10) Finding Nemo
It should be no surprise to anyone to find a Pixar film on this list. If the 2000’s belong to anyone, it’s Pixar. John Lasseter’s studio evolved from a technological revolution to the premier movie production studio of the last decade, culminating in Pixar’s purchase by Disney and Lasseter’s positioning as Disney’s Chief Creative Officer. Finding Nemo was the turning point. Pre-Nemo Pixar films were beautiful, technological achievements, with cute, funny and entertaining stories that offered glimpses of what animation could become. Finding Nemo, however, is a work of art. An epic story, full of heart, endearing characters and some of the most gorgeous visuals, all combined to rock the movie world to its core. The fact that computer animation could be used only as a means to tell a story instead of a fun and gimmicky way to entertain kids was incomprehensible to most studios and viewers. But by the end of Finding Nemo, when you’ve forgotten you’re watching talking fish that come from a computer and you’re rejoicing in the reunion of father and son, you’re experiencing the changing of an entire industry.
The story is epic, spanning seemingly the entire ocean and countless species of animals. The characters feel real: the neurotic and paranoid father, his determined runt of a son, the goofy collection of inmates, a big hearted surfer-dude turtle, an enthusiastic pelican and three recovering-addict sharks. The only thing more colorful than the fish are the characters inside them. And not only are they colorful but they grow and evolve, learning about the world and about themselves as their adventure progresses. But the real revelation is Dory. Ellen DeGeneres gives the short-term amnesiac (fish) more heart and soul than had ever been seen in an animated film, inviting debate over a Best Animated Performance category at the Oscars. From “just keep swimming” to Squishy the jellyfish to “P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney” to trying to speak whale, she makes us laugh and cry, sometimes at the same moment. When Marlin, thinking Nemo is dead, leaves Dory behind, she breaks your heart with her impassioned plea about how, with him around, she finally feels home. To see her later, aimlessly swimming in circles, on the verge of panic, unable to remember anything is absolutely devastating. That makes her reawakening at the end all the more overwhelming. She may not be the main character, but Ellen’s Dory is the star, shooting Pixar to the top, and opening a new world of storytelling.

9) Harry Potter series
The highest grossing film series of the decade, based on the best selling books of the decade, is truly a unique movie experience. Over six films in nine years, we’ve been able to watch kids grow into young adults, following the age progression of the literary characters in a way rarely found on film. The series has evolved from the strikingly literal Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, each almost word for word from the books, to the moody improvisation of Prisoner of Azkaban, the epic perfection of Goblet of Fire, the much darker Order of the Phoenix, and finally the wonderfully mature Half-Blood Prince (with a 2-part Deathly Hallows still to come). A parade of directors have passed through, both famous and unknown, but the cast has mostly remained the same. And what a cast! Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon (taking over for the late Richard Harris), Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Kenneth Branagh, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, and Warwick Davis… and that’s only the teachers. Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Mark Williams, Julie Walters, Gary Oldman, Natalia Tena. The brilliant Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, Jason Isaacs as the villains. But imagine the gamble they took on the kids. They cast a dozen or more 11 year-olds and committed to them for over 10 years. The risk has paid off, as the cute kids are now an attractive and surprisingly talented team, with great chemistry. Even actors with few or no lines in the first film have gotten opportunities to shine, and none have disappointed. The Weasley twins, Dean, Seamus, Cho, Lavender, Crabbe, Goyle, Cedric… they’ve all had their moments. Matthew Lewis’ pitch-perfect Neville ranges from comic coward to strong member of Dumbledore’s Army. Evanna Lynch’s Luna is both quirky and wonderfully astute. Tom Felton’s delightfully evil Draco has finally gotten to show the depth behind his character. And Bonnie Wright’s Ginny is both tough and romantic, enough to make Harry lucky to have her instead of the other way around. As for the trio, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have come to embody their characters so completely that reading the books brings their performances to mind, and that’s a good thing. They’ve remained true to the characters but made them their own in a way only possible because the cast has remained the same. The movies are epic and beautiful, making the wizarding world tactile in a way only possible on screen. Always entertaining, often touching, frequently very funny and occasionally pretty scary, the series is much more than the sum of its parts, and worth to stand among the cinematic achievements of the decade.

8) Lost in Translation
This was a case of the right film at the right time. This wonderful movie about two lost souls really spoke to this lost soul. Sofia Coppola’s masterful writing and directing weaved a dreamy, poetic tale of a platonic love between an aimless newlywed and an aging actor set against the beautiful backdrop of modern Tokyo. Scarlett Johansson is perfectly sweet as the quirky, confused young woman, unsure of who she’s supposed to be. But the revelation is Bill Murray. The longtime comedian shows amazing acting skills, at times both hilarious and heartbreaking. His karaoke scene is achingly beautiful, and really serves as the anchor point of the movie. The comedy set pieces are brilliantly, painfully funny, from the commercials Murray’s character are shooting for Suntory Whiskey, to the masseuse who wants him to rip her stockings. It’s truly refreshing to see their relationship bloom, from mutual boredom and fun, to affection, to love, with confusion and heartbreak in the middle, to a greater appreciation of each other. It’s a wonderful journey to find meaning in their lives, and to bring meaning to each other. Whether it’s romance or just friendship is up to debate, and I’m not sure the characters could answer that question either. But the ending is by far one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The perfection of the moment, the privacy of it, filmed as though we’re just spectators. We don’t hear their final words to each other, and we shouldn’t because it would be eavesdropping on their lives and their love and would just feel vulgar. Instead we get to observe from a distance, and we feel our hearts filled because of it. This is a movie difficult to describe, beautiful, hilarious, melancholy and soulful. It’s truly perfection.

7) The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy
How’s this for a risk? Disney, in their first ever PG-13 rated film, shows a scene early on featuring their main character, Captain Jack Sparrow, where he is asked by two British guards about his purpose in town. The first thing he says he intends to do after commandeering a ship and picking up a crew is “rape” (there’s some debate about rape vs. raid, but I hear rape and the subtitles say rape). Disney took a genre that hadn’t been successful for decades (pirate movies), a ridiculous basis for a movie (a theme park ride), and added a pretty boy actor (Orlando Bloom) and made the 2^nd highest grossing trilogy of the decade, and one of the highest grossing movies of all time. How did they do it? Johnny Depp. Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow is a masterpiece. Based off a combination of Keith Richards and Pepe Le Pew, he crazily weaves through the trilogy, constantly entertaining and often hilarious. He’s a drunk, a womanizer, and completely self-interested, but also clever, brilliant, and even heroic. It’s possibly the most defining performance of the decade, one of the most unique and memorable of all time. As for the series, it started simply enough with The Curse of the Black Pearl. A story of a cursed pirate ship, and the governor’s daughter and the blacksmith’s apprentice who get caught up in the action, falling in love in the process. The effects were truly outstanding, the action was fun, and the comedy flowed swiftly without ever feeling forced. It was one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve ever had at the movies, and I couldn’t wait for more. The sequence where Sparrow and Barbossa, both cursed, fight in and out of beams of moonlight, constantly transforming from human to skeleton and back, is magnificent, an iconic, immortal battle. Dead Man’s Chest was one of the most anticipated films of the last 10 years. It may have been a bit of a disappointment, but only by being considerably longer and more serious. It added the remarkable Davy Jones, with a marvelous performance by Bill Nighy and some of the greatest effects ever seen. The action set pieces were bigger and more elaborate, but never lost their excitement. The plot became more intricate and epic, with much more at stake. And in the end they killed off the main character! At World’s End turned pirates from rebel savages to freedom fighters, making them the symbol of liberty for the world. From the opening moments of condemned criminals singing “Hoist the Colours” to the final colossal battle in a maelstrom, it’s an edge of your seat ride. The surrealism of Davy Jones’ Locker is brilliant and sophisticated, more than any action adventure movie has the courage to show. A satisfying ending for all the characters, with the promise of potential adventures still to come, it was quite the cap on a unique and fun trilogy. It may not be Lord of the Rings, but it’s far more fun, and infinitely more quotable, from “Why is the rum gone?” to “I happen to have no dress in my cabin” to my personal favorite “It is pronounced ‘egregious’”. The glue that seems to hold the series together, however, seems to be Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa. He is certainly the most pirate-like of the pirates, and is always fun to watch, and the moment of his reappearance in the end of Dead Man’s Chest is one of the coolest moments on film. A huge gamble by my friends at Disney paid off more than they could have ever hoped, Johnny Depp’s career and fame hit its high point, and we got a fantastic trilogy. Bring on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

6) A Prairie Home Companion
This is a personal choice, and seemingly a movie for which I was the exact target demographic (along with my father). A beautiful and poignant movie, with phenomenal music, a cast of amazing actors (Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones, etc.), and a bittersweet story all combined by one of the greatest directors of all time, Robert Altman, in what would be his final film. Based on the long running NPR show, and written by Garrison Keillor, it tells of the radio variety show’s fictional final performance, with the appearance of a mysterious angel of death to bear witness. It would be hard for someone who is not a fan of the radio show to fully understand the film, and hard for me to justify my love for it to someone who hasn’t seen it or didn’t like it. The story is almost nonexistent, with no conflicts to be resolved and every issue that arises is easily dealt with. It’s more of an ode to a feeling, a joyous but melancholy feeling, perhaps best expressed with folk music and a few jokes, shared with friends and family. The combination of the real radio personalities with big name Hollywood actors feels like family and make us believe they have a history together, and make us both jealous that we’re not a part of it and thankful that we get to witness it. It’s an abstract film that leaves you feeling full despite not giving you much to sink your teeth into. The music is outstanding, particularly from the Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band, and shockingly from Meryl Streep (foreshadowing Mamma Mia). The jokes come fast and hard, particularly during the Dusty and Lefty (the singing cowboys, played like an old married couple by Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly) song “Bad Jokes”. But it’s the sweet, quite moments, reminiscing over the old days, slightly afraid of the future but hopeful, morning those lost but assuring they won’t be forgotten that really hit home. Altman directed this film as if knowing he wouldn’t be around longer, and it hints at a lot of issues involved with the end of life (of any sort) with class and style. And it’s telling that Lindsay Lohan gives an outstanding performance as Meryl Streep’s daughter, something we wouldn’t think possible of her these days.  When she improvises her lines in the final song of the evening, singing her heart out, we feel just as proud of her as her family does, drawing us in. It’s a beautiful film, feeling like a painting, or a fine glass of wine. It’s a fitting tribute to Altman’s career, the perfect film version of Keillor’s radio show, and a masterpiece of cinema.