Top Ten List: Best Films of the Decade

10. No Country for Old Men (2007) - The Coen Brothers masterpiece! The beautiful, violent Western drama is more like a piece of art than a movie. It's slow-moving and character driven with an ending that had everyone talking for weeks. There's humor aplenty but the film is also tough and gritty. The three male leads - Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem - are all amazing with Bardem creating one of the best villains ever put on the screen.

09. Lost in Translation (2003) - Who knew Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson would have such great chemistry? Sofia Coppola's best film is a slow burning tale about two strangers who form a friendship due to being stuck in a city where they are so out of their element. Would these two form such a friendship in any other situation? Probably not. But thank Lord they do. From it's unassuming start to its ambiguous yet meaningful ending, Lost in Translation is a wonderful modern day masterpiece.

08. Moulin Rouge! (2001) - Those colors! Those songs! The dancing! Baz Luhrmann has created a truly stimulating piece of cinema. Talk about a movie coming alive. It's one of the more original and groundbreaking films in recent memory. Nicole Kidman is a revelation. Moulin Rouge is the kind of movie that pushes the confines of convention and leaves you speechless.

07. There Will Be Blood (2007) - In my opinion, 2007 was the best year of the decade for films. Maybe it was just Daniel Day-Lewis' balls to the wall, fearless, intense performance. Or the way Paul Dano held his own against Lewis. Or the direction which was so breathtakingingly beauitful. Or the last scene which was probably the most intense scene of that year. Whatever it is, and it's probably a mixture of all of those things, There Will Be Blood was one of the most beautiful and straight up brilliant movies of the year... and decade.

06. Milk (2008) - There may have been a more touching, gripping, emotional, politically timely, perfect film released in 2008... but I haven't seen it. Milk is everything a movie should be. Directed by the fantastic Gus Van Sant and with perfect performances from Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, James Franco and Emile Hirsch, Milk is fast paced and well written. This movie should be a rally cry, a call to people to come together and stand up for gay rights, civil rights, human rights.

05. Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Brokeback Mountain is really as remarkable, moving and powerful as you can imagine. There was so much anticipation, so much back lash, so many jokes and so many people hating it without even giving it a chance. Still, this is a powerful love story. You don't so much see two men falling in love as you see two human beings, afraid of their growing feeligns toward each other. Ang Lee's direction is amazing. Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams and, especially, Heath Ledger's performances are just plain perfect. A really great, well done film with staying power.

04. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - There are very few creative people left in the world but screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is one of them. Eternal Sunshine is fresh and original and unbelievably romantic. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet play Joel and Clementine so perfectly. Eternal Sunshine is really the antithesis of typical romantic Hollywood cliched movies. It's refreshingly original and unique and intelligent.

03. The Departed (2006) - To this day, I still have issues with the heavy-handed final shot but besides that, The Departed is damn near perfect. The film is both terribly violent and terribly funny. The performances are all top-notch with Leonardo DiCaprio stealing the show with his tough vulnerability. Did Scorsese deserve to win the Oscar for this? Maybe not. But it was decades in the making and The Departed has become another classic from the great director.

02. Into the Wild (2007) - Into the Wild is an inspiration. It is the rarest of films - the kind that burrows into your soul and lives with you forever. The film is almost beyond words for me. There is almost too much beauty, too much tragedy, too much unexplainable perfection to try to capture in a paragraph or two of clumsy words. The performances - especially by lead Emile Hirsch - are powerful, astonishing and encompassing. Sean Penn did a hell of a job directing this film.

01. Almost Famous (2000) - What is it that I love about Almost Famous? To begin with - everything. It's the script, the direction, the performances (one of the most impressive ensembles in recent memory), the music. All of these things add up to a perfect movie. It's the perfect movie for anyone who loves film, music or writing. It's the perfect movie for anyone who has ever idolized a rock star. It's the perfect movie for anyone who has ever loved someone who doesn't love them back. It's the perfect movie for anyone who has ever gone through an awkward adolescent stage. So... it's the perfect movie.