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The
21st
Century's Most Acclaimed Films
Ranking (1-50) |
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21st Century Home Rankings:
1-50
51-100
101-150
151-200
201-250 Full Listings:
By Title
By Director
By Year
The Top 50 Directors |
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°
In ranking order, these are the 250 most
critically acclaimed films of the 21st Century, to date. A small slice
of information and links to Amazon and metacritic have
been included for each entry. There's much to love about this list, and
probably just as much to despise! |
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°
33 films have
entered the list (17 from 2007,
11 from 2006, 2 from 2003, and 1 each from 2000, 2001 and 2004). You can see the
33
films that dropped out, at the bottom of the rankings page for the
201-250 placed films. |
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° Please note
that we have fiddled about with our formulas again, which
accounts for many of the movements, both up and down. The
Lord of the Rings trilogy is a particularly good example of
the changes that have taken place. |
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°
In brackets, alongside the director's name,
is the position each film held prior to our January 2008 update. |
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1
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2
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3
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| In the Mood for Love |
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Wong Kar-wai (1) |
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| 2000, 97m, Col, Hong
Kong-France, Romance-Drama |
| "Probably the most breathtakingly gorgeous
film of the year, dizzy with a nose-against-the-glass romantic
spirit that has been missing from the cinema forever." - Elvis
Mitchell, New York Times |
| Selected by David Ehrenstein, B. Ruby
Rich, Dennis Lim, Gerald Peary, Chris Fujiwara. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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| Mulholland Dr. |
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David Lynch (2) |
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| 2001, 146m, Col, France-USA,
Mystery-Drama |
| "By surrendering any semblance of rationality
to create a post-Freudian, pulp-fiction fever dream of a movie,
Mr. Lynch ends up shooting the moon with
Mulholland Drive." -
Stephen Holden, New York Times |
| Selected by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Peter
Keough, Philip French, Kent Jones, J. Hoberman. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Yi yi |
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Edward Yang (4) |
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| 2000, 173m, Col,
Taiwan-Japan, Drama |
| "One of the year's best: a
rich, funny, enormously humane portrait of a middle-class Taipei
family in the throes of romantic, economic and spiritual
upheaval." - David Ansen, Newsweek |
| Selected by John Anderson,
David Ansen, Kent Jones, Peter Keough, Dennis Lim. |
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See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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4
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5
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6
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Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind |
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Michel Gondry (5) |
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| 2004, 108m, Col,
USA-France, Romance-Drama-Comedy |
| "A complicated story that
demands your full attention; Mr. Gondry unfolds it at a
mind-bending pace. This alone makes it a hugely refreshing
respite from ordinary multiplex fare." - David Sterritt,
Christian Science Monitor |
| Selected by Carrie Rickey,
Owen Gleiberman, Michael Wilmington, Kenneth Turan, Michael
Atkinson. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Far from
Heaven |
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Todd Haynes (3) |
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| 2002, 107m, Col,
USA-France, Drama-Romance |
| "It rediscovers the aching,
desiring humanity in a genre --and a period-- too often
subjected to easy parody or ironic appropriation. In a word,
it's divine." - A.O. Scott, New York Times |
| Selected by Gerald Peary,
David Sterritt, J. Hoberman, Richard Schickel, Jonathan
Rosenbaum. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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| Sideways |
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Alexander Payne
(6) |
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| 2004, 123m, Col, USA,
Drama-Comedy |
| "In
Sideways,
Payne has created four of the most lived-in, indelible
characters in recent American movies. This deliciously
bittersweet movie makes magic out of the quotidian." - David Ansen, Newsweek |
| Selected by Roger Ebert, Owen Gleiberman,
David Sterritt, Michael Wilmington, Carrie Rickey. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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7
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8
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9
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Lost in
Translation |
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Sofia Coppola
(7) |
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| 2003, 102m, Col,
USA-Japan, Romance-Drama-Comedy |
| "Coppola handles her film with
very pleasant economy, with a kind of warm precision. Her
father, who was one of this picture's producers, can be as proud
of her as we are grateful." - Stanley Kauffman, The New Republic |
| Selected by Roger Ebert,
David Ansen, Ty Burr, John Anderson, Elvis Mitchell, Stephen
Holden. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Y tu mamá
también |
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Alfonso Cuarón
(11) |
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| 2001, 105m, Col,
Mexico, Drama-Comedy |
| "Echoes the unmistakable
freshness and excitement of the Nouvelle Vague, the sense of joy
in being alive and making movies, that made those works
distinctive and unforgettable." - Kenneth Turan, Los
Angeles Times |
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Selected by
Manohla Dargis, Carrie Rickey, John Powers,
John Anderson, Jonathan Rosenbaum. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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A History of
Violence |
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David Cronenberg
(8) |
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| 2005, 95m, Col,
Germany-USA, Crime-Drama-Thriller |
| "This masterpiece, an art
film deftly masquerading as a thriller, seems to celebrate
small-town pastoralism and critique big-city violence, but this
position turns out to be double-edged." - Jonathan
Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader |
| Selected by Peter Keough,
Manohla Dargis, Dennis Lim, Kenneth Turan, Chris Fujiwara. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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10
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11
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12
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Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
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Ang Lee (10) |
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| 2000, 120m, Col,
China-Taiwan-USA, Drama-Adventure-Action |
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"Ang
Lee, a world-class director working at the top of his
elegant form, has done something thrilling. For all the leaping
action, it's the film's spirit that soars." - Peter
Travers, Rolling Stone |
| Selected by Nicole Brenez,
Gerald Peary, Michael Wilmington, David Edelstein, Peter
Travers. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Spirited Away |
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Hayao
Miyazaki (13) |
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| 2001, 124m, Col,
Japan, Animated-Fantasy-Adventure |
| "Artful but not arty,
Spirited Away is a handcrafted cartoon, as personal as an Utamaro painting, yet its breadth and heart give it an appeal
that should touch American viewers of all ages." - Richard
Corliss, Time |
| Selected by Ty Burr, David
Ansen, John Powers, Kent Jones, Michael Sragow. |
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See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Talk to Her |
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Pedro
Almodóvar (14) |
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| 2002, 112m, Col,
Spain, Romance-Drama |
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"One of
Almodóvar's most challenging
pictures, jumping around in time and sending a large gallery of
characters through a wide variety of situations." - David
Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor |
| Selected by Carrie Rickey,
Kent Jones, Philip French, John Anderson, Dave Kehr. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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13
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14
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15
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Million Dollar
Baby |
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Clint
Eastwood (15) |
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| 2004, 137m, Col,
USA, Drama |
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"Has a beautifully
modulated sadness that's almost musical.
Eastwood once made a movie about
Charlie Parker (Bird), but this picture has the smoothly
melancholic tones of Coleman Hawkins at his greatest." -
David Denby, The New Yorker |
| Selected by Ty Burr, Jonathan
Rosenbaum, David Sterritt, Chris Fujiwara, Kent Jones. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Punch-Drunk
Love |
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Paul Thomas Anderson
(30) |
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| 2002, 95m, Col,
USA, Comedy-Drama-Romance |
| "I found it exquisite. In
part I responded out of sheer amazement: I've never seen
anything like the sequences in which Sandler, in his boxy,
sea-blue suit, charges around his warehouse to the rhythm of
Brion's harsh drums." -
David Edelstein, Slate |
| Selected by Gerald Peary,
Dave Kehr, John Powers, Ella Taylor, A.O. Scott. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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The Lord of
the Rings: The Return of the King |
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Peter
Jackson (12) |
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| 2003, 201m, Col,
Germany-New Zealand-USA, Fantasy-Adventure-Action |
| "The second installment was
better than the first, and this one is best of all. It has
spectacular action scenes and imaginary creatures, and it’s by
far the most moving chapter. The performances have deepened." -
David Ansen, Newsweek |
| Selected by John Anderson,
David Ansen, Elvis Mitchell, Andrew O'Hehir, Mick LaSalle. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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16
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17
New
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18
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Before Sunset |
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Richard Linklater (16) |
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| 2004, 80m, Col,
USA, Romance-Drama |
| "Because
Linklater now
wears his heart on his sleeve, he has made a film that in its
joy, optimism and aesthetic achievement keeps faith with
American cinema at its finest." - Manohla Dargis, Los
Angeles Times |
| Selected by Dennis Lim,
Michael Wilmington, Michael Sragow, Manohla Dargis, Owen
Gleiberman. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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There Will
Be Blood |
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Paul Thomas Anderson |
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| 2007,
158m, Col, USA, Drama |
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"The film is above all a consummate work of art, one that
transcends the historically fraught context of its making, and
its pleasures are unapologetically aesthetic." - Manohla
Dargis, The New York Times |
| Selected by
Kent Jones, Tom Charity, David Sterritt, J. Hoberman, Dennis
Lim. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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The Lord of
the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
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Peter
Jackson (9) |
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| 2001, 178m, Col,
USA-New Zealand, Fantasy-Adventure |
| "An extraordinary work,
grandly conceived, brilliantly executed and wildly entertaining.
It's a hobbit's dream, a wizard's delight. And, of course, it's
only the beginning." - Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune |
| Selected by Michael Wilmington,
Kenneth Turan, Dave Kehr, David Ansen, David Edelstein. |
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See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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19
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20
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21
New
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Ghost World |
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Terry
Zwigoff (18) |
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| 2001, 111m, Col,
UK-USA-Germany, Drama-Comedy |
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"If, like me, you've been
wondering how
Terry Zwigoff, the
brilliant documentary filmmaker who made Crumb, would
negotiate his shift to fiction filmmaking, here's your answer:
brilliantly." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader |
| Selected by Roger Ebert, Kent
Jones, Peter Keough, Robert Sklar, David Sterritt. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Memento |
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Christopher Nolan (17) |
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| 2000, 113m, Col,
USA, Thriller-Mystery-Drama |
| "A provocatively structured
and thrillingly executed film noir, an intricate, inventive use
of cinema's possibilities that pushes what can be done on screen
in an unusual direction." - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles
Times |
| Selected by Owen Gleiberman,
Peter Keough, Jay Carr, Desson Howe, Scott Tobias. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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No Country
for Old Men |
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Joel Coen
and Ethan Coen |
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| 2007,
122m, Col, USA, Crime-Drama |
| "A
scorching blast of tense genre filmmaking shot through with rich
veins of melancholy, down-home philosophy and dark, dark humor,
No Country for Old Men reps a superior match of source
material and filmmaking talent." - Todd McCarthy, Variety |
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Selected by Phillip Lopate, Tom Charity, Roger
Ebert, David Fear, Gary Crowdus. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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22
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23
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24
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Adaptation |
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Spike Jonze (19) |
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| 2002, 114m, Col,
USA, Comedy |
| "Spellbindingly original --
Like the wild orchid, Adaptation is a marvel of adaptation,
entwined with its hothouse environment and yet stunningly
unique." - Peter Rainer, New York Magazine |
| Selected by Gavin Smith, J.
Hoberman, Kenneth Turan, Carrie Rickey, Michael Atkinson. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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The Queen |
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Stephen Frears (20) |
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| 2006, 103m, Col,
UK-France-Italy-USA, Biography-Drama |
| "The Queen is the most
reverent irreverent comedy imaginable. Or maybe it's the most
irreverent reverent comedy. Either way, it's a small
masterpiece." - David Edelstein, New York Magazine |
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Selected by
Michael Wilmington, Molly Haskell, Peter
Keough, Michael Sragow, David Ansen. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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The Departed |
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Martin Scorsese (24) |
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| 2006, 152m, Col,
USA, Crime-Drama-Thriller |
| "The screenplay, by William
Monahan, is simply sensational. Scenes play brilliantly.
Feelings flow like molten lava. The dialogue overflows with edgy
wit and acidulous arias of imprecation." -
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal |
| Selected by Kent Jones,
Michael Wilmington, Joe Morgenstern, Peter Brunette, Peter
Travers. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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25
New
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26
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27
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Zodiac |
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David
Fincher |
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| 2007,
158m, Col, USA, Crime-Drama-Thriller |
| "Its
most impressive accomplishment is to gather a bewildering
labyrinth of facts and suspicions over a period of years, and
make the journey through this maze frightening and suspenseful." -
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times |
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Selected by Dennis Lim, Tom Charity, Graham
Fuller, Cynthia Fuchs, Scott Foundas. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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United 93 |
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Paul
Greengrass (22) |
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| 2006, 110m, Col,
USA-UK-France, Drama-Historical-Thriller |
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"A respectful,
accomplished, non-exploitative piece of historical filmmaking
and - for audiences - a gripping white-knuckle ride all the way." -
William Arnold,
Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
| Selected by Michael Atkinson,
Michael Sragow, Stephen Holden, Kirk Honeycutt, Ed Halter. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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The Squid and
the Whale |
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Noah Baumbach (23) |
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| 2005, 80m, Col,
USA, Drama-Comedy |
| "A satirical
comedy--ruthless and heartbreaking, but a comedy nonetheless.
The movie is also about disintegration and the possibility of
rebirth. In other words, it’s a small miracle." - David
Denby, The New Yorker |
| Selected by J. Hoberman, Kenneth Turan,
David Ansen, Molly Haskell, Peter Keough. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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28
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29
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30
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American
Splendor |
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Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman (25) |
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| 2003, 101m, Col,
USA, Drama |
| "Sad, tender, wise and
beautiful film... It's a profound tribute to lives lived on the
fringes of society -- to the introspective loners who are the
most observant chroniclers of our times." - Scott Foundas,
Variety |
| Selected by Roger Ebert, John
Anderson, J. Hoberman, Gerald Peary, Owen Gleiberman. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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You Can Count
on Me |
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Kenneth Lonergan (27) |
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| 2000, 110m, Col,
USA, Drama-Comedy |
| "The best American movie of
the year. Has a subtext so powerful that it reaches out and
pulls you under. Even when the surface is tranquil, you know in
your guts what's at stake." - David Edelstein, Slate |
| Selected by Gerald Peary,
Robert Sklar, Roger Ebert, Andrew O'Hehir, David Edelstein. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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The Royal
Tenenbaums |
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Wes
Anderson (26) |
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| 2001, 109m, Col,
USA, Drama-Comedy |
| "Anderson's cinematic style
gets more adventurous from one movie to the next, and he begins
this story with bursts of originality that leave his respected
Rushmore far behind." - David Sterritt, Christian
Science Monitor |
| Selected by Dave Kehr, John
Anderson, J. Hoberman, Manohla Dargis, Ed Park. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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31
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32
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33
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Dancer
in the Dark |
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Lars von Trier (34) |
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| 2000, 140m, Col,
Denmark-France-Sweden,
Musical-Drama |
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"I was astonished to find
myself weeping copiously over
von
Trier's latest, which is another parable of monomaniacal
sainthood." -
Ella Taylor, LA Weekly |
| Selected by David Sterritt,
Manohla Dargis, Michael Atkinson, John Anderson, Nigel Andrews. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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The
Incredibles |
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Brad Bird (37) |
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| 2004, 121m, Col-BW,
USA, Family-Animated-Adventure |
| "Bird has created the
unprecedented film that is not just a grand feature-length
cartoon but a grand feature, period, a piece of animation that's
involving across a spectrum of comedy, action, even drama." -
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times |
| Selected by Michael Sragow,
Owen Gleiberman, Carrie Rickey, Michael Wilmington, Ty Burr. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Brokeback
Mountain |
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Ang Lee
(33) |
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| 2005, 134m, Col,
USA, Drama-Romance |
| "Brokeback
Mountain is that rare thing, a big Hollywood weeper with a
beautiful ache at its center. It's a modern-age Western that
turns into a quietly revolutionary love story." -
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly |
| Selected by David Ansen,
Michael Atkinson, Manohla Dargis, Peter Travers, Scott Tobias. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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34
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35
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36
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2046 |
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Wong Kar-wai
(29) |
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| 2004, 129m, Col-BW,
China-France-Germany-Hong Kong, Science Fiction-Drama-Romance |
| "I'm glad that 2046 is
different from "Mood" even while being strangely of a piece with
it. Like "Mood," it’s a movie of utter wonder and ravishment.
But the key here is different." -
Glenn Kenny, Premiere |
| Selected by Manohla Dargis,
Michael Atkinson, Peter Keough, David Ehrenstein, J. Hoberman. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Mystic River |
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Clint
Eastwood (28) |
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| 2003, 137m, Col,
USA-Australia, Mystery-Drama-Crime |
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"Clint
Eastwood pours everything he knows about directing into
Mystic River. His film sneaks up, messes with your head and then
floors you. You can't shake it. It's that haunting, that
hypnotic." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone |
| Selected by Michael
Wilmington, David Ansen, Chris Fujiwara, Manohla Dargis, A.O.
Scott. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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In the Bedroom |
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Todd Field (32) |
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| 2001, 130m, Col,
USA, Drama |
| "The compositions, the
editing, the lighting, the sound, the music: everything seems
meticulously considered, conjuring up a hushed intimacy that
instantly sucks you in." - David Ansen, Newsweek |
| Selected by Richard Schickel,
Kenneth Turan, Owen Gleiberman, Roger Ebert, Carrie Rickey. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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37
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