The New York Times released its top 25 list for the best movies since 2000 Friday, and while some are obvious classics, there are quite a few interesting choices.
None more surprising than its final pick at number 25: “The 40-year-old Virgin.”
Despite outdoing expectations and being the vehicle by which Steve Carell made his transition from TV to film, this is not one you see on many “best movie” lists. It had humor, tackled an uncomfortable subject, and gave us the Carell chest wax scene, but the lack of emotional depth in the plot and inability to draw a larger audience makes it just a solid comedy.
Working up from number 24 we see several films that are widely appealing and have left a lasting mark on the zeitgeist. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Moonlight,” “Mad Max Fury Road,” “Boyhood,” and Munich,” but they inflated the other popular movies they chose, putting “Hurt Locker” at number 10 and “Million Dollar Baby” at number 3.
Obscure independent films rounded out the remaining spots.
Films that were absent from the piece include the works of director Christopher Nolan: “The Dark Knight,” “Inception,” “Memento,” “The Prestige,” and “Interstellar,” as well as classics like “Gladiator,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “The Departed,” “Unbreakable,” “Signs,” “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy and “Casino Royale.”
They gave the nod to “Inside Out” for their American animated film, but no love for “Up, Madagascar,” “WALL-E” or the Toy Story sequels.
The NYT list focused heavily on artsy films with small box office pulls and even smaller commercial appeal. However, if it’s their intention to broaden the taste of their audience with something unique, they could have included several films that are not only special, but also speak to a larger group.
Movies like Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic” took a harsh look at the war on drugs and was shot in several different lights and colors to show the dichotomy between Mexico and the U.S. Half the movie was spoken in Spanish and it was released less than a year before 9/11.
The NYT missed out on this one because any political or social commentary film made circa 2000/2001 is worth looking at. It’s like watching game film to get better at a particular sport. Movies like this give us an idea of what society was thinking at a critical time in history. It especially helps young people understand what was going on before they came into the world.
If the NYT really knew their stuff and wanted to go with independent picks, they would have listed any one of the films written and directed by Wes Anderson. His use of bright colors, exotic settings, and blunt dialogue has made him a household name among movie lovers.
His notable works since 2000 include “The Royal Tenenbaums”, “The Life Aquatic starring Bill Murray,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “The Darjeeling Limited,” and finally “The Grand Budapest Hotel” which was nominated for Best Picture in 2014. Yet these movies which audiences love, were ignored in favor of things like foreign films and documentaries which tend to hover in obscurity for a reason.
Despite missing some easy ones, the list finishes strong with two very popular and sometimes divisive films. Clocking in at number two is the smash hit animated film “Spirited Away,” which made a surprise $279 million and is critically acclaimed across the board. This is a defensible pick, but it seems too high on a list that claims to be the second best movie “of the century.”
Closing the door at number one is “There Will Be Blood.” This was one of Daniel Day Lewis’ best performances as the oil tycoon Daniel Plainview, and it netted him an academy award for Best Actor in 2008. The film had an amazing orchestral score written by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, and it’s content spoke to what happens when greed and power trump family and community. Truly one of the all-time greatest films since 2000.
The NYT should take another crack at it down the road, only this time be sure to include the best movies.
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