MY TOP 10s OF THE 2000s

2003
 1 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of       USA-New Zealand Jackson, Peter
   the King
 2 Lost in Translation                        USA             Coppola, Sofia
 3 Spellbound                                 USA             Blitz, Jeffrey
 4 Raising Victor Vargas                      USA             Sollett, Peter
 5 Dogville                                   Denmark-Sweden  Trier, Lars von
 6 The Fog of War                             USA             Morris, Errol
 7 Shattered Glass                            USA             Ray, Billy
 8 Big Fish                                   USA             Burton, Tim
 9 Shanghai Knights                           USA             Dobkin, David
10 The Five Obstructions                      Denmark-Belgium Trier, Lars von

Honorable mention: Bad Santa; The Company; Elephant; Elf; Twilight Samurai.

Critical consensus: Lost in Translation.

Worst: Daredevil (though I skipped the likes of The Cat in the Hat, From Justin to Kelly, and Gigli).

2002
 1 Morvern Callar                             Britain         Ramsay, Lynne
 2 Talk to Her                                Spain           Almodovar, Pedro
 3 Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary       Canada          Maddin, Guy
 4 Blue Gate Crossing                         Taiwan          Yee Chin-Yen
 5 So Close                                   China           Yuen, Corey
 6 L'Auberge Espagnole                        France-Spain    Klapisch, Cédric
 7 Hero                                       China           Zhang Yimou
 8 About Schmidt                              USA             Payne, Alexander
 9 C'est le bouquet                           France          Labrune, Jeanne
10 Chinese Odyssey 2002                       Hong Kong       Lau, Jeff

Honorable mention: Cremaster 3; Femme Fatale; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; Secret Things; Unknown Pleasures.

Critical consensus: Far From Heaven

Worst: Signs (though I skipped the likes of Pinocchio, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and The Master of Disguise).

2001
 1 Y Tu Mamá También                          Mexico          Cuaron, Alfonso
 2 Sex and Lucia                              Spain           Medem, Julio
 3 Ghost World                                USA             Zwigoff, Terry
 4 Il Mio Viaggio in Italia                   Italy-USA       Scorsese, Martin
 5 Mulholland Dr.                             USA-France      Lynch, David
 6 The Piano Teacher                          France-Austria  Hanake, Michael
 7 Startup.com                                USA             Hegedus; Noujaim
 8 What Time Is It There?                     Taiwan          Tsai Ming-Liang
 9 Donnie Darko                               USA             Kelly, Richard
10 Harmful Insect                             Japan           Shiota, Akihiko

Honorable mention: All About Lily Chou-Chou; The Claim; I'm Going Home; The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring; Shaolin Soccer.

Critical consensus: Mulholland Dr.

Worst: Pearl Harbor.

Here you can find my write-up for my top 10
films actually released in the U.S. in the 2001
calendar year.

2000
 1 Yi Yi (A One and a Two)                    Taiwan          Yang, Edward
 2 Eureka                                     Japan           Shinji, Aoyama
 3 In the Mood for Love                       China           Wong Kar-Wai
 4 You Can Count on Me                        USA             Lonergan, Kenneth
 5 Dancer in the Dark                         International   Trier, Lars von
 6 La Captive                                 France          Akerman, Chantal
 7 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon             Taiwan-China    Lee, Ang
 8 Du poil sous les roses (Fur on the Roses)  France          Odadia; Chervier
 9 Werckmeister Harmonies                     Hungary         Tarr, Bela
10 Songs From the Second Floor                Sweden          Andersson, Roy

Honorable mention: George Washington; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Peppermint Candy; Quills; Wonder Boys.

Critical consensus: Yi Yi.

Worst: Battlefield Earth.

Here you can find my write-up for my top 10
films actually released in the U.S. in the 2000
calendar year.