Best movies of this decade (2000 - 2009)

I heard an interesting discussion on the radio this morning, "Best movies of the 2000's". With this decade coming to a close this is a valid topic. And it got me to thinking about it, so I figured I'd throw in my own top 10 list. I always find it interesting to hear other peoples take on movies. Critics usually lean towards the more 'meaningful' or 'artistic' movies to be labeled as the best movies. I don't agree with this philosophy. I go to the movies for one purpose: to be entertained. That can be in the format of drama, comedy, horror, historic, whatever. Depends on my mood. My list is based on the pure entertainment factor. If you disagree with me, I want to hear your opinion. Note that I am right and you are wrong. But it's always cute to hear otherwise.

10. Training Day. Denzel Washington is a bona fide bad ass in this movie. I wish he would do more bad guys movies because he plays it so well. And Ethan Hawke plays the role of the wide-eyed narcotic rookie to perfection. Just a good story and good acting. This movie kind of made me wonder how of this type of thing actually happens within the police force. I wouldn't doubt that some is this happens. I guess I don't want to really know. If you haven't seen this movie, you have to check it out.

9. Seabiscuit. This was a really inspiring movie. It takes place during the depression era. It's a true story about a beaten down horse jockey (Tobey McGuire) who got teamed up with an even more broken down horse (Seabiscuit) in a depressed era who were both given a second chance by Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges). All pulling together they were able to achieve greatness against all odds. This movie was quite moving. I definitely had more respect for the sport of horse racing after watching this movie.

8. History of Violence. This movie really didn't get recognition. I didn't really hear anything about it. This was one of those rare gems I happened to come across in Blockbuster by pure luck. Didn't know anything about it. Hadn't heard anybody even speak of it. But damn, I really got into this flick. You don't know what to make of it right away. But they did a great job of developing the plot on this one. Viggo Mortensen is the star of this movie. He is a certified ass kicker. But in a unique way. I tend to get really bored or roll my eyes when you see another Rambo or Lethal Weapon movie where the guy just doesn't die. He magically dodges like 900 bullets and takes on 7 guys at a time without leaving a scratch. Viggo's character is real. His character would be more like a real life Rambo if he existed. I can't describe too much about this movie without giving it away (there is a twist). But Viggo, Ed Harris and William Hurt give great performances. I love this story.

7. Casino Royale. I never liked James Bond. Let me rephrase - I never liked the OLD format of James Bond. To me it was always too nice and tidy where James Bond constantly gets himself into trouble but comes out smelling like a rose. Never a bead of sweat. Never any harm done to him. He never raised his voice. And always the witty comeback line at the end of each near death experience. Whatever. That shit just doesn't happen. Yes, it's a movie and we have to go with it. But that's why I like the new James Bond. Stuff doesn't work out for him. He gets hurt. He gets tortured in this movie. But there are still exciting elements that remain in this film left over from the old format. A lot of action and deception. It's about time someone realized that they had to update his character. Bond is more dark and edgy now. This is a James Bond I can get on board with!

6. Tropic Thunder. This is a really goofy movie. It's also hilarious! A lot of big names in this movie. Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Matthew Mcconaughey, Robert Downy Jr, Nick Nolte. I laughed my ass off from the first scene of this movie right up until when they rolled the credits. A couple of brilliant performances to note in this movie: Robert Downy Jr. as Kirk Lazarus - an pedigreed Australian actor with numerous achievements under his belt. His new challenge - become black. Downy plays an unbelievable white guy playing a black guy. He really nailed it. It was so friggin funny. You couldn't help but laugh at him. Another great job was done by Tom cruise - incognito. Hell, I didn't even realize it was him until the the third scene he's in. I've never scene that much funny come out of Tom cruise. Cruise and Downy alone are enough to crack you up. But the whole movie is really funny.

5. 300. Spartans.... UNITE! This is a total dude movie. I felt like storming something after leaving the movie theater. Or at least punching or kicking something. Although this is a man movie, there is something for the ladies also... I think they re-invented the six pack in this movie. They took it to a whole different level where guys could fight with their abs and not even bother with fists. Chuck Norris called - he wants his abs back everyone. This movie has all the makings of an epic dude flick... sex, battles, fighting, death, blood, broken bones, weapons, unknown creatures, etc... not only did this movie have a lot of great man movie elements, it also had amazing CGI and effects. This was a pretty ground breaking film as far as that. It reminded me a lot of the Matrix when it came out. Dammit, just writing about this makes me want to kill something. Someone hand me my spear, my shield and Terrel Owen's abs. aaa-uuu, aaa-uuuu, aaa-uuu

4. Million Dollar Baby. This is a Clint Eastwood film where he and Hilary Swank team up and tackle the world of female boxing. I heard a lot of hype about this movie but didn't know what to make of it. I wasn't very excited to see this film. But I rented it because I heard it was good and there was a lot of Oscar buzz at the time. It ended up winning four Oscars including Best Film in 2005 and best actress (Hilary Swank). I thought this was going to be some kind of sad female ripoff of Rocky or something. But this is a really great movie. Eastwood films are usually a bit slower paced which remains true in this movie. But it is really well written and some really great acting in this flick. This is not a 'feel good' boxing movie like Rocky where you leave the theater all pumped up, ready to spar somebody. This is definitely a tear jerker. But very entertaining; at times very funny. This is definitely one of the great movies of the 2000s.

3. Ironman. This movie resurrected the career of Robert Downy Jr. This is his movie. Period. Over. Done. I actually never pictured him doing much more than playing a coked out druggie (Less than zero). But he really nailed this performance. I really liked this movie partly because there was actually a lot of technology involved. Not behind the scenes, but it was actually part of the movie. I found it really clever how he was able to fashion all the Ironman gear. They did a great job setting up Downy's character by establishing what a brilliant mind he had for robotics and engineering. And I loved how they actually showed him develop the Ironman suit in his basement with all the bleeding edge technology and techniques he used. As an engineer, I could appreciate the process of building, failing, tweaking, and rebuilding until he got it right. This is just a really cool movie with a great balance of super hero, real life, corporate life and romance all wrapped up into one. I think I wanted to learn about robotics afterward and build my own bullet proof suit.

2. Gran Tarino. Another Clint Eastwood movie. Does this guy make any bad movies?? See my earlier post about this movie here I didn't know what to expect going into this movie. But I was totally blown away. Way better than I expected. Everyone I know who has seen this movie has nothing but good things to say also. This is just a damn good story with some great acting. Eastwood is definitely the man. He is an older version of a bad ass. This is a perfect example of a movie that is entertaining but still makes you think. This movie deals with a lot of issues that very real problems right now in this country. But there is a lot of humor in this movie. I laughed really hard several times. It just kind of comes out of left field at times. This movie made me laugh, made me think, and it entertained the hell out of me also. A great movie.

1. The Hangover. If you are reading this, you are part of my wolf pack. For my money this is the funniest movie I've ever seen. Brilliant. I nearly shit myself I laughed so hard. (see earlier post) This movie just came out on video. If you haven't seen it yet, go and rent it right now. What, your'e still reading this crap? I said RIGHT NOW! Go! Damn funny movie. There are some very wrong scenes in this movie. Disturbing. But funny. I think this is the best of the 2000s, so suck it.

I had a tough time picking out my top 10 movies from this decade. Tougher than I thought. so I am including some honorable mentions that didn't make the list:
-Superbad
-The Wrestler
-Saw
-District 9
-Paranormal Activity
-40 Year Old Virgin
-Napoleon Dynamite
-Wedding Crashers
-Old School
-Gladiator
-Shaun of the Dead

I want to hear what you think! -Jim