Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott have written up an interactive feature for The New York Times counting down the best 25 films of this century:
We are now approximately one-sixth of the way through the 21st century, and thousands of movies have already been released. Which means that it’s high time for the sorting – and the fighting – to start. As the chief film critics of The Times, we decided to rank, with some help from cinema savants on Facebook, the top 25 movies that are destined to be the classics of the future. While we’re sure almost everyone will agree with our choices, we’re equally sure that those of you who don’t will let us know.
The write-ups are obviously worth reading in their entirety, but here’s the list of just the films:
- There Will Be Blood
- Spirited Away
- Million Dollar Baby
- A Touch of Sin
- The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
- Yi Yi
- Inside Out
- Boyhood
- Summer Hours
- The Hurt Locker
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Timbutku
- In Jackson Heights
- L’Enfant
- White Material
- Munich
- Three Times
- The Gleaners and I
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Moonlight
- Wendy and Lucy
- I’m Not There
- Silent Light
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- The 40-Year Old Virgin
I personally find several of the choices puzzling (for instance, I wasn’t a massive fan of Inside Llewyn Davis like many of my colleagues — it’s probably my least favorite Coen Brothers film that they’ve made since 2000, which is no dig on the movie but more a testament to how damn good and consistent the Coen Bros are). But I’m impressed with the breadth and scope of the list.
Any list in which The 40-Year Old Virgin can co-exist with There Will Be Blood is good in my book.