My Top 10 of the 2000s: Introduction

Going back and reviewing an entire year is quite a hefty task; sometimes more then 200 movies can come out, and there is now way for any human to feasibly see them all (unless they are of course paid to see all those movies). Now, expand that to a decade, where there are thousands upon thousands of movies to take from all over the world.

Creating a top 10 list for any decade is impossible, for sure. I have a severe lack of seeing a lot of the international films that came out this year, especially some films Rainer has seen by Thailand filmmakers that sound incredible. It is quite a monumental task to make any list of ten movies (though Ebert has shattered this tradition and makes lists of twenty) that are supposed to represent the best of what the decade had to offer.

And what did come out this decade? Well, it can be remembered as the decade of the superhero movie, for sure, for it was Bryan Singer's X-Men (2000) that kindled the fire of the superhero franchise, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002) that brought the flames to a dull roar. Since then, we've had 3 Spider-Man movies, 4 X-Men movies, 1 Superman movie, 2 Batman movies, 2 Fantastic Four movies, 2 Punisher movies, graphic novel adaptations (Sin City, 300, and Watchmen), 1 Iron Man movie (next one due out in 2010), and 1 Daredevil movie, among countless others that I can't remember off the top of my head. 2007 was also the year of threes, with Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Ocean's Thirteen, Rush Hour 3, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Resident Evil 3 all coming out in a four month period. Some fun things to remember.

In following Ebert's tradition, I have comprised a list of 20 films. Numbers 20 through 11 are unranked and listed alphabetically, but numbers 10 through 1 are ranked. I'll start by releasing that second list of 10, and then tomorrow will start with the unveiling of number 10 on my list. You may ask, "How are you ready to release a top 10 list, when so much of 2009 remains unseen by you?" I have been readily trying this past year to see the rest of the films from this decade, and now I fear that I will just be trying to find the next masterpiece to put on my list, and not pay attention to the movies at all. If something in the next couple of weeks does come out that needs, absolutely needs to make the best of the decade list, then I will modify it and update you all. But really, 2009 is going to get the shaft because you don't get enough time to take in these movies. I, however, have made the judgment, based on what is coming out, that nothing else could possibly crack my top 10.

And so, without further ado, numbers 11 through 20 (ranked alphabetically) of my best of the decade:

The Dark Knight (2008)

Entre les murs (The Class) (2008)

Kill Bill (2003 - 2004)

El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) (2006)

Memento (2000)

No Country For Old Men (2007)

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Wall•E (2008)

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)