20. The Terminal (dir. Steven Spielberg)
Maybe it’s a little naïve. Maybe it’s a little (Capra) corny. But in an era where immigrants of all backgrounds and statuses are demonized, this is a pleasantly compassionate dramedy about people just trying to live their lives while our absurdly complex laws try to grind them down.
19. Touching the Void (dir. Kevin Macdonald)
One of the most riveting documentaries ever made, Touching the Void recreates the harrowing experiences of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. In 1985, the pair set out to summit the west face of the Siula Grande, which hasn’t been climbed for good reason. When the stormy descent threatens both their lives, Yates makes a gut-wrenching decision. The aftermath has to be seen to be believed.
18. The Village (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)
It loses some points for Adrien Brody’s committed but borderline offensive performance. But this is an otherwise lovingly realized fable about courage and cowardice, brought to life with some incredible performances, breathtaking cinematography, and James Newton Howard’s best score.
17. Mean Girls (dir. Mark Waters)
Is this the best high school movie of the decade? It’s certainly in the conversation, enduring after all the quotes, memes, adaptations, and remakes. Dissecting the cliques that can make the high school experience terrible or bearable, Tina Fey’s sharp script nails the pressure of navigating different social circles, while never forgetting this is first and foremost a comedy. It also has a sneaky great ensemble, all of whom perfectly play their often stupid characters.
16. Friday Night Lights (dir. Peter Berg)
Far and away Pete Berg’s best film as a director, this adaptation of Buzz Bissinger’s seminal nonfiction book set the template for the great TV show that followed. Taken on its own merits, it delivers thrilling football action and high dramatic stakes. Leading it all is Billy Bob Thornton in a rare, restrained performance. Even if you hate how sports is treated like religion in Texas, it’s impossible not to hold your breath when a Hail Mary goes up while Explosions in the Sky plays on the soundtrack.
15. Spartan (dir. David Mamet)
Mamet brings his rat-a-tat dialogue and in-over-their-heads characters to the dad thriller. In lesser hands, this is a solid but not special mystery involving the President’s missing daughter. But with Mamet’s conspiratorial eye and gutter mouth, it’s a deeply cynical story about what weak men do with power.
14. Vera Drake (dir. Mike Leigh)
A quietly devastating period drama, and also a horrifying glimpse into the future of the United States. Imelda Staunton was a few years away from playing the embodiment of bureaucratic evil in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Here, she radiates uncommon decency as the titular housewife, a great neighbor who always has a cup of tea and a sympathetic ear. She also performs illegal abortions for women who need them, which makes her a hardened criminal in the eyes of the law. In some ways, this is Mike Leigh’s bleakest film, which is really saying something.
13. Bad Education (dir. Pedro Almodóvar)
The iconic Spanish director delivers his most personal film yet, righteously lashing out at the Catholic Church for the horrors its clergy inflicted on the children in its care. But Almodóvar would never settle for a straight-up revenge tale. The film’s nesting doll structure and meta-textual story give this the contours of a thriller, one never afraid to go to some truly dark corners.
12. The Bourne Supremacy (dir. Paul Greengrass)
Doug Liman’s Bourne Identity was no slouch itself. But Greengrass’ more verité style took the franchise to even higher heights. This sequel has no problem killing off major characters, or pushing its PG-13 rating to the limit with brutal hand-to-hand combat and more clever ways to kill a man and blow up his house (both involved a rolled up magazine). An incredible action movie that would be ripped off for the next decade.
11. The Aviator (dir. Martin Scorsese)
Though it would take two more years for Scorsese to win his long overdue Oscars, he definitely made the best of the five nominees for Best Picture this year. The Aviator gives biopics a good name, featuring vivid colors and committed performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett that go beyond mere imitation. If all movies about driven/deranged geniuses from the 20th Century were in the same league as this or Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, I wouldn’t complain about them so much.
10. Hero | House of Flying Daggers (dir. Zhang Yimou)
Two knockout features from this Chinese master put all other action movies to shame, with dazzling colors and jaw-dropping VFX. But he retains the humanity in his sometimes superhuman characters, which make them more than just eye candy.
9. Collateral (dir. Michael Mann)
Easily Tom Cruise’s best performance of the 21st Century, his Vincent is pure ice-cold professionalism. Like many of Mann’s antagonists, he’s exceptional at what he does. But so is Max (Jamie Foxx, in a career-best turn), the quick-thinking cabbie who tries to foil Vincent’s deadly plans. The film’s digital photography looks even better now in the Ultra HD era. But as with Mann’s finest work, it’s more than just style.
8. Sideways (dir. Alexander Payne)
I couldn’t relate to a story about an aging, lonely, pedantic creative with a passionless day job and an unhealthy obsession with his hobbies. Why do you ask?
7. Goodbye, Dragon Inn (dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
There’s little dialogue in this melancholy slice of life, but so much emotion is conveyed with glances and gestures. It’s the last picture show at the Fu He Grand Theater. Almost no one cares or pays attention to the screening of the martial arts classic. But the employees maintain their rituals, the cruisers try to score, and the few cinephiles watch with tears in their eyes. If you’ve ever appreciated a communal experience at a theater – especially an independently owned one – then you know how special these places are, and how sad it is when they close.
6. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (dir. Adam McKay)
This tweet is accurate. Before the internet took off and consumed our lives, guys really did just sit around quoting this movie. For better or worse, that era has gone, but the film is still extremely quotable. It had numerous chances to become too bloated – they literally released an entire film comprised of deleted scenes – but this is 94 minutes of pure absurdity, culminating in that uproarious battle royale.
5. Shaun of the Dead (dir. Edgar Wright)
Wright has long been one of the most brilliant directors alive, but it’s certainly possible that he peaked here with his debut feature: a zom-rom-com that never neglects the zombies, the romance, or the comedy. His pals and frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost shine as the slacker buds who may not be great friends or partners, but sure know their movies about the undead. Their obsessive knowledge gives them an edge in their survival efforts, as does their willingness to let go (of not only infected relatives but also bad Prince albums).
4. The Incredibles (dir. Brad Bird) | Spider-Man 2 (dir. Sam Raimi)
We may be on the downward slide of the superhero movie boom, but the billion-dollar grossers of the DC and Marvel universes don’t hold a candle to the two best superhero movies ever made. Pixar’s The Incredibles delivered a retro-futuristic family teaming up to stop a wealthy loser who just can’t handle that he’s not special (sound familiar?) in the most thrilling of the studio’s efforts. And Raimi took the lovable Peter Parker and put him through a physical and emotional wringer while putting him up against the equally anguished Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina). Their big fight on an el train still has never been topped.
3. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (dir. Kim Ki-duk)
Even non-Buddhists can find something deeply moving and profound in Kim’s story about a monk (Squid Game‘s O Yeong-su) and his easily distracted apprentice. As the film moves across seasons and decades, lives end and begin again, cycles break and repeat. Yet there is always another chance to seek enlightenment, to sacrifice, and to live better.
2. Before Sunset (dir. Richard Linklater)
The greatest sequel ever made, with the best ending of all time. Julie Delpy’s Celine and Ethan Hawke’s Jesse are older and wiser than when they first met nine years earlier. Their conversation and connection are deeper than ever, and it’s impossible not to get swept up in their reunion. Even subtle gestures, unseen to the other person, are packed with meaning. This is only possible with two actors and a filmmaker who trust each other completely.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (dir. Michel Gondry)
After 20 years, I thought I might be underwhelmed by what I once declared was the best movie of the 2000s. But I’m still finding new things to appreciate about this brilliantly constructed trip down (erased) memory lane. Every aspect of its technical production is flawless and lovingly crafted. Every emotion feels raw. Every twist feels earned. Despite a lot of downs in my own life lately, I still find the ending hopeful.
Honorable Mentions
Baadasssss! (dir. Mario Van Peebles)
Birth (dir. Jonathan Glazer)
Closer (dir. Mike Nichols)
Coffee and Cigarettes (dir. Jim Jarmusch)
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (dir. Danny Leiner)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (dir. Alfonso Cuarón)
Infernal Affairs (dirs. Andrew Lau, Alan Mak)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Kinsey (dir. Bill Condon)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (dir. Wes Anderson)
Man on Fire (dir. Tony Scott)
The Manchurian Candidate (dir. Jonathan Demme)
Million Dollar Baby (dir. Clint Eastwood)
National Treasure (dir. Jon Turtletaub)
Ocean’s Twelve (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
The Saddest Music in the World (dir. Guy Maddin)
Saved! (dir. Brian Dannelly)
Shrek 2 (dirs. Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon)
Team America: World Police (dirs. Trey Parker, Matt Stone)
A Very Long Engagement (dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet)