Favorites from the '00s

Here are my fifty favorite films from the last ten years, "favorite" being the operative word. This isn't a list of the best movies of the decade, just a list of the ones I enjoyed the most.

Since it's too damn difficult to rank fifty movies (hell, it's hard enough when I have to rank ten!), I'm going to rank them alphabetically in chronological order. However, my five top movies of the decade would have to include the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Brokeback Mountain, Slumdog Millionaire, Pan's Labyrinth, and the Kill Bill movies. I haven't seen many movies from 2009, so my list could change in about six months!

1. Almost Famous (2000) - because even though it takes place before I was even born, there's something about it that makes me feel nostalgic.

2. Bring It On (2000) - (DON'T LAUGH!) because this is possibly the best teen movie of the '00s and one of my guilty pleasures.

3. Center Stage (2000) - because it's another one of my guilty pleasures of this decade and the entire Michael Jackson dance routine was ridiculously awesome. It also launched the career of Zoe Saldana.

4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - because the martial arts moves were really cool.

5. Erin Brockavich (2000) - because Julia Robets really did deserve the Oscar for this.

6. Memento (2000) - because it's one of the greatest movies ever to play with your mind and I'm still not exactly sure what happened...

7. Nurse Betty (2000) - because it has my favorite performance from Renee Zellweger and the story is wickedly original and funny.

8. The Patriot (2000) - because it's the best movie about my favorite time period, the Revolutionary War (okay, it's the only (non-musical) movie about the Revolutionary War).

9. Legally Blonde (2001) - because Elle Woods proves you can be bubble-headed and smart.

10. The Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003) - because despite never having read the books and thinking I would be beyond bored watching the first film, I absolutely fell in love with the story and it had my full attention from beginning to end.

11. Moulin Rouge! (2001) - because it's like being high without actually taking any illegal substances!

12. The Mummy Returns (2001) - because it's fun and I invented the acronym "PLEM" - Precious Little English Muffin.

13. Ocean's 11 (2001) - because it's a fun caper movie.

14. The Royal Tennenbaums (2001) - because watching a movie about a dysfunctional family makes me feel a little better about my own.

15. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) - because we were introduced to Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, Mexico's equivalent to Matt and Ben.

16. Chicago (2002) - because it's a fun musical with catchy songs.

17. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) - because it's the amazing true story of three Aboriginal children who escape from a prison camp and walk 1500 miles back to their home.

18. Spirited Away (2002) - because it's the best anime movie I've ever seen.

19. Big Fish (2003) - because it's a movie easy to fall in love with.

20. Camp (2003) - because the soundtrack is awesome and Vlad is pretty awesome for being the only straight guy to attend that camp.

21. Elf (2003) - because it's one of my favorite Christmas movies.

22. Finding Nemo (2003) - because the animation is visually stunning and it's such an adorable story.

23. In America (2003) - because it's a sweet, small film.

24. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) - because it was just so damn fun and over the top!

25. The Magdalene Sisters (2003) - because it's a powerful movie that gets your blood boiling.

26. Mystic River (2003) - because it's a great actor's movie with a wonderful ensemble and the story catches you from the beginning and holds you until the end.

27. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - because who knew a movie based on a Disneyland ride could be so much fun and garner Johnny Depp an Oscar nomination?

28. Criminal (2004) - because it's a fun movie with a twist I didn't see coming.

29. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - because it's a powerful movie that will stay with you for a long time.

30. Mean Girls (2004) - because it's the other great teen movie of the decade and one of the very few fond moments we have of Lindsay Lohan. Plus it gave us the great line, "Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! It's not going to happen!"

31. National Treasure (2004) - because, okay, so sue me, I love those kinds of movies!

32. Brokeback Mountain (2005) - because it was one of the decade's best love stories (traditional or unconventional) and perhaps, maybe just a little, brought some understanding and tolerance to the world. Plus Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal make out! A lot!

33. Grizzly Man (2005) - because that guy was nucking futs! He was so insane he got mauled by a bear!

34. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - because it's from the most movie-friendly Potter book and therefore my favorite of the franchise.

35. In Her Shoes (2005) - because it's one of those rare movies that's just as good as the novel it was adapted from.

36. Walk the Line (2005) - because it made me a fan of Johnny Cash.

37. Children of Men (2006) - because any movie that can keep the same shot in motion for five minutes is pretty amazing.

38. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) - because of the clothes! And Meryl!

39. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - because I loved it even more the second time I saw it.

40. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - because I was astonished, absolutely astonished by the great fantasy journey this film takes you on.

41. Across the Universe (2007) - because it's a musical based on Beatles' music!

42. The Mist (2007) - because it has one of the most craziest twists I've ever seen.

43. No Country For Old Men (2007) - because that scene with Anton Chigurh and the gas station proprietor was one of the most chilling I've seen.

44. The Dark Knight (2008) - because without Christopher Nolan directing and Heath Ledger as the Joker, this movie would probably be just mediocre.

45. Frozen River (2008) - because even Indie movies can have you biting your nails.

46. Gran Torino (2008) - because it's the first Clint Eastwood movie I really liked where he both directed and starred.

47. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - because it was the little movie that could, winning film's most coveted award, the Oscar, and who is the last character you can remember rooting for as hard as you did for Jamal?

48. Tropic Thunder (2008) - because the fake trailers at the beginning (Satan's Alley, anyone?) set the tone for the movie and it only gets funnier and better from there.

49. Wall-E (2008) - because who couldn't fall in love wit Wall-E and Eva?

50. Up (2009) - because Pixar shows us there's no shame in crying during an animated movie.