The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

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I watched Donnie Darko right before started this countdown and to be honest I really dug it, hadn't seen it in more than ten years probably and to say I had no idea what it was about would be putting it mildly. And yes I also grew up with a movie crowd that also had high opinions about it.

Ratatoullie I watched around ten years ago when I watched all of pixar/s movies, I'm assuming this was right after the third Toy Story movie came out and there was a pixar-mania going around. I remember it being pretty good but not my favorite.

Both good choices and no beef about them being ranked this high.



Ratatouille was #1 for my animation ballot so it almost made my contenders list for this. Not quite though.

I grew to love Donnie Darko after not caring for it the first time.

1. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) (#59)
2. Downfall (2004) (#28)
4. City of God (2002) (#25)
5. Adaptation (2002) (#43)
6. The Devil's Rejects (2005) (#94)
8. 28 Days Later (2002) (#45)
10. The Wrestler (2008) (#54)
11. Mystic River (2003) (#65)
14. Sideways (2002) (#39)
15. Amores Perros (2000) (#81)
16. Donnie Darko (2001) (#24)
17. Y tu mamá también (2001) (#95)



Haven't Seen: Ratatouille

Seen, Didn't Care For: Donnie Darko. Liked parts of this. But not the film itself.

Made the List:

City of God is my number one. The story about a kid and his quest to escape the favela in Rio is gripping. There may just be one actor in the group (it was the actor who played Carrot) but it's very hard to tell. There's an energy, a vitality throughout City of God that burns from the opening reel until the end. Thanks to director Fernando Meirelles, there's a nice mix of lighter moments (the fireworks) with darker ones (the endless war).

Requiem for a Dream is my number 15. It's a grim film with some dark humor measured in. But it does explore addiction in various forms using a group of people that are closely connected. As they struggle to feed their addiction, they get stuck in situations that place them deeper in desperation and delusion. Well acted and written (it appears to be a career high for Marlon Wayans who proves he can handle drama), it's not something to turn on when it shows up mid-film. But you pay attention to its rhythms and dive in to the film and it does prove to be a rewarding cautionary tale.

My List:
1. City of God

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
8. Up
9. Million Dollar Baby
11. Spider-Man 2
13. Brokeback Mountain
14. Finding Nemo
15. Requiem for a Dream
21. Chicago (Near Miss)
22. The Wrestler
25. Gladiator

Honorable Mentions:
Remember the Titans
Unbreakable



This list is on a heater- the film that got me into film and the best animation ever made

My List
1. The Pianist (2002)
2. Donnie Darko (2001)
8. Gran Torino (2008). (#108)
11. Caché (2005)
12. Ratatouille (2007)
15. Downfall (2004)
16. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
17. A Serious Man (2009)
18. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
21. Battle Royale (2000)
22. City of God (2002)
25. Bellamy (2009. (1 pointer)

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Hint, hint...

WARNING: spoilers below




Uh, Minority Report?
Mmm, No Country for Old Men? I'm horrible at hints.

I really enjoyed Donnie Darko but haven't seen it in a while so didn't place it on my list. I have yet to see Ratatouille but intend to. More failure for my list.


#5.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 63
#8. Unbreakable 62
#10. Million Dollar Baby 57
#18. The Royal Tenenbaums 35
#22. Fantastic Mr. Fox 70
#20. Iron Man 83
#21 Finding Nemo 44
#23. The Descent 80
#25. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 76
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Oldboy is the first hint pic. Not sure about the second. Maybe O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
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I have the DVD of Requiem for a Dream, but I didn't watch it because I thought it was a foreign language movie. (I probably had it confused with another movie, but I'm not sure what movie.) It might not be my type of movie, but maybe I'll watch it eventually.

I haven't seen City of God.

I watched Donnie Darko several years ago. (I think it was nominated in a HoF or movie tournament a while back.) I thought it was a strange movie, but I liked it enough that I bought the DVD. I rewatched it for this countdown, and it definitely was better the second time. It's still a strange movie, but I find it very intriguing, and I think it's the type of movie that will probably be better on each rewatch.

Ratatouille is a good movie, but IMO it's a mid-tier Pixar movie. (I think part of the problem might be that the concept of rats in the kitchen might subconsciously be an issue for me.)
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Hint, hint...
WARNING: spoilers below


Clearly that's the comedic masterpiece Little Man. Couldn't be more obvious. About damn time it showed up. I was beginning to worry that it missed the countdown.

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I forgot the opening line.
24. Donnie Darko : - This was the absolute last agonizing cut I made from my list, and all for naught anyway because the film I cut it for didn't make the countdown (unless it shocks the hell out of me and appears yet.) I rewatched Donnie Darko specifically for this, and had a great time becoming reacquainted with it. If anything, it's gone up in my estimation and is grounded by a superb performance from Jake Gyllenhaal and fantastic script from Richard Kelly whose career nosedived, perhaps for being a little too ambitious after this breakout writing/directing effort. Kelly welded teenage alienation to the very forces that drive the universe and let if flow through a nostalgic trip back to the 1980s, with a soundtrack that just compounds how good everything feels in this film. I have all the time in the world for Donnie Darko, and can see myself watching it many more times in the future - it has no flat spots - something interesting is always happening and questions are always being asked. I don't know if it really has any of the answers - but it's the looking and pondering that I enjoy, and I got plenty of that from this film in a very entertaining yet spooky and dark manner.

23. Ratatouille : I have not seen Ratatouille and I did not realise it was this popular and well regarded. Pixar films are set to dominate this countdown (they already do, but I'm sure there are another few yet to be revealed.)

Seen 65/78
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247 points, 19 lists
Oldboy
Director

Park Chan-wook, 2003

Starring

Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Byung-ok

#22








249 points, 15 lists
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Director

Joel Coen, 2000

Starring

George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, Chris Thomas King

#21




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