scorsese's Bob Dylan documentary was one of the hardest cuts to make from the list.

44. Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)

Iron Man is one of the most enjoyable film experiences of the decade. Carried on the strength of Robert Downey, Jr.'s exceptional lead performance, Iron Man is unique among comic book movies. Rather than the mopey self-important heroes of Spider-Man or Batman, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Downey) has fun being a superhero. The entire cast helps support this with wonderful chemistry and interplay. Jeff Bridges makes for a worthy mentor-cum-adversary. Downey and Paltrow have magnificent chemistry. Removed from the self-important movies she's been doing this decade, Paltrow seems to be having fun again. The actress who was so charming in Shakespeare in Love returns in each crackling scene with Robert Downey, Jr.

Beyond the great acting, Iron Man works on a number of other levels. All of the dialogue works thanks to a witty script that loses the self-serious air that permeates the genre. The production designs are spectacular: from the set designs to the costumes everything works. More importantly (and unlike fellow 2008 summer release The Dark Knight), the action is easy to follow because director Jon Favreau competently constructs each scene. Absent are the jump cuts and choppy editing present in far too many action scenes these days. I look forward to seeing where Downey and Favreau take the character when Iron Man 2 is released this May.

43. District 9 (Neil Blomkamp, 2009)

Originally, Fox hired Peter Jackson to oversee the creation of a movie based on the video game series Halo. Tasked with finding a director, Peter Jackson chose South African director Neil Blomkamp to head up the potential big budget franchise on the strength of a short film Blomkamp made called Alive in Joburg. Alive in Joburg dealt, much like District 9, with the lives of alien invaders sequestered in apartheid South Africa after arriving on Earth. When the Halo film fell apart because of studio drama, Neil Blomkamp decided to go back to that original story and expand on its ideas. His choice was rewarded with a best picture nomination.

The first stroke of genius in District 9 is the casting of total unknown Sharlto Copley in the lead role. Copley, a writer, director and producer by trade, gives one hell of a performance in the lead role. Copley's character, Wikus Van De Merwe, is tasked with leading the effort to move the ghettoized aliens of District 9 to District 10, removed from the population of Johannesburg. His character transitions believably from something of a nebbish pencil pusher to a desperate man to something more...

There's so much more in District 9 worth talking about, from the stellar special effect to the beautiful cinematography to visceral and exciting action scenes, but it's best to leave each of you to discover the secrets of District 9 on your own.

NB: I do just want to say that District 9 had some of the most creative marketing I've seen for a movie leading up to its release. The mystery of District 9 was played up and subtle advertising (complete with phone and internet 'viral' marketing that sold the premise as real) helped complete the picture.


42. Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)

Atonement features the single greatest camera shot of the entire decade; it is, perhaps, the greatest of all time. British soldier Robbie Turner arrives at the beach at Dunkirk and the camera follows him as he as walks and talks with a commanding officer. As Robbie continues to walk along the beach the camera follows him, past the soldiers preparing to escape mainland Europe back to England. Along the way the camera sometimes leaves Robbie: focusing on a man atop a grounded ship here, on a soldiers' choir there and various other little moments leading up to the evacuation of 300,000 individuals. The shot lasts nearly five minutes and was accomplished, in part, by having a marching band play so that all of the actors and extras could time where they're supposed to be. It is simply breathtaking to watch.

Of course, Atonement is about more than one great shot. At its core are two principal plots: a love story and a story of guilt. The love story deals with a young woman, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), from an aristocratic family that falls for the son of the family housekeeper (James McAvoy). Both are wonderful in the roles and the chemistry between the two shines through. Upon finally growing the courage to act upon their feelings, the two are torn apart because of the misunderstanding of Cecilia's young sister Briony. Briony in the film is played by three different actresses (each depicting the character at a different age). Each is effective and memorable in her own way, but the standout of the group is young Saiorse Ronan. Ronan (also great as the lead in Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones) crafts Briony in a way that is loathsome, but at the same time somewhat understandable - it is her lie that tears the couple apart. The other actresses, Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave, are left to redeem the character, to help her find atonement.

Director Joe Wright has done great work in all respects here. The adaptation is pitch perfect: Wright, and writer Christopher Hampton, understand that the adaptation process is about capturing the spirit and the core of a novel, not the page by page recreation that literary snobs seem to demand (only to decry the film's inferiority, of course). Wright also found great success this past decade adapting Pride and Prejudice in a manner that, while upsetting Jane Austen purists with changes, brought the story to life in a compelling and approachable way. Atonement, beyond the Dunkirk shot, is phenomenally well made. Every shot in the film is vibrant and beautifully lensed.

41. The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004)

Brad Bird, who also made Ratatouille and the prodigiously underrated The Iron Giant, has a gift at using broad appealing animation to get across subtle points. On the face of it, The Incredibles is the action story of a family of superheroes tackling a nemesis. But at a deeper level, Bird has something to say about modern society. Mr. Incredible is forced into retirement, and an absurd desk job, not because of ineffectiveness or age, but because of tort law suits in the aftermath of his heroic deeds. All of the voice actors, especially Craig T. Nelson, are wonderfully cast and give pitch perfect performances.

I make no secret of my admiration and affection for the work done by Pixar. The Incredibles marks a transitional period for the company. Prior to Brad Bird's superhero spoof, the company had made great kid's movies that held a broader appeal (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, A Bug's Life). After the success of The Incredibles, Pixar began making great movies that also appealed to children (Up, WALL-E, Ratatouille). It is a subtle distinction but it's one that has helped Pixar mature into being the finest and most consistent studio working today. The Incredibles is hilarious and exciting, but it also works as an effective satire on 1950s Americana.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)
45: The Cove (Psihoyos, 2009)
44: Iron Man (Favreau, 2008)
43: District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009)
42: Atonement (Wright, 2007)
41: The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51
50-46

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (50-46)

50. Gangs of New York (Martin Scorsese, 2002)

Gangs of New York is Martin Scorsese's moderately insane tale of New York City in the 1800s. Opening in 1846, the tale begins with a battle between a nativist gang, led by Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), and the Irish street gant, led by Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson). The initial battle is beautifully structured and is a wonderful vignette to open film. Neeson is compelling here, his character treating the preparation for battle with a near religious significance. Of course, the battle ends with Bill the Butcher killing Vallon, in view of Vallon's son.

Jump to 1863, with the threat of the Civil War draft hanging in the air, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) seeks revenge against the man who killed his father. Scorsese's vision of New York is sprawling and epic - the locations were all built from scratch to completion on Italian soundstages. The sets, and use of extras, are so effective and compelling that they very nearly become distracting.

Both lead actors are magnificent. DiCaprio, who might have had the finest decade of any actor, brings surprising intensity and weight to the role. This performance was part of DiCaprio's transition from great child actor to one of the best in the business. Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of the most effectively over-the-top performances of the decade. Bill the Butcher is a fascinating and menacing figure, it's impossible to turn away when he is on screen. Day-Lewis would give a markedly similar performance late in the decade in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. There the performance devolves into scenery chewing by the end - it was too much for the material - here it fits perfectly into Scorsese's vision.

49. (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)

(500) Days of Summer is the truest romantic comedy on the modern male perspective on relationships and dating I've seen. It's also my favorite romantic comedy of the decade. Starring a perfectly cast tandem of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, the film is a romantic comedy with a twist. The film is told out of order, bouncing around the relationship between Tom (Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Deschanel). The careful editing creates a number of great juxtapositions and, in a way, it captures how memory works. When you think back on a relationship with someone, it's never chronological - the memories come in waves, each building off the predecessor and leading to the next. (500) Days of Summer captures this wonderfully.

In another twist on genre (and gender) convention, Tom is the hopeless romantic and Summer simply doesn't believe in true love. Both actors are wonderful. Their performances are honest and genuine - it helps that the two seem to have a great natural chemistry together. The film also has two of my favorite scenes of 2009: one an unexpected, and hilarious, musical number and the other a fascinating and quite literal examination of expectations and hopes versus reality.

Director Marc Webb has a wonderful sense of creativity, style and emotion - I can only hope he brings those sensibilities to the set when he takes over the reboot of the Spider-Man series in the coming years.

48. Catch Me If You Can (Steven Spielberg, 2002)

In a decade so centered on looking at the dark underbelly of 50s and 60s Americana (Far From Heaven, Revolutionary Road, TV's Mad Men, among many others), one of the aughts' most likable movies embraced the myth. Filmed with a bright, cheery, almost reverent air, Catch Me If You Can tells the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a teenager who realizes he has a gift at lying and conning and proceeds to use his skills to finagle millions of dollars. The film is perfectly cast, starting with the stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks brings to life what should be the second banana role as the investigator after Abagnale. Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen are both memorable in smaller roles. It speaks to the quality of the casting that so many of the women cast in relatively small roles for Abagnale to pursue have gone on to great things: Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Pompeo.

In a way, this is the perfect role for Leonardo DiCaprio. As an actor, DiCaprio is blessed with a the gift of likability. He is effortlessly charming and, seemingly, has to consciously tone it down at times in his roles. Here he puts his charm to full effect. Frank Abagnale is a con man, but not the over-prepared Danny Ocean-type. He flies by the seat of his pants, often creating and selling elaborate fictions with an effortless confidence. One example: having transferred to a new high school, Abagnale walks into his classroom. Realizing the class is expecting a substitute, the charm kicks in. He walks to the board and writes his name down, then instructs the class, in no uncertain terms, exactly how his last name is to be pronounced. It's a great scene to watch - utterly amazing but completely believable.

Steven Spielberg is the master of high quality, mass appeal movies. He is the perfect director for this material and it shows, each scene is brought to life with a sense of wonder and joy. This is one of the most fun movies of the decade.

47. 3:10 to Yuma (James Mangold, 2007)

For whatever reason, the Western has never really captured my imagination. But the combination of stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and Walk the Line director James Mangold drew me to the theater regardless. And what a great experience it was. The plot is simple: gang leader Ben Wade (Crowe) is captured and Dan Evans (Bale) is part of the crew who must escort Wade to the 3:10 train to Yuma and prison.

James Mangold has a gift for getting the best out of his actors (see: Walk the Line, Cop Land, Girl, Interrupted) and Yuma is no exception. When properly motivated, Russell Crowe is as fine an actor as there is today. Here he is motivated. He brings the Wade character to life in a way that is impressive and menacing, without ever resorting to histrionic scenery chewing. Perhaps more impressive is Christian Bale's work. Playing the quiet noble hero is often a thankless role, but Bale does stellar work often with just a simple facial expression. This is the Bale whose work I love, not the impostor chewing the scenery in The Dark Knight and Terminator Salvation. The movie's greatest scene occurs when Crowe and Bale are together in a hotel prior to the film's inevitable final shootout. Each plays the scene perfectly, giving it great wit and impact. If only they made more Westerns like this...

46. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuaron, 2004)

The Harry Potter series might be one of the most impressive accomplishments of the decade in film. Not just because the entire series is actually going to get made (this never happens, just ask the Narnia producers), but because the series has actually grown in quality since its inception. The series began with two doggedly faithful adaptations to J.K. Rowling's original work from director Christopher Columbus. Neither film is particularly compelling, but their genius is in the casting that shines through in the later films. Every single actor in the series is perfectly cast, without exception. The third film deals specifically with the escape of a deadly wizard named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). The story is far more menacing than the first two as Black represents a tangible and frightening threat to our heroes.

It isn't until this story that the core trio of Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione) really get a chance to shine. Gone is the mugging for the camera seen in the first film, replaced with legitimate performances. Radcliffe in particular begins to show himself as a soulful and effective actor. Alan Rickman is incredibly amusing as the hated Professor Snape. Michael Gambon, replacing the deceased Richard Harris, manages to improve on the performance of a cinema legend. Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane and Jason Isaacs are also effective. David Thewlis joins the cast as a professor who had known Harry's now-deceased parents. He brings a tender nurturing quality to the role that's incredibly effective. Gary Oldman is one of the most versatile actors around and he's at his best here. There's a sense throughout the whole film that all the actors really believe in this material and embrace it.

Now what distinguishes Prisoner of Azkaban from the other Potter movies? The spectacular direction of Alfonso Cuaron. Cuaron's glimpse into the world of Harry Potter is so effective because the magic takes a backseat, it becomes a natural part of the world the characters inhabit. The film is beautiful to look at, everything from the set designs to the special effects (the Dementors are a frightening visual creation) to color palette of each scene all work to enhance the mood. Cuaron, as well, captures the loneliness and longing that underlies the Potter character in a way that has eluded the other directors. There is a sadness in Harry - he grew up friendless with an aunt and uncle who never wanted him after his parents were murdered - and Cuaron embraces that aspect of the character to great effect. While the first two films, Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, are full of wonder at the world of wizards, Azkaban, to its benefit, acts as a more focused character study. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is one of the finest fantasy films of the decade.

I should mention that the series has gone on strong since Cuaron's film. The fourth movie, Mike Newell's Goblet of Fire, is, while a step down from Cuaron's work, an improvement on the first two. For the fifth film director David Yates took over to great effect. He returned for the sixth film and is currently putting the finishing touches on the seventh and eighth films (the final book is being produced as two films). His dark and spectacularly well made take on the series in Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince was a very near miss for my Top 101.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51

BAFTA Artwork

I just wanted to show these phenomenal designs by artist Tavis Caburn. Each is based on one of the BAFTA (the British equivalent of the Academy Awards) Best Picture nominees. Enjoy.

Avatar


An Education


The Hurt Locker


Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire


Up in the Air

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (55-51)

55. Munich (Steven Spielberg, 2005)

Munich is one of the most interesting projects in Steven Spielberg's varied resume. Munich tells the story of a team of Israeli assassins assigned to eliminate various individuals associated with the attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Eric Bana gives the best performance of his career as the former Mossad agent tasked with leading the team. Bana, always a soulful and contemplative actor, puts his skill set to powerful effect here. Particularly effective are Bana's handful of scenes with Mathieu Amalric (great in El scaphandre et le papillon and as the villain in Quantum of Solace), who plays the informant that helps the team acquire their targets. Daniel Craig's powerful gravitas stands out as the team's wheelman. Each assassination stands out as uniquely compelling thanks to the emphasis on both the preparation for and aftermath of the attack on each target. Spielberg's direction is, as always, a thing of beauty: particularly memorable is his staggering depictions of the actual Munich massacre.

54. The Visitor (Thomas McCarthy, 2008)

Sometimes one of the best things to happen to a movie is to give a career character actor a chance to star in a role that suits his strengths. Richard Jenkins has roughly eighty credits on his resume over the past 25 years, hardly any of them in a leading roll. From junky action movies like The Core to goofy comedies like Step Brothers to more serious dramas like Snow Falling on Cedars, Jenkins often got just a scant few moments to make an impression. Thomas McCarthy made the very wise decision to give Jenkins an opportunity to lead in The Visitor. Jenkins plays a college professor, emotionally detached and disinterested since the passing of his wife. It isn't until returning to his New York City apartment and finding a couple living there that he begins to come to life. Feeling sympathy for the difficulties of the couple, illegal immigrants who had been scammed into staying at his apartment, he invites them to stay with him and gradually forms a connection with the couple based around music. Jenkins' wife had been a pianist and his new ward, Syrian immigrant Tarek, is a virtuoso on the drum. Jenkins as well forms a bond with Tarek's mother, played with great depth by Hiam Abbass. The scenes between them, each character damaged by loss in their life, have a wonderful delicacy and depth to them. Abbass gives one of the most subtly devastating performances of the decade. The film also deals effectively with issues of illegal immigration and deportation in a personal and effective manner, never falling into the preachy and didactic nonsense of films like Crash and Crossing Over. Often character actors are recognized by the viewer with a sense of deja vu ("Where do I know that guy from...?"); after seeing his performance in The Visitor I'm confident you'll know who Richard Jenkins is.

53. El orfanato (Juan Antonio Bayona, 2007)

I first saw The Orphanage - as it's known in the U.S. - at one of its first screening in the United States at a midnight showing (reserved for horror movies) at the New York Film Festival. In attendance were the star, Belén Rueda, and the director, first time movie director Juan Antonio Bayona. Prior to the film's start both spoke about what drew them to the project and it was clear that each had a real passion for the movie - also clear was that Bayona was incredibly nervous to see how the movie would play for an American audience. Turns out he had absolutely nothing to worry about, The Orphanage was one of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences I've ever had. The entire audience bought into the movie from the opening moments and each scare was met with shouts and nervous laughter after the fact - it's one of the most remarkable collective experience I've ever seen during a movie.

The Orphanage is about a woman who, with the help of her husband, purchases the orphanage she grew up in so that she can re-open it and help disabled children. Of course, not all is as it seems. Soon the couple's adopted son begins to tell his parents about the friend he has made: a boy named Tomás that only he can see and happens to wear a sack mask. Gradually the mystery of the home is pulled back. Belén Rueda is great in the lead role; she brings a great brooding focus to her performance. Bayona does a magnificent job playing upon the tension a good horror movie creates, delivering genuinely frightening moments and haunting imagery. The Orphanage is the best ghost story of the decade and is definitely worth watching with all the lights turned off late at night.

52. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Guillermo del Toro, 2008)

While the first Hellboy was an enjoyable genre movie, it's with the sequel that the characters and action really come to life. Perhaps it was the move to a new studio, Universal, or Guillermo del Toro's growth as a director over the course of the decade or just a better plot, but whatever the reason Hellboy II has an incredible sense of life to it. Bolstered by the radiant directorial eye of Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy II has some of the most stark and interesting images of the decade.

Hellboy II has a remarkable cast, all of whom completely embrace the eccentric nature of the material. Hellboy himself is a rather absurd hero: a giant red demon with a penchant for beer and cigars with a soft spot for cats. But, Ron Perlman brings the character to life despite acting through a heavy array of make-up and prosthetics. Doug Jones also brings life to the material as Hellboy's sidekick Abe. In his career, Jones has generally only ever played the character under the make-up - he has a remarkable way of moving that imbues his characters with an otherworldly sort of life. In fact, in the first Hellboy actor David Hyde Pierce was hired to do the voice work for Jones' physical acting. Here Guillermo del Toro allows Jones to do his own voice work to spectacular effect. Jones imbues his character with a touching charm that lets his character's love story - a secondary plot - shine through as one of the most touching romances of its year. Obviously it's absurd - a teal man-fish falling in love with a golden princess creature - but del Toro is probably the one director on Earth who can make such a plot vibrant.

Del Toro seems to have grown as a writer. Responsible for writing both Hellboy films, del Toro's words have more life and efficacy to them the second go round. The characters are funnier, more well rounded and more believable. The action is also filmed in a way that, unlike its fellow comic book movie of 2008: The Dark Knight, makes sense from an editing and spatial perspective. One of the worst trends of the past decade was the growth of choppy jump-cut editing techniques in action scenes. The idea is that very short shots strung together can make a scene appear more exciting and can provide more dynamic views of the action, but the reality is that the oft-abused technique tends to make the action incredibly difficult to follow, if not entirely nonsensical (Quantum of Solace was a notably bad offender). Very few directors - one example being Paul Greengrass in the Bourne sequels - can competently manage the technique. Del Toro is wise enough to stage his action is a manner that allows for longer shots and action scenes that have a logical flow. Further, one of del Toro's best traits as a director is his appreciation for great prosthetic and model work. Every single fantastical character in Hellboy II of roughly human proportion is made of stellar costume and make-up work, not the distracting, and often ineffectual, CGI that directors so often rely upon.

I know the concept is silly on paper, but del Toro is the master at bringing this sort of film to life. Hellboy II is one of the best comic book and one of the best fantasy movies of the decade.

NB: I strongly recommend Guillermo del Toro's stellar novel The Strain. It's something of a modern take on the vampire story with a bit of CSI thrown in and is co-written by Chuck Hogan (whose own novel, Prince of Thieves, is being adapted by director Ben Affleck for a 2010 release).

51. Adaptation. (Spike Jonze, 2002)

One of the most fascinatingly bizarre movies of the decade, Adaptation. tells the story of a man's struggle to adapt a non-fiction book about the orchid industry, but also a story about smarmy con men involved in orchid smuggling and thievery. I don't want to say much about the plot because of the film's joy is discovering all of the bizarre and unexpected twists. As an actor, Nicolas Cage is a strange enigma to me. Just this past decade, Cage was so awful and hammy in movies like Next, Windtalkers and The Wicker Man, but, at the same time, so effective in films like Matchstick Men, Lord of War and The Weather Man. Adaptation. is good Nic Cage. Here he plays the struggling writer attempting to adapt the orchid book and also his twin brother who wants to turn the book into a clichéd thriller. Without any difference in make-up or hair, Cage crafts two characters that are instantly recognizable and distinctive. Chris Cooper is great as the orchid thief at the core of the story. Director Spike Jonze, who also directed Being John Malkovich and Where the Wild Things Are, and writer Charlie Kaufman make up one of the most bizarre, creative and compelling production tandems possible in Hollywood.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (60-56)

60. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski, 2003)

What could possibly be less appealing than a nearly two and half hour movie based on a Disney theme park ride? I can't have been the only person thinking that as I ventured to the theater back in the summer of '03 (ironically that theater was in Orlando, Florida). But then the movie starts and Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow approaches Port Royal's harbor standing gloriously atop his ship's mainmast - gloriously, that is, until we realize his ship is slowly but surely sinking... And with that, one of the most enjoyable adventures of the decade is off and running. Depp's work here is incredibly unique and hilariously engaging; there has never been another character in film quite like Jack Sparrow. Geoffrey Rush, as well, does amusing work as the sneering villain Captain Barbarossa.

While the Pirates series has two sequels (and a 3rd sequel, On Stranger Tides, coming out in 2011), none of the follow-ups (despite more great work from Depp and amusing action scenes) have the same sort of manic energy and excitement captured in the first installment.

59. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller, 2008)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the best, of many, Apatow factory movies this past decade. Like most of the other Apatow movies, the film has the same successful combination of gross-out gags and romantic comedy. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the best on the strength of the actual story and the winning performances of all the actors. The story is about a guy (Jason Segal) who gets dumped by his celebrity girlfriend (Kristen Bell) and tries to get away to Hawaii to recover only to find that his girlfriend is there too...with her new rock star boyfriend (Russell Brand). I could go on and on about the great performance from Segal, the charming work of Mila Kunis (as a resort worker that takes pity on Segal's plight) or the memorable small roles peppered throughout the movie (from Paul Rudd, Bill Hader and 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer among others), but instead I want to talk Aldous Snow. Russell Brand, who I gather is considered something of a degenerate in his native England, is unbelievably funny in the role - Brand steals every single scene he is in. He delivers his lines with such easy going and mellow verve that even the most absurd or degenerate statement comes off hilariously. His interactions with Jason Segal's character, in particular, are comic gold. So funny is his work, that Sarah Marshall director Nick Stoller is releasing a spin-off about his character this summer titled Get Him to the Greek.

58. Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)

Hot Fuzz is the perfect loving spoof on mindless action movies. Inspired by hundreds of hours of brain dead action, director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg's script plays hilariously off of genre conventions and contrivances - without ever falling into the sort of mockery seen in the Austin Powers movies. Hot Fuzz tells the story of a highly decorated cop (Simon Pegg) that's so good at his job that he embarrasses his co-workers and is banished to a countryside town with absolutely no crime. There he gets a new partner (Nick Frost) and compelling cases such as underage drinking and recapturing a runaway swan. That is until the two cops begin to uncover the town's dark secret... Pegg and Frost are both absolutely hilarious and fit their roles magnificently. Edgar Wright has a master's touch at emphasizing the delivery of a joke and crafts some memorably funny action sequences. Hot Fuzz is perfect for fans of action movies and British-style comedy.

Fun fact: This is the second in Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy (Shaun of the Dead is the 1st, the as-yet-unfilmed The World's End is the 3rd). The name comes from the use Cornetto brand ice cream in each movie.

57. Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009)

This is the first film from British director Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie, and with it he roars onto the scene as a talent to watch in the next decade. Here Jones crafts (as both writer and director) the story of a lone astronaut working on a Moon mining base nearing the end of his three year employment term. Jones has a gift for structuring an image and an incredible confidence in the pace of his movie. Unlike so many neophyte directors, Jones has the intelligence to allow his film to progress organically. There are no frustrating jump cuts here, rather Jones uses longer, well-constructed shots to tell his story. Those long uninterrupted takes help further the ambiance and seclusion of the lone astronaut. Sam Rockwell, playing that astronaut, gives one of the best performances of his career and one of the best of 2009. I hesitate to say much more about the film for fear of spoiling any of its surprises, but in just one film Jones has established himself as one hell of a director. In a banner year for science fiction (2009 also saw Star Trek, District 9 and Avatar), Moon sadly fell somewhat under the radar - I can only hope that the film finds a well-deserved audience on DVD and Blu-Ray.

56. Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004)

Collateral is a stellar character study of a taxi driver and the hitman who forces him to drive around Los Angeles to pursue various targets. Interestingly, director Michael Mann chooses to open the movie with a long scene between Jamie Foxx and a fare in his cab, a prosecutor played by Jada Pinkett Smith. The scene is extremely atypical for an action movie - it plays out almost like its own short film - but it does a remarkable job of introducing us to the film's main character. Foxx is stellar as that cabbie, but the most memorable performance in the film belongs to Tom Cruise. Essentially, the film is structured as a long dialogue between a contract killer and a man he holds hostage driven forward by the five targets Cruise's character is pursuing. Regardless of any nonsense unrelated to his acting, Cruise has a lot of under-appreciated talent. Here his work is intense, compelling and forceful. He crafts a killer with far more subtlety and intellect than most would bring to the role. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the film's action scenes: director Michael Mann films each scene with a speed and brutality infrequent in action movies. I still remember being startled by the stark volume of the gunshots in the film the first time I saw it, and the volume works well to punctuate the visceral impact of the film's violence.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (65-61)

65. Defiance (Edward Zwick, 2008)

Defiance is the beautifully constructed true story of the Bielski brothers who, in escaping the Holocaust, ended up forming a small society in the Belarussian forests. Director Ed Zwick, a master of constructing beautiful imagery to surround his stories, crafts compelling tension by structuring the film around the competing ideologies of two of the Bielski brothers, Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Tuvia (Daniel Craig). Zus believes the brothers should take the fight to the Germans which contrasts with Tuvia's faith that establishing society and protecting as many as possible is the proper plan. Schreiber is quite good here, but special notice must go to Craig. [SPOILER] In one moment early in the film, Craig finds the home of the men responsible for the betrayal death of his father. Craig kills each of them, but leaves behind a woman. She begs for death so that she may be with her family - and Craig refuses with just a look. It is a cold and brutal moment, but incredibly effective. [END SPOILER] Jamie Bell, playing another Bielski brother, is also effective. This is one of the most compelling Holocaust stories I've ever seen and I strongly recommend it.

64. Up in the Air (Jason Reitman, 2009)

Up in the Air is about a termination facilitator, that is someone brought in by corporations to fire employees so the corporation doesn't have to, who is faced with two major changes to his life. That facilitator, played with great success by George Clooney, is faced with the evolution of his job and with the chance to make a human connection. The facilitator is very good at his job and derives a satisfaction from providing a necessary service - only the company he works for is planning to integrate technology and begin firing people via webcast instead of in person. The facilitator is tasked with taking hotshot innovator, the wonderfully neurotic Anna Kendrick, on the road with him to show her how the actual firings work. The interactions between the two are memorable and poignant. The facilitator also prides himself on a lack of personal connections but finds a kindred spirit on the road, played by Vera Farmiga. Farmiga, from the nearly melodic way she moves to her compelling facial acting, is wonderfully seductive in the role. The termination facilitator's ordeal is an interesting structure to examine both the human need for connection and the ordeals of making a major transition in life. Jason Reitman has become one of the most interesting voices in Hollywood at only 32 and I look forward to his work in the future.

63. Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg, 2007)

Eastern Promises paints a fascinating picture of the Russian mob in London. The viewer is drawn into this world through the eyes of a midwife (played by the always great Naomi Watts) attempting to find the family of a child who was left behind after the mother died in childbirth. And what a fascinating world director David Cronenberg creates. Principally we meet three core characters from the underworld of London: Semyon, the Russian godfather played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, Kiril, his unctuous son played by Vincent Cassel, and Nikolai, Semyon's bodyguard played by Viggo Mortensen. This role is very much against type for Mortensen, but he nails it with a fearless performance. The film, much like the world its set in, has a streak of brutality to it. The film has also become known for one enduring scene: a brutal and realistic fight in a bathhouse. Most fight scenes in movies, even if they're very gory, have a certain sense of restraint to them - not here. In this particular fight, Mortensen fends off multiple assailants while in the nude. The camera never turns away from the action to preserve Mortensen's modesty nor to prevent the viewer from seeing the brutal conclusion - all of this makes it one of the most harrowing and honest fights ever put to film.

62. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003)

For my money, Pixar is the finest studio working today. There is a consistent quality in everything they produce that is completely unmatched elsewhere. Even their weakest work, Cars, would be a headline accomplishment for every other animation studio. Pixar movies have a tradition of telling a story that, on the face, is a simple kid's movie, but deep down has humor and emotional depth that make the films effective for all audiences. Finding Nemo is no exception: it is filled with memorable and appealing characters that occupy a fascinatingly well realized undersea world. All the voice actors are perfectly cast, perhaps none more so than Ellen DeGeneres who is lovably neurotic as Dory. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

61. Låt den rätte komma in (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Known as Let the Right One In stateside, the film is a Swedish take on the vampire story. The film deals specifically with a 12 year old boy who befriends a 12 year old girl and that girl happens to be a vampire. Both are lonely and desperate for companionship and connection. While the main characters are children (great performances from both), the film is quite dark and contemplative. Tomas Alfredson has a wonderful eye for capturing stark imagery and that skill is put to wonderful use here. I'm loathe to say much about the plot of the movie, but this, not Twilight, is what a vampire story is meant to be.

NB: If you try to rent or buy the movie, check the back of the box and look at the subtitle section. There are two versions: one will say English and the other will say English (Theatrical). Trust me when I tell you that you want to find the theatrical version. In the initial home release, the non-theatrical version, a different translation was used for the subtitles and it loses all the subtlety and nuance of the film's complex dialogue.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66