"Its so hot, milk was a bad choice."

Comedy is dead in American cinema. The comedies released over the past decade show this to be true. Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell and company have killed it ruthlessly. Night at the Museum, Step Brothers, Knocked Up and Year One? Stick a fork in it, its done.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is cast with a who's who of comedy killers: Ferrell, Stiller, Black, Rogen, Apatow, Vaughn and McKay. All that is missing is another Wilson brother and Danny McBride and we'd have the whole gang. Unlike the gallery of crap this gaggle has produced over the last decade, this effort is actually worth seeing.

It is childish. It is foul. It is lacking in any social value. All of this is true. However, it is also very funny.

Will Ferrell and Andy McKay found their voice with this script. The story is simple, Ron Burgundy (Ferrell), a boisterous San Diegan news anchorman in the 1970's, has his world overturned when he is forced to share the news desk with the first female anchor Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate). Burgundy and Corningstone fall in love, fall out of love and there's something about Burgundy's dog being kicked off a bridge.

The comedy is clever even when it is crude. Ferrell is a one-trick pony but that trick works with this material. Too bad almost everything else he has done has been painful embarrassments (have you actually seen Semi-Pro?). If you don't mind the crass gags, this is perhaps the best comedy of the decade. Some people may argue for Dodgeball and Old School. Then again, some people are just plain wrong.

Caution: Strong language, violence, strong sexual content




This documentary exposes the tragic lives of the lost children found in the back street brothels in Calcutta. These children live in squalor, disease and pestilence, and with the soul numbing knowledge that their lives are already committed to prostitution. The kids live amongst the lines upon lines of whores and their johns in the dingy urban streets. The girls who grow up in this area know they are next ones in the line to sell their bodies once they reach age.

Since a Westerner running around with a camera is not welcome in the ghetto, filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman are unable to shoot much of the footage themselves. In order to get the stories of this earthbound hellhole out to the rest of the world, they devise a great idea: they give the children of the neighborhood cameras and train them how to shoot. The children know the residents and can get access to this world as it truly exists. Much of this film is constructed from the children’s pictures of the sex slaves, drugs addicts and trash that populate this awful place.




The film follows WALL-E, a trash compacting robot who has been left on Earth to clean up the trash humans have left behind. He comes across Eve, a sleek robot sent to scout out the planet for plant life. The two robots fall in love. Finding a piece of greenery leave the planet and to deliver the plant to the humans drifting aimlessly out in space. Humans, after being sedentary for generations slurping down Big Gulps and watching TV have become physically gelatinous. A cat and mouse plot erupts as the robots enter the ship. The robots are soon confronted by the befuddled ship's captain and the ship's plotting robotic wheel - it makes sense when you see it.

This is a film I have on the list although I don't personally like it much. Its Pixar, its a well done film and worth seeing - don't get me wrong. I think its a good film, above average for Pixar, but not their best. I've been roundly condemned for my lack of delight over what I see as a corny concept movie that's just a little too precious for its own good.

But, what do I know?




This is one of the best Hollywood films of the past ten years. In what is almost a throwback (with modern day violence tossed in for good measure) to an earlier time of epic film making, Ridley Scott’s magnum opus is a sheer pleasure.

This is not a film for everyone. It is quite violent and then it’s violent again. This should be expected since the subject is Roman gladiators. They didn’t have food fights in the Colosseum. What should be made clear about this film is that none of the violence is unnecessary. The gore is there to cement the reality of the situation and to raise the stakes for the hero when he is involved in a battle.

Russell Crowe became a household name following this film and for good reason. His performance as Maximus, the gladiator at the heart of the story, was deserving of the Oscar for Best Actor. Opposite Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen and Oliver Reed provide an amazing supporting cast.

I do not recommend this film to everyone. It is a harsh film to watch in places. Once again, it is very violent. That stated, it is a brilliant piece of film making and deserves every syllable of praise it has received.

Caution: Excessive violence, mild sexual content




The second film listed that I didn't think was worthy of the praise it received. Is this a good film? Heck, yeah. It is well-written, competently acted and director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Millions, Sunshine) finally managed to come through with a closing act that does its job.

The subject matter is interesting enough, a Mumbai teen from the wrong side of the tracks (which is apparently almost all sides) gets a chance to break out of his misery by winning at an Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. The teen, Jamal (Dev Patel) is accused of cheating on the game show. During his interrogation that follows, he explains how he knows the answers to all of the questions. Each question can be traced back to his hard life surviving on the streets.

My problem with the film? Well, its concept is a lot to swallow. That, and its simply not a great piece of cinema. It is very good, but it is far from a masterpiece like many make it out to be. It belongs on the list but not any closer to the top than this.

Cautions: Language, violence, sexual content

Labels: list, miscellaneous, The Top 50 Movies of the 2000's