100. The Edukators (2004) - Director: Hans Weingartner - Germany
Three idealistic German youths represent a new generation of anti-Capitalist activists. Two roommates, Jan (Daniel Brühl) and Peter (Stipe Erceg), break into the homes of wealthy citizens of Berlin, rearrange the furniture, and leave a note that says, "Your days of plenty are numbered." But how far would they go to support their cause. It's an interesting look into the world of radical socialism and great performances by the best young actors Germany has to offer.
99. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) - Director: George Lucas - United States
George Lucas's final film of the Star Wars prequel trilogy is by far the best, and I will go as far as to say that it's the second best of the series behind Episode V. Immersed in the growing Clone Wars, the Republic is slowly breaking apart. We watch the unraveling of the Jedi and the birth of the First Galactic Empire and Anakin Skywalker goes to the dark side. This film was by far the most mature of any of the Star Wars films with themes of corruption, dictatorship, and oppression. This episode doesn't rely solely on special effects, rather it has rich character development and an interesting plot bridge to A New Hope.
98. Sin City (2005) - Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino - United States
This stylish adaptation of the Frank Miller's graphic novel series is a demonic vision of a film noir world. The large ensemble cast includes Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, and Brittany Murphy, among others. The black-and-white photography is haunting, and a reflection of the world of Sin City. It is black and white.
97. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Director: Paul Thomas Anderson - United States
This film is the breakout role of Adam Sandler, who had repeatingly been making terrible movies like Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, etc. Sandler plays a mild mannered person who breaks out in sudden outbursts of violent anger. He paired up with the great young filmmaker, Paul Thomas Anderson. This is not Anderson's best film, certainly not his most serious work, but his script allows for Adam Sandler to let loose.
96. Snow Angels (2007) - Director: David Gordon Green - United States
Kate Beckinsale stars as a single mother whose mentally disturbed ex-husband tries to renew their dead relationship. The husband--played brilliantly by Sam Rockwell--is a born-again Christian who at one point tried to commit suicide due to his alcoholism. Michael Angarano and Olivia Thirlby counterbalance the formers relationship in a refreshing tale of teenage love. Green, one of the best young filmmakers of the decade, manages to keep the film from entering melodrama and offers us a shocking look into the destruction of a marriage.
95. The Visitor (2008) - Director: Thomas McCarthy - United States
An aging professor (Richard Jenkins) returns to his New York apartment to find two young immigrants inhabiting his apartment. He eventually befriends Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and the two form an unlikely bond. Jenkins has spent the past decade as a character actor in dozens of films. He shines as the star of this film, an intimate look at the issues of globalism, immigration, and racism in post-9/11 America.
94. Rescue Dawn (2007) - Director: Werner Herzog - United States
Herzog adapted his 1997 documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, in this Vietnam War drama based on the true story of Dieter Dengler. Dengler (Christian Bale) is captured by the Vietcong after his plane is shot down in the early days of the Vietnam War. Bale and Steve Zahn brilliantly portray prisoners of war who attempt to escape out of fear that they will never be rescued. Although Rescue doesn't have quite the power of Little Dieter, it serves as a vital companion to one of the best documentaries ever made.
93. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) - Director: Wes Anderson - United States
In this decade, we have seen some great animated films. Often overlooked are stop-motion animation films. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a film adaptation of Rohald Dahl's children's novel. The great voice cast including George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman. Anderson combines a unique look to create a world of woodland critters who wear clothes and talk along with farms of angry Brits. Anderson provides his usual ironic humor to create one of the most lovable films of the decade.
92. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) - Director: Nicholas Stoller - United States
Out of all the Apatow produced comedies in this decade, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is simply one of the best. Jason Segel--who wrtoe the film--plays a sad sack composer whose girlfriend dumped him for a British rocker. He spends the rest of the film trying to get over her despite the fact that they are vacationing on the same resort. Segel has great comedic timing and is supported by Apatow regulars: Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, and Bill Hader. Russell Brand provides some of the biggest laughs as a British musician, and has earned a spin-off film set to be released in 2010.
91. The Last King of Scotland (2006) - Director: Kevin Macdonald - United Kingdom
Forest Whitaker provides one of the best performances of the decade in this fictional tale of Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin. James McAvoy stars as a Scottish doctor who becomes the personal physician of Amin. My only complaint about this film is that McAvoy's character is rather uninteresting compared to Amin. Whitaker's performance just takes up the whole screen leaving McAvoy seeming out of his league. Nevertheless, The Last King of Scotland is an interesting look into one of the most oppressive regimes of the 20th century.
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