Top 50 Films of the '00's

OK. This list will surely be rare among everyone. I went through each film that was released during each year and if it had some sort of effect on me I wrote it down, when I was finished I had 53 films. But, to keep it a nice round number I decided to round that down to 50.

This is just my Top 50 films, it has no barring on the actual quality of the film. These are just the Top 50 that I particularly enjoy.

Also, there were many (many) films released during this time period which I have not had the chance to see yet - some of which I have heard are rather good - but I was not able to include those, only those I have seen (and for many of them have seen a multitude of times).

Finally, I also did something that some others have done, yet others do not like, and that is group some films together as part of a series instead of separate films. It's my list and I will group if I want to. So, for the films with an asterisk next to the title I am also including the other films in their franchise.

So, here is my Top 50 Films of the '00's:

50) Blades of Glory (2007)

49) Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

48) Invincible (2006)

47) Watchmen (2009)

46) High Fidelity (2000)

45) Catch Me If You Can (2002)

44) Beerfest (2006)

43) The Replacements (2000)

42) Enchanted (2007)

41) G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

40) Reign Over Me (2007)

39) Old School (2003)

38) Adventureland (2009)

37) A Knight’s Tale (2001)

36) School of Rock (2003)

35) We Are Marshall (2006)

34) Moulin Rouge (2001)

33) The Fast and the Furious (2001)

32) 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

31) Life as a House (2001)

30) Garden State (2004)

29) Knocked Up (2007)

28) 8 Mile (2002)

27) American Pie 2 (2001)

26) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)

25) Spider-Man* (2002)

24) Lord of the Rings* (2001)

23) Dodgeball (2004)

22) Stick It (2006)

21) X2: X-Men United (2003)

20) Men with Brooms (2002)

19) Fanboys (2009)

18) Cars (2006)

17) Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

16) Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

15) Accepted (2006)

14) Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

13) Wedding Crashers (2005)

12) Finding Nemo (2003)

11) Miracle (2004)

10) Cast Away (2000)

9) Transformers* (2007)

8) Pirates of the Caribbean* (2003)

7) Iron Man (2008)

6) Remember the Titans (2000)

5) Ocean’s Eleven* (2001)

4) Harry Potter* (2001)

3) Shrek* (2001)

2) The Dark Knight* (2008)

1) Star Trek (2009)

Explanations for my Top 10:

10) Cast Away: One of Tom Hanks' greatest performances as he spent 3/4 of the film with no human interaction, but spent that time conversing with a volleyball. Hanks also had to lose an incredible amount of weight and grow his hair and beard out for the part. For a movie without much talking I was still engrossed with what was going on in the film. Plus is made a star out of a Wilson Volleyball.

9) Transformers*: I included both of the films in this selection, but I feel I enjoyed the first film the best. It sort of came out of nowhere, a movie based on an action figure, but it turned out to be a pretty action packed film, which in turn made stars out of Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. A film that's dialogue may be lacking, but the action and CGI certainly kept me entertained.

8) Pirates of the Caribbean*: I am including all three Pirates films, although I feel the first one outranks the lot of them. I have to admit that this one really took me off guard. For some reason leading up to it I had not really heard much about it, but a friend told me I had to see it and I was thoroughly entertained. Captain Jack Sparrow is a character for the ages.

7) Iron Man: Was this going to be another Spider-Man or another Batman? The answer is somewhere in between, and that is perfectly fine. This film had a lot of humor and action, and thanks to the performance of Robert Downey Jr. really blew a lot of people away that really weren't expecting much of anything.

6) Remember the Titans: As you can see from the list I am a sucker for sports films, especially if they are well done. This movie was less about the football and more about the racial struggles of a small town and school, but it was because of the football that so many were able to accept each other no matter their color.

5) Ocean's Eleven*: The first one was a masterpiece. I love heist films and I especially love when they don't show you how it was done until the end. The cast was top-notch, and it even makes it this high with Julia Roberts in the cast (I am not that big a fan). The sequel was a little less superb, but still enjoyable as it gave us the Night Fox. The third was much better than the second, but still couldn't surpass the first.

4) Harry Potter*: This entire decade should have been named the Harry Potter decade. Just two films remain in the series (a combination of the final book), but the first six so far have been visually stunning and rather entertaining as well (even for someone like me who has not read the books). So far, I would have to say that Order of the Phoenix is my favorite of the films, but we still have the final two to go.

3) Shrek*: Yet another film that you weren't really expecting much from. Thank goodness it exists, however, for the sake of Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy's careers. The first film in this series is hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. I have been fortunate to see it over-and-over again as my son has become a huge fan. The second two films are both great watches as well, but the first is still the crowning achievement.

2) The Dark Knight*: This one is a combination because without the great reboot that was Batman Begins, this film would have never existed. It is probably the top film on almost everyone's list for the decade, but it gets second on mine. Heath Ledger's Joker is quite possibly the best character in a film the entire decade, and the film was visually stunning as well and kept the story of Batman growing.

1) Star Trek: This is my absolute favorite film of the decade. As much as I loved The Dark Knight, it was Star Trek that was the lone film that when I left the theater I immediately knew I had to see it again. I grew up a fan of the original films, but the combination of humor and even better battles really took this one to another level. Each of the characters were extremely well done and I cannot wait to see the many journey's this crew takes in the future.

Star Trek

"I've given her all she's got, Captain!"

The words spoken by Scotty couldn't ring more true. This Star Trek 'reboot' by J.J. Abrams (Fringe, Lost, Alias) was nothing more than outstanding.

I have been a Trek follower ever since my mother introduced it to me when I was about six years old. This film pretty much out races them all.

Abrams took the Enterprise back to it's beginning, when Capt. Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) was in the captain's chair - and our beloved James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) was just barely a graduate of Starfleet Academy.

The film shows the origins of both Kirk and Spock (Zacahry Quinto) while also showing a little more background to Leonard 'Bones' McCoy (Karl Urban) and Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana). Also along for the ride are Sulu (John Cho), Scotty (Simon Pegg) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin), but their story lines aren't explored as deeply.

Without going into too much detail, Nero, a Romulan miner, is out to seek revenge against the man he feels is responsible for the destruction of his home planet. He even goes as far as to head back in time to seek his revenge.

It turns out it is up to the young recruits, who are thrown into battle much earlier than they are expected. This is the first challenge for Kirk and the crew to show their worth - something we have come to expect in the earlier films.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the acting, most notably Karl Urban as McCoy. Going in he was the person I knew the least about, but his portrayel was both an homage to the late DeForest Kelley, while also throwing in a lot of his own skills. I was also pretty unfamiliar with Pine, but thought he did a decent job in trying to replace the legendary William Shatner. He did things his own way, because let's face it - you can't try to copy Shatner.

The rest of the cast was pretty talented as well, Qunito was a spot-on Spock - with a lot of human elements thrown in. Saldana was actually given a lot more to do in this film than Nichelle Nichols really ever had to do in the previous installments. Cho was a great Sulu - and Yelchin provided a new look and sound for Chekov, but remembered to butcher his "W's". Pegg also provided a great Scotty - although it was definitely pre-donuts Scotty.

In my opinion, this was the best Star Trek film out of all of them, and I have been a fan of nearly all of them. It had a lot better action than previous installments, but also had the give-and-take between the characters which provided tons of great comedic moments. And the drama was also packed in pretty nicely as well - a great first voyage for the Enterprise.

I am definitely looking forward to more.

Grade:

Star Trek

I have to admit, I checked out the new trailer to the updated/revamped Star Trek franchise and it has me very excited. So much so, in fact, that since watching it that first time - I have watched it about five other times.

I have been a pretty big Star Trek fan since the original crew of Shatner, Nimoy and McCoy. Out of all of the films from the original crew, the only one I truly disdain is Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Boy, they really got off on the wrong foot with that piece of junk.

Luckily, though, the movie made money and it allowed for a truly great six-movie arc, culminating with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Since that film, Star Trek was handed over to The Next Generation crew - and the films were pretty solid at the start.

But, we haven't had a new film since Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002.

Enter J.J. Abrams, Lost and Alias creator.

The film has been rewound and revamped. Abrams has started the Star Trek franchise from its beginning - the arrival of Kirk and his crew at starfleet.

Now, I have heard the grumblings already. Diehards are complaining that not everything in the story is what happened in Gene Roddenberry's original stories.

Of course not. Things have to be changed - and I say it's probably for the better.

All I can say is this: looking at that trailer I am extremely giddy for this upcoming film.

The fight scenes look extraordinary - I mean when did you see such space battles in a Star Trek film ---- it looks almost Star Wars-esque.

I am upset by the move to the summer, because it was orginally planned for Christmas. But, I will definitely be checking this film out when it finally does open.

Casting:

Kirk: Chris Pine
Spock: Zachary Quinto
Sulu: John Cho
Uhura: Zoe Saldana
McCoy: Karl Urban
Scotty: Simon Pegg
Chekov: Anton Yelchin
Nero (Romulan Villain): Eric Bana

Top 10: Movie Franchises

The movie franchise has become pretty popular, especially nowadays. In my opinion the movie cannot formally be called a franchise, at least, until three movies are made - and are pretty successful.

This was a hard one to narrow down to just 10, as there are tons of movies out there that qualify, and a handful of others that I actually enjoy.

So here are my Top 10 (in reverse order), but first a list of honorable mentions that didn't quite make the list, but I still enjoy.

Honorable Mentions: American Pie, Lethal Weapon, Scream, Beverly Hills Cop, Batman, The Bourne Trilogy, Mighty Ducks, Austin Powers, Fast & the Furious, Shrek, Santa Clause, The Matrix, Jurassic Park, The Mummy, Police Academy, Die Hard and The Karate Kid.

10) Pirates of the Caribbean
Synopsis: The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Curse of the Black Pearl, was a bit of a sleeper hit, as it was not expected to do as well as it did in the theater. But, of course, once it was two more movies were rushed into production. I have to admit that Black Pearl was the best of the trilogy, but Dead Man's Chest and the finale, At World's End, were both very well done follow up movies.

Why to see them: Johnny Depp, obviously. He is truly what makes this movie what it is. His portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow is masterfully done. Also, Keira Knightley - this was my first real glance at the British beauty, and I was very impressed.

9) Lord of the Rings
Synopsis: The movies that started this run of epic releases. The Lord of the Rings is a true work of art. The first movie really draws you in, as you start to truly develop a relationship with these characters. Two Towers sort of teases you, as there is no real beginning or end, because it is obviously the middle of a trilogy. Return of the King, really delivers as the final piece to a wonderfully constructed puzzle.

Why to watch them: The scenery is beautiful, and the battle scenes are epic. Sean Astin, who plays Sam, does an amazing job in this film - as does Ian McKellen as Gandalf.

8) Ocean's Trilogy
Synopsis: All three movies are about criminals. It's truly amazing how much you root for the bad guys. Ocean's 11 starts off the trilogy with a casino heist in Las Vegas, but not just any casino heist - three casinos at once. The first Ocean's is by far the most superior, Ocean's 12 definitely took a step backwards, but it was enjoyable nontheless. The crew heads back to Vegas for Ocean's 13, and the return really helps as the third is better than the second.

Why to see them: The heists are pretty elaborate and planned out to perfection. It's amazing to see how some things are pulled off. Plus the chemistry from such a huge group of talented actors is superb, and hard to pull off.

7) Spider-Man
Synopsis: The first Spider-Man movie is basically the creation of Spider-Man himself. The best movie of the bunch is Spider-Man 2, however, as Spidey has to battle Doc-Oc. Spider-Man 3 had all the makings to be a spectacular film, but it ended up being the worst of the three, although I still enjoyed it - it may have had too many villains at once.

Why to see them: Like the original Batman movies, Spider-Man is for the comic book fan, and fan of action movies. It's odd, going into a movie you think 'how can this actor pull this off?', but now, I can't imagine someone else taking over for Tobey Maguire.

6) X-Men
Synopsis: X-Men really surprised me. I was not a fan of the comic books growing up, but I had obviously heard of Wolverine. The movie is very well done, and it's sequel, X-Men 2, may have even surpassed it. X-Men 3, however, took a giant step back. Again, though, I am still a fan of the final movie, it just wasn't as good as it's predecessors.

Why to see them: Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is probably the main reason to watch, and most likely why there is a soon-to-be movie about the character. I also found the Magneto and Prof. Xavier mind battles to pretty enjoyable.

5) Star Trek
Synopsis: It's pretty odd that when talking about a movie franchise that you aren't really a fan of the original, but in the case of Star Trek, that is exactly what happened. The original Star Trek movie is pretty unwatchable, but they really got it right with The Wrath of Kahn. Honestly, the first movie is the only one I am not really a fan of - the rest, including those with the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast, are very enjoyable.

Why to see them: My favorite parts of all the movies are the scenes that involved William Shatner (Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Spock) and DeForest Kelly (Bones). The battle between the villain(s) is always pretty enjoyable as well. Check out the new Star Trek film some time next year.

4) Harry Potter
Synopsis: Obviously, the movies are based off of the books. I myself am not reading the books (although I might when all the movies are finished), because I don't want to be spoiled. The movies are about a young boy, who is apparently the chosen to defeat Lord Voldemort.

Why to see them: Although the movies started off geared more towards children (ie. the first two), the movies have really taken a darker tone since Prisoner of Azkaban. Also, Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) have developed amazing chemistry together. The Weasley twins are pretty funny as well.

3) Indiana Jones
Synopsis: Indiana Jones is a history teacher that doubles as an archaeologist/whip yielding badass. Raiders of the Lost Arc is a pretty amazing tale, that starts off Indiana's journey. I was not as impressed with Temple of Doom, but I still enjoy it. I did not like the female character in the film. The Last Crusade is probably my favorite of the three, with Sean Connery joining the crew as Indiana's father.

Why to see them: There's a pretty entertaining story in all three films. The dry wit and action really keeps you entertained throughout. It's hard to go wrong with Harrison Ford, he is at the top of his game as his portrayal of Indiana Jones.

2) Back to the Future
Synopsis: The original Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a pretty interesting topic, traveling back in time and seeing your parents when they were your age. The second film heads to the near future, and is pretty well done. I like the third movie, but I feel the romance between Doc and Clara pulled the movie down a little.

Why to see them: Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, without a doubt. The casting director gets an A+ for their job in casting these two, they were outstanding in all three films. The character Biff was also done very well. The premise of the movie - time travel - has always been very entertaining.

1) Star Wars
Synopsis: Was there truly any doubt. Star Wars is without a doubt the most influential trilogy of all time. I am including all six movies in this as well. Although Phantom Menace is a bit of a downer, I think the movie was still needed to introduce Anakin - plus Darth Maul is an excellent villain. The original trilogy obviously stands out above the new one, but Revenge of the Sith is an amazing film.

Why to see them: If you haven't seen at least the original trilogy already, then you probably are never going to. The movies are iconic in so many ways. I can't really pick a favorite, because I feel each film brings something to the table. I know people were disappointed with Episodes I-III, but I was not. I enjoy all six of the movies.