Best of Decade - Top 50 movies of the 2000's

It has been a great decade. Life in one decade is quite different from another but the 00's or noughties as some would like to say it. It goes with movies too. The decade which just ended had a huge diversity in the way it unfolded. The word blockbuster was redefined and the BO expectations were re adjusted to a level way up north. A major part of this was the re emergence of the superhero movies. Superheroes never really had it good outside the comics and on kids' channels but the emergence and success of Spiderman paved way for a decade full of heroes. Then there were the animation flicks which laughed their way to box office and critical success at the expense of all those people who thought they were just for kids. They have an amazing potential and next decade will be even better. And finally I should also call upon the Independent film circuit to honour them for being so brave and resilient in the face of the studio moguls spending hundreds of millions on every other flick. As like in any other decade it is the independent small budget (comparably) ones which actually deliver on the potential of cinema but this time round they had help from digital technology which has become affordable and thrown the fencing between producers and consumers in to the recycle bin. The youtube generation can deliver the punch as well as the studios. You have heard of

Paranormal Activity, haven't you? 15000$ budget & 100 million$+ gross. It was good film making coupled with brilliant marketing. This is just the beginning to all such breakout movies.

We do not know how next decade is going to pan out. What will the movie watching experience be? Will theaters still hold their pull or are we going to just be addicted to Netflix? Will Avatar truly revolutionize the industry and will 3D reach our homes and be a part of it as they predict? But we do know how the last one has panned out for movies. Here in this article I try and capture the 50 best movies of the last decade ie 2000 to 2009. These lists are tough, especially when they spread across such a long time and across the world. So

though inherently flawed I try my best to keep a level head and chalk out the decade's finest.

(update: highlighting and minor sentence and position changes)
 How did I make this list? After perusal of extensive ratings on my vote history on IMDB, reading of various lists all over the web, I took into consideration the quality of film making, my personal favourites, cultural and overall impact of the movies. Then the movies were microscopically weighed against each other and rankings in this list were determined. Ask me after a couple of years and it might be different. Such is the case with all lists.

There are more blockbusters than I expected. Of course there might be many more movies out there definitely deserving a place in this but I havent seen them yet. Sure will do someday and maybe a decade down the line I can make this list really, really comprehensive.

50. Love Actually(2003)

This is a tie between two very different romantic movies. One is an outrageous mix of several stories, some sweet, some bitter but all wonderful. One of the best ensembles cast of the decade.

Once(2006)
 Undoubtedly the contender for the sweetest movies of the decade. The latter is quaint independent movie capturing the life of two lost musicians who aren't exactly romancing each other. This movie took the industry by storm showcasing the power of the small movie.

49. Persepolis (2007)

Marjane Satrapi's digs into her own life and puts out a bildungsroman graphic novel of a young girl from Iran. The movie is unabashed story telling which has compelling visuals which seem pretty straight and simple.

Review: Dev D

Here I am, sitting at the keyboard, about to write a review for a hindi movie and wondering where to start. Of more than a dozen we reviewed on this blog/podcast this one must be the second proper hindi movie (pls lets forget that I watched Phoonk) after Rock On. It is highly unusual for me that hindi movies garner interest before release and hold attention even after watching it. Dev D is an exception, not only for me but in several other senses.

Lets start from the beginning. I knew nothing about this movie until I saw its album on the top of music charts. On inquiry I heard that it is a re take on Devdas, especially with the current times and Gen Y in mind. My interest piqued as I have long been a huge fan of devadas, the film legacy and the incredible story of his in general. For a long time I was pretty sure I am going to watch every take on this 1917 novel written by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. This wasnt going to be any different, especially with its no holds barred renovation. I saw immense potential with what could be done. My interest sky rocketed on the day before its release when a friend had pinged me saying Times gave it 5 stars(out of 5).


Trying to keep expectations within hold, I walked into a theatre to watch the movie. Unfortunately the screen had crappy picture quality and a crappier projector/projectionist. The image kept shaking and seemed very grainy. I guess I shall be paying Dev D another visit at a multiplex this time, to see actually how the look and editing of the film were. Its time I talk about the movie and bypass the point about Anurag Kashyap and his supposed mastery with all the fine movies he had made before.

For those who dont know, every Devdas film the story is as follows Dev and Paro's friendship in childhood, the separation due to education, continued correspondence throughout the period, love blossoming on their re union, baseless quarrels leading to estrangement and the poorer Paro belonging to a lower strata of society being married off to an older, richer man with kids. Dev reluctant to stop it inspite of all his love, getts wasted while she leaves town, meets a courtesan who falls for him but he cant return her love and he finally dies burning his life away, doused with alcohol.

Dev D has the same basic structure but the pillars of the story have been redecorated with modern day furnishings like sex, booze and drugs. The movie smoothly moves along with these changes with the foundation of the usual elements of love, animosity, misunderstandings, longing and so on. The delightful elements of the movie are inculcating the mindset of a modern individual into the story e.g: Dev's father rebuking him for letting Paro marry a stranger and losing such a wonderful girl while Dev is acting like a self absorbed ass. The courtesan is now a non ethnic, high class sex worker and importantly the ending reflects realistic thought process of the modern individual. The intermittent laughs, idiosyncratic music and the slick cinematography add to the watching experience. The songs are all in the background and there are no elaborate dance sequences which we have now come to associate with Devdas.

It is not without its shortcomings. I really felt this movie wasnt as captivating as the previous ones; especially the Shah Rukh- Bhansali one which had apppropriate intensity creating greater involvement and adding shine with some brilliant sets and dialogues. This one however keeps you a step away from the unfolding events. The pacing is improper and the memes like mms clips and bmw running over people on footpath could have been kept away. Though providing additional masala to the average viewer, they only further distance you from the turmoil of the characters. The plot could have been driven by similar yet different issues.

Abhay Deol portrays the remix Devdas well. Paro and Chanda played by Mahi Gill and Kalki were quite disappointing and clearly Kalki was miscast. Inspite of the background story she is given she still looks too young for her already young character. The other characters (other than changi, the pimp) were kinda show pieces and were waiting for their cue to exit the screen. Overall it is a movie worth watching and yet it could have been better. I am not going to complain anymore because movies of this standard are rare to comeby these days in the Hindi film industry.

Rating: 7/10