Your Top BEST Movies of the Decade

This isn't a top ten because most people have more than one movie a year that they like. And it's harder to pick a best as opposed to a worst.

And crap, guess what I did? Accidentally clicked the wrong button, and when I tried to come back to the page I lost all that I'd written. Nice... I'll fill mine out later. D:

In no particular order other than year...

2000
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Unbreakable
American Psycho
Requiem for a Dream
Shadow of the Vampire

2001
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Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Ichi the Killer
Mulholland Dr.
The Royal Tenenbaums

2002
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Adaptation

2003
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Big Fish
Monster
Kill Bill, Volume 1
Gozu

2004
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The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Shaun of the Dead

2005
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Batman Begins
The Devil's Rejects
A History of Violence

2006
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Pan's Labyrinth

2007
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Hot Fuzz
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
No Country for Old Men

2008
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Repo! The Genetic Opera
The Dark Knight

2009
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Up
Watchmen
Inglourious Basterds
Where the Wild Things Are

May come back and do little summary-things later on.

Alright, finally finished my list.

2000
Battle Royale – There is a hell of a lot that goes on in this film, especially in regard to how the students cope with their terrible situation. Some refuse to fight, others hide, or give up entirely. Most unnervingly, some take to the killing much better than expected. But it’s absolutely brilliant.

Pitch Black – This is up there with Alien on my list of favourite science-fiction horror movies. It’s a bit of a rip-off, for sure, but it’s still a complete joyride to watch. And Vin Diesel was strangely watch-able for once.

Psycho Beach Party – My pick for “it’s so bad it’s good”. It makes fun of beach party films from the 60s, slasher movies from the 70s, and tosses in some 40/50s psychological thriller in there as well.

2001
Shaolin Soccer – Exactly what it says on the tin. A bunch of shaolin experts take up soccer and awesomeness happens. There’s also a few heart-warming moments amongst it all, but the hilariousness of it all is the best part. Between this and Kung Fu Hustle which came a few years later though, I have to say this one is my favourite.

Spirited Away – Charming from start to finish. There’s really very little you can find wrong with this movie.

Metropolis – It could just possibly be that I like this movie because it shares a lot in common with Astro Boy, but seriously, this is what A.I. Artificial Intelligence SHOULD have been. If there was one robot-themed movie of 2001 to see, it was this one.

Ocean’s Eleven – As much as I love the original movie, this was one heck of a remake. It was clever where it needed to be, had a charming cast, and was just fun to watch.

Rat Race – John Cleese picks a bunch of well-known actors to participate in a race to a fabulous cash prize. Wacky hijinx ensue. Some parts of this movie are just so outrageously stupid that you can’t help but laugh.

2002
Infernal Affairs – This was the original movie that The Departed was based on. I can’t say much because the whole thing is just a work of art and needs to be seen.

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist – I know I shouldn’t like this film, but I laugh like an idiot every time I see it.

2003
Big Fish – This movie is just so weird, but so touching at the same time. It’s really hard to pin down what I like about this movie (possibly Ewan McGregor though).

The Italian Job – Another awesome heist movie. I think I just liked it for the cars, because ever since I saw this movie I’ve been wanting a Mini Cooper.

Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior – This movie feels like an homage to old kung-fu movies, where stunts are done purely on courage alone and with no wires. The plot doesn’t exactly make much sense, but after Tony Jaa lights his pants on fire to kick a guy in the face, you know this movie is just awesome.

2004
Breaking News – It’s not the best Hong Kong cinema has to offer, but I really did enjoy this movie. The way the media is used by both the police and the criminals held up in the building is interesting to watch. It’s probably not a very original concept, but it’s handled very well.

One Missed Call – The Hollywood remake sucked. Seriously, it did. The original had so much more to offer and even the ring tone was creepier. The scene where they’re in the tv studio is one of my favourite parts (which they stupidly decided to leave out in the remake).

Howl’s Moving Castle – Some people say Spirited Away was the better movie, and I agree with them in a way, but I really did love Howl’s Moving Castle. The soundtrack is one of my all-time favourites and I thought the dub of it wasn’t too bad.

Shaun of the Dead – Nothing more needs to be said.

2005
Robots – I think I’m kinda glad this one didn’t become the cash cow that Ice Age did. This movie was surprisingly quite enjoyable, and the animation was rather impressive, especially in regards to the slapstick comedy.

One Piece Movie 6: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island – At first I was annoyed by the animation style, which I’m sure was done by the same people who did the first Digimon movie. But HOLY CRAP, the story was brilliant. I’ll admit a lot of the movies from the OP series make me shed a tear, but this had me absolutely bawling.

2006
Pan’s Labyrinth – When I first saw the trailers, I thought this was going to be more of a kid’s film… oh ho ho, I was so wrong. After my initial shock of getting over what I just watched, I think I’ve really come to love this film though. It’s so twisted and horrific, but at the same time you can’t look away at how amazing it is.

Rob-B-Hood – I didn’t expect much from this movie, and I didn’t want to like it at first, really I didn’t. But it was just so funny and surprisingly sweet at times. It was almost a shock to see Jackie Chan playing such a negative character, but he did a rather good job at it.

2007
No Country for Old Men – Oh wow, this movie was great - can’t say much more than that.

Ratatouille – This was a sweet little story with a lot of heart. It even inspired me to get into baking, so that’s kinda cool too. I almost feel bad that WALL-E and Up have now hogged the spotlight away from it.

30 Days of Night – This what vampires should be. Ruthless killing machines that made you fear the night and hide under your bed praying you wouldn’t be found. This movie is bloody fantastic and the antidote to all the lame sparkle-pires of late.

2008
Repo! The Genetic Opera – I’m pretty sure we can all agree on this one, right?

Bolt – Surprisingly, this is actually not that bad a movie. I went in expecting a lot less, but it hit all the right chords in terms of an endearing story and interesting character development.

Gran Torino – Clint Eastwood’s voice is really hard to hear so we had to put it on subtitles, but I really did love this movie. In fact, I think Eastwood’s failing voice is the only thing I can find wrong with the whole thing. Him saying ‘get off my lawn’ in such a gruff manner is hilarious though in how menacing it sounds.

2009
Red Cliff – As much as I liked Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and others of its kind, Red Cliff is spectacular. Everything about it is just amazing. The fight scenes aren’t over-the-top superhero stunts, but the war and strategy scenes more than make up for it. There’s even a good deal of humour. The whole thing blew my initial expectations away.

Ponyo – It was released in 2008 in Japan, but wasn’t released elsewhere until 2009. However, the original Japanese version is adorable. The story is a little weird and might leave you wanting more details, but if you don’t focus so much on those things and sit back and enjoy it, it’s actually very good. The visuals in this are just stunning. It’s hard to believe they’re all hand-drawn.

Now, when I said I loved movies? I really meant it. I even like some bad movies if there's a certain element to it that I like. Now, these are just my favorites of these years. There were even more that I just liked.

2000

Romeo Must Die

I don't even know why I like this movie so much. I just do. The plot is less than stellar, as is the acting. But there is just something about this movie and how they twisted the original story around so much that really appeals to me. I've watched over a dozen times, and I think it might be that underneath the violence, there's this odd strand of sweetness and innocence with the romance, instead of just Instant Sex, which is the standard in these kinds of movies.

The Road to El Dorado

The bromance and the funny. Oh, the funny. I love this movie. "Where was she keeping them?"

Hamlet

I'm pretty sure this is the Kenneth Brannagh one. I really love this version, for the beautiful setting, the scenes, and the wonderful acting. I refuse to hear a word said against it.

Titan A.E.

I like it. I recognize why it makes no sense in parts, and why other people don't. The reason I like is that, despite everything horrible that has happened, including losing our planet, we, as a species, keep going, and we save our home as best as we can. A lot of the humans in the movie just haven't given up hope, and I like the strength we display as a species to keep on going.

X-Men

This was my very first comic book movie. I'd grown up watching the 80s cartoon series in reruns, and I loved this film. I actually saw it when it came out, at a friend's house, and I still remember my excitement. No matter how bad the franchise got, I still love this one, the first one.

Bring It On

The original, the one that started it all. And I adore it. I love the humor, the bits of satire, the characters, and yes, the plot. It was fast-paced and fun, with very little drama, and none truly serious. The stunts were awesome to watch, and actually got me into cheerleading.

The Little Vampire

Am I the only one who remembers this movie? I've never watched it as an adult, but it was one of my favorites when I was younger. I mean, jeezus, there were vampire cows! That's still awesome to me. Vampire cows!

The Emperor's New Groove

This movie was hilarious. It was silly and ridiculous. Krunk doing the James Bond music as he crept around with llama emperor in his sack, the chase scene ("How did we do that Krunk?"), Eesma getting turned into a cute fluffy kitten, eerily similar to Marie from Aristocats.
The entire movie was just funny, and I love it.


2001

Recess: School's Out

I loved this show when I was a kid, and when the movie came out? I loved every second of it. When I watched it as an adult, I was pleasantly surprised to learn I still liked it. Its silly and funny, and all the characters were the same. Best of all, they didn't use the movie to pull some BS romances out their hats. They were the same fourth-graders causing trouble and stopping an evil Secretary of Education from making summer non-existant. ("Hey teacher! Leave them kids alone!" Nice.) Former hippies going mad with power, and some flower children remembering why they became teachers. The song at the end too, "Let The Sunshine In", has become one of my all time favorites.

Josie and the Pussycats

Why do I love this movie when so many people hate it? Oh come on, its cute. I grew up reading these comics actually, and when I watch it, it's kind of like looking back on that part of my childhood and enjoying it again. I liked the silliness and the Evil Corporation ("They're selling stuff through our music. ("Josie and the Pussycats is the best band ever!") They're selling us through our music.) and the absolute fun this movie was.

A Knight's Tale

I really adored Heath Ledger's acting. He was just good. And redheaded Wash is in this too! The actors made a ridiculous movie enjoyable for me. The delivery, the facial expressions, the interactment, it was all enjoyable.

Moulin Rouge

The plot? What plot? I'm here for the music and the pretty. "You're free to leave me, but just don't decieve me, and please, believe me when i say, I love you!"

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

This was done in the same animation style as El Dorado, and I wish they'd bring it back. I liked the intensity of the colors and the angles of the animation. There's a lot of blue done in this movie, and I really like it. The plot is pretty cool too, and the almost steampunk is badass. Princess Kyta was funny as hell, and watching Milo grow a backbone was some pretty good development not often seen. He really had to be pushed, but once he was, he came into his own, while still retaining that inate nervousness. "Two for flinching."

Legally Blonde

This movie holds a dear place in my heart as it is my rallying cry. Getting manicures, wearing pretty clothes, and caring about how my hair looks does not make me stupid. And hey, knowing about perms might win me a court case some day.


2002

Ice Age

I wasn't crazy about the animation, and I'm still not. The interactions between the characters, and the characters themselves though made up for it. They were fleshed out and given real problems, like Diego's decision, Manny's issues after the horrific loss of his family, and Sid trying to be worthwhile but not seeming to be able to find a place. I still get all teary-eyed at the end when Diego comes over the hill.

Lilo & Stitch

Were there people who didn't go "Awwww" at this movie? I was actually living in Hawaii when it came out. I still get all weepy over the beautifully done animation, and the fairly accurate representation of the look and feel the Hawaiian islands. The representation of the hula was a great big "Thank you!" from most of Hawaii, with the movements finally depicted correctly in a major motion picture instead of the normal grass skirt, shaking hips thing. The stressed but loving relationship between the sisters, and how desperate Nani was to keep them together was so well done, I can't believe Disney did it sometimes. (Because they fail a whole hell of a lot) Stitch was just funny. He really was.

I really loved the marketing for it too.

Spirited Away

This was the year it came out in English in the United States. And its...well...I mean, y'all have mostly seen it. You know what I mean. It is so damn perfect, you actually kind of hate the studio for making you feel like you will never, ever measure up. Except that they're awesome and you just want to worship them


2003

Bend It Like Beckham

I really can't define what makes this movie a win for me. I just enjoy it a whole helluva lot.

Finding Nemo

You saw it. You know why.

Pirates of the Caribbean

It was just awesome. Don't care about the sequels. This was the first, and for a movie based on a ride, it was pretty damn awesome.

Secondhand Lions

This was not the kind of movie I'd normally seen. But I still loved it. There was just this idea to it that sometimes, the best family for you isn't who everyone thinks it should be. The best family is who takes care of you best. The boy had been screwed over by his mom so much, but he kept trying to make their relationship work. But he did finally come to the realization that ultimately, it was his choice what kind of life he was going to lead, and he chose to let her go while he stayed with his great-uncles.





2004

Saved!

Good Christian girl tries to save her gay boyfriend by having sex with him. Doesn't work, but she gets pregnant. Handled well and with a fantastic sense of humor. What's not to love?

I, Robot

I never read the Asimov stories, so I wasn't one of the people who went in there with expectations of grandeur. So I wasn't disappointed. I got to see a kick-ass movie where a robot tries to save humanity by ruling them with an iron fist.


2005

Pride & Prejudice

This was the movie that turned me into a Jane Austen fangirl. The acting was less than stellar, but the plot was what got me hooked. The lighting, the scenery, and the costumes just appeal to me a lot, so I love watching this version for that.

Serenity

I had never heard of Firefly before I saw this movie. I loved the characters, and even though I had only known Wash for the movie, I still loved him enough that when he died I teared up. The characters were just that good. "Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die?"


2006

The Devil Wears Prada

Meryl Streep was in top form in this movie, and you know that always means epic badass acting. Her character was played perfectly. She never raised her voice once, but she projected complete control and radiated "Fear me minions" vibes. She was just amazing. And the lecture she gave Hathaway's character about fashion in the beginning was just perfect, to the last intonation.

Accepted

I like the pacing and the humor. The plot was actually pretty engaging too, rare in this kind of movie.

2007

Meet The Robinsons

This movie. I cry at the end of this movie each time, right when "Small Wonders" starts up and he's finally got all this hope in him about what a great future he's going to make for himself, having a family he'll fit in with and being able to realize his dreams of making the world a better place with his ideas.

Normally, these kinds of movies are about finding your bio parents because, of course, you'll never ever fit in with any family you're not sharing DNA with. Instead, it's about this kid moving forward and letting go of his past and stepping into his future.

Nancy Drew

I own like, all the original yellow-spined hardback Nancy Drews. They were some of my favorite books, and Nancy was totally my hero. There was no problem Nancy couldn't get herself out of, and no mystery too great for her. This movie was that Nancy thrown into the modern world and of course, still solving every problem that came her way.

Juno

There were a lot of pregnancy movies out this year, but I feel Juno dealt with pregnancy, teen pregnancy especially, best. She was funny and quirky without being annoying and had to deal with all the bad parts of pregnancy along with the good. Her pain at actually giving up the baby, after all her bravado, was touching, but she still knew it was for the best.

2008

Penelope

I love the fairy tale style this movie has, while still staying modern. And I love the costume choices. (I want that coat damn it)

Baby Mama

This movie dealt with a tough subject in a surprisingly funny and relaxed way. I liked the interaction between the two females, and how real their relationship felt. The ending was a bit contrived, but I still enjoyed it.

Iron Man

Turned a superhero I didn't care about into Fun. Fun with a capitol "F", yes. The plot was good and fast-paced, there wasn't any melodramatic romance going on, and the characters were fun as hell.

The Dark Knight

I feel that the epic awesomeness of this movie has already been talked into the ground. I liked it. Enough said.

Mamma Mia!

I have one hell of a soft spot for musicals. I enjoyed the hell out of this one, and yes, I was one of those obnoxious people dancing along with the characters. (My BFF and me both) (Our other BFF was pretending he didn't know us)

Bolt

That damn song gets me every time.

Gran Torino

Would you believe this was my first Clint Eastwood movie? It really was. And I liked it. Old man was funny, and I really enjoyed his interactions with the old Hmong lady next door. Even though they didn't speak the same language, the hatred came through just fine.

2009

Star Trek

Converted my middleman, "I don't care about either of you" status in the Trek vs. Wars rivalry to firmly in the Trek camp. The more I watch, the more I love, and this is the fun action movie that got me into it.

Up!

Do I really need to tell you why Up! is awesome?

District 9

I am never watching it again. It was sad and made me very upset. But I did enjoy it and it had my rapt attention for the entire length.

Whip It!

Fun-filled and throughly enjoyable. I shall not be parted from it.


So those are my top favorites of their respective years. One long-ass list. Can you believe there are way more that I just enjoy? I am a movie person. A lot of movies aren't here actually because though they were good, I enjoyed them more for the experience. Going to the movies with my friends and then going and eating afterwards while talking a mile a minute about our favorite parts and our favorite characters are some of the best days I have. May the movies never change.

2000:
Pitch Black
Battle Royale
Scary Movie - Even though it spawned a mini-genre of sheer awful, it was a good, if inane, movie by itself.
Titan AE

2001:
Spirited Away (Raine, where are you getting 2000 for this? Japanese release date was in 2001)
Fellowship of the Ring [/obvious]

2002:
Bloody Sunday
The Two Towers [/moar obvious]
28 Days Later

2003:
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Return of the King

2004:
Shaun of the Dead
Ghost in the Shell 2
The Punisher - Yeah, it had faults and probably shat all over the comic, but it was an enjoyable action movie.

2005:
Batman Begins
Constantine
The Skeleton Key
Serenity

2006:
Pan's Labyrinth
Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny - Makes me laugh even though I know it's bad.

2007:
Hot Fuzz

2008:
Wanted - Utterly, utterly ridiculous plot, but it doesn't dwell on it and is one of the best pure action movies I've seen lately.

2009:
Watchmen
Star Trek - There were some defects in this film that really, really could've been ironed out relatively easily, and Kirk wasn't all that likable, but I still liked it, even though they were there.
Drag Me to Hell

Hot Cancer wrote:

2000:
2001:
Spirited Away (Raine, where are you getting 2000 for this? Japanese release date was in 2001)

Ah...

Whoops. I messed up my copypasta when I was writing it on here and then transferred it to a word document so I wouldn't lose it all again. D: Fix'd.

2000 - Gladiator
This movie is such a lovely reversal of "slave becomes general becomes king" formula. And it has fantastic music. And a really creepy bad guy.

2001 - Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
2002 - Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003 - Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Yeah, I went there. These are some really awesome movies. They're fun to watch, they're epic, they're long (which is a good thing sometimes) and they set the new bar for authentic-looking CGI to which all movies now adhere or exceed. Special mention also goes to whoever designed the DVD boxes for the extend editions. They are so nice that I do not hesitate to stick them on my bookshelf right next to my copies of the books. No other films get this treatment.

2004 - Troy
After the huge phenomenon of Lord of the Rings, I remember feeling a bit like Hollywood was taking the collective year off. 2004 was not a good year for films, and I am a sucker for anything that has big epic fights in it. Troy wasn't great, but for me it was the best of a bad year. Also, Sean Bean, Eric Bana, Brad Pitt, and Orlando Bloom all in Greek armor, sweaty, carrying swords, and fighting each other. There's a lot of positives in just that. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

2005 - Batman Begins
I almost gave this one to Madagascar, which is excellent and full of good quotes. But I love Batman, and this movie really does it up right. And that's outside of rebooting a franchise everyone had thought was dead.

2006 - Pan's Labyrinth
A fantasy movie, which pretty much guarantees that I'll watch it. Genuinely creative in the fantasy elements and in the real-world story, which is awesome. Absolutely stunning in its unrelenting grimdark tone, but manages to have a fairly upbeat ending anyway (presuming you believe). I highly recommend this as a film everyone should watch once they are old enough.

2007 - Juno
I loved this film, with one minor complaint. I believe the pro-life protester outside the clinic got her facts wrong. If I remember the movie right, Juno's baby was too young to have fingernails at that point in his life. Other than that, I love it. It's awesome.

2008 - The Dark Knight
Like Batman Begins, this movie is a great take on the Batman fandom, but unlike Batman Begins, there are several moments that are downright hilarious. My personal favorite is nothing the Joker did, though. It was Alfred getting Bruce Wayne to steal the whole Russian ballet out of Gotham as a cover story and managing to snub Harvey Dent as he does it. Woot!

2009 - Avatar
Before everyone freaks out. I mostly say this in lieu of a better choice. I liked Star Trek, but not that much. And there are several 2009 movies that I haven't seen yet, including The Princess and the Frog, which could very easily be better. However, this film is a nice fantasy, it's got good fights in it, and it is oh-so-very-pretty, so until I uncover a better choice, I'll stick with this.

Warning, I'm gonna be mentioning my favourite film of that year, during that year, considering in 2000 I was 13/14, don't expect any artistic wonders.

2000
X-men
Yeah the sequels went down in flames but the First one was pretty awesome and still is if I can bump my mind back to a younger self when I don't care that storms lines sound strange because LIGHTNING!!1!

2001
Lord Of The Rings:- Fellowship of The Ring
2002
Lord Of The Rings:- The Two Towers
2003
Lord Of The Rings:- The Return of The King.

No I never got past the mid point of Two Towers as a kid but I had all of the BBC radio adaptaion on CD and listened to it religiously during my GCSE's, the fact Ian Holm played Bilbo and the fact I have yet to see any book adapted into a film better before or since means these three take the slots.

2004
Spiderman 2
Take everything that made the first film awesome, turn it up to 11, ad in Doctor Octopus and Harry slowly going mental = my favourite film of the year.

2005
Star Wars Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith.
Fuck you all, I loved this movie flaws and all, what swung it? "Execute Order, Sixty Six"

2006
Casino Royale
James Bond in all his running jumping shooting woman hating but shagging them anyway glory, This is the bond film we always wanted delivered with all the style of an Aston Martin and the power of a wack to the nuts.

2007
Sweeny Todd:- The demon barber of Fleet street.
Of all the films I saw that year, this was the only one I had no complaints about at all, wonderful singing and scenery, getting to see Borat getting his throat slit was an added bonus.
This is Burton when he gets it right, shame he can't do it more often.

2008
Iron Man.
Why not Dark Knight? Simple, every subsequent time I have watched Dark Knight it has lost something, I think the fact all the surprise is gone, where as Iron man I have been able to watch again and again and it has stayed just as awesome each and every time.

2009
Transformers:- Revenge Of The Fallen.
I went in expecting explosions, Sam being useless and a plot lifted right out of the G1 cartoon.
I got Explosions, Sam being Mental and useless, a plot lifted right out of the G1 Cartoon and Jetfire.
I don't know what those who didn't like it where expecting, put if it was anything other than what we got, more fool you.

Well, other people are listing whatever movies they liked, I'm gonna stick with the top one. I may put in honorable mentions though.

2000
American Psycho
Bret Ellis' book brought to glorious life... it was a brilliant movie. And Christian Bale was SO good as Patrick Bateman half the time I call him Patrick Bateman instead of by his real name. I can't believe they kept the monologues in there about the various artists. It was so well done. Honorable mention: Memento. Excellent noir.

2001
Spirited Away
Like many of the other people on here, I watched this and was blown away. The story was good-if slightly weird in that Japanese way-and the animation was breathtaking. Honorable mention: Donnie Darko.

2002
Spider-Man
OMFGBBQ! A superhero movie done right, all the way through? Everything was awesome in this... the special effects, the acting, the story... ok, well, I had a bit of a problem with Spidey saving Mary Jane on the Brooklyn Bridge ala Gwen Stacy, but since it was a movie, I could forgive some deviations from canon. Best part? Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell! And Willem Dafoe! What's not to love??

2003
X2
Ok, the first X-Men movie was... well, it seemed a bit stupid. I still enjoyed it, mind, but it some of the dialogue, and the... yeah. X2 however, started out with the most awesomest "chase" scene ever as a mind-controlled Nightcrawler tried to kill the president. It just got better from there. Honorable mention: High Tension. French horror flick that's very dark and moody. And Kill Bill, vol. I. Some people may not like Tarantino, but I think the man's genius.

2004
Shaun of the Dead
OMFG a zombie movie with black comedy... how could I not love this? Plus, the disembowelment scene was really quite disturbing, and they whack a zombie in time to Queen... yeah. Just hysterical. Honorable Mention: The Incredibles.

2005
Sin City
As a Firefly fangirl, it was really hard to pick Sin City as number one, but it was so hypnotizing to me, honestly like a comic book come to life. I enjoyed the stories told as well, and totally fangirled over many of the actors and actresses they picked to play the parts. It was just a complete package. Honorable Mention: Serenity. Nur.

2006
The Departed
I don't get to rave about mobster movies that much because most of them suck. This one didn't. Showing the double agent from both sides and the various struggles they went through kept me on the edge of my seat. And I hate Leonardo di Caprio, but that fucker can act.

2007
Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
I have a weak spot for musicals. This one I don't feel guilty for because it's a horror musical done by Tim Burton. Aaaaah! *head explodes because of the awesome* Honorable Mentions: 3.10 to Yuma, 30 Days of Night, Hairspray, 1408

2008
Tropic Thunder
Sort of a strange choice for me, being as this was the year Iron Man came out and that was an awesome movie, but Tropic Thunder made me laugh so hard I thought I was going to die. The "trailers" in the first part of the movie set the whole scene, and it went from funny to stupidly ridiculously funny from there. Honorable Mentions: Iron Man, Cloverfield

2009
Watchmen
Didn't even have to look this one up. It is the best adaptation of the graphic novel we're ever going to get, and the ultimate collector's edition of Watchmen is truly awesome, including the Tales of the Black Freighter comic in animation form. However, I haven't seen Zombieland yet, and of all the films that came out in 2009, that one might be the one to knock Watchmen off the pedestal. Honorable Mention: Star Trek.

Quote :

Star Wars Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith.
Fuck you all, I loved this movie flaws and all, what swung it? "Execute Order, Sixty Six"

One line makes up for two hours of shitty script, two hours of shitty acting, the word "younglings", and trying to attach even more lightsabres onto one badguy (I'm waiting for the octopus alien who can wield 6, followed by the centipede and millipede aliens)? Whatever floats your boat, I suppose...

2000

Chocolat
I always loved this movie. I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that it's about chocolate or the fact that is has the townspeople go mad over it. It definitely sheds a bit of light about conservative religion, too.
Honorable Mention(s): Gladiator and Erin Brockovich.

2001

Spirited Away
God I loved this movie. It's perfect in every way that I shouldn't even continue with the rest of my list.
Honorable Mention(s):Monsters, Inc. and The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and Shrek.

2002

Chicago
As somebody grew up loving musicals, I must say that I enjoyed it very much. The musical based on the 1920's woman dreaming of stardom and ends up in jail by murdering her husband. However, she does reach a somewhat stardom thanks to the media. I also recommend the Broadway play.
Honorable Mention(s): The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

2003

Mystic River
If you want to find a movie with great acting, look not further. I was blown away by the performance of Sean Penn and moved by the storyline.
Honorable Mention(s): Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Nemo, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.


2004

Howl's Moving Castle
When this movie is on, I usually should be doing something else. I promptly forget my other tasks and get absorbed into this movie. I agree with Raine that the soundtrack is incredible.
Honorable Mention(s): The Aviator

2005

Batman Begins
This movie is definitely overshadowed by its sequel, but I still love this movie. Batman Begins is a great first movie to the new Batman series.
Honorable Mention(s): Walk the Line

2006

The Prestige
An rivalry between two magicians whose goal is the outshine the other and sabotage the other's reputation. Perhaps I love this movie so much due to the top hats?
Honorable Mention(s): Pan's Labyrinth, The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Devil Wears Prada.

2007

Ratatouille
This movie is so accurate to many things that happen in the kitchen as well as to cooking. Well, once you get past the fact that the main character is a rat. The animation team definitely did a great job by learning from Chef Thomas Keller as well as going to several culinary schools to make this film spot-on.
Honorable Mention(s): Juno and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

2008

WALL-E
If you haven't seen this movie, stop what you are doing right now and go rent/buy it. Seriously, this is an awesome movie.
Honorable Mention(s): Iron Man, Get Smart, and The Dark Knight.


2009

Julie & Julia
Though I wasn't too thrilled with the side of Julie Powell's story, I was delighted with Julia Child's. Ah, to see that she went to school at Le Cordon Bleu was amazing, and to see her go against all odds by going into the culinary part that wasn't for the housewives was awesome.
Honorable Mention(s): Up!,The Princess and the Frog, Public Enemies, The Hangover and Coraline.

Hot Cancer wrote:

Quote :

Star Wars Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith.
Fuck you all, I loved this movie flaws and all, what swung it? "Execute Order, Sixty Six"

One line makes up for two hours of shitty script, two hours of shitty acting, the word "younglings", and trying to attach even more lightsabres onto one badguy (I'm waiting for the octopus alien who can wield 6, followed by the centipede and millipede aliens)? Whatever floats your boat, I suppose...

I basically asked myself what films I had seen that year where I had left the cinema complete and totally entertained, and This was what popped up in my mind. Sorry, but I can't really choose what forms of media amuse me.

Somath Cegem wrote:

Sorry, but I can't really choose what forms of media amuse me.

That explains a lot. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Lets see if I can add anything of substance to this...

Pfff! Who am I kidding! These are the movies I lost my shit over.

2000

Cast Away: Some people found the time Hanks spent on the island annoying or even cliche, however I found it an interesting study of the human need for companionship. Lacking a human to interact with, he creates one. Granted it was a little hard to watch when the ball fell overboard, but it was necessary for him to let that entity go before he was rescued. Hell...he might have tried to marry that damn ball.

Drunken Master: Jackie Chan, Kung Fu, Booze. What more do you need?

Galaxy Quest: Do I really need to explain this one? Alan Rickman FTW!

The Whole Nine Yards: The wacky plot, the dentist, the mob and lots of X-rays. It was cute and funny while being brutal at the same time.

X-Men: I admit it that I crushed hard on Hugh Jackman when this came out. It was how I had imagined Wolverine, minus the woobifying that I had in my younger days. Sabertooth was silent and kind of a dumb animal but hey...its the X-Men! I didn't watch that movie to think about it. I came to watch Storm deep fry Toad!

2001

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: I have to explain? And no...its not all about Orlando Bloom. The whole plot and the fact that Jackson remembered that the whole point of the story was the adventure of just getting there alive.

Shrek: This story was the perfect antidote to fairy tales. Minus the sequels it was great.

Shaolin Soccer: Kung Fu Soccer...not much else is needed.

Spirited Away: This was my first experience with Anime that did not suck. I was blown away by the beauty of the animation and felt real compassion for that poor girl. Honestly this was the first animated movie period where I felt anything other than mild interest in a character.

2002

Lilo & Stitch: This was my 'Aww' movie that didn't fall into the trap of being too sappy. Stitch was awesome and I shed a little tear when he had run away with the Ugly Duckling book and cried in the forest.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Christopher Lee is awesome with awesome sauce all over it. The story wasn't butchered to adapt it to film. Again, Jackson remembered why the story was great in the first place. The development as well was spot on.

2003

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: The whole thing came to an epic conclusion that drew tears from everyone in the theater. We had gotten to know these characters over three years, watched their struggles and triumphs and watched them grow as individuals and now the story was ending. I saluted Jackson with this because it ended with a gentleness that gave the impression of a great big sigh of relief from the whole of Middle Earth.


2004

Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: I don't know what was so off about the movie that made it great but everything was just a little skewed just enough to keep you wondering what kind of parallel universe these people were from.


2005

Batman Begins: This movie did for me what great sex would do for most women. And the best part? I didn't even have to buy it dinner. Yes...it was that good.

Robots: Just great without going into marketing overdrive that kills most movies. I especially love the comedy and the humorous way the main's son was 'delivered'.

Serenity: I had never even heard of Firefly. I had poo pooed this movie when it came out. Then I rented it because I was bored and I was blown away. Mel was awesome as the 'I am so awesome I don't care what the hell you think of me even though the girl I am in love with would shove me out of the ship through the smallest hole possible and ring the dinner bell for the Reavers and give them Ragu for all that me pasta.'.


2006

The Da Vinci Code: Yea, yea. I know about all the inaccuracies and the strangeness of how a smart guy would ever get the girl. But this was the better of most movies that came out that year.


2007

Live Free or Die Hard: Remember what I said about smart guys never getting the girl? This was almost like revenge of the nerds all grown up with an AK pointed between your eyes. I was thoroughly entertained by both the huge explosions and the quiet destruction going on all because the top brass didn't listen to some 'lowly' nerd.

Transformers: You may scoff at this but I grew up with Transformers. Big fucking robots fighting in big fucking battles with big fucking guns. What more do you need? You want plot with big fucking robots? Go watch War of the Worlds. That and Peter Cullin's voice as Optimus Prime just brought back so many memories of the crush I had on OP when I was a kid that I just melted into the fabric of the seat and had to be mopped.


2008

The Dark Knight: The Awesome buffet is back! Now with 200% more Awesome! Includes Awesome gravy in eleventy-million different flavors of Awesome!

The Forbidden Kingdom: Jackie Chan, booze, Jet Li pissing in the wind. Yea...just good clean fun.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: I had to remind a lot of people that this was FANTASY! Realism in an Indiana Jones movie? Blasphemy! It's just fun, which movies forgot to be over the years. Finely! Fun in movies again!

Iron Man: Fun! No serious realism to bog the whole thing down. A drunk arms merchant and a big red and yellow suit of armor, because who needs camouflage? Fun, fast and furious with no drama or romance to suck all the awesome out like a sparkling vampire.

WALL-E: Just absolutely endearing and cute. It was just as great for adults as it was for kids, and that's hard to do without slipping in potty humor under the radar.


2009

Star Trek: I loved TOS and TNG with a passion and this made me love Star Trek all over again. It was fun, which is what the later TOS and TNG movies were missing in all that drama.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Again with the plot! Big fucking robots! The only thing I did not like was what they did to Jet Fire. The attitude was right on, the geriatric need for depends that absorbs oil? Not so much.



And just so you know...I love Harry Potter, so every Harry Potter movie is a favorite but would have been repetitive and incomplete because the first one came out in the 90's.

(Edited: For got a few things.)

Lapin, Hamlet came out in '96. It's one of my favourite movies, though. God, I love it.

2000
Not the best year, looking back on it. I had a hell of a time even picking one movie.
Gladiator - I really liked Gladiator on first viewing, and it really didn't hold up on second, but I didn't want to leave this year totally empty and it was pretty okay.

2001
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - I know everyone is picking these, but they're just damn well made movies. Even from the perspective of someone who loves the books (though I don't know if it's more from nostalgia since I read them in grade 5 or genuine love), they are awesome.

A Beautiful Mind - Do... do I really need to justify this? It's brilliant.

K-PAX - I know this movie didn't get very good reviews, but I thought it was very well done. Smart and clever. It pretty much entirely depends on Kevin Spacey. If you don't like him, you won't like this movie. I also really like ambiguous plots, which applies to almost every aspect of this movie.

Spirited Away - I'm not a fan of anime at all, I don't even like most of Miyazaki's films, but this movie is fantastic. Inventive, beautiful, strange, and just generally well made.

2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - I'd say that each of these movies was better than the previous. Otherwise, I don't have much I can add that I can fit in here and haven't already said.

Insomnia - I've never seen the original Insomnia, but this is probably the only remake I like a lot.

2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Nope, nothing to add.

2004
Million Dollar Baby - I spent a little while trying to decide if this was as good as I remember it (and I went and checked the reviews in lieu of actually rewatching it). I remember it as heartwrenching.

Maria Full of Grace - A hauntingly realistic film. It was emotionally wrenching like few movies are.

Shaun of the Dead - Funny and scary - how often do you get a movie that does both successfully?

2005
Sin City - A very well constructed film, very very stylized in a way I like a lot.

2006
Pan's Labyrinth - A great mix of fantasy and reality, with another ambiguous ending of the kind I love.

Children of Men - Great concepts and fantastic cinematography are the best parts of this movie.

The Wicker Man - Easily the funniest movie of the ye-- what do you mean it's not a comedy?

The Departed - Very well written and acted. I'm getting lazy with the justifications.

Little Miss Sunshine - Funny and smart and dark but not goofy.

2007
Planet Terror - I would have included the full Grindhouse in here, because the trailers and things were really great, but Death Proof, while it was fun, was such a disappointment.

Hot Fuzz - Simultaneously a parody of and an homage to cop action movies. Very, very funny and the action scenes at the end were blood pumping.

Juno - I don't like the indie characters all that much, but the dialogue is very good and makes up for it.

All the movies from this year that were supposed to be really good, things like There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men, I never got around to seeing. Why am I writing this? To remind myself to do it.

2008
Slumdog Millionaire - I know this movie got a bit of flack for its overuse of coincidences and its overly happy ending, but it's overall very well made and just a very very good movie.

2009
Inglourious Basterds - This movie goes on this list for the dialogue alone. It's probably the smartest movie of the year.

Moon - Somehow, it's like a good science fiction short story in movie form. It has exactly the same feel. It's a very personal story that at the same time has far-reaching concepts. I know none of you have seen this or probably even heard of it. Go watch it.

KelinciHutan2007 wrote:

- Juno
I loved this film, with one minor complaint. I believe the pro-life protester outside the clinic got her facts wrong. If I remember the movie right, Juno's baby was too young to have fingernails at that point in his life. Other than that, I love it. It's awesome.

The way I see it, that was the point; I've met far too many pro-life teenaged girls who didn't know shit about pregnancy.

*Flashes back to the time in high school when he was accosted by two girls who insisted that babies can think and feel pain immediately upon conception*

Dr. Professor Science wrote:

Moon - Somehow, it's like a good science fiction short story in movie form. It has exactly the same feel. It's a very personal story that at the same time has far-reaching concepts. I know none of you have seen this or probably even heard of it. Go watch it.

I saw it, and loved it. It's the kind of sci-fi movie we don't get enough of.

Raine wrote:

2005
One Piece Movie 6: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island – At first I was annoyed by the animation style, which I’m sure was done by the same people who did the first Digimon movie. But HOLY CRAP, the story was brilliant. I’ll admit a lot of the movies from the OP series make me shed a tear, but this had me absolutely bawling.

I sort of envy you. I've heard a lot of good things about movie 6 but I just can't bring myself to watch it. The animation is just terrible. I can't get over it enough to watch more than about a minute of it.

Hot Cancer wrote:

I'm waiting for the octopus alien who can wield 6, followed by the centipede and millipede aliens

I can say, honestly and without irony, that any movie with Darth Octopus in it would totally be worth the price of a ticket.

Aggie wrote:

Raine wrote:

2005
One Piece Movie 6: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island – At first I was annoyed by the animation style, which I’m sure was done by the same people who did the first Digimon movie. But HOLY CRAP, the story was brilliant. I’ll admit a lot of the movies from the OP series make me shed a tear, but this had me absolutely bawling.

I sort of envy you. I've heard a lot of good things about movie 6 but I just can't bring myself to watch it. The animation is just terrible. I can't get over it enough to watch more than about a minute of it.

It's probably because I've seen the style before so I wasn't so shocked. You really have to watch it though, it's easily the best in the franchise.

2000:
Gladiator, Pitch Black, Chocolat, X-Men, Pitch Black
(Galaxy Quest came out in ‘99 or it would have made my list)

2001:
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Spirited Away, Moulin Rouge!, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Shaolin Soccer

2002:
Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Transporter, The Count of Monte Cristo, Equilibrium

2003:
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Love Actually, The Last Samurai, School of Rock

2004:
Man on Fire, Shaun of the Dead, The Chronicles of Riddick, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kung Fu Hustle

2005:
V for Vendetta, Batman Begins, Serenity, A History of Violence, The Proposition

2006:
The Prestige, Casino Royale, Children of Men

2007:
Knocked Up, Hot Fuzz, Eastern Promises, 3:10 to Yuma

2008:
The Dark Knight, Taken, Iron Man, Pineapple Express, WALL-E, Australia

2009:
Inglourious Basterds (the first Tarantino film I’ve ever enjoyed), District 9, Law Abiding Citizen, Watchmen, Up, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince