Wow, I’d originally planned to have my entire top 100 all done and posted by the end of the first week in January. I should of known that with my laziness that was never gonna happen. At the rate I’m going I won’t have it done until June. Never mind though, it’s really only for my own entertainment and for anyone out there who stumbles upon my site whilst looking for porn.
As I previously wrote, my top 100 of the decade is based solely on what I enjoyed the most and not on what’s the better film technically or artistically. That should explain most of the odd choices and their ordering.
Follow the link to check out #100-76 in the list.
75. Batman Begins (2005)
Sure Katie Holmes sucked, Liam Neeson wasn’t too great and the Scarecrow wasn’t the best of villains, but Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale did a great job relaunching the Batman franchise with a dark and gritty look that couldn’t have been further from the 90’s Batman films. Plus it sounded like Bale had gargled with gravel and chlorine any time he spoke in his Batman voice. If nothing else, it laid the groundwork for The Dark Knight.
74. Saw (2004)
I’ve only seen the original Saw and the sequel and have avoided all the subsequent sequels like the plague. The fact is, I find it hard to believe that any of the sequels could top the original in the tension, disgust or fear that it generates. Saw was perhaps the first instance of “torture porn” and for the first time viewer back in 2004 it was something to behold. That kind of genre has been over-saturated with films now but at the time it was something new for the horror genre. Add to that the fact that the film introduced a cool new villain in Jigsaw and the simple setup of two guys being chains in a basement and it was simple in it’s elegance.
73. Moulin Rouge (2001)
A musical about a sad sack writer and a hooker (or cortizan if you prefer) doesn’t sound like much but add in some decent pop music from the 60’s onwards and some outstanding cinematography and choreography and it all came together wonderfully. It also brought about a mini resurgence in musicals. All in all it’s a moving love story, which is made all the more impressive because I don’t hate Nicole Kidman in it.
72. Blood Diamond (2006)
Leonardo DiCaprio is so good that I’d watch him in just about anything, but a political/action/drama that teams him with the beautiful Jennifer Connelly was always gonna be good. Arnold Vosloo once again made a terrific villain. I even liked DiCaprio’s South African accent which a couple of my friends thought was terrible.
71. Casino Royale (2006)
An effective reboot of the Bond franchise that succeeded with moviegoers because it blended Bond’s old persona with the new kind of Jason Bourne type spy. I know it turned off diehard Bond fans like my friend Nathan, but because I was never really a fan of Bond I liked the new approach. I loved the big parkour chase through the construction site. I can’t imagine Sean Connery doing anything like that. It’s a shame that Quantum of Solace sucked so bad though.
70. Hot Fuzz (2007)
Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg took on the horror genre with Shaun of the Dead and with Hot Fuzz they give their take on the action genre. Number 2 in their blood and ice cream trilogy. At first I was a little let down by Hot Fuzz, but on repeat viewings it continues to grow on you. I thought the two Andy’s (the detectives) were absolutely fantastic and may even be the best part of the film. Jog on.
69. The Wrestler (2008)
Mickey Rourke had fallen off the map until his role in The Wrestler and it’s hard to believe an actor who’s able to give a performance like he does in the film could have been forgotten for so long. It’s hard to know what to say about the film other than it’s a sad tale of a man who’s trying to hold onto a dream for too long. A perfect ending and a great song over the credits by Rourke’s friend Bruce Springsteen.
68. The Simpsons Movie (2007)
It probably came 8-10 years too late but at least we all finally got a Simpsons movie. And it was topical too, dealing with the boom in popularity of environmental issues. It was also probably the funniest The Simpsons has been in years and was able to get away with more than the regular TV show could. I’m actually hoping for another movie to come along soon. In fact, I’d be happy if they took the show off TV and made movies every few years instead.
67. (500) Days of Summer (2009)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel together. There’s no way I’m not watching that flick and loving every second of it. When it’s about love I’m even more likely to watch it and love it. I also really liked the tiny little role given to Minka Kelly as Autumn. Very cute. As I’m writing this late I know that Gordon-Levitt didn’t win at the Golden Globes, and even though that’s one of the shittiest and most corrupt award shows around, I’m still disappointed that he didn’t win. There’s no way on Earth Robert Downey Jr was better in Sherlock Holmes than Gordon-Levitt was in (500) Days of Summer.
66. Pineapple Express (2008)
I took my mum to see this at the cinema and wasn’t blown away by it, but on repeat viewings it’s certainly grown on me. It’s the film that made me love Danny McBride and Kevin Corrigan, plus Gary Cole once again gives an out of this world comedic performance. Part stoner comedy and part brutal action flick, I continue to love it more and more every time I watch it. And that’s often.
65. Zombieland (2009)
I may get increasingly pissed off with Rhett Reese’s bitching about piracy but there’s no denying that he can write one hell of a zombie action comedy flick. Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and the awesome Woody Harrelson make this a charming and engaging cast, plus the great cameo always makes me chuckle.
64. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
It’s kinda long and meandering with every character having their own agendas and that can confuse what their motives are at times. Still, it’s a somewhat epic action/adventure flick featuring the sublime Johnny Depp as the iconic Jack Sparrow. The worst of the three partly due to the mess of agendas but also because of the enhanced role given to Orlando Bloom. In my opinion he’s overrated beyond belief. All I can hope for is that he doesn’t appear in the soon to be filming On Stranger Tides.
63. Up (2009)
Despite what everyone else seems to say, I don’t think Up is Pixar’s best work (that honour goes to Wall-E), but even their lesser efforts are better than most. There are undoubtedly bits to love in Up but for me it just didn’t have that hook right at the beginning like Pixar’s best work does (Wall-E, Monsters Inc and Toy Story). What was truly impressive about the film was the brief history of Karl and Ellie relationship and how this was able to bring about such an emotional response from me if such a short period of time. Pixar really are legends in film-making if they can turn a grumpy senior citizen into an action hero movie star.
62. Moon (2009)
A great slow burn sci-fi film about what it means to be human that’s best to know as little about as possible before viewing. If you haven’t seen it check it out. Sam Rockwell is great as essentially the only actor in the film and Kevin Spacey as the voice of the computer is cool too.
61. The Bourne Identity (2002)
Pretty much a reinvention of what a spy actually is and about as far from James Bond as you can get. I never would of thought that Matt Damon could be this brutal of a killer and kick this much ass. Now I can’t imagine anyone else but him playing Jason Bourne. Chris Cooper was also fantastic in this film like he is in just about everything he does.
60. Star Trek (2009)
I’m not a huge fan of the Star Trek franchise. That’s not to say I don’t like it but rather that I haven’t seen much of the content based on the franchise. Essentially the only reason I caught this in the cinema was because it’s directed by J.J. Abrams who can do no wrong at the moment. From my limited exposure to the franchise it would appear that the young actors cast in the iconic roles fit perfectly with what how they used to be. It’s hard to see Spock played by Sylar if only because Heroes is such a terrible show. If I had no knowledge of Zachary Quinto before seeing him in Star Trek I think I’d have liked his performance more. The plot of the film wasn’t too special but as a means to reboot the franchise without completely destroying everything that had come before I think Abrams did a magnificent job. Hopefully the next one in the series will live up to this new start.
59. Observe and Report (2009)
Seth Rogen as a manic depressive mall cop is not something I would of expected from him. The anger that shines through his character is kinda scary considering this is supposed to be a comedy. It’s a very dark awkward humour which I think is an acquired taste. You either like that style of comedy or you don’t, and I don’t think you can grow to like it over time. The two standout scenes are when Ronnie (Rogen) gets back from his date with Brandi (Anna Faris) and she’s pretty much comatose and when Ronnie finally gets to confront the flasher in the mall. Something tells me that the tone of the film may put a lot of people off, preferring instead the almost certainly shit Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Save your time and watch this. There’s no doubt it’s the best mall cop comedy of all time.
58. Old School (2003)
Will Ferrell had small roles in films before Old School and he was obviously one of the strongest cast members on SNL, but it was his breakout performance as Frank “the Tank” Ricard in Old School which made him a comedy God. And with good reason. Luke Wilson may be the lead, and Vince Vaughn may be the co-star, but it’s undoubtedly Will Ferrell’s movie. The streaking scene alone makes this one of the funniest films I’ve seen.
57. The Pledge (2001)
I remember around the time this came out that Jack Nicholson said Sean Penn should win an Oscar for directing The Pledge. It’s really hard to argue with that. The movie is about a cop played by Nicholson who on his last night on the job catches a child murder case. He makes a pledge to the parents of the little girl that he’ll catch the killer. When a mentally retarded man admits to the murder under coercion by Nicholson’s successor and then kills himself, Nicholson sets about trying to solve the case by himself. It’s a pretty dark and bleak tale of obsession that ends on a quite depressing note, but it’s not to be missed. In addition to Nicholson are the wonderful Aaron Eckhart and Robin Wright Penn.
56. No Country For Old Men (2007)
When I saw this I absolutely loved it for about 105 of the 122 minute running time. That ending with the gunfight at the motel being left out and the talk about Sheriff Bell’s dream just annoyed the hell out of me. All that tension and mood which was built throughout the film was lost as soon as that cut is made to Bell arriving at the motel and the Mexicans fleeing in the 4×4. I recently gave the film a second watch and whilst I’m still very unhappy with the last section of the film, I must say that I like it a little more than I did on my initial viewing. Perhaps on repeated viewings I’ll grow to like it even more.
55. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
I’ve pretty much always been a fan of Johnny Depp but aside from Sleepy Hollow this has to be the film where he crossed over into the mainstream. The same could be said for Keira Knightley too, and although Orlando Bloom was in the LOTR trilogy he definitely got a bump in popularity due to his role in the Pirates trilogy. Inspired by a Disney ride (which was one of my favourites as a child) it ended up creating a franchise that would go on to earn well over $2.5 billion worldwide. All in all it’s just a fun action adventure flick that introduced the wonderfully zany Captain Jack Sparrow to the world.
54. Black Snake Moan (2007)
How could I not love this film? The smoking hot Christina Ricci as a sex addict who’s in her underwear for 95% of the film and Samuel L. Jackson as the down on his luck blues man who chains her to his radiator. Those two facts are what made me watch the film in the first place but in the end it’s so much more than that. The atmosphere that Craig Brewer creates is infectious, full of sex, sweat, heat and blues music. And whilst not much actually happens for the characters I don’t think the film suffers because of it. It’s one of those mood films which sucks you into the world quicker than you realise and for 90 odd minutes you’re immersed in it. Simply a great film with superb performances from Ricci and Jackson and an amazing soundtrack to go along with it.
53. Rambo (2008)
It took Stallone 20 years to make another Rambo film but it was absolutely worth the wait. Just about the goriest film I’ve seen (especially for what’s essentially an action film). There are so many things to love about the film and almost all of them are the ways that the bad guys are killed. Rambo destroying people with his bow, ripping people apart with the gattling gun on the back of the jeep, and him gutting that asshole General. All of these any many more make this one of the best action films I’ve seen. I can only hope that the rumoured next installment will be as good as this one.
52. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Matt Damon continues to kick ass as Jason Bourne and seeks revenge for the death of the girl he met in Identity. Karl Urban is cool as the Russian secret service agent who duels with Bourne, plus Brian Cox and Julia Stiles return and Joan Allen is introduced as Pamela Landy, the woman charged with bringing in Bourne. This film is one of the rare times when a sequel clearly improves upon an original.
51. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
A cast filled from top to bottom with the coolest guys in Hollywood (Clooney, Pitt, Damon et al) plus Andy Garcia plays the slimy bad guy to perfection. The thing I love about the Ocean’s films (well, maybe not 12) is that it’s never about if they’ll get away with the heist but how they get away with the heist. Plus it’s just fun to watch this large cast of supremely cool actors having a good time together.
