Teasing us with a list which will be expanded upon in an upcoming mega-issue, Film Comment polled critics, filmmakers & those in the know for the best films of the Naughts.
Director all-stars:
4 films: Claire Denis, Clint Eastwood, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Gus Van Sant, Lars von Trier, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jia Zhangke
3 films: Arnaud Desplechin, Michael Haneke, Lucrecia Martel, Tsai Ming-liang, Quentin Tarantino
2 films: Lisandro Alonso, P.T. Anderson, Olivier Assayas, James Benning, Pedro Costa, David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuarón, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, David Fincher, Jean-Luc Godard, Todd Haynes, Bong Joon-ho, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Spike Lee, Wong Kar Wai, David Lynch, Michael Mann, Alain Resnais, Jacques Rivette, Hong Sang-soo
2009 films:
The Headless Woman, The Hurt Locker, Police Adjective, Summer Hours, The White Ribbon, Wild Grass
Here's what the cinematic hoi polloi came up with:
1. Mulholland Drive - David Lynch, U.S. 2001
(Wow, #1, eh? I dug it, but have to admit I'm surprised by this ranking.)
2. In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong 2000
3. Yi Yi - Edward Yang, China 2000
4. Syndromes and a Century - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/Austria/France 2006
5. There Will Be Blood - P.T. Anderson, U.S. 2007
6. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Cristi Puiu, Romania 2005
7. A History of Violence - David Cronenberg, U.S./Canada 2005
(Come on, this film was a joke by the end.)
8. Tropical Malady - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, France/Thailand/Italy/Germany 2004
9. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - Cristi Mungiu, Romania 2007
(A tough story done right.)
10. The New World - Terrence Malick, U.S. 2005
11. Platform - Jia Zhangke, Hong Kong/Japan/France 2000
12. Zodiac - David Fincher, U.S. 2007
(I never understood why this film was so ignored when it came out; seemed like an intelligent crowd pleaser.)
13. The Intruder - Claire Denis, France 2004
14. The Son - Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France 2002
15. Dogville - Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/U.K./Germany/Netherlands 2003
16. Caché - Michael Haneke, France/Austria/Germany/Italy 2005
17. Kings and Queen - Arnaud Desplechin, France 2005
18. Elephant - Gus Van Sant, U.S. 2003
(Such a lovely film, so nice to see it on top.)
19. The Royal Tenenbaums - Wes Anderson, U.S. 2001
(Great to see this quirky mess in here, despite the Wes haters.)
20. Before Sunset - Richard Linklater, U.S. 2004
(Ugh, awful to see this sappy mess - how trite.)
21. Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki, Japan 2001
(What a great example of what an animated film can be, without the distraction of being the latest in flashy technology.)
22. The Gleaners and I - Agnès Varda, France 2000
23. Goodbye, Dragon Inn - Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan 2003
24. The World - Jia Zhangke, China/Japan/France 2004
25. Talk to Her - Pedro Almodóvar, Spain 2002
(Always love seeing Pedro on the charts, but what about Volver or Bad Education?)
26. Inland Empire - David Lynch, U.S./France/Poland 2006
(It's the bunnies; they'll get you on the list every time.)
27. Still Life - Jia Zhangke, China/Hong Kong 2006
28. Colossal Youth - Pedro Costa, France/Portugal/Switzerland 2006
29. Russian Ark - Alexander Sokurov, Russia/Germany 2002
30. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence - Steven Spielberg, U.S. 2001
(Really? OK.)
31. In Praise of Love - Jean-Luc Godard, France/Switzerland 2001
32. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Michel Gondry, U.S. 2004
(Ah, Michel, I do love your crazy low-budget style.)
33. No Country for Old Men - Joel & Ethan Coen, U.S. 2007
(It's big, it's dark, it's beautiful.)
34. Werckmeister Harmonies - Béla Tarr, Hungary/Italy/Germany/France 2000
35. Grizzly Man - Werner Herzog, U.S./Canada 2005
36. Three Times - Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan 2005
37. Café Lumière - Hou Hsiao-hsien, Japan/Taiwan 2003
38. Regular Lovers - Philippe Garrel, France 2005
39. Blissfully Yours - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/France 2002
40. I'm Not There - Todd Haynes, U.S./Germany 2007
(So many lives crammed into one good film.)
41. 2046 - Wong Kar Wai, China/Hong Kong/France 2005
42. In Vanda's Room - Pedro Costa, Portugal/Germany/Switzerland 2000
43. Los Angeles Plays Itself - Thom Andersen, U.S. 2003
44. Millennium Mambo - Hou Hsiao-hsien, France/U.S./Spain/Greece 2001
45. La Commune (Paris, 1871) - Peter Watkins, France 2000
46. The Hurt Locker - Kathryn Bigelow, U.S. 2009
(A war movie done right - thoughtfully.)
47. Million Dollar Baby - Clint Eastwood, U.S. 2004
(Major Clint love on this list. Nice films, but certainly not the best films.)
48. What Time Is It There? - Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan/France 2001
49. demonlover - Olivier Assayas, France 2002
50. The Headless Woman - Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Spain/France/Italy 2009
51. La Captive - Chantal Akerman, France/Belgium 2000
52. Esther Kahn - Arnaud Desplechin, France/U.K. 2000
53. Notre musique - Jean-Luc Godard, France/Switzerland 2004
54. Distant - Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey 2002
55. Saraband - Ingmar Bergman, Sweden 2003
56. The Holy Girl - Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Italy/Netherlands/Spain 2004
57. Y Tu Mamá También - Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico 2001
(Before Cuarón went all Hollywood)
58. Brokeback Mountain - Ang Lee, U.S. 2005
(A quiet, thoughtful moment captured.)
59. Children of Men - Alfonso Cuarón, Japan/U.K./U.S. 2006
(Cuarón goes all Hollywood, recycles doom.)
60. Ten - Abbas Kiarostami, France/Iran/U.S. 2002
61. Silent Light - Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/Netherlands 2007
62. La ciénaga (The Swamp) - Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Spain 2001
63. L'Enfant - Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France 2005
64. Star Spangled to Death - Ken Jacobs, U.S. 2004
65. Flight of the Red Balloon - Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan/France 2008
66. RR - James Benning, U.S. 2007
67. The House of Mirth - Terence Davies, U.K./France/Germany/U.S. 2000
68. 25th Hour - Spike Lee, U.S. 2002
69. 35 Shots of Rum - Claire Denis, France/Germany 2008
70. Summer Hours - Olivier Assayas, France 2009
71. The Host - Bong Joon-ho, South Korea 2007
72. Adaptation - Spike Jonze, U.S. 2002
73. Lost in Translation - Sofia Coppola, U.S./Japan 2003
(More lessons in American directors learning to settle down.)
74. Gerry - Gus Van Sant, U.S. 2002
75. Private Fears in Public Places - Alain Resnais, France/Italy 2006
76. My Winnipeg - Guy Maddin, Canada 2007
77. Punch-Drunk Love - P.T. Anderson, U.S. 2002
78. Fat Girl (A ma soeur!) - Catherine Breillat, France/Italy 2001
79. The Departed - Martin Scorsese, U.S./Hong Kong 2006
(Come on, now - so overrated, even for an overrated director.)
80. Far from Heaven - Todd Haynes, U.S./France 2002
(A lovely, open twist on stylish melodrama.)
81. Donnie Darko - Richard Kelly, U.S. 2001
(Again, bunnies.)
82. Moolaadé - Ousmane Sembene, Burkina Faso/Morocco/Tunisia/Cameroon/France 2004
83. Woman on the Beach - Hong Sang-soo, South Korea 2006
84. Memories of Murder - Bong Joon-ho, South Korea 2003
85. West of the Tracks - Wang Bing, China 2003
86. Wendy and Lucy - Kelly Reichardt, U.S. 2008
(Thoughtful wins again.)
87. Trouble Every Day - Claire Denis, France/Germany/Japan 2001
88. Femme Fatale - Brian De Palma, U.S./France 2002
89. Songs from the Second Floor - Roy Andersson, Sweden 2000
90. Letters from Iwo Jima - Clint Eastwood, U.S. 2006
91. Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood, U.S. 2008
(Meh.)
92. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Andrew Dominik, U.S. 2007
(So beautifully shot, perfectly assembled.)
93. Last Days - Gus Van Sant, U.S. 2005
94. The Man Without a Past - Aki Kaurismäki, Finland/Germany/France 2002
95. When the Levees Broke - Spike Lee, U.S. 2006
96. The Best of Youth - Marco Tullio Giordana, Italy 2003
(6 engaging hours of a good story.)
97. Turning Gate - Hong Sang-soo, South Korea 2002
98. 24 City - Jia Zhangke, China/Hong Kong/Japan 2008
99. In the City of Sylvia - José Luis Guerín, Spain/France 2007
100. The White Ribbon - Michael Haneke, Austria/Germany/France/Italy 2009
101. La libertad - Lisandro Alonso, Argentina 2001
102. Nobody Knows - Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan 2004
103. The Pianist - Roman Polanski, France/Poland/Germany/U.K. 2002
104. The Duchess of Langeais - Jacques Rivette, France/Italy 2007
105. Pan's Labyrinth - Guillermo del Toro, Mexico/Spain/U.S. 2006
(How to mix fantasy with history - not easy.)
106. WALL·E - Andrew Stanton, U.S. 2008
(The moving animated film that actually lived up to the hype.)
107. Pulse - Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan 2001
108. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 - Quentin Tarantino, U.S. 2003
(QT rocks out a kick-ass film.)
109. A Christmas Tale - Arnaud Desplechin, France 2008
110. Time Out - Laurent Cantet, France 2001
111. Police, Adjective - Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania 2009
112. Secret Sunshine - Lee Chang-dong, South Korea 2007
(Much like this year's Two Lovers, I seem to be the only one who found this movie pompous and boring.)
113. Mystic River - Clint Eastwood, U.S./Australia 2003
114. Morvern Callar - Lynne Ramsay, U.K./Canada 2002
115. Va Savoir - Jacques Rivette, France/Italy/Germany 2001
116. Head-On - Fatih Akin, Germany/Turkey 2004
117. Tarnation - Jonathan Caouette, U.S. 2003
118. Hunger - Steve McQueen, U.K. 2008
119. Miami Vice - Michael Mann, U.S./Germany 2006
(Really? How is this film different from any other bland action flick?)
120. Los muertos - Lisandro Alonso, Argentina/France/Netherlands 2004
121. Eureka - Shinji Aoyama, Japan/France 2000
122. Irreversible - Gaspar Noé, France 2002
123. Black Book - Paul Verhoeven, Netherlands/Germany/Belgium 2006
124. The Lives of Others - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany 2006
(Oh yes - higher, please.)
125. The Secret of the Grain - Abdellatif Kechiche, France 2007
126. Oldboy - Park Chan-wook, South Korea 2003
(Definitely receiving re-hype, perhaps due to American remake rumors.)
127. The Piano Teacher - Michael Haneke, Germany/Poland/France/Austria 2001
128. The Lady and the Duke - Eric Rohmer, France 2001
129. The Incredibles - Brad Bird, U.S. 2004
130. Mysterious Object at Noon - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand 2000
131. Death Proof - Quentin Tarantino, U.S. 2007
(Fun, but I actually preferred the Grindhouse half more.)
132. Let the Right One In - Tomas Alfredson, Sweden 2008
133. Ghost World - Terry Zwigoff, U.S./U.K. 2001
(Quirky awkwardness with good jazz.)
134. Waltz with Bashir - Ari Folman, Israel/France/Germany 2008
135. Dancer in the Dark - Lars von Trier, Denmark/Germany/Netherlands/U.S./U.K. 2000
136. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 - Quentin Tarantino, U.S. 2004
137. Spider - David Cronenberg, U.K./Canada 2002
138. Friday Night - Claire Denis, France 2002
139. Memento - Christopher Nolan, U.S. 2000
(Before Nolan went all Batman, he went backwards.)
140. United Red Army - Kôji Wakamatsu, Japan 2007
141. I Don't Want to Sleep Alone - Tsai Ming-liang, Malaysia/China/Taiwan/France/Austria 2007
142. Still Walking - Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan 2008
143. Paranoid Park - Gus Van Sant, France/U.S. 2007
144. Wild Grass - Alain Resnais, France/Italy 2009
145. Divine Intervention - Elia Suleiman, France/Morocco/Germany/Palestine 2002
146. Gosford Park - Robert Altman, U.K./U.S./Italy 2001
147. Collateral - Michael Mann, U.S. 2004
148. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Fincher, U.S. 2008
(Good special effects, ok story.)
149. 13 Lakes - James Benning, U.S. 2004
150. Dog Days - Ulrich Seidl, Austria 2001
A few missing:
Brick - Broken Flowers - The Constant Gardener - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Frozen River - Half Nelson - Lars and the Real Girl - Persepolis - The Queen - Rachel Getting Married - A Very Long Engagement - The Wrestler