Movie Summary

Michael The Moviegoer’s
100 Favorite Films of the Decade 2000-2009:

1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – At the end of “Inglourious Basterds” when Brad Pitt says “this just might be my masterpiece” he’s no doubt echoing the sentiment of writer/director Quentin Tarantino. And if that’s the case, though conceited as it may sound, he’s dead-on right. Tarantino’s delirious re-imagining of World War II is the ultimate Jewish revenge fantasy. A hypothetical “what if” story involving the assassination of Hitler by burning down a movie theatre where he’ll be attending the premiere of a new German propoganda film. Pitt is the leader of a group of Nazi-killing Jews known as The Basterds. Diane Kruger gives her best performance to date as a German movie star/double-agent. But it’s the performance of newcomer Christoph Waltz that will be singled out on Oscar night as the year’s best. He plays the Nazi colonel Hans Landa, a detective for the SS known as “the Jew hunter” with a cold-as-ice interrogation technique. This is also my favorite-ever performance from Brad Pitt. He creates a character so real and yet so outlandish that you actually forget it’s Brad Pitt you’re watching. Call him G.I. Jew! Tarantino pays loving tribute to Sergio Leone with the style of this film. “Inglourious Basterds” is not only the best movie of 2009, it’s the best film of the decade.

2. UNITED 93 – This was the REAL “Snakes On A Plane”. “United 93” is the story of what happened on the morning of September 11, 2001. It’s a matter-of-fact telling of these events, devoid of political commentary. Paul Greengrass (director of the “Bourne” sequels) takes an almost documentary-like approach which keeps the experience as raw and sensational as “breaking news”. This day was Ben Sliney’s first day on the job as the new commander of the FAA’s air traffic control for the nation. In this film, Sliney, not a trained actor, bravely plays himself, re-living that horrendous experience for dramatic purposes. It’s a performance that should have been honored with an Oscar nomination at least. No actor has ever been brave enough to play themselves on the worst day of their life. I’ll never understand why so many people opted to skip this movie, yet those same people became the audience for popcorn hits like “Snakes On A Plane”. Perhaps Universal should have released this with the title “Airport 2001”!

3. THE PIANIST – Roman Polanski won the Best Director Oscar for his most personal film of Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman trying to survive as a Jew during World War II in Poland. Adrien Brody won an Oscar for playing Szpilman, and Ronald Harwood won an Oscar for his outstanding screenplay. This is a powerful tale of how Szpilman managed to survive with the unlikely help of a sympathetic German soldier. “The Pianist” is a triumph of the human spirit. A film not to be missed.

4. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – The Coen Brothers finally got their Oscars for this remarkable screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel “No Country For Old Men”. Javier Bardem also won an Oscar for creating one of the screen’s most chilling villains ever in Anton Chigurh. After a drug deal in the desert goes bad, Josh Brolin stumbles upon Anton’s money and the chase is on. But all the while, sheriff Tommy Lee Jones is hot on Anton’s trail. This movie re-defines suspense. Things sneak up on you quietly through the tremendous efforts of lighting, sound and editing. This is truly a masterpiece.

5. THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Paul Thomas Anderson’s film of a turn-of-the-century oil prospector deservedly won an Oscar for actor Daniel Day-Lewis as a man so consumed with greed he’s willing to sacrifice family and religion. “There Will Be Blood” is a handsome period piece with a jagged modern edge to it. A unique one-of-a-kind film that is quite unforgettable.

6. AMORES PERROS – “Amores Perros” is Spanish for “love’s a bitch”. It’s the story of how three lives are linked together through a horrible car accident, and each of the three stories somehow involves dogs. This brilliant yet dark drama introduced the world to actor Gael Garcia Bernal. It is also the debut of the unique filmmaking style of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu who would later follow this up with two other masterpieces “Babel” and “21 Grams”.

7. KILL BILL – Quentin Tarantino originally conceived “Kill Bill” as one film. But as it became too long, decided to break it into two parts. I devoted more than 4 hours to watching both parts back-to-back as a single film and it was a truly satisfying and exhilarating experience. Uma Thurman vows revenge on the assassins who destroy her wedding day. It’s a martial arts stunts extravaganza filled with all the colorful characters and dialogue you expect in a Tarantino movie. Simply spectacular.

8. THE ROAD HOME – Zhang Ziyi, star of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, gives an extraordinary performance as a young girl finding true love in the days of arranged marriages. Her character is used to tell the story of their love in flashbacks, after he has died, to justify her traditional burial request. “The Road Home” is an unforgettably beautiful film from famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou.

9. CRASH – “Crash” won the Best Picture Oscar and later became a TV series. Paul Haggis’ film tells multiple inter-connected stories of racial prejudice among the residents of multi-racial Los Angeles. The all-star cast includes Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard and rapper Ludacris. It’s a voltile, provocative and compelling film.

10. FINDING NEMO – In a decade where Pixar helped animation evolve for a new generation, “Finding Nemo” is its most charming accomplishment. The story of a young clownfish who becomes separated from his father features the voices of Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres. This movie is so delightful it almost made me give up eating sushi… almost!

And the rest of my 100 favorite films of the decade are…

11. QUILLS
12. THE QUEEN
13. ALMOST FAMOUS
14. THE OTHERS
15. MONSTER’S BALL
16. LORD OF WAR
17. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
18. LITTLE CHILDREN
19. BABEL
20. SICKO
21. THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS
22. COLD MOUNTAIN
23. SAVED
24. WAITRESS
25. NINE
26. SEEING OTHER PEOPLE
27. MILLION DOLLAR BABY
28. SIDEWAYS
29. HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT
30. HOME ROOM
31. THE ILLUSIONIST
32. SUNSHINE CLEANING
33. ABOUT SCHMIDT
34. MONSTER
35. WALK HARD
36. PERFUME
37. WHAT JUST HAPPENED
38. DOUBT
39. THE COOLER
40. THE MESSENGER
41. SIMONE
42. STUCK
43. UNFAITHFUL
44. MATCH POINT
45. TRANSAMERICA
46. MUNICH
47. ELEGY
48. RELIGULOUS
49. GRAN TORINO
50. BON VOYAGE
51. ROSENSTRASSE
52. OPEN WATER
53. THE INCREDIBLES
54. MOULIN ROUGE
55. TWO DAYS IN PARIS
56. DINNER RUSH
57. MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
58. EASY VIRTUE
59. THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS
60. THE LAST KISS
61. MY ONE AND ONLY
62. HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU
63. THE HANGOVER
64. KISS KISS BANG BANG
65. LAST CHANCE HARVEY
66. THEN SHE FOUND ME
67. LOVE AND SEX
68. THE SHIPPING NEWS
69. THE HUNTING PARTY
70. THIRTEEN DAYS
71. ERIN BROCKOVICH
72. HAPPY ACCIDENTS
73. GARDEN STATE
74. HAIRSPRAY
75. INNOCENCE
76. BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY
77. MINORITY REPORT
78. FESTIVAL IN CANNES
79. UP IN THE AIR
80. THE CONSTANT GARDNER
81. THE INTERNATIONAL
82. STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING
83. THIRTEEN
84. BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD
85. FRIDA
86. CHICAGO
87. DARK BLUE
88. ALL MY LOVED ONES
89. THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
90. WHALE RIDER
91. BROTHERS
92. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
93. AVATAR
94. 21 GRAMS
95. FIND ME GUILTY
96. INSIDE MAN
97. AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
98. CHILDREN OF MEN
99. NOTES ON A SCANDAL
100. THE DEPARTED

Michael The Moviegoer