In the 1988 classic Cinema Paradiso, one of the last pieces of advice that Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) gives to young Salvatore (Marco Lenardi) is not to give in to nostalgia.
When one sees that movie (and one should), one realizes a sense of irony, so much of the film is about nostalgia (pumped up by an immaculate musical score by Ennio Morricone). It is this type of sentimentality that drove me to an idea of sorts as I approached 2025: my top 25 movie milestones from the first 25 years of the century.
Now, before I go further, I know there are some who will rectify me in saying that the century really did not start until 2001. Well, for the purposes of this list, it started for me in 2000, when I started my process of coming of age as a movie goer. It was when I started paying attention to more movies that were not just in the spotlight but on the sidelines as well. More importantly, it was when I began to realize that movies were far more than just entertainment, (not to mention when I started to predict the Oscars). That all said, all movies had US release dates from January 1st, 2000 to December 31st, 2024.
Originally, I thought of doing more than just movies, but other topics as well. This soon proved to be rather onerous Then, after listening to The Big Picture Podcast from The Ringer, hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins mentioned they would do something similar throughout the year, with certain rules. This encouraged me to do this list even more, adapting the rules they supplied.
The main rule was that a director would not have more than one film represented. It makes sense when you think of it: the list would be too predictable if it were packed with films by the likes of Nolan, Spielberg, Scorsese, Anderson (both Wes and Paul Thomas), Fincher, Tarantino, Miyasaki, …you get the idea. While some choices were straightforward, others were headache inducing.
It is also worth noting that I refused to say these are the “best”. Yes, I am ranking them, but a lot of this is personal preference. So, while movies like In the Mood for Love, The Social Network, Zodiac, and City of God are all wonderful movies, they are not here. Nor are The Wolf of Wall Street or Mulholland Drive, which I have not seen.
Finally, I made a shout out to the other 25 films that did not make the list, so they are the honorable mentions listen below (In Alphabetical order):
- (500) Days of Summer (2009): My favorite movie of 2009. A rom com that looked at relationships in an authentic, non linear way. It also introduced me to the “Penis” game (if you know, you know).
- Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012): A look at a part of the world I knew nothing about at the time, it moved me mainly due to the center powerhouse performance by a young Quvenzhané Wallis, making it my favorite of 2012.
- C’mon C’mon (2021): Speaking of powerhouse performances by a youth, Woody Norman holds his own and almost outshines Joaquin Phoenix in this neglected gem.
- Crash (2005): Yes, you read it right. I would be lying if I said it did not have a huge impact on me when I saw it in High School. Nowadays, it is clearly not the pristine film I remember, but it is still good, and I will die on that hill.
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000): Most likely the first non-English language film I saw in the theater, Ang Lee’s martial arts masterpiece opened my young eyes to a world in cinema I had never seen before. Random fact: As a kid, I used to think I could make it through any movie without using the restroom, but this was one of the first ones I could not hold it in.
- The Departed (2006): Still Scorsese’s best of the century, it was a clear reminder to me how essential the role of a director is, regardless of how truly stacked a cast you have.
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004): I could not have been the only one thrown off by thinking a romance was possible between characters played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, but I was very happy to be proven wrong. Dripping with originality, it is hard to find a person who dislikes this film.
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009): I’m still not confident in ranking all of Wes Anderson’s films, but the one that frequently comes to mind first is this tale based on the Roald Dahl novel. It is indeed a film that anyone who says they don’t like it are likely cussing with you.
- Flow (2024): Only after seeing it a second time did I realize my favorite movie of 2024 was made on a free animation software. That did not change my mind as this truly gorgeous film of beauty and struggle still touches the heart.
- Hairspray (2007): There were a lot of stage to screen musical adaptations in the last 25 years, but none as energetic and fun.
- Inside Out (2015): Disney/Pixar had a few bumpy entries after 2010, but they came back with one of the most original and clever scripts of the century to date, animation or otherwise. May we never forget Bing Bong.
- It (2017): While I have yet to see the entirety of the 90s version, I am still aware of the impact of Tim Curry’s performance. Bill Skarsgård did not fill those shoes but respectfully threw them away and made the role his own. The young cast is also just as effective.
- Kubo and the Two Strings (2016): While Disney films are known for teaching kids to follow their dreams and be who they are, this film goes a different route, showing that life is difficult, but still wonderful.
- La La Land (2016): Damien Chazelle gave us one of the most popular of all musicals this century, despite an ending that upset my little sister so much at the age 12 or so it made me realize she had previously learned the F word.
- Licorice Pizza (2021): Like Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson (no relation) has a knack for original stories, and very few are as entertaining as this was. A list of scene stealers of the century so far would not be complete without Bradley Cooper in this film.
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): There have been too many action packed films to count this century, but clearly none as highly octane fueled or near as mesmerizing. Witness it!
- Memento (2001): Like many, this was the film that introduced me to Christopher Nolan, in a thriller that Hitchcock would be envious of.
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002): Being someone with a big family, I was on the bandwagon for this film and have not regretted it since. Who knew a film could do so well with mixing humor and heart with Windex?
- Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): Del Toro showed a war film can easily be mixed with fantasy, not to mention possibly the most underrated villain in cinema to date with Capt. Vidal.
- Parasite (2019): A foreign language film that managed to show a different culture yet also be universally relatable. I did not think it was going to win Best Picture (I assumed, like many, 1917 would win), but I was never more happy to be wrong.
- The Passion of the Christ (2004): Even before I became a Christian, the film had a major impact on me in the theater (one of the very rare times I cried in the theater). I admit I do need to revisit it after all the controversies surrounding Mel Gibson and Jim Caviezel.
- Ratatouille (2007): There was a time when Disney/Pixar was known for being able to do anything well, and it was not more apparent than when they made a sweet, tender story about a rat who wants to be a cook.
- Snow Angels (2008): While he is now known for making horror lega-sequels to Halloween and The Exorcist (the latter sequel was really horrid), David Gordon Green made some comedies with the likes of James Franco and Jonah Hill. Yet even before that, he was making more personal, coming of age stories like this film. Oh how I wish he would return to that.
- Winter’s Bone (2010): Before she was Katniss in The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence was Oscar nominated in this tale revolving around a culture I never saw up to that point. John Hawkes was also nominated for the film, and rightly so.
- Your Name (2016): I discovered a lot of love for anime in cinema and very few made me want to riot if the film did not end the way I wanted it to.
Finally, while the MCU has obviously impacted cinema this century like no one has seen before, I simply could not single out any one film to be represented in my 25 or even in the honorable mentions, for to do so would take even longer than it took to reveal the cast of Avengers Doomsday on youtube.
So here we go, as I reveal each movie (in more of a reflection than a review) throughout the remainder of the 2025 calendar year, from 25-1.
25 movies, 25 Years
2000-2024
Age 12-37
Roll Film
(For my late Grandma, who, for the first few years of the century, was always taking me to movies).
Nothing else to say 