Top 10 Films of the Decade Pt. 1: Dramas

The 2000s are now over and I wanted to take a leisurely stroll down memory lane, and that of course means lists! And boy howdy do I have a lot of them planned, 8 to be exact. I will begin with the one genre that I had to cheat the most on. While all of these films are drama's in the loosest of senses, there are a few that might be considered comedies by some, but bear in mind that my Comedy list was too full and the Drama cateory was one of the weaker for the decade. So without further ado:


10) Almost Famous (2000)



Cameron Crowe started out the decade with this semi-autobiographical film so I think it is fitting that I start the list with it. With great music, great writing, great acting and just an altogether watchable experience Almost Famous was one of the first films I owned on DVD and one of the most watched since. Kate Hudson is great as the leader of the Band Aids, but this was one of the first films to direct my attention to Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk and Zooey Deschanel so for that alone I am eternally grateful.


9) The Aviator (2004)



This was a movie that I liked at the time, but it wasn't until repeated viewings on DVD that I discovered just how much. One of the longer films on this list, but the world that Scorsese has recreated is simply remarkable. The life of Howard Hughes is a very interesting tale and the life that Leonardo DiCaprio breathes into the role is some of his best work to date. The real show stealer, however, is Cate Blanchette as Katherine Hepburn. Wow does she nail that role and cement herself as an acting icon of her generation.


8) Remember the Titans (2000)



One of the few sports movies to make my list and one of the very best ones. This movie came out right at the time when I was in school playing football so their are obvious reasons why I like this film, but it made my list because it is also a really griping civil rights tale. This isn't among the very best of film making achievements, but it is a film that plays so very well and has stood the test of time nearly 10 years later.


7) Gone Baby Gone (2007)



Ben Affleck's feature directing debut is among the hardest films I have ever watched. I generally shy away from debbie downer films, to me they are often gloomy for gloomy's sake and otherwise just not fun. Gone Baby Gone isn't much different, but Casey Affleck's character has so much depth that when he has to make the difficult choice at the end you sympathize with his lose - lose scenario and can't help but be moved in one of the most downer endings I have ever seen.

6) Garden State (2004)



One of my favorite movies of the decade, this film hit me like a ton of bricks in 2004. Just a perfect film that stuck very close to home for me. Zach Braff constructed a film that is quirky, unique (at the time it was) and just plain fun all the while dealing with serious personal emotional issues that young people tend to go through in a directionless life. A great cast and a brilliant soundtrack also help make this film one of the more memorable cinematic experiences of my life.

5) The Dreamers (2003)



Probably my favorite Bernardo Bertolucci film, and one of the biggest surprises of the year for me when it came out. The incestuous nature of the film was shocking to me at the time (I was 17 when I first saw it) but deeper reflection on the film in my "what do I want to do with my life" phase really opened my eyes to the cineophile radical 60s message the movie was telling and I was enthralled. This is a film with many messages and truly needs to be dissected in multiple viewings for full affect.


4) The Beach (2000)



Yep Danny Boyle's The Beach, kinda surprising to see it here huh? Well when I was looking through the films of the decade I kept coming back to how many times I have seen this film. When it came out I loved it, then never thought about it. One day I picked the VHS and found myslef watching it ALL the time, it was my favorite "homework" watching film for a couple years, and even to this day I find myself putting on this film once every 6 months or so. Danny Boyle is the master of tone, putting on this movie is almost like a chemical experience, I just instantly get relaxed and enthralled.


3) Slumdog Millionaire (2008)



Back to back Danny Boyle films, I tried to be more even but I cannot ignore the film that was my favorite of last year and represented one of my favorite movie theater experiences EVER. This tale of love and loss has so much tragedy that its odd to say but this film is one of the most uplifting and inspirational films ever made. There is something just so genuine about Jamal's quest to regain his lost love through the game Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and like the very best fairy tales fate is the deciding factor and they get their happily ever after.


2) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)



Im kind of surprised that I let a Wes Anderson film so high on one of my lists, but there is just no denying that his style over substance approach becomes near masterpiece when he has some amazing substance to go with it. Probably belongs on the Comedy List, but I think it fits well with the films on the list, and easily one of the most re watchable films of the decade, a factor I am discovering is very important to my over all opinion of a film over the course of a decade.


1) Requiem for a Dream (2000)



And now to contradict everything I just said about re watch-ability. This is a film I might never want to watch again, and one that took me a long time to revisit it after the first time I saw it. A dark, harrowing tale that has stuck with me even to this day. When you talk about a milestone movie moment, watching this movie for the first time is something I will never ever forget and something that I might not ever wish on another human being... and I mean that in the best possible way.