Movies of the 2000s
Top Five is a show where the hosts categorize, rank, compare, and stratify everything… from cars to gadgets to people and movies. From stuff that is hot, and things that are not nearly as interesting – it’s Top Five.
We’ve looked at the best movies of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, so it is time to hit our top five movies of the 2000s.
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4 Comments
Wow, as with all the decade-long lists this one is very difficult to whittle down to just 5. So many good movies in 2000 alone!
5. Chocolat (2000) – This is one of those movies that if it’s on, I’ll sit and watch it. Juliette Binoche is wonderful in her role, Dame Judi Dench and Alfred Molina are both great. My wife and I both make this a movie we watch together each year, as it’s a sweet story about a woman who doesn’t try to change a community outright but because of her attitude and disposition, she does so person by person.
4. Hellboy (2004) – One that involves my wife and I while we were dating (see No. 3), this was the first comic book movie that she saw in the theater and loved it. Funny side story – she was eating pretzel bites and cheese, and for some reason could smell the cheese throughout the movie and commented how strong it was. Once we left the theater, she realized she had spilled cheese on her sweatshirt (I took a picture of it when we got home). Just one of those “I’ll remember this forever” moments. Great adaptation in my opinion, Ron Perlman and Doug Jones are great, Selma Blair I’m meh on. Fun movie.
3. X-Men (2000) – This is the movie that I think defined what superhero movies were going to become. It was the first, and it was done very well. We’re introduced (to the masses) to Hugh Jackman who embodies one of comics’ most beloved characters, and Sir Ian McKellan and Sir Patrick Stewart ably fill iconic comic book roles. This and X2 remain on my must-watch list on a regular basis (especially X2) because of how they just helped usher in what has become a billion-dollar genre.
2. Finding Nemo (2003) – This movie holds a very special place in my heart and is why it gets into my top 5 list. On the first date of my wife and me, I invited her over to my apartment and cooked chicken fajitas for her, we watched some Food Network together (I introduced her to Iron Chef), and Finding Nemo. I’m a sucker for Disney / Pixar movies, and this one was fabulous – funny and heartfelt.
1. This would be a tie for me, because there are just too many movies to love at this spot. My No. 1 goes to The Dark Knight and Iron Man, both from 2008. The Dark Knight is possibly one of the best movies I’ve ever seen featuring arguably the best acting performance I’ve ever seen (Heath Ledger’s Joker) as someone who was questionably picked for the role but ended up exceeding all expectations.
Iron Man launched the Marvel movie franchise, which is what every movie franchise is now compared against. Great adaptation, great special effects, the acting was great, and it gave us the superhero movie I think we all wanted and needed.
Too many also-rans to list, but here are a few: The Lord of the Rings trilogy; the Harry Potter movies; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Remember the Titans; Spider-Man 2; Catch Me If You Can. And so on, and so forth.
5 Casino Royale – striped down rebuild on the bond film, deeply cool, this is the bond I grew up reading as a boy
4 The Lord of the Rings – he stuck the landing of one of the most epic book of all time and did it LIVE ACTION
3 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back – to this day this is the movie when Ill I put on to make me feel a little better
2 Serenity – this is just my little bliss movie, I got so see this one a preview screening
1 This is England – for those of us that lived the 80’s in the UK this was not a slice of life but a bloody stab. And it’s a true story.
5. Zodiac: I’m a sucker for procedurals and movies that aren’t afraid to take their time. You can feel the mounting dread with which this sicko–the Zodiac Killer, not David Fincher–infected the Bay Area in the late sixties, early seventies.
4. High Fidelity: Humor, heart, a pair of Cusacks, and a Springsteen cameo. What’s not to like? Plus, this movie kicked off my love for Nick Hornby’s writing.
3. The Lord of the Rings: I count all three as one big film. Remember that bit about films that take their time? Jackson & company never let the New Zealand scenery porn or the CGI or the epic epicity of epicness get in the way of the characters, without whom we wouldn’t care whether the damn ring gets to Mount Doom or not.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: This film demands and rewards your attention; it hooks you and breaks your heart. This film’s a romance, it’s science fiction, it’s a comedy, it’s a tragedy, it’s a floor wax, it’s a dessert topping.
Also, despite this film taking place largely in Jim Carrey’s mind, director Michel Gondry avoids CGI in favor of practical effects. And they look great.
1. Almost Famous: It’s a love letter to music that makes me smile from the opening credits to the final shot.
Honorable Mentions: About a Boy, The Incredibles, The Royal Tenenbaums, There Will Be Blood, Wonder Boys.
I’ve only double checked 2000 and 2001 for a full release list but so far I could easily do a top five for each of those years. Just like the 80’s being a huge explosion of multiple film genres I feel that the late 90’s and the 2000’s the artistic indie films began to heavily influence a lot of the mainstream films. I’ll eventually have a top 5 but just off the top of my head I had over a dozen films and have already added another 4-6 that I need to measure and weigh against one another.