10. JEUX D’ENFANTS (2004)
Directed by YANN SAMUELL
There’s nothing terribly revolutionary about this film, but I just love it. Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet are incredibly endearing together and it’s just one of those movies that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. I can watch this over and over again without getting tired of it, in fact, I’ve done that several times. Cleverly written with an overarching sense of whimsy to the whole thing, Jeux D’Enfants is a real pleasure to watch.
9. THE FALL (2006)
Directed by TARSEM SINGH
Perhaps the most visually stunning film I have ever seen. The real key to the experience is realizing that none of the landscapes or settings are created with CGI. Every stunningly beautiful location is a real place and not enhanced by technology at all. It’s no wonder it took 4 years to make. Tarsem is a true artist and uses the elements of cinematography wisely and powerfully. It captures you from the beautiful opening black and white sequence up until the very end.
8. ATONEMENT (2007)
Directed by JOE WRIGHT
Joe Wright is one of my favorite directors and this is a truly great movie. Wonderful performances and stylistic choices that accurately reflect the film’s three acts. It’s one of those films where every frame can be dissected as a statement about the entire movie and that to me is a feat. What Ian McEwan did with literary elements, Joe Wright does with cinematic ones, the mark of a gifted director very skilled at adapting novels into films.
7. ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL (2006)
Directed by TERRY ZWIGOFF
Much like Jeux D’Enfants, this is just a movie that I love for no other reason than the fact that it’s enjoyable. Maybe it’s because I know examples of several of the people who are featured in this film (ie. pretentious art students) or because it has the most random actors in it (John Malcovich? Jim Broadbent? Angelica Houston??) or maybe it’s because it’s just downright awesome.
6. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)
Directed by JONATHAN DAYTON and VALERIE FARIS
Tragically, every remotely clever indie comedy since this came out has been referred to as “this year’s Little Miss Sunshine,” but nobody seems to realize that no, it is not. There has not been an indie comedy, hell, any kind of comedy, that has really garnered worthy comparison to this gem. Great performances and excellent writing, this is indeed the film every comedic writer has been trying to duplicate, but none have been successful.
5. ONCE (2007)
Directed by JOHN CARNEY
This is a pretty magical movie. It’s a love story involving relatively minimal love, and is more about the power of friendship than romance. Talk about movies that make you feel warm and fuzzy. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are not only gifted musicians, but as this proves, very gifted actors. I don’t think there was a single person in the audience at the 2008 Academy Awards that wasn’t cheering when they won Best Original Song. You can’t help but fall in love with this film.
4. PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2005)
Directed by JOE WRIGHT
Yes yes I have two Joe Wright films on this list, but I can’t help the fact that he makes films I adore. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s just so soothing and relaxing to watch, and was an incredible debut for Wright and a career-changing performance from Keira Knightley. I would have hated this book if I didn’t have this movie playing in my head as I read it.
3. MOULIN ROUGE! (2001)
Directed by BAZ LUHRMANN
This movie was pretty revolutionary for me. It turned up the volume in a way I had never seen a film do, and I loved every single minute of it. There is just something undeniably exhilarating about this film. It’s one that I watch and then wait a very long time before watching again, and every time I love it more. Luhrmann is a visionary, no doubt about it, and Moulin Rouge! is a quintessential example of that.
2. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)
Directed by DANNY BOYLE
I don’t think there has been a film in recent years that has emotionally resonated with me the way this film did. I have never so desperately rooted for a hero as I did Jamal Malik. I’m glad I got to see this in theaters prior to the crazy hype, so I saw it relatively expectation-free. This is the kind of movie that reminds you of why you love movies in the first place, and the ability they have to transport an audience.
1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
Directed by PETER JACKSON
For me, the Lord of the Rings movies sort of go beyond movies. They’re a genre in and of themselves. Yes we have Avatar ushering in a new way of filmmaking, but it was a method that originates in these films with the creation of creatures like Gollum. There are some movies that are not so much films as they are experiences, and this is probably the best example of that idea. It is overwhelming in scope and exists on a level that neither Avatar nor its successors will be able to achieve. As far as I’m concerned, this is the Star Wars of my generation.
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