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  The 21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films Ranking (101-150)  
  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  
     
     
 
 101  102  103
Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Tsai Ming-Liang  (85)
2003, 82m, Col, Taiwan, Drama-Comedy
"Has a quiet, cumulative magic, whose source is hard to identify. Its simple, meticulously composed frames are full of mystery and feeling; it's an action movie that stands perfectly still." - A.O. Scott, New York Times
Selected by John Anderson, Berenice Reynaud, Dennis Lim, Chris Fujiwara, J. Hoberman.
Amazon  metacritic
 
The Gleaners & I
Agnès Varda  (95)
2000, 82m, Col, France, Documentary
"A fascinating nonfiction voyage into rural and urban France, focusing on idiosyncratic individuals who live off things the rest of us throw away, from food to furniture." - David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
Selected by Peter Keough, Manohla Dargis, John Anderson, Jonathan Rosenbaum, David Ehrenstein.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Last Days
Gus Van Sant  (105)
2004, 96m, Col, USA, Drama
"What Last Days offers is a blank and narrative-free, but pitch-perfect, dreamscape on which to project your own personal ruminations on Kurt, fame, whatever, nevermind. If you have none, you're on your own." - Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times
Selected by Peter Keough, Dennis Lim, Ed Halter, Phillip Lopate, Ed Park.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 104  105  106
Platform
Zhang Ke Jia  (106)
2000, 154m, Col, Hong Kong-Japan-France-Netherlands-Switzerland, Drama
"One of the richest films of the past decade." - J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Selected by Manohla Dargis, Berenice Reynaud, Chris Fujiwara, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Michael Atkinson.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Kinsey
Bill Condon  (91)
2004, 118m, Col, Germany-USA-UK, Drama-Biography
"A stupendously moving film. Neeson nails Kinsey's rock-hard decency and fragile ego, and Linney abets him beautifully: There isn't an actress in movies right now who's more simply alive." - David Edelstein, Slate
Selected by Owen Gleiberman, David Ehrenstein, Richard Schickel, A.O. Scott, Stephen Holden.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Together
Lukas Moodysson  (115)
2000, 106m, Col, Sweden-Denmark-Italy, Drama-Comedy
"Moodysson captures exactly the preening narcissism and gumption of these frazzled would-be revolutionaries trying to wriggle out of their bourgeois straitjackets." - Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
Selected by Kenneth Turan, Owen Gleiberman, David Ansen, David Edelstein, Paul Malcolm.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 107  108  109
Erin Brockovich
Steven Soderbergh  (99)
2000, 130m, Col, USA, Drama
"The kind of stand-up-and-cheer movie Hollywood is supposed to have forgotten how to make." - Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Selected by Kenneth Turan, Gavin Smith, David Ansen, Mike Clark, F.X. Feeney.
Amazon  metacritic
 
The Son (Le Fils)
Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne  (98)
2002, 103m, Col, Belgium-France, Drama
"By the climax, we can hardly breathe -- The outcome is less important than our utter and complete empathy with this man. As we await what he does, we breathe with him, in and out. This is an astonishing movie." - David Edelstein, Slate
Selected by Kent Jones, Dennis Lim, Roger Ebert, Geoff Andrew, J.Hoberman.
Amazon  metacritic
 
The Hours
Stephen Daldry  (109)
2002, 114m, Col, USA, Drama
"Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore bring dignity and Oscar-worthy performances to The Hours, a lovingly crafted meditation on death, loss and literature." - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon
Selected by David Sterritt, Kenneth Turan, Mick LaSalle, Stephen Holden, Andrew O'Hehir.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 110  New    111  New    112
Offside
Jafar Panahi
2006, 93m, Col, Iran, Comedy-Drama-Sports
"The masterly Panahi concocts a spellbinding, often corrosively and/or warmly funny story in which love of both country and sport tries to, but doesn't quite, transcend dogmatic and ingrained difference." - Glenn Kenny, Premiere
Selected by J. Hoberman, Dennis Lim, David D'Arcy, Bilge Ebiri, Ed Gonzalez.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg
2007, 100m, Col, UK-Canada-USA, Crime-Drama-Thriller
"A rhapsodic movie directed with considerable formal intelligence and brooding power from an original screenplay by Steve Knight, Eastern Promises is very much a companion to A History of Violence." - J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Selected by Peter Keough, Berenice Reynaud, Stephen Garrett, Robert Horton, Kristin M. Jones.
Amazon  metacritic
 
In America
Jim Sheridan  (96)
2003, 105m, Col, USA-Ireland-UK, Drama
"In America is not unsentimental about its new arrivals (the movie has a warm heart and frankly wants to move us), but it is perceptive about the countless ways in which it is hard to be poor and a stranger in a new land." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Selected by Michael Sragow, J. Hoberman, Michael Wilmington, Roger Ebert, David Ansen.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 113  114  115
Notre Musique
Jean-Luc Godard  (97)
2004, 80m, Col, France-Switzerland, Drama
"Visually sublime and intellectually dense, this is one of the extremely rare movies that prove cinema can be as complex and profound as the very greatest art works in any form." - David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
Selected by Gerald Peary, Chris Fujiwara, David Sterritt, J. Hoberman, Kent Jones.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Bloody Sunday
Paul Greengrass  (102)
2001, 110m, Col, UK-Ireland, Historical-Drama
"For the viewer, the miracle of Bloody Sunday is that firm moral judgment can exist side by side with a wild and bitter exhilaration in the sheer physicality of violence." - David Denby, The New Yorker
Selected by Peter Keough, Gavin Smith, Kenneth Turan, Scott Foundas, Elvis Mitchell.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Quentin Tarantino  (108)
2004, 136m, Col-BW, USA-China, Thriller-Drama-Action
"This installment delivers more of the pleasures that made Tarantino the wunderkind of 90s cinema: offbeat scumbag characters, narrative sleight of hand, an extraordinary visual sense, and affectionate genre pillaging." - J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Selected by Ty Burr, Roger Ebert, Manohla Dargis, Scott Foundas, David Chute.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 116  117  118
The Man Without a Past
Aki Kaurismäki  (118)
2002, 97m, Col, Finland-Germany-France, Romance-Drama-Comedy
"Kaurismäki is Finland's greatest filmmaker, and never has he more artfully balanced his patented blend of deadpan humor, low-key melodrama, and toe-tapping music." - David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
Selected by Chris Fuijiwara, David Sterritt, A.O. Scott, Chris Chang, Alice Lovejoy.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Bowling for Columbine
Michael Moore  (114)
2002, 120m, Col, USA, Documentary-Comedy
"Moore's best movie, and one of the most blisteringly effective polemics and documentaries ever." - Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Selected by Owen Gleiberman, Ed Halter, Scott Foundas, Edward Crouse, Mike Clark.
Amazon  metacritic
 
What Time is it There?
Tsai Ming-Liang  (103)
2001, 116m, Col, France-Taiwan-Italy, Drama
"This wonderful, one-of-a-kind movie hops from Taiwan to France, from tragedy to deadpan comedy and, in its mysterious conclusion, from the worldly to the otherworldly." - David Ansen, Newsweek
Selected by Chris Fujiwara, Michael Atkinson, J. Hoberman, Elvis Mitchell, Alice Lovejoy.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 119  120  121
Little Miss Sunshine
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris  (100)
2006, 102m, Col, USA, Comedy-Drama
"This indie, a sweet, tart and smart satire about a family of losers in a world obsessed with winning, is an authentic crowd pleaser. There's been no more satisfying American comedy this year." - David Ansen, Newsweek
Selected by David Ansen, Joe Morgenstern, Peter Travers, Stephen Holden, Claudia Puig.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Spellbound
Jeffrey Blitz  (101)
2002, 96m, Col, USA, Documentary
"At its most unsettling level, Spellbound asks us to consider what words are for and what childhood should be. It's as profound as anything you'll see this year, and, yes, it should have won the Oscar." - Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Selected by Ty Burr, A.O. Scott, Wesley Morris, Stephanie Zacharek, Charles Taylor.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Maria Full of Grace
Joshua Marston  (104)
2003, 100m, Col, USA-Colombia-Ecuador, Drama-Crime
"Moreno, with her wide, watchful eyes, owns the camera - and the film. Her performance is perfectly natural and profoundly moving. Maria Full of Grace is a remarkable picture, full of suspense and discovery." - Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Selected by John Anderson, Owen Gleiberman, Richard Schickel, Stephen Holden, Kevin Thomas.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 122  New    123  124
Regular Lovers
Philippe Garrel
2004, 178m, BW, France-Italy, Drama
"While the film’s desperately sad finale indicates that Philippe Garrel knows the truth of '68 better than most and might have suffered a crisis in faith in the years since, this magnificent film is itself proof that all was not lost." - Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
Selected by Kent Jones, Michael Atkinson, Dennis Lim, Manohla Dargis, Nathan Lee.
Amazon  metacritic
 
À ma soeur! (Fat Girl)
Catherine Breillat  (94)
2001, 86m, Col, France-Italy, Drama
"As fascinating as it is discomfiting and as intelligent as it is primal. From first shot to last, France's foremost bad girl has made an extremely good movie -- and maybe even a great one." - J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Selected by Amy Taubin, B. Ruby Rich, J. Hoberman, Michael Atkinson, David Ansen.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Fahrenheit 9/11
Michael Moore  (107)
2004, 122m, Col, USA, Documentary-War
"Michael Moore in Fahrenheit 9/11 has launched an unapologetic attack, both savage and savvy, on an administration he feels has betrayed the best of America and done extensive damage in the world." - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Selected by David Ehrenstein, David Sterritt, Kenneth Turan, A.O. Scott, Peter Travers.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 125  126  127
Werckmeister Harmonies
Bela Tarr  (110)
2000, 145m, BW, Hungary-Germany-France-Switzerland-Italy, Drama
"Mysterious, poetic and allusive, Werckmeister Harmonies beckons filmgoers who complain of the vapidity of Hollywood movie making and yearn for a film to ponder and debate." - Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times
Selected by Manohla Dargis, David Sterritt, Robert Sklar, J. Hoberman, Chris Fujiwara.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Hotel Rwanda
Terry George  (111)
2004, 121m, Col, UK-USA-South Africa-Italy, War-Drama
"It is a powerful portrait of a slightly befuddled man who, when inhuman demands were placed on him, found within himself an unexpected response." - Richard Schickel, Time
Selected by Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper, Mick LaSalle, Charles Taylor, Desson Thomson.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Café Lumière
Hou Hsiao-Hsien  (117)
2003, 108m, Col, Japan-Taiwan, Drama
"Hou's best film since The Puppetmaster (1993). It's also his most minimalist effort to date, slow to reveal its depths and beauties, and it marks a rejuvenation of his art." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Selected by John Anderson, Dave Kehr, John Powers, Kenneth Turan, Chris Fujiwara.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 128  New    129  130
Once
John Carney
2007, 87m, Col, Ireland-USA, Drama-Musical-Romance
"The music is so rich and completely satisfying and the characters so appealing Once makes us believe that this is all happening right in front of our eyes." - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Selected by Tom Charity, Michael Atkinson, Aaron Hillis, Thomas Doherty, Stephen Garrett.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Spider
David Cronenberg  (138)
2002, 98m, Col, Canada-UK-Japan-France, Thriller-Drama
"Deliciously wicked, strangely poetic portrait (adapted by Patrick McGrath from his own novel) of a schizophrenic man at once tyrannized and elevated by oedipal terrors." - Ella Taylor, LA Weekly
Selected by Jason Anderson, V.A. Musetto, Glenn Kenny, Graham Fuller, Chris Fujiwara.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Black Hawk Down
Ridley Scott  (143)
2001, 144m, Col, USA, War-Drama-Action
"Rivets our interest for its entire lengthy running time. And it does this without any of the usual war movie clichés, false heroics, barracks-humor nonsense or grandstanding absurdities." - William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Selected by Richard Schickel, Kenneth Turan, Roger Ebert, Richard Corliss, Jack Mathews.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 131  132  133
Hero
Zhang Yimou  (112)
2002, 99m, Col, Hong Kong-China, Drama-Action
"Hero is a movie that lives up to all the nobility of its title, a gift to movie audiences who cherish the opportunity to be transported to a heretofore unimagined world and absorbed totally into what happens there." - Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun
Selected by Richard Corliss, David Edelstein, Charles Taylor, Chris Kaltenbach, Mark Jenkins.
Amazon  metacritic
 
School of Rock
Richard Linklater  (116)
2003, 108m, Col, Germany-USA, Musical-Comedy
"This joyous farce is a big, big deal, and Jack Black is nothing less than majestic as a scruffy, irreverent rocker passing himself off as a pedagogue in a private school." - Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
Selected by Dennis Lim, Owen Gleiberman, David Sterritt, Ty Burr, David Ansen.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Chicago
Rob Marshall  (113)
2002, 113m, Col, USA-Germany, Musical-Crime-Comedy
"Isn't just the most explosively entertaining movie musical in a couple of decades. It's going to be the most influential: the one that inspires the rebirth of the Hollywood musical." - David Edelstein, Slate
Selected by Michael Sragow, Mick LaSalle, Ernest Hardy, David Edelstein, Stephen Holden.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 134  135  136
Ten
Abbas Kiarostami  (148)
2002, 92m, Col, France-Iran, Drama
"The film offers a fascinating glimpse of the Iranian urban middle class, and though it eschews most of the pleasures of composition and landscape found in other Kiarostami films, it's never less than riveting." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Selected by Michael Atkinson, Leslie Camhi, Andrew O'Hehir, Melissa Anderson, Peter Tonguette.
Amazon  metacritic
 
Tarnation
Jonathan Caouette  (125)
2003, 88m, Col-BW, USA, Documentary
"Harrowing, extremely disturbing at times, but brought to the screen in dazzling pop-art images that make the movie's grim content very much worth watching." - David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
Selected by Kenneth Turan, A.O. Scott, Ella Taylor, Lou Lumenick, Wesley Morris.
Amazon  metacritic
 
24 Hour Party People
Michael Winterbottom  (126)
2001, 115m, Col, UK, Drama-Comedy
"The film is a whirlwind blur, a kinetic thrill ride through the industrial backwater that was one of punk and post-punk's most fertile Promised Lands: Manchester." - Robert Wilonsky, New Times L.A.
Selected by Gerald Peary, David Sterritt, Ella Taylor, Elvis Mitchell, Steven Rea.
Amazon  metacritic
          
 137  138  139
High Fidelity
Stephen Frears  (121)
2000, 113m, Col, USA-UK, Comedy
"With its knowing take on men, messed-up romance and music, it's like one long, hook-filled pop song for the eyes." - Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Selected by Roger Ebert, Desson Howe, Jay Carr, Keith Phipps, David Chute.
Amazon  metacritic
 
21 Grams
Alejandro González Iñárritu  (119)
2003, 125m, Col, Germany-USA, Drama
"What gives the film a formalist kick is that the story unfolds piecemeal as a series of nonlinear moments. What gives it soul are the three lead actors who pull the pieces together with devastating power." - Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times
Selected by Gerald Peary, Manohla Dargis, Mick LaSalle, Elvis Mitchell, Stephen Hunter.
Amazon  metacritic
 
George Washington
David Gordon Green  (120)
2000, 89m, Col, USA, Drama
"Like Malick's Days of Heaven, it is not about plot, but about memory and regret. It remembers a summer that was not a happy summer, but there will never again be a summer so intensely felt, so alive, so valuable." - Roger Ebert, Chicago-Sun-Times
Selected by Roger Ebert, Jonathan Rosenbaum, David Sterritt, Gerald Peary, Dave Kehr.
Amazon  metacritic
         
 140  141  142
A Prairie Home Companion
Robert Altman  (122)
2006, 105m, Col, USA, Comedy-Drama-Musical
"Not since Woody Allen's Radio Days has anyone created such a cinematic Valentine to the wonderfully imaginative medium of radio as A Prairie Home Companion." - Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
Selected by Michael Wilmington, Molly Haskell, Kent Jones, A.O. Scott, Stephen Holden.
Amazon  metacritic
 
The Intruder
Claire Denis  (152)
2004, 130m, Col, France-Korea, Drama
"Exhilarating and exhausting, the kind of picture you don't bounce back from immediately. Yet its elusiveness is the very source of its poetic energy." - Stephanie Zacharek, Salon