The London Times has posted its list of the best movies of the past decade (apparently known as the “noughties”?). I’ve seen 33 of them, and most of those I’ve seen I either love or hate, so at least there’s little here that’s lukewarm. Screenwriter Peter Morgan has two (The Queen and The Last King of Scotland) in the top 10, which makes me happy, and The Lives of Others is pretty high up, which makes me ecstatic. What would be in your top 10?
The London Times’ Best 100 Movies of 2000-2009
– November 13, 2009
The London Times has posted its list of the best movies of the past decade (apparently known as the “noughties”?). I’ve seen 33 of them, and most of those I’ve seen I either love or hate, so at least there’s little here that’s lukewarm. Screenwriter...
About the Author
Carissa Turner Smith is a compulsive reader, writer, and Irish dancer. She earned her Ph.D. in English at Penn State and currently teaches writing and American literature at Charleston Southern University. At age three, she announced that all she wanted to do was “sit at a desk and read and write,” and she has been trying to make good on that promise ever since. Fortunately, she is occasionally distracted from this mission by her husband Stephen and their cheese-obsessed cat. A loyal native of Arkansas, she has always loved the fact that Jesus dwelt in an underappreciated corner of Galilee (see John 1:46). 
Of those, listed, I’ve seen 37 (38 since two movie inexplicably got the #2 spot).
2 The Bourne Supremacy / The Bourne Ultimatum (Paul Greengrass, 2004, 2007)
6 Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008)
8 Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)
16 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
20 Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)
21 Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005)
24 28 Days Later… (Danny Boyle, 2002)
26 Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002)
29 Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 2000)
30 Irreversible (Gaspar Noé, 2002)
32 Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000)
34 Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton/Lee Unkrich, 2003)
35 Y Tu Mamá También (Alfonso Cuarón, 2002)
37 In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar Wai, 2000)
38 Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
39 Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
41 Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
42 The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004)
43 The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
50 The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003)
52 The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, 2005)
58 Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
61 Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
62 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Adam McKay, 2004)
63 There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
65 Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman, 2008)
68 Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)
69 Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi, 2007)
71 Monsters, Inc. (Pete Docter/David Silverman/lee Unkrich, 2001)
73 The Beat That My Heart Skipped (Jacques Audiard, 2005)
74 Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)
77 Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002)
88 The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
92 Dirty Pretty Things (Stephen Frears, 2002)
93 House of Flying Daggers (Zhang Yimou, 2004)
95 Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2000)
99 Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)
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I’m terrified that some of these made the Best of Aughts list. That Bourne made the #2 spot is odd. That it wasn’t the well-made member of the trilogy is baffling. The inclusion of Anchorman and Little Nemo is strange. Persepolis definitely loses something in its translation from charming graphic novel to angst-ridden cartoon. And I’m certain that Irreversible made the list only to boost the lister’s street cred (i.e., proof that he was dead enough inside to finish it—unquestionably the most disturbing film I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of film).
On the positive side (!) movies on that list that I’d Top Ten?
In the Mood for Love
Slumdog Millionaire
Spirited Away
Memento
Pan’s Labyrinth
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Lost in Translation
The Incredibles
The Dark Knight
Waltz with Bashir
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Clearly, by only having seen 37/38 of the movies on the list (it’s been a rough decade), I’m in no position to create any sort of a Top 10 for the decade, but I suspect that my Top 100 would be far different from theirs. I’d definitely throw in the following:
Amelie
A Very Long Engagement
He Loves Me He Loves Me Not
Moon
Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring
Mirrormask
Dogtown and Z Boys
Mad Hot Ballroom
Even Coraline was much better than many of the movies on that list.
I’ve only seen 30 (33 if you count the ones I lost interest in halfway through), and I won’t be making a list of them.
And, other than The Dark Knight, Eternal Sunshine, and Memento, I can’t think of any really good movies that stands out to me over the last ten years. An Evening with Kevin Smith was pretty awesome, though.