(2008)They were there, and so they had to be conquered. When Philippe Petit made his daring high-wire walk across the World Trade Center Towers back in 1974, there was no rhyme or reason to it. They were there to be conquered, and so he did it. Man on Wire is a documentary unlike any other, built like the best of heist films as Petit and his followers use every trick in the book to gain access to the top levels of the historic buildings. The specter of 9/11 permeates the film, and yet it's never explicitly mentioned. This is about one man and his need to laugh in the face of danger.
79. The Proposition
(2005)When John Hillcoat directed The Road in 2009 it was clear he used the same template he established here in The Proposition. Set in the Australian outback in the late 1800s, it's a place that is as hopeless and desolate as seen in The Road, and it's inhabitants are just as brutal. Guy Pearce stars as a recently captured outlaw, forced to kill his murderous older brother...because if he doesn't the cops will execute his innocent younger brother. Written with bloody detail by musician Nick Cave.
78. Clerks 2
(2006)Arguably Kevin Smith's most mature work to date...which is funny considering it's rife with bestiality humor, Clerks 2 shows Smiths' continued growth as a writer, no doubt mixing some of his own insecurities and failings. Plus where else are you gonna see the showdown we've all been wanting for years, Star Wars fans. vs. Lord of the Rings fans? Nowhere, that's where.
77. The 40 Year Old Virgin
(2005)So much funnier than the uneven Knocked Up, establishing Judd Apatow as the unquestioned king of comedy for the second half of the decade.
76. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
(2002)The first film directed by George Clooney was also his best, detailing the wacky "top secret" story of Gong Show host Chuck Barris. Was he really more than just the idiot host of a silly talent show, or was he also a spy for the CIA? Or is Barris out of his friggin' mind?
75. Spider-Man 2
(2004)Sam Raimi maxed out in the wall crawler's awesome sequel. Not only was the dynamic between Peter's normal life and his costumed life never more complicated, but Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus was the best villain he's faced so far.
74. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
(2007)Forget Darth Vader. Forget Voldemort. There's no greater movie villain then the snide, pretentious, egotistical Billy Mitchell. From his obnoxious ties to his porn beard, his efforts to undermine fellow Donkey Kong enthusiast and everyman Steve Wiebe are the stuff of legend.
73. Auto Focus
(2002)The movie that made me a believer in Greg Kinnear as a legit actor. The story of Bob Crane, the star of Hogan's Heroes, friendship with John Carpenter is as seedy and disturbing as their partnership. I couldn't watch Hogan's Heroes reruns the same way after this.
72. Garden State
(2004)Remember when Zach Braff was a promising filmmaker? What happened? His Garden State is an insightful, funny, and hopeful story that should've led to greater things. Whatever his future, Garden State is a film I find myself returning to over and over, mainly due to the chemistry between he and the pixie-ish Natalie Portman.
71. Star Trek
(2009)I didn't think JJ Abrams could make me care about Star Trek, but he managed to pull it off with seat gripping action and an obvious fans' enthusiasm for the source material. It was hard not to get sucked in with Kirk and the rest of the crew, and I for one am looking forward to their continued voyages.
70. Kung Fu Hustle
(2004, released in the US in 2005)Stephen Chow might be the best comedy director working today, and his Kung Fu Hustle is a shining example as to why. He manages to mix goofy humor with hard hitting martial arts action that will stand up to some of the more hardcore action flicks, and do it in a way totally unique to himself. By far his best, most complete film. Sorry, Shaolin Soccer fans.
69. Serenity
(2005)There had to be some Joss Whedon in this list somewhere. Serenity was the best sci-fi flick I'd seen in years up to that point, and made me give a damn about the Firefly TV series which I had completely ignored. Now I consider myself something of a rabid devotee.
68. District 9
(2009)It's the apartheid...with aliens!! Neil Blomkamp's controversial sci-fi flick was the most beautiful of the year(until Avatar showed up), and also the most thought provoking. And all at a modest $30M budget.
67. The Aviator
(2004)Scorcese and Dicaprio show up on this list yet again with a huge sweeping classic about the legendary filmmaker and aviator John Hughes. As great as Dicaprio was, it's really Cate Blanchett who takes charge as the fiery Katherine Hepburn.
66. Oldboy
(2003)The film that put Park Chan-Wook on the map is also his most flashy and violent. Ignoring for a second the absurdity of the plot(a guy is locked in a hotel for 15 years for unknown reason then suddenly released), not enough credit is given to the film's true strength, which is the gorgeous fast paced style it's shot in. Every scene flows quickly yet naturally into the next, leaving few moments for the viewer to catch a breath. A visceral experience unlike any other.
65. United 93
(2006)Nobody makes more realistic, in the moment experiences like Paul Greengrass(The Bourne films), and his real time breakdown of the doomed 4th hijacked plane during the 9/11 attacks is no different. This one is the ultimate "one watch only" film, as it's simply too heartbreaking to continue reliving. But besides that, watching our security infrastructure flounder around while these events are taking place still boils my blood to no end. Everyone should see this film at least once, if only to pay tribute to the brave people who stopped this flight reaching it's destination. No agendas, no politics, none of that is in this movie.
64. The Hurt Locker
(2009) The best movie about the Iraq war yet, The Hurt Locker is a pulse pounding edge of the seat thriller about a reckless EOD tech who signs on to lead a team during their final weeks of deployment. The best thing I can say about this film is that it keeps the tension mounted at all times, every second is a potential powder keg waiting to explode, both literally and figuratively.
63. 25th Hour
(2002)Spike Lee's most ambitious and best film yet(sorry Malcolm X fans), Ed Norton plays a recently convicted drug dealer on his last day of freedom before turning himself in to serve his jail term. Filmed just after the 9/11 attacks, Lee paints a haunting portrait of a city battling back from turmoil, yet falling back into it's old habits of racial prejudice and animosity. Uh, plus it's cool to watch Philip Seymour Hoffman tryin' to mack on an extremely hot Anna Paquin.
62. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
(2008)Think about the best nights of your life. Now think about what you were listening to when those nights happened. I'm a huge fan of coming of age films, and none of them recently have done a better job paying homage to the music that defined our younger years better than this film does.
61. Swimming Pool
(2003) I'm still at a loss as to what Francois Ozon is trying to say here, but the erotic tension between frustrated murder novelist Sarah(Charlotte Rampling) and the young, vivacious Julia(Ludivine Sagnier) is enough to jumpstart any kid into puberty a little early.
