Movie Forums Top 100 of the Aughts (the 00s) - Recommendation Thread

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Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...

2002: Secretary



Extremely weird dark comedy about the relationship between a dominant executive and his submissive and somewhat mentally unstable secretary. The film stars James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal in those two lead roles. This is another one I haven't seen in a gooood while, but I remember being intrigued by its somewhat bizarre plot and odd, dark humor.
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Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...

2003: Runaway Jury



The film follows the trial after a shooting as lawyers on both sides try to get the upper hand, while jurors try to make one from two. A bit of "fluff", so to speak, but I kinda dig this. It has a couple of nifty twists and if anything, it's worth it to see Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman face each other. They're both great, and John Cusack and Rachel Weisz are solid as the other leads.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...

2003: Runaway Jury



The film follows the trial after a shooting as lawyers on both sides try to get the upper hand, while jurors try to make one from two. A bit of "fluff", so to speak, but I kinda dig this. It has a couple of nifty twists and if anything, it's worth it to see Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman face each other. They're both great, and John Cusack and Rachel Weisz are solid as the other leads.

I just watched Runaway Jury last week. I loved it, and it has a chance to make my list.
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Going through contenders I came across this 2007 film that I was quite fond of at the time - it's definitely a recommendation from me :



Joy Division and the sound of the ill-fated Ian Curtis made up a part of my youth. This film about him can't be ignored :



This one has been discussed in another 2000s Countdown thread already, but I'll never be done recommending that people see it :



Another serious contender for me :



I can't talk about Miranda July without bringing up Todd Solondz :

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Looks like I came back at just the right time

I shall get a list together pronto
I'll be waiting...




Throw out some love for Moon (2009) while I'm here
Working on my list as we speak...
Serious fan of Moon here. Not sure if it will make my list, but it's in the conversation.



Going through contenders I came across this 2007 film that I was quite fond of at the time - it's definitely a recommendation from me :



Joy Division and the sound of the ill-fated Ian Curtis made up a part of my youth. This film about him can't be ignored :



This one has been discussed in another 2000s Countdown thread already, but I'll never be done recommending that people see it :



Another serious contender for me :



I can't talk about Miranda July without bringing up Todd Solondz :

I don't think I had ever heard of the first two.

Lazarescu has gotten some love recently, I think it was @Takoma11 that saw it last week, and @SpelingError has vouched for it often too.

I think I had heard of the other two, but not much of them.



Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...
I was thinking of doing the same thing, although more lazy with just one post/one list and these likely won't make my list. They are kind of random, though.

Okay here it is:

La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000, Peter Watkins)
Porto of My Childhood (2001, Manoel de Oliveira)
Bloody Sunday (2002, Paul Greengrass)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003, Thom Andersen)
L'Intrus (2004, Claire Denis)
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005, George Clooney)
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006, Spike Lee)
United Red Army (2007, Koji Wakamatsu)
Historias extraordinarias (2008, Mariano Llinas)
In the Loop (2009, Armando Iannucci)
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I was thinking of doing the same thing, although more lazy with just one post/one list and these likely won't make my list. They are kind of random, though.

Okay here it is:

La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000, Peter Watkins)
Porto of My Childhood (2001, Manoel de Oliveira)
Bloody Sunday (2002, Paul Greengrass)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003, Thom Andersen)
L'Intrus (2004, Claire Denis)
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005, George Clooney)
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006, Spike Lee)
United Red Army (2007, Koji Wakamatsu)
Historias extraordinarias (2008, Mariano Llinas)
In the Loop (2009, Armando Iannucci)
The only ones I've seen from that list are Bloody Sunday and In the Loop. Really liked both, but I doubt I'll have space in my ballot for them.

I think I also saw When the Levees Broke, but not all of it.



Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...

2004: Turtles Can Fly



The film follows a group of kids in the Turkey-Iran border that work recollecting land mines, and the bond they develop in the midst of the chaos. I haven't seen this in a long, long time, but I remember it being quite powerful and well acted. I've been meaning to rewatch it, so maybe I'll give it a shot before sending my ballot.



Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...

2005: Red Eye



The film follows a woman (Rachel McAdams) that is held hostage while on a plane by a charming terrorist (Cillian Murphy) that wants to use her access to assassinate a political figure. This is another one that might be dismissed as a generic thriller, but in my opinion, the film is a master class in building dread and tension; at least for the first 1 or 2 acts. Unfortunately, like many Wes Craven films, it falls apart a bit in the last act, but still...



Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...

2006: 16 Blocks



The film follows a washed up detective (Bruce Willis) that has to escort a witness (Mos Def), when he discovers a conspiracy to murder him. In many ways, this is a generic action thriller, but then again, it isn't. Willis still gave a f**k here, and it's always a pleasure to see David Morse in anything. Nothing spectacular, but I've always had a soft spot for it and see it frequently.



Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...

2007: Persepolis



The film follows a young girl coming of age in the midst of the Iranian Revolution. I should probably give this a rewatch, but I do remember it being quite good and interesting. Great animation and a thought-provoking story.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
For those of you who like animated movies, I recommend giving Hoodwinked! (2005) a try. It's a warped version of Little Red Riding Hood, and it's very funny.

Trailer:


And the full movie is on YouTube for free:



Random recommendations for each year of the decade that might or might not make it on my list...

2008: The Wave



This is a German film and it follows a history teacher that starts a project with his students in order to make a point about how dictatorships could still be a possibility in the country. To achieve this, he organizes them slowly enforcing dictatorship tactics within them. However, the project slips from his hands with tragic results. I thought it was an interesting premise and, for the most part, it was executed well.