I'll do a top 5 per year eventually but here's my top 10 of the decade.
Spirited Away. Second best film from my favorite filmmaker, it's such an incredibly original film but at the same time it deals with a very familiar theme, the 2000's answer to Wizard of Oz, basically.
Almost Famous. It might not be the deepest movie in the world, but movie's don't always have to be. Sometimes they can just be a simple life potrait and be just as poignant. I love everything about this movie, the characters, the music, the time period. Almost perfect.
Wall-E. Who woulda thunk that the best science fiction film of the decade, the best romantic comedy of the decade and the second best kid's film of the decade would all be the same movie? This is the hallmark from which all future Pixar films will be judged.
Lord of the Rings. Is this cheating? I don't think it is, even if they are 3 individual films, this is something you have to view as a single experience, so I like to think of it as just one super long movie. You can't ask for a better fantasy epic.
City of God. Whoa boy, this movie is nuts. The narration, the characters, the look and setting, it's all brilliant. And Zé is without a doubt the most evil movie villian of the decade, f*ck The Joker, this guy was shooting up hospitals when he was a little kid, you can't beat that.
Lost in Translation. Those who bitched about this movie being uneventful and alienating are kinda missing the point, that's what this movie was about, boredom and cultural alienation. It's something I easly indentify with and this movie has touched me on a level few movies ever manage to do. Murray and Johanson just made a great, unlikely couple.
There Will Be Blood. Very few actors can be so damn over the top and still give powerful performances the way Daniel Day Lewis can, he's just incredible. And I just love how he gets more crazy as the film goes on, like every other PTA film the build up is just incredible, it's beautifully shot and the Jonny Greenwood score is excellent.
Slumdog Millionaire. Ok sure, it's another rags to riches movie, it's been done to death, blah blah blah. It doesn't matter how old the formula is, it's how you do your own take on it and what Boyle did here was an extremely original take on an ancient theme. Also, it's the best movie to piss off a lot of Indians since Temple of Doom.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Totally unique, and easily Kaufman's best work to date. I love the surreal style of the film, the way most of it is a big dream sequence. My favorite scene from Being John Malkovich was the chase scene where they go through Malkovich's memories. This movie takes that concept and runs with it. Carrey and Winslet have never been better.
Pan's Labyrinth. Del Toro is a pure filmmaker, he rarely uses CGI, instead he goes for practical, purely organic effects. That's only part of what makes this such an immersive film though. The way this film blurs the line between fantasy and reality is unlike any film that has attemped it before. The girl is wonderful, the visuals are gorgeous and Captain Vidal is one hell of a bad guy.
Top 10 honorable mentions.
Amelie. Very rarely can a film get away with being this damn upbeat, but this movie just has charm and imagination up the ass, and Tautou is adorable.
O' Brother Where Art Thou? Most quotable film of the decade? Easily.
Up. Pixar has never let their imagination run as wild before as it did with this one.
No Country for Old Men. I'm not a terribly big fan of the ending, but it's still one hell of a ride.
Mystic River. Argubly Penn's most poignant performance yet, and Eastwood's best work as a director in my opinion.
Waking Life. Maybe it feels a little like a lecture at times, but this film analyizes dreams and the human condition in such a unique way, and I just love the surreal look and feel of it.
The Dark Knight. It's still overrated and all of it's fans are still tossers.
Requiem For a Dream. This movie is so disturbing and fascinating at the same time, a film that's hard to watch but impossible not to.
Sideways. I expected to hate this movie but it's characters won me over.
Ghost World. I really love Birch in this movie, what the hell happened to her anyway?