Christopher's top 11 Favorite Films of the Decade

Any perusal of the internet will reveal a fascination in top 10 lists. As many others have, here are my top 11 films of the decade. There are some honorable mentions that didn’t make the cut like About A Boy, No Country for Old Men, Amelie, Children of Men, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and There Will Be Blood. There are also films I have yet to discover – like The Hurt Locker, Moon, and so many foreign and independent films I didn’t make the time to see.

For the last decade, movies grew from being an engaging curiosity, to hobby, to full blown love which I have attempted to integrate in my professional life. In the past 10 years I learned about people like Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese, Sergio Leone, Terrence Malick, and Jean Pierre Melville. I found the Criterion Collection, which gave me an excellent entry point into the world of movies that demand thought, introspection, and conversation. Movies have flowed from entertainment vehicles, to pretentious art house snob lingo, to simple joys I love sharing with others.

This list will be called “Christopher’s 11 Favorite Films of the Past Decade.” The key word is “favorite.” These are all films that left a mark on me and ones I have in the past, and currently do recommend anyone to see.

Punch Drunk Love (2002)

“I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine.” – Barry Egan

While the films are in no particular order in terms of favorites, “Punch Drunk Love” is undoubtedly my favorite of the decade, perhaps even of all time. “Punch Drunk Love” is the film I associate most with my wife. It hit me in ways no other film has – I found Adam Sandler to be relatable in a curious way with his awkwardness, yet tunnel vision determination. The feelings communicated in the movie – protection, aggravation, romance, anger/violence, and confusion – are all feelings I experienced to various intensities when I fell in love with my wife.

I am also one of the 7 people in the world who owns the soundtrack. I mean, how many of us would go out and buy such an ethereal, bizarre set of sound and play it on a regular basis? Well, I did – and Jon Brion’s remix of “He Needs Me” hooks into my skin like few other songs. The whole experience of “Punch Drunk Love” is uncomfortable, surreal, bizarre, unsettling, and yet completely aware. When I first fell in love with Colleen, I knew very shortly that she would always be the love of my life. I can’t explain that kind of love. No other film communicates falling in love in quite the same way, and it will take a filmmaker with acute awareness to pull it off again.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

“Have you ever fired 2 guns whilst flying through the air?” - Danny Butterman.

I have seen no movie which has entertained me more in the past decade than “Hot Fuzz.” The actors look as though they are having fun, the story is fun (if surprisingly suspenseful and gory), and the pay off at the end is among my favorites ever. If you get bored at all during the film’s excessive running time, hang in there for the (literally) explosive ending.

I tried “Shaun of the Dead” before “Hot Fuzz” but hadn’t seen the zombie movies it lovingly points to. I hadn’t seen the movies “Hot Fuzz” points to either, but the film does it for you. There are scenes from Bad Boys 2, Point Break, and other absurd action flicks interjected throughout the film to humorous effect. It’s the perfect homage that manages to also make light of its referenced materials. It is also the most entertaining movie I have seen over the last 10 years.

American Splendor (2003)

“You might as well know right off the bat, I had a vasectomy.” – Harvey Pekar

No film wowed me with originality in the way “American Splendor” did. “American Splendor” is the true life story of a man who uses comic books as a means of coping with his bizarre life. This includes a world filled with illness, love, attachment, and above all – a bitter soul. Or perhaps brittle soul is more like it. The main character is played in perfect pitch and tone by Paul Giammatti, an incredibly gifted actor when he wants to be.

But the originality in of the film is in its blending of mediums. “American Splendor” combines documentary, animation, and drama to drive the narrative. The story couldn’t be told nearly as well with a traditional structure, as each of the typically alienated storytelling mediums intertwine just where they need to. The movie is emotionally affecting, especially the final scenes and even though we are in Harvey’s bitterness, there is something loveable about Harvey and his world. Ordinary life is indeed pretty complex stuff.

The Station Agent (2003)

“Would you do me a favor and not look at me right now?” Olivia Harris

Community is a topic I am endlessly fascinated with. How do we connect with others? What does it take to be vulnerable about pain and suffering? Who do we laugh and play with? “The Station Agent” is a lovely movie with great humor to go with its more painful moments. A dwarf wants to get away from the attention he is getting from the world and so he moves into an old train station his former boss left for him. He ends up being swallowed up in relationship by a talkative Cuban man and a grieving white woman.

What follows is simple and affecting as the three talk about their lives and spend time with one another. It’s the soul of the film that works. It’s a perfect mixture of genuine acting, great writing, and meaningful story. It’s the stereotypical “gem” of a film that is simple, yet difficult to pinpoint. It also happens to be a must see.

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Sally: “We came over to sit.”
Hazel: “That's what people do when tragedy strikes.”
Sally: “They come over, and sit.”

The first time I saw “Lars and the Real Girl” I was disappointed. I was expecting a “quirky” comedy. But future viewings revealed that “Lars” is no ordinary film. It is honest, and it perhaps the most perceptive film I have ever seen about attachment and relationships. To add praise, the therapy scenes are written better than any I have ever seen in a film. Not to mention just how sweet and loving this film is.

“Lars” gives a mythical, unreal picture of community and love, alluded to in its first lines spoken in a scene at church. People all over the film show how they project much like Lars into their own dolls, stuffed animals, and action figures. It equates Lars as a person with everyone else, rather than making him some kind of outcast. It poses a question I hope I am always asking myself – what would it take to love someone right where they are at without agenda?

Brick (2005)

“Throw one at me if you want, hash head. I've got all five senses and I slept last night, that puts me six up on the lot of you.” – Brendan Frye

Watching “Brick” in the theater was a rediscovering of why I love movies. It was original, intense, and strangely believable in spite of its otherworldliness. If Stanwyck and MacMurray were teens, they may have been cast. But here we get the kid from “3^rd Rock From the Sun.” However, Joseph Gordon Levitt is one of the few actors whom I have gone out to see other films as a result of his performance here.

The real story is first time feature director Rian Johnson whose screenplay is a rewatchable masterpiece that takes several viewings for people like me to appreciate. For the uninitiated, imagine if the classic 50’s film noir was updated in Orange County with only the dialogue intact, but the scenery is modern day. It’s kind of how I might describe “Brick,” a brilliant mystery that keeps on giving over and over again.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

“Nobody tosses a dwarf.” - Gimli

“Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” took me somewhere I had never been before. It is possibly the only film I could endure at 3 hours for midnight showings in the theater. It is amazing. The characters are dealing with life and death, love and fate, and they are doing this on an epic adventure. I was so taken in by the story and scenery that it was impossible for the 2^nd and 3^rd installments to top the first dip into the Middle Earth.

So much has already been written about these films, so I’ll just say this: If you haven’t seen “The Lord of the Rings” yet, you are a fool.

Waltz With Bashir (2008)

“Pray and shoot!” – Ari Folman

“Waltz With Bashir” is a devastating reframe of war, soldiers, and healing. Ari Folman created an artistic masterpiece – an animated documentary which details his experience in an Israeli conflict, that I admittedly don’t understand. And that’s okay, because while the history of the conflict is not something I am intimately aware of, Folman’s story is about how he experienced, forgot, and remembered war. It is his story, not a chronicle of the war itself.

How does one animate a documentary? Folman did it by interviewing subjects from his past, trimming their statements into a screenplay, and then he had each person (with exception of a couple who refused) re-speak their lines into a microphone. Once they recorded their lines, the animation told the story. The movie works as a surreal journey into war by confused soldiers who aren’t the machismo brotherhood so often emphasized in American war films. Yet, it is the films jaw dropping finale that left me crying and so struck with emotion. It is a sequence that will forever be in my memory. It will affect you too.

Lilja 4-Ever (2002)

“I'm not your property. Think you can buy me? You can't buy me. You can't buy my heart and soul.” – Lilja

Didn’t see “Lilja 4-Ever” in the theaters? That’s because you can only rent it through Netflix. Unlike “Trade,” another attempt at making a film about the horrors of human trafficking, “Lilja 4-Ever” has a certain X factor. It will scar you. It is like a horror film where the main character is trapped or being chased, except Lilja’s horror – being smuggled into human trafficking against her will due to poverty and desperation – is very much real for thousands of people.

I saw the film in a Pepperdine University auditorium for a school event. Students later told me they were scarred for life. I am too. But human trafficking should scar us. We need to be frightened, reminded, and scarred by these stories because they are true and real. Of course, this wouldn’t be effective if the story wasn’t told so damned well. We are trapped with Lilja, and the eye covering point of view shots from Lilja are among the most disturbingly effective any film has ever created.

Monsters Inc. (2001)

“Mike Waszowski!” – Boo

It’s hard to know which Pixar film to select because all of them are amazing movies (“Cars” being the exception). They aren’t amazing animated movies, so much as they are simply amazing movies. “Animated movie” has a certain negative connotation to it perhaps due to the association of “kid’s movie” and “animation.” But Pixar is different – each of their films has something so uniquely special – “The Incredibles” as metaphor for family system, “Up” and its out of nowhere opening, or “Ratatouille” and its metaphor for Disney and quality storytelling.

Yet of all their films, “Monsters Inc” is perhaps my favorite story. The reason is because of “Boo.” She is adorable, and animated so convincingly in her mannerisms (not to mention the utterly perfect voice acting). It may not be the most beloved in Pixar’s suite of films, but it is certainly my favorite.

The Fall (2006)

“Are you trying to save my soul?” – Roy Walker

No film wowed me in recent memory as much as “The Fall” did. Every scene is a freezable piece of art that is filled with overwhelming visual power and beauty. The film was filmed in many countries over several years by its director and it makes no use of CGI. When I saw the film and what its director Tarsem Singh created, I couldn’t help but be sucked in visually and aurally.

It’s a pretty amazing story as well. Think of it as a clever “The Princess Bride” with a Getty Museum flair. If you have a bluray player, don’t see it any other way…unless of course that way is in the theater. An absolute must see.