The B+ Movie Guide for the 2000s (Part XXXI)
The obvious drawback to my original list was that it stopped at 1999. Because it was easier. I wrote it up in 2012, and I wanted to give at least a decade’s worth of time before I made any of those decisions, because can we really say something that came out last year is essential? And at that point, it was just easier cutting the list off at 1999 and not dealing with any of it.
But since we really just combed through a lot of movies, I figure I should at least give it a shot. This is all pretty fluid anyway. It’s more meant to be about giving people things to watch that they probably should rather than making proclamations about the end-all, be-all list of “essential” movies. Think of it this way, if at least 90% of my list s comprised of movies people would say, if they found out you haven’t seen them, “Oh man, you gotta watch that,” then it accomplished what I wanted it to accomplish).
Here’s how this is gonna work: I’m gonna give you a giant list (I’ll cap it at a round number), going from 2000 to 2014, of all the movies you should see. And I’ll specify for each one whether it would go on an “essentials” list or that secondary “fun” list.
2010
Shutter Island (2010)
Close call. Scorsese is almost always essential. Can this one be left off though? Of all his movies from the past 20 years, this one feels like it might be the least essential. (This and Kundun, really.)
The Social Network (2010)
Essential. Already essential.
Tangled (2010)
Disney is essential.
The Town (2010)
Not essential. But good.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
100% essential.
Tron Legacy (2010)
Not essential. But definitely a fun list entry.
True Grit (2010)
Coen brothers feel essential all around. I’m biased toward this one. Not sure how this shakes out in ten years though.
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2011
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Fun list. Clearly. Lot of fun, underrated, not close to being essential.
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Spielberg helps, but not essential.
Another Earth (2011)
Fun list. It’s great, and underrated, but will never be essential.
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