BEST OF THE DECADE

If you don't know, today is the last day of 2009, which puts us into a new decade. So I thought since all the other site are doing a best of the decade list, I though why not do one as well, that and because Courtney Monroe asked that I do one.

Obviously, there are a lot of movies to look at when doing a best of the decade list. How I did mine, was I looked at other lists to jog my memory and then added some that I felt were left out. Then I just went down the list and pulled whatever movie I liked the best from one to fifty. I won't comment on all fifty films, but I will on some.

Now I'm pretty sure no one person saw every single movie that came out in the past ten years, I certainly didn't so at the end of my list, I made a list of films that have been highly praised that I missed and have added to movies to see in this new decade. One more note, I do not like the Harry Potter films, I have seen them all and am not thrilled by them and many sites had them in the top films. I do not. Now this list was hard to do and it was a toss up a lot of times on what to put where so this is roughly the order, but maybe not exactly what my top fifty would be.

So here we go!

50. X-MEN
I'm starting off with a couple of comic movies at the top of the list. When you look back, much of the 2000's have been big named comic book releases. In 2000, Fox took a chance and brought Marvel's big name franchise to the big screen setting up a new genre of films. Thanks to this, we have franchises like Spider-Man, Iron Man and the rebooting of Batman. This is why I start them out at number fifty.

49. ANCHORMAN
Much like X-Men, I think that Anchorman in a way started a new line of comedies for the decade. Back then Will Ferrell was still funny, and it helped Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd rise to stardom.

48. UP

47. The 40-Year Old Virgin
When I look at comedy, I look at it like football, there are two divisions. You have the Adam McKay/Will Ferrell group who makes the goofy, often PG-13 films, then you have the Judd Apatow clan. Where McKay and Ferrell make the goofy comedies, Apatow started a new more serious and most the time more funny comedies. The 40-Year Old Virgin started this for him and now big namers like Steve Carrell and Seth Rogen.

46.WALL-E
45.SPIDER-MAN

44. IRON MAN
What Jon Favreau did here was show us how to take a less popular character like Iron Man and make him a big name character.

43. BAD BOYS 2
This is more of a guilty pleasure movie for me. We can debate all day whether it's a good movie or not, but it's fun, it has a lot of good quotes in it and it is a true action movie from start to finish.

42.O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?
41.OLD SCHOOL

40. LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
I know a lot of people will say this is too low on the list, but honestly I'm not crazy abot this trilogy. They are good films, but you have to be in the right set of mind to watch them because they are so long. This one was a little boring for me, but I more than make up for placing this one so high.

39.KNOCKED UP
38.BLACK HAWK DOWN
37.THE HANGOVER

36. THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
This is a very underated film. I don't think it was well recieved, but I think it is a very funny film that is worth checking out.

35.SPIDER-MAN2
34.GRAN TARINO
33.THE WRESTLER

32. STAR TREK
J.J. Abrams made being a nerd cool with this film.

31. SUNSHINE
Another very underrated film. This was done by Danny Boyle, who did 28 Days Later and Slumdog Millionaire but for some reason only got a limited release. This was a very good film, that unfortunately not a lot of people saw.

30.WEDDING CRASHERS
29.THE INCREDIBLES
28.KILL BILL VOL. 1

27. AVATAR
I'm not going to beat a dead horse since I have put a review up on it recently and put it in my top 10 of the year. It was a good film with out of this world effects so I'm putting it where I think it really does deserve to be which is a little bit below the middle. Had this had a stronger story we might be talking top 10.

26.RAY

25. MEMENTO
This was Christopher Nolan's first film. If it had not been for this film, this great new Batman franchise would never have happened and we could still be watching Batman with nipples on the suit. I think this is a very important film of the decade.

24. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
It was a good movie ok. Plus a very good performance from Heath Ledger, which may or may not have had an impact on him getting the role as The Joker, at least that is how I'm going to spin it.

23. 28 DAYS LATER
This started a new genre of zombie films, which now are sadly being overdone.

22. CASINO ROYALE
This put 007 back on track for a new generation. Daniel Craig is a much better Bond than Brosnan. Excellent writting and performances. This really got me excited about the 007 franchise again.

21.X2: X-MEN UNITED

20. BORAT
Maybe the funniest movie of the decade. I have never laughed harder in a film than I did when watching this.

19.SHAUN OF THE DEAD

18.PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
Johnny Depp was a big name before this film, but his role as Captain Jack Sparrow launched him into an even bigger name. The sequels were less than satisfying, but the first one is a well put together, fun ride.

17.MYSTIC RIVER

16. SIN CITY
They took a chance here and gambled on a graphic novel film and boy did it pay off. People really took to this genre of comic book films and thanks to Sin City we will get a whole new variety of comics.

15.LORD OF THE RING: THE TWO TOWERS
14.CRASH

13. BATMAN BEGINS
Not to sound corny here, but Batman really did begin with this film. This is as close to perfect of an adaptaion that I have seen. Burton's films were good, but Nolan took Batman to a new level with this reinvision of Batman.

12. THE ROAD
The buzz just isn't catching on for this film and maybe it's just me but I love it. Like Avatar I'm not going to repeat what I have already posted, but it is a great story that leaves you thinking about it for days.

11.SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

10. THE HURT LOCKER
Best war film of the decade. I really hope this wins best picture.

9.THE PRESTIGE
8.INGLORIOUS BASTARDS

7. WALK THE LINE
This film has great performances by everyone in it. The fact that it and Phoneix didn't get nominated for Oscars is a joke. One of the most enjoyable films of the decade.

6.GLADIATOR
5.MILLION DOLLAR BABY

4. THE DARK KNIGHT
Easily the best comic film of the decade. This is a perfect comic film with no flaws. I'm so glad that we got to see Ledger's Joker before he passed away. I'm convinced that no one will be able to top his Joker.

3. THERE WILL BE BLOOD
The more I watch this film, the more I appreciate it. It's not flashy, it doesn't move you, it's just a great film

2. THE DEPARTED
Maybe this is a little high on the list, but I was absolutely consumed with this film all three times I watched it. Scorsese really deserved an Oscar on his previous films, but this was a good one to win for.

1. LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING
I really didn't want to put this at number one, but I got to give credit where credit is due. The effort put into not just this one but the whole trilogy is something to be cherished. Peter Jackson did the most thorough job at adapting book to film than any other adaptation has done. The movie totally consumes you and puts you right in the book, which is a hard thing to come by.

Here are the films that have got a lot of praise but I have not seen and plan on seeing this year.
Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind
City of God
Pan's Labyrinth
Lost In Translation
Munich
Almost Famous
Requiem for a Dream