Top 100 Films of the 21st Century (Four Year Anniversary Special)- Part 1 (100-91)

 We're just about one fifth of the way through the 21st Century, and I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood to take stock of things. The last 20 years in cinema have been huge, with trends coming and going like nobody's business. I mean, take the term "cinematic universe" for instance. Where once shared canonical ground was just something that existed in a director's body of work or some sort of dodgy crossover, now universe-sized franchises are celebrated. Expected, even. But I won't bemoan franchise dominance and brand recognition too much It has its place, and blockbuster cinema has definitely been  impacted, and not entirely for the worse 

And while I won't rhyme off every trend in the last two decades and discuss its effect on cinema, it's impossible not to take notice of them when you step back for a second and look at everything that's happened in that space of time. Apart from the MCU and its shared-universe ilk, there's the rise of CGI with its use in everything from blockbuster epics (Avatar) to somber dramas (The Irishman). There's also the impact of the internet; as the world becomes smaller, access to international and independent cinema becomes much easier. That's changed the game in its own way, with most of the best, most successful cinema right now coming from outside of Hollywood. Just look at the impeccable selection of titles that have come out of South Korea in the last few years

And what about the word itself? "Cinema". What is it? It's a question that's found itself up for discussion recently, as old masters criticised the current crop of superhero outings, but even before that, Cannes' refusal to show Netflix films in competition was an indication that regardless of how the old guard responded to it, the medium was moving on

And it continues to do so. Cinema will keep changing as this century progresses, undoubtedly as a result of the shifts that have already taken place since 2000, so consider this something of a time capsule. For my fourth anniversary, I want to look back, to celebrate the best that two decades of film have to offer. A tough task for sure, but one that I've found immense pleasure in undertaking. I should say right now that it wasn't easy. There was a lot of deliberating, watching, rewatching and obsessively fussing over the order. Some great films missed the cut, to say nothing of the ones I haven't seen. As for ranking them, that brought its own challenges. You might disagree with my choices, or their order, and if you want to let me know your own favourite films from the 21st century, feel free to do so. Film is a community thing, now more than ever, so let's get a discussion started

So save your "they don't make them like they used to", because if the last 20 years have taught us anything, it's that cinema is in great shape. As good as its ever been, if you ask me. And although it remains to be seen whether the following hundred films have the longevity to match their quality, it's undeniable that this is one hell of a bunch of films. So dive in and enjoy this, my top 100 films of the 21st century 

One quick warning: this list may contain spoilers in The High Point section, so maybe skip that if you haven't seen the film

100. Southland Tales (2006- Richard Kelly)

Richard Kelly's follow-up to Donnie Darko opened to a ghastly reaction at Cannes and currently finds itself sitting at a less-than glowing 39% percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It's a mess, a hodge-podge of characters and themes clashing with utterly ridiculous imagery (flying ice-cream van?), and yet when all of its imperfect parts combine, it becomes one of the most bizarrely compelling films of the last two decades. Kelly's ambition is huge, and his take on mid-2000s America- a post-9/11 nation left obsessed with celebrity and questioning its very identity- is irresistible, pure creativity that's preserved this film well enough that it's starting to receive a long-overdue reappraisal. It's about time.

The High Point:  Justin Timberlake woozily lip-syncing his way through The Killers' `All These Things That I've Done

99. The Artist (2011- Michel Hazanavicius)

The Artist arrived to us from another era, not so much a tribute to the dream machine of silent Hollywood as a piece of modern magic haunted by ghosts of old. It's a passionate film to be sure, but the unique alchemy of The Artist goes beyond simple nostalgia, undercutting its dewy-eyed reverence with a playful mischief that subverts its Oscar-bait image. The result of this is romance without romanticisation, a film that delivers both crowd-pleasing delights alongside its musings on the blurry line between life and art. The toast of the 84th Academy Awards, it's proof positive that actions speak louder than words

The High Point: "Cut!"- the silence is finally broken

98. Inherent Vice (2014- Paul Thomas Anderson)

After The Master's careful study of the human soul, PTA loosened the coils for his shambolic stoner epic, a woozy study of the end of an era. It's a film that forces the viewer to get lost, urging you to look away from the plot for a bit and just enjoy the scenery. Inherent Vice is a grand maze of a film, a richly layered mystery tale that gains a little more with each year that passes. It revealed a side of the San Fernando auteur that lay previously unseen, woolier, weirder and more wigged-out than anything he had shown us before

The High Point:  Doc's frenzied escape from his captors

97. It Follows (2014- David Robert Mitchell)

Sex and horror have long been inseparable bedfellows, and David Robert Mitchell's dread-soaked shocker celebrates their relationship with unnerving intensity. It's sparse and confrontational, a constant escalation of tension that cuts open the horrors of sexual intimacy and studies the murky, disturbing truths that slither out. Mitchell famously denied any one interpretation of the film, which is apt, because like `It`, the true meaning of the piece generates feverish terror no matter what shape it takes

The High Point: The inexplicable naked man on the roof

96. The Lives of Others (2006- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut(!) is an interrogation of a country's past, a moral tale and a devastatingly human story about compassion found in the strangest of places all in one. A weighty piece of cinema with a lot on its mind, The Lives of Others is a political thriller through and through, thrillingly punctuated with jolts of love. So fiendishly plotted and meticulously composed that it really is hard to overstate how impressive it is that it's his first film, or how unbelievable it is that the same man would churn out The Tourist just four years later

The High Point: Weisler urges his mark's girlfriend not to go through with her affair, risking his cover in the process

95. Moonrise Kingdom (2012- Wes Anderson)

For his seventh film, Wes Anderson recreated the huge emotions of childhood romance, crafting a storybook world for his runaway heroes to inhabit and explore. Moonrise Kingdom feels instantly familiar, lovingly sculpted out of pure nostalgia so that watching it feels like opening the pages of a book you haven’t read in years. It’s here where the wisdom of an adult Wes mingles with the passionate idealism of his inner boy-scout, resulting in a, wistful, warm living memory

The high point: Sam and Suzie’s confrontation with the scouts sent to track him down

94. Lars and the Real Girl (2007- Craig Gillespie)

“Ryan Gosling falls for a sex doll” is not the most bankable premise for a film, but Craig Gillespie’s soulful indie makes a case for the contrary. Less a Gos-led grotfest and more a story of a community banding together to take care of one of its most vulnerable members, Lars and the Real Girl wrings warmth from the most unlikely of places. It’s an affirming reminder that it’s the most unexpected of situations that tend to bring out the best in us

The high point: Bianca’s funeral, where a twee premise suddenly gains huge emotional weight

93. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014- Roy Andersson)

Capping off his Living trilogy in style, Roy Andersson was on typically idiosyncratic form with this hare-brained comic anthology, a strange, slowly unfolding saga of the human soul. If that sounds dreary and well, not very funny, then it really can’t be overstated how sharply chaotic Andersson’s sense of humour is and how well it punctuates the static camera, long-take, grey n’ brown insanity. Who knew the mundane could be so much fun?

The high point: The rousing sing-song in Limping Lotta’s bar in Gothenburg. Goes on for ages but keeps the fun going for every minute

92. Mother (2009- Bong Joon-ho)

Before he took the world by storm with Parasite, Bong Joon-ho wove a similarly intricate tale of the ties that bind and the sins we commit in the name of family. Kim Hye-ja was spellbinding as a woman desperately trying to clear her son’s name in a thriller that was at once expansive and taut. In typical Bong fashion, it was the sly humour and meticulous detail that lingered after the credits rolled. Mother is a slow-burn towards an inevitable truth, and the result is devastating

The High Point: Mother dances hypnotically through a field of wheat

91. The Raid (2011- Gareth Evans)

At a time when Hollywood was churning out legions of Bourne-lite actioners, Gareth Evans went to Indonesia for his thumping film following a police raid on a gangster’s high-rise fortress. Mean, lean and uncompromisingly violent, it marked a watershed moment in modern action cinema, expertly carried by leading man Iko Uwais. Even with the sequel and the similarly ace The Night Comes For Us, The Raid still feels utterly singular almost a decade later

The High Point: The two-on-one brawl, where a pair of brothers take on Mad Dog