Aughts 100: #70 - 61

#70: The New World (2005)

Country: USA/UK
Director: Terence Malick
Starring: Q'Orianka Kilcher, Colin Farrell, Christian Bale

This slow moving epic can be split between two perspectives. One belongs to John Smith, the other to Pocahontas (though the character is never referred to by that name) and through them The New World tells a circular story. Both, at one point or another, find themselves living amongst the "other" people, both receive the distrust of their countrymen due to their sympathies to the other side, and both will leave home to set foot in a world that is totally new to them. As with all Terence Malick films, patience is a necessity with this one, but the impact of the film is ultimately lasting.

#69: Nowhere In Africa (2001)

Country: Germany
Director: Caroline Link
Starring: Juliane Kohler, Merab Ninidze

Based on Stefani Zweig's autobiographical book of the same name, this saga centering on a Jewish family who seek refuge in Kenya during World War II is a moving, powerful film. The story examines prejudice from a number of angels - the family members are victims of prejudice both at home and abroad (they flee Germany because they're Jewish then find themselves in an internment camp because they're German), but the mother also perpetuates prejudice when it comes to how she views Kenyans. The arc that she goes through is particularly poignant and the film itself is masterfully guided by Caroline Link.

#68: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Country: UK
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto

As told by Danny Boyle, this epic tale of a young man's journey from deepest poverty to fame and fortune is vibrant and brimming with life. Ostensibly a coming-of-age story and a love story, it is also a subtle examination of the effects of globalization and the way that "progress" often only sweeps poverty further into the corners of society instead of ushering in any sustainable solutions. A colorful and surprisingly heartwarming film, given all the horrors endured by its protagonist.

#67: Milk (2008)

Country: USA
Director: Gus Van Sant
Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, James Franco

Gus Van Sant's story of an outsider trying to shake up the system is, ironically, his most mainstream film since opening the decade with Finding Forrester. A fairly standard biopic in certain respects, the film is elevated by a terrific, charismatic performance from Sean Penn and by the passion infused in it by Van Sant. With gay rights still a hot button topic in many areas of the world Milk, which entered theaters shortly after Prop 8 in California, is both a measure of how far society has come and how far it has yet to go.

#66: Donnie Darko (2001)

Country: USA
Director: Richard Kelly
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal

Richard Kelly may be a one trick pony, but that one trick was pretty awesome. Though a victim of timing when it was first released (in the fall of 2001 people were understandably reluctant to watch a movie that involved part of a plane falling from the sky), it has since become a cult classic. Open to interpretation, Donnie Darko is an endlessly fascinating work rooted in theories of time travel that requires a certain amount of effort on the part of the audience. Dark, complex, and acidly funny, it's definitely worth that effort.

#65: Zodiac (2007)

Country: USA
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr.

Zodiac is a film about obsession. Using the real-life mystery of the Zodiac killings, the film charts the way that the mystery consumes the people intent on discovering the truth. David Fincher's take on the story - which spans decades and sees the case from multiple perspectives - is dark and deeply unsettling, particularly since the film can't offer any firm resolution. Zodiac is quite possibly Fincher's most focused and mature work to date.

#64: This Is England (2006)

Country: UK
Director: Shane Meadows
Starring: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham

A gritty portrait of aimless and disenfranchised youth under Margaret Thatcher, This Is England sometimes seems like it's about to explode off the screen. Tackling issues of race, sex, and class, the story is like a powder keg of pent up hostility and aggression desperately seeking release. Featuring terrific performances all around, particularly from young Thomas Turgoose in the lead, This Is England is an unforgettable snapshot of time and place.

#63: Il Divo (2008)

Country: Italy
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Starring: Toni Servillo

Il Divo is built on the startling contrast between the staid and very cold protagonist at its center and the bombastic, lively film happening around him. A loose biopic about former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti's final turn in office and the trial in which he was accused of collusion with the mafia, Il Divo doesn't stop long enough to get into a lot of explanatory background, which is unfortunate for those of us who don't know much about Italian politics. However, the film itself is so grand and entertaining that you forget that you don't totally know what's going on. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

#62: Talk To Her (2002)

Country: Spain
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Javier Camara, Dario Grandinetti

Talk To Her centers on two men in love with comatose women. It is, essentially, a story about the inability of men and women to properly communicate as well as loss, loneliness, and issues surrounding intimacy. With respect to one of the men - Benigno, a nurse in love with his patient Alicia - Pedro Almodovar presents a difficult question of moral relativism: Benigno does something unquestionably wrong but the consqeuences of his actions bring Alicia back to life. The issue of right and wrong here becomes a bit hazzy, which is part of the reason why the film itself is so haunting and memorable.

#61: Almost Famous (2000)

Country: USA
Director: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup

How could anyone not like Almost Famous? It's so warm and fuzzy that it's like the cinematic equivalent of a puppy running through a rainbow. At the same time, however, there's an edge to it that keeps it from dipping too far into sappy sentimentality. Based in part on writer/director Cameron Crowe's own experiences as a young reporter for Rolling Stone, the film is a nostalgic look at a time since passed as seen through the clear-eyed vision of someone no longer starstruck by the glamour of rock and roll and life on the road. Its great screenplay remains wonderfully quotable.

Aughts 100: #80 - 71

#80: The Dreamers (2003)

Country: UK/France/Italy
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel

Bernardo Bertolucci's story of three cinephiles is, indeed, dreamy. Drawn to siblings Isabelle and Theo through a shared love of film, American exchange student Matthew eventually comes to find that he's bitten off a lot more than he can chew. The three lock themselves away in a world of their own, creating new rules that reject the limits placed on them by society. But, just as even the best movie has to end sometime, so does their self-created Eden as the outside world literally comes crashing through their window. A beautiful (albeit kinda creepy) piece of work that's like a love letter to movies themselves.

#79: Amelie (2001)

Country: France
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou

Once upon a time, the world fell in love with a little sprite named Amelie. She was a nice young woman who wanted to make other people happy even though she herself avoided chances at happiness because her isolated upbringing made her a little scared of other people. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's charming comedy follows Amelie through various adventures and, eventually, as she takes a chance at love. With a winning performance from Audrey Tautou, what's not to love about Amelie?

#78: The Class (2008)

Country: France
Director: Laurent Cantet
Starring: Francois Begaudeu

A year in the life of a classroom. Based on star Francois Begaudeu's own experiences as a teacher, the film follows the highs and lows of trying to teach a room full of teenagers. Though the film occasionally ventures into other parts of the school, for the most part it remains in that one classroom as Francois tries to deal with his ever shifting relationship with his students, who can give him hell one day but be easy the next, or vice versa. He's not perfect, he makes mistakes, and he regrets the way that he handles certain situations. There is no false inspirational moment at the end, just a detente as teacher and students celebrate getting through another year. The film rings with so much authenticity you may lapse into thinking you're watching a documentary.

#77: The Visitor (2008)

Country: USA
Director: Thomas McCarthy
Starring: Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass

The Visitor is a film that does a lot of things you might expect but does them so well that that doesn't bother you. The story centers on Walter, a slightly aimless widower who discovers a couple of illegal immigrants in his New York apartment and experiences a revelation, of sorts, about his life. The visitor of the title could refer to just about anyone in the film, though Walter ultimately comes to seem like the most likely candidate as he's just going through the motions of life and not putting down roots. The Visitor is a gem of a movie with great performances all around.

#76: Seraphine (2008)

Country: France/Belgium
Director: Martin Provost
Starring: Yolande Moreau

Rarely is the agony and the ecstasy of being an artist so thoroughly captured than in Martin Provost's account of the French painter Seraphine. For her, creating art is a religious experience but her fervor (not to mention the taste of success that is cut mercilessly short by the onset of the Depression) sends her over the edge and into madness. An amazing performance by Yolane Moreau as a simple woman whose rare and intense gift both saves and destroys her.

#75: Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Country: USA
Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortmier, Paul Schneider, Patricia Clarkson

A most unusual love story, seeing as it's between a young man and a sex toy. Proceeding forward with disarming sincerity, Lars and the Real Girl becomes a heartfelt exploration of the lasting effects of trauma and the painful process of recovery. Ryan Gosling renders an amazing performance as Lars and the terrific supporting cast helps keep the film on track. It's a sweet, moving film that deserved a lot more attention than it got during its theatrical release.

#74: La Vie En Rose (2007)

Country: France/UK
Director: Olivier Dahan
Starring: Marion Cotillard

One of the most stunning performances of the last decade is easily Marion Cotillard's Oscar winning turn as Edith Piaf. Told in non-chronological order and constantly jumping back and forth in time, La Vie En Rose can be a somewhat jarring viewing experience, though by adopting this strategy the film does handily sidestep many of the cliches of the musical biopic. Ultimately, it's less the story of Edith Piaf's life than it is a portrait of her increasingly distressed state of mind. Alternately glorious and harrowing, it's an exhilarating experience.

#73: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Country: USA
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marissa Tomei

No plan is so perfect that it can't go horribly awry. Brothers Andy and Hank discover this the hard way when they hatch a plot to rob a jewlery store. It's supposed to be a victimless crime (they get the cash; the owners get the insurance money to make up for it) but victims start piling up fast and furious and things spin horribly, tragically out of control. At 86, Sidney Lumet doesn't make too many movies anymore but as Before the Devil Knows You're Dead proves, he's still got the knack for it.

#72: A History of Violence (2005)

Country: USA
Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, William Hurt, Maria Bello, Ed Harris

"Ask him how come he's so good at killing people." Mild mannered family man and cold blooded killer - how can one be reconciled to the other and what does it say about society if they can be? A History of Violence is about a man whose dark past has finally caught up to him but on the grander scale it is about how Western society, which officially condemns violence, is built on a history of violence (revolutions, wars, etc.) and about how evolution is based on the principle of survival of the fittest. It's a brilliant movie from one of the most consistently interesting filmmakers working today.

#71: Bad Education (2004)

Country: Spain
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Fele Martinez, Gael Garcia Bernal

In Bad Education it can be difficult to know where you stand. Past and present, fantasy and reality, are so tightly woven together that sometimes they're difficult to distinguish. The story of a director who agrees to make a film with a man who claims to have been his boyhood friend and first love about their abuse at the hands of a priest features a lot of stories within the story and it isn't until the very end when all the layers have been peeled back that we can see how all the pieces (and characters, not to mention characters posing as other characters) fall into place. A wonderful, challenging work from the great Almodovar.

Aughts 100: #90 - 81

#90: Finding Nemo (2003)

Country: USA
Director: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich

One of Pixar's greatest achievements (and that's really saying something), Finding Nemo is a transcendent film that can be enjoyed at any age. Its story may be conventional but between the beautiful animation and the passion that so obviously went into it, the film rises above the simple terms in which it is told and gains depth and meaning.

#89: Broken Embraces (2009)

Country: Spain
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Penelope Cruz

If there is a director who had a better decade than Pedro Almodovar, I'd love for you to point him or her out to me. As far as I'm concerned, Almodovar produced nothing but great work between 2000 & 2009. Re-teaming here with Penelope Cruz, he tells a story of love and obsession, weaving in references to everything from Douglas Sirk to Peeping Tom. Per usual there's much more going on in the story than is immediately apparent and, per usual, watching Almodovar unfold his narrative is a treat.

#88: Chicago (2002)

Country: USA
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones

The musical is back! People say that after any even mildly successful big screen musicals, but Chicago is the only one that made me believe it, even if only for a minute or two. Hard edged with a soundtrack full of memorable numbers, this tale of dirty showbiz politics and even dirtier scandal rag reporting is a film worth watching over and again. Renee Zellweger turns in a great performance as wannabe startlet Roxie Hart, but Catherine Zeta-Jones owns the show as vampy Velma Kelly.

#87: Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Country: USA
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Brad Pitt

Quentin Tarantino's ahistorical World War II epic is a thing of beauty. Having freed himself from the constraints imposed by facts, he allows the story to culminate in an explosive act of "Jewish vengeance" that reimagines the end of the war in the European theater. In Shoshanna Dreyfuss and Lt. Col. Hans Landa, Tarantino creates two of his most compelling characters ever and with the film itself he rewrites the rules of WWII movies.

#86: Precious (2009)

Country: USA
Director: Lee Daniels
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique

Unrelentingly grim, Precious can be an incredibly difficult film to watch. Certainly few stories are as hard on their protagonists as this one which finds Precious enduring physical and sexual abuse, illiteracy, poverty, teenage pregnancy, and HIV. There is a great deal of darkness here - but there is also light. Despite all she endures, Precious is still able to imagine better for herself and finds people who want to help her achieve better. There is no deus ex machina at the end -things remain bleak even as the screen fades to black - but there is hope and that is, indeed, precious.

#85: Bowling For Columbine (2002)

Country: USA
Director: Michael Moore

One of the most divisive filmmakers working today, Michael Moore's tactics are controversial but his results are undeniable. The success of Bowling For Columbine changed the way that documentaries are received in the mainstream. No longer considered simply a niche genre, documentaries are now seen as commercially viable and that's thanks - at least in part - to Moore's P.T. Barnum-like showmanship. Here he employs a number of different storytelling techniques in order to make his point and though the stunts he engages in throughout are infuriating to some, the sequences where he dials down the flash are often powerful.

#84: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Country: USA
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett

David Fincher's take on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is, admittedly, a bit uneven but through its exploration of the relationship between Daisy and Benjamin, who is physically ageing backwards, the film captures something elusive and beautiful. It's not that nothing perfect lasts but rather that nothing perfect remains static - no matter how hard we try, the march of time will pull us forwards (or back) and change the circumstances of that perfect thing. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett each render moving, layered performances and Fincher constructs scenes of startling beauty.

#83: (500) Days of Summer (2009)

Country: USA
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel

This is not a love story, it's the story of the one that got away. Told in non-chronological fashion to show a series of vignettes in the relationship between romantic idealist Tom and more the cynical Summer and using various techniques including fantasy, split screens, and a musical number, the film captures the incredible highs of being in love and the crushing lows of being disappointed in love. Having more in common with classic Woody Allen than contemporary romantic comedies, (500) Days of Summer will likely have staying power.

#82: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001)

Country: Canada
Director: Zacharias Kunuk
Starring: Natar Ungalaaq

The Fast Runner is a film unlike any you've seen before. Rooted in an inuit legend about an evil spirit that causes strife in a community, the film weaves a spell as it follows Atanarjuat, who must overcome many obstacles in order to defeat the spirit and emerge victorious. Though very slow moving for the most part, it has a vigoruous spirit and sequences that soar off the screen and into memory.

#81: Juno (2007)

Country: USA
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera

Honest to blog! It's a shame when a movie that deserves hype goes on to become so overhyped that sentiment starts to turn against it. Let's focus on the positive: a great, starmaking performance from Ellen Page, a moving though underappreciated supporting performance by Jennifer Garner, a script by Diablo Cody which, while admittedly a bit over the top and schticky at first calms down considerably as the story gets rolling. The film finds a nice balance between comedy and drama and its eponymous protagonist is one of the most nicely drawn female characters of the decade.

Aughts 100: #100 - 91

#100: Mean Girls (2004)

Country: USA
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey

Let us not think about what has become of Lindsay Lohan and instead remember that time when she was an up-and-coming actress starring in one of the smartest teen movies ever made. A sly dissection of a particular facet of girl culture, Mean Girls highlights the ridiculousness of the characters' high stakes drama by viewing it anthropologically through the eyes of a girl for whom such social maneuvering is an entirely foreign concept. Without sacrificing comedy for the sake of intelligence (or vice versa) it is an enormously quotable movie that hasn't lost any of its spark despite numerous imitators on TV and film.

#99: The Descent (2005)

Country: UK
Director: Neil Marshall
Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza

A cerebral horror film that is as much about a caving expedition gone wrong as it is about its protagonist's journey to the depths of her subconscious and back again (or not? The US cut makes room for a sequel, the UK cut has a more solemn ending). Working with the notion that what you don't see is always scarier than what you do see, Neil Marshall limits our view of the surroundings and takes his time introducing the cave creatures, making their impact all the more intense. Add in that rarity of rarities - a couple of great female characters - and you've got a first rate movie experience.

#98: Flower & Garnet (2002)

Country: Canada
Director: Keith Behrman
Starring: Callum Keith Rennie, Jane McGregor, Colin Roberts

A quiet and affecting drama about a family coming apart at the seams. It simply and effectively depicts the bonds created by shared tragedy, the intensity and complexity of familial relationships, and it deals with developing sexuality in a frank and honest way. Great performances from Callum Keith Rennie, Jane McGregor and Colin Roberts, whose performance is all the more amazing when you consider that he was only about 8 years old at the time and more or less carries the film.

#97: Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (2003 & 2004)

Country: USA
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine

A lot of people write Quentin Tarantino's films off as being nice to look at (and listen to - the man knows good dialogue) but ultimately meaningless. There's a degree to which I agree with that - even his best films don't go much deeper than their surfaces - but, on the other hand, so what? He's one of the most technically sublime filmmakers working today and his work is filled with beautifully constructed set pieces. The Kill Bill films are no exception, stacked from start to finish with memorable sequences filmed in interesting ways. Is it a simple revenge tale? Maybe. Visually, it's a work of art.

#96: The Experiment (2001)

Country: Germany
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Starring: Moritz Bleibtrue

Before he made Downfall director Oliver Hischbiegel made The Experiment, a gripping story based on the Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971. In the film 20 men participate in a research experiment, some playing the role of prison guard, others playing the role of prisoner. Very quickly the prison guards go mad with their own sense of power and the researchers' ability to control their subjects is lost, leading to scenes of increasingly intense physical and psychological torture of the "prisoners." It's central question - are human beings naturally good or are we only as good as the societal bonds that keep us in check - is truly horrifying to ponder.

#95: The Squid and The Whale (2005)

Country: USA
Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Laura Linney, Jeff Daniels

For many of us, our parents are our first idols and growing up and having them fall from their lofty pedestals can be a painful process. I don't think I've ever seen a film articulate that journey better than The Squid and The Whale, in which a teenage boy discovers that the father he's modelled himself on is not the faultless being he's always imagined. Unafraid to allow his characters to be unlikeable, Noah Baumbach strikes a chord of truth which is sometimes difficult to bear and creates an unforgettable film in the process.

#94: Pontypool (2009)

Country: Canada
Director: Bruce McDonald
Starring: Stephen McHattie

"It's not the end of the world, it's just the end of the day." Maybe, but maybe not. In Bruce McDonald and Tony Burgess' take on the zombie genre a virus spreads through a small Ontario town, infecting people vie the English language. The only safe place is the radio station... and not for long. McDonald's minimalist style creates a claustrophobic feeling and an escalating intensity that results in a genuinely scary film even without a ton of gore. Plus, it will make you wish that Stephen McHattie had his own radio show.

#93: Bright Star (2009)

Country: UK/Australia
Director: Jane Campion
Starring: Abbie Cornish, Ben Wishaw, Paul Schneider

Jane Campion's telling of the love affair between John Keats and Fanny Brawne came and went from theaters, but if you were fortunate enough to see it then you know how indelible some of its images were. Campion isn't a flashy filmmaker and often doesn't get credit for being the great visual stylist that she is, but Bright Star is a beautiful film to look at. With an extraordinary performance by Abbie Cornish at its core (and a brilliant supporting turn by Paul Schneider), this story of the woman behind the famous man becomes particularly powerful.

#92: Into The Wild (2007)

Country: USA
Director: Sean Penn
Starring: Emile Hirsch

Into The Wild is the worst kind of man vs. nature story: the kind where the man believes that nature is on his side and discovers too late that it is not. In his desire to leave the trappings of the modern world behind and lead a simple life, Chris McCandless discovers a hard lesson: people need each other in order to survive. As his adventure turns into a series of hardships and disasters, director Sean Penn focuses not only on McCandless' pain, but the pain of those he's left behind. It is the story of a man, but also of society without him.

#91: The Wrestler (2008)

Country: USA
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marissa Tomei

In his most straightforward narrative to date Darren Aronofsky tells the story of a man who has been written off and captures a brilliant performance by an actor many had written off. The tagline for the film states simply: "Love. Pain. Glory." - "Pain" probably should have come first since Aronofsky isn't shy about showing the physical injuries that Randy inflicts on himself in exchange for being allowed to entertain - and those are just the scars you can see; the emotional and psychological scars run even deeper. It's not an easy movie, but it's definitely a winner.

The Aughts 100

I know, I know. The time to make a best of list was at the beginning of the year, not eight months into it, but since there were still a few movies that I wanted to make sure I had a chance to see before making my list, I put it off. Now the list is done and, starting tomorrow, I'll spend the next two weeks counting down the 100 movies that I feel are the best that the years 2000 through 2009 have to offer. Feedback is always welcome, so please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts on the list and point out any movies I may have missed (I'm sure there will be a few).