The Voice is looking back at the best of the decade in Tomorrow’s Classics. To celebrate the end of the decade, Vox is getting in on the fun too! This week, the best of the silver screen, broken down by genre.

Drama

• The Wrestler (2008): Darren Aronofsky’s best film yet reminded us all that Mickey Rourke is still one hell of an actor, even if he looks like Clayface. In a decade dominated by “ironic” nostalgia, The Wrestler is refreshingly honest about one man’s past. Let’s just hope that Rourke keeps putting in performances like this one in the future.
• Children of Men (2006)
• Gangs of New York (2002)
• Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
• Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Comedy

• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004): Still the most quotable film of this decade, Anchorman is the high water mark for Adam McKay and Will Ferrell’s long running partnership. The film is filled with visual gags, ridiculous dialogue, and tons of facial hair. What else do you need?
• Best in Show (2000)
• Shaun of the Dead (2004)
• The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
• The Foot Fist Way (2006)

Romance

• Once (2006): The characters don’t have names, the film was shot in 17 days on a shoe-string budget, and the dialogue is sparse. But man, oh man, those songs. It’s difficult to explain why Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are perfect, why the story is perfect, and why Once is the most touching films in years, if not decades. Just watch it. You’ll understand.
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
• High Fidelity (2000)
• Love Actually (2003)
• Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Action

• The Bourne Identity (2002): Remember when nobody thought that Matt Damon could play a believable action star? That was silly. The Bourne Identity has its faults—the “shaky cam” cinematography makes fight scenes confusing, for one—but it’s got all of the elements of a great action film. The fallen hero. A shadowy government agency. Clive Owen. It’s all in there.
• Casino Royale (2006)
• Ong Bak (2003)
• Kill Bill Vol. 1, Vol. 2 (2003, 2004)
• Crank (2006)

Animated

• WALL·E (2008): Who would’ve thought a heartwarming story about a lonely robot could make a 19 year old college student cry? (I sure didn’t. Completely unrelated note: Crying while on a date is NOT a good way to woo the ladies.) WALL·E is the perfect Pixar film—it has a whimsical storyline, it astounds audiences with special effects, and it has a child-friendly moral. Make sure you keep some tissues nearby when watching, you know, just in case it gets dusty in the room.
• Shrek (2001)
• Ratatouille (2007)
• Spirited Away (2001)
• The Incredibles (2004)

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

• The Dark Knight (2008): Everybody and their mother has seen this film. There’s no reason to talk about why it’s great. Do you want to see a magic trick instead?
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)
• Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
• Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Documentary

• Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008): Anvil! The Story of Anvil is one of those rare films that is depressing and hilarious at the same time. Director Sasha Gervasi follows Anvil, a heavy-metal band that had moderate success in the 1980s, as they continue to churn out CDs and play concerts in their native Canada. Believe it or not, even heavy-metal bands have feelings. This documentary might not seem appealing, but just trust me on this one. It’s a classic.
• Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
• The King of Kong (2007)
• Man on Wire (2008)
• Bowling for Columbine (2002)

Horror

• 28 Days Later… (2002): Danny Boyle’s film about a man surviving in post apocalyptic England is down-right scary. Vampires stay out of the daylight. Zombies are slow and stupid. Werewolves are only a threat once a month. But the Rage-inflicted people in 28 Days Later…? Those bastards never stop running. Don’t forget: aim for the head, kids, not the body.
• Saw (2004)
• El Orfanato (2007)
• The Descent (2005)
• The Ring (2002)

Are you confused why some of your favorite films are missing? Check out this week’s issue of the Voice to see if they made the print edition of Tomorrow’s Classics!

Do you think we missed something great? Do you want to hit us on the crown of our skull with a ball-peen hammer for not considering Love Actually the best romance film of the decade? Are you disappointed that I didn’t mock any celebrity’s physical deformities this week? Let us know what you think of our choices in the comments! (But seriously, Love Actually isn’t as good as Once.)

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 8:09 pm and is filed under Leisure, Vox Populi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.