Well, it’s taken four full months but I’ve got it. Here are the Top Ten (11) films of the 2000s. I went with 11 ’cause it’s my damn list and I’ll do with it as I please. The last decade was full of ups and downs on a year-to-year basis but over all there were some tremendous films American Psycho, Baadasssss!, Bloody Sunday, Best in Show, Inglourious Basterds, Heist, Kill Bill, The Room, The Royal Tenenbaums, Shaun of the Dead, State and Main, WALL-E, et al. But here are the Big 10 (11).

Almost Famous (2000, Cameron Crowe) A high-school boy (Patrick Fugit) is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies it on their concert tour. I just kept coming back to this one over and over again as I was making this list. Solid storytelling, great acting, and a compelling (mostly) true tale about a young man’s quest to be cool and learning that sometimes not being cool is the coolest thing of all. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes a terrific turn as Lester Bangs and Jason Lee gives what will probably be the best performance of his life in a non-Chipmunk related film. Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, nominated for 2 Best Supporting Actress (Kate Hudson & Frances McDormand) and Best Editing.

Casino Royale (2006, Martin Campbell) In his first mission, James Bond (Daniel Craig) must stop Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a banker to the world’s terrorist organizations, from winning a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro. There are Bond films and then there are Bond films. Casino Royale is the latter. Series reboots have never looked so good. Daniel Craig might not be the best James Bond but he is probably the best actor to play the role so far. With Bond XXIII (maybe called The Hildebrand Rarity, maybe not) delayed indefinately, films like this sustain me in my darkest hours. Fun fact: Most faithful Bond novel adaptation since From Russia With Love (in the book its Bacarat not Poker) followed by Quantum of Solace which only took the Fleming’s title and left the rest to die in a ditch.

Hot Fuzz (2007, Edgar Wright) Jealous colleagues conspire to get a top London cop (Simon Pegg) transferred to a small town and paired with a witless new partner (Nick Frost).  Hard to choose between this and Shaun of the Dead but choices must be made and this film is better. It’s funnier, it’s cleverer, and it just totally rocks the Kasbah. Best film of 2007 and that is saying something. Both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost give excellent performances surrounded by a veritable who’s who of British character actors. Look out for Cate Blanchet & Peter Jackson in the early London scenes.

The Incredibles (2004, Brad Bird) A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.  Pixar has only missed once (Cars, and that’s more of a fowl-tip than a strike), WALL-E is a better film, Up is better animation achievement, but The Incredibles has that indescribable something that makes it a cut above. The genius of Brad Bird doesn’t hurt.  Oscar for Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Editing, nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing.

The Lord of the Rings (2001-03, Peter Jackson) 4 Hobbits, 2 warriors, a dwarf, and an elf embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron’s reign over Middle Earth. Can’t choose from amoung the three films so I’m not going to.  Say what you will about The Return of the King’s ending(s) or that The Two Towers isn’t even really a full movie, this is a remarkable cinematic achievement. And if you ever have 12 hours, you should watch all three extended cuts back-to-back-to-back. I did once. Once. The trilogy won 17 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2 for Cinematography, and 3 for Visual Effects; nominated for 13 more.

Memento (2001, Christopher Nolan) A man suffering from short-term memory loss (Guy Pierce) uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man who killed his wife. Say what you will about Chirstopher Nolan being an insufferable, pompous ass, he makes goddam good films. Memento makes the list over The Prestige, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight (and Insomnia for obvious reasons) because of its unconventional and well-thoughtout storytelling device. Excellent acting combine with excellent screenplay and direction and create a film that is . . . well, excellent. Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.

A Serious Man (2009, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor, watches his life unravel through multiple sudden incidents. Originally this slot was occupied by No Country for Old Men. But after discussing both films with a mustachoed gent over a cup of coffee, I came to realize that this smaller work is the superior film. A Serious Man is that rare kind of picture that very few filmmakers ever get to make. It’s dark and funny and devistating and simple and plotless and brilliant. It is a unique artistic expression from two of the greatest filmmakers ever. There are pieces of Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski here to be sure; but what makes it surpass so many other films of the last decade is its surprising moments of self-realisation. Without warning, A Serious Man will chill you to the core. One leaves the theatre having had their thought process shifted. Brilliance.  Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Primer (2004, Shane Carruth) Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there’s something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they’ve built, wrestle over their new invention. FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a sucker for any movie about time travel. But Primer is much, much more. Made for less money that half-an-hour of shooting on any movie Michael Bay has read, Primer quitely and quickly gets inside your mind and then screws with it. I dare you to only watch it once. Whole websites have been built mapping out the timelines of the various characters. And yet, these details don’t bother you until well after you’ve finished watching it. It’s impossible to shake. It is independent cinema at it’s very best.

The Station Agent (2003, Thomas McCarthy) When his only friend dies, a man (Peter Dinklage) moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor (Bobby Cannavale) and a woman dealing with her own personal loss (Patricia Clarkson). With this film and The Visitor, Tom McCarthy is quickly establishing himself as one of the best character-driven writer/directors out there. His characters are fully-drawn, ordinary misfits doing the best they can. The Station Agent finds humor and sadness among a group of three “loosers” and warms your heart as it does so. Dinklage gives the performance of his career and should’ve at least been nominated for an Oscar. Brilliant little film.

Strong Language (2000, Simon Rumley) While a narrator (David Groves) tells the story of a night of terror that changes his life forever, 16 young people chat about their lives in London in the late 90s. With topics ranging from Ecstasy to AIDS to BritPop, racism, punk, hooliganism, and the London Police. You’ve never heard of this movie. I know of only two other people in this country who have ever seen this movie. It’s not on DVD in this country. I don’t know that it ever got a theatrical release. I only saw it by chance in a Widener Law School dorm room on VHS because my friends Zach & Gene and I enjoy quirkly British pop culture. But if it ever comes here in a viewable format, I will shout from the rafters. All people do in this film is talk directly to the camera. It’s funny, compelling, and will break your heart. Simplicity can be brilliant on its own and Strong Language is proof.

Strong Language from Simon Rumley on Vimeo.

There Will Be Blood (2007, Paul Thomas Anderson) A story about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered around a turn-of-the-century prospector (Daniel Day Lewis) in the early days of the business. If Stanley Kubrick ever wanted to make a film about an oil man, it would have looked like this. PT Anderson takes a long time between his films these days and they are certianly worth the weight. Daniel Day Lewis won his second and well-deserved Oscar for H W Plainview. He will scare, amuse, and disappoint you over and over again. Sweeping shots of the Texas countryside combined with a haunting score, terse direction, and a tight script. What more do you want from a film? Oscars for Best Actor (Daniel Day Lewis) and Best Cinematography (Robert Elswit) and nominated for 6 more including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.