NYT’s The Best 100 Movies of the 21st Century (part 2)

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Photo caption: Eller Coltrane, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater in BOYHOOD.

Earlier this week, I reveled in ruminating on the New York Times’ recently published The Best 100 Movies of the 21st Century. Of course, I can’t resist weighing in myself on the best movies of the century so far. I just couldn’t take the time to get to 100, but here are The Movie Gourmet’s 50 best movies of the 21st Century.

  1. Boyhood (2014, Richard Linklater, US)
  2. Parasite (2019, Bong Joon Ho, South Korea)
  3. 25th Hour (2002, Spike Lee, US)
  4. Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch, US)
  5. Oppenheimer (2023, Christopher Nolan, US)
  6. Anatomy of a Fall (2023, Justine Triet, France)
  7. Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyasaki, Japan)
  8. In the Mood for Love (2000, Wong Kar-Wai, Hong Kong)
  9. Best in Show (2000, Christopher Guest, US)
  10. Nomadland (2020, Chloe Zhao, US)
  11. Nope (2023, Jordan Peele, US)
  12. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019, Quentin Tarantino, US)
  13. Before Sunset and Before Midnight (2004 and 2013, Richard Linklater, US)
  14. Lost in Translation (2003, Sophia Coppola, US)
  15. Sideways (2004, Alexander Payne, US)
  16. Winter’s Bone (2010, Debra Granik, US)
  17. Stories We Tell (2012, Sarah Polley, Canada)
  18. Zodiac (2007, David Fincher, US)
  19. A Serious Man (2009, Joel and Ethan Coen, US)
  20. Barbie (2023, Greta Gerwig, US)
  21. Hell or High Water (2016, David Mackenzie, US)
  22. The Hurt Locker (2008, Kathryn Bigelow, US)
  23. Minority Report (2002, Steven Spielberg, US)
  24. Ex Machina (2014, Alex Garland, UK/US)
  25. The Power of the Dog (2021, Jane Campion, New Zealand)
  26. Children of Men (2006, Alfonso Cuarón, US)
  27. Ida (2013, Pawel Pawlikowski, Poland)
  28. Shoplifters (2018, Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan)
  29. Million Dollar Baby (2004, Clint Eastwood, US)
  30. Riders of Justice (2020, Anders Thomas Jensen, Denmark)
  31. Talk to Her (2002, Pedro Almodovar, Spain)
  32. Broken Embraces (2009, Pedro Almodovar, Spain)
  33. Elle (2016, Paul Verhoeven, France)
  34. The Shape of Water (2017, Guillermo del Toro, US)
  35. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001, Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico)
  36. Past Lives (2023, Celine Song, US)
  37. Wendy and Lucy (2008, Kelly Reichardt, US)
  38. Zero Dark Thirty (2012, Kathryn Bigelow, US)
  39. Memento (2000, Christopher Nolan, US)
  40. The Act of Killing (2012, Joshua Oppenheim, UK)
  41. 49 Up, 56 Up and 63 Up (2005, 20012 and 2019, Michael Apted, UK)
  42. Ash Is Purest White (2018, Jia Zhang-ke, China)
  43. Roma (2018, Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico/US)
  44. Gone Girl (2014, David Fincher, US)
  45. Take Shelter (2011, Jeff Nichols, US)
  46. Incendies (2010, Denis Villenueve, Canada/France)
  47. The Big Short (2015, Adam McKay, US)
  48. The Secrets in Their Eyes (2009, Juan José Campanella, Argentina)
  49. Margaret (2011, Kenneth Lonergan, US)
  50. The Aura (2005, Fabian Bielinsky, Argentina)

About half of these are American movies, with contributions from South Korea, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, New Zealand, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Mexico, China, Argentina and the UK). Ten of the fifty have female directors, all since 2008.

I am aware that I admire Stories We Tell, Elle and Hell or High Water more than most folks, but I really see them as great movies. The one movie that you won’t find on any else’s list is Riders of Justice – but just give it a chance.

By the way, I took a swing at this list in 2017, rand I see that my list this year is pretty consistent.

OK, that’s me – what do you think?

Isabelle Huppert in ELLE