MY FAVORITE FILMS FROM 2000 TO 2009 vol. 5 (59-50)

59. "Paranormal Activity"
If I had done a top 20 of 2009 this would've been #11. I really comes close to making that top 10 for me, but just misses the boat due to some... re-thinking and what not between it and other films. That said I love a ton of things about "Paranormal Activity". It was made for dirt cheap ($15,000 which was mostly the cost of the camera), became a massive success, was surprisingly scary and in the right ways and was generally fun which is rare. At no point did I feel like it was a real POV type of movie like this really happened; it always felt strangely just like a film. Which it is. It's wealth is found in the subtleties of the movie. There's some big scares, but they're all done in quiet, unsuspecting ways which makes them more memorable.

58. (TIE) Peter Jackon's "King Kong" & James Cameron's "Avatar"
I cheat and this is the first of a few. Oddly enough most of the cheating does take place on this particular post, fancy that huh. Any ways the reason I grouped these two together was because they are most massive scaled adventure films that were both perfect homages to genre picture yester-years as well as original and thrilling pieces of work. Both were also labors of love that these two filmmakers had and worked damn hard on to accomplish that vision. For Jackson he has finally won his Oscars for "The Lord of the Rings" and got to remake the picture that made him love movies. Thus he creates a 3-hour epic that delves into great depression New York as much as it delves into the complexities and humor of these characters and the dangerous of Skull Island. For Cameron "Avatar" is the is love letter to "Dune" and "John Carter of Mars" ("Wall-E" director Andrew Stanton will be thanking Cameron soon for laying a lot of the ground work for JFofM, which he will be directing for Disney). His flawless animation and groundbreaking motion capture techniques payed off big time and he didn't hesitate to remind of us just how good he was at displaying large scale beauty and destruction.

57. "The Incredibles"
Brad Bird at his finest and really one of the best Pixar films I've ever seen. The reason? Because it was ballsy. I mean when you really look at it, it's a bit more adult then it lets on. Bird told a great softer version of "Watchmen" with this picture (by his own admission) and it works like a charm. The satirical look at superheroes and their existence in the real world is always interesting and it's been nice to see more films going that route in addition to the tons where their existence is more positively accepted and not debated or exploited. Furthermore the voice casting of Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee was 100% perfect.

56. "Babel"
The last ten years for Brad Pitt were better than the ten before it. Sure he had an Oscar nod back then too and did tons of great roles, but now he brings a lot character acting Brad to main characters and in turn has beefed up general dramatic acting Brad. In fact I'd say that he impressed me more in this film than Cate Blanchett. No easy feet in my book mind you as I do love me some Cate fuckin' Blanchett. But the real star of this was Rinko Kikuchi who plays the deaf Japanese girl. For me her story was so heartbreaking and strong that it brought me close to tears. However in truth the film is filled with interesting and strong stories and was a worthy ending to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's trilogy.

55. "Sin City"
The film that aided in the massive push for graphic novels to get the film treatment. Thank you Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino for that. And also thank the countless major actors and actresses that took pay cuts just to do this movie. I mean you have Bruce Willis, Micky Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Powers Boothe, Clive Owen, Brittany Murphy, Jamie King, Alexis Bledel, Carla Gugino (pause....), Benicio Del Toro, Michael Clark Duncan, Ruger Haur and Michael Madsen. And I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting someone... but oh well. Extremely violent and extremely fun. They took Miller's books and really displayed them for the mass public who would other wise have no idea what "Sin City" was.

54. "The Royal Tenenbaums"
Currently my second favorite Wes Anderson film and one great dark comedy that's got all the wit and charm one could ask for. Granted this style has remained pretty much his trademark, and I don't view that so much as a bad thing. I do have to say that after this and with the exception of his newest film the characters seem to follow very similar patterns. But for "The Royal Tenenbaums" it's a dysfunctional family story that plays out magnificently. Gene Hackman finally had another role that gave him something to do and the younger comedic cast (ala Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson who co wrote the script) are superb.

53. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Depressing. I've seen the film a number of times and it never stops being depressing. However despite that I love how it's made on every level. The CGI is perfect, the music is beautiful and director David Fincher (a major personal favorite of mine) made an amazing romance journey that was filled with ideas and emotions. Now I think some of what was in Eric Roth's screenplay doesn't spell out so much on the screen, but that's ok. One of the things that Fincher wanted to do was to make a film that spoke more after the viewing and actually it has worked out that way for me.

52. "Star Trek"
J.J. Abrams' well made reboot. In fact it's one of the best reboots I've seen. Abrams' style is what makes this all work. And by style I mean everyone he works with and what he does. His lense flares put me in the "Die Hard" mindset; dark, but with enough light and activity around that it feels like day. His casting was perfect to a tee and his action sequences rival most big name action directors working today. I expect great things from this new franchise, great things.

51. (TIE) "Public Enemies" & "The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford"
This is like a married couple on so many levels. Hell I'd so a double feature of these any day of the week they go together so well. Here are two films that take a look at the facts behind two of American's first major criminals. Both have histories and legend behind so much of them that often the truth falls by the wayside because it's not as interesting. With Michael Mann however you'll be getting truth and in large doses. Depp's portrayal of John Dillinger is one that the more I see it, the more I like it. He's internal and knows what he wants and for the most part how to get it. But he's clouded more and more as his days get fewer and fewer. However Marion Cottilard sold the show as far as I'm concerned. Every times she was on screen I believed every word she said. Mann's digital eye is at it's best and the finale is one of melancholy, as only Michael Mann could bring us. Now with "... Jesse James..." we have a large scale western that's packed with the kind of stuff classics are made from. Brad Pitt delivers what I think is still his best performance and Casy Affleck was fan-fucking-tastic. Had he not been against Javier Bardem at the Oscars, he would've won it. The story is really one of the first examples of a fan murder, although Ford had it in his mind that James intended to kill him and really that's probably true. But what's even better is seeing the aftermath across the country and how Ford wasn't treated as a hero for bringing down the outlaw, but as a coward. Also the score by Nick Cave is one of the most haunting and beautiful scores I've ever heard.

50. The Re-birth of James Bond "Casino Royale" & "Quantum of Solace"*
This one isn't so much a cheat as much as something that I feel is more important. A character like James Bond for example is important and with these two films and actor Daniel Craig, James Bond has been reborn and made better. Here we don't have the cookie-cutter spy we've gotten used to. We've got a hard nosed British spy who doesn't take shit from nobody and is willing to get his hands dirty if need be. At the same time he makes mistakes. Sometimes minor ones, sometimes BIG ones, but that's what great about it. He feels human. I can't really think of many Bond films in which Bond really got the shit beat out of him before taking down the bad guys and getting his surve on with whoever the Bond girl was. So what's next for Bond? Still a bit unknown, but the next film will be directed by Oscar winning Sam Mendas of "American Beauty", "Jarhead" and "Revolutionary Road". I wonder if anyone is accepting pre-orders yet.

* film pictured atop this blog

MY FAVORITE FILMS FROM 2000 TO 2009 vol. 4 (69 to 60)

69. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Burton is maybe at his best while he's at his darkest. Or at least his most endearing. With 'Sweeney Todd' he brought to the big screen a fantastic revenge tale and musical that actually never bored and never went too over the top. Johnny Depp and Helena Boham Carter also give two of their strongest performances to date and "Borat" and "Bruno" star Sasha Barron Cohen is hilarious and highly impressive in a small, but memorable performance.

68. "Juno"
Despite the rapid anti-Diablo Cody people at there that have since hurt the film, it's still a great piece of work. It really takes some special people to tell a story as rough and often tragic as teenage pregnancy and make it funny, witty and entertaining as well as emotional. Director Jason Reitman and Oscar winning writer Diablo Cody are that blend of perfection that could dance across that tight rope of a story and Ellen Page made a name for herself.

67. "The Ring"
Still one of the only good American remakes of already pretty lame Japanese horror films. I recently got a chance to re-watch the entire movie and while it isn't the scariest thing ever, it's still a brilliantly crafted mystery that hits ever not correctly. Naomi Watts is a great actress who has proven she can play tough, scream queen, rom-com hottie and be very funny and this was my first film I saw her in and still I found her as a lead for this perfect. She has the right mannerism, tone and look throughout the picture. Also like she studied Janet Leigh beat for beat before shooting. Also this is one of Gore Verbinkski's best directed pictures, know just how to make the film atmospheric and creepy in all the best ways.

66. "Unbreakable"
One of the best super hero origin stories ever made. M. Night Shyamalan's follow up to "The Sixth Sense" was a smart and taunt domestic drama/thriller about a man coming to terms that he might in fact be a super hero. Bruce Willis is one of few hollywood mega stars that can successfully play an average joe and even better is his acting range to play these quiet and very internal characters. On the other spectrum is Samuel L. Jackson, the comic book collector and man who is convinced of Willis' supernatural gifts. Why I love this so much is because of how grounded in reality it all felt. For me this ranks as Shyamalan's best film and his most endearing.

65. "Persepolis"
Based on the graphic novel of an Iranian girl growing up in the 1980's, a very rough time in their culture. The film is animated in pretty much the same style as the book and is wildly original, funny and heartbreaking. A bit long feeling at times, but such an amazing tale demands it.

64. "Ali"*
One of Michael Mann's most underrated pictures, but one that's still remembered as the first film where we really got to see the acting chops of Will Smith. Mann fills the screen with vigor and insight into one of the sports worlds most impressive and memorable athletes. Smith along with Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Jada Pinkett Smith and Mario Van Peebles deliver some stellar performances and Mann's particular style makes for one highly engrossing and interesting dramas.

63. "Doubt"
The 60's tend to be filled with dramas I loved and "Doubt" was among the best ensemble casts that I saw in 2008. One major thing is that every actor and actress in this film has done so many movies that I forgot how talented they are. Meryl Streep does so much and his terrific in all of it, but often doesn't explode like she used to. But her she damn sure does it every time she's on screen. Amy Adams reminds me that she too is a fucking fantastic despite doing some very, very bad films from time to time. And then Philip Seymour Hoffman is better than ever as the accused priest.

62. "Good Night, and Good Luck"
George Clooney's second and best directed film to date. A black and white, PG rated re-telling of legendary news man Edward R. Murrow and his news crew. David Strahrin delivers one of the best performances of the decade and the massive cast with everyone from Clooney to Robert Downey Jr. to Patrica Clarkson to Jeff Daniels is phenomenal. Clooney's use of black and white and the particular look it's given makes it feel truly old, but what these people stood up for is quite timeless.

61. "The Pianist"
Directed by Roman Polanski (someone who's been in the news a lot lately) it's the most personal and perhaps the most important of his films. He was a child during the Holocaust and his vision of German occupied Poland and France is quite strong. Adrian Brody's Oscar winning performance helps to bring you into the very dark, emotional and harrowing picture.

60. "Crash"
Another backlash drama, but I give credit where it's due and it's due. First off it proved that a little indie picture could still compete with the big dogs in the box office and at the awards. As a film it's that first, fresh viewing where I feel it works best. It's emotional and strong and filled with great scenes of dialogue that flow with an almost Spike Lee type rhythm to it. The following viewings... for me anyway have never been as strong. It's still a good movie, but not quite what it was the first time. But it did showcase Sandra Bullock actually acting and proving that Brendan Fasier could do the same.

*film pictured above.

MY FAVORITE FILMS FROM 2000 TO 2009 vol. 3 (79 to 70)

79. "Borat: Cultural Learning for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Tough call on where this lay on the list, but this felt right. Sascha Barron Cohen is one of the few continuously interesting and simultaneously daring comedians at work today. With his Borat character he lampooned the hell out of so many and exposed so many truths in American society that we attempt to keep hidden because it might ruin out image. And he made us laugh all along the way. The hope however was that we would laugh and think and somehow I doubt there was much thinking after the laughter had ended.

78. "Funny People"
The most mature of any of Judd Apatow's directed or produced works and for my money just one of the overall strongest. Adam Sandler proves that he can act for the first time since PTA's "Punch Drunk Love". Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and a slew of supporting actors kill in scene after scene of serious humor, but also show some of the true colors in people. Rarely do I see a movie where people treat others like shit so throughout and like it, but somehow these characters make you care and make you like them despite all their flaws.

77. "Layer Cake"
Directed by Matthew Vaughn (producers of 'Snatch' and director of the upcoming 'Kick-Ass') and starring future Bond Daniel Craig, 'Layer Cake' is a great crime drama that's twisty and witty and filled with the hard boiled storytelling and images that we got in older British gangster pictures. Craig's Mr. X character thinks he smarter than he is and the main issue is that so does everyone else. But he's got a great plan and philosophy about getting out while you're on top. The key to this film though is that everything comes full circle one way or another and every character is involved far more than we think.

76. "Ratatouille"
Brad Bird is one of the best writer-directors of animated fair working. "Ratatouille" is one of those hard to categorize animated movies. It's not a drama or a comedy, but it's damn entertaining and smart. Patton Oswald voices Remy the lead rat that aspires to cook like the masters, but for the fact that he is a rat cannot. Oswald is a comedian, but also is great in dramatic works and is a HUGE film buff. This was a smart choice of a film to take on for him and you really get his wit and character traits through this CGI character. Beyond that it's a beautiful looking Paris and the color pallet is gorgeous.

75. "Lost in Translation"
The little engine that could, awkward indie dramedy by Sophia Coppola. Bill Murray gives one of his best performances and the chemistry between him and Scarlett Johansson is terrific. It's funny, but never too funny and it tells it's story more from visuals and implied emotion than with language which is the real point (hench the title in a way). The only real draw back is that it inspired dozens of imitators. Most simply fell into the pit of soul less, pretentious indie dramedies. But at least the original still stands quite tall.

74. "Ocean's Eleven"
Although for most of this list I picked the series, for this I picked only the first. It's not because I didn't like the sequels, but because I felt that first film was more important on various levels and that the sequels simply followed in suit and didn't add much more than further character quirks. Steven Soderbergh might be my favorite director of the past ten years and it's because he lovingly brings us so many diverse and interesting pictures. His remake of the Rat Pack film with the ridiculously cool cast it boasts has kick started the crime caper genre again and has helped pump out tons and tons of movies wanting to be compared to this one. But no one is as cool as Clooney, Pitt and Damon. No one plays of strong and hurt as well as Roberts and few caper villians quite get into the grooves of being smart, ruthless and pissed as well as Garcia.

73. "Hot Fuzz"
Yes it's far above "Shaun of the Dead". For my money the experience coupled with the film was far more satisfying and fun. "Hot Fuzz" becomes it's own awesome buddy action, comedy while paying homage to dozens and dozens of other ones and doing it so perfectly. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost proved their bromance wasn't a fluke and Edgar Wright showed off his skills at crafting actions sequences that were both exciting and hilarious.

72. "The Fountain"*
A massively underrated science fiction drama!! Darren Aronofsky's beautiful and emotional work of art just couldn't find its way to the mass public. It was pushed back, had different productions entirely and got released on Thanksgivng 2006 along side four other, much bigger and more accessible films. However looking at it today it strikes me in a similar way as Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner". Even if you don't like the tone or the story, the visuals are so stunning and the score by Clint Mansell is so mind blowing that it commands your attention. If you've never seen this film, now is a great time to look into it.

71. "Signs"
M. Night Shyamalan's last major success without a 'but' in someone talking about it. Being a fan of the paranormal, a story like this grabs me from minute one, but what keeps me is if the tone and the pacing work. Shyamalan is terrific with those two particular items, however let's not take any praise from Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix who are trapped in this bizarre world of mystery and water fearing aliens and do great at reacting and coping. Does it have airs of pretentiousness? Sure does. But if it works, it works and 'Signs' is as effective a science fiction thriller as many of old greats. "The Fourth Kind" could have learned something from this.

70. "Spartan"
Unrelated to "300" mind you, but does involve a spartan concept. David Mamet wrote and directed this tense and highly intelligent thriller about the kidnapping of the presidents daughter and the lone soldier played by Val Kilmer sent to find her and bring down those responsible. Kilmer has had a couple of fine roles in the last tens years, but all have been in small films like this one. Derek Luke is great as well as a soldier that somewhat trained under Kilmer. He's flawed and new, but he's far from stupid. A couple of Mamet's usual suspects make appearances like Ed O'Neil and William H. Macy and you will also see a younger Kristen Bell as the kidnapped first daughter.

*film picture at the top of blog

MY FAVORITE FILMS FROM 2000 TO 2009 vol. 2 (89 to 80)

89. "Big Fish"
I've never been ga-ga over Tim Burton and he's definitely a filmmaker I grew up watching... and I'm a sucker for my own nostalgia. However in his entire career I'd say he has three to four perfect or near perfect films. "Big Fish" for me is one of them and has the strange effect of working best while watching it. When I think about the film I never feel that it's as great as I feel when watching it. Ewan McGreggor provides one of his best performances and Burton recaptures much of the magic he had in his younger days. It's a beautiful, funny and original film that deserved more acclaim then it got.

88. "Monster House"
I remember seeing this after a horrible day at work. I walked down to the theater and on a whim bought a ticket to this. I'd seen a billion trailers and heard a billion great things about it, but still even it's producers being as high quality as Spielberg and Zemeckis, I still wasn't looking for much. Damn was I wrong. Some how, some way "Monster House" wasn't just some run of the mill kids flick, but instead an almost Sam Raimi-sque horror-comedy for kids. The motion capture was a bit herky-jerky at times, but the animation was wonderful and I love, love, LOVE this entire final act when it almost seems like we're not watching CGI, but full on puppets moving. Also the designs of the ever changing monster house are stupendous.

87. "Transformers"
Gotta give the devil his due. I'm not a Bay-hater oddly enough. Sure he's not much for enhanced character development and yes he tends to play into stereotypes a lot (although he's not alone in that), but the man knows spectacle and sometimes (like in the case of "Bad Boys", "The Rock" and "The Island") he can get it down well enough for it to not be (at best) a guilty pleasure action film like the others. With "Transformers' however I felt he made a good blend of himself mixed with what a general audience of youngsters and older people would want to see in a sci-fi action flick. The film blew up the careers of Shia LaBeouf and of course Megan Fox. Aside from them he managed to turn a toy franchise and mediocre cartoon series, into a full blown entertaining ride with bits of badassness tossed into the mix.

86. "Grindhouse"
Such a sad event. I wish that the more people had experienced this in theaters, the way it was meant to be. I wish people could have seen ALL the fake trailers and little ads connecting Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" and Tarantino's "Death Proof". But more did discover the two films on DVD and I guess got the idea. Happily enough the dynamic duo's homages to B thru D quality movies of the 70's and 80's have become a cult success and it's style has caught on a bit more than I thought it would so it's not all bad. Plus in April we'll get a new installment co-directed by Robert Rodriguez... "Machete".

85. "Pineapple Express"
Definitely a film that has gotten only stronger with time and it's because of how clever it really is. Seth Rogen and James Franco are a comedy match made in heaven, something Judd Apatow has known for years. However I've gotta say that Danny McBride and Craig Robinson make me laugh a bit more. In any case to have weed film morph into an action flick the way it did while still being funny was no easy task and yet it accomplishes it better than 95% of buddy action, comedies.

84. "The Weatherman"*
One reason why no matter how many half-assed adventure movies that don't work Nicolas Cage does I still like him, is because he'll still turn and do a movie like this (like Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Walken). In 2005 actually had two terrific films, one was this and the other was "Lord of War", a black comedy about war lords. I chose this one because his performance and the overall him have stuck with me longer. Directed by Gore Verbinski ('The Ring' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' 1-3), it's a very funny dramedy about a Chicago weatherman and the dysfunctions of his relationship with his ex-wife, her new husband, he successful father played by Michael Caine and his two kids; plus his attempts to get a nation wide weatherman job and get them all liking and respecting him again. What I've come to love about the film (aside from the photography, the subtle humor and Hans Zimmer's wonderfully original score) is just how true of a film it is. Everything in it is based in our world and can and would probably unfold as it did. Rather than make a wholly depressing movie about someones several attempts to achieve a far-fetched dream, it merely shows these things and life as humorous, somewhat sad, but not completely unrewarding.

83. "Watchmen"
The filmed, unfilmable graphic novel. I've come to realize that in certain groups (i.e. the ones that read the book) there is a divide on the film and it's based on how well you liked the book. If you loved the book, then you'll probably say you were disappointed in the film, although it kept dangerously close to the source material. If you're like me however then you might think a bit differently. The book is terrific and a classic for a reason. However it's not flawless and neither is the movie, but it's important. I'd rather have had Snyder be himself and create a film as a filmmaker and fan, than to have had just anybody come on, read the book and then shoot whatever they feel like works. There is stunning images and great, gritty moments throughout the film, but it's more a character drama then anything. Something fans have seemed to notice and have helped raise the films cult status. Jackie Earle Harley's Rorschach has become an even more beloved character than he was, Silk Spectre II (well... and the original Silk Spectre... I mean c'mon Carla Gugino is hot too) have been more oggeled over than before and the Comedian's satirical attitude to the world has reached a much boarder audience than ever before.

82. "Harry Potter" (series)
You can't discuss the past ten years in film or literature without bringing up Harry Potter. Those books have helped divine a generation in ways that shit like 'Twilight' will never do (God willing) and cinema wise, set the bar for children's fantasy adventure. Now this is a blanket pick spanning six films and if you know me then you know that I'm not crazy about all six. Personally the best ones to me are three and four. I love them because they feel like complete, original and engrossing packages. The first two haven't aged particularly well, but their magic and creative spark is definitely there. As for the last two... well... they're just not 'wow' inducing. Perhaps you'll get a cool scene once in a while, but I feel like the Yates films look terrific and dark and brooding, but add nothing emotionally, dramatically or thematically. They feel more like slightly altered readings of the books set to dark photographs. I'm not impressed in the slightest bit by the new trailer, but I do hope this two part finale saves the franchise from mediocrity.

81. "Catch Me If You Can"
Truly a great tale told in great ways. Steven Spielberg is a master of tone and mood; that's probably why I like him so much. "Catch Me If You Can" works so well because it's a real life cat and mouse story that draws you in more and more with each scene. This one of the films that brought Leonardo DiCaprio back to the foreground in films and it was great work. Equally fun to watch was Tom Hanks as the FBI agent on his trail. Going back you'll also see one of Christopher Walken's best roles and two fantastic extended cameos by Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams. Also if you haven't read the book, you really need to.

80. "Jarhead"
I love Sam Mendes films. The man is a true artist to the core and "Jarhead" is one of his unsung masterworks. Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Saarsgard provide amazing performances that were award worthy, but overlooked. "Jarhead", like most non-flag waving war films was met with tons of controversy; mainly because of the unfavorable war in the middle east we were in, but also because of it's dark sided few of the soldiers who get wrapped too tight and made too paranoid. However a lot of times we must look at the ticking-time bombs we turn human beings into in the military. We should question certain methods and figure out what is the best way to handle these men and women. The film nor the book offer any answers, but simply tell the story and with great detail and images. Also I can't forget how true and enduring Jamie Foxx is in the film.

* film pictured at the top of post

MY FAVORITE FILMS FROM 2000 TO 2009 vol. 1 (100 to 90)

This is the complete and "final" list I will make. Sadly this is one of those things where the longer you wait and see things, the more revisions and edits you make and in the end you're not convinced that the list is what you truly feel. This has been my first REAL decade of movie watching where I truly looking for style, substance and all that other jazz in film and got to experience some great, great things. There will be ten posts for this done throughout december and split between reviews (I've got one for "The Men Who Stare At Goats" coming up soon). By the way the 'rough cut' list I posted a few weeks ago... is pretty chopped up so I'll probably take it down soon. Any ways... enjoy the list(s)!

100. "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"
This is the first of many team Apatow flicks on the list. Really this is such a brilliant spoof film and a brilliant music picture rolled into one. A big thing that helped me add this to the list was re-watching the director's cut, which I love far more than the theatrical version. It's fully re-cut and uses more jokes, that flow better and involve a lot more character interaction. John C. Reilly has done tons and tons and TONS of amazing character roles, but somehow or another for me I think Dewey Cox will remain a staple because of just how outlandish and yet firmly grounded in the farce he is in the film. And I just can't express how great Jenna Fischer of "The Office" does as well. She' knows how to play sexy and stupid funny without going too over the top or too long to destroy the humor. Oh and less we forget the millions of supporting roles from Frankie Muniz to Jack White to... well Jack Black.

99. "Training Day"
The film in which Denzel Washington won his second Oscar, but first Best Actor Oscar. Director Antoine Fuqua knows grit. The man simply has the eye for it and this is a gritty as shit crime drama. Not to be outdone Ethan Hawke also reminds us that, hey I can act too; and plays a role that could have easily become prime second banana to Denzel, but instead takes the film into full rogue ghetto badass territory in the final act. Oh yeah and Dr. Dre was in it too. That's just a nice bonus though.

98. "One Hour Photo"
Prime example of Robin Williams' acting talent. This film is unnerving to no end. I mean really... take one look at Williams with bleach blond hair, standing with a plastic smile behind the counter of the impossibly white store he works in and tell me the man doesn't strike you as a ticking time bomb. And yet there is so much restraint in this film. The final act could go in a thousand different, much darker directions and yet it doesn't. Whether it's a flaw or not is debatable, but regardless the final decision of what happens is bizarre and endless interesting.

97. "Body of Lies"
I've learned that most Ridley Scott films need a few viewings to really take in. Some don't. Some are instantly awesome and entertaining and you've got the point so you're done. However the some of the best ones ask to you see and re-see things and catch a whole other world. "Body of Lies" came out last October, I reviewed it and liked it but not much more than that. Recently I gave it probably... my third watch and this time I felt like I got it. The film is complex... I mean complex to where you'd need a scorecard to figure out who's working for who and what their real motives are. And yet that is the nature of spying. The world of a modern spy is dirty and complicated and often unfair. Leonardo DiCaprio's Agent Ferris character is so hard boiled and tired of being ignored and screwed over by his boss Hoffman (Russell Crowe) that it's no wonder he leaves the way he does in the end. On a side note Mark Strong plays an excellent middle easterner.

96. "Pirates of the Caribbean" (trilogy)
Here's one for the pop crowd. Here's an entire franchise that has re-launched adventure films for years because it proved that pirate movies could sell. And that's because Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney are very smart. Johnny Depp was re-born to a new audience and a character that was easily entertaining was born. And the best part was that no one thought it would be even a fraction of as popular as it became so it was kind of a sleeper success. But I'll say it, I like em'. They're not perfect by any means, but they're fun escapism that tires and succeeds most of the time. It's epic adventure in B-movie style and I can respect that.

95. "300"
Turned Zack Snyder from the guy who remade "Dawn of the Dead" (which I also liked) into the new God of action. Okay 'God' is a bit strong, but the meatheads of the world grabbed this film by the balls and placed it on a golden altar. And as much as I hate that, that's happened I do still love the film. It's original and brooding with qusi-gay undertones due to all the dudeness all hangin' out, but hey... that was a different time. Snyder helped redefine and reuse slow motion camera techniques and the special effects crew and technical crews did wonders. "300" is just one of those uber popular films that for years to come will be mentioned for it's style and action and hopefully it's artistry.

94. "The Devil's Rejects"
As is stands this was Rob Zombie's cinematic peak. I hate "House of 1000 Corpses" and had no plans to watch the sequel, until this strange flow of good word of mouth kept coming in so I gave it a shot. "The Devil's Rejects" is a truly down and dirty 70's movie. Zombie directed those scenes at times like a voyeur and at times like Billy Badass blowing the shit out of everything on screen. He made the Firefly family actually interesting to be around and gave them one hell of a send off.

93. "Shaun of the Dead"
Edgar Wright's second best film of the 2000's. The man knows comedy and his teaming with producer Nira Park and actor/ writers Simon Pegg and Nick Frost just fits like a glove. The only streak I have against "Shaun..." is that is seemed to open the flood gates to a million and one different comedies that involved zombies. The difference was most of those either didn't know how to manage horror and comedy or didn't care. Luckily Wright and team DO know and DO care and even know how to deliver some great homages to other films without making it too obvious or distracting. You'll see this gang again on my list.

92. "Cast Away"
Tom Hanks is great actor and for my money you can't beat him in "Cast Away" without a fight. He loss a ton of weight and for a two and a half hour movie talked to a volleyball. And made us give a damn... no easy feet. Beyond that it was Robert Zemeckis' last live action film to date and his best since his Oscar winning "Forrest Gump". The technical aspect and scouting for this picture is perfect and there are a ton of magnificent images that stick out every time I watch it.

91. "Blood Diamond"
Here's a conflicting piece. Director Edward Zwick is one of the best people to direct dramas with action. This is because he gets some killer performances from actors by letting them take chances and have some fun and because he is a top notch action director. The conflict occurs during some scenes of stunning violence that are unpleasant and yet shot in such an exhilarating fashion. Dicaprio's accent is still a point of question. Mainly why was it needed, but it goes back to that taking chances and having fun. Personality I don't care about a flimsy voice or something if the character is good. I've actually met people with hardcore accents that I often think they're faking, but who am I to question them. His Archer character is badass and badass in the way that Dicaprio can play em'. But it is Djimon Hounsou who sticks out the most and provides a stellar performance as an African native who finds one of the blood diamonds after beging enslaved and having his son taken from him and put into the brainwashing camps. This was a huge dramatic and emotional action picture with one bang up final act. This is how these pictures should be made.

90. Return to "The Matrix" (Reloaded and Revolutions)
My personal wildcard. I hold the two sequels higher than the original for these reasons; 1: because the true nature of this series becomes known, 2: because less people accept them so I feel better and better about liking them, 3: conceptual designs and ideas about religion that are about as cyber punk as it gets and 4:... I really dug visuals this time around. I'm sorry, but I'm sucker for certain things of the science fiction world. Mainly I'm a sucker for trying something different and for some reason ones that are seen publicly as failures, I tend to like. I'm not sure if it's out of some want to go against the grain, but I feel like I'm just attracted to it's ideas more because they're different and those type of things in the past are usually shunned needlessly. The Wachowski brothers furthermore seem to know what they have, understand the flaws and love it anyway. Love it enough to have a DVD commentary for critics that hated the movies added to the trilogy box set collection. Now that's a love of ones work coupled with an understanding of differing opinions that I aspire to reach.