Trav's Top 100 Films of the Decade #100-81

Ignore my obstinate belly aching about the whole process of coming up with this list, I had way too much fun putting it together, which is part of the reason it took so long in the first place. Nobody scrutinizes themselves better than I do, and I agonized over every selection. I had some "help" from friends, always quick to offer a polite suggestion(read: demand) as to what they thought simply had to be in the list. That's cool, and I genuinely appreciated the assistance. I started off with a list of nearly 1,000 films, which I then wittled down to 500 and so forth. So it was pretty painstaking. Just remember, because a movie isn't on here doesn't mean I don't like it, ok? Good Night and Good Luck? Love it. But it ain't here. Its' probably #101! So without further ado...

100. Hairspray(2007)

Rivalling John Waters' 1988 musical gem about racial equality in terms of sheer excitement, the updated version surpasses it thanks to the undeniable charm of it's star, Nikki Blonsky. Ricki Lake ain't got nothin' on her.

99. Sideways(2004)

Alexander Payne's highbrow comedy continues to get better with age...just like a fine wine. I liked this movie so much at the time I immediately tried to turn myself into a wine drinker, until I discovered I don't like the stuff one bit.

98. Humpday(2009)

A movie about two straight best friends, who decide on a whim to make a movie where they...have sex with eachother? Sounds stupid, right? Well, writer Lynn Shelton keeps it from devolving by presenting these two very different guys as real people, in what has to be considered the ultimate game of chicken ever.

97. The Aristocrats(2005)

The best movie about the mind of some of the world's best comedians, as 100 of them tell the same filthy joke over and over, each with their own unique spin. You haven't lived until you've seen Sarah Silverman's controversial take on it.

96. An Education(2009)
Nick Hornby tells a classic tale of a bright, educated young girl who falls head over heels for a slick and worldly older gentleman, their relationship threatening to derail her promising future. The best female performance of 2009 and a star making turn by Carey Mulligan.

95. 21 Grams(2003)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inaritu follows up his critically acclaimed Amores Perros with an absorbing, fragmented story about 3 people(Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro) who's path continually cross in their search for redemption.

94. Sunshine(2007)
Danny Boyle makes a sci-fi flick? Not just any sci-fi flick, a great one about a crew's desperate expedition into space to jumpstart the Earth's dying sun. An amazing ensemble cast higlights a film that takes the Event Horizon scenario and amps it up to the nth degree.

93. The Hangover(2009)

The biggest R-rated comedy of all-time and the funniest film of the year needs no further description from me, but it'll get it anyway. Not only is it hilarious, but it's full of useful facts. Did you know that tigers love pepper, but hate cinnamon?

92. Transsiberian(2008)

A taut, moody Hitchockian thriller aboard a transsiberian train journey from Moscow to China. Woody Harrelson and one of my faves, Emily Mortimer, get caught up in a deadly game of murder, but I'll be damned if the scenery ain't beautiful. Gorgeously shot film.

91. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days(2007)
No other film amps up the stakes the way this simple Romanian film does, about a woman who dares help her best friend get an abortion during a time when getting caught could lead to prison...or worse. Few movies have had my pulse pounding with anxiety the way this one does. Just watch the pivotal dinner scene and you'll know what I'm talking about.

90. The Mist(2007)

A small, disfunctional band of townfolk get holed up in a supermarket to battle a bunch of monsters emerging from a supernatural fog. Cheesy? Yes. Is it proud of that fact? You damn right. I never wanted to smack Marcia Gay Harden so bad in my life, but damn she makes one hell of a zealot.

89. Thirst(2009)

What happens when a man of the cloth becomes a bloodthirsty vampire? Korean director Park Chan-Wook creates the weirdest, bloodiest love story I ever seen.

88. Friday Night Lights(2004)

Never saw one second of the TV show it spawned, but I highly doubt it compares to Peter Berg's beautiful story about a town where football isn't just a game, it's a way of life.

87. Camp(2003)

Ahh, the film that introduced me to my new film crush, Anna Kendrick. Camp tells the story of a select few kids hoping to make it big on the stage and screen by attending a performance arts camp. The teen angst is pretty thick, and a couple of the acting performances are horrendous admittedly, but their enthusiasm and energy was infectious. Not to mention an amazing score that features a powerful scene stealing rendition of "Here's Where I Stand".

86. World's Greatest Dad(2009)
Bobcat Goldthwait's disturbing dark comedy features two of the most memorable characters in recent memory. One, a lowdown glory seeking Dad and the other a douche nozzle of epic proportions. Robin Williams was twisted and creepy better than anybody, and here he gets to show that off with a hilarious comic twist.

85. District B13(2004)

The best pure action flick of the decade features a couple of relative unknown in a fuel injected race to stop their crime riddled home from being nuked off the face of the earth. There's a hostage crisis in there somewhere, too. A wicked combination of John Woo style gunplay, Jackie Chan influenced martial arts sequences, and Luc Besson's gritty writing.

84. The Prestige(2006)

Christopher Nolan had one helluva decade(he's on this list four times). His follow-up to Batman Begins features Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as rivalrous magicians embroiled in a deadly game of oneupmanship. Every trick has a secret, and Nolan keeps the mystery just out of range using some deft slight of hand.

83. The Fall(2006, released in the US in 2008)

The most gorgeous film of 2008 was Tarsem Singh's(The Cell) The Fall, about a wounded stundman who tells a wondrous story about 5 mythical heroes to an inquisitive and precocious little girl. The story he weaves is both beautiful and terrible, and fluctuates with his condition. The look of this film is a cornucopeia of colors and surreal images, it's like walking through somebody's dreams...or nightmares. And I dare you not to fall in love with the little girl, Catinca Untaru. I'm not even sure she was acting.

82. Saved! (2004)

Consider it Juno for the religious sect. Jena Malone plays a young teen at a Catholic school who, in the hope of saving her boyfriend from becoming gay, sleeps with him just once...and gets pregnant. Mandy Moore plays her religious zealot of a former best friend, who's supposed moral superiority is only matched by her cruelty. A genuine, hilarious film with a great cast.

81. The Departed(2006)

I considered making this a tie with the film it's based on, the amazing Infernal Affairs, but Scorcese's street level crime thriller is grittier, the lies thicker, and the double crosses even dirtier. Solidified the greatness that a  union between Scorcese and Dicaprio could produce for years to come. Leo seems to have blossomed even more under Scorcese's guidance.