What a useless and narrow minded thread. There are hundreds of movies released in the past 15 years that are just as good if not better than the movies the op listed. Then, when given suggestions and encouraged to watch some new films, the OP brushes it off saying "I'm not feeling them." Or he arbitrarily dismisses the movies. Not a "nostalgic thread." Right.
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Quality of Films from the year 2000-2015
- Thread starter chromatic9
- Start date
- Status
Puck Beaverton
Banned
You should watch more movies if you think The Matrix is better than any movie in the 21st century. Hell the Wachowskis already made a movie better than The Matrix and it was called Cloud Atlas.
What do you think could be, or is, bad about the newest Mad Max film?
2007 is between the years 2000-2015 so that alone makes you wrong.
And here is a list of other great/amazing movies that makes you very, very wrong:
Memento, American Psycho, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (and the trilogy as a whole), Spirited Away, Catch Me If You Can, Gangs of New York, Master and Commander, Kill Bill 1&2, Lost in Translation, City of God, Spider-Man 2, The Incredibles, Collateral, Million Dollar Baby, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Shaun of the Dead, Before Sunset, Batman Begins, The Departed, Borat, The Prestige, Pan's Labyrinth, The Bourne Ultimatum, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Zodiac, Ratatouille, The Dark Knight, WALL-E, Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler, Inglourious Basterds, Moon, Toy Story 3, Inception, Black Swan, The Social Network, Drive, The Raid, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Django Unchained, The Master, Gravity, The Wolf of Wall Street, 12 Years a Slave, Her, Before Midnight, Interstellar, Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Birdman, Whiplash, The Raid 2, Inside Out, Mad Max: Fury Road and like 100 others!
And here is a list of other great/amazing movies that makes you very, very wrong:
Memento, American Psycho, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (and the trilogy as a whole), Spirited Away, Catch Me If You Can, Gangs of New York, Master and Commander, Kill Bill 1&2, Lost in Translation, City of God, Spider-Man 2, The Incredibles, Collateral, Million Dollar Baby, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Shaun of the Dead, Before Sunset, Batman Begins, The Departed, Borat, The Prestige, Pan's Labyrinth, The Bourne Ultimatum, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Zodiac, Ratatouille, The Dark Knight, WALL-E, Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler, Inglourious Basterds, Moon, Toy Story 3, Inception, Black Swan, The Social Network, Drive, The Raid, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Django Unchained, The Master, Gravity, The Wolf of Wall Street, 12 Years a Slave, Her, Before Midnight, Interstellar, Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Birdman, Whiplash, The Raid 2, Inside Out, Mad Max: Fury Road and like 100 others!
Bobby Roberts
Banned
From earlier in the thread:
Basically, OP is kinda just bloviating for the sake of it. George Miller finally realizing a film he's been envsioning for more than a decade is now "scraping the barrel," because the mere fact it's a sequel at all means there isn't a new idea behind it.
This after a list of films that contains Star Wars, Terminator, Alien, and Indiana Jones sequels.
chromatic9
Member
Another great example. Listing Certified Copy, an art film.
I did try to say in the OP I totally except people will have these lists of indie and art films, these are always coming out and have an extremely small audience. I'm sorry you think I'm writing off films like Certified Copy and have to type Just wow at OP
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
Agreed, thread is ridiculous.
Hunkasaurus Rex
Banned
Gladiator
Mad Max Fury Road
The Dark Knight
Inception
The Lego Movie
District 9
Hot Fuzz
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Avengers
Kill Bill Vol. 1
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Harry Potter Franchise
The Departed
Finding Nemo
Whiplash
The Social Network
Ocean's Eleven
Casino Royale
Catch Me If You Can
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (if only because this was the first gaming movie to get it right)
Granted, these are some of my personal favorites but I think most of these we'll look back at fondly 20 years from now. At the very least, recognize their significance. Christopher Nolan and David Fincher have been my 2 favorite directors this generation, as cliche as that may sound for a 24 year old.
Mad Max Fury Road
The Dark Knight
Inception
The Lego Movie
District 9
Hot Fuzz
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Avengers
Kill Bill Vol. 1
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Harry Potter Franchise
The Departed
Finding Nemo
Whiplash
The Social Network
Ocean's Eleven
Casino Royale
Catch Me If You Can
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (if only because this was the first gaming movie to get it right)
Granted, these are some of my personal favorites but I think most of these we'll look back at fondly 20 years from now. At the very least, recognize their significance. Christopher Nolan and David Fincher have been my 2 favorite directors this generation, as cliche as that may sound for a 24 year old.
You should probably just take films on their own merits instead of looking for something in particular that you can put them in a box for. It doesn't really matter if a movie is an art movie or blockbuster or an action movie or a rom-com if good films are being made, they are being made.
Saying The Matrix was the last good movie tends to make people interpret what you're saying as "The Matrix was the last good movie" I dunno why.
You're just moving the goalposts in whichever way serves your already pre-determined conclusion.
So, you think Hollywood blockbusters are dead. Sure. I might as well mention that we're talking about the same decade that produced soon-to-be-classics like The Lord of the Rings, and The Dark Knight (among many others)... but whatever. I'll concede the point for the sake of argument.
Even if that were true, why not check out a country like Korea? So many incredible, not to mention mainstream films have come out of that country in the past 15 years. The Host, Memories of Murder, Oldboy... I could go on. Those films are absolutely in the same wheelhouse as the ones you listed in the OP. If Hollywood got you down, look elsewhere.
If you're talking about something like Ghostbuster then 21 Jump Street, Borat, Anchorman or the better Judd Apatow movies fill the same niche of having highly successful comedians in movies that are incredibly popular and remembered well.
As far as actors trying to act their ass off and succeeding critically and commercially you have Bradley Cooper, Matthew McCaughey, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, John Boyega and quite a few others who are doing quite well. Of course some are doing better work than others, but that's always been true of acting.
For directors there are guys out there like Nolan, Kathryn Bigelow, Joeseph Kosinki, Duncan Jones, Ava Duvernay and Steve McQueen who have all put out movies that were successful, some much more commercially successful like Nolan, McQuenn and DuVernay. Are they Kubrick? No, but they're not Kubrick in the way Picasso wasn't Monet.
As far as iconic design goes there's tons of it everywhere. Pixar, Blomkamp, Peter Jackson, Nolan's original works, the Pirates films, Avatar and Saw all have character and set designs that are just as memorable as anything from your list.
As far as actors trying to act their ass off and succeeding critically and commercially you have Bradley Cooper, Matthew McCaughey, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, John Boyega and quite a few others who are doing quite well. Of course some are doing better work than others, but that's always been true of acting.
For directors there are guys out there like Nolan, Kathryn Bigelow, Joeseph Kosinki, Duncan Jones, Ava Duvernay and Steve McQueen who have all put out movies that were successful, some much more commercially successful like Nolan, McQuenn and DuVernay. Are they Kubrick? No, but they're not Kubrick in the way Picasso wasn't Monet.
As far as iconic design goes there's tons of it everywhere. Pixar, Blomkamp, Peter Jackson, Nolan's original works, the Pirates films, Avatar and Saw all have character and set designs that are just as memorable as anything from your list.
starchild excalibur
Member
The Proposition
Michael Clayton
Children of Men
The End of the Tour
Sunshine
Hot Fuzz
Shaun of the Dead
Assassination of Jesse James
Punch Drunk Love
Mad Max: FR
The Dark Knight
No Country for Old Men
The Raid 1 & 2
and on and on
I always have to stop myself from automatically rolling my eyes whenever someone asserts that films were better in a different decade. Everyone's welcome to have their preferences of eras, but that's just what they are - preferences.
Two of my favorite films are The Conversation and The Warriors, but as much as I love films like those and others (especially from the 70s), I don't hold that period above any other.
edit: I don't even know why I responded. Film - like religion - is one of those topics where nothing changes even after pages of debate. OP has his preferences. He lists very good - very classic - films (Weekend at Bernies, though?), but films that benefit from years of cultural saturation, referencing, spoofing, and homages. Every current decade of film births a set of people who hold it as lesser to what came before. And the sun rises. And the sun sets.
Michael Clayton
Children of Men
The End of the Tour
Sunshine
Hot Fuzz
Shaun of the Dead
Assassination of Jesse James
Punch Drunk Love
Mad Max: FR
The Dark Knight
No Country for Old Men
The Raid 1 & 2
and on and on
I always have to stop myself from automatically rolling my eyes whenever someone asserts that films were better in a different decade. Everyone's welcome to have their preferences of eras, but that's just what they are - preferences.
Two of my favorite films are The Conversation and The Warriors, but as much as I love films like those and others (especially from the 70s), I don't hold that period above any other.
edit: I don't even know why I responded. Film - like religion - is one of those topics where nothing changes even after pages of debate. OP has his preferences. He lists very good - very classic - films (Weekend at Bernies, though?), but films that benefit from years of cultural saturation, referencing, spoofing, and homages. Every current decade of film births a set of people who hold it as lesser to what came before. And the sun rises. And the sun sets.
Out of all the films you mentioned, only three or four of them are up for debate. Good stuff all around.
chromatic9
Member
If it makes any odds I don't have a certain decade and wouldn't try to separate the 50s/60s/70s/80s/90s. Perhaps it's just the last 10-15 years have become more diverse with the actors/scripts and directors and it's less concentrated and some new films with new ideas today on the periphery would've been bigger, had a better cast if put forward in the past and we possibly now have the average film goer seeing less quality in a certain section.
Citing The End of the Tour, how many people do you think watched that?
Lord Fagan
Junior Member
Ah, the "my generation's culture is better than yours" thread.
...Yep, it's still a mediocre discussion. See everybody again next week.
...Yep, it's still a mediocre discussion. See everybody again next week.
TheKaeptain
Banned
her is the best movie This decade. Shame is #2. A Separation is #3. All three are better than a lot of shit on your list.
Absolutely. While everybody else in 2007 was talking about No Country For Old Men (which I did enjoy), and There Will Be Blood (Which I found middling and over-hyped), The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford somehow came out of nowhere and was better than both of them. Contemplative, genuine, and haunting, it really sticks to your ribs after you watch it. You know it's good when you keep thinking about it days, even weeks after you've watched it. It really worms it's way into your mind.
Such a great film, and one of the best of the last decade.
I have trouble liking certain films from before the year 2000, actually. I do like a lot but I feel like if you were to pick some random film from the 80s the odds that I'd like it are probably a lot lower than the odds that I'd like a modern film. This is obviously because I've grown up in the modern era but still. The way older films look and sound usually feels off to me.
Relevant question: How old are you? I'm 28, but the 80's is my favorite decade for genre film, bar-none. I also love silent films and the Universal Studios gothic horror films from the 1930's, and those are most definitely not modern.
21. I totally recognize this is generally a "younger person/millennial," thing.
I've watched a few silent films and I've liked them though.
Mad Max.
Maybe you just need to broaden your scope of films? If something looks interesting to you, watch it, regardless of the decade it's made in. Sure, it may not always be to your liking, but that's how you develop an opinion on movies.
I probably do, I'll admit that. And as I said I've enjoyed a good amount of pre-2000 movies (actually I think it's more like....pre-1990 or 1995 or something), but just on average I don't like them as much as modern movies.
Zeyphersan
Banned
Those are some delicious cherries you're picking there, OP
JawesomeJaw
Member
Like I can't imagine the life the OP has loved wher he just hasn't seen a movie he's liked in 15 years. I want to live in the world that the Oscars end with the academy giving Best Picture to The Matrix for the 16th consecutive year though.
SaltyDoughnut
Member
Yi Yi
Memories of Murder
Syndromes and a Century
The Act of Killing
Memories of Murder
Syndromes and a Century
The Act of Killing
This
Watching whiplash for instance is one of my favorite breathless films I've watched to date. So fucking tense.
The 90's clear on through to the mid 2000's was a pretty amazing time for film. Even many of the clunkers have tons of entertainment value, like that shitty Richard Gere Lancelot movie with Sean Connery as King Arthur. The greatest zombie movie, Dawn of the Dead remake, the most epic adventures like Brave Heart and Dances with Wolves. An honestly good video game movie in Resident Evil. Comedies that would influence the genre for a decade like There's Something About Mary. Something about that era seemed to encourage good film making and taking chances.
Zodiac
Eternal Sunshine and the Spotless Mind
No Country for Old Men
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Dark Knight
Micheal Clayton
Hot Fuzz
Mulholland Drive
There Will Be Blood
Bourne Trilogy
Kill Bill Vol 1.
The Social Network
Adaptation
Lord of the Rings
I could really go on and on OP. There are plenty of great movies in the last 15 years.
Eternal Sunshine and the Spotless Mind
No Country for Old Men
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Dark Knight
Micheal Clayton
Hot Fuzz
Mulholland Drive
There Will Be Blood
Bourne Trilogy
Kill Bill Vol 1.
The Social Network
Adaptation
Lord of the Rings
I could really go on and on OP. There are plenty of great movies in the last 15 years.
Your perception of the years before the 00s is biased. You tend to only remember the good movies. Or at least a lot better. There was lots and lots of bad stuff coming out then too.
I tend to agree to a certain point though. Especially the early 00s had a lot more stinkers. Or a lot less good movies standing out.
We also had have entire genres drifting in and out of peoples mindshare. Western were dead and are slowly coming back to the point were there are a few steady and critically acclaimed releases every year. Comic book movies are making an introduction, Epic Fantasy movies with a big budget are suddenly a thing, RomComs are not financially viable ventures for big stars anymore. Slasher movies are out, Saw-likes are here to stay
, etc.
So depending on what you like, these last 15 years that may be more on your mind that the decades before that, can be both underwhelming and great.
Do we have: Best of the 50s - 00s threads for each deacde on GAF? A quick search showed nothing, but it might be interesting to find movies that are not that wirdely known. Something like the Best Games thread for each generation on the Gaming Side.
I tend to agree to a certain point though. Especially the early 00s had a lot more stinkers. Or a lot less good movies standing out.
We also had have entire genres drifting in and out of peoples mindshare. Western were dead and are slowly coming back to the point were there are a few steady and critically acclaimed releases every year. Comic book movies are making an introduction, Epic Fantasy movies with a big budget are suddenly a thing, RomComs are not financially viable ventures for big stars anymore. Slasher movies are out, Saw-likes are here to stay
for now
So depending on what you like, these last 15 years that may be more on your mind that the decades before that, can be both underwhelming and great.
Do we have: Best of the 50s - 00s threads for each deacde on GAF? A quick search showed nothing, but it might be interesting to find movies that are not that wirdely known. Something like the Best Games thread for each generation on the Gaming Side.
I do believe that the past couple of years have been some of the worst in american cinema history. A billion sequels and remakes. Almost everything seems lazy and xeroxed and even the better films lack in many departments. Unfortunately we're in the era of the exclusively "tent-pole" movies.
I'm going to revel in being trolled right now when I say: eh?
I think there are parts of that list that are all kinds of fucked up.
Ok I picked 5 or so movies from each year in the 2000's. I didn't choose the best movies overall but much like OP's list quality movies that managed to stick in the cultural zeitgeist.
2000
Memento
Requiem for a Dream
Cast Away
Snatch
American Psycho
2001
Donnie Darko
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Amélie
Ocean's Eleven
The Royal Tenenbaums
2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Minority Report
Catch Me If You Can
Adaptation
The Bourne Identity
28 Days Later
2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Lost in Translation
Oldboy
Kill Bill Volume 1
2004
The Incredibles
Collateral
Shaun of the Dead
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Notebook
2005
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Sin City
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Brokeback Mountain
A History of Violence
2006
Children of Men
Pan's Labyrinth
The Departed
Casino Royale
Borat
2007
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Ratatouille
Zodiac
Sunshine
Hot Fuzz
Superbad
2008
The Dark Knight
Taken
Let the Right One In
Iron Man
Tropic Thunder
2009
Avatar
Up
Inglourious Basterds
Moon
(500) Days of Summer
The Road
2010
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Black Swan
2011
Drive
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol
Midnight in Paris
Melancholia
Fast Five
2012
Moonrise Kingdom
Looper
Beasts of the Southern Wild
The Avengers
The Master
2013
12 Years a Slave
Prisoners
Before Midnight
The World's End
Snowpiercer
2014
Grand budapest hotel
Boyhood
Whiplash
The Raid 2
Birdman
2015
Inside Out
Mad Max: Fury Road
Ex Machina
As you can see a majority of the movies are either original ideas or first time adaptations. While I mostly agree with OP's list of classics I think we'd have to speak with someone born in the 00's to find out how those movies really compare to these. Unlike most of us who grew up watching those movies on VHS over and over again most young adults have a different relationship with film so it'll be interesting to see if OP's opinions are shared with the next generation.
2000
Memento
Requiem for a Dream
Cast Away
Snatch
American Psycho
2001
Donnie Darko
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Amélie
Ocean's Eleven
The Royal Tenenbaums
2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Minority Report
Catch Me If You Can
Adaptation
The Bourne Identity
28 Days Later
2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Lost in Translation
Oldboy
Kill Bill Volume 1
2004
The Incredibles
Collateral
Shaun of the Dead
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Notebook
2005
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Sin City
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Brokeback Mountain
A History of Violence
2006
Children of Men
Pan's Labyrinth
The Departed
Casino Royale
Borat
2007
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Ratatouille
Zodiac
Sunshine
Hot Fuzz
Superbad
2008
The Dark Knight
Taken
Let the Right One In
Iron Man
Tropic Thunder
2009
Avatar
Up
Inglourious Basterds
Moon
(500) Days of Summer
The Road
2010
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Black Swan
2011
Drive
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol
Midnight in Paris
Melancholia
Fast Five
2012
Moonrise Kingdom
Looper
Beasts of the Southern Wild
The Avengers
The Master
2013
12 Years a Slave
Prisoners
Before Midnight
The World's End
Snowpiercer
2014
Grand budapest hotel
Boyhood
Whiplash
The Raid 2
Birdman
2015
Inside Out
Mad Max: Fury Road
Ex Machina
As you can see a majority of the movies are either original ideas or first time adaptations. While I mostly agree with OP's list of classics I think we'd have to speak with someone born in the 00's to find out how those movies really compare to these. Unlike most of us who grew up watching those movies on VHS over and over again most young adults have a different relationship with film so it'll be interesting to see if OP's opinions are shared with the next generation.
Discotheque
Banned
The best movies of the 00s are:
mulholland drive
zoolander
a separation
fury road
new world
tree of life
lord of the rings
a list without these sucks ass tbh
mulholland drive
zoolander
a separation
fury road
new world
tree of life
lord of the rings
a list without these sucks ass tbh
ZackieChan
Member
Children of Men alone invalidates OP's point. Excellent acting, directing, writing and cinematography. A top-class film that I would put up with pretty much anything in OP's list. It even tops the big budget spectacle, Weekend at Bernie's.
This post seems lazy and xeroxed. There are posts exactly like this all the time on here, and they get rightly shot down all the time. Also, I don't think you understand the meaning of the word "exclusively."
Seriously, do you watch any movies but sequels and remakes? Because there have been a bunch of great ones. Just because you don't bother to find or watch them doesn't mean they don't exist.
This post seems lazy and xeroxed. There are posts exactly like this all the time on here, and they get rightly shot down all the time. Also, I don't think you understand the meaning of the word "exclusively."
Seriously, do you watch any movies but sequels and remakes? Because there have been a bunch of great ones. Just because you don't bother to find or watch them doesn't mean they don't exist.
I do watch other films and there have been some absolutely amazing films done in the past couple of years, unfortunately almost all of them are from anywhere but the states. As a filmmaker myself and university tutor in film history, I do try to find and watch as many as I can, but I would love for you to bring up those great ones so we can discuss them.
It is my bad for using the word "exclusively" as an exaggeration and generalisation (as obviously "exclusively" can't exist in the context I've used). I merely used it to underline the fact that in today's american cinema, studios seem not to rely anymore on a few tent-pole films, but try to make as many films as possible like that.
I gotta be honest and blunt here, but if you're genuinely a University Tutor in Film History then you asking US to tell you about great films is one of the saddest things I've ever read online. You should be teaching us, not the other way round.
Succinct Verbosity
Member
In my eyes, 2000 - 2015 were when blockbusters stopped becoming terrible ass-in-your-seat filler and changed into something comparable to stuff on your list. Compare the modern Planet of the Apes films to the older ones (Tim Burton's one notwithstanding) and I think the quality has increased if anything. People also take superhero films far more seriousl, and I'd honestly argue that outside of a few very campy moments in the Dark Knight it is comparable to any good crime film... I say good and not great, but coming from Batman and Robin to TDK's global acclaim is a huge achievement.
It is indeed a sad time for American Cinema. But on the other hand, there are so many amazing films being made all around the world, with some of the most interesting filmmakers creating masterpieces today.
However, I want to repeat once more that my use of the word "exclusively" was used for exaggeration. There are obviously quality films as well coming from the United States, but in my humble opinion those are very few, especially compared to the American Cinema scene of a few years ago.
And the mainstream American Cinema is right now, unfortunately, filled with remakes, sequels, cheap and rushed biopics and oscar-bait films. Also, my first reply was referring mainly to mainstream cinema since that's what I understood the OP was referencing (the list in question was mostly composed of mainstream American cinema).
Plenty of quality movies since 2000, especially action movies
(yes my list is going to get ripped apart but screw you guys)
(yes my list is going to get ripped apart but screw you guys)
Saw
Kill Bill
Casino Royale
Hell Boy
fast and the furious
fast five
edge of tomorrow
Mission impossible GP
Fulltime Killer
Infernal Affairs
Dredd
John Wick
More Fun To Compute
Member
The new century will always be trash as long as some people still think that Donnie Darko is good.
In 1999 you had Fight Club, Magnolia, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, Eyes Wide Shut and Office Space that each have a claim to being a better film than The Matrix. So The Matrix being the last good film is debatable, given it's arguably not even the best film that year.
Film is subjective, but it takes a special kind of ignorance and inanity to genuinely claim there's been nothing worth a damn in terms of cinema since 1999. Even if you stick to blockbusters, we've had MI 4: Ghost Protocol, Dawn Of The Planet of The Apes, The Dark Knight, Mad Mad: Fury Road, and - yes - even John Wick. And if you dig a little deeper, you have The Coen Brothers with a stupidly brilliant track record of films from the 80s onwards.
In fact, The Coen Brothers dispute this inane idea. They've been making brilliant films in the 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s. But OP'd have to tear himself away from Temple of Doom to learn what a film is, rather than a movie.
Wafflecakes
Member
Movies are better than every.
We just forget shitty movies. So we don't remember all the bad 80's/90's films.
We just forget shitty movies. So we don't remember all the bad 80's/90's films.
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