Top 50 Films of the Decade (#30-#21)

30. Michael Clayton (2007)

 

You have to pay close attention, as this complex thriller is not served with a spoonful of Hollywood sugar.  It’s also far better the second time around, once you’ve had a chance to digest the shocking ending and its disturbing implications.  George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson are in a league all of their own.

29. The Queen (2006)

Playing a public figure is a daunting task for any actor, particularly when that figure is still alive and well.  Helen Mirren embodies Her Majesty with both grace and dignity, and Michael Sheen provides solid support as Prime Minister Tony Blair.  Their subtle and affecting performances are first rate. 

28. Enchanted (2007)

Amy Adams joined a very exclusive club when she signed on to play a Disney princess.  I cannot think of anyone more suited to the role of Giselle, as perky and naïve a princess as ever seen before.  Add Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden to the mix and suddenly you have a fairy tale of the highest order. 

27. Milk (2008)

Director Gus Van Sant always takes risks, whether for good or bad.  After years of toiling away on his pet project, he finally got to tell the story of Harvey Milk.  It’s clearly a labor of love, with each detail meticulously thought out and executed.  Sean Penn gives the performance of his career and certainly deserved that Oscar. 

26. American Splendor (2003)

Innovative hardly begins to describe the masterly structure of this screenplay, adapted from the graphic novel.  This is a difficult film to explain, but I promise it’s one of the most original and peculiar movies ever made.  I also promise it’s one of the best, with eccentric yet poignant characters, and a heap of cinematic pleasures. 

25. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2006)

Julianne Moore has a knack for playing 50’s housewives.  After tackling similar themes in Far From Heaven and The Hours, she put on the apron once more for this moving and humorous story about a woman raising her family in an era when women were never breadwinners, let alone prize winners. 

24. C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

This French-Canadian film takes a number of contradictory genres, mixes them all together, and hurls them up on the screen.  The energy is contagious and it’s remarkable how many places this film takes you, all unpredictable and all compelling. 

23. One Week (2008)

Another Canadian film makes the list; this one made me enormously proud to live in the great white North.  Joshua Jackson manages to be sympathetic without ever layering on the schmaltz.  It makes a huge number of profound observations, all wrapped up inside quiet little moments in time. 

22. Hairspray (2007)

This is a high octane musical ride that never lets up for a second.  The entire cast is first rate, each perfectly cast in their roles.  John Travolta is darling as Edna and newcomer Nikki Blonsky lights up the screen. 

21. Death at a Funeral (2007)

Farces very rarely work on film, but director Frank Oz and his daffy cast of characters make this story whiz along at such a rapid pace that you barely have a chance to catch your breath.  This one demands repeated viewing, as you will know doubt be laughing from one scene into the next.