Culture Blues

The Best Movies of the Decade: 20-11

As pop culture aficionados, your friends at Culture Blues are not immune to the end-of-decade lists currently overwhelming the internet. As the year comes to a close, and we get progressively lazier, please enjoy Listmania, where Culture Blues ranks their favorite shit in a bunch of different categories.

Welcome to our ongoing discussion of the best films of the decade, where every movie on our list will be praised by one writer, and then torn down by another. You can catch up with 50-36 here and 35-21 here.

PRO: I've always been a sucker for film noir. Brick, director Rian Johnson's debut feature, transplants all the classic noir elements (from femme fatale, to incomprehensible gumshoe lingo, and even some Bogart style slapping) from shadowy back alley into the modern high school. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of shadows in Brick - Johnson's vision is beautifully rendered in the smoky style of classic capers. Some might argue that Brick is a gimmick flick to which I respond: yeah, so what? Featuring a breakout performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a plot that would make Dashiell Hammett swoon, Brick succeeds in what it sets out to accomplish; a punchy update of the noir style, with all the panache left intact. Not to mention that Brick introduced the world to Johnson, a major talent to watch in the decade to come. There was nothing else like it this decade.  (Jeff)

CON: Sharp dialogue, entertaining performances and a great visual style. So what went wrong? Writer/Director Rian Johnson is never able to satisfactorily marry his hardboiled noir yarn with its suburban high school setting, and the movie suffers greatly for it. Things occasionally gel and the movie soars, but it’s far too often that an awkward line or a moment that rings false knocks it back down. An ambitious and promising, but ultimately just adequate, debut that doesn’t have a place on this list. His follow up The Brothers Bloom on the other hand... (Jeremiah)

PRO: Collateral is part thriller, part action movie and part low-key drama about a stranger in Los Angeles and his daydreaming cab driver. Michael Mann’s desolate nighttime L.A. shown through grainy video has been rendered downright chilly by the time Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise yield the road to wolves. Stripping away his movie star wackiness, Cruise nails the role of an unerringly professional hitman, while Foxx’s performance perfectly conveys the kind of man who plans and works for years to attain a dream he isn’t actually bold enough to grasp. Tight and arresting the whole way, Collateral is that rare movie that successfully balances well-crafted character work with pulse-quickening action pieces. (Jeremiah)

CON: Aw man, you guys like my movie? That means a lot to me. Collateral is what really launched me into the mainstream consciousness. It’s basically the reason that I won my Oscar for playing that blind dude. Huh? Oh, you want a little of that? She take my money – ha, that’s all you get for free, catch the rest at the Palms! If you like Collateral, you’d probably really enjoy my other joints like Stealth, Miami Vice, and The Soloist. Check ‘em out! (Jamie Foxx)

PRO: Paul Verhoeven was a top-notch director with an almost flawless filmography throughout the seventies and eighties. He hit the big time after his Orwellian masterpiece Robocop, and then inexplicably proceeded to make almost two decades worth of shit movies. For example, you may have been unfortunate enough to watch Basic Instinct, Total Recall, or Showgirls! Black Book is his triumphant return to quality with a fast paced tight WWII spy thriller centered around the Dutch Resistance spy ring infiltrating Nazi command. It’s scary, sexy, fun and an all around good time as long as you don’t dwell too much on that whole holocaust thing. (Carl)

CON: This movie was pretty good. I found it a little hard to focus on it though. See, I’ve been having this recurring dream. It’s about Mars. I go there, and I find out that I’m not who I think I am, and I shove surgical equipment into doctors, and I meet an alien resistance leader that pops out of some guy’s stomach, and I say “See you at the party, Richter,” and I… free Mars. Oh wait, that’s not a dream. That’s Total Recall, and it’s way better than this movie. (Jeremiah)

PRO: If I had my druthers, this would be the #1 movie on this list. PT Anderson's Punch Drunk Love was my favorite viewing experience of the last decade. I saw it in theaters more than any other movie (one of those times with PTA in attendance – get some). Ostensibly a romantic comedy, Punch Drunk takes awkwardness and anxiety to new extremes. I challenge you to sit through this movie without developing sweaty palms or a face sore from cringing. The effect this movie has on its viewers is due in no small part to Jon Brion's ferociously quirky score that propels along Anderson's socially inept characters.  Punch Drunk establishes Adam Sandler as a new generation's Bill Murray, the crying clown whose inherent goofiness masks a deep-seeded sadness. Sandler deconstructs the man-child persona that made him famous with gleeful aplomb, instilling Billy Madison with pathos and a terrifying violent streak. I'm going to go ahead and say it: Sandler deserved a fucking Oscar. I’m a nice man, I mind my own business, so you tell me that’s that before I beat the hell from you. (Jeff)

CON: People will tell you about the visceral nature of this film. How every decision by Paul Thomas Anderson makes you feel the anxiety being experienced by the characters. Well, yeah. But it’s also fucking annoying. Plain and simple. This movie is only for people who like their love stories as painfully quirky and unrealistic as possible. If you can relate to this movie, I highly doubt you could sit still long enough to watch it, much less go out in public to see it at a theater. Freaks. (Jeremiah)

PRO: Any movie that brings "Boo, you whore." into the cultural lexicon deserves a place on this list.  Mean Girls is culturally significant because it is universal.  Everyone went to high school, and everyone recognizes most of the characters in this movie (I myself have been involved in a three-way calling attack or two).  The descriptions of the different groups of people at lunch tables ("Asian Nerds," "Cool Asians," "Sexually Active Band Geeks") are frighteningly accurate.  The concept of throwing someone into high school with no knowledge of the social politics involved is fresh and original.  The "Jingle Bell Rock" and "stop trying to make 'fetch' happen.  It's not going to happen." sequences are as iconic as they come.  Through the laughter, however, it makes us ponder our own behavior in our teenage years.  Hopefully, it's made an amoral teenage girl or two see the error of her ways.  Powered by a tolerable performance by Lindsay Lohan, a shockingly good performance by Lacey Chabert and an Oscar-worthy performance by Rachel McAdams (yeah, I said it, Cate Blanchett), Mean Girls is infinitely enjoyable and re-watchable.  (Bill)

CON: Our standards have gotten so low that this is what passes for a teen classic now? What’s heralded as a sharp script is about as insightful as an after-school special. The jokes are predictable, boring and in some cases downright pathetic in their lameness. “High school is like a jungle. And I used to live in the jungle.” The only reason this movie must be preserved is to prove to future generations that Lindsay Lohan was actually something like a normal person once. They’ll never believe it. (Jeremiah)

PRO: As I began to write this entry I did some research into fantasy movies before LOTR. Outside of Willow, Labyrinth, and maybe The Never Ending Story the pickings are just plain awful. Thank God Peter Jackson made these movies, especially when you consider the fact that directors like Lucas and Spielberg did nothing but botch their attempts at making blockbuster spectaculars this decade. The quality of Jackson's trilogy of epics is unmatched and a real blessing, the attention to detail and craftsmanship practically peerless. Over the indomitable length of 558 minutes (683 extended) Jackson accomplishes the rare feat of adapting beloved source material and having it be universally acclaimed by critics and fans alike. There is so much of these movies that is memorable: the epic battles (Minas Tirith), the amazing Andy Serkis (Gollum), the stunning New Zealand backdrop, mixed with award winning set design & CGI, and a fantastic ensemble cast; most of all the flawless representations of the universal themes of friendship and the Hero's journey. (Giovanny)

CON: I hate The Lord of the Rings. Hate it. I'm disturbed that it is ranked at all, much less nearly cracking our top 10. Let's get a few things straight: The books suck. That's right, nerds, I'm shitting on your precious source material. Tolkien had all the writing skill of L Ron Hubbard without any of Hubbard’s sense of irony. Father of modern fantasy my ass. You think some other dude wouldn’t have come up with goblins and talking trees? The only interesting character in the entire mess is Boromir, and he’s killed off in the first part for being too morally ambiguous. Tolkien has a big problem with ambiguity, that’s why those two hobbits never bone. And by the way, the hobbits are just a metaphor for Tolkien’s repressed sexual relationship with super-Christian CS Lewis. Did I just blow your mind?  Lets see, what else? Gandalf is stupid. If you’ve got a giant falcon just waiting around, why didn’t you fly the stupid ring into the volcano and save everyone some heartache? Peter Jackson? Overrated hack. Gollum? Don’t get me started on Gollum. The people who like this movie all hate The Phantom Menace and Jar-Jar Binks. Well, that makes you hypocrites. Seriously, I could keep going, so if you’re interested in reading more you can e-mail me for my 30 page thesis on why this movie sucks. That’ll be a more economical use of your time than sitting through this atrocity’s protracted final act again (so many false finishes it makes The Matrix finale look well plotted). Ugh. Strider is pretty badass though. (Jeff)

PRO: There Will Be Blood is part tragedy and part horror movie.  Daniel Plainview's descent into sociopathic madness is one of the most engaging stories I've ever seen on film.  From the first sound he makes, gasping for air after falling down a well and breaking his leg, you know that this movie is really "going there" and will be an extraordinary experience.  Daniel Day-Lewis' performance is so intense and personal that it feels downright voyeuristic watching him be destroyed by fellow con-man Eli Sunday's conniving, his son's sudden deafness, his supposed half-brother's betrayal and obviously, his own greed.  The writing is wildly quotable, and the direction and cinematography are impeccable.  Clocking in at 158 minutes, it is certainly not a short film, but the plot moves at a rapid pace.  Paul Thomas Anderson changed up his lax editing style from his 90's movies Boogie Nights and Magnolia, cutting out anything that doesn't move the story along.  As a result, every scene feels iconic.  The movie even sounds incredible, with a brilliant score by Jonny Greenwood and a couple well-placed pieces by Arvo Pärt and Brahms.  Each subsequent viewing reveals more and more of the brilliance of this film.  I have a feeling that There Will Be Blood will be one of few films from this era that will stand the test of time as an American masterpiece. (Bill)

CON: Oil, milkshakes, Daniel Day Lewis with another non- descript accent, creepy deaf kid and an evangelical preacher.  That is the movie in a nutshell and I just saved you 2 hours and 40 minutes of your life.  I love Paul Thomas Anderson’s work, but this movie was paced wrong (in other words too long). And where is the story? I couldn’t shake the fact that there was too much melodrama.  I feel as if PTA built a movie around two terrific sequences -  DDL’s milkshake scene and his confessional.  Everything else was just filler.  (Cheese)

PRO: Most readers of our site should know by now that I hate Massachusetts. It is not something that's rational, right, nor something I am particularly proud of, but for most of my life I boycotted Sam Adams, Cheers reruns, Paul Revere (except the Beastie Boys song, but they're from Brooklyn) and all other things MA. Everything was going just fine... Then Scorsese had to go and direct The Departed, and suddenly my fortress of enmity had been compromised. This decade will be known as Scorsese's "DiCaprio era", and their two previous team-ups (Gangs of New York, The Aviator) each had their own merits, but they pale in comparison to the American epic tragedy that was released in 2006. This film weaves a tale of double and triple crosses that keeps one riveted, yet never gets convoluted. As you watch it unfold, you find yourself short of breath as our protagonist inches closer to his unmasking (and inevitable doom) all in an effort to catch his prey. Even the presence of actual sons of New England Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg doesn't ruin this movie... To be honest, Wahlberg's accent is one of my favorite things about it. (Giovanny)

CON: Put simply, The Departed isn't Infernal Affairs. I question anyone that can laud Scorsese remake (dirty word, but that's what it is) without first checking out the vastly superior original. What did Scorsese bring to the table here? An unnecessary amount of head blood and brain spray? The quaint American idea that good will eventually prevail over evil? Mark fucking Wahlberg? This movie is bullshit. (Jeff)

PRO: Movies based on comic books are all the rage these days. And usually pretty bad. As a comic book fan I always begrudgingly fork over the dough to watch my childhood heroes defaced, defiled and molested by the clown in the ice cream truck that calls itself Hollywood. Sin City was able to transcend the Hollywood comic hero shit movie making machine through the talents of its three main contributors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Sin City is shot in a black and white, while incorporating green screen and computer technology, to give the film the textures of Miller’s original comic vision. Sin City is breathtakingly gorgeous in its visual presentation and just plain fun in its classic comic book noir storytelling. (Carl)

CON: I guess the nitwits that put this list together are overlooking the fact that I invented all these techniques that Sin City gets so much praise for. I can only assume that my vastly superior movie will be in the as yet unrevealed top 10. See, I was making green screen pop while Robert Rodriguez was still busy dicking around with Spy Kids. And it was wholesome, too. You bet Jude Law doesn’t go and rip anybody’s wiener off. (Kerry Conran, director of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow)

PRO: Easily one of the most satisfying cinematic experiences of my decade, Moon is just about perfect. It’s the only movie I can remember recommending to everyone for months after I saw it. It’s thought provoking and deeply moving. It tells a very specific, succinct story yet explores universal themes with depth that kept me talking about it for hours after walking out of the theater. Sam Rockwell is essentially the only actor in the movie and that isn’t a detriment in the least. This is a stunning debut from director Duncan Jones who also crafted the basic story. Revisiting entries on this list has reminded me that movies rife with psychological themes often end up very slow, deliberate and/or boring. Moon brilliantly avoids this pitfall and remains entertaining, captivating and vital for its entire runtime. (Jeremiah)

CON: Moon proves to me that I can hate Kevin Spacey in any capacity.  It promised to be somewhat of a reboot of the sci-fi genre on film, but it "borrows" too many elements from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris and brings too little originality to the table.  The scenes with Sam Rockwell (who gives a fine performance) playing against himself are distracting and downright hokey.  Save yourself the trouble, and block off three hours to devote to Tarkovsky's (or even Soderbergh's) Solaris instead. (Bill)

See our Top 10 Movies of the Decade here.

Tagged as: best movies of the decade, black book, brick, collateral, mean girls, Moon, pt anderson, punch drunk love, sin city, the departed, there will be blood, total recall