2000's Best Movies: 20 Years Later

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Rankings come from the overall list of the top 1,000 films at They Shoot Pictures, Don't They.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
YI YI (Edward Yang; Taiwan [#123] 13
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee; Taiwan) [#384] 13
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai; Hong Kong) [#42] 6
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; USA-France) [#1833] 5
SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR (Roy Andersson; Sweden) [#510] 5
AS I WAS MOVING AHEAD OCCASIONALLY I SAW BRIEF GLIMPSES OF BEAUTY (Jonas Mekas; USA) [#859] 4
BATTLE ROYALE (Kinji Fukasaku; Japan) [#1419] 4
AMERICAN PSYCHO (Mary Harron; USA-Canada) [#1222] 4
TOGETHER (Lukas Moodysson; Sweden-Denmark-Italy) [#1379] 3
ALMOST FAMOUS (Cameron Crowe; USA) [#1748] 3
DANCER IN THE DARK (Lars von Trier; Denmark) [#672] 2
WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES (Béla Tarr; Hungary) [#367] 2
THE GLEANERS & I (Agnès Varda; France) [#388] 2
THE CIRCLE (Jafar Panahi; Iran-Italy-Switzerland) [#1535] 1
UNBREAKABLE (M. Night Shyamalan; USA) [#1812] 1
AMORES PERROS (Alejandro González Iñárritu; Mexico) [#805] 1
PLATFORM (Jia Zhangke; China) [#364] 1
GEORGE WASHINGTON (David Gordon Green; USA) [#1385] 1
MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan; USA) [#642] 1
LUMUMBA (Raoul Peck; France-Belgium-Germany-Haiti) [#1982] 1
IN VANDA'S ROOM (Pedro Costa; Portugal) [#558] 1
LA COMMUNE (PARIS, 1871) (Peter Watkins; France) [#810] 1
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (Darren Aronofsky; USA) [#710] 0
LA CAPTIVE (Chantal Akerman; France-Belgium) [#1777] 0
THE TASTE OF OTHERS (Agnès Jaoui; France) [#1778] 0
CODE UNKNOWN (Michael Haneke; France) [#778] 0
DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP (Jiang Wen; China) [#1375] 0
GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott; USA-UK) [#1029] 0


Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Monday, 13 April 2020 01:53 (four years ago) link

recently saw La Captive for the first time; not one of my fave Akermans tbh

k*r*n koltrane (Simon H.), Monday, 13 April 2020 01:54 (four years ago) link

Don't understand why EUREKA never got a bigger following.

Chris L, Monday, 13 April 2020 01:55 (four years ago) link

Also, I remember YOU CAN COUNT ON ME as better than like half of these.

Chris L, Monday, 13 April 2020 01:57 (four years ago) link

otm

k*r*n koltrane (Simon H.), Monday, 13 April 2020 02:04 (four years ago) link

never saw La Captive, for me there are so many - Code Unknown, Dancer in the Dark, The Gleaners and I, In the Mood For Love, In Venda’s Room, Platform

think I have to go with In the Mood for Love

Dan S, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:05 (four years ago) link

Werckmeister Harmonies was also just amazing

harder even than 1950 for me

Dan S, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:10 (four years ago) link

also really ,irked Yi Yi, but it’s hard to rate it over A Brighter Summer Day

Dan S, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:14 (four years ago) link

*like

Dan S, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:15 (four years ago) link

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty has stayed in my mind since seeing it one time, probably close to 20 years ago, especially a passage where Mekas' child walks for the first time and he uses the Velvet Underground's "Run Run Run." And another one where (I think) John Lennon is playing basketball in Mekas's driveway. So I'll vote for that. I've been meaning to see George Washington for years.

clemenza, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:37 (four years ago) link

Yes, You Can Count on Me would also get my vote were it here.

clemenza, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:39 (four years ago) link

never saw Eureka

La Commune was also a really interesting film

really didn’t like Memento

Dan S, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:44 (four years ago) link

Yi Yi or Battle Royale, depending on the mood

jmm, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:45 (four years ago) link

You Can Count on Me is good but these are some of the greatest films

Dan S, Monday, 13 April 2020 02:45 (four years ago) link

Amazing how Time Regained and La Captive were released within a year of each other.

Tonight it looks like Yi-Yi. We'll see tomorrow.

On the other hand, how on earth is Amores Perros still promoted on Netflix, Amazon, etc?

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 April 2020 02:50 (four years ago) link

Another would-be You Can Count On Me voter here; gonna go with O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

Maria Edgelord (cryptosicko), Monday, 13 April 2020 03:06 (four years ago) link

didn’t see Code Unknown until after The Piano Teacher, Funny Games, Caché, The White Ribbon, Amour, but it is the equal of all of them

Dan S, Monday, 13 April 2020 03:16 (four years ago) link

Songs From the Second Floor was also unforgettable

Dan S, Monday, 13 April 2020 03:37 (four years ago) link

I love Eureka, suspect it's not better regarded because Shinji Aoyama doesn't have an auteur rep.

La Commune maybe the best achievement on here but Platform is my fave.

où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 06:45 (four years ago) link

Akshully Battle Royale is sometimes my fave but that's like a really good kebab vs a full three course meal

où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 06:49 (four years ago) link

agreed with this

jmm at 3:45 13 Apr 20
Yi Yi or Battle Royale, depending on the mood
lots of other films here which are well-regarded but I have no desire to see again.

Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 06:51 (four years ago) link

Battle Royal has different cuts, the one I saw first is much better than the other one.

Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 06:52 (four years ago) link

Battle Royale 2 is very weird and I should watch both of them again today or maybe just watch a bunch of Takeshi Kitano movies because I love him so much

où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 06:54 (four years ago) link

oh, Songs From The Second Floor is also a contender, already voted for Yi Yi though, rats.

Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 06:56 (four years ago) link

Eureka is stupendous, as is Platform.

brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Monday, 13 April 2020 12:23 (four years ago) link

With the possible exception of George Washington, I think Dude, Where's My Car? is better than all the US films on that list. TSPDT strikes again.

brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Monday, 13 April 2020 12:38 (four years ago) link

really didn’t like Memento

There's a sort of high-concept film that doesn't hold up to second thoughts, much less second watches.

Life is a banquet and my invitation was lost in the mail (j.lu), Monday, 13 April 2020 12:43 (four years ago) link

That's his entire career

où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 12:44 (four years ago) link

These films:

ALMOST FAMOUS (Cameron Crowe; USA) [#1748]
AMERICAN PSYCHO (Mary Harron; USA-Canada) [#1222]
DANCER IN THE DARK (Lars von Trier; Denmark) [#672]
GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott; USA-UK) [#1029]
MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan; USA) [#642]
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (Darren Aronofsky; USA) [#710]
UNBREAKABLE (M. Night Shyamalan; USA) [#1812]

seem to have something in common in that some of my friends raved about them, I thought they were ok, not amazing, in a couple of cases actually pretty upsetting, and I cannot imagine choosing to watch them for any reason now. Contrast this with 1999 where the only film I feel this way about is Magnolia.

Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 12:51 (four years ago) link

Requiem For A Dream had a brilliant original score of course, and the DVD had some good interviews with Hubert Selby Jr, I would listen to / watch those again.

Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 12:52 (four years ago) link

Requiem For A Dream has its problems -- the sheer sledgehammer miserabilism of the last 15 minutes made me chuckle -- but it's miles better than most of what Aronofsky has done since.

brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Monday, 13 April 2020 13:52 (four years ago) link

Leto and Burstyn are dreadfully directed.

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 April 2020 13:54 (four years ago) link

The 2000s are rife with such films as CAAL describes. Many of the acclaimed movies of the era lacked a rewatchability factor, in my opinion.

Chris L, Monday, 13 April 2020 13:56 (four years ago) link

Voted with my heart, which means I voted for Crouching Tiger. Would people say Songs From the Second Floor is better or worse than You the Living? Because I've never seen the former, but I do love the hell out of the latter.

may the force leave us alone (zchyrs), Monday, 13 April 2020 13:59 (four years ago) link

prob not a popular opinion but i think almost famous (bootleg cut only) is crowe’s best film, totally cast a spell on me the last time i watched it

mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:04 (four years ago) link

I've probably seen Crouching Tiger a few too many times, but I could vote for that too. One of the most amazing first theatrical viewings of my life.

jmm, Monday, 13 April 2020 14:07 (four years ago) link

Only watch of Crouching Tiger was with my housemate who had returned from the video shop with the fucking dubbed version! Should watch it properly I guess.

Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:11 (four years ago) link

I would maybe consider rewatching Almost Famous, I remember the scene at the start where they play Simon & Garfunkel being good.

Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:12 (four years ago) link

I watched Crouching Tiger at the cinema on release and of course it's lovely but it's nowhere near the equal of the best Wuxia it's a tribute to

où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:16 (four years ago) link

I voted Yi-Yi but this poll has reminded me that I'm overdue to watch ITMFL again.

Crouching Tiger was amazing in the theater; I watched it at home not too long and the magic had definitely faded (also due to having seen quite a few wuxia/other martial arts movies in the interim).

I haven't even seen AMORES PERROS but I suspect it belongs on CAAL's list too

dip to dup (rob), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:18 (four years ago) link

xpost

dip to dup (rob), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:19 (four years ago) link

yi yi, gleaners a& I, and as i was moving ahead... are three all time contenders. will probably vote yi-yi

saw almost famous when i was 14 and found it insufferable, bemused it has such a reputation. in the mood for love is overrated

devvvine, Monday, 13 April 2020 14:28 (four years ago) link

xps IDK, I watched A Touch of Zen recently and I thought the good scenes were incredible but overall found it didn't really hold my interest. Maybe I'm just a wuxia philistine.

may the force leave us alone (zchyrs), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:29 (four years ago) link

Well I'm not saying that but I'm certainly thinking it loudly 😅

Tbf ToZ is long and baggy compared to a lot of the genre

où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:32 (four years ago) link

For me it's not so much that other wuxia are better (though it's harder to really love the scene, for example, where Zhang Ziyi fucks up the restaurant when you know how much of an homage it is), but that my delight in the choreography has lessened through exposure, including, unfairly, to all the films that came in Crouching Tiger's wake.

dip to dup (rob), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:37 (four years ago) link

I have seen Amores Perros, but remember almost nothing about it.

Do not get Wong Kar-Wai at all, his films do nothing for me.

Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:40 (four years ago) link

just watched crouching tiger for the first time last week, and will be kicking myself for the next 20 years for skipping it when it was in theaters

turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:40 (four years ago) link

There's something about the kinds of light King Hu captures in his shots that's absolutely magical to me

où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 14:41 (four years ago) link

Yi Yi is on Youtube and I have nothing to do today..... hmm

jmm, Monday, 13 April 2020 14:46 (four years ago) link

Would people say Songs From the Second Floor is better or worse than You the Living? Because I've never seen the former, but I do love the hell out of the latter.

― may the force leave us alone (zchyrs)

Better, but both are wonderful.

emil.y, Monday, 13 April 2020 14:46 (four years ago) link

(But no, seriously, Gladiator is the pits and it being on this list but not Eureka is lamentable.)

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 17 April 2020 15:21 (four years ago) link

I don't trust a movie this moronic.

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 17 April 2020 15:21 (four years ago) link

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Together & O Brother Where Art Thou also great

Saxophone Of Futility (Michael B), Friday, 17 April 2020 15:39 (four years ago) link

huh, if CTHD wins this I will be pretty shocked

dip to dup (rob), Friday, 17 April 2020 15:40 (four years ago) link

I would've expected Almost Famous but yeah, it seems drifting CTHD's way.

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 17 April 2020 15:46 (four years ago) link

Shout out for La Commune!

xyzzzz__, Friday, 17 April 2020 15:52 (four years ago) link

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon--much like Almost Famous, Memento and Unbreakable, in fact--is one I liked just fine when I saw it in theatres but have never had the slightest desire to revisit.

Maria Edgelord (cryptosicko), Friday, 17 April 2020 15:56 (four years ago) link

Action scenes in Gladiator are terrible, which seems like a huge flaw.

I watched Yi Yi this week, it's top 2 or 3 on this list easy.

clap for content-providers (Noodle Vague), Friday, 17 April 2020 16:15 (four years ago) link

1. In the Mood for Love
2. Werckmeister Harmonies
3. Platform
4. In Vanda’s Room
5. Yi Yi

Dan S, Sunday, 19 April 2020 00:24 (four years ago) link

for me

Dan S, Sunday, 19 April 2020 00:25 (four years ago) link

also really loved Code Unknown, The Gleaners and I, La Commune

Dan S, Sunday, 19 April 2020 00:29 (four years ago) link

and Dancer in the Dark, Songs From the Second Floor

Dan S, Sunday, 19 April 2020 00:41 (four years ago) link

still want to see Eureka, Esther Kahn

I hated The Forbidden Room, I’m skeptical about Guy Maddin’s films but really want to see The Green Fog

Dan S, Sunday, 19 April 2020 01:07 (four years ago) link

Among the best years for cinema in my lifetime. Between Bela Tarr's best and Roy Andersson's best for me.

speaking moistly (Sanpaku), Sunday, 19 April 2020 01:22 (four years ago) link

I also write in You Can Count On Me

Dan I., Sunday, 19 April 2020 23:30 (four years ago) link

My lists.

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 19 April 2020 23:31 (four years ago) link

But of the ones on the list, the, like, two minute clip from As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty that I saw on YouTube or something a decade or so ago has stuck with me and is better than any of the other films I’ve seen in their entirety

Dan I., Sunday, 19 April 2020 23:33 (four years ago) link

I like your lists Alfred, but I think In the Mood For Love is counted as being from 2000, not 2001

Dan S, Sunday, 19 April 2020 23:37 (four years ago) link

Another bump for this monster year.

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Thursday, 23 April 2020 13:48 (four years ago) link

In Vanda’s Room was the second Pedro Costa film I saw after Ossos from 1997. I was somewhat disoriented by it. Seeing Vanda Duarte again made me realize she was playing her real self, I don’t think I understood until then that Costa was blurring lines between documentary and fiction

Dan S, Thursday, 23 April 2020 22:49 (four years ago) link

also felt like I came to more of an understanding of his static ‘monotonous’ filmmaking style and what he is maybe trying to achieve with it

Dan S, Friday, 24 April 2020 00:56 (four years ago) link

Werckmeister Harmonies was bleak but beautiful, still speculating about what the whale represents

Dan S, Friday, 24 April 2020 01:10 (four years ago) link

haven’t seen Together but I really loved Moodysson’s Show Me Love (Fucking Åmål) from 1998

Dan S, Sunday, 26 April 2020 00:32 (three years ago) link

always wanted to see Jafar Panahi’s The Circle but haven’t found a way to watch it

Dan S, Sunday, 26 April 2020 00:51 (three years ago) link

I remember liking Together, but I haven't thought about it much in the last 20 years.

Maria Edgelord (cryptosicko), Sunday, 26 April 2020 01:26 (three years ago) link

In the Mood for Love was the best film from this year and from almost any other year imo

Dan S, Sunday, 26 April 2020 02:09 (three years ago) link

I like Yi Yi and I expect it will win this poll but I think it had a disappointingly sentimental ending.

Dan S, Sunday, 26 April 2020 02:24 (three years ago) link

At the time I would’ve said In the Mood, but in retrospect I think it’s American Psycho.

I guess I should see it again but I hated American Psycho

Dan S, Sunday, 26 April 2020 03:10 (three years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Thursday, 30 April 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link

this was an incredible year for movies

Dan S, Thursday, 30 April 2020 00:05 (three years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Friday, 1 May 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link

wish Code Unknown had gotten a vote or two but this isn’t a bad result

Dan S, Friday, 1 May 2020 00:13 (three years ago) link

Nice to see no-one likes Requiem For A Dream any more

all things must pasteurize (Matt #2), Friday, 1 May 2020 00:14 (three years ago) link

To equate "no one thought it was the best of these" with "no one likes it" is a major reason I despise ILX one-choice polls. I like it.

brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Friday, 1 May 2020 00:35 (three years ago) link

I remember liking it too but only saw it once at the time

Dan S, Friday, 1 May 2020 00:38 (three years ago) link

I like it too. It's just that 2000 was perhaps the best movie year of my adult life.

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 1 May 2020 00:38 (three years ago) link

challopsy, it was '99 surely

brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Friday, 1 May 2020 00:40 (three years ago) link

RfaD has some very striking shots, the 700 cuts in the last 15 minutes was really relentless at the time, it went places few other movies have gone before or since, its soundtrack has been endlessly borrowed, and I never want to see it again.

speaking moistly (Sanpaku), Friday, 1 May 2020 00:46 (three years ago) link

xp according to IMDb it was released in October 2000

Dan S, Friday, 1 May 2020 00:51 (three years ago) link

'99 was great too, but I think there were more out-and-out masterpieces in '00.

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 1 May 2020 00:52 (three years ago) link

1940's Best Movies: 80 Years Later

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 1 May 2020 00:52 (three years ago) link

(Also, I wasn't legally allowed to drink in '99 so.)

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 1 May 2020 00:57 (three years ago) link

2001 was also a pretty good year, with Mulholland Drive, What Time Is It There?, Spirited Away, La Cienaga, Donnie Darko, Ghost World, AI Artificial Intelligence, Trouble Every Day, Moulin Rouge!, In Praise of Love,

Dan S, Friday, 1 May 2020 01:31 (three years ago) link

Plus Pulse!

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 1 May 2020 01:34 (three years ago) link

Plus Glitter.

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 1 May 2020 01:34 (three years ago) link

haven’t seen those yet!

Dan S, Friday, 1 May 2020 01:36 (three years ago) link

And your mother too!

speaking moistly (Sanpaku), Friday, 1 May 2020 15:45 (three years ago) link

Overdue for a rewatch as I disliked it at the time.

Vegemite Is My Grrl (Eric H.), Friday, 1 May 2020 16:58 (three years ago) link

one month passes...

Time for the showdown: The Best Movies Of Years Celebrating An Anniversary Divisible By 10 (1920-2010)

Juanita was robbed (Eric H.), Thursday, 25 June 2020 14:34 (three years ago) link


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