Dir: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts
Iñárritu's sophomore effort 21 Grams is a very intense and detailed drama. Like with his first film, Amores Perros, 21 Grams centers around a complex multi-story non-linear plot that centers around three people who are affected by a car accident. The movie features great performances from Naomi Watts, Benicio del Toro, and Sean Penn as they play the three main characters as we take a look into their lives before and after the accident. But 21 Grams reveals its brilliance slowly and steadily, much like Iñárritu's first film. But Iñárritu does not shy away from his scenes carrying a certain emotional weight to them. This film, while treading in the same territory as his first film once again displays the amount of talent that Iñárritu and his writing partner Guillermo Arriaga have.
79. Minority Report, 2002, USA
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow
One of Spielberg's finest films of the new millennium and one of my favorite Tom Cruise performances, Minority Report is one hell of a chase based on a Phillip K. Dick short story and is about a Precrime officer named John Anderton (Cruise) and his attempted escape from being accused of and persecuted for a crime he has yet to commit. Minority Report is really one of the few summer blockbusters of the last decade that goes beyond merely being popcorn entertainment - even though it certainly passes that test - it's a smart sci-fi/adventure/thriller with a great cast and of course has possibly the greatest ever mainstream Hollywood bigshot director working behind the camera. Minority Report entertains, enlightens, and thrills throughout all of its 145 minutes.
78. Match Point, 2005, USA/UK
Dir: Woody Allen
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Johnathan Rhys Meyers
Woody Allen marked a very necessary comeback with one of the best films of 2005, Match Point. For the earlier part of the decade, it seemed like Allen was in a bit of a repetitive rut, but something about moving across the Atlantic apparently gave him new inspiration especially with the casting of Scarlett Johansson. It's a movie that reminds me most of the 1989 drama Crimes and Misdemeanors which is another Woody Allen film, of course. Match Point is about a man who finds his social and financial status on the verge of collapse once he begins having an affair with a former lover of his best friend and brother of his current girlfriend. With Match Point, Woody Allen showed that he still had a lot to offer to the cinematic world and it gave him his first box office success in nearly 20 years.
77. Hot Fuzz, 2007, UK
Dir: Edgar Wright
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Edgar Wright's balls-to-the-wall hilarious send-up of buddy cop action films gets funnier every time you watch it. The reason for that is how much attention to detail is done within the film. Edgar Wright does such a phenomenal job that you can laugh at this film in so many ways. The key to parodying a particular genre is to get knee-deep in it and that's what Edgar Wright does. This film, first of all, works as a crazy, violent, buddy cop film as itself. Then you add in the sight gags, superfluously quick and slo-mo shots, and just the downright absurdity of the overall plot. Seriously, once you realize where this film is going, it just makes you love the film that much more. Edgar Wright is one of the few filmmakers I can think of whose sense of humor is just as cutting-edge as his camerawork. He's a really talented filmmaker and his movies are hilarious. That is one deadly combo.
76. Up in the Air, 2009, USA
Dir: Jason Reitman
Cast: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick
Edgar Wright's Canadian look-alike Jason Reitman has deservedly taken the #76 spot with his charming, mature comedy-drama Up in the Air starring the omnipresent George Clooney. This is the ultimate George Clooney character... smart, witty, sexy, charismatic... but there is an inherent sadness, loneliness, and vulnerability to his character that makes him especially likable in this movie. Here's a man who gets paid to fire people, meanwhile he lives his life hopping from one airplane to another. It's an endless cycle for Ryan Bingham (Clooney) and at the end, you're not sure if that's the man he'll always be or if he'll attempt to break that cycle. Up in the Air also contains very lovely performances from Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Reitman is one of the smartest young filmmakers out there and the most underrated aspect about him is how much he gets from his actors. After three films, you can't help but expect great acting, smart script, and overall professional and solid filmmaking. The man is a pro and he's not even 35.
75. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, 2003, USA/New Zealand
Dir: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen
Why do I feel as if I should defend myself for placing an LOTR film at number 75? And the fact that there's only one LOTR film in this whole list? Yeah, that's definitely the case here, but that's not because I'm a hater or anything. I actually really respect and admire the LOTR series, but the third film was the only film that ever really stuck with me long after viewing it and I'd probably rank it a lot higher if it wasn't for the fact that it never ends. But Return of the King ends the epic story of Frodo and friends in a very satisfying, if not, somewhat tiring way. Peter Jackson's masterful camerawork also needs to be praised as he did great justice to the LOTR trilogy.
74. Amelie, 2001, French
Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Cast: Audrey Tatou, Mathieu Kassovitz
Amelie is just a beautiful film to watch, there's no other way of getting around it. Then you have the lovely Audrey Tatou playing the naive and charmed title character. It really is hard not to fall in love with Amelie's kindness, innocence, and playfulness and it's no wonder that the film struck such a chord with audiences and critics alike back in the early half of the decade. The luscious cinematography makes this film even harder not to look at. It's just an overall wonderful film although it has sort of lost its way with me over the past few years. But that's just a case of me liking some other films more and kinda forgetting about this wonderful gem. But I remember how much I loved this film when I first saw it and it's still worth embracing.
73. Anchorman, 2004, USA
Dir: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Steve Carell
With a silly movie such as Anchorman, you might wonder how a film such as this could possibly have a place on this list. It's so dumb, sophomoric... but the most fitting word for this movie is just plain hilarious. There's a reason why people still quote this movie left and right, it's because it's funny as hell and it hasn't stopped being funny no matter how many times you watch it. Anchorman was the first full-length collaboration between McKay and Ferrell and it is, by far, their best. But what also makes this film work is the great supporting performances by Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Christina Applegate. I think part of what was so successful about this film was that it relied heavily on improvisation. That makes for some spontaneously hilarious lines that are peppered all throughout this film. If you can't laugh at anything in this film, you might want to call a doctor.
72. About Schmidt, 2002, USA
Dir: Alexander Payne
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates
Alexander Payne proved in the first half of the 2000s that he is filmmaker that everyone should start taking more seriously. After his bitingly satirical films Citizen Ruth and Election, Payne took a step in a whole other direction with About Schmidt. About Schmidt is a wonderfully quiet, carefully constructed character study featuring one of the greatest actors of his generation who is living life more helplessly as he gets older. Like Reitman did with Clooney in Up in the Air, Alexander Payne provided Jack Nicholson with the perfect role at the perfect time. It showed audiences a different side to Jack. He's not just a mean, crotchedy old man. He's a man who hasn't fully come to terms with the fact that he's getting old. I think this film really struck a chord with me personally because I fear of the idea of one day being a retired 60-something old man living a life that I feel I can't really control and missing my youth on a daily basis. Alexander Payne, with Nicholson's character, attacks the helplessness of aging and makes you realize that this is the road that we all are eventually heading down towards. It's kinda depressing, but it's done in a very enlightening and tender way.
71. Sin City, 2005, USA
Dir: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke
It's pretty much well-known these days that Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are like the best of friends. And Rodriguez has certainly made his share of entertaining films. But, Sin City was the first film that really ever sniffed at Quentin Tarantino's level. It's a beautifully shot film as Rodriguez is one of the few masters at shooting with HD cameras. Top that with just how closely the movie stays within its source material while also justifying its transition into the big screen and it all adds up to a great film. Sin City is the closest Robert Rodriguez has gotten to making a truly great, classic film. And it's all done in typical Rodriguez fashion. Also memorable to note is Mickey Rourke's greatly underrated performance in this film. Sure Aronofsky showed the true depths of Rourke's talent, but Sin City showed a piece of that as well.
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