The 2000s as a cinematic era are notable for the influx of affordable digital filmmaking solutions, in turn creating an onslaught of new material. There seems to be more of everything now - more comedies, more artistic darlings, more genre pictures and certainly more abhorrent garbage. So while any such list is guaranteed to let some gems slip through the cracks, these ten films all made an initial impact only to resonate with time. And some of them just plain rock.
10. Big Fish (2003) - Directed By Tim Burton
Burton had crafted some personal films before (namely Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood), but this emotional tale of a son (Billy Crudup) coming to terms with his dying father's tall tales managed to balance high-flying fancy with some very sobering gut-punches. This wonderful film celebrated lives filled with glorious lunacy, and never failed to turn audiences of grown men and women into sobbing, quivering balls of goo.
9. Shaolin Soccer (2001) - Directed By Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow's landmark action comedy Kung Fu Hustle cemented his status as the Hong Kong box office king, but this goofy sports-fu mash-up was ultimately the funnier entity. A painfully hilarious tale of ex-Shaolin martial artists trying to recapture lost glory on the playing field, Soccer proved that Chow was equally capable as director, screenwriter and star. If only Miramax hadn't hindered the American release with egregious cuts and the cringeworthy inclusion of the ubiquitous Kung Fu Fighting in its soundtrack.
8. Gangs Of New York (2002) - Directed By Martin Scorsese
The Departed and The Aviator snapped up the bulk of acclaim in its wake, but this vastly underrated Martin Scorsese brawler is a tasty concoction that keeps getting better with each repeat viewing. Daniel Day Lewis' Bill The Butcher is one of the most fascinating characters in modern cinema, and watching him bounce off of Leo DiCaprio and an inspired supporting cast is a sublime experience. Mix in a remarkably quirky soundtrack and gorgeous cinematography courtesy of Michael Ballhaus, and the result is this unsung masterpiece that's nearly impossible to resist watching for the umpteenth time.
7. Hostel (2006) - Directed By Eli Roth
While traditionally snooty lists wouldn't be caught dead with a horror film on their rosters, Eli Roth's nasty, inventive backpacker's holocaust picture is so good it deserves inclusion. Critics wading in the shallow end decried this (and Saw) as evidence of so-called "torture porn" devolving cinema, while missing its layered commentary on globalization, ugly Americans and an anarchic mutation of the sex trade into something no less fleshy, yet altogether more disturbing.
6. Superbad (2007) - Directed By Greg Mottola
Of all the films in the Judd Apatow-influenced comedy deluge unleashed in recent years, this near-perfect, überfilthy coming of age tale hit all the right notes. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and the inimitable Christopher Mintz-Plasse (as the iconic McLovin) made this sex-driven odyssey attain legendary comedic heights without neglecting character depth. Suddenly, running into the cops on a Friday night didn't sound like such a bad thing.
5. WALL-E (2008) - Directed By Andrew Stanton
With a healthy stash of great films (including The Incredibles and Toy Story 2) already tucked under their computer animated belts, the mad pixel scientists at Pixar dropped this magnum opus with little warning. Not only a great animated film but a great film period, WALL-E dug right in to what makes great cinema, tugging on heart strings without an overdose of dialogue. Funny, poignant and sheer genius!
4. The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) - Directed By Michel Gondry
The ultimate romance for nerds, this Michel Gondry mindbender soared past its surface quirkiness with a heartfelt meditation on what it means to truly love someone - for better or for worse. Jim Carrey is perfect as the distraught basket case looking to erase all memories of his free spirit ex-girlfriend (the exquisite Kate Winslet). It's also one of those rare films that can translate dream logic into motion picture gold.
3. Zodiac (2007) - Directed By David Fincher
Another grower, David Fincher's exploration of the Zodiac killer's late 1960s crime spree (and its aftermath) is an obsession-drenched powerhouse. Bouncing idyllic, North Californian locales against horrific, tension-laced bursts of violence, Fincher transforms a story without end into a psychological whirlwind akin to Hitchcock's San Franciscan masterwork Vertigo. Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. bring their characters to life with such integrity that the audience has no choice but to be sucked in by the gravity of it all.
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - Directed By Peter Jackson
While this is essentially a placeholder for all three films in the trilogy, the second entry in Peter Jackson's superhuman adaptation of the massive Tolkien literary classic stands out in a few ways. Most notably, Towers unleashed Andy Serkis' computerized Gollum as a full character, cementing its place in cinema history. From Gandalf's free-fall battle with the Balrog to the massive incursion at Helm's Deep, this film showed audiences that the series would really deliver. The Return Of The King may have been an amazing payoff, but it was The Two Towers that inspired faith that such a picture could even be possible.
1. Casino Royale (2006) - Directed By Martin Campbell
While The Lord Of The Rings was nothing less than film history in the making, James Bond fans had this monumental revelation to delight in. Essentially recreating the Golden Age of 007 cinema lost since the mid-sixties rash of spymania, Casino Royale was a film that demanded repeat viewings in the cinema. Daniel Craig brought a flagging franchise back to life, pulling off the daunting task of exploring a harder-edged, Fleming-esque Bond while maintaining audience sympathies. Returning the series to bare-bones spy drama laced with palpable romance, Casino Royale was the most richly satisfying cinematic experience of the 2000s.
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