The 100 Best Movies of the Decade 2000-2009

Brian Vaszily, Founder of IntenseExperiences.com

The best movies of the decade. Lists like this one below are enjoyable to ponder and create, and even more enjoyable to read and debate. But as with any "best of" selection you'll find anywhere -- in magazines, on Oprah, from Roger Ebert, in the materials schools choose to teach from -- there is no such thing as objectivity.

The decade of the animated movie? The decade of Pixar studios? The best movies of the decade include nine animated films, five by Pixar.

As the founder of IntenseExperiences.com, whose mission is to provide people insights and experiences that can positively transform their lives, and whose free Live Deeper, Be Happy newsletter now numbers in the tens of thousands of readers, I watch over two hundred movies per year, and have been doing so for decades. Why? Because I love the experience of movies. Because I am seeking out the best movies. Because the best movies are, like great music, books and plays, some of the most immediate intense experiences you can have.

You already know those feelings you get with the best movies: inspiration, awe, rejuvenation or perhaps chills right through to your bone marrow depending on the film. What Aristotle called "catharsis." Being nudged to greater awareness of the joy, mystery and wonder of being alive. And with the greatest of the best movies, those that stay with you and that you need to watch again (and again) such as the top ten in my list of the 100 best movies of the decade below, it can be more than just a nudge.

And so, because I appreciate intense experiences that make the wonder of being alive all the more wonderful, and because great movies are surely among those experiences, I have created this list of the 100 best movies of the decade 2000-2009. My son loves movies and is therefore qualified to create his own list, and it would surely look different than mine. My nephews love movies and are therefore qualified, too, and their's would definitely look even more different than my own (for instance, they would include the Harry Potter films.)

Which brings me to you. If you love movies -- and I presume you do, as you are reading this -- you are no more and no less qualified to ponder and determine your own best movies of the decade than me, or Roger Ebert, or the fine folks who vote on the Academy Awards, or anyone.

And that's the joy of lists like the following 100 best films of the decade. You can use it to watch some movies you haven't seen or even heard of before that just may nudge or fully sweep you toward greater awareness of the joy, mystery and wonder of being alive. And you can debate the list, and ponder and create your own list.

Without further adieu and chattering, the 100 best movies of the decade 2000-2009:

Best Movies of the Decade: #100 to #36

100) U-571 (2000)

99) Ray (2004)

98) The Last Samurai (2003)

97) Blow (2001)

96) Eastern Promises (2007)

95) Mean Creek (2004)

94) Donnie Darko (2001)

93) The Endurance - Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition (2000)

92) A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (2001)

91) Billy Elliot (2000)

90) Almost Famous (2000)




89) Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

88) Requiem for a Dream (2000)

87) Adaptation (2002)

86) Borat (2006)

85) The Incredibles (2004)

84) Gladiator (2000)

83) The Hurt Locker (2009)

82) Minority Report (2002)

81) Bowling for Columbine (2002)

80) Black Hawk Down (2001)

79) The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2004)

78) Into the Wild (2007)

77) A Beautiful Mind (2001)

76) Children of Men (2006)

75) The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

74) Howl's Moving Castle (2005)

73) Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

72) The Last King of Scotland (2006)

71) Monster's Ball (2001)

70) Atonement (2007)

69) The Road (2009)

68) Once (2007)




67) Chicken Run (2000)

66) King Kong (2005)

65) Precious (2009)

64) Far From Heaven (2002)

63) Brokeback Mountain (2005)

62) Ratatouille (2007)

61) 25th Hour (2002)

60) Michael Clayton (2007)

59) Juno (2007)

58) Milk (2008)

57) Gone Baby Gone (2007)

56) Knocked Up (2007)

55) The Hangover (2009)

54) Whale Rider (2003)




51) March of the Penguins (2005)

52) Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

51) Monster (2003)

50) Gran Torino (2008)

49) Big Fish (2003)

48) Million Dollar Baby (2004)

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47) The Wrestler (2008)

46) Sweeney Todd (2007)

45) Downfall (2004)

44) Crash (2005)

43) Pride & Prejudice (2005)

42) Memento (2001)

41) Sideways (2004)

40) The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the
Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)

39) Lost in Translation (2003)

38) The Lives of Others (2006)

37) Amelie (2001)

36) Wall-E (2008)

See The
Best Movies of the Decade: #35 to #1
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