The 2000s were an interesting decade for movies. Animation became a dominant creative force, with Pixar leading the way. Big budget, action adventure spectacles reached the peak of their critical success, and then began to fade in favor of simpler fare. Cheaply made comedies and horrors are now all the rage. And independent films are no longer independent but “indie” and are manufactured by the studios to make people feel like they’re seeing something from outside the system. Oh, and the professional movie critic has become an endangered species.With all that in mind I offer part 1 of my list of the best films of the 2000s. (For this list I am counting any series of films as one film, since I generally view movies in terms of the overarching storyline rather than as individual films.) Continue reading →