My Favorite Films and Performances of the...Aughties, I Guess


Or let's just say of the last ten years, less the approximately 15 months left to go (at this writing) before 2010 rolls around and I conduct the second decennial Skandies survey on the subject. Figure this will be a quick 'n' easy way for newcomers to the site to get a bead on my taste. And no, I will not apologize for the inclusion of State and Main, which is the closest the movies have come to Preston Sturges in the last five or six decades. If nobody else recognizes that, that's all y'all's problem.

(I do, however, feel a bit sheepish that only two foreign-language films make the cut. But I cannot tell a lie, and these are definitely my favorites; chalk it up to movies in a language I comprehend having an unfair advantage, and consider how awesome the films by Mssrs. Reygadas and Wong must be to overcome that handicap. Just below #10 are a slew of fantastic Asian films: Jiang Wen's Devils on the Doorstep, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Tropical Malady, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse, Zhang Yimou's Hero, and Kim Ki-duk's Time.)


01. Memento (Christopher Nolan, USA)
02. The Man Who Wasn't There (Joel Coen, USA)
03. Afterschool (Antonio Campos, USA)
04. Dogville (Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/UK/France/Germany)
05. Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/Netherlands)
06. State and Main (David Mamet, USA)
07. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong/China)
08. The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, USA)
09. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, USA)
10. Primer (Shane Carruth, USA)

For the purposes of the decade survey, the Skandies lump together male and female, lead and supporting. It's the ten best performances, period. My current roster:

01. Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
02. Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
03. Sylvie Testud, Fear and Trembling
04. Denzel Washington, Training Day
05. Scarlett Johansson, Ghost World
06. Pascal Greggory, Raja
07. Sam Rockwell, Joshua
08. Moon So-ri, Oasis
09. Eric Bana, Chopper
10. Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass

NOTE: I originally had Billy Crudup high on the list for Jesus' Son, but then remembered that while that film was released commercially in 2000, it premiered in 1999. Unfortunately, I think I saw it too late to vote for him in last decade's poll. Sorry, Billy.