#2: Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (2007)

This little gem of a film was a surprise find for me. I heard about it, was interested in it, but had no idea how much it would impact me or make me feel. The movie is a great meditation on the power of silence, and how much stronger it can be when utilized effectively. The movie is the simple story of an Egyptian Police Band that gets off in the wrong city on their way to a performance and have to spend the night in the little town, with all its residents.

The relationship is between the Arabs and the Egyptians, which is surprisingly free of any tension. Instead, these strangers treat each other as individuals and not as strange stereotypes. The group breaks off into segments, staying with various town folk, and have varying but exciting adventures. Tawfiq (Sasson Gabai), the leader of the Band, is a reserved, quiet fellow, and Dina (Ronit Elkabetz) is the woman who tries to break his stern exterior.

A younger member of the Band goes out with younger members of the town and in one brilliant choreographed scene, instructs a fellow on how to woo a female. A random citizen stands by a telephone booth and awaits the call of his girlfriend, his long lost love. The are so many subtle touches, and the movie never feels overdone or overworked. By the time you get to the end, and Tawfiq and his merry band pipe out a wonderful tune, you know you have seen an instant classic.

This film was not nominated for the Academy Award's Best Foreign Language Film award; it was disqualified because the Academy found that over 50% of the movie's dialogue was in English. That is ridiculous in my mind; what should matter is where the movie comes from, and how good it is, not how much of it is in English. I know the category is "Foreign Language Film," but the movie was made by a Foreign Language Country. Isn't that enough? All that complaining aside as to why this was snubbed, The Band's Visit is a criminally underseen movie, but one that will leave quite satisfied and, well, happy.

#3: United 93 (2006)

It goes without saying that the ultimate defining moment of this decade will be September 11th, 2001. It was a watershed date that changed everything about our perceptions of international relations and safety on the home front, the first time American soil had been attacked since December 7th, 1941. Many of you will probably scorn me for making United 93 my number three pick for the decade, claiming that it is too easy a pick and only selected because of its shock value.

Truth be told, United 93 is a very respectful retelling of the events of that day, as we surmise they happened. The movie plays out, more or less, in real time, as the planes hit the trade center and the people on the fated flight quickly realize what is going on. The movie jumps around, from the plane, to the numerous air traffic controllers trying to figure out what is going on. The movie is careful not to exploit its subject matter, presenting the information from the perspective of what we knew that day. It knows nothing more and nothing less.

The movie also doesn't develop any of the passengers on board the Flight, and we observe them as if we too were a passenger on that flight. You really don't get to know people on your flights too well, and no unnecessary backstory is given to anyone. There are no Hollywood actors, and many of the air traffic controllers are portrayed by their real life counterparts. Director Paul Greengrass, who is known for the last two Bourne films, could have easily fallen into action movie clichés, but doesn't. These people are not action heroes, but they are heroes in their own rights, especially the passengers on the plane who fought the terrorists and brought the plane down. Even the terrorists are presented with a sliver of humanity, which is a risky thing for Greengrass to do. It reminds us that not everything is clearly black or white, and no one is truly evil.

I understand many people didn't see this movie because they felt it was too soon for Hollywood to be making 9/11 movies, and I respect people's decisions to not see the film. It is a tough experience, and certainly not entertaining by any stretch of the imagination. But it accurately captures a moment in history, the attitude, the confusion, the sadness, and will be something for our grandchildren and their grandchildren to watch and really understand what happened that fateful day in September.

#4: Ratatouille (2007)

Of the many things we'll look back on this decade and analyze, Pixar's reign of supremacy over all American animation will surely be near the top. The studio came into their own this decade, giving us Monsters, Inc (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), Wall•E (2008) and Up (2009). While no, not all of those titles are spectacular, they are still really good, and most studios dream of putting out this many quality animated films in a decade. Maybe Pixar's golden era is over, as it really was started by 1999's Toy Story 2, and next summer we will get Toy Story 3. As long as John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Doctor maintain control, Pixar should continue to produce excellent films.

But Ratatouille tops the list because it is simply the most unexpected Pixar film of the bunch. True, saying Ratatouille is better then Wall•E or Finding Nemo is basically saying which exotic chocolate you prefer; they all are exquisite. And if that lame food analogy doesn't convince you, well, I just simply have to say that whenever Ratatouille pops up on the screen I am hypnotized and can't pull away. The movie sweeps me away into its world of talking animals that can't talk to humans. It's rooted in reality while still maintaining a cartoon perspective on everything. Remy (Patton Oswalt) communicates with the hapless Linguini (Lou Romano) by pulling on his hair and controlling his actions in the kitchen.

Ratatouille is also bolstered by a strong voice cast, which includes Jeneane Garofalo, Ian Holm, and Peter O'Toole as a terrifying food critic who, "...loves food...if I don't love it, I don't swallow." The story is about a rat who loves food, but obviously rats in the kitchen are a bad thing. And when a horde of rats engulf a kitchen and begin preparing dinner for unaware customers, it still is pretty gross, but simultaneously hilarious. And what really makes this movie work is it doesn't exist in a fairy tale land where everything turns out good; a health inspector sees all the rats, and the famed restaurant is closed. Many animators would have kept the health inspector subplot out, but this added touch of reality does wonders for the movie.

That, and an excellent speech by Peter O'Toole's character, Anton Ego, really catapult this movie far and above most animated movies. It is a message I hope hit home with many critics, because it is basically director Brad Bird's way of commenting on how easy it is to laugh a scorn at something someone has put their heart and soul into creating. Bird also directed The Incredibles and last decade's The Iron Giant (criminally underrated). He is a fine storyteller, and I look forward to his new live action film due out in the near future. For now, I leave you with Ego's famous speech at the end of the movie:

"In many ways the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful then our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and the defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new need friends. Last night I experienced something new; an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins then those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less then the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more." - Anton Ego

#5: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Another major talent I was exposed to this decade, and who really came into their own, was Charlie Kaufmann, the screenwriter. His Adaptation (2002) and this film both garnered Oscar Nominations (as did the past decade's Being John Malkovich) and he won for this film for Best Original Screenplay. And there really is no other way to put it, this really is one of the most original things I've seen.

Jim Carrey stars in what is quite possibly his best role, as Joel Barrish, a hapless man who falls for Clementine (Kate Winslet) and begins a romantic relationship with her. However, after they have a big fight, she has her memories of him erased, and so he, distraught, decides to have the same procedure performed on him. Slowly, throughout the erasing process, he realizes that there were plenty of good times with Clementine as well, and he wants to hold on to them.

This movie is directed by Michel Gondry, who certainly has a panache for visual artistry, but really is quite inept at developing his own stories (see The Science of Sleep). He co-wrote the story with Kaufmann, but it is Kaufmann's script that is the real star here. It is about love, and the message it is better to have love and lost then to not have loved at all rings loud as a bell here. But Kaufmann also illustrates how we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes if we don't learn from them. Not just from the Joel/Clementine bookend segment, but also with a great subplot involving Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Ruffalo, and Elijah Wood (in his creepiest role ever). The film ends with a lack of finality, but affirms how powerful real relationships are, and how worth it they can be.

Kaufmann also went on to direct and write the ill-received Synecdoche, New York (2008), though I enjoyed that film immensely. True, I admit that Kaufmann went a little too far with that one, but I still enjoyed its dare, its willingness to break the mold. Any of Kaufmann's films are quite unlike something you have seen, though they definitely echo with famous tales of times past. One things for sure, I will be keeping my eye on him in the coming decades and eagerly await whatever he puts out there for us.

#6: 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (2007)

Moving on from a subtle, deft picture about life, to another subtle, but intensely painful and realistic look at abortions in 1980s Romania. The movie chronicles the woman whose abortion this is, and her friend who helps her through the horrific ordeal. Director Cristian Mungiu is a very patient director, and lets whole scenes play out for as long as they need to go.

The camera acts as a third person involved in this abortion, placing the viewer directly in the situation. Editing is spare, and this leaves the actors as the real stars, shaping their own performances and controlling the pace of the movie. In fact, there is one, painful, unbroken 8 1/2 minute shot at a dinner table, as the one girl must leave her female companion to attend a dinner, and Mungiu immerses us in her world, impatiently waiting for this rambunctious party to be over.

But more then the camera composition is how cold this movie feels. Really, once you get through this ordeal, how can you have emotion left? Yes, a fetus is shown in an extended shot, but even if that wasn't there I would still love that picture. That moment alone does not make or break the movie, but it does enhance the gravity of the situation.

To be sure this is an emotionally draining experience, and you won't leave with a grin or a smile. What you will leave with, though, is a sense of what enforcing basic human choices can do to people. I'm not going to make an argument about whether she was in the right to get that abortion, but I will argue that situations like this are the result of governments oppressing their people. More then the message, though, it's a damn fine exercise in nail-biting suspense.

#7: Yi yi (2000)

No one can really thoroughly explore the movies of this decade without, at one point or another, arriving at Yi Yi. As time pushes on we may have to recognize as one of the greatest films ever made, as Sight and Sound did by in 2002 (it was listed as one of the 10 greatest films from 1977 - 2002). My first time viewing this movie, I admittedly dozed off several times, but that was because I had had a tiring day, and not a reflection on the quality of the movie. A subsequent viewing confirmed what my friend had said: it was spectacular.

The movie is about life, it is about people, really living. They make choices not because the plot needs them to, but because they are motivated to. NJ, the protagonist, runs into a woman on an elevator, and simply stares at her saying, "Is it you?" They were once lovers, and he didn't show up one day. NJ is married, has a son, and the movie doesn't force his relationship with this new woman, it grows organically.

So do all the characters, from the mother-in-law, to the son, to his brother and his newly married life. All these characters exist in a practical, tangible universe and are motivated by real life choices. The movie runs 173 minutes, and not a moment of it feels wasted or too long. Edward Yang, the Taiwan director behind this film, has released several others but sadly we here in the States have no access to his other films. I hear his others are incredible too.

I really don't want to say too much more about this movie. It has to be experienced to be appreciated, to be understood. I heap praise on it, but do not raise it higher on my list because though I recognize its greatness, I have a special affinity with the rest of the movies here. Still, any cinephile owes it to themselves to check out this criminally under seen movie. You won't regret it.

#8: Tasogare Seibei (2002)

In this decade, I developed my true passion for movies, my true desire to become a filmmaker. The first major movie I made with my friends was a Samurai trilogy, and through making those movies, I began to see other movies about Samurais, including Kurosawa's great Shichinin no samurai (1954). By the year 2004 I was done with the movie, but The Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei) was released in theaters, and I went with a friend to go see it.

The movie is not blades flashing, or endless gore, or anything that might lend itself to what we expect a samurai film to be today. It is more in the vein of the Kurosawa works of the 50s and 60s, and is a terrific, lyrical masterpiece of loneliness in 19th-century Japan. Hiroyuki Sanada plays Seibei, the samurai of the original title, whose wife has recently died, forcing him to spend his days raising his children. When the woman of his dreams divorces her husband, Seibei takes up the mantle of challenging him.

The movie is a prime example of doing very little with a lot, and is mostly a quiet film, punctuated by brief scenes of violence. There are two sword fights in the whole movie, and one lasts for maybe ten seconds. The movie isn't about the actions of the samurai, it is about how the man lives his life day to day. We are shown his family life, shown what he does to survive, and his resolve at picking up the sword again until he needs to. The movie also doesn't bury itself in mumbo jumbo about honor, the samurai's code, or any of that other stuff. It is simply the character, and what he deems is right.

This movie made a strong connection with me when I first saw it, and continues to resonant with me to this very day. It, along with Kurosawa's samurai films, take me back to the days when I was discovering my love for movies, and how I ate up every moment of those films. Twilight Samurai is a criminally underseen film, but I also enjoy that aspect of it. The few of us that have seen it can marvel in its glory and wonder. This movie was, more or less, my induction into Art House cinema.