20 Best Movies of the Decade

Here’s my selection for the 20 best movies of the past decade.  

1.      The Hours  - Powerful exploration of life, death and choice.  Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Ed Harris deliver amazing performances.

2.      Juno - Bright, original.  Ellen Page is sensational, but so is the entire cast

3.     O Brother Where Art Thou -- George Clooney & the Coen Brothers at their best -- set to a stunning soundtrack of "ol' timey music"  

4.      Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  - Jim Carey & Kate Winslet in quirky romance about love that cannot be erased - "How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot.  Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd "

5.      Sideways  - Wine tasting will never be the same

6.      City of God - Stunning glimpse into the slums of Rio,

7.      Capote - Phillip Seymour Hoffman exposes Capote for all wit, narcissism,  cruelty and greatness. 

8.      The Reader - Kate Winslet is remarkable in a story about the imprint and sacrifice of love, however unlikely

9.      Lord of the Rings (trilogy) - Epic movie-making

10.      Chicago -- Jazz, sex, tabloids, murder, and lawyers - set to great music and dancing.  A rare great transition from stage to screen.

11.    Casino Royale -- Bond is back. 

12.    Pan’s Labyrynth - Wonderful imagery - a magical world to which a girl must escape to save herself from her brutal reality. (Spanish)  

13.    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly --  The true story of a French magazine editor struck down with a stroke that leaves his mind in tact, but with only the ability to blink one eye.  Only the most skilled actor and director could make this movie-  

14.    Up - In the first 10 minutes you know this is not an ordinary animated feature.     

15.    Slumdog Millionaire -- Bollywood comes to the American mainstream with this tale of children from the streets.  

16.    The Incredibles -- Mid-life crisis, fashion faux pas, and family conflicts meet the world of animation.            

17.    The Hangover -  Outrageous.  Pee-your-pants funny.   

18.    28 Days Later - Intense. An original horror/thriller of the first rank.      

19.    Michael Clayton -- The "fixer" lawyer struggles with what he has become.  

20.    Million Dollar Baby  -- Clint Eastwood filled the decade with great movies from Mystic River to Grand Torino, but the performances by Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman made this the best of the lot -- but not by much.