Although I was pleased with my list, I feel as if I may have rushed things a bit and left out certain titles that I really love. It's impossible to please everyone but, in the interest of closure, I decided to compose a list of films that I feel defined that last decade.
This should provide a well-rounded glimpse into what the '00s were all about. If your favorites still aren't included, please forgive me and remember that the ranking system is entirely arbitrary. If someone can explain how #7 is better than #9, I'd love to hear it.
My aim with this list is to urge you check out films that you haven't heard of and re-watch ones that get better with age, so enjoy.
Mulholland Drive
Almost Famous
High Fidelity
Memento
Zodiac
There Will Be Blood
25th Hour
Amores Perros
Requiem For a Dream
Oldboy
Sideways
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
I'm Not There
Into the Wild
Munich
Syriana
Capturing the Friedmans
A History of Violence
Eastern Promises
Once
The Dark Knight
The Wrestler
The Hurt Locker
Up in the Air
The Departed
United 93
A Serious Man
Pan's Labyrinth
Lost in Translation
Rachel Getting Married
The Squid and the Whale
Grizzly Man
Michael Clayton
Good Night and Good Luck
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Match Point
Hotel Rwanda
Dogville
You Can Count On Me
Mystic River
Minority Report
Birth
American Splendor
City of God
The Descent
No Country For Old Men
Little Miss Sunshine
Children of Men
The Bourne Trilogy
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Gangs of New York
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Ratatouille
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Persepolis
Jesus Camp
Man on Wire
Signs
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Cache
The Aristocrats
Downfall
The Aviator
The Lives of Others
Traffic
Punch Drunk Love
Notes on a Scandal
Breach
Kill Bill Vols. 1 + 2
