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The Twenty-Five Best Films of the Century So Far


Lists, rankings, etc. are, despite how much some may claim objectivity, very much a personal thing. We bring our own lives and bias to the list-making process, though there is nothing wrong with that, as long as we're honest about it. Such a curation should also attempt to provoke. Not in a violent manner, obviously -- but in thought. It should nudge us to think upon what our own lists would be for the same scenario.

To that end, Richard Brody's rather pretentious list of his Top 25 Best Films of the 21st Century (so far, of course) has done its job. I see a lot of movies, dear reader, but have not heard of most of the ones on the list. This isn't said with any pride, more of a quizzical cocking of the head, and a desire to make my own list of what I consider to be the best of the 21st century through 2017. It is, of course, the definitive list.

And so, the best of the century so far...

Another Year (2010, Mike Leigh)

Brokeback Mountain (2005, Ang Lee)

 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee)

 The Dark Knight (2008, Christopher Nolan)

 Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009, Wes Anderson)

 Get Out (2017, Jordan Peele)

Ghost World (2001, Terry Zwigoff)

Gosford Park (2001, Robert Altman)

 The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, Wes Anderson)

 The Hours (2002, Stephen Daldry)

Inception (2010, Christopher Nolan)

 Inglourious Basterds (2009, Quentin Tarantino)

 Into the Wild (2007, Sean Penn)

It Follows (2014, David Robert Mitchell)

 The Lunchbox (2014, Ritesh Batra)

Mud (2013, Jeff Nichols)

 Northfork (2003, Michael Polish)

 Pan's Labyrinth (2006, Guillermo del Toro)

The Revenant (2015, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

 Skyfall (2012, Sam Mendes)

 Songs From the Second Floor (2000, Roy Andersson)

Spider-Man 2 (2004, Sam Raimi)

Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki)

 Winter's Bone (2010, Debra Granik)

Zodiac (2007, David Fincher)
How about you, reader? What would be your picks?


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