10. Lost In Translation
Sofia Coppola's film is a poetic look at a friendship affair between two people at opposite ends of life's spectrum. One is beginning her life; the other has pretty much lived it and has grown tired of it. Bill Murray should have won the Oscar over Sean Penn's so-so work in Eastwood's insanely overrated Mystic River. This is also the film where I fell in love with Miss Scarlet Johansson.
9. Kill Bill
I'm counting this one a one long film. True, it works as two separate, distinct works, but I like to put them together whenever I watch them. After all, Tarantino wrote Kill Bill as one film but ended up splitting it to make Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. A great film.
8. Cast Away
Tom Hanks' finest performance of this decade. Incredibly moving final half hour was what critics pointed to as the unnecessary part of the film, but this was the stuff that made the movie great for me. The ending is earned and makes the Robert Zemickis's film what it is: a story of how a many lost everything, and lost it again, only to start everything all over from the beginning. Above everything else, this is a story about the courage it takes to start over. Screw Up in the Air. This is the movie that defined the collective emotions of the decade.
7. Lost and Delirious
Although it has quite the fan following on the internet, including an extensive website, most people have never even heard of this little movie from Canada. It tells the story of a teenage girl's descent into depression and eventual suicide. When her doomed romance with her boarding school roommate is called off by said roommate, the film moves into some honest interpretation of teen angst and heartache. Even though it involves two girls in love, this film is the finest romance of the decade and best teen film.
6. The Dark Knight
What hasn't been said about this film? Heath Ledger, Harvey Dent's fall, Batman's voice, the astonishing score, the death mid-way through, the montage at the end, the IMAX photography, etc. Obviously, the finest comic book film ever made. And, one of the best films ever.
5. 25th Hour
Spike Lee's best film of this decade, and the best film about 9/11 yet. The what if montage at the end is pitch-perfect.
4. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Steven Spielberg's darkest film since Schindler's List may actually be sadder given the ending where David the robot kills himself to preserve the happiest day of his life - which also happens to be a false day. So underrated its crazy. Spielberg's best this decade.
3. Vanilla Sky
Cameron Crowe's remake of Open Your Eyes is better and more beautiful. From the music to the photography to the performances - the first time I saw this film I was speechless for a good hour. I have yet to have as great an experience after watching a film since - and I saw this March 2002.
2. The Lord of the Rings
Again, I'm counting this one as one long film. Peter Jackson did something truly amazing here. Some said this did what the Star Wars prequels couldn't, but you know what...?
1. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
George Lucas made the prequels his way and people bitched. I say, "Get over it!" These prequels were great, and this one was great cinema. The dialogue? I never had a problem with it. You want to believe the dialogue in the original trilogy was great, keep deluding yourself. These films, obviously, were never about the characters said; it was always about what the characters did. The prequels are about the generation that screws things up, forcing the next generation (the children) to fix the problems of their parents. Everyone knew how this film was going to end, but that is exactly the point. In fact, I'd argue the characters did as well, but fought for their own beliefs, believing however blindly that they could change the outcome of the events in the prequels.
Revenge of the Sith is a sad look at a young man with too much power and too much heart that he wound sacrificing both for what he believed to be the greater good.
That's it! What a decade it's been....
Screencaps provided by the following sites:
http://www.millenniumfalcon.com/
http://screencap-paradise.com/caps/
http://www.tomcruisefan.com/gallery/
http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/artificial-intelligence-ai-more-screencaps/
http://www.edward-norton.org/images/25th/
http://screenmusings.org/TheDarkKnight/
http://www.lost-and-delirious.com/
http://www.tomhanks-online.com/gallery/
http://www.leavemethewhite.com/
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