2000s: The Decade's Best

Looking over this decades films, I can instantly remember where I was, and at what point in my life I was at, when I saw these films. The 1990s was when I fell in love with films. The 2000s was when I transitioned to film-lover to filmmaker. A very important decade for me and I saw many beautiful, amazing films that encouraged and challenged me along the way.

Like all the annual lists I compile, this one is by no means comprehensive. I like to include in each lists films I have not seen because that influences my choices. (I have to keep myself honest, it wouldn't be right for me to list Tropical Malady as one of the decades best when I haven't seen it.) It's to hard to numerically order these films, so I've listed them in alpha order. I set aside the first ten as the ones I would distinguish as my top ten of the decade, but in alpha order.

Brokeback Mountain — at the U.S premiere in Telluride Film Festival
Children of Men — probably at the Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley
Dancer in the Dark — DVD at my Mom's House as I finished High School in Riverside
The Dark Knight — IMAX Metreon in San Francisco, went to the early screening and still got bad seats
Hunger — Kreuzberg, Germany summer 2009
In the Mood for Love — MRC Library, basement floor at Moffitt Library at UC Berkeley
The New World — probably at Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley
Paranoid Park — Indie Fest in San Francisco
There Will Be Blood — Special Screening at Castro Theatre in San Francisco
Three Times — Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley when I worked for the San Francisco International Film Festival

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days — Sheridan Opera House, Telluride. I sat in the balcony with a metal pole in the middle of the screen for the entire film
A Serious Man — The Landmark on Pico and Westwood
About Schmidt — somewhere in Orange County when I was attending UC Irvine
Cache — Sheridan Opera House, part of the Telluride's student symposium
Everlasting Moments — it was the final screening for that year at Telluride completely packed. A friend squeezed Judy and I into the projection booth and we watched the film from there.
George Washington – Watched this one on DVD at my apartment in Oakland
Life During Wartime — U.S premiere at Telluride
The Lives of Others — Special screening at Embarcadero in San Francisco
Magnolia – Mission Grove Cinemas in Riverside
Memento – Canyon Springs Cinema, where I used to work at after highschool
Mulholland Drive – Special preview screening at UC Irvine
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Punch Drunk Love — A theatre in Fashion Island, I think, in Newport Beach
The Pianist
The Royal Tennenbaums – Canyon Springs Cinema, Moreno Valley
Still Life – Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley
United 93 – Shattuck Cinemas, Berkeley
Workingman's Death – Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Japantown, San Francisco
Y tu Mama Tambien
YiYi – DVD at my apartment in Los Angeles
Zodiac – Embarcadero Cinemas in San Francisco