It seems to be the 'in' thing right now to make a Best of the Decade list, so I thought I would join in the fun and present to all of you my personal list for the Best 10 films of the decade. So here we go...
10. The Bourne Trilogy - Yeah, I'm already cheating here, but I don't think it's fair to seperate one over the others. This is an amazing action frachise that turned Matt Damon into a bona fide box office star. Both Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass did a phenomenal job creating inventive and exciting action scenes for each film.
9. Memento - A mind-bending film, the likes of which we've never really seen before. Every time I watch this film I catch something new that I never saw before. Like for many, my love of Christopher Nolan's work was established with this movie.
8. The King of Kong - Just an awesome documentary that immediately sucks you in. While the film may unfairly pigeonhole some of the people into archetypes for the sake of narrative, it produces a great hero and villain in the process. Even people who have never put a quarter into a coin-op machine before will be enthralled with this movie.
7. I Love You Man - A late entry into the list, but one that I feel will stand the test of time. This film I believe has created the perfect romantic comedy that provides an equal balance of entertainment/story for men and women alike. The film also has a wonderfully rich cast that each provide humorous moments, regardless of how big or small their part is. This may prove to be the film that finally established Paul Rudd as a box office draw.
6. A Beautiful Mind - The only Best Picture winner to make it on my list. Even though I studied communications in school, I've always had a fondness of math, so I find all the scenes where Russell Crowe is calculating to be fascinating. The film runs the gamut of emotions and everything is held together by the fine performances of Crowe and Jennifer Connelly.
5. Zodiac - The fact that this film did not receive more attention during awards season is a crying shame. David Fincher creates a capitaving film that chronicles the Zodiac serial killer without having to resort to mindless gore. Being someone who can compulsive obsess over certain things, I totally bought into Jake Gyllenhaal's character. Credit also to Robert Downey Jr.'s great performance here in a role that actually kick-started his return to superstardom in Hollywood.
4. The Prestige - Christopher Nolan makes his second appearance on my list. Yet again, he's created a film that practically demands you watch it repeatedly to catch all of its nuances. In addition to its intriguing premise you get to see Batman and Wolverine face off. Not to mention stellar supporting work from the likes of Michael Caine, Scarlett Johanson, and even David Bowie in a bizarre turn as Nicholas Tesla. The film's ending can create quite the debate, but I think that just adds to the film's greatness.
3. The 40 Year-Old Virgin - So many careers were launched as a result of this comedy; Steve Carrell and Seth Rogen became household names, while Judd Apatow became the 'it' comedy director that everyone wants to work with. Most importantly this is just a flat out funny movie. I've watched it a bazillion times and still laugh at everything. Everything just works here and I easily could have put it higher on my list.
2. The Dark Knight - Really, I should lump Batman Begins with this because both films were wildly successful at bringing the caped crusader back to the big screen thanks to the efforts of Nolan and the cast. However, this one gets the special recognition because of Heath Ledger's Joker. Just a transcending performance by Ledger that is riveting to watch over and over again. To think that this film managed to skillfully also work in a Two-Face storyline as well just shows you how phenomenal this movie truly is.
1. Casino Royale - The Bond geek in me probably unfairly pushed this to the top of the list, but I can't help myself. This movie could have easily bombed given that they tried to reinvent the iconic spy and did so with such an unconventional choice like Daniel Craig. However, the film overcame all those odds and produced not only one of the best Bond films, but also a terrific action movie in general. Now that this movie has reached basic cable, if it is on, I will always stop what I'm doing and watch it.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts and your own personal lists here.
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