Top Ten Films of the 2000's

Top Ten Films of the 2000’s

By Matthew Gentile

There Will Be Blood (2007)

There Will Be Blood is a film that teaches us a lesson about the enticing appeal of greed, corruption, and hunger. While based on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil, Paul Thomas Anderson goes far away from the page, creating the story of a California Oil Prospector played by the always-worth-watching Daniel Day-Lewis, who took home the Gold for this movie (and deserved it). The cinematography is captivating, and the pacing of the film is unique in that it may be the strangest structure of a story ever – but it works, and that’s the beauty of it. Anderson’s unflinching epic of the fatal flaws of materialism- and his ability to connect realistic fiction at the turn of the 20^th century to today’s various economic and sociological issues makes this movie universal. Paul Thomas Anderson is the most dynamic filmmaker of his time, and possibly the most talented.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

The Coen Brothers have balls. To create a movie that for the first three fourths, is the most tense, thrilling, cat-and-mouse action story, and for the last quarter, is a monologue driven sequence, in a city like Hollywood for a mass audience around the Planet Earth, takes courage. This to-the-grave loyal adaptation of Cormac McCarthy novel has one of the best screen performances of all time from the extraordinary actor Javier Bardem, and has a production value like no other – with incredible set design, Roger Deakins’ consistently excellent cinematography, and enthralling/engaging action sequences that with clever timing create all kinds of tension for the audience. It is not a typical entry in the Coen Brothers’ body of work, but it is most certainly their best.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo Del Toro gave creativity another name with this film. This fantasy/fairy tale epic, set during the Spanish Civil War, gives us a little girl named Ofelia, whose imagination (like her creator’s) is so vivid and fascinating – that despite the dreadful horrors of the reality surrounding her, she can find salvation. The sets, computer generated imagery, animatronics, special effects, war sequences, and costumes help create a world that has not been seen before.

The Hurt Locker (2009)

In a decade where multiple low-grade films about the Iraq War were released, The Hurt Locker was hailed by many critics as the best one of this bunch – but that is such an understatement. What makes this film so special is not the screenplay (though it’s quite great) or that it’s a war movie, but it shows us that we don’t need big special effects, correction, we don’t need a production budget of $200-300 million to make a great action movie. With the use of swift hand-held photography and Kathryn Bigelow’s top drawer direction, The Hurt Locker not only tells the story of a war that’s end is overdue, but the story of the people who are out there fighting every day, fearing for their lives, and serving their countries.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an expose of Charlie Kaufman’s genius as a screenwriter. He has a magical ability to create stories that no other writer in Hollywood can think of, this, as his follow-up to Adaptation and Being John Malkovich is by far his greatest achievement. This movie could be looked at as a chowder of these genres/aspects: science fiction, dystopian ideals, romanticism, the power of love, and the ability of the human mind. The film proves that love conquers all, as does great storytelling.

Adaptation (2002)

While Eternal Sunshine showed off Charlie Kaufman’s innovative mind in a more straight-forward way, Adaptation demonstrated his ability to apply his creativity, and write a self-reflective screenplay that cleverly conveys an excellent story. This is not another film about show-biz– it’s a coming-of-age tale about a man and his imaginary twin brother, who together, discover the art of story, the science of botany, and the magic of moviemaking. Nicolas Cage takes on two roles, playing Charlie Kaufman and his imaginary twin brother Donald Kaufman – and plays the role to ultimate perfection, reminding us of what a good actor he can be when under the right light. Chris Cooper steals every scene he is in, and Meryl Streep follows with her consistencies delivering a performance that is to me her most sophisticated one in years.

Sideways (2004)

My brother and I watched this film when we were 14 and 16 years old in a hotel room at Disney World on a family trip – and we could not stop laughing at the visual humor! The depressing dramatic depths and the crazy comedic extremes juxtaposed together in Sideways makes it a truly remarkable film. Alexander Payne every time around directs the perfect dramedy. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church are not only hilarious as their characters, but they represent the maturities and immaturities of the types of men they portray and take it even a step further.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001)

Ang Lee is one of the most gifted filmmakers around. He has made so many great films in the past twenty years since and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is his most impressive achievement to date. With great fight sequences, vivid imaginative story, visual triumph (the cinematography is spellbinding) – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon incorporates martial arts violence and narrative structure in an equivocated logical way.

Lost in Translation (2003)

A cleverly crafted mood piece is always a delight. Sofia Coppola’s beautifully shot, cleverly written, and appropriately minimalist piece is with no doubts one of the most swiftly put together movies. Bill Murray here brings not only his deadpan humor, but he creates a character that the audience can both sympathize and empathize with, as it depicts the disoriented feeling that comes about with traveling and culture shock. With just the right amount of humor, pithy dialogue, romance and drama – Lost in Translation is an absolute must-see.

The Wrestler (2008)

Sometimes, great art requires audiences to endure difficult viewing. Such is the case with Darren Aronofsky’s latest effort, The Wrestler. The performances by both Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei are two of the best acting jobs done in the past twenty-five years. And the pain, of watching Rourke’s performance allows us to see an actor who gives an unhinged performance – indulging/immersing him into the role so organically with nuance and subtlety. Shot with a meager budget of $4 million, The Wrestler not only gave us an understanding of the “fake” sport of wrestling, but it solidified Aronofsky as the most courageous director around, who unlike many of his contemporaries - will not sell his artistic integrity.