My Top 10 List from 2000-2009 (one per year):
2000 (Tie): Gladiator & O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Man, I hate starting the list off w/ a tie, but I simply cannot choose between these two AMAZING films.
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Whew! Now that one was way easier.
2002: City of God
I can't think of a better example of Orwellian doublespeak than the Brazilian housing project/slum for which this film is named. A rare glimpse into a world where the cheapest commodity is life itself.
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
What?
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Thematically, it was pretty straightforward, dramatizing the old axiom that it is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all. But then throw in a layered emotional texture w/ Michel Gondry's MTV-esque metaphysical labyrinth of memory erasing, AND Charlie Kaufman's hilarious, provocative and tragic script (not to mention Jim Carrey's best turn to date), and you've got the best of 2004!
2005: Sin City
To be honest, 2005 was not a big year for me @ the movies. I didn't see Crash, Brokeback Mountain, Munich, Good Night, and Good Luck, or Capote. And though I'm sure Sin City was not better than these Oscar-winning/worthy films, it is one that I saw, and I'm sure not giving the best film of the year to King Kong.
Besides, the visual adaptation from Frank Miller's graphic novel(s) to the big screen was nothing short of incredible!
2006: The Departed
As much as I love Clint Eastwood fims (Letters From Iwo Jima/Flags of our Fathers) whether acting or directing, I'm going w/ Scorsese this year. The acting (from Jack Nicholson's Irish mobster to Matt Damon's undercover criminal) is top notch. And Leo DiCaprio as an undercover cop, and Mark Wahlberg as a hothead sergeant give the performances of their careers. Another crime-in-the-streets classic from Scorsese!
2007: No Country for Old Men
An instant reminder why the Coen brothers deserve to be ranked at the forefront of American filmmaking. While Ratatouille is the 2007 film I've seen the most (I have two young daughters), quite possibly the year's best was actually made-for-TV-movie, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a chronicle of how the (native) American Indians were displaced as the U.S. expanded west.
2008: The Dark Knight
This was a toss-up, but Batman just edged Slumdog. TDK was appropriately sinister and consistent with the tone and darkness of the DC comic book series Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. And Heath Ledger's standout performance as mass-murdering psychopath, Joker, may just be what secured the top spot for 2008.
2009: ????
It's just too early to say. There are too many 2009 films I've not yet seen (since I usually have to wait for DVD release before seeing most films). Some that will be in the running are: Gran Torino, UP, District 9, Inglorious Basterds, and Avatar. Some I'd like to see before making a decision: 500 Days of Summer, Tyson, The Informant, and Where the Wild Things Are.
