The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

As I've implied in other posts, a lot of my choices were personal favorites over some measurable, objective standards. For at least a third of those selections, those had to be weighed against other, similar genre movies as there's just not enough room in a 25-spot list for a more accurate representation. Some movies in my list received somewhat arbitrary leverage based on my own logic. For example, Coraline claimed the spot that might have otherwise gone to Spirited Away as I found it just a bit more interesting and worthy of representation. Though both deserve to be listed, only one could make it relative to all the other hard choices I was making. Another example, 40 Year Old Virgin trumped my comedy options such as Super Bad. I just have to give props to that Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In cover, pushing it to the lead. Moulin Rouge! just barely beat out Chicago.

Both Cloverfield and The Mist had to be in my list somewhere as they were just great fun in spite of their flaws. The endings in both made up for any of the negative, IMO. I am surprised that Serenity, as an excellent sci-fi action flick, didn't land, but I am most disappointed that Training Day did not make the 100 list. Only slightly less disappointing is knowing Good Night, and Good Luck missed the run as well. I expected both to have more sway here than they seem to.

I completely forgot The Watchmen was from this decade which would have easily landed within my top 10. Forgotten as well was Open Range. I just didn't consider either assuming they were newer films, though I believe Open Range likely would have just missed my own list desperate for other genre representation. Shame, as the only reason for that is the 25-spot cap and the amount of other movies that won my internal representation wars. Another movie that I'm excited to notice creeping into the conversation is Triangle. I love this movie!!! Unfortunately, its B nature just couldn't hold on against the avalanche of so many other picks to weigh in.

Even Kung Pow: Enter the Fist just barely won against Pootie Tang. it came down to cherry pie vs weee-oh-weeee-oh and Black Betty vs Pootie's new hit single, " ".

The one movie from my list that really never seems to find attention, and the one I have to whole-heartedly suggest if you like odd, stream of conscious, surreal type of movies is Slipstream (2007). This movie was written, directed, and scored by Anthony Hopkins, also playing lead against an excellent ensemble casting (John Turturro, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Kevin McCarthy, and Christian Slater, just to name maybe half). And the underlying theme is script-writing!!! That should feel right at home here. Someone pick this up and watch it!? Sedai, this is for your list of pickups.

The following trailer is how the movie plays. No typical trailer gimmicks or edits were added. This is how the movie is.



My list:

1. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

3. Serenity (2005)

4. The Fountain (2006)

5. Slipstream (2007)

6. The Departed (2006)

7. Michael Clayton (2007)

8. Let the Right One In (2008)

9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

10. Training Day (2001)

11. Gangs of New York (2002)

12. Solaris (2002)

13. Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

14. There Will Be Blood (2007)

15. In the Mood for Love (2000)

16. Collateral (2004)

17. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

18. Moon (2009)

19. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

20. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

21. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

22. Coraline (2009)

23. Cloverfield (2008)

24. The Mist (2007)

25. Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)

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"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel

"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel

"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear

My list. I'm ready for my public shaming.

Keep in mind I came of age in the 2000s. Shame accordingly.

1. Treasure Planet (2002)
2. Titan A.E. (2000)
3. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
4. The Fountain (2006)
5. The Road to El Dorado (2000)
6. Pitch Black (2000)
7. The Road (2009)
8. Children of Men (2006)
9. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
10. Spirited Away (2001)
11. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
12. The Beach (2000)
13. Munich (2005)
14. Something's Gotta Give (2003)
15. Training Day (2001)
16. There Will Be Blood (2007)
17. Zoolander (2001)
18. Ratatouille (2007)
19. Up (2009)
20. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
21. U-571 (2000)
22. The Cell (2000)
23. Black Hawk Down (2001)
24. The Hunted (2003)
25. National Treasure (2004)

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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza

You've got taste in animation. Makes me even more mad that only one person voted Treasure Planet.

I know! I had a real hard time deciding which of those top 3 on my list was going to get number 1. They all have special significance for me (I was joking in the shoutbox about how my list shows I got daddy issues), but in the end I went with the one that was technologically best.

Treasure Planet animation was easily the best work from the 2000s, but it continually gets slept on. Probably didn't help that it was crazy expensive to make, so I don't ever see Disney doing a feature film like that again. Which is a travesty because that was the future of animation I was promised as a child. I'm looking at you Beauty and the Beast.

and I'm glad to see Training Day somewhere else too. That's a real head-scratcher, there. I think The Cell, Munich, and probably Black Hawk Down were all in my first considerations. Monsters, Inc. Should have also made my list but there's just not enough room.

As to The Fountain?

Re Training Day: Antoine Fuqua doesn't get half the respect he deserves. Besides Infinite, there's not a single thing of his that I didn't enjoy, and Infinite was only bad because of the writing. So Antoine Fuqua probably saved it from being worse than it would have been without him.

Re The Cell: That movie is peak Lopez. I thought it was an odd choice for her to star in that movie, but I appreciate the boldness of it. That movie still freaks the hell out of me, though. I didn't rewatch it for this countdown but I knew it had to go on the list.

Re Munich: Mossad spies in a 1970s period piece. That's really all of a reason I needed.

Re Black Hawk Down: I had a thing for Eric Bana in the 2000s, and this was one of his better roles. I had read the book in middle school and, if it hadn't been for my parents dissuading me every chance they got, I would have enlisted right out of high school because of this one.

Re Monsters, Inc.: This is the best Pixar movie ever. Period. I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. xD

As for The Fountain, it's no secret that's my favorite movie of all time. I've seen it far, far too many times. More than I care to admit. And I cry every time. I almost put it at number 1, but I was delusional to think anyone else was going to put it on their list. Glad to see we put it at the same spot. I only did that because I wanted to give my top 3 a fighting chance. They fought but had no chance.

Since Yoda posted the full results. To put a close on my ballot.

6. Best in Show (2000) (#136)
11. Hard Candy (2005) (#370)
12. The Last King of Scotland (2006) (#166)
14. The Road (2009) (#144)
18. United 93 (2006) (#299)
20. Black Snake Moan (2006) (#204)
21. The Girl Next Door (2004) (#534)
22. SherryBaby (2006) (#545)
23. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) (#216)


Mostly shocked at "United 93" being so low.

I'm curious who the third voter was for this. I had it at #11. Such a great movie.

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Whoever else voted for Syriana, you know who I am and I know who you are.

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7. Match Point (2005) 305
13. Kingdom of Heaven (2005) 165
16. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) 216
17. A History of Violence (2005) 178
20. Coraline (2009) 117
21. Broken Embraces (2009) 426
22. Volver (2006) 292

‘Twas me

Wanted to =\

I thank God the same title mishap on mine did not change the list in any way. I remember I mentioned that a last-minute list changed the #1 spot, which ended up not being true and some people were more than curious when the math didn't match up.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Just wanted to say that while they didn't make my list, I do respect this.

I'm way late because I kept forgetting this thread was in a different forum than the one I usually haunt but since I participated I'd like to share my list:

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
2. No Country for Old Men (2007)
3. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)
4. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
5. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
6. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
7. Lost in Translation (2003)
8. The Incredibles (2004)
9. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
10. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
11. Casino Royale (2006)
12. Amélie (2001)
13. Children of Men (2006)
14. Solaris (2002)
15. Chocolat (2000)
16. Ratatouille (2007)
17. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
18. Juno (2007)
19. Trick 'r Treat (2007)
20. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
21. Let the Right One In (2008)
22. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
23. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
24. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
25. Unbreakable (2000)

In retrospect, after having said that I had trouble even coming up with 25 from this decade, now I feel like there's a few more films coulda made it for me like The Proposition and A History Of Violence, both of which I considered and could really have maybe kicked out a couple of the lower ones, but I went with my heart and I'll stand by my list.

My top 10 matches
I could have sworn i put mulholland drive and spirited away in there also.

1. There Will Be Blood (2007)
2. Zodiac (2007)
3.
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
10.

It just occurred to me that I neglected to post my list!

Here it is, for better or for worse. At this point, I would make quite a few changes to it, like remembering to include In the Mood for Love.

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Amelie
3. Zodiac
4. Mulholland Drive
5. LOTR – The Fellowship of the Ring
6. Children of Men
7. Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
8. Inglorious Basterds
9. Million Dollar Baby
10. The Departed
11. Mystic River
12. Let the Right One In
13. The Prestige
14. The Descent
15. The Dark Knight
16. Pan’s Labyrinth
17. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
18. Memories of Murder
19. The Hurt Locker
20. There Will be Blood
21. Unbreakable
22. The Royal Tenenbaums
23. Hero (Yimou)
24. City of God
25. The Incredibles

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Damn our top 5/6 are so similar.

1. The Prestige (2006)
2. No Country for Old Men (2007)
3. Mulholland Drive (2001)
4. Batman Begins (2005)
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
6. Zodiac (2007)

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