So, in the end, I decided to pick the films that mean a combination of things to me: they left an indelible impression that lasted throughout the '00s, most people will agree they're damn good examples of clever or unique filmmaking, and I often find myself thinking about them years after seeing them, or always re-watching them on television. So, here's my Top 15:
15. Spirited Away (d. Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)Phenomenally inventive and imaginative fairy tale from the Japanese master of animation. A young girl's parents are turned into pigs and she travels to a bizarre, magical dimension in order to break the spell. The simple designs are a marvel to behold and it's so liberating in how it tells its story and keeps you emotionally engaged, even in its English dub. Beautiful.
14. WALL-E (d. Andrew Stanton, 2008)Beautiful, haunting, exciting and romantic animation from those Pixar wunderkinds. A brilliant sci-fi parable with a slapstick robot in the lead. Who would have believed you could tug at the heart-strings with lumps of chirruping, loved-up CGI metal a mere 10 years ago? Gorgeous.
13. The Incredibles (d. Brad Bird, 2004)One of the decade's best superhero films, even if it did steal key ideas from Watchmen. Animation is proven to be one of the best ways to give superheroes a believable sense of realism, in this relentlessly gripping and entertaining movie that also works as a commentary on modern family life. Awesome fun. A sequel is long overdue. Considering the fact director Brad Bird was also responsible for the equally brilliant Iron Giant in the '90s, I'm eager to see him branch out into live-action some day.
12. Donnie Darko (d. Richard Kelly, 2001)The best teen movie of the '00s – well, if you've ever felt isolated during your geeky adolescence... or hallucinated a giant talking rabbit called Frank. Superb '80s soundtrack, a breakout performance from a young Jake Gyllenhaal, and a mind-bending with superhero elements weaved into creepy David Lynch-style suburban drama and Stephen Hawking-era science. Spellbinding, haunting stuff of real low-budget ambition and skill.
11. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (d. Michel Gondry, 2004)Another masterpiece from Charlie Kaufman's mind. A romantic drama where a man learns his ex-girlfriend is having their failed relationship literally erased from her mind. Great performances from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, superbly put together by the magical inventiveness of French director Michel Gondry.
10. Adaptation (d. Spike Jonze, 2002) A typically bizarre storyline from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, as he writes himself into a script about adapting the novel "The Orchid Thief". Nicolas Cage plays Kaufman... and his identical, fictional twin brother Donald. Touching and intelligent storytelling that feels utterly unique from beginning to end.
9. Mullholland Dr. (d. David Lynch, 2001)The film that introduced Hollywood to the beautiful and talented Naomi Watts, who is extraordinarily good in this. How to explain the plot, though? I can't, really. Lynch films like these just need to be experienced with an open mind. It's another gorgeous mind-fuck with some creepy shocks, improving on the themes of identity tackled in Lynch's Lost Highway. You'll either end up totally frustrated and dismissive of the film's logic, or enthralled and desperate to debate its hidden meanings with likeminded people. At the very least though, you can't deny the strength Watts displays as a dramatic actress here.
8. The Prestige (d. Christopher Nolan, 2006)Gripping drama about two gifted, competitive illusionists in the 19th-century, who become rivals after a tragic accident. This mixes magic with science in a tale where the script itself performs a clever trick on viewers, leaving you slack jawed by the conclusion and eager to watch again. Sandwiched in-between Nolan's tent-pole Batman films, The Prestige kind of got lost in the mix but it deserves wider recognition.
7. Kill Bill (d. Quentin Tarantino, 2003 & 2004) I prefer Volume I's Eastern chopsocky vitality over Volume II's droll Western duelling, but Kill Bill is cumulatively a brilliant love-letter to '70s Shaw Brothers kung-fu flicks and one of the most enjoyable, vibrant and unusual action flicks of the decade. Tarantino proves himself a first-rate action director in this buzzing martial arts epic. Uma Thurman defeating 88 Yakuza assassins in a restaurant remains a defining fight sequence of the '00s.
6. Children Of Men (d. Alfonso Cuaron, 2005)Stunning sci-fi drama with a perfect hook: society is crumbling because no women are getting pregnant, meaning mankind is doomed to natural extinction. The great thing about Children Of Men (beyond its fantastic script and the excellent performances from Clive Owen and Michael Caine) is the realism Alfonso Cuaron imbues into his British dystopia. It's a marvellous achievement, pushed to greatness by its celebrated action sequences that appear to have been achieved in one extended take, with the camera travelling to seemingly impossible vantage points. Fascinating, atmospheric, gripping, dramatic and beautiful filmmaking.
5. The Dark Knight (d. Christopher Nolan, 2008)The sequel to Batman Begins has more on its mind and a benchmark villain in Oscar-winning Heath Ledger's Joker -- so, while I still think Begins was the more revelatory, pioneering comic-book film (and thus deserving of a higher ranking), I have to admit there's more weight of intellect behind its hugely successful sequel. Certainly one of cinema's great sequels, we can agree.
4. Requiem For A Dream (d. Darren Aronofsky, 2000)Extraordinary filmmaking and perhaps the best anti-drugs ever made. I hope to never see Requiem again because it's just so tough and harrowing. I thought movies had lost their power to unsettle and disturb me beyond my childhood... until I saw this excellent film. The five-minute montage of various climactic horrors the characters have fallen into ranks as the most gruelling, punishing climax of any movie this decade.
3. The Lord Of The Rings (d. Peter Jackson, 2001, 2002 & 2003) Now a yardstick of huge movie-making, Peter Jackson joined the Hollywood elite by bringing J.R.R Tolkien's "unfilmable" trilogy of fantasy books to vivid, groundbreaking life. It brightened up three consecutive Christmases around the world, gave us the first truly believable digital character in the rasping Gollum, and its epic CGI-assisted battle sequences have been copied by LOTR knockoffs ever since. Popular with the masses, successful with the critics, amazingly creative, a technical wonder, and genre-defining in the process.
2. Batman Begins (d. Christopher Nolan, 2005)A realistic, moody take on the then-defunct Batman franchise, spearheaded by British director Christopher Nolan, who took the best of the '80s graphic novels (Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns) and created one of the most compelling reboots of recent times -- helped by David Goyer's script and clever A-list casting. In fact, this was where the current vogue for reboots took hold over prequels.
1. Memento (d. Christopher Nolan, 2000)An extraordinary, ingenious idea -- expertly crafted by Christopher Nolan's razor precision. A murder-mystery told in reverse, to give the audience a similar experience to Guy Pearce's protagonist – who has a short-term memory. The fact something this unique and tricky works so brilliantly is one thing, but then you factor in the brilliant performances and pure skill in the telling, and it was clear a very talented filmmaker had arrived on the Hollywood scene.
