Favorite Films of the Decade

2000 American Psycho
Sure it wasn't 100% to the novel but it was close, plus it spawned a fun debate, did the killings actually happen? I'm split, sure it can be satire that the killings were not noticed because of 80's narcissism & elitist however i think they may have been a dream, eh who cares, 10 years later & we're still talking about it.

Honorable mentions: X-Men, Unbreakable, Almost Famous, O Brother Where Art Thou, Godzilla 2000



2001: The Royal Tenenbaums 

I adore Wes Anderson, he is a huge influence on me, this here is my favorite film of his. It has an excellent ensemble cast, a whimsical score and it looks beautiful. It feels like a work of art or fine poetry. I love seeing quirky indie comedies at the art house theatre and this is the definitive film for that genre.  

Honorable Mentions Donnie Darko, Wet Hot American Summer, JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK!!!!, ZOOLANDER!!!,


2002. The Rules of Attraction
GREAT novel, one of my favorites, but i didn't read it til years after i saw the film. After reading it, i gotta say, damn near unfilmable. The narrative is written in such a way that characters will talk about the same incident, only with different ways they happened. The film has one scene similar to that. I just all around enjoy the movie though, sure a few of the characters are pricks but Ellis always shows the beauty within the ugly.

Honorable Mentions: Blade 2, Jason X,, Catch Me if you Can, Session 9



2003. Kill Bill
I'm gonna cheat and count Volume 1 & 2 as the same, cause that's what they are! The first volume is a lil more over the top, the second alot more serious in tone, not mention shot more skillfully. The cast is great, the music is amazing, and all the nods to cinema past are great. Some say Tarantino changed his style with Kill BIll, and started making films that were more pulpy, while it's true his stuff has gotten a tad more over the top in his post Jackie Brown days, his stamp is seen on all. I mean he does various genres, so his style bends with each move.

Honorable Mentions: X Men 2, House of 1000 Corpses, Freddy vs Jason, Once Upon a time in Mexico, 28 Days Later, Cabin Fever,, Bad Santa, Mystic River, LOTR



2004. Garden State 
This film changed my life i swear. When i first saw it in theatres i loved it but i never watched it again when it first came out. Then after high school i was feeling really bummed out about a girl so i went to the park and ran into a friend, she gave me something and upon taking it i went home and watched Garden State which i recently acquired, i watched it twice that night in tears and then once again the next morning, and later that night aswell plus later that same week. The characters are great and remind me of my own friends, the dialogue strikes the heart and the idea is just beautiful. It gives hope, it is bittersweet and shows that moving on is required but sometimes you don't need to look for a home if you already have one. Be the true you, accept your mistakes and scream. We all fuck up and life will get better. The film is gorgeous, with great acting and one of the best soundtracks ever!   

Honorable Mentions:Anchorman(funniest movie ever), Shaun of the Dead, Harold & Kumar, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Hellboy, Team America, Saw, The Life Aquatic, I Heart Huckabees,



2005. The Devil's Rejects
I loved the year 2005, alot of great films came out that year. I didn't like House of 1000 Corpses on first viewing but the trailer for Rejects looked great, so i gave Corpses a second look, and really dug it. So i went in seeing Rejects to be a fun horror film, but i don't think i blinked the entire time. It reminded me alot of the Nebraska Weedeater Massacre, a film that got local attention in the late 80's here in Omaha directed by my uncle. The characters & dialogue were pretty close, but it was so beautifully shot. Rob Zombie i declared brilliant after seeing it, but then came along Halloween & the even worse Halloween 2, but that's neither here nor there. Reject's also has one of the best scores in recent memory, plus a few good twists. They almost go a pro wrestling route by seemingly turning the Firefly's good & Sheriff Wydell into the bad guy. Then they switch it up & give the Firefly's the villian treatment again at the end by having them get shot up by the 5 Oh, with an amazing sequence. One of my favorite scenes in film history, with Freebird kicking in and the Firefly's going out in a blaze of glory. The supporting cast is interesting too, good genre actors sprinkled through out. I for one would much rather had seen the Unholy Two(Trejo & DDP) get their own spin off then either of the Halloween remakes.

Honorable Mentions: Sin City, Batman Begins Kung Fu Hustle, , Land of the Dead, 40 Year Old Virgin,  Oldboy, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, King Kong, Jarhead



2006. Clerks 2
Much like 2005, was a great year for film, and 2006 as a whole was great, graduated, got my first job, lost my V card, had my shorts play at a horror convention, but my favorite film, tied with Rocky Horror, is Clerks. Clerks inspired me, my first feature Crackle, due to shoot in March, is in alot of ways much like Clerks. I love Kevin Smith, he writes about people who are similar to himself, he writes about his fans pretty much. I talk just like the cats in his films, then i see a sequel is being made to Clerks! Probably my favorite non midnight theatrical experience ever was Clerks 2, i was dressed as Jay my uncle Silent Bob, then we walk in and see alot of other duos, all dressed as Jay & Silent Bob, but on thinking back, we really didn't dress up, just wore our normal clothes. But everyone booed the Covenant trailer, booed the CGI in any film, and cheered during a View Askew commercial. The film began, i'll admit, i teared up a bit, EVERYONE was cheering & clapping the entire film, then eveyone stayed for the credits, including the fans names that sent in requests(i put mine in too late, fuck).

Honorable Mentions: CHILDREN OF MEN, THE DEPARTED!!!, Tenacious D, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN!!!, Little Miss Sunshine, Snakes on a Plane, , , Pan's Labyrinth, Hostel, V for Vendetta,



2007: Darjeeling Limited

A under appreciated Wes Anderson film. Every bit as great as Royal Tenenbaums, it too is a work of art and poetic, another excellent cast and a brilliant soundtrack. It feels lighter than most of his films but the scope is still epic. When i saw it there was a Wes Anderson costume party at the art house, there were only about 20 people there, and only about 10 of us were dressed up. By dressed up i mean wearing a blazer. 

Honorable Mentions: SHOOT EM UP, Across the Universe, Grindhouse, No Country for Old Men, Zodiac, Hot Fuzz, 28 Weeks Later, SUPERBAD, THE NINES, Hostel 2, The Mist, Knocked Up, Walk Hard, Orphanage



2008 The Dark Knight

I loved Batman Begins, it changed the way i thought about comic book movies, sure Sin City came out first, however, when i mean comic book movies, i mean super hero comic book movies. The script was great, the direction, cinematography, the acting, hell they had damn good actors, respected actors, except Katie Holmes. It felt like a graphic novel, and it sure as hell was inspired by the likes of Batman Year One. Plus it had one of the best teasers for a sequel i can think of. The sequel blew the first way out of the water, in every term in my opinion. They nixed Holmes and brought in the secretary herself Maggie Gyllenhaal, and my favorite film performance in years, with Heath Ledger's The Joker. Sure some jump on the film for being overrated but if you're a comic geek, how can't you love it? Shit i dressed as the Joker at the midnight showing, then again on halloween, this time sporting a nurse dress. I usualy don't buy movie licensed comic book products, but i have purchases a couple Joker shirts, posters, and figures, i went to buy the dvd at midnight, got home around 1, watched it, crashed out around 4:15, and woke up for hours later for work, i LOVE the film. WHY SO SERIOUS?

Honorable Mentions:  Harold & Kumar 2, Iron Man, , Hellboy 2, Pineapple Express, The Signal, Hamlet 2, Rambo, Charlie Bartlett, Forgetting Sarah Marshall,,Step Brothers Burn After Reading, Zack & Miri, Role Models, Milk, The Wrestler, Rec. The Strangers, Funny Games, Incredible Hulk



2009. Trick R Treat
Same thoughts as i posted in my 2009 retrospect.

http://oductionproductions.blogspot.com/2010/01/2009-my-favorite-films.html