#10: 40 Year Old Virgin - Often top ten lists like this forget about true comedies. There is no doubt from the title this is a comedy and only a comedy. This is one on the few comedy's that has a balance of heart and raunch and doesn't kill you comedy buzz in the third act with some lame emotional subplot (I'm looking at you knocked up). I actually saw this movie in the theater with my mom. Me and my mom both loved it which is a testament to both how good this movie is and how cool my mom is. Fun Fact: More than 15 minutes of material had to be cut from the film in order to avoid an NC-17 rating from the MPAA.
#9: Road to Perdition - Sam Mendes is a great director and there could be no better movie that Paul Newman could end his career on. This movie looks like an Edward Hooper painting and the acting is top notch with great turns from Tom Hanks, Newman, Jude Law and even a pre-James Bond Daniel Craig. This is an art house gangster movie that explores the relationship between family. Fun Fact: The movie is loosely based on actual events and a real enforcer for mobster John Looney, who was betrayed by him.
#8: Mystic River - In my eyes Clint Eastwood can do no wrong. He is a complete American badass whether in front of the camera or behind it. This movie brought together a fabulous book, a director at his peak and beyond powerful performances from the actors. It also started a string of great films from director Eastwood. The plot of this movie, in the wrong hands could have ended up as a bad made for TV murder mystery but in Eastwood's hands in turned into a layered story of friendship, childhood trauma and redemption. Eastwood even created the musical score for the movie himself.
#7: The Brothers Bloom - I have a feeling this will be one of the movies on the list that has been seen by the fewest people, which is a shame. This story of two con men brothers is quirky, intelligent and hilarious all at once. Be prepared to re-watch this movie because the dialogue is fast and very much of the cleverness may be missed upon a first viewing. This movie is full or underrated actors being directed by an underrated director, Rian Johnson, with a razor sharp dialogue and clever story. I leave you with a quote from the movie to ponder "A picture is a secret about a secret. The more it tells, the less you know."
#6: The Departed - At #7 we had a up and coming director and at #6 we have the maestro of American cinema with Mr. Martin Scorsese. Although this movie is almost a shot for shot remake of a foreign film Infernal Affairs it is still great. In this movie you have career best performances from Mark Walberg, Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson and Leo DeCaprio and a top notch director at his prime. Scorsese traded New York for Boston and with the change of scenery comes a great film. Fun Fact: Keep an eye out for the letter "X" in the film. Whenever any of the main characters is about to die there is an "X" somewhere on screen as a homage to original Scarface from 1932.
#5: In Bruges - This movie has racist midgets, Belgians, Colin Farrell and Assassins what more could you ask for. "In Bruges" will have you laughing at things you shouldn't laugh at. This movie is a truly dark comedy that has a spectacular little plot and a standout performance from Ralph Fiennes. Fun Fact: Writer Director Martin McDonagh is Two time Tony Award winner who is currently showcasing a play on Broadway starring Christopher Walken.
#4: The Proposition - This little seen and even less appreciated western is as beautiful as it is brutal. This western layers similar western themes of revenge, redemption and blood in a foreign environment, Australia Outback. In his first major movie release director John Hilcoat hits a homerun. Guy Pearce gives a particularly good performance as a torn brother in this film and the musical score by Nick Cave only adds to the ambience.
#3: City of God - The first foreign film on our list is a film about the worst ghetto in the world in Rio de Janeiro. This movie is unflinching in its depiction of this ghetto but offers some semblance of hope in the end. City of God is guerrilla filmmaking at its best and the cinematography really makes one feel like you are living in the slums and faced with the desperate decisions these young men are forced to make daily. City of God makes "Boys in the Hood" look like boys in the burbs. This movie has no Hollywood stars, it is in subtitles and is over two hours long yet it grabs the viewers attention from the start and never lets go. Fun Fact: The director was once quoted as saying that if he knew the dangers of filming the movie on location in a Rio favela, he wouldn't have done the movie.
#2: Memento - Some may see this movie's framing technique as a gimmick, I see it as genius. This is a mindbender of a film that I have probably watched over twenty times. The lead actor, Guy Pearce, has the distinguished honor of appearing on our list twice. Memento was made on a shoestring budget and introduced Hollywood to its' newest golden boy Christopher Nolan. The first scene will grab you hard and the last scene of this movie will have you pressing replay. Bottom-line this movie has the best third act in recent years. I leave you with one question. Who is John G?
#1: There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson epic about greed and the American society isn't for everyone but to me, it is a masterpiece and the best film of the last decade. Jonny Greenwood's (Radiohead) haunting musical score, Daniel Day Lewis's unreal portrayal of greed personified, PT Anderson's exquisite direction and the cinematography of Robert Elswit combine for a flawless film. To me a true measure of a good film is how long it stays with you (i.e. how long are you talking about it after you have seen it). I can say that whether or not you like this film you will be talking about it for weeks following your viewing. So with that, my list is complete and in the words of Daniel Day Lewis's character Daniel Plainview from "There Will be Blood" "I'm Finished!"
Just Missed the List:
Snatch - Casting the biggest American actor on the planet, Brad Pitt in a role where not one of his words is distinguishable is genius. The Soundtrack is Awesome too.
Fight Club - Would have been #1 but it was released in 1999. Best. Ending. Ever.
The Dark Knight - With so many great directors out there I limited myself to one film per director for this list. Therefore I went with my favorite of two Christopher Nolan films (the other Memento) in the top #10. Regardless, the Dark Knight is hands down the best superhero movie ever.
Pan's Labyrinth - An adult fairytale that makes old folks realize that make believe never dies. You'll forget it is in Spanish subtitles quickly, it is that good.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Very, very long and not for everyone but it is beautifully shot, has a great narrator and an unreal musical score by Nick Cave.
Let the Right one in - "Twilight" has taken the bite out of vampire movies making us not scared but smitten with the creatures of the night. Where "Twilight" fails to humanize vampires while keeping the fear present "Let the right one in" succeeds. To compare the two movies isn't fair though as this Swedish movie far exceeds "Twilight." "Let the right one in" is stunning both visually and with its story. In the end it turns the vampire genre on its' ear and gives us a memorable story with a climax that leaves you breathless.
Man on Wire - Documentary of a crazy Frenchman who walked across a wire between the twin towers in New York. The concept sounds simple but is an amazingly complex movie and character study of real people and the lengths they will go to follow a dream.
'There Will Be Blood' was epic.
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