The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

Damn, forgot about "Murderball". Would have made my list.

Documentaries generally have a tough time cracking these lists. Which is why we did a list just for them. CLICKY HERE. Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man was the MoFo top choice at the time.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

I had Primer on my list for a while. I have watched it perhaps 6-8 times since it was released. That said, I find it much more engaging as a thought experiment or perhaps an almost-concise explanation of an idea on film, more so than an engaging and artful piece of film making, so I ultimately cut it from my list. It might be that I am not quite smart enough to fully grasp it on either an ideological level or as a piece of art.

Fellowship of the Ring was my #5. I have always adored this film from the day I saw it in theaters and was totally blown away. It's one of those films that, if I happen across it, I am watching it. Easily my favorite of the trilogy, which I think is strong across the board. Perfectly cast, the world feels magical, and my opinion of the film only grew once the extended edition was released, which I prefer over the theatrical cut. if I had to point out a flaw, it's that Jackson pulls off the dark stuff a bit better than the light, but that is a minor quibble. Funny thing: I troll my wife with the "I choose a mortal life" quote all the time, and she rolls her eyes every time. In fact, I just sent her the gif again right now...



And finally...

No Country for Old Men was at the top of my list, at #1. Pretty much a perfect film, and one I have seen at least a dozen times. Is it my favorite Coen? Hard to say, as I like both The Big Lebowski and Miller's Crossing at least as much. Alas, that's a story for another decade...I don't have much to add that others haven't already articulated. Fantastic stuff.

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I loved this film upon first viewing. With further viewings came away with a film with some great scenes, but lacking in continuity, if that makes sense.

A lot of good stuff on that list. The Top 20 are all great (haven't seen Blackfish), except for Dear Zachary. Never have I found such an enormous divide between the emotional impact of a film and its quality as a film. The story it is telling is a living nightmare and leads to what would be in the top 3 most gutting experiences I've ever had watching a movie of any kind. But I think it is an absolutely atrocious film. How this is even possible, I don't know, but here we are. Maybe it deserves its high level of recognition, just for this miraculous feat alone.

Wait a minute....My Winnipeg is a documentary?



Is this because we are playing fast and loose with the definition of a documentary, or....do people from other countries actually think this is what living in Canada is like?

Act of Killing was initially on my list. Until I realized it was from the wrong decade.

Films from my ballot that didn't make it:

4. Mysterious Skin (2004)
A film that is too painful to watch that often. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbet are amazing in this film about a male hustler and a man who believes he's the victim of alien abduction and about how both of their lives are connected to a shared trauma from their past.

6. Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
Another too-painful film that I also happen to think is great. Moodysson's film slowly and in heart-searing detail shows how a young woman becomes pulled into the world of sex trafficking. Anchored by Oksana Akinshina's excellent performance, this unsparing and yet deeply empathetic film literally revolutionized the way that I think about how violence and specifically sexual violence is shown in movies.

7. Stardust (2007)
Like Hot Fuzz, this is a movie that makes me smile. It's an "anytime" movie for me. I can watch it all the way through. Watch just the first half, just the last 30 minutes, whatever.

13. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

I thought that this entry in the Harry Potter franchise was visually engaging and a really solid children's/family film. The look of it was just so much how I often imagined the kind of fantasy books in the genre.

14. Lake Mungo (2009)
One of my favorite movies, period, this faux-documentary follows the strange and supernatural events that follow the family of a teenage girl who accidentally drowns. While it has one of the most memorable "scary moments" of any film I can think of, it takes time and care with the emotional rollercoaster that comes with such a profound loss. It's a deeply unsettling movie that combines supernatural horror with the mundane horror of being a teenager.

17.Coraline (2009)
An imaginative, enjoyably dark adaptation of Gaiman's novel.

18. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
The scene with the snakes made me laugh so hard the first time I saw it that I got a cramp in my side. It often still has that effect on me during rewatches. This is unabashedly a live-action cartoon. It's my favorite of Stephen Chow's films.

20. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
A nostalgic favorite. Great voice performances and lots of little visual elements that make revisiting it rewarding.

21. Frailty (2001)
I knew that horror wouldn't make a strong showing, but I did hope that this film from Bill Paxton might be shown some love. Alternating between the present and the past, this story of two brothers being raised by a father who claims to be able to see demons in the faces of everyday people packs a punch from beginning to end.

22. A Single Man (2009)
A visually stunning film with a great central performance from Colin Firth. This period piece set in the 1960s follows a man who is mourning the death of his lover and his despair and social isolation.

23. Primer (2004)
I'm surprised that this one didn't make the list, honestly. It's a different, innovative piece of sci-fi filmmaking. The elaborate and overlapping time-travel dynamics are engaging, but so are the ways that the two central characters grow apart.

24.A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Just another really solid horror film with memorable moments and several stunning horror sequences. Another one that I thought might *just* sneak in at the bottom of the countdown.

Let's be real: it's both.

I mean, doesn't every Canadian have their coming-of-age sexual awakening in a locker room after a local hockey game?

Bad Lieutenant I might like more than any other Herzog. I don't have anything smart to say about it, other than the fact that Cage is tremendous and that it's a much more dynamic experience than the Ferrara "original". One of those cases where the director and star's idiosyncrasies perfectly complement each other to deceptively moving results.


Femme Fatale is the last sexy movie, so I had to vote for it. But really, if you can ignore that the story is nonsense, there's some tremendous filmmaking. The Cannes sequence is one of the best things De Palma's ever done, and I say that as a big fan.

I hate hockey.

Too busy shutting yourself inside and watching re-runs of Ledge Man, I assume.


The only kind of awakening I ever had during my years playing hockey, was realizing I didn't like spending any time with kids who played hockey.

Because of that awkward coming-of-age self-realization moment in the locker room? Hey, we get it.

S-hit, I forgot to quote this!



Hubris

Glad to see No Country take it since it got my vote and the Rings movie was tough for me to get through.


Seen 85/100, I think, have to double-check

Thank you very much Thief! Since you did such a great job and you have nothing else going on, you may as well host the next countdown too.

I was never on the team.

I don't like Tim Horton's either. Pretty sure I'm getting deported.

This was a really fun list overall!

Considering the fact I’m a mid-90s kid the 2000s were kinda my year for movies. I grew up watching and loving so much of what came out during that decade. That also made it harder to make a list so at one point I just decided to send it in instead of trying to make a perfect list. I think it turned out okay with a good mix of everything and not too much repetitive stuff…

Here’s my full list:

1. No Country for Old Men (2007)
2. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
3. Memories of Murder (2003)
4. Hot Fuzz (2007)
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
6. Corpse Bride (2005)
7. Children of Men (2006)
8. Coraline (2009)
9. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
10. Ratatouille (2007)
11. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
12. Oldboy (2003)
13. Apocalypto (2006)
14. The Wrestler (2008)
15. Gran Torino (2008)
16. Superbad (2007)
17. WALL·E (2008)
18. The Incredibles (2004)
19. Waltz with Bashir (2007)
20. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
21. In the Mood for Love (2000)
22. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
23. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
24. Snatch (2000)
25. The Fast and the Furious (2001)


As already mentioned, I’m also sad to see the absence of documentaries… I had two on my list. Also, I really wanted Apocalypto as well as Gran Torino to make it.

Seen 87/100.

Here is my ballot:

1. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
2. I Am So Proud of You (2008)
3. Everything Will Be OK (2006)
4. There Will Be Blood (2007)
5. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
6. No Country for Old Men (2007)
7. Mulholland Drive (2001)
8. Antichrist (2009)
9. American Psycho (2000)
10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
11. Zodiac (2007)
12. WALL·E (2008)
13. Oldboy (2003)
14. Adaptation. (2002)
15. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
16. Amer (2009)
17. Black Dynamite (2009)
18. Observe and Report (2009)
19. Rabbits (2002)
20. A Town Called Panic (2009)
21. Tears of the Black Tiger (2000)
22. The Heart of the World (2000)
23. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
24. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
25. Jason X (2001)


I'm never really pleased with how my own ballot shakes out. This time is no different. This decade is the one I've probably seen the most from but explored the least of, if that makes any sense.

i feel this 100%