#10: Moulin Rouge (2001) Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Yes this is a musical. Yes it's frilly and extravagant. But in actuality, Moulin Rouge is so much more than can-can skirts and top-hats. It’s a daring expression of free spirit, an uninhibited portrait of art, love, and life. It’s as courageous in its storytelling as it is earnest in its beliefs. It manages to blend Shakespearean high drama with cartoonish slapstick comedy (and do it well). And much like love, it beats to the sound of its own drum, unafraid to be vulnerable, unashamed to be illogical. But if you give it an honest chance, it just might surprise you and take you to places you never even knew you could go and make you feel things you never thought you could experience. And that’s something I truly admire and wholeheartedly support.
My Favorite Line: We're creatures of the underworld. We can't afford to love. - Harold Zidler
#9: Michael Clayton (2007) Directed by Tony Gilroy
There's a particular frame in the film wherein the entirety of the story - and by proxy, the character of Michael Clayton - is summarized: Michael holds in one hand the memo that will bring down the firm's biggest client. In his other hand, Michael holds a non-disclosure agreement, along with a contract extension and $80k. The choice seems simple enough: take down the evil corporation but destroy your career? Or keep your mouth shut and buy into the same system you're trying to fight? It sounds grimy and dirty - and it is - but somehow, the film manages to craft a morality tale that's at once fictional yet seemingly, unmistakably recognizable. It functions, thrives even, in the uncomfortable ethical gray zone between what you want to do and what you can do. It dishes out the questions but doesn't rush to give you any tidy answers. And on top of all of this, Clooney, Wilkinson, and Swinton give tour-de-force performances across the board, marking their best performances in a long time, if not ever.
My Favorite Line: You’re so fucked. – Michael Clayton
#8: Sideways (2004) Directed by Alexander Payne
The first time I saw Sideways, I didn’t expect to like it. And even now, I keep thinking I won’t get anything new out of it. I mean, what’s so special about middle-aged men drinking wine? But time after time, I’m reminded of how wrong I am to underestimate this film and how grateful I am that it exists. Emphasizing characters over plot, emotional narrative over technical wizardry, Sideways is touching, charming, and genuinely hilarious in ways other films couldn't even imagine. It's as effortless in its humanity as it is captivating in its heartache, exuding the rare magic of a dramedy that falls somewhere in the poignant middle of a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel. Or is it the other way around?
My Favorite Line: No rock. When she came to the bar, she was sans rock! - Jack
#7: The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) Directed by Peter Jackson
Admittedly, it’s a huge cheat on my part to combine three individually great films into one entry. But the more I thought about it, the less I could separate them. Together, the Rings trilogy creates the defining fantasy story for the 21st century. Immersive and captivating, Peter Jackson transported me to Middle Earth for three years and truly made me believe in wizards, trolls, and magic rings. But more than that, this trilogy made me believe in the power of transformative storytelling, in cinema's ability to inspire imagination and breed creativity beyond simply what was shown on screen. It was as technologically dazzling as it was personally empowering, reassuring me that movies with big budgets and big battles can still carry above all things, big heart.
My Favorite Line(s):
If you want him, come and claim him! – Arwen (The Fellowship of the Ring)
Be silent. Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm. – Gandalf (The Two Towers)
What is the House of Rohan but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and rats roll on the floor with the dogs? The victory at Helm’s Deep does not belong to you, Theoden Horsemaster! You are the lesser son of greater sires. – Saruman (The Return of the King)
#6: Memento (2000) Directed by Christopher Nolan
Memento is as much a film as it is a mental labyrinth. It's a nugget of the most humanistic feelings - guilt, despair, and vengeance - all wrapped up in a glisteningly cool coat of high-concept storytelling. Make no mistake, no film has broken the rules of non-linear narratives better or more stylishly in the last decade than this film. But to categorize Memento as a "gimmicky" film would not only belittle the potent core of this tragic tale, but also do a great disservice to the broadening of the creative horizons this film has managed to accomplish since its release. The film doesn't rely on its double-narrative structure as a storytelling crutch; it leverages it to emphasize the most human emotions and instincts. It’s about the fading of lingering memories, the unreliability of our own innate desires, and the self-deceiving lies we use to assuage the harsh truths in our everyday lives. And when the ending finally resonates, you can’t wait to double back and experience it all again - not because this film warrants repeat viewings, but because it actually demands them.
My Favorite Line: I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. – Leonard Shelby
#5: Once (2007) Directed by John Carney
Rarely do you see chemistry on screen. Even more rarely do you actually feel electricity in the air. And that’s what I experience every time our lead couple perform their first song together, Falling Slowly, in the empty piano store. And as their music inevitably drives the story throughout the film, I can't help but feel the walls come down - not only the characters' reservations, but also my own hesitations to buy into a film that is so seemingly simple and naïve. But like any good art, Once manages to peel back all layers of pretense and reach deep down towards something genuine, something recognizable, something innately human. This is ultimate proof that emotions run deepest in its simplest forms and connections are formed through the most unexpected avenues.
My Favorite Line: Fuck you batteries! - Girl
#4: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Directed by Michel Gondry
An odd but heartfelt romantic tragedy that’s almost overshadowed by its own high-concept premise, Eternal Sunshine takes the what-if idea of a company that lobotomizes the lovelorn into territory that’s funny, heartbreaking, and unequivocally unique. Gondry, as expected, brings a visual flare that's strictly his own, blending the egg-crates-and-construction-paper-kindergarten-visual-palette with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it in-camera tricks. But Eternal Sunshine is inherently so much more than just a mind-fuck love story; it's that rare breed of storytelling that plants its ideas into your mind like time bombs, threatening to ignite in bouts of realization, reflection, and understanding days later. It's a film that manages to transcend its own storytelling boundaries, reminding us all that the idea of beginning anew, no matter how painful or intimidating, is a feeling both of its moment, and somehow, eternal.
My Favorite Line: He's seducing my girlfriend with my words and my things. He stole a pair of her underwear! Jesus Christ, he stole her underwear. – Joel Barish
#3: The Dark Knight (2008) Directed by Christopher Nolan
The Dark Knight was not only one of the most acclaimed films of the decade (over $1 billion dollars box office gross), but also one of the most influential (Heath Ledger's indelible turn as the Joker). There’s not much I don’t like here, between its dissection of a hero who needs a mask, a terrorist who gleefully sports a mask of his own kind, and an ambitious DA whose own hubris splinters his very views on humanity. But the strongest aspect of Nolan's heretofore masterpiece might be its apt reflection of a contemporary state of terror, tapping into the cultural zeitgeist of a post 9/11 world in its most fragile state. Viewed through the colored lens of a superhero story, the film doesn't bludgeon the audience with any pandering message or preachy conclusion but still manages to evoke a frighteningly recognizable society in need of someone more heroic than it deserves and something innately better than it currently has.
My Favorite Line: You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time! – Harvey Dent
#2: Lost in Translation (2003) Directed by Sofia Coppola
Like Bob and Charlotte’s unlikely chemistry in Japan, I can’t quite place what I love about this film. It seems a bit foreign, a bit odd, and a bit distant. It lacks any sparkling dialogue and essentially contains no plot. But hey, neither does real life. Sometimes, a film just sparks, harnessing that rare x-factor and blossoming into something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It’s quiet and contemplative, but never dull. It’s funny and heartwarming, but never desperate. Absence is the looming theme here, and Coppola perfectly captures the palpable yet oddly ineffable human conditions of dislocation and ennui. This is a glowing testament to the power of things unsaid, of knowing glances, and parting whispers.
My Favorite Line: Lip my stocking. Yes, please, lip them. Lip them. Hey! Lip my stocking! – Premium Fantasy Woman
And now for my absolute favorite film from the last decade...
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#1: The Social Network (2010) Directed by David Fincher
Why? David. Fincher.
"The facebook movie" had every chance to fail, to become just another ham-fisted dissection of an angry college kid who broke the rules. But in Fincher's hands, The Social Network resonates further and deeper than I ever could have imagined. It's perfect from beginning to end – technically sharp, emotionally poignant, and above all, massively entertaining. Fincher does something here that comes close to a miracle, inheriting a mountain of Sorkin dialogue that could choke a fax machine and instead of simply regurgitating the words, actually breathes life into a story that involves little more than people talking. But Fincher doesn’t get bogged down in the minutia of Facebook; instead he leverages that canvas to paint a universal parable about greed, ambition, and betrayal. He crafts a story that's at once emblematic of our modern times and as timeless as storytelling itself. He makes it all look supremely easy, as if there was never any other way to tell this story. But above all else, Fincher creates a tale about youthful rebellion and loss of innocence and manages to turn it into something that inspires creation, encourages ambition, and sparks initiative. And that, I believe, is the truest mark of genius.
My Favorite Line: Darkness is the absence of light and the stupidity in that instance was the absence of me. - Larry Summers
