The 20 best films of the decade
The 20 best films of the decade
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By Alistair Potter. |  |
Saturday, 26, Dec 2009 09:04
Lewis Bazley ventures to Middle Earth and Montmartre (twice), sees a terrifying vision of the future, flees from a massive monster and belts out a love song as he runs down the best films of the Noughties.
And the best films of the decade, from 20 to 1, are.
20
Cloverfield (2008)
"My name is Robert Hawkins. It's 6:42 AM on Saturday, May 23rd. Approximately seven hours ago, something attacked the city. I don't know what it is. If you found this tape, I mean if you're watching this right now, then you probably know more about it than I do. Whatever it is, it killed my brother Jason Hawkins, it killed my best friend Hudson Platt and Marlena Diamond, and many many others. We've crashed into Central Park and we've taken shelter underneath this bridge. The military has begun bombing the creature and we're caught in the middle. Okay, ready?"
More than just a brilliantly marketed disaster movie, Matt Reeves and JJ Abrams' 'found footage' film thrills on a primal level, with the handheld camerawork creating an commendable sense of realism. The 9/11 parallels of a destroyed Manhattan are both deliberate and unsettling while the naturalism of the characters and dialogue means we forgive their scant backstories, too panicked are we by journeying with them in a Big Apple soon to be ravaged by a monster. This is cinema at its most exciting and immersive.
19
Sideways (2004)
"It's a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It's uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and... ancient on the planet."
Middle-age and depression have never been so funny while Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church inhabit their equally damaged characters with aplomb. The simple tale of two fortysomething adolescents embarking on an extended stag do in Californian wine country, there are slapstick and highbrow laughs to be found alongside the bittersweet humanity of Alexander Payne's film. But remember - I am NOT drinking any f*****g Merlot!
18
Man on Wire (2008)
"To me, it's really so simple, that life should be lived on the edge. You have to exercise rebellion. To refuse to tape yourself to the rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge. Then you will live your life on the tightrope."
James Marsh's unconventional documentary - a mix of archive footage, imagined scenes and to-camera interviews, with no narrator in earshot - brings the remarkable tale of the mad and captivating Philippe Petit to life in inspiring, life-affirming fashion. There's a hint of sadness in seeing the silent beauty of the Twin Towers but for the most part we feel as enthused by the insanity of Petit's high-wire scheme as the members of his team of assistants.
17
Amelie (2001)
"On September 3rd 1973, at 6:28pm and 32 seconds, a bluebottle fly capable of 14,670 wing beats a minute landed on Rue St Vincent, Montmartre. At the same moment, on a restaurant terrace nearby, the wind magically made two glasses dance unseen on a tablecloth. Meanwhile, in a 5th-floor flat, 28 Avenue Trudaine, Paris 9, returning from his best friend's funeral, Eugène Colère erased his name from his address book. At the same moment, a sperm with one X chromosome, belonging to Raphaël Poulain, made a dash for an egg in his wife Amandine. Nine months later, Amélie Poulain was born."
It made Audrey Tautou a star but the crossover success of this whimsical - in the very best sense - comedy comes from the invention of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. From Amelie Poulain's absorption in the simple pleasures of stone-skimming or crème-brulee cracking, her moving relationship with her brittle-boned neighbour or the hide-and-seek prelude to her finding love, it's entirely magical.
16
Almost Famous (2000)
"You cannot make friends with the rock stars. That's what's important. If you're a rock journalist - first, you will never get paid much. But you will get free records from the record company. And they'll buy you drinks, you'll meet girls, they'll try to fly you places for free, offer you drugs... I know. It sounds great. But they are not your friends. These are people who want you to write sanctimonious stories about the genius of the rock stars, and they will ruin rock and roll and strangle everything we love about it."
It can be a sad experience to watch Cameron Crowe's coming-of-age drama again, so crushingly disappointing has Kate Hudson's subsequent career proved. At the start of the decade, she was luminescent as queen of the 'band aids' Penny Lane in an evocative and funny road saga with a fantastic soundtrack.
15
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
"I decided to stop pitying myself. Other than my eye, two things aren't paralysed, my imagination and my memory."
A story both poignant and life-affirming, shot with incredible artistry by Julian Schnabel. The honesty of Jean-Dominique Bauby's (Mathieu Amalric) source memoir means the former magazine editor all but paralysed by a massive stroke is portrayed as a real, flawed human being while Schnabel's camerawork, much of it from Jean-Do's one working eye, astounds.
14
Let the Right One In (2009)
"I don't kill people." - Oskar
"No, but you'd like to. If you could... To get revenge. Right?" - Eli
"Yes." - Oskar
"Oskar, I do it because I have to. Be me, for a while."
The most recent film on this list, Tomas Alfredson's Swedish-language adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel draws amazing performances from its 11-year-old leads and, in the year where New Moon proved a box office juggernaut, did a far better job of conveying the menace and concurrent emotion of the vampire genre.
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13
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
"Listen, people - do you have any idea who you're dealing with? This is Jason Bourne. You are nine hours behind the toughest target you have ever tracked. Now I want everyone to sit down, strap in, and turn on all you've got. That would mean now."
Casino Royale resurrected 007 after Pierce Brosnan's fine work had been undermined by cartoonish scripts verging on self-parody but 'Bond Begins' wouldn't have happened without the Bourne trilogy. After Doug Liman kicked off the series in 2002, Paul Greengrass' taking the reins enhanced the fluid, resonant impact of the action sequences while Matt Damon proved a quick-thinking, powerful and tormented hero to be reckoned with. This conclusion to the series included one of its finest scenes - the heartstopping Waterloo sequence - and ended Bourne's quest by revealing his true identity.
12
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
"The Moulin Rouge. A night club, a dance hall and a bordello. Ruled over by Harold Zidler. A kingdom of night time pleasures. Where the rich and powerful came to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld. The most beautiful of these was the one I loved. Satine. A courtesan. She sold her love to men. They called her the "Sparkling Diamond", and she was the star... of the Moulin rouge. The woman I loved is... dead."
Australia disappointed and it's hard to see how Baz Luhrmann could top this 2001 musical romance - Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor put in some of their best work of their careers, as well as rousing vocals, while Luhrmann and Catherine Martin's design is simply magical. Popular songs are mashed together and reworked in exhilarating fashion and if you don't believe in love after this trip to Montmartre, you never will.
11
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
"Look at me. Can I just say one more thing? I'm not gonna say, you know, there's plenty more fish in the sea. I'm not going to say if you love her, let her go. And I'm not going to bombard you with clichés. But what I will say is this - it's not the end of the world."
The first in the 'Cornetto trilogy' from Edgar Wright and the 21st century Pryor and Wilder of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, this 'romzomcom' made stars of its leads, and showed the wider world what devotees of Spaced already knew - that Wright is a world-class director with a geek's understanding of cinema. Recalling Monty Python in its silliness and adhering to the George Romero rules of zombie invasions, Shaun of the Dead scares and amuses in equal measure.
10
Donnie Darko (2001)
"Do you want your sister to lose weight? Tell her to get off the couch, stop eating twinkies and maybe go out for field hockey. You know what? No one ever knows what they want to be when they grow up. You know it takes a little, little while to find that out, right, Jim? And you... yeah, you. Sick of some jerk shoving your head down the toilet? Well, you know what? Maybe... you should lift some weights, or uh, take a karate lesson and the next time he's tries to do it, you kick him in the balls."
Will Richard Kelly ever top his debut? Judging by the lukewarm response to The Box - or the bemused "Er. " from Southland Tales' audiences - he may never surpass the dark and romantic tale of troubled teen Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal). Growing richer with repeat viewings, it's a strange and unashamedly philosophical thriller.
9
Adaptation (2002)
"We open on Charlie Kaufman. Fat, old, bald, repulsive, sitting in a Hollywood restaurant, across from Valerie Thomas, a lovely, statuesque film executive. Kaufman, trying to get a writing assignment, wanting to impress her, sweats profusely. Fat, bald Kaufman paces furiously in his bedroom. He speaks into his hand held tape recorder, and he says: 'Charlie Kaufman. Fat, bald, repulsive, old, sits at a Hollywood restaurant with Valerie Thomas'."
Charlie Kaufman could have made this list with the melancholy and visually inventive Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but I've plumped for the equally personal Adaptation on the grounds of (two) brilliant performances from Nicolas Cage and an metaphysical script that breaks the fourth wall and perfectly captures the frustration of a creative career.
8
Spirited Away (2001)
"I'm sorry my sister turned you parents into pigs, but there's nothing I can do. Its just the way things are. You'll have to help your parents and Haku by yourself. Use what you remember about them." - Zeniba
"What? Can't you please give me more help than that? It feels like I met Haku, but it was a long time ago... " - Chihiro
"That's a good start! Once you've met someone you never really forget them. It just takes a while for your memories to return." - Zeniba
Pixar aren't the only powerhouse in animation - Japanese production house Studio Ghibli have produced some of the most imaginative and spellbinding films of the last 20 years and this 2001 effort might be their masterpiece. A rite of passage story as strange and frightening as your own childhood, this Asian Alice in Wonderland takes in capitalism, the shock of the new, spirituality and mortality through some of the most wonderful animation ever seen.
7
The Departed (2006)
"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me. Years ago we had the church. That was only a way of saying - we had each other. The Knights of Columbus were real head-breakers; true guineas. They took over their piece of the city. Twenty years after an Irishman couldn't get a f*****g job, we had the presidency. May he rest in peace. That's what the n*****s don't realise. If I got one thing against the black chappies, it's this - no one gives it to you. You have to take it."
Alright, it's a remake, but as the film that finally brought Martin Scorsese that long awaited Oscar - and reminded us that, contrary to a great deal of evidence - Mark Wahlberg actually can act - The Departed stands as one of the finest crime epics ever. With every actor at their peak - including Alec Baldwin at his scene-stealing best as a Special Investigations chief - a rollicking soundtrack, Jack Nicholson chewing the scenery as only he can and a lively plot that divides our loyalties, it's probably Scorsese's best film since Goodfellas.
6
Wall-E (2008)
"Too much garbage in your face? There's plenty of space out in space! BnL StarLiners leaving each day. We'll clean up the mess while you're away."
Pixar were always going to feature in this list but Wall-E gets the nod over the likes of Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo or The Incredible thanks to its ability to move. It's an imaginative yet deceptively simple tale and that we can feel so much for wordless characters is testament to the awesome storytelling powers of the Pixar team.
5
Children of Men (2006)
"He was their sweet little dream. He had little hands, little legs, little feet. Little lungs. And in 2008, along came the flu pandemic. And then, by chance, he was gone. You see, Theo's faith lost out to chance. So, why bother if life's going to make its own choices?"
It might have underwhelmed at the box office but Alfonso Cuaron's dystopian thriller dazzled on every level - Clive Owen excels as an unlikely guardian of the potential saviour of humanity while Cuaron's single-camera action shots are technically stunning and almost unbearably intense. And with allusions to fears over immigration, the use of detention camps and imagery that evokes 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Children of Men is truly a film of our time.
4
The Dark Knight (2008)
"Wanna know how I got these scars? My father was... a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not-one-bit. So - me watching - he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it! Turns to me, and he says, 'why so serious, son?' Comes at me with the knife... 'Why so serious?' He sticks the blade in my mouth... 'Let's put a smile on that face!' And... "
A comic book film grounded in the real world, a villainous performance that leaves the viewer mourning a tragic loss, a storyline and design so realistic that you forget the film's hand-drawn origins - The Dark Knight is a masterpiece and its box office success and Christopher Nolan's status as the most wanted director in the world are richly deserved.
3
City of God (2002)
"What should have been swift revenge turned into an all out war. The City of God was divided. You couldn't go from one section the other, not even to visit a relative. The cops considered anyone living in the slum a hoodlum. People got used to living in Vietnam, and more and more volunteers signed up to die."
You can't help but wondering when watching City of God - did The Wire's creators David Simon and Ed Burns watch this Brazilian firecracker and realise that within a fast-paced crime drama could be concealed an overarching treatise against the destructive nature of money? Fernando Meirellles and Katia Lund shoot in a frenetic, on-the-ground style leaving you catching your breath as you grasp the tragedy of inner-city life.
2
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
"Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"
The conclusion to the one trilogy to rule them all. With one of the finest battle scenes ever seen on celluloid, sterling work from Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Wood and a record-tying amount of Oscars, it was a lengthy but fitting end to a magnificent series, as nourishing to hardcore 'Ringers' as to those who'd never ventured to Middle Earth.
1
There Will Be Blood (2008)
"Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much for visiting with us this evening. Now, I've travelled across half our state to be here and to see about this land. Now, I daresay some of you might have heard some of the more extravagant rumours about what my plans are; I just thought you'd like to hear it from me. This is the face. There's no great mystery. I'm an oilman, ladies and gentlemen."
Daniel Day-Lewis' magnetic and terrifying performance as oil prospector Daniel Plainview would be enough to earn There Will Be Blood a place in the upper echeolons of this list on its own. But with director Paul Thomas Anderson reining in his more self-indulgent tendencies to create a great American epic and Jonny Greenwood's atonal score cranking up the dread, it's a masterpiece.
Honourable mentions
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Memento
Lost in Translation
Pan's Labyrinth
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy