This list means nothing. Truly. But since the New York Times has decided to catalogue the 100 best films of the 21st century, I didn’t want to be left out of the conversation entirely. So here is my top 50, and I reserve the right to change it all whenever I so please.
50. Small Time Crooks (Woody Allen, 2000) This is a late addition and is easily top 30 for me.
49. Death to Smoochy (Danny DeVito, 2002)
48. Swimming Pool (Francois Ozon, 2003)
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47. How to Survive a Plague (David France, 2012)
46. Roger Dodger (Dylan Kidd, 2002)
45. Wet Hot American Summer (David Wain, 2001)
44. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008)
43. The Man Without a Past (Aki Kaurismaki, 2002)
42. The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke, 2001)
41. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001)
40. Margin Call (J.C. Chandor, 2011)
39. Faces Places (Agnes Varda, 2017)
38. Maria Full of Grace (Joshua Marston, 2004)
37. 1917 (Sam Mendes, 2019)
36. The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2012)
35. Cold War (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2018)
34. Team America: World Police (Trey Parker, 2004)
33. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
32. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Alex Gibney, 2005)
31. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Jake Kasdan, 2007)
30. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013)
29. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
28. The Fog of War (Errol Morris, 2003)
27. Best in Show (Christopher Guest, 2000)
26. Rabbit-Proof Fence (Phillip Noyce, 2002)
25. The Trip (Michael Winterbottom, 2010)
24. Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg, 2020)
23. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy, 2015)
22. This So-Called Disaster (Michael Almereyda, 2003)
21. El Secreto De Sus Ojos (Juan Jose Campanella, 2009)
20. Hard Truths (Mike Leigh, 2024)
19. Step Brothers (Adam McKay, 2008)
18. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
17. Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros (Frederick Wiseman, 2023)
16. The Quiet American (Phillip Noyce, 2002)
15. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
14. Inglorious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
13. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
12. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer, 2023)
11. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003)
10. Unfaithful (Adrian Lyne, 2002)
09. No Country for Old Men (The Coen Brothers, 2007)
08. In the Bedroom (Todd Field, 2001)
07. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)
06. West Side Story (Steven Spielberg, 2021)
05. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Adam McKay, 2004)
04. Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007)
03. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015)
02. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovar, 2002)
#1. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (Sidney Lumet, 2007)
