10 Movies of the 2000s

I watched a lot of movies in the last ten years. Here are ten pretty good ones (but watch out for spoilers in the attached clips):

1. Zodiac
Before David Fincher got all melodramatic with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, he made this incredibly gripping and fascinating exploration of the legend of the serial killer Zodiac. The story is told in such a way that you feel as though you’ve become part of Jake Gyllenhaal’s obsessive investigation—his paranoia starts to become your paranoia. The movie is as much about the killer as those who are trying to find him, and seeing how their lives are transformed is completely mesmerizing. Also, try watching this movie at home alone with all the lights turned out, and tell me you’re not too creeped out to make the move to your bedroom.

Watch a clip.

2. The Squid and the Whale
People might only recognize Noah Baumbach’s name from his co-writing credits on Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic and Fantastic Mr. Fox, but he has been quietly writing and directing his own brand of quirky and affecting films since the mid-90s. In The Squid and the Whale, Baumbach created a film that resonates powerfully with anyone who has ever experienced divorce, or even marital turmoil. The indictment of the parents (played by Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney) is so damning yet so sympathetic that you will be moved to tears … of laughter … and actual sadness. And just for good measure, Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of a thinly veiled version of teenage Baumbach perfectly encapsulates all the awkwardness of the teen boy experience.

3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Breaking up really sucks, but we never really think about that going into a relationship. That sentence may sum up this entire movie—but, man—what a sentence I just wrote, and what a movie Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry made. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet’s relationship is hopelessly optimistic while simultaneously being very painful. Just like life, right?

Watch a clip.

4. Children of Men
It says a lot about Alfonso Cuarón’s skills as a director that he can take what could be described as just an action movie and turn it into a riveting dystopian vision of the future. Clive Owen’s mission to save a pregnant woman in a world where humans no longer give birth isn’t just an excuse for a number of amazing extended action sequences—though those are there and are they ever swell—it has meaning. The movie’s cinematography is incredibly stylish, but the story feels important: it examines what might happen to humanity should we lose the basic natural ability to reproduce. (Spoiler alert: it’s kind of bleak.)

Watch a clip.

5. Grindhouse
I realize Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino (especially) aren’t for everybody, but when two people are brave enough to release a double feature in the days of Internet attention spans, you have to take notice. It’s too bad that Grindhouse didn’t last very long in theatres, because seeing this movie on a big screen is as pure a cinematic experience as you can have. Now everyone is losing their shit over 3-D movies, but with the double-bill of Planet Terror and Death Proof, Rodriquez and Tarantino created movies that make you cringe, laugh, jump, and sit on the edge of your seat (for 30+ minutes) with intentionally crappy technology. Their goal wasn’t to wow viewers with how much money they could spend, they just wanted the audience to be entertained.

Watch a clip.

6. The Science of Sleep
It’s one thing to see a film that Michel Gondry directed, and another to experience one that he also wrote. The Science of Sleep moves between the reality and dream world of its protagonist Stéphane seamlessly—well, seamlessly in the sense that you can rarely be sure if what’s happening is actually happening. (I tried to make that sentence confusing because the movie itself can be confusing.) But whatever world he inhabits, it is filled with boundless imagination, humour and, dare I say, adorability. This is a great example of a quirky movie that works because it is so committed to being quirky, it’s constructed as if by a child —only one who has lived long enough to experience some of the realities of adult life.

Watch a clip.

7. The Royal Tenenbaums
What kind of young writer would I be if I didn’t have a Wes Anderson movie on my list? Not an honest one, at least. The Royal Tenenbaums has such a carefully considered and detailed story about family, love, and loss that it’s impossible not to be at least a little touched by it. I’d argue that part of the reason some people are tired of Anderson’s style is because he used it so well in this movie and now it doesn’t seem like he’ll be able to top it. If making movies isn’t about a great synchronization of acting, soundtrack, and stylistic particularities, then I’m really not sure what I’m doing here.

Watch a clip.

8. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Whether or not Joel and Ethan Coen claimed this movie being based on Homer’s The Odyssey is a joke doesn’t really matter, but it certainly adds to the level of intrigue behind what exactly inspired them to make it. This is a weird movie from two guys who are known for getting pretty weird, but it’s also one of the best adventure films to come around in a long time. The story of the trio of fugitives in search of treasure in 1937 Mississippi layers themes of camaraderie, greed, desperation, and desire, while spreading a healthy dose of blues and folk music throughout. And if you don’t agree with me on this one, you can just replace it with No Country For Old Men.

Watch a clip.

9. Stranger Than Fiction
I have to wonder if there’s a reason why Will Ferrell doesn’t try to make more movies like this one, where he gets a chance to act as a character that doesn’t just shout the entire time. As it turns out, he is pretty convincing as just a boring, normal guy leading an uneventful life—until he starts hearing the voice of a narrator in his head. What’s most engrossing is how he transforms throughout the course of the movie into, well, just a regular person who wants only to find some happiness and purpose in life. The relationship that Ferrell’s character has with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Ms. Pascal is also the stuff of dreams—my dreams, anyway. (Don’t read too much into that.)

Watch a clip.

10. Super Troopers
This movie is really, really stupid—and that’s exactly why it’s on this list. Though the decade was ultimately dominated by comedies that fit into the Judd Apatow mould (gross humour mixed with honest emotions), the guys in Broken Lizard kicked off the ‘00s with a movie that only cared about one thing: making you laugh in every scene. The plot is sturdy enough to support its feature length, yet it never takes away any opportunities for jokes (in fact it tends to continually add them on). The troupe’s follow-up efforts seem to indicate that they piled all of their best material into Super Troopers—hopefully they can be satisfied with being known for a movie where they so expertly crafted brazen, juvenile, unhinged stupidity for almost 90 straight minutes. (Now you understand my level of film appreciation.)

If you think any of these movies are horrible or have some others to suggest, put your angry comments below.