Part 1: #100-91

Part 2: #90-81

Around the time I started this site, I did a “Top 100 of the 1990s” with the intention of doing a new decade every year. I had meant to do a new decade every year, but as with life, stuff came up. I got overwhelmed by my primary responsibilities on this site: reviewing new film and television releases. Hence, folks have some guidance when consuming new content.

Recently, I conducted a small poll on my personal Instagram (@fartgetis2) to ask what past decade I should do a “Top 100 Films” on. Overwhelmingly, the answer came back: “the 2000s”. Not the best decade for film, in my approximation; in fact, I was low-key hoping the poll results would be the 1970s or 1980s, but some beautiful gems came out of a post-9/11 mindset. Some of my choices are obvious and well-known, and others you may not have heard of. Please remember that art is subjective, and these choices are personal. 

Please don’t threaten to kill my family cause I like Sideways. 

I decided to release this article in ten parts, covering ten films each, to not overwhelm the viewer and make the movies stand out more. This was an arduous ranking process, especially for selections #73-#100, which had me picking just 28 films out of nearly 150 possible contenders.

So, let’s continue with #80-#71:

80. Iron Man

2008 / dir. Jon Favreau / 126 minutes

cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, Shaun Toub, Faran Tahir, Paul Bettany, Clark Gregg, Jon Favreau, Samuel L. Jackson, Stan Lee

The movie that started the most significant financial phenomenon in motion picture history…ever? If the O.G. Iron Man was shit, who knows what the cinema landscape of the 2010s would even look like. Generally, I’m not a fan of the MCU, which is not to say I hate these movies. In fact, a lot of them are pretty enjoyable in a way that going down a waterslide or masturbating is. It’s fun in the moment but instantly forgettable, and, let’s face it, sometimes necessary after a hard day. I guess what I’m trying to say is while 95% of these movies are pulp, this one actually packed a punch and introduced us to the MVP actor/performer in the entire series by revamping the career of a clean and sober Robert Downey, Jr. It remains the most seamless entry of the 33 existing Marvel movies. I don’t expect that to change. (Streaming on Disney+)

79. Step Brothers

2008 / dir. Adam McKay / 98 minutes

cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, Kathryn Hahn, Adam Scott, Andrea Savage, Rob Riggle, Seth Rogen, Ken Jeong, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Phil LaMarr, Horatio Sanz, Gillian Vigman

Laugh for laugh, this is my pick for the funniest Judd Apatow production. The concept is ridiculous but also the comedy’s secret weapon. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are two 40-year-olds still living at home. When their single parents, wonderfully portrayed by Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins, end up falling in love and marrying, they are forced to live together and instantly hate each other. Through a Randy Jackson-signed samurai sword, night-vision goggles, and the rubbing of testicles on drum sets, they grow to love and respect each other and become best friends. They also need to learn to grow up together cause their parents are about to kick them out of the house. When I first saw this, I disliked it, maybe because I couldn’t buy into the bonkers premise. However, I really liked it the second time, and I liked it more with each consecutive watch. Certainly not for everyone, but watching Jenkins talk about wanting to grow up to be a dinosaur and doing T-Rex arms is just so goddamn funny to me. It also features the best carpool karaoke sequence ever captured on film. (Streaming on Peacock)

78. Amores Perros

2000 / dir. Alejandro González Iñárittu / 153 minutes

cast: Gael García Bernal, Emilio Echevarría, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerro, Vanessa Bauche, Jorge Salinas, Adriana Barazza

Even though Amores Perros is Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárittu‘s debut, it remains my favorite of his films. Borrowing heavily from the structure of Pulp Fiction, Amores Perros tells three different interlocking stories that all happen simultaneously in Mexico City. One story involves the grotesque world of dogfighting, another involves two yuppies experiencing the aftermath of a tragic accident, and the final and best story is about an old hitman living on the streets (a fantastic Emilio Echevarría) trying to reclaim his former life. Although the movie follows the structure of Pulp Fiction, it trades in that movie’s sense of dark humor and irony for more profound portraits of its characters and an uncomfortably realistic depiction of violence, mostly involving dogs. If you’re a dog lover, this may not be the movie for you, but I have to give Iñárittu credit for accurately portraying how disgusting and gruesome the world of dog fighting is. The film is full of excellent performances from recognizable faces like Gael García Bernal and Oscar nominee Adriana Barazza, and its title translates to “Love’s a Bitch.” Certainly is. (Streaming on Tubi)

77. Pulse

2001 / dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa / 119 minutes

cast: Kumiko Asō, Haruhiko Kato, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka, Masatoshi Matsuo, Shinji Takeda

Few films frighten me in a way that Kiyoshi Kurosawa‘s techno-horror movie Pulse does. It’s about a bunch of sad people who died by suicide, being doomed to an afterlife of being trapped in the internet. It was made in 2001, so the tech is outdated – one ghost is on a floppy disk, but the thrills are still there. However, it doesn’t thrill or scare you by way of jump scares or traditional horror movie tricks. It’s a slow burn that gets under your skin, and it’s propelled by so much inherent sadness. These ghosts are so sad, and while they scare you, you honestly feel terrible for them. It starts as a murder mystery between young adults and college students. Still, the plot is merely a framing device to house some of the most unique and terrifying imagery I’ve ever seen in a ghost movie. It’s very avant-garde in places and maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you allow it to slowly suck you in, you won’t soon forget it. (Streaming on Peacock, Tubi, AMC+, and Shudder)

76. Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009 / dir. Wes Anderson / 87 minutes

voice cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Owen Wilson, Roman Coppola, Brian Cox, Adrien Brody

Wes Anderson‘s most under appreciated film in my eyes is this quirky, adorable and very funny stop motion animation picture about foxes. Maybe the writer/director’s only film suitable for families (Isle of Dogs is pretty dicey at parts), it features no violence, sex, drug use, or cursing – well there is a cursing scene, perhaps the funniest of the film, but it’s just characters yelling “curse” at each other. It deals with intense issues families and youngsters have always faced, and it has a very positive message about acceptance. I can’t see anyone being offended by this movie, it is 100% the safest choice for your movie night. (Streaming on Hulu and Disney+)

75. Let the Right One In

2008 / dir. Tomas Alfredson / 114 minutes

cast: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist

The early 2000s was perhaps the shittiest era for horror movies ever, but a couple of gems, primarily from outside the States, sneaked in to make a real ruckus. Maybe the best was Tomas Alfredson‘s Swedish import, Let the Right One In, a movie about children absolutely not for children. It’s about the oddly sweet friendship between a loner boy being bullied by the exceptionally sadistic teenage dirtbags at his school and a little girl vampire. While the movie does feature some intense, graphic violence, it’s a very emotionally involving coming-of-age friendship drama most of the time. Younger children won’t be able to handle this, but Let the Right One In is the perfect movie for older teenagers, especially outcast teenagers who will most certainly identify with the loner boy or the vampire girl. (Available for $4 rental on Amazon Prime, Google Play, AppleTV+ and Vudu)

74. Paprika

2006 / dir. Satoshi Kon / 90 minutes

voice cast: Megumi Hayashibara, Tōru Furuya, Tōru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Akio Ōtsuka, Kōichi Yamadera, Hideyuki Tanaka, Satomi Kōrogi

TIRED – Christopher Nolan‘s Inception

WIRED – Satoshi Kon‘s Paprika

While master filmmaker Christopher Nolan gets soooooooo much credit for the uniqueness and ingenuity of Inception, he’s really just re-packaging Paprika but taking out all the personality and wonderful weirdness. What a cock. Paprika is a gorgeous, thought-provoking and yeah, weird as fucking hell descent into madness about a corporation inventing a device that allows you to view people’s dreams. Of course, this leads to a bit of corporate espionage with major organizations/countries/etc wanting to obtain the device to do some evil draconian bullshit. It follows a group of doctors and scientists (actual intelligent characters) trying to recover the device and figure out who in their organization betrayed them. There’s also an interesting subplot of a former filmmaker turned police detective who gets entangled in the case, but ultimately the story is less the focus than the amazing visuals and energy that the late Satoshi Kon brings to the screen. While it never gets to you on an emotional level, Paprika represents the absolute height of cinematic creativity. (Streaming on Tubi)

73. Grizzly Man

2005 / dir. Werner Herzog / 103 minutes

Heartbreaking and carefully observed little documentary by international treasure Werner Herzog. Using over 100 hours of video footage shot by the documentary’s subject, Grizzly Man chronicles the life and ultimately gruesome death of conversationalist Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, in Alaska. They were obsessed with wild bears and absolutely loved them, so of course, that’s what ultimately killed them. You get to know these people throughout the documentary, and even though it’s a Herzog production, it feels personal and small. It also carries a very resonant message that nature cannot be tamed. (Streaming on FreeVee and Tubi)

72. Little Children

2006 / dir. Todd Field / 137 minutes

cast: Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly, Noah Emmerich, Jackie Earle Haley, Phyllis Sommerville, Gregg Edelman, Ty Simpkins, Jane Adams, Raymond J. Barry

Maddeningly underrated ensemble drama by TÁR director Todd Field. It’s a white-surburbanites-are-their-own-greatest-enemy movie based on a book by Tom Perrota, who also wrote The Leftovers. Kate Winslet is fantastic as Sarah, a bored woman trapped in a shitty marriage who falls for Brad, played by Patrick Wilson, a bored guy trapped in a shitty marriage. Trapped by their own making, I should say, no one is holding a gun to their head, preventing them from getting divorced. When Sarah kisses Brad at the community playground their kids play at, mostly to piss off the mean gossip moms there, the seed is planted for a thunderous affair that sends both of their lives and the lives of their neighbors into absolute turmoil. Although they’re the story’s main focus, the film also explores other characters like Brad’s best friend (Noah Emmerich), a former cop who has become obsessed with “doling out justice” to a recently paroled pedophile (Jackie Earle Haley) in the neighborhood. Jennifer Connelly also plays Brad’s breadwinner wife, and Phyllis Sommerville plays the pedophile’s mother. Little Children is a poignant and entertaining adult drama that more people would gravitate towards if they knew it existed.(Streaming on Tubi)

71. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Ass

2004 / dir. Alfonso Cuarón / 142 minutes

cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Mark Williams, Tom Felton, Jason Issacs

While not the best novel in the Harry Potter series, this is the best and most creative film adaptation of the lot. Not a surprise seeing as though it’s the only entry that’s directed by an Oscar-winning filmmaker – Alfonso Cuarón. It’s also when everything started getting a little darker. After the absolute worst movie in the franchise, the seriously overlong and tonally inconsistent Chamber of Secrets, the producers wisely replaced Home Alone-helmer Chris Columbus and went for a more inspired choice. Nothing against Columbus, love Sorcerer’s Stone and Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire, but the series required a slightly more cynical touch in its following entries. The bus sequence really stands out as one of the most memorable scenes in the franchise, and more than that, Cuarón set the necessary tone for the series’ intense later chapters. On a personal note, I really love this series. It’s not the deepest or most artistically sound franchise I’ve ever seen, but it’s great cinematic comfort food and never fails to put me in a good mood. I watch these movies when I’m at my lowest. (Streaming on Peacock and Max)