Decade pt. i (Top Five 00’s Movies – 2000)

We find ourselves in the final year of this decade…and speaking of this decade, what exactly are we calling it now that it’s almost over? (The Oh’s??). I’m sure the lasting legacy of this decade won’t be completely understood for a few years yet, but here’s hoping that we didn’t step on any proverbial butterflies and screw the future up too badly.

At the movies, it might likely go down as an “OK” decade. There were landmark films that will inspire many to come. There were films that seemed amazing at the time, though likely won’t age well…and there were films I’m sure many of us wish hadn’t happened (CAT IN THE HAT – I’m looking at you).

A few other bloggers have already started putting together their lists of the best films of the decade, so you know of course that I must give my two cents as well. I thought I might go one year at a time, offering up a top five for each. So after playing catch up this week and next, I’ll offer up one a month for the rest of the year, culminating with my top five of ’09 in December, and top five of the decade on New Year’s Day (I can sense you marking your calender already!). Let’s begin…

#5. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON… The film was actually a play on Chineese myths and fairy tales, but many North American audiences hadn’t seen anything like it before and lost themselves in the flights and fights. This was the movie that made Ang Lee a household name, and really rekindled the mainstream’s interest in Asian cinema. Looking back now, it feels like ten or twelve too many copycat films were made, most of which could not achieve the crossover appeal of this romantic action epic.

#4. BILLY ELLIOT… Looking back, I believe this might be the most underrated film of the decade. Cut from the cloth of THE COMMITMENTS, this is the story of a English miner’s son, who wants nothing more than to dance. It’s a heartfelt and moving film – but it remains one that wasn’t widely seen. It’s backed by a fierce soundtrack that includes T-Rex, The Jam, and The Clash and backdropped by the true story of miners’ strikes that nearly ruined the country in the 80’s. Strangely, Jamie Ball’s career didn’t really soar after this film the way it does for many child actors, but director Stephen Daldry did land an Oscar nomination for this, his debut film (and likewise for both other films he directed this decade – pretty good run!). If you’ve never seen this passionate movie, rent it this weekend – you can thank me later.

#3. ALMOST FAMOUS… So, to be clear, I’m ranking these in order of what I think is the best – which is why this, my all-time favorite film comes in at only number three. There’s precious little I could say about this film that I’ve never said before. I will say this though: Looking back, it could very well be the best written screenplay of the decade. I could provide examples of the many brilliant lines it includes (“Go to the record store and visit all your friends”…”I am a golden god!”…”I’m telling secrets to the one guy you don’t tell secrets to”…), but that could fill an entire blog entry all its own.

#2. REQUIEM FOR A DREAM… This cinematic equivalent of an ass-kicking that tells the story of four people who want nothing more than to climb out of the gutter their life has become, only to end up flat on their backs even deeper in the ditch. Unflinchingly directed, and edited with the rope-a-dope rhythm, this film is morose, shocking, disturbing, and brilliant. This is one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen in my life – and I never want to see it again.

#1. TRAFFIC… Stephen Soderbergh can be wildly inconsistent (and I say that as a fan), but when he’s on – he’s on. In a perfect world, this film would have taken the Oscar for Best Picture – though it did score Soderbergh Best Director in a rare year where the two awards were split. This epic about the futility of The War on Drugs is memorable for a wealth of great acting, some eye-popping cinematography, and a narrative that overlaps just enough, to illustrate how interconnected our lives really are. the movie reminds us that while every crusade may seem to be black and white, there are often too many variables to pound a podium and provide a soundbite. As it happens, the most telling quote a politician can give in this movie is “If there is a war on drugs, then many of our family members are the eney…I don’t know how you wage war on your own family.” One can only wonder if in five to ten years time, will we get an equally bleak look at The War on Terror?

Others on my shortlist for 2000 include TIGERLAND, O’ BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, HIGH FIDELITY, CHICKEN RUN, and GLADIATOR. Check in on April 28th for the next installment, my top five films of 2001.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave commenst with your own favorite movies from 2000, along with suggestions for the next top five.