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BEST OF THE DECADE By Guglielmo Anthony

10. SIDEWAYS (2004)

It’s rare that a comedy is as poignant as this one. It is equally funny as it is painful to watch. A terrific script and great performances allow the characters (which could have easily fallen into a sex-comedy buddy formula) to resonate long after the credits roll.

9. IN THE BEDROOM (2001)

Brutally honest in it’s depiction of grief and vengeance. Todd Field knows how to direct drama in a realistic fashion without spelling things out for the viewer or making it overly melodramatic. This is powerful stuff.

8. LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003)

Sofia Coppola really proved herself with this one. She has created a mood piece that is moving, melancholic, and romantic, while all the while avoiding every cliché it could have fallen into. She knows when the film needs to be subtle, and when it needs to have a splash of absurd humor. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Murray and Johansson have incredible chemistry. (For the record, I am also one of the few who love her following film, MARIE ANTOINETTE. Keep up the good work Sofia.)

7. OLDBOY (2003)

It isn’t surprising that most people search this film out for its shock value (and there’s a lot of it). I personally enjoy strange cinema, and this is right up there with the most excessive and weirdest films I’ve ever seen. Which is why I find it so amazing that I believe every bit of it. Not only that, but I’ve been moved by it. There is a big heart to be found in this movie, only it’s easy to dismiss because of the ugliness that comes with it. Another surprise about OLDBOY is that it also has a great quirky sense of humor. It’s a wonderful example of a modern day tragedy, and is already a cult classic.

6. PUNCH DRUNK LOVE (2002)

It can be said that this is Paul Thomas Anderson’s smallest film, but I happen to think it is his most experimental. Using lens flares, music, and specific color to express everything that Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) represses. Sandler channels the anger he so often uses for laughs and shows us he has the capability to be a great method actor if given the right role

5. KILL BILL (2003)

A lot of “b-movies” have great ideas and scenes, but lack the talent to make them work. Tarantino takes everything that’s cool about exploitation cinema from around the world and executes it with the craft of a master. Uma Thurman has never been better! I love both volumes, but if someone were to put a Hanzo sword to my neck I’d pick Vol. 1.

4. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000)

This is Wong Kar Wai’s masterpiece of unrequited love. You can get lost in it’s romantic pace and hypnotic cinematography. It’s a visual and emotional experienced heightened by an amazing score and perfect performances by both leads. It really breaks my heart..

3. BATTLE ROYALE (2000)

Not a film for everybody, but boy did it do the trick for me! It’s absolutely amazing how much Kinji Fukasaku was able to fit into this film (which was to be his last). There are 40-something characters, and he manages to make all of them (and their deaths) interesting. Fukasaku can change the entire tone in a single line, and does. It defies genre categorization. Whether you love or hate this, it cannot be denied that it is one of a kind.

2. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)

Underneath its commentary on greed, capitalism, and religion is a haunting and sad character study of a lonely man. I have a feeling this will be looked at as an American classic in the years to come, and it deserves to be. Paul Thomas Anderson is the only director to have two films on my list. Everything he’s done so far in his career is great, and I don’t even think he’s 40 years old yet…This only adds to my suspicion that he has made a pact with the devil. It’s hard to believe he’s just this good without supernatural help of some sort.

1. BLACK BOOK (2006)

Everything you wouldn’t expect in a World War II film set during the Nazi occupation. After twenty years of working in Hollywood, director Paul Verhoeven returns to his native country to make this epic, and I’m pleased to say it’s the best film of his career. Every scene is either action packed or steaming with eroticism. It baffles me that Carice Van Houten isn’t a major star yet. Never mind this decade, BLACK BOOK is one of the most thrilling films I have ever seen. It runs the gamut of emotions, reminding me of why I love going to the movies in the first place.

Continue to Bryan Layne’s Choices…

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