Top 10 movies of the 2000s

Yes, that time has come when lists are made, scores are tallied and moments are remembered. The cinema world shook, rattled and rolled as movies evolved within their increasingly globalized and technologically diverse sphere over the first decade of the new millennium. Here, for your reading pleasure, is my list of the top ten reel-to-real marvels of the past ten years.

10) Pulse (2001, dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa) -- A ghost story with a message? Who wudda thunk it? This J-horror primer of chills does not only deliver the tension, it serves up an allegory in the context of a mystery, following a group of college students who uncover an otherworldly conspiracy spilling out from a web site into our world. Dark and eerie, Kurosawa's gem is a cautionary tale of isolation amid the very tools that are supposed to be bringing us together.

9) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007, dir. Julian Schnabel) -- When Jean-Dominique Bauby's words and Julian Schnabel's vision collide, life becomes art. After suffering a stroke at the age of 42, Bauby awoke in hospital to find himself afflicted by locked-in syndrome, leaving his body completely paralyzed and his mental state intact. Blinking sentences letter by letter, he wrote the memoir upon which the film is based; by losing himself in his rich fantasy world, he found himself all over again. The film's unique first-person perspective is the only way to tell Bauby's story. This study of the human spirit, as conceived and conveyed through a study of human creativity, gives a new meaning to the concept of legacy.

8) Brokeback Mountain (2005, dir. Ang Lee) -- Once upon a time, two cowboys fell in love. Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar live their lives in 1960s and 1970s America longing and yearning for one another, aware that the society stigmatizes their relationship. The map of this mountain charts the course of the human heart on an exquisitely passionate journey, while it is the chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger that gives the story it soulful character, inevitably reminding us of the loss of a great talent that occurred on January 22, 2008.

7) Whale Rider (2002, dir. Niki Caro) -- A Maori girl believes that she is a direct descendant of her tribe's original ancestor, a lineage that would render her the next chief. However, since the chief has always been a male, her strict grandfather refuses to break tradition and the girl has to stand up to the old ways. A fascinating peek inside an ancient culture that many may never have learned about, the story delves into themes of family, feminism, patriarchy and, most importantly, preserving and adapting tradition within the context of the contemporary era.

6) Little Miss Sunshine (2006, dirs. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) -- Seven-year-old Olive Hoover dreams of winning the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. Once she has a chance to compete, her goal takes her entire dysfunctional family on the road, where individual frustrations emerge; however, it is on this rather symbolic journey that the family affirm their set of values. The honesty of the screenplay and the endearing performances make this movie a refreshing look at that which is truly skin deep.

5) Amélie (2001, dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) -- Amélie Poulain is a cheerful young woman whose one and only religion is altruism. As she helps those around her and as she deals with all the strange and wonderful quirks of this world, she finds true love. The beauty of the film lies in its details and extraordinary characterizations; the beauty of Paris adds a rustic quality to the film's charm. Optimism? Humor? Love? Amélie has it all in delightful spades.

4) The Dark Knight (2008, dir. Christopher Nolan) -- The most intriguing and the least cartoonish comic book adaptation ever made, a hybrid of fantasy and crime drama elements with a morality tale at its core, this Christopher Nolan piece was sorely overlooked in the 2008 Best Picture race. Come on, Academy, vote without prejudice!

3) Wall-E (2008, dir. Andrew Stanton) -- Part timeless love story (whoever knew that robots could be the epitome of romantic?), part rumination on our often misguided present, part postmodern ode to Earth, this film surprises and amazes at every turn. Wall-E and Eve might be two of the most whimsical characters created in the last decade. Yes, I know that it won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Maybe "animated" was merely a superfluous adjective.

2) Pan's Labyrinth (2006, dir. Guillermo del Toro) -- A dark fairytale that envelops you and does not let go, this is filmmaking at its most imaginative and moving. Guillermo del Toro blends fantasy with nightmares in his sophisticated examination of childhood amid the horrors of fascism. Do not miss getting lost in this labyrinth.

And the winner, by a not-so-narrow margin, is:






1) Mulholland Dr. (2001, dir. David Lynch) -- This gorgeous puzzler is a wonder to ponder and divine to look at. A murder mystery woven into the colorful tapestry of Hollywood, the story follows a wide-eyed ingenue, a femme fatale, a director and a cowboy. That is all you need to know; this is the point where you run out and see it. Lynch's film is so deliriously creative that nothing except watching, thinking and breathing it can do the narrative justice. It is dark, witty, sad, thrilling, sexy, frenzied and absurd. Simply put, Mulholland Dr. is a masterpiece that defines and defies the past cinematic decade.

Have an awesome 2010!

I wish everyone a fantastic, safe, prosperous and HAPPY 2010! Have fun ringing in the 10s! Remember -- stay curious, stay creative and stay cinematic. :-)

Happy holidays!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and an amazing holiday season! I hope you and your families enjoy the season in all its joy and goodness! Have a wonderful time!

A weekend of loss -- Dan O'Bannon and Brittany Murphy

This weekend, two film industry professionals were taken from us. One was a creative genius behind one of the most critically acclaimed science-fiction films of the 20th century. The other one was a quirky talent in the prime of her life. Whatever anyone's opinion may be and whatever any news reports may acknowledge, both losses were untimely.

Screenwriter Dan O'Bannon (1946-2009) gave us that claustrophobic space symphony known as Alien. The art of suspense is all but gone from cinema nowadays, and witnessing tension without cheap gore and a proper CGI overdose is a rare occurrence. Every now and then, a television channel plays Alien; every now and then, I sit down and watch it, from the first shot of the Nostromo to the ultimate showdown for guts and glory. The relatable characters, ominous moments and subtle pacing always shine through. We know that they will shine on.

Brittany Murphy (1977-2009) was an actress who had worked in various genres over the course of a very young career. From Clueless to Sin City, from 8 Mile to Don't Say a Word, she would leave a distinct impression of both sweetness and darkness with each part she played. It is what made her unique. Typing her year of birth and year of death and reading about the tragedy earlier was bizarre, to say the least; learning about someone that young having passed away certainly brings life into perspective. Murphy will be missed.

R.I.P. to the writer and the lady.

Weekly Review -- A haunting separation

100 Feet (2008) -- Cinematic ghost tales of today can often pick up a hint or two about subtlety from the days of yore. Some movies -- The Sixth Sense, The Others and The Ring, to name a few recent examples -- manage to achieve a great degree of effectiveness, mostly due to expert storytelling and tangible ambiance that conveys the tension of their narratives. Enter 100 Feet, an hour and thirty-six minutes of pure otherworldly goodness. Marnie Watson (Famke Janssen) has been placed under house arrest, following a jail stint she served for having murdered her abusive police officer husband (Michael Paré) in self-defense. As she contends with her husband's partner's (Bobby Cannavale) suspicions and the perils of her new situation, Marnie discovers that her husband's ghost still lingers in the house that she is unable to leave... The most striking aspect of the movie is its representation of the apparition. The visual is downright frightening, especially upon its first appearance. Contrary to numerous CGI phantasms of recent years (hello, The Fog remake), the 100 Feet specter actually looks like it could and would hurt everyone in its path; hazy and menacing, it moves in shades of pale, stalking its prey. The context of the events demands an actor who can breathe humanity into the lead role, and one of the things that makes the movie come alive is Janssen's performance. She is great at reacting and playing Marnie by gut instinct, giving the character some believably poignant emotional overtones. Cannavale is also good as the ex-police partner, radiating sleaze and skepticism at every turn. As far as the screenplay goes, I liked the ingenuity of the principal character's predicament, which translates into high stakes in a game of survival amid disbelief. Some inconsistencies do plague the story, though. For example, how come no one ever came to Marnie and Mike's place to investigate the abuse claims? Did the neighbours never wonder what the shouting was all about? From what we could see, the entire street could hear Marnie yelling out for help. Why is no one ever curious about the ruckus when she is fighting Mike's ghost? Sure, she is under house arrest, which does not mean that she is invisible to the rest of the world. These tiny holes leave one scratching their head; however, they certainly do not diminish the horror unfolding on screen, what with the story being engagingly suspenseful and unpredictable. Regardless of its few faults, the movie is an old-fashioned ghost fable for the 21st century. Enjoy your haunting.

8/10