100 Best Movies of the Decade?

Hey! Not only is “Slumdog Millionaire” the “feel good movie of the decade,” but the Times and the Telegraph (in a rare moment of agreement), think it’s one of the best.  

It’s that time of year when you start to see “best of the year” lists. This time, though, there’s a twist–you’re going to start seeing “best of the decade” lists (if you are someone who believes the new decade begins in 2011, get ready to bang your head against a wall a lot for, oh, say, the next year). Our first contender is the Times of London’s 100 Best Movies of the Decade list. Take a look at their top ten:

10. “Hunger” (Steve McQueen, 2008)

9. “The Queen” (Stephen Frears, 2006)

8. “Casino Royale” (Martin Campbell, 2006)

7. “The Last King of Scotland” (Kevin Macdonald, 2006)

6. “Slumdog Millionaire” (Danny Boyle, 2008)

5. “Team America: World Police” (Trey Parker, 2004)

4. “Grizzly Man” (Werner Herzog, 2005)

3. “No Country for Old Men” (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, 2007)

2. “The Bourne Supremacy” / “The Bourne Ultimatum” (Paul Greengrass, 2004, 2007)

1. “Hidden (Caché)” (Michael Haneke, 2005)

Okay! Now the Telegraph of London also chimes in with their carefully titled, “Top 100: The Films That Defined the Noughties.” (By ”Noughties” they mean years 2000-2009, but I believe are going for one of those wink wink nudge nudge British double entendres. Seriously, this decade hasn’t been particularly naughty, especially compared with some other time periods. But I ramble off track.). See, ”films that defined the decade” isn’t necessarily the same as ”best films.” So take a look at their top ten:

10. “Slumdog Millionaire” (Danny Boyle, 2008)

9. “The Passion of the Christ” (Mel Gibson, 2004)

8. “Amores Perros” (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 2000)

7. “Borat” (Larry Charles, 2006)

6. “Memento” (Christopher Nolan, 2000)

5. “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” (Peter Jackson, 2001)

4. “There Will Be Blood” (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)

3. “The Incredibles” (Brad Bird, 2004)

2. “Brokeback Mountain” (Ang Lee, 2005)

1. “Fahrenheit 9/11? (Michael Moore, 2004).

 I wouldn’t buy “Fahrenheit 9/11″ as the film that most defined the decade, either from a social or cinematic point of view. Off the top of my head, I probably would say something like “The Dark Knight” (and I’m not even one of that movie’s biggest fans) would be a better choice.

I should also note that the Telegraph puts the not yet released “Avatar” as number 100, taking a gamble that it will live up to the publicity. Then again, they also have the godawful “Crash” at 98. That doesn’t belong in the top 100 of anything.

It’s interesting to compare similar films on the list. The Times’s #1, “Hidden,” comes in at a middling #44 on the Telegraph’s lists; “Memento,” #6 on the Telegraph list comes in at #68 on the Times’s list. And of course you can argue endlessly over the choices from your own personal experiences–the Telegraph list has “Mulholland Drive” way too low (seriously, “Little Miss Sunshine” beat that out? and on the Times’s list, “Little Miss Sunshine” beats out “Return of the King”? I mean, it’s a fine movie, but it shouldn’t be ranked ahead of these films). I would probably put that in my top three. What would be the other two? Well, just off the top of my head without reviewing a list of the movies released in this decade, I would probably say, “Spider-Man 2″ and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Mmm, maybe I will review a list of the movies released this decade (sorry, 11-ists) and make my own list.