A Reel Opinion: The Best Films of the Millennium 2000-2015

Happy belated New Year! With the first 15 years of the millennium now in the history books, Reel Speak finds this to be the perfect time to review and rank the Top 15 films since Y2K never happened.

This list was put together from a combination of this Blogger’s personal favorites and objective judgment, along with looking at a film’s’ longevity and impact on the industry.

For space considerations, let’s get 11 thru 15 out of the way…

15. THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

14. THE DEPARTED (2005)

13. TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011)

12. AVATAR (2009)

11. ZODIAC (2007)

Now to the fine details…

10. TAKE SHELTER (2011) – Powered by a great, layered performance by Michael Shannon, Jeff Nichols’ drama-thriller about a man who may, or may not be going out of his mind…was a film that kept audiences guessing and fascinated. Thick with family drama and an uneasy feeling of dread and horror…TAKE SHELTER stands as a strong blending of many genres of film which un-nerves as much as it keeps us thinking.

9. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2007) – Andrew Dominik’s introspective look at famed outlaw Jesse James, played by Brad Pitt, stands as one of the finest Westerns ever made…and no more than a dozen gunshots are fired. Dominik breaks away from the traditional Western by going deeper into his characters and slowing the pace way down, and the film features some of the most stunning work by master-cinematographer Roger Deakins.

8. THE KING’S SPEECH (2010) - Perhaps the most elegant film of the millennium, Tom Hooper’s film about an obscure moment in history is a personal story which has huge implications for many more people. It is beautifully filmed and is an actor’s workshop, and the perfect definition of what a Best Picture winner should be.

7. GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK (2005) – David Strathaim puts in the performance of a lifetime as famed broadcaster Edward R. Murrow in George Clooney’s look at the early days of television broadcasting. In the days where TV didn’t really know its place, Clooney poses many questions about the medium which are just as relevant now as they were in 1953. Not all are answered…and they shouldn’t be because there is no final answer. That’s what a great film does, and this is sure to inspire many discussions and lectures in Journalism 101 classes for years to come.

6. INSIDE OUT (2015) – The youngest entry on this list comes to us from famed animation studio Disney/Pixar, in which the emotions of a young girl are actual characters, guiding her through the ups and downs of her life. Sharply written and directed, INSIDE OUT is an immensely entertaining film with plenty of laughs and tears to be had, but the longevity of it (the film is being used by child-psychologists to help kids figure out which emotion is in charge), elevates it to one of the best of this millennium.

5. WARRIOR (2011) – Sports films have all taken on the same identity in the past 30 years; an underdog who must overcome immense odds and obstacles to win. WARRIOR turns it all upside down by creating two main characters which both have a lot to fight for (meaning we don’t know who to root for), and then adds an extra layer by making those two main characters brothers; brothers who have to fight each other in a high-stakes mixed-martial arts showdown. Fueled by powerhouse performances by Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte…and topped off with one of the most emotional finales ever…WARRIOR is high-mark in the 2000’s and in sports-films overall.

4. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013) – In 1993, Steven Spielberg’s SCHINDLER’S LIST pulled the curtain back on the Holocaust. In 2013, director Steve McQueen did the same with slavery in America. Displaying a unique style of disciplined directing, McQueen takes us on a harrowing journey as seen through one man (Solomon Northup, as brilliantly played by Chiwetel Ejiofor). It is so brutal and honest that it is not an easy film to watch…and similar to SCHINDLER’S LIST, not the type of film to be often pulled off the shelf for casual viewing. This is a movie for hardened fans of film, and historically, one of the most important ones. This film had to made.

3. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003) – One of the greatest moments in Geek History is when Steven Spielberg announced at the 78^th Oscars, “it’s a clean sweep”, as Peter Jackson’s grand finale to his THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy won Best Picture while nabbing every Oscar it was nominated for. Besides the awards and box office success, THE RETURN OF THE KING was an emotional finale which had people weeping in a way not seen since BAMBI, had the type of epic, large-scale filmmaking reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and was the most significant entry into pop-culture since STAR WARS. And the topper: it brought the fantasy genre into the world of legitimate film.

2. BLACK SWAN (2010) – There is an idea in filmmaking that a director is better off confusing the audience for five minutes than to let them get ahead…and that seems to be the approach Darren Aronofsky took with his psychological mind-bender, BLACK SWAN. Brilliantly filmed and edited with plenty of twists, turns, and WTF moments, Aronofsky takes us through the seldom-explored world of professional ballet while examining a fragile mind…wrapping it up with one of the most perfect endings in cinema.

1. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) – There are movies, and there are films…and there are directors, and there are filmmakers. Explaining the difference is difficult, but we all know it when we see it. For Paul Thomas Anderson, his reputation as a master-filmmaker was solidified with his epic tale of greed in his 2007 film, THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Loosely based on the novel by Upton Sinclair, this late-19^th century piece about an oil-man and his adopted son explores greed and the lengths men take, along with diving into family, faith, and even takes a look at how the foundations of America were founded. Daniel Day-Lewis, arguably the best actor of our time, stunningly transforms himself, and his battle with a young preacher (played by Paul Dano) over the souls of a small town is equal to that of the clashing of large armies. It strikes the perfect balance of intimacy, character-conflict, history, and is iconic and thought-provoking…and has the all right pieces to last a very long time.

THE TOP 15 FILMS OF THE MILLENNIUM, 2000-2015

1.       THERE WILL BE BLOOD

2.       BLACK SWAN

3.       THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING

4.       12 YEARS A SLAVE

5.       WARRIOR

6.       INSIDE OUT

7.       GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK

8.       THE KING’S SPEECH

9.       THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD

10.   TAKE SHELTER

11.   ZODIAC

12.   AVATAR

13.   TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

14.   THE DEPARTED

15.   THE DARK KNIGHT


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Come back in 2020 for the Top 20 of the Millennium.