Best Films of the 2000s: No. 3.

No. 3

Million Dollar Baby

Call this the Clint Eastwood representative in the Top Ten. If I expanded the list to 20, I might find room for four more of his films, but this is his best of the decade and thus the only one in the Top Ten.

I didn't know what to expect from Million Dollar Baby. At the time, I was just beginning to discover the greatness of Eastwood. I had loved the previous year's Mystic River, and I knew Baby had excellent reviews. But I still didn't know what I was in for.

Baby turned out to be the most enjoyable drama of the decade, filled with beautiful characters who are never perfect but always engaging. Eastwood is a flawless mix of tenderness and grumpiness as an aged boxing trainer and gym owner. Narrator Morgan Freeman plays the familiar role of wise and reliable friend. These two alone could have carried the movie; they are joy to watch, talking about anything from bleach to socks. As a young lady eager to learn boxing, Hilary Swank impressively meshes with these legends through her fierce determination. The story follows her boxing journey, and more importantly, the trio's various relationships, as they each deal with potent themes of loyalty, forgiveness, and love.

In the final act, Baby journeys to an unexpected moral marsh, one that could easily have overshadowed and swallowed up the preceding greatness. But Eastwood handles the situation delicately, and while a key decision may be overwhelmingly controversial on its own, it works within the film's context merely as a choice that was made.

Like much of Eastwood's directorial work, Baby possesses an elegant simplicity in every element from lighting to cinematography to music. The film plays like a visual symphony, with an engrossing assortment of crescendos and stillness. It's a ideal blend of character and story, guided confidently by the ever-steady hand of Clint Eastwood, who delivers yet another masterpiece.

Best Films of the 2000s
10. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9. Memento (2000)
8. Traffic (2000)
7. The Incredibles (2004)
6. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
5. The Dark knight (2001)
4. Cast Away (2000)
3. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
2. Coming soon...

Best Films of the 2000s: No 4.

No. 4

Cast Away

I can hear Ben screaming already. Too bad, buddy. I love Cast Away in so many ways.

Cast Away is a story of survival, both physical and mental. It's the story of a busy man who must adapt to being stranded on an island, then re-adapt to society once he escapes.

I was annoyed the first time I saw Cast Away, annoyed that the trailers revealed that Tom Hanks gets off the island, annoyed that not enough time was spent on how he re-adjusted, and annoyed at the nebulous ending. But that was a case of not getting what I wanted from the movie rather than understanding and relishing what the film provided.

Upon a second viewing, I fell in love. I fell in love with the beautiful yet terrifying tropical island, with the roller coaster of emotion that Hanks rode, with his undulating determination. No other actor could have or would have attempted what Hanks did (though Will Smith did an admirable imitation in I Am Legend). Not only did Hanks lose 50 pounds for the role, he spent the entire middle half of the film as the only human on screen, co-starring with rocks, trees, and a volleyball. His was one of the best performances I have ever seen. The only reason Russell Crowe won the Oscar was the Academy's ridiculous unwillingness to give Hanks a third statuette.

The filmmakers ultimately made the right decisions in the final act, allowing Hanks to react with appropriate bewilderment at life's simplicities as he re-enters society. Yes, more such scenes would have worked, but I admit they weren't entirely necessary. Their absence allows for one of the most heart-rending scenes of the decade, as Hanks and his former fiancee Helen Hunt figure out what should happen next. The closing scene is a perfect denouement, an ideal reflection of Hanks' mental state.

Cast Away is filled with nearly as much physical and emotional beauty as anything in the 2000s. The film was riveting, impossible to take your eyes off, lest you miss a priceless moment, of which there are plenty. Perhaps the 2000s had a few other films that were better made (The Dark Knight), but I loved Cast Away more.

Best Films of the 2000s
10. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9. Memento (2000)
8. Traffic (2000)
7. The Incredibles (2004)
6. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
5. The Dark knight (2001)
4. Cast Away
3. Coming soon...

Best Films of the 2000s: No. 5.

After creating one of the best origin stories ever with Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan somehow raised the superhero movie to an entirely new level with The Dark Knight. He crafted a film that transcended the genre. It wasn't just a great comic book movie; it was a great film.

Heath Ledger's requiem performormance as the Joker gets all the accolades, and deservingly so. He embodies the villainous role is a possessive way rarely seen on screen, commanding attention with a breath-taking presence. But Christian Bale's titular character should not be overlooked, for he matches Ledger's intensity throughout. As they engage in a raging physical and emotional battle, each rises to meet the other, forming as great a pair of on-screen rivals as I've ever seen. A strong supporting cast adds significant depth, and the brilliantly dark art design holds everything together perfectly.

The Dark Knight is the Godfather of its kind, a sweeping epic that envelopes the viewer in an dramatic new world. As much psychological crime drama as superhero movie, the film is a vivid cinematic display of good versus evil, surpassing even its own mountain-high expectations.

Best Films of the 2000s
10. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9. Memento (2000)
8. Traffic (2000)
7. The Incredibles (2004)
6. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
5. The Dark Knight
4. Coming soon...

Best Films of the 2000s: No. 6.

No. 6

Ocean's Eleven

This is the second movie in my Top Ten featuring Steven Soderburgh as director and cinematographer. Ocean's Eleven couldn't be much different than Traffic. Both are beautifully photographed, and the similarities end there.

Ocean's Eleven was pure fun, and no movie in the 2000s was more rewatchable. Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, and all the actors clearly enjoyed making the movie. More importantly, their experiences translate perfectly to the screen, propelling a story that crackles along at a pace that matches the twinkles in their eyes. The star-studded film is superficially a great heist movie, but is laced with sneaky humor, brilliant writing and beautiful underrated images that elevate the film beyond mere popcorn status.

I've seen Ocean's Eleven dozens of times, and nearly every time I notice something different. Perhaps a glance or a throwaway line, a subtle gesture or a breathtaking camera angle. Piling all of these layers on top of a good piece of entertainment makes for a great film that should be regarded as a classic.

Best Films of the 2000s
10. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9. Memento (2000)
8. Traffic (2000)
7. The Incredibles (2004)
6. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
5. Coming soon...

Best Films of the 2000s: No. 7.

No. 7

The Incredibles

Call this the Pixar representative on the list, as both Wall-E and Finding Nemo were both strong candidates as well. But ultimately, Incredibles won me over the most with a deft combination of action and humor. It's a superhero movie with a Pixar twist, adding clever family dynamics to familiar comic-book action and characters.

The whole film takes known superhero stereotypes and churns them into into a delicious blend of characters that form the foundation of the movie's superb and often subtle comedy. Everyone knows about the practically impervious superhero (Mr. Incredible), but making him a married father of three turns convention on its head. Like Raiders of the Lost Ark, the entire film seems to be winking at the audience, simultaneously paying homage and parodying the superhero genre through all elements, ranging from a witty script containing terms like "monologing" to the wailing horns of the Bond-ian score. For fans of both comic-book movies and animated features (like me), this film hits all the right notes, clearly understanding and utilizing the possibilities of both genres to the fullest extent.

Like all Pixar films, The Incredibles entertains kids with its basic story, but its true achievement extends to all ages, as the film's youthful exuberance and wry sense of humor make it a classic.

Best Films of the 2000s
10. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9. Memento (2000)
8. Traffic(2000)
7. The Incredibles (2004)
6. Coming soon...

Best Films of the 2000s: No. 8.

No. 8

Traffic

Traffic was the first "grown-up" movie I remember seeing in a theater. You know...one of those serious and dramatic Oscar-nominated films that teenagers never see. Well, I saw it because it had a good cast and an interesting trailer that promised multiple intertwined storylines.

I walked out wowed by the way that a film could balance three different storylines in a manner effective enough to produce gripping drama without much action. Doing that with one story is difficult, but each of Traffic's layers could easily have been its own movie. With their powers combined, they make ensuing films like Crash or Babel seem like mere wannabes.

Director/cinematographer Steven Soderburgh executed a clinic on how color palettes can play a supporting role, as each arc was imbued with a unique look that enhanced the narrative and functioned as a scene-setter. In telling these three frighteningly realistic stories, Soderburgh also expressed the multi-faceted bleakness that the illegal drug industry spawns at so many levels. Most impressively he did so without preaching or resorting to melodrama. Instead he simply told good, complex stories and told them exceptionally well.

Best Films of the 2000s
10. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9. Memento (2000)
8. Traffic (2000)
7. Coming soon...

Best Films of the 2000s: No. 9.

No. 9

Memento

I wanted to re-watch Memento immediately after the credits finished, because it took the movie's entire running length to figure out exactly what is happening. When it ended, I wanted to see it again to be sure. The film's single story is edited non-linearly, cutting back and forth between two different portions that are moving in opposite direction. The narrative starts at the beginning and end, and the two arcs meet in the middle at the movie's end.

Because of the film's back-and-forth non-linear nature, some decry the film as little more than a gimmick. But this isn't just some twist at the end. The non-linear nature makes the film. You can't separate the method from the story. No one complains that Godfather II is only great because it bounces between two stories that are decades apart. The brilliant interlacing of narratives is part of what makes that film great, and the same thing applies in Memento.

The unusual story-telling works because of Guy Pearce's short-term amnesia. The viewer sees things as he does, largely unsure of what has previously happened. Pearce nails the part with his various tics and habits, and his mindset vacillates beautifully between certainty and uncertainty. He is an ideal conduit through which the audience can experience the movie.

I saw it twice in four days...during Finals Week. That's how intriguing the movie was. No other film this decade bent the mind like Memento. Period. It might even be better than a few movies ahead of it, but I didn't love it with my heart as much as my mind.

Best Films of the 2000s
10. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban
9. Memento
8. Coming soon...

Best Films of the 2000s: No. 10.

Taking a look back at the last decade of movies is an extremely enjoyable yet difficult task. To me, the list is far more than merely ordering the best films from each of the last ten years. For better and worse, the passing of time makes this list more objective, eliminating some of the in-the-moment passion, but also more subjective, as personal connections elevate great movies past others that lacked a connection. Rewatchability is also a factor, making certain films more powerful, memorable and enjoyable. Ultimately, the list emerges from a confluence of the best films and my favorite films.

Before getting to the Top Ten of the 2000s, here are a few movies that won’t be included, because they were released in the 1990s: Saving Private Ryan, The Sixth Sense, The Matrix. I would love to work them into a Best of the Decade list, but their time has passed. I feel old.

Now, on with the show...

No. 10

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban

I still remember the thrilling moment early in Azkaban when I realized that director Alfonso Cuaron wasn't following in Chris Columbus' footsteps by merely telling the book's story with moving pictures. He was making a film, a clinic on how to adapt books to the screen. Take a good story and infuse it with cinematic flair. Use lush visuals, camera movements that breathtakingly sweep through the epic landscape of Hogwarts, vivid transitions that could almost be short films, and heartfelt moments that provide a massive yet concise narrative with a viable and visual soul. This was far more that just the best Harry Potter movie. It was a great film.

...with honors!

Here are my miscellaneous movie awards for 2006. Enjoy...

Unbreakable award (best trailer): The Prestige. Not even close. The trailer breathlessly presents the three acts of a magician's trick, which conveniently parallel the film itself. It leaves the viewer with a sense of awe and excitement without divulging much of the intricate story. If only more preview editors could do the same.

Best Movie Moment: United 93, when the titular flight departs the runway. Despite knowing what had to happen, I found myself hoping against hope that somehow the plane might not get off the ground. When it did, my heart was ripped from my chest as a combination of pride and sorrow delivered chills through my body.

Kangaroo Jack award (worst trailer): Let's Go to Prison. Can we put the makers of this "movie" in jail? Here's how the pitch must have gone…

Dumb Writer: Okay, let's get that guy who hasn't done anything good since Punk'd, throw him in prison, and make it like a bad camp with every overdone jail joke possible.

Dumb Producer: Great idea. And let's put a bar of soap on the poster…just in case the audience doesn't pick up on the dozen gay jokes we put in the thirty-second trailer.

Unbelievably Dumb Executive: Sounds great! Let's do it!!

Baseball award (best documentary): Once in a Lifetime. I thought about placing this in my top ten, but lumping documentaries in with traditional feature films is too complicated for me. This one tells the story of the New York Cosmos (1970s soccer team), wonderfully capturing the era with an olio of period music and graphics. The fantastic, sometimes grainy soccer footage is often impeccably edited in rhythm with the music or narration, creating a sense of humor that seems appropriate given the ridiculous extravagances in which the team indulged. Any soccer fan needs to see this.

M. Night Shyamalan award (most underrated movie): Lady in the Water. Obviously. On Premiere's annual Critic's Choice list, this was dead last out of one hundred movies rated. Dead last. Rarely have critics completely whiffed on a movie this badly. Two words: BEDTIME STORY! Stupid people.

Ocean's Eleven award (best overall look): Children of Men. Seconds into the movie, the entire mood of the bleak futuristic world is entirely evident, and it never wavers throughout. Throw in pitch-perfect world-weary roles from a solid cast, and this film is the epitome of how cinema can create new environments for their audiences.

King Kong award (best theater experience): Casino Royale, with a couple dozen guys, was good, particularly the chair scene. Little Miss Sunshine was quality, with gales of laughter and even tears. But the start-to-finish winner is easily Snakes on a Plane. The serpents bite just about every human body part, and are killed in equally diverse ways. That induced countless cringes and screams from the people I was with, topped by Doug's "That was not necessary!!" Good times.

Yogi Berra award (movie that triggered déjà vu all over again): Glory Road. A few decades back, a coach takes over a struggling team and controversially integrates it. As they overcome persecution and their own differences, the team manages to learn a ton about the game and themselves, propelling them on a Cinderella run through their sport's biggest tournament. Remember the Titans? Nope. It's Glory Road, which was also a Bruckheimer production. I can't wait until he reworks the baseball version about Jackie Robinson so that Brooklyn wins the World Series in his rookie season.

Showgirls award (worst movie): The Last Kiss. I didn't see any completely horrid movies at a theater this year. So I'll give this award to a movie with a completely horrid foundational premise, that marriage is a transient and meaningless thing. Morons.

Deep Blue Sea award (wholly enjoyable movie that wasn't that good): Superman Returns. Almost all of this movie's quality was derived from imitating the original two movies, and the primary original storyline was a little sketchy. I wholly enjoyed it, but not entirely for its own merits.

Catch Me if You Can award (best opening credits): Casino Royale. Typical Bond opening credits, with girls dancing and guys shooting, except these were two-dimensional scenes composed largely of the four playing card suits. Good stuff, and a great stage setter for an enjoyable escape of a movie.

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban award (best closing credits): The Fountain. Nothing too fancy here, but instead of merely scrolling through the names, these credits faded them in and out on different parts of the screen. Accompanied by appropriately ethereal music, the credits matched the tone of the film perfectly.

Snake Eyes award (movie that took a dive in the last act): The Departed. Yes, Scorsese put together an excellent film…for two hours. But the final twenty minutes are very unsatisfying. My bitterness has waned since I originally saw the film, as the close does seem more appropriate. But it is still unsatisfying, prevented the movie from being an all-time classic.

Batman & Robin award (most disappointing sequel): Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. I have a hard time believing that there were actually parts cut from this movie to include as deleted scenes on the DVD. Underworld: Evolution was pretty bad too, but it had less to live up to and was significantly shorter.

Shakespeare in (expletive deleted) Love award (movie most overrated by critics): The Queen. This was the #1 movie of the year according to Premiere's annual panel of critics. The two lead performances by Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen were worthy of such acclaim, but the film had very little technical merit. Absent the two leads, it would be nothing more than a decent TV movie, far from an Oscar contender.

Thanks for reading. As usual, I leave you with a few movies I'm anticipating most in the upcoming year. I find it interesting and sad that most of them are sequels of the third degree or more (and I didn't even list the third Spider-man/Shrek/Pirates/Bourne), but I suppose the best original films often lack the buzz until their releases are nearer. For what it's worth, 2006 was filled with a similar number of unoriginal ideas, but only one made my top ten.

Ocean's 13. June 8th. Judging from the trailer and set reports, the cast and crew seem to have recaptured the irreverent spirit of the original without getting lazy or gimmicky like the second one.

Live Free or Die Hard. June 29th. A current front-runner for best trailer and movie of 2007. Yippee-kay-yay, !#$%^*@###^&.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. July 13th. That's right, it's a Friday. The possibility of reading three Potter books and seeing this movie over the course of a few weeks is fairly invigorating.

Across the Universe. September 28th. The always innovative Julie Taymor directs this 1960s love story. The sweet trailer makes it look like a sort of musical set to Beatles music, which promises to be a trippy experience.


Be there. Aloha.

The best of the best of the best, sir!

For whatever reason, Blogger decided it hated me, not allowing me to upgrade my old blog to the new version. I suspect racism. Anyway, thus the new URL (and some new features). If you're looking for something I put up before this month, you'll still have to go to the old site, which I link to down there on the bottom right.

To kick this new blog off in style, here are my Top Ten Films of 2006, which some of you may have received via e-mail. I'll throw the miscellaneous awards up here in a few days. Enjoy...


Like most years, 2006 was an interesting cinematic one. I didn't think I'd seen nearly as many films as I usually do, although I did watch all five Best Picture nominees. Upon further review though, the number is virtually identical (about 40) to the last couple years. The difference appears to be that I didn't make it to quite as many "films", but saw more "movies". My initial thoughts were that that 2006 was not a great cinematic year, but looking back, I see several decent flicks that didn't make my list, along with seven films in my top ten that were brilliantly creative and well-executed, plus my heart-wrenching top selection. I think these top eight films could hang with any octet from any year. Go see them. Now.

Without further ado, here is my Top Ten of 2006, in reverse order, with links to my full reviews if possible. Remember that the rankings may not directly correspond with the ratings I doled out upon initial review, because a top ten list should be more fluid than simply organizing films by number…

Warning! Mild Spoilers Ahead!

10. Mission: Impossible III. In the spot reserved for the best movie of the year (a popcorn movie with no pretense of Oscar) comes Tom Cruise's adrenaline fest, which is nearly exhausting with its unrelenting action. A classic MacGuffin only accentuates the point that this is not a grand film, but pure summertainment featuring beautiful people in extreme, life-threatening circumstances with the fate of the world on the line. That's what a summer blockbuster should be, and that's what Cruise and director J.J. Abrams deliver.

9. The Departed. The fact that Martin Scorsese's work makes my list despite an unsatisfying final act reveals just how riveting the first two hours are. The all-star cast is as good as expected; six different viewers could easily come away most impressed by half a dozen different performances. Scorsese doesn't put this one on cruise control though, using creative editing to maximize the medium's capabilities. Since no other film captured the hearts of Academy voters, the film was able to snag a few big Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture; I can accept that. It felt too seedy and occasionally cartoonish to sneak too far up my list, but after an initial poor aftertaste, Departed regained my favor enough to land here.

8. Pan's Labyrinth. Set six decades ago during one of the countless Spanish civil wars, this movie is dominated by the contrasts between the brutal realities of the conflict and the tender imagination of a young girl, blurring the line between fantasy and reality in the process. How much of the film is real is quite debatable, but ultimately doesn't matter. Similar to Finding Neverland, the point is that the imagination is a powerful tool that is particularly and wonderfully useful in the darkest times.

7. The Prestige. With its powerhouse combination of actors (Bale and Jackman), director (Christopher Nolan), and production value, it seems that this tale of dueling magicians should be higher on the list. Maybe I did not possess the proper mindset when I saw it. Perhaps everyone achieves excellence so effortlessly that it nearly goes unappreciated. Seeing clips from the film still gets me excited, and I can't find much wrong with this picture except the lack of any personal connection.

6. Lady in the Water. Anyone complaining that M. Night Shyamalan is a one-trick pony with his surprise endings can stop talking now. There is no big twist here, just a tense children's tale that persistently entertains with its creative characters and imaginative storyline. Had someone else made this film, it would have been received with much more open-mindedness, but because too many people have preconceived notions about Shyamalan's work, his films' reviews suffer. It is a shame that more people do not understand what he accomplished with this fine movie.

5. Letters from Iwo Jima. Clint Eastwood directs the story of the battle for the titular island from the Japanese perspective. From a technical standpoint, this is every bit the equal to Flags of Our Fathers, but connecting emotionally with a Japanese race that has been eternally portrayed as the enemy is something that takes a good chunk of the film to work through. The fact that the movie is still so potent is a sign of its remarkable quality. A similar film about Americans may have hauled in even more accolades, but this one is an equally noteworthy accomplishment.

4. Little Miss Sunshine. This quirky dark comedy was the funniest movie of the year by several bus lengths. I was literally crying from laughter by the end, when the movie smartly got out promptly and on top. The eclectic family was played superbly by the ensemble cast with an appropriate combination of gravity and humor that is often difficult to capture. As hilarious as Sunshine is, it also addresses many serious subjects in ways better than many dramas. Well worthy of its Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, you won't find a much better blend of comedy and poignancy.

3. Flags of our Fathers. As it explores an American angle on the fight for Iwo Jima, Flags quickly establishes that this isn't just another war movie. Utilizing multiple layers of flashbacks, it concentrates on the psychological impact that being hailed as a hero can have on different people, a fascinating contrast to the Vietnam era, when returning soldiers were often vilified. The nearly monochromatic color scheme is fantastic for the black sands of Iwo Jima, as Eastwood's sure hand guides what isn't his best movie, but might be his most important one.

2. Children of Men. Director Alfonso Cuaron helms the finest-crafted picture of the year, featuring a rock-solid performance by a stoic Clive Owen. With several lengthy shots that literally made my jaw drop, Cuaron creates a movie that entertains wildly through its technical achievement while enhancing rather than distracting from the film itself. Even without being aware of them, the long single takes subconsciously spawn tension, gluing the viewer to the screen, scarcely allowing a chance to blink or breathe. Combine that technical quality with a fascinating premise (all women in the world are now infertile), and the result is a film that is worthy of my top spot, but was nudged out by a once-in-a-lifetime type of work.

1. United 93. As its Oscar snubs may indicate, future generations may (erroneously) not rank this film among the year's best. It isn't the best made film of 2006 (though it's close), but it is the year's best and most moving cinematic experience. By using handheld cameras and eschewing dramatic music, director Paul Greengrass recreates the story passionately but without prejudice. Taking shots at the various inadequacies of the military and the FAA would have been simple, but instead the natural drama of the slowly building confusion is allowed to frustrate, perplex, and disappoint without being condescending. United 93 reaches people in ways that most films cannot, because it draws the viewer's emotions into the picture without being manipulative, and those genuine feelings are far greater than anything even the best films can generate on their own.

Thanks for reading. Ben has the first comment in three...two...