The Bourne Ultimatum features, what else does?
The last 10 years have provided the world with a number of huge blockbuster films. So we're going to start 2011 with a round-up of the best films of the last decade (2000-2009). The first part of the list will run down from 10 to 6 and the second part will run down the final five. So, without further ado, here is the films of the decade for all your reading pleasure:
10 - The Bourne Ultimatum
Matt Damon broke in his action boots with the Bourne films, seen originally as a bit of a softy, it only took one film for everyone to stop and see him as the memoryless secret agent with some real skills. "There was three films though" I hear you yelling through your computer screens, yes, there was three films, but it was in Bourne Ultimatum that it really came to a head and not only that, but how many threequels do you hear of that are good? (yes, Toy Story 3 IS incredible, but it's a blip) Exactly, and for that reason, it's the one going down here. Doug Liman adapted Robert Ludlum's story originally, but it was with Paul Greengrass taking over on the second and third outings that the franchise really took shape. The handheld camera shots made for a gritty and more realistic style to the films and the finale is in our honest opinion, the best of the three. The franchise itself is so good that the latest outings of Bond films took on a similar style, you know you've done something right when James Bond, the spy of all spies, copies you.
9 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Michel Gondry took you inside the mind long before Christopher Nolan's Inception, with this beautifully crafted film starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Jim Carrey wants to forget about his ex-girlfriend and finds that he can do so with the aid of a new company who specialise in memory-deletion, a process which Kate Winslet's character has undergone already. During the process, he sees the memories and wishes to preserve them, so he tries to hide inside his own memories. This is Jim Carrey putting his acting skills to good use, much like he did in The Truman Show, combining genuine dramatic skill along with comedic flair. The film won Best Original Screenplay in 2004, and was regarded as one of the most thought-provoking of the year. Visually, it's stunning, mentally, it's stunning. Critically, the film gained strong reviews and has since garnered a strong cult-following on DVD.
8 - No Country For Old Men
No Country For Old Men won Best Picture in 2007 up against There Will Be Blood and it really pushed The Coen Brothers into the mainstream. Not that we're saying being in the mainstream is the only way to be good. No, what we're saying is that No Country For Old Men is a very very good film, it shows that Westerns or Western style films can still be done and they can be done very well. Not only that, it also gave us a good look at Mr Javier Bardem. The story was as simple as they come, Josh Brolin finds $2 million and a stash of heroin, he hides it away in an attempt to keep it, but Javier Bardem wants it back. In 2007 it featured highly on many film critics top films of the year and fully deserves its place right here on the top 10 of the decade.
7 - The Departed
Martin Scorsese finally won his Oscar for this film about the gangs and police in Boston. When Matt Damon infiltrates the police force and Leonardo DiCaprio infiltrates the gangs, it becomes a case of cat vs mouse as the two try to work out who is infiltrating each other before one another work out the opposite's true identity. The film is based on the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The Departed sees Martin Scorsese returning to his gang style of films which he has proved so successful with in the likes of Goodfellas and Casino. Leonardo DiCaprio continued his partnership with Martin Scorsese for this, as well as featuring Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg who received a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Martin Scorsese rarely goes wrong and with this, he has made a modern classic.
6 - Wall-E
Wall-E has been hailed as one of the best films made by Pixar and when you take into account all the films that Pixar have made, well, you've got a pretty decent film on your hands. The story of a lonely old robot who tidies up our planet for a living doesn't sound like the ultimate in cinematic story-telling, but throw in a love story and a futuristic view of our planet as it could look, then a computer trying to prevent the return to earth for humans in a spaceship and well, then you've got yourselves a movie. Pixar, as always, manage to combine the kids film aesthetic with a very grown-up approach to story-telling.
FemaleFirst - James Butlin
Tagged in Jason Bounre