Christina’s Top 15 Movies of the Decade

Here’s my long anticipated list of movies for the decade.  I never realized how hard it was to make these lists—so much second guessing that goes on.  Unlike Mitch, I’m a big fan of fantastical elements in films which I think had a large influence on my list.  I’m also not a big fan of current American comedies which is why I think our lists are so different.  Get ready to compare and criticize!

15. Up  I cried three times while watching this movie (tears down the face, sniffling, I needed tissues cries) and then laughed the rest of the way through it.  The montage at the beginning of the film is  most talked about because with very few words, cartoon characters succeed in absolutely breaking your heart.  Carl is a loveable, curmudgeonly old man and Russell an even more loveable wilderness explorer.  The supporting cast of characters including the talking dogs and Kevin make this film purely delightful for a person of any age to watch and enjoy.

Lost in Translation

14.  I’m a big fan of the “quiet, small moments in people’s lives” type of movie (if that makes sense) and this film would have to rank near the top of the list.  A relationship that begins and end during no more than a week but stays with you long after.  My favorite part about this movie is that the closest moment that these two characters share, the audience doesn’t even get to hear.  Perfect for a movie that’s all about quiet moments.  I think my next short list is going to be of some “quiet, small moment movies” of the decade. 

13.  Juno  My list was seriously lacking in comedies so I decided to add this one as my favorite of the decade.  I’m still not sure how the director Jason Reitman and Screenwriter Diablo Cody managed it, but they are able to treat controversial issues like teenage pregnancy and abortion comically and with a kind of innocence.  The continual sarcastic comments from Ellen Page’s title character in the midst of a serious situation coupled with moments of sincere emotion were well balanced.  Plus great soundtrack.

Wall-E

12.  On a future earth devoid of humans, a robot spends his every day dutifully doing his job cleaning the mess humans have made one trash compacted box at a time.  His only companion is a cockroach.  That’s pretty much the plot of the first twenty minutes of this movie.  While some people criticized the lack of dialogue for the first third of this movie, I thought it was fantastic.  Without words, the audience is made to love this little robot, and Wall-E soon becomes the perfect underdog type hero in whose hands the fate of the human race eventually rests.  The depiction of what humans have become also offers a not so subtle warning to our society.

                            11.  Memento

At first I couldn’t decide how I felt about this film, but after debating for a long time, I finally realized that the innovative way the main character’s story is told deserves it a place on this list.  The editing of this film is incredible.  It allows us to be just as lost as the main character at the beginning of the film, and then slowly through the way scenes are put together understand the mystery of what has happened by the end.  I think sometimes the telling of a story is what make it so interesting and that’s exactly the case here.

La Vie en Rose

10.  While this movie probably won’t end up on any other top 10 lists, I’m allowing it to be one of my guilty pleasures on the list.  Edith Piaf’s life story is devastating but moving, and Marion Cotillard, who steals the scene in almost every movie she’s in, gives an absolutely brilliant performance portraying Piaf from a teenage girl until her death.  (Credit needs to be given to the make-up artists there.)  This film introduced me to the unforgettable voice of Edith Piaf which earns it a spot on the top 10.

9.  Amelie  Amelie is an introverted dreamer whose plan is to make everyone close to her happy, but has difficulty finding love for herself. (Happily the notion of “you get what you give” plays out nicely in this movie.)  Her humorous and poignant narration and the dream-like, fantastical quality of the movie make it enchanting to watch. One of my favorite scenes is her leading the blind man through the streets and describing to him everything she sees. Rounding out the charm of this movie are the idyllic Parisian setting, vivid, fairy-tale like colors and lovely soundtrack composed by Yann Tiersen.

Spirited Away

8.  While Pixar’s computer animation seems to be taking over in the United States, this movie reminds us that hand drawn animation can be just as impressive.  From the imaginative and striking fantasy creatures Chirio meets in the spirit world, to the subtle expressions on her face and the attention to intricate detail, the film is a wonder to watch.  Plus there’s something about getting lost in another world and trying to find your way back home that I love in stories.

                                                   The Lives of Others

7.  “No man is an island entire of itself…Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind.”  I think the heart of this movie is about one man figuring that out.  Ulrich Mühe does a wonderful job of portraying the Stasi captain who mercilessly interrogates and investigates traitors to the East German Communist state, and then begins to crack when presented with human beauty—whether it be a girl, a relationship or music. The whole movie is so sad and beautiful at the same time.  It reminds me of something another young German girl caught in the midst of a different time of German oppression said, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are good at heart.” 

Gosford Park

6.  A murder mystery, intricately woven plot and witty dialogue all make this film entertaining to watch.  The underlying tensions between of the lives of upper and lower class living in one house building throughout the movie also add an intelligent social commentary to the movie.  And of course there’s the fantastic ensemble cast including such greats as Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith.  Director Robert Altman’s last great work.

5.  No Country for Old Men
  Samuel Taylor Coleridge once described Shakespeare’s villain Iago in the play Othello as a “motiveless malignity”.  His evil actions have no purpose, no clear reasoning behind them.  The term would also aptly describe the greatest villain created this decade, in Javier Bardem’s portrayal of Anton Chigurh. I guess there’s not much else to say that hasn’t already been said by Mitch.  You just never forget this guy.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

 4.  Like Memento (another film about memories), it’s the way this story is told that makes it so captivating.  The building up and then dissolution of Clementine and Joel’s relationship could be just like any other relationship movie out there, but adding the concept of memory, and its power and meaning in our lives is what makes this movie so effective.  I loved the way the memories are shown as being erased—through sound, visual effects, perspective or the interweaving of real time and memory.  It’s a original way of telling an old story and because of that it makes it new.  Kate Winslet (as usual) and (surprisingly) Jim Carrey both do a wonderful job with their characters.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy

3.  I grouped all the movies together because like most others I don’t want to be consigned to chose which was the best.  Also seen as a trilogy, (as they should be) these films constitute an undeniably remarkable cinematic achievement for Peter Jackson.   Recreating the world of Middle Earth for thousands of Tolkien fans could have led to lots of criticism, but no one can argue that he managed to effectively represent the series on an epic scale. The landscapes, the characters, the battles are all impressive and the heart of Tolkien’s stories about good and evil about friendship and loyalty and love remain at the center of these movies as well.

Children of Men.

2.  Children of Men depicts a future society where the world is falling to pieces because of the destructiveness of humans.  The concept has been a bit overplayed these past few decades, so what makes this story different from all the others?  I think it’s the premise that in the midst of all this destruction, the ultimate act of human creation—a baby being born—has also ceased to take place and what effect that can have on our collective consciousness.  The skillful camerawork and bleak landscape also add to the despairing atmosphere of the film, and I think Clive Owen, playing the reluctant hero, does a fantastic job.  He’s one of the most underrated actors of today.  So the next time I feel like I’m going to scream because the baby in the seat next to me on the train (or bus or plane) won’t stop crying, I’ll keep this film in mind. 

1.  Pan’s Labyrinth I only watched it once (I’m slightly afraid to watch it again), but the scenes from this film are still forever engrained in my mind (the creepy pale man probably being the most disturbing, the final scenes the most devastating but beautiful).  The movie is absolutely haunting right down to the melody that echoes throughout each scene.  Guillermo del Toro visually evokes a world from the pages of a writer like Jorge Luis Borges playing on the intersection of fantasy and reality. However, despite the young protagonist, this film is certainly no children’s fairy tale.  At the heart of this story is a young girl who lives in a world filled with the violence of the Spanish Civil War, where monsters, both human and non-human threaten to destroy everything dear to her.  While the horror of these “monsters” (the general might be even worse that the pale white man), makes you want to turn your head away, the strength of this little girl who works so hard to defy an evil clearly more powerful than she is and save those who matter most to her keeps your eyes locked on the film until the very end.  Pure brilliance.

Honorable Mentions:  There Will be Blood, Good Night and Good Luck, The Queen, Chicago, Before Sunset, Mystic River