+21
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.