Top 25 Films of 2000-2009, Part the First

Welcome to the The Contemporary's Top 25 films of 2000-2009.

This list of the culmination of 8 months of postulating and pondering over what exactly were the best films of the last decade. A lot of critics were jamming there lists out last December or January? I say bollocks! I worked damn hard to see as many films as I could over the last decade. This Top 25 is a collection of favorites, yes. But hopefully more so, it acts as an honest to dog list of what I feel are the 25 best movies of the last decade. So, yes, this is both obejctive and subjective. But, before we begin, a few notes on what I'm thinkin' 'bout here.

Some concerns I've had over this list:

- Wasn't I only 14 in 2000? Yeah, but I was picky even then, as I hated "Gladiator."

- Where's the sci-fi? "Minority Report" and "District 9" came close, I swear.

- Where's the romance? Not here, really.

- Surprisingly, no director appeared more than once. So, Scorsese/Nolan/Soderbergh biases were kept in check. My apologies to those three though. They had a good decade.

- Yes, I tend to enjoy mainstream, melodramatic movies. I also have a penchant for domesticity and shouting. Thank you Cassavettes and Long Grove. I just like drama I suppose. But I swear, this isn't a total attempt at seeming like I dig hip, obscure movies. Or is it?

- If something really big and likable wasn't included ... sorry. Bitch about it in the comments. I'd love to hear why you thought "Return of the King" or "Eternal Sunshine" or (gulp) "Donnie Darko" were classics.

- Why the hell did this list take so long? Dunno. My opinion changes all the time. I love that I can change my feelings about movies. Recent revelations and a need to diversify this list did play a part. That, and my 14-year-old self is a little far away.

- Yeah, I pretty much watched all of these more often than once. Sometimes, much more than that.

UPDATE: We've added necessary clips!

Other than that, enjoy the list, folks!

"Insert appropriate goof here."

4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days)

(2007) Christian Mungiu

This should have made my top ten in '07 (saw it after deadline). This documentarian look at a pair of friends seeking abortions in a Ceausescu-dominated Romania in the late 1980s is an accomplishment of the bleak. "Four Months" is about bittersweet successes amidst harsh times. But it's also about finding strength in a time of forced ineptitude. This was a stunning melodrama that will endure due to it's importance of content and earnestness of story.

Part One of the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGhfErhn9TU&feature=related

"MOST. FUN. TRAIN. STATION. EVER."

Slumdog Millionaire

(2008) Danny Boyle

Did anyone not get a buzz off this movie? Danny Boyle's Dickensian Bollywood bash about a young boy and his quest to find his true love was Indian electricity. It was tough picking between this and "Monsoon Wedding," a very similar film also possessing a stellar soundtrack. But, "Slumdog" was the work of audio/visualist Danny Boyle in top form. It pretty much deserved its eight Oscars. And if you don't like it?

"Poverty Porn" you say?

Well, then you're a jerk.

Am I making you nervous? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak70AEHw1as&feature=channel

"Elephant Man: The Prequel!"

El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

(2007) Juan Antonio Bayona

"The Orphanage" is probably the finest horror film of the last decade. A masterful, assured and often scarifying Spanish film about a haunted orphanage, this was a gothic classic. This was like a masters class in horror, as it relied on good old-fashioned tension (be careful about hide-and-seek here), classic horror movie content (it had a psychic!) and emotionally satisfying narrative (the ending will break your heart). Don't like scary movies? That's alright. I can watch this with you! Or loan it to you...

Seriously, don't freak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHCI4vYIW70&feature=related

"Fly in the ice cube. Real Funny."

Lost in Translation

(2003) Sofia Coppola

Cynically speaking, yes, this is hipster naval-gazing made possible by the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola. But holy shit, this is far grander than most annoying indie films! Stylistically assured with a beautiful eye for Japan, and two soulful leads, "Lost in Translation" was arguably the prettiest film of the oughts. That, and Bill Murray's quite the revelation, using his trademark drollness and reaching out to his audience in a way we've never seen.

For relaxing times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiRy1VqPFqI&feature=related

"You got something, on your, uh... forget it."

A History of Violence

(2005) David Cronenberg

You gotta love Cronenberg's history of body-horror and grotesquely memorable concept movies. But in 2005, he began a great, late stage in his career: graphic dramatist. "History of Violence" is a thrilling, non-pretentious look at the psychology of repression through the actions of a "simple" midwestern man when presented with trouble. How the hell did Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) disarm those thugs at his resteraunt so quickly, cooly and crazily? The implications behind that question, as well as the answers to it keep you watching, every time.

Coffee? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxuzvlMmMbI

Wanna see what happens next on the list? Tune in tomorrow Contemporaries!

-B