My Top Fifteen Films of the Decade

Since I selected my top ten films of the year I also decided to tackle a list of my top films of the decade. I am not including any animated films on this list as I think I'm going to give that genre its own list due to the broad amount of anime and cg films released the past ten years. I don't think that these last ten years have been as original to previous decades, due to the endless number of remakes and sequels. However the growing trend of remaking films signifies that in this decade we have had many improvements in filmmaking and technology, which allow for better ways to introduce classic films to modern audiences. Overall we have had an excellent decade for filmmaking, and I hope that the next ten years are also full of excellent films.

15. Twilight/Twilight Saga: New Moon

Sit the hell back down and don't exit the page just yet, I have a good reason for this. For as bad as these movies are they are just as important to the decade as many of the others on this list, mostly due to how they've influenced the popular culture and audiences as well. They have brought vampire movies back to the public's attention and have also grown a huge fanbase. They've shown Hollywood that licensed films are great to invest in and will hopefully bring attention to better works of literature. I know that these definitely don't deserve to be on this list and that in ten years they won't be remembered as anything more than trashy romance films, but they have defined a generation of tweenage girls and moviegoers alike.

Honorable Mention: Lord of The Rings Trilogy

Peter Jackson accomplished what should have been the impossible when he brought J. R. R. Tolkien's magnum opus to the big screen. These films are the greatest any director can ever come to adapting a book to the screen, which is why these films are some of the best of the decade. Jackson's trilogy certainly deserves to be mentioned on this list because he proved that fantasy is an acclaimed and professional genre, as well as that computer generation has come far enough to properly render characters and landscapes. These are brilliant films that importantly deserve to be mentioned on this list.

14. Donnie Darko

This movie threw one of the decade's best actors, Jake Gyllenhaal, into the spotlight, as well as marking the directorial debut for Richard Kelly. This movie was incredibly sophisticated with an intense and intelligent story that required repeated viewings to fully comprehend. Kelly honestly hasn't made a film as good as Donnie Darko, but this could be because he set the standard too high for himself with his first film. Donnie Darko has grown a huge following and the philosophical questions it asks greatly represent the society of today, such as belief in God and the fear of the unknown. This is one of my personal favorite films of all time and is definitely one of the best of the decade.

13. 40 Year Old Virgin/Knocked Up/Funny People/Superbad/Anchorman

Anything Judd Apatow has a hand in is extremely successful critically and profitably (except his TV shows). These films are hilarious and dramatic; uplifting and depressing. Apatow's regular actors are destined for success, especially Rogen, Hill, and Cera. This group of films show that Apatow is a very talented producer with the ability to select wonderful actors and tell amazing stories. These films feel real because of their amazing acting and brilliant storytelling, which have influenced this decade's comedies by proving that humor doesn't have to be composed of just stupidity and fart jokes, but can be something much greater with a heart and soul. These were the best comedies of the decade and there is no denying that without Apatow we would have had a hell of a lot less to laugh about these past ten years.

Honorable Mention: Clerks 2

Kevin Smith is a comedic genius and the last installment in his View Askew Series was an amazing effort on his part. It greatly joked about the technological and social changes of this past decade. Kevin Smith utilized his usual brand of situational comedy and his writing is perfected in this film. Clerks 2 was absolutely hilarious and thus deserves an honorable mention.

12. Avatar

I know that it may be too soon to put this on a list for the best movies of the decade, but I have to admit that Avatar was a very special film. To me it encompasses what this decade was most importantly about technologically, breakthroughs in computer graphics and the return of 3D. Avatar represents both with a perfection of 3D photography and stunningly realistic computerized graphics. The story of the film also represents two important aspects of the decade, the Bush administration and Iraq war, as well as the destruction of our environment. Both of these are powerful issues that are representative of the decade, which without this film I would have included Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, which was an important film historically this year. It truly is a well polished film and definitely deserves to be in my top fifteen.

11. Bowling for Columbine/Fahrenheit 9/11

It would be hard to make this list without including Micheal Moore's passionate and raw documentaries on this list. These movies arose controversial and important issues that we dealt with this decade, and greatly encompass the struggles and uncertainty concerning them. The Iraq war and gun control were extremely important topics that lasted throughout the entire decade, and without Moore's acclaimed films these issues may not have garnished the same spotlight. To be brief these were outstanding documentaries well-deserving to be on my list.

10. United 93/World Trade Center

The most important event of this decade was unfortunately 9/11. Without that event we would have had a much different last ten years. These two movies encompass the pure anxiety and passion that this event contained. These movies wonderfully tell the struggles of very real experiences that occurred on that fateful day. The dreary mood and anticipation of these movies build up tremendous amounts of suspense for a story we already know the ending to. These are two films that embody the last decade through suspenseful imagery and the event that defined a generation.

9. Borat/Bruno

Excellently harsh critiques on American culture, Sasha Baron Cohen's two films are fundamental to the decade. Cohen plays both characters with a certainty, creating two believable people through his acting. These films show the public's reaction to Borat, a Kazakhstan citizen visiting the United States, and Bruno, an openly gay male trying to get famous. These characters perform ludicrous actions that any American person would find crazy, yet the character's perceptions of the United States demonstrate why they would perform these stunts. Two greatly shaped comedies that encompass the public's reaction to their own cultural stupidity.

8. Spiderman 2

This was a definitive movie of the decade because it proved that comicbooks could work as movies and still please critics and fans. Since Spiderman 2 already had the origin story told by its predecessor, the movie was able to contain a complex and sophisticated story without being too long or boring. It had a kickass villain and showed how a superhero would have to keep a balance crime-fighting and his normal life. This paved the way for all the other greatly told comic-based movies of the decade, the best being X-Men, V for Vendetta, Iron Man, and The Dark Knight. This movie didn't create the superhero genre, but it certainly gave it new life, which is clear reason why it deserves to be on my list.

Honorable Mention: Watchmen/Sin City

On the subject of comic-based films, these are two movies that were greatly adapted from complicated source material. The comics these films were based on were wonderfully stylized and had a distinctive atmosphere that would have been hard to recreate in a film. Thanks to two of the best director's of the decade, Zack Snyder and Robert Rodriguez, it can honestly be stated that these films were a huge success theatrically. They encompassed the entire meaning and style of the novels, the color being directly transplanted between mediums. Watchmen tells an amazingly passionate story that blurs the line of heroism, and through the filmmaking process does not lose the comic's meaning. Sin City is adapted to look and feel exactly like the comic book with intriguing cinematography and the usage of color. These two films prove that comic book adaptions have been perfected in the last decade, proving they deserve an honorable mention on this list.

7. Team America: World Police

I couldn't resist putting Trey Parker and Matt Stone's hilarious marionette action comedy on this list. It does an excellent job at parodying terrorism and our culture's worship of celebrities, as well as including enough stupid comedy to appease general film goers. Not to mention that it's a funny as hell film and infinitely rewatchable, it also contains a deeper meaning behind it that asks whether we are a pussy, dick or an asshole. This is a greatly made film that spotlessly encompasses the dire times that we've had this decade, then farts.

6. Shaun of the Dead/Zombieland

Both of these are greatly made zombie films that wonderfully parody the genre and represent modern society. These films are hilariously crafted using intelligent black comedy that leaves the viewer wondering whether or not they should be laughing (RIP Bill Murray). The two films also show the criticize fast paced society and the fact that the end of the world might not be such a bad thing. The movies greatly parody the zombie genre by using our fast modern technology to obliterate the slow moving zombies. These are two great comedic movies that totally deserve to be on this list due to their ability to parody the genre and still critique our society.

5. Ichi the Killer/Audition

The amazing stylization and color of Takashi Miike's films were original and inspirational for the films of this decade. These two movies are both flawlessly made with an eye for detail that many filmmakers fail to obtain. Audition is a dreamlike and slow-moving horror film that deals with the uncertainty of relationships as well as female empowerment. Ichi the Killer is a colorful and outstanding movie that is Miike's best film in my opinion, mostly due to its enjoyability and wild premise. These films also grew wide acclaim throughout the world, which sparked the rise in the Japanese horror and gore market for horror films. Both of these are tremendously good films that defined the Japanese market and were two of the best films of the decade.

4. 28 Days Later/28 Weeks Later

Remember when earlier I said that Shaun of the Dead was a great parody of the zombie genre that also critiqued modern society? 28 Days Later is like that, but without the comedy and much more ruthless concerning its criticism. These films made zombies scary all over again by making them fast as hell and fueled by an infectious disease we ourselves created. In our modern world everything can be explained by science, which is why it is so terrifying that our 'no hope' scenario is created by our science itself. By using the infected as an allegory for our angry society, the movie shows us the inhumanity of humans and how the earth would probably be better off without us. 28 Weeks Later shows how by rebuilding society in the way we remember it we can only repeat our mistakes, and in the end return to self destruction. These are brilliant zombie movies that greatly show our society's errors.

3. Inglourious Basterds/Kill Bill

I just had to throw Tarantino's two films of this decade (not including Grindhouse) on this list because he is Tarantino. The man himself was a huge figure of the decade, whether by using his influence to help films get released in North America to shedding light on the Japanese and Asian film markets. Not to mention that he also created to awesomely fun and energetic films with superb direction, acting, and camerawork. Kill Bill and Basterds were powerful and remarkably crafted films that could probably be at the top of this list, but sometimes Tarantino's style is to borrow from other films, some much more deserving of the top spots.

Honorable Mention: Grindhouse

This was an outstanding horror film that introduced modern audiences to the grindhouse cinema of the early seventies. Planet Terror and Death Proof are two unpolished and dirty horror films with no boundaries on what can happen. With tons of gore and a strictly dark sense of humor these two films not only bring new life to the horror genre, but also parody the stupidity of the subject matter. Grindhouse was a greatly made film this is probably the best horror movie of the decade, which is why it deserves and honorable mention.

2. Battle Royale

"Wow" is probably the best word to describe the scope of this brilliantly designed film. Wonderfully shot and with the perfect setting and lighting, Battle Royale is one of the most impressive films of the decade. The look into the human condition is chilling and correct, with the film's plot dealing with school-children killing each other to stay alive. Harshly criticizing Asian culture's controlling and self-destructive nature, Battle Royale successfully remains emotional and unforgiving towards the audience. Many films feel the need to sacrifice entertainment for being artsy, which Battle Royale does not fall a victim to, perfectly balancing the criteria of both aspects perfectly. After ten years Battle Royale is a classic; still a thought provoking and powerfully emotional film.

1. The Host

A unique and energetic film, The Host was a brilliant Korean monster movie with likable characters and an amazing story. I believe that this was one of the most enjoyable film's of the decade, as well as one of the most powerful and thought provoking. The monster is created by man's scientific error, which adds to the realism of the film and creates a truly terrifying reason for the audience to fear this monster. The film is also enhanced by brilliant cinematography and dreary lighting, as well as long shots that show the scope of the monster's attacks upon civilization. The plot deals with one family's struggle to rescue their daughter from the giant tadpole monster, which leads to an unforgiving and depressing ending that leaves the viewer truly impacted by the characters' actions. The film constantly shows the struggles of remaining a family and the growing detachment that youth have from their parents. The movie does a great job at showing the reaction to a monster attack and how the government and corporations would step in to deal with the chaos. This movie embodies the entire fear and uncertainty of scientific process that our civilization has had over the past decade, as well as deals with the importance of preserving the environment and the corporate control of the world. Hands down an amazing film that is easily the best of the decade.