Best of the 00s

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Welcome to the Breach Awards: Best of the 2000s. I am including the best of all films that I have seen that were released between 2000 and 2009. I've included every Oscar category in the mix, including some fun categories that I like. Also because there were so many great candidates this decade, I had to include a list of honorable mentions to each category as well as the five nominees.

The 2000's were many things. First of all, they're the decade where I first started following the Oscars in detail in 2001, and when I started this website in 2004. As a result, by a wide margin this is the decade I am most educated about in terms of film. Budgets got higher, visual effects got perfected, and concepts like HD and 3D began. Films also started taking darker and more philosophical roles. The Academy stopped giving best picture to the big scale epic adventure and more to the stylistic, thought-provoking and just good-hearted films. Most of my favorite films occured in this decade, but as you'll see from the awards, one sticks out: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

By my count, I have seen over 410 movies from the '00s and it was impossible to give even half of them nominations or mentions, but I tried to spread the wealth around as much as I could. I've also seen every '00s film that got Oscar nominated in all the main and tech categories (except for a few films from '09 that haven't made it to video yet, and the Harry Potter franchise which I haven't gotten around to opening up to yet). I've also seen the five highest grossing films from each year of the decade (except for franchises I refuse to see like The Matrix or Twilight). I tried to see as many '00s movies that I still hadn't seen this last year, and I feel confident in saying that I've probably seen just about every film from the decade that I would really enjoy, and would give a Breach Award to. With that in mind, I welcome both compliments and criticism, so feel free to email me here. Enjoy!

Best Picture

			Winner
Crash Director Paul Haggis	The Departed Director Martin Scorsese	Inglourious Basterds Director Quentin Tarantino	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Director Peter Jackson	Sweeney Todd Director Tim Burton
I've never said this about another film. But I believe that by simply watching Crash, it can make you a better person. The varied cast of characters spans all races and social classes, thus we can all find a character whom we identify with, and we can therefore learn from the mistakes that the character makes. The film brilliantly preaches as well as entertains.	I haven't always fully embraced the power and brilliance of Scorsese films. But Departed really threw me into the gangster action piece mindset. Every scene is tensely on the edge, every performance is utterly scene-stealing, and every line of dialogue is a startling foul-mouthed slice of Boston culture. Scorsese has officially made the most entertaining gangster move ever.	Move over Pulp Fiction, I say this is Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece. The film is so bold as to completely rewrite history in a more fitting and entertaining outcome than truth would have it. The only thing more satisfying is the intense confrontation scenes brilliantly written with extended dialogue that keep the audience on edge long enough so that by the trimphant climax, they fall off their seats.	Best. Film. Ever! I loved the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I have to go with the final chapter as the clear favorite for being the film to make me cry more than any other in history. By the time this film started, we had already speant six hours with these characters and have grown so attached to them that everything they do strikes us in the heart. There's a reason why this film has so many nominations on this page. It's because it's great in every aspect and it remains the gold standard to me of what great filmmmaking can be.	The '00s saw a resurgence of the musical, starting with Moulin Rouge. Some got it right like Chicago and Dreamgirls, and some got it wrong like Mamma Mia! and Nine. But I think Sweeney Todd was by far the best musical of the decade. Only Tim Burton had the sense to blend the music with dialogue, thus hardly making it feel like a show-stopping musical at all. Plus the combination of music, horror and violence gives it something everybody can enjoy.

Honorable Mentions: Mystic River, Slumdog Millionaire, World Trade Center

Best Action Film

Winner
The Dark Knight Director Christopher Nolan	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Director Gore Verbinski	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Director George Lucas	Transformers Director Michael Bay	X-Men Director Bryan Singer
This is the best written, best acted, and possibly best made superhero film ever. It's got more brains than any other hero film for turning Gotham into more of a crime thriller filled with symbolism, ethos, and moral dilemmas. Plus Heath Ledger provides the best performance of a villian ever. You have to admire Chris Nolan for making the superhero formula actually seem possible in the real world.	Though the sequels got progressively worse, the first Pirates adventure was a rare smash hit based on original material thanks to its well choreographed action sequences, its wonderous fantasy elements, and a hilariously entertaining performance by Johnny Depp. The film is proof that you don't need to be adapted from famous material to be successful, you just need lots of talent in front of and behind the camera itself.	I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for this from fanboys, but to heck with it. I say, Revenge of the Sith is THE best Star Wars film EVER. Not only does it feature the best action sequences, the most dazzling effects, and the most engaging drama, but it has the most brilliant story that perfectly arcs the two Star Wars trilogies into one cohesive narrative. Kudos to Lucas for coming up with a realistic way to create a villian as evil as Vader.	Unlike those other uptight elitist critics, I'm a big fan of Michael Bay films. I liked Pearl Harbor and The Island this decade, but Transformers was clearly my favorite. Watching cars shift tens of thousands of parts while speeding at 70 mph and transform into a giant blasting robot is more than enough to get fanboys like me aroused. Bay made it work with great characters, hardcore action and of course Megan Fox leaning over the hood of a car.	Prior to Dark Knight this was my longstanding favorite superhero film. Bryan Singer did for the X-Men what Spider-Man and Fantastic Four failed to accomplish: he brought them into the real world, one filled with hate and prejudice. Aside from a great story and thrilling mutant on mutant action sequences, the strength of this film comes from its reflection on our intolerant world. X2 also deserves a spot on the list for being equally good.

Honorable Mentions: Avatar, Pearl Harbor, Sin City

Best Comedy

				Winner
Catch Me If You Can Director Steven Spielberg	Little Miss Sunshine Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris	Meet the Parents Director Jay Roach	Ocean's 11 Director Steven Soderbergh	Tropic Thunder Director Ben Stiller
The quality of Spielberg films took a dive in the '00s, but he had a few good ones. Catch Me was a rare comedy for him, one that worked well. Dicaprio and Hanks make a good pair in this cat and mouse game that makes for an interesting true story as well. The humor comes from the performances and Spielberg's presentation of the humor found in the criminal situations.	There were a few great Oscar-nominated dramadies this decade like Juno and Up in the Air, but I have to highlight Sunshine as my favorite for pointing out all the hilarities of any modern family. There's a great cast of characters, all of whom put in great performances, and it works because despite how dysfunctional this family may be, they find a way to work it out. It's very real and sometimes the most real things are the most funny.	Ben Stiller became a new comedy icon because of this film. Jay Roach did a great job portraying onscreen all the awkwardness we feel upon meeting our loved one's parents. Laughs ensued and we discovered that Robert DeNiro actually had a pretty big funny bone. And it was a lot better than the follow up Meet the Fockers which really just went overboard with too many sex jokes.	I more or less liked all three Ocean's films about equally. But I suppose I'll give 11 the award here for being the introduction to the clever franchise. Though I do question whether certain plot steps are really necessary, the story was great for coming up with a clever and multiple-surprise heist where the audience roots for the bad guys. And all the star power was worth the money since talented actors like Clooney, Pitt and Damon can play off of each other so well.	Being something of a film industry insider myself, I found myself laughing at every single inside joke, including the ones the rest of the audience couldn't get. The story brilliantly captures everything that's odd and wrong about how the Hollywood business works. This includes everything from how studios cram every last cent out of a dying franchise, to how method actors reach for the most obscure roles for the mere sake of winning awards. It's all so true and all so funny.

Honorable Mentions: (500) Days of Summer, Big Fish, Zombieland

Best Animated Film

			Winner
Corpse Bride Director Tim Burton	The Incredibles Director Brad Bird	Shrek Director Andrew Adamson	The Simpsons Movie Director David Silverman	Up Director Pete Docter
Though it's not quite as good as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, it still has everything that makes a product of Burton's mind great: dark gothic scenery, a twisted tale of love and death, and whimsical music by Danny Elfman. What I love most is Burton's portrayal of the land of the dead to be more "lively" than the land of the living. It's times like this you have to wonder whether Tim Burton really is among the living. But we love him nonetheless.	Of the many great animated films Pixar made this decade, I'm going to have to go with The Incredibles as my favorite. Brad Bird wrote a great story combining Fantastic Four with Married With Children. The result is a hilarious comedy that features the best choreorgraphed action sequences ever for an animated film. Plus there's great symbolism in it regarding how a family is like a team: they have to stick together.	It's hard to pick a favorite between Shrek and Shrek 2 (don't even mention the awful third one), but I'll go with the original for starting off the franchise and being able to be a little less dependent on movie references for the jokes. But what made it really great was combining classic fairy tales into one abnormal fairy tale story that breaks down all cliches and has more heart than most animated films.	Being a dedicated fan of the most famous yellow family for 20 years, it's no surprise that when the Simpsons finally appear on the big screen, I would love the film to death. The film had everything that continues to make the show great: social satire, serious family drama, and Spider-Pig. Not to mention I would easily call this the best television to film transition in history. And I'm really embiggened to hear that a cromulent sequel is coming.	This is probably my second-favorite Pixar film of the decade, and the first one to make me weep. I think Up has more heart than Finding Nemo and Wall-E combined. It's also the most real-world of all the Pixar films and the most grown-up. The written line "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own." was the most touching moment in the whole film.

Honorable Mentions: Beowulf, Coraline, Wall-E

Worst Oscar Film

Loser
An Inconvenient Truth	Mulholland Drive	The Reader	A Serious Man	Talk to Her
As I recall, in this so called "documentary", Al Gore prothesized the end of the world in 2010. Well... here we are. And it didn't take a case of leaked emails a few months ago to prove that there are more phony facts coming out of Gore's butt than his own supply of greenhouse gases. I'm glad to see the majority of the country has stopped pretending that global warming is a real big deal. But I'm sure the presidential loser will still find something to save us from: like Manbearpig.	One thing I really hate is films that act like they're smarter than the audience (ie pretty much any film by David Lynch or Stanley Kubrick). But this is the worst one of all. Any reasonable person who sees this will say "It doesn't make any sense." Whereas the filmmaker, or any other smartass will say "You just don't understand it." Well here's a clue for you, Lynch: there is nothing to understand! Stop acting like you're smarter than the rest of us and make a film that doesn't make our heads hurt!	This film exemplifies everything that's wrong with Harvey Weinstein. He poisons the Oscar pool by making films nobody really likes but campaigns the heck out of them to get them nominated. I think they should have just called this film what it is: Illiterate Nazi Cougar, then see if it still would get nominated. The worst part is that it stole the picture and director nominations that should have gone to The Dark Knight.	You see, this was the worst outcome of expanding the best picture category to ten nominees at the end of the decade. Really crummy films like this end up getting nominated. Sure the Coen Brothers had a steadily decent career for the last couple of decades, but then they took all of their credibility and threw it under the hebrew schoolbus with this dull disaster. Why would anybody want to watch a film about one man's depressing life, while the rest of us are trying to escape such a life ourselves?	I really don't understand why people like this film. The main character does something TERRIBLE, and we're supposed to feel SORRY for him? I certainly didn't. I think he got what was coming to him. I don't mind the gross sexual stuff that Pedro Almodovar does. I just mind it when he asks me to root for a complete pervert. I just don't understand this film's screenplay win. I really wasn't a fan of his film Volver either.

Dishonorable Mentions: Closer, La Vie En Rose, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actor

Winner
Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York)	Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)	Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)	Geoffrey Rush (Quills)	Forrest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Day-Lewis was great and deserving for There Will be Blood as well, but it was in Gangs where he originated his vile bloodthirsty acting ability. He made Bill the Butcher one of my favorite cinematic villians for creating a character that we've never seen before: an 1860's gangster. Complete with abilities in cutlery and throwing knives, Day-Lewis embodies his character as well as he does any other right down to the twitching details.	PSH had several great performances this decade including Charlie Wilson's War and Doubt. But it was his portrayal of Truman Capote that showed his strong ability to really inhabit a character head to toe. He nailed Capote's high girly voice, his flamboyant mannerisms, and his relentless narcissism. Some question his best actor win but I think it's sound.	Though they are by no means twins, Frank Langella gave the finest interpretation of Richard Nixon in film history (sorry Anthony Hopkins). Anybody can capture Nixon's voice, his stuttering, and his profuse sweaty head, but only Langella gave the character a soul and was willing to play with the idea that Nixon is not a villian, but merely a remourseful flawed human.	Impressive to see how Rush had one of the top five performances of the '90s as well as the '00s. Firstly, he chews up the screen with his Shakespearian diatribes and narration. But there's also nothing he's not willing to do in this film such as get water-tortured, get stripped down and chained, or thoroughly describe sex acts of a sadistic nature, a term named after his character, the Marquis de Sads.	I never considered Whitaker to be that strong of an actor before this film. Playing the two-faced dictator of Uganda Idi Amin, Whitaker pulls off the native accent while being able to switch instantaneously between Amin's humorous and charming side to his veangeful and sadistic side. He won the Oscar because this real person is really two characters in one.

Honorable Mentions: Tom Hanks (Cast Away), Ben Kingsley (House of Sand and Fog), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

Best Performance by an Actress

				Winner
Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream)	Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge!)	Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia)	Charlize Theron (Monster)	Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)
It's great to see an elder actress give the best performance of her career so late in it. Burstyn does a great job playing the kindly old protective woman who delves slowly into an addiction to pills and ends up a screaming psycho in rehab. She does it fearlessly and with a little bit of humor. It's not too often you get such great roles for older actors, but when they happen, talented actresses like Burstyn really know how to pull them off.	There were a lot of musicals in this decade, but I believe the first one also had the finest performance in one. Kidman had a lot of great performances in the '00s but I think Moulin Rouge! is her best for being able to fulfill Baz Luhrman's unique acting style of over the top jumpiness that transitions into long dramatic sorrow. And like any musical, her singing and dance abilities only strengthen the performance.	It's hard to pick Streep's best performance of the decade from Adaptation to Devil Wears Prada to Doubt, but I'll go with her most recent role as the iconic chef Julia Child. I'd say its her best of the decade for playing a real icon and nailing her voice and mannserisms, while still making it partially a fictional character of her own design. It may not be as heavily layered as some of her others but it's certainly the most dominant.	Some say all an actress has to do to win an Oscar is deglam themselves. I think it takes more than that. It takes an actress that is willing to portray a victimized and violent character to great detail. Theron did a great job portraying the famous serial killer Aileen Wuornos from her voice to her complete disregard for society. It's the type of role many actresses would not dare take on, but Theron pulled it off brilliantly.	THIS is the film Winslet should have won the Oscar for in '08, certainly not The Reader. Her role in this film is probably the deepest and most complicated female character I've ever seen on the screen, and Winslet brilliantly reaches into every layer of the characters skin and manages to portray them all on the screen. Thanks to Winslet, like never before have I been able to so fully understand a character as complicated as this one.

Honorable Mentions: Halle Berry (Monster's Ball), Judi Dench (Iris), Helen Mirren (The Queen)

Best Performance by a Supporting Actor

		Winner
Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire)	Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)	Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)	Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)	Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
Dafoe has always been an actor of hidden talent, and in this film he shows us what he's capable of. Playing the actor Max Schreck, who may himself be a real vampire, Dafoe creates a character through voice, mannerisms, and frightening acts. Plus he served the purpose well of recreating the Max Schreck performance seen on film in the '20s. It may be an adapted performance, but Dafoe did a great job making it his own twisted monster.	Downey Jr.'s career saw a resurgence in the latter part of this decade thanks to Iron Man and his hilarious performance in Tropic Thunder. Downey brilliantly portrays and ridicules exactly what several other actors on this page are (I'm looking at you Day-Lewis). Like so many real actors, he embodies his fake actor's many characters to ridiculous lengths. Plus he gets credit not only for being willing to do blackface, but being the only actor ever to make it believable.	This performance: best of the decade, best in any superhero film, best as any villian, best pretty much anything. Ledger's performance as the Joker is one of the most detailed and most dedicated performances I've ever seen. Nobody else would have been able to get into the mindset of such a mad character and do the things he does so briskly. We lost a great talent this decade, but we'll never forget his brillian work as the Joker.	For most of the decade, Murphy's career was in the toilet. But he did enjoy a brief period of acclaim when he got his first and only Oscar nomination for this musical where he steals his scenes as the loud and eccentric singer James "Thunder" Early who is still battling some of his personal demons of his own. It's by a wide margin the most layered performance Murphy has ever given. Naturally he had to ruin his chances of winning the Oscar by doing Norbit.	Wilkinson also had good work in In the Bedroom and Eternal Sunshine this decade, but I really loved his manic-depressive performance as the big company lawyer who has a sudden fling of conscience. He really stole the entire film with his back and forth dominant/submissive states. And who can forget the big scene where he summarizes his entire case over the phone to orchestrated music like Shakespeare.

Honorable Mentions: Jim Broadbent (Iris), Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man), Clive Owen (Closer)

Best Performance by a Supporting Actress

			Winner
Amy Adams (Doubt)	Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)	Laura Linney (Kinsey)	Mo'Nique (Precious)	Natalie Portman (Closer)
Adams was a big breakout success this decade thanks to her Oscar-worthy performances in Junebug and Enchanted. But I have to recognize her most for her innocent and naive performance in Doubt. Adams does a fine job in layering the character with suspicion cloaked with cheery optimism, while slowly turning into another character she hates. There were a lot of great performances in this film but Adams really takes the cake in it.	Blanchett had so many brilliant performances in this decade. But if I had to choose a best for her, I'm going to have to go with her gender-bending role as an embodiment of Bob Dylan. Several actors portrayed the icon in the film, but ironically Blanchett's was the most dead on for capturing his voice, his mannerisms, and his musical soul. Like many of her roles, Blanchett completely disappears into this character, and I MEAN disappears.	It's hard to pick a best performance from Linney of the decade between You can Count on Me and The Savages, but I'll go with Kinsey where she was a chirpy little upkicked wife of the famous professor, and didn't mind saying and doing some oddball sexual stuff in practically every scene. Linney is one of those actresses that is never afraid of the sexual content of her roles, and she deserves great credit for that.	Playing a villian is hard, but playing a character that even the audience doesn't like is even harder. I wouldn't have expected somebody like Mo'Nique to even be able to act at all, but she really gave this brutally harsh character everything she had without the slightest cringe or holding back. That's true bravery, and the topper of the performance comes near the end of the film where the character breaks down and spills her sentimental guts.	Portman went from a teen idol to a talented adult actress in this decade, and much of it was thanks to her strong work in Closer. Not only does she deliver with her heartbreaking scenes of love and betrayal, but she does a very convincing job playing a stripper with the complete imagination only, no real person behind the face type of character. Some actresses wouldn't mind playing a stripper, but few could do it and give a dramatic stage play performance in the same film.

Honorable Mentions: Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)

Best Screenplay

Winner
Crash	The Dark Knight	The Departed	Inglourious Basterds	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
There are frequent attempts at screenplays about a large cast of characters whose lives all intersect one another, but none has done it nearly as brilliantly as Paul Haggis' Crash. In this story you can trace a path between any two characters and see how one's actions has impacted another. The script is the film's greatest strength for being able to tell so many striking stories in so little time, and filling it with impact lines like, "You embarrass me. You embarrass yourself."	I think the two biggest reasons for this film's success are Heath Ledger's Joker, and the brilliant screenplay. Most superhero scripts are merely churned out like sausage, but Chris and Jonathan Nolan injected more meaning, symbolism, and moral dilemmas into this script than any other superhero film in history. The best written scene is the interrogation room where the Joker's true philosophy is revealed with his line, "You complete me."	Scorsese's best film is a result mostly thanks to the twisted screenplay of rotational symmetry. It's a brilliant concept to create a gangster movie where the cops and the mob each have a mole in the other organization and all the dark alley deals that go along with it. Plus writer William Monaghan did a great job writing the foul-mouthed dialogue of inner city Boston, and the culture of the Irish-American. "I'm Irish. I'll deal with something being wrong for the rest of my life."	Move over Pulp Fiction, I say this is Quentin Tarantino's best script to date! It has Tarntino's trademark long drawn out discussions, but this time instead of being about pointless nonsense like quarter pounders with cheese, they're relevant to the story and help develop characters, like Col. Landa's conversation about how the Jew is like the rat. Plus the plot was a brilliant combo of three parallel stories that intersect with one of the greatest climaxes ever.	Of course I loved the scripts for all three Rings films for their perfectly loyal adaptation of Tolkein's novels. But I love Return of the King most for its perfectly structured story and emotional Tolkeinian dialogue. No words spoken onscreen have ever made me weep quite as much as these ones. The best written scene: either Aragorn's battle cry before the Black Gate, or Gandalf's heartfelt description of what awaits us in the afterlife.

Honorable Mentions: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Juno, Memento

Best Art Direction

		Winner
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	Gangs of New York	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	Sweeney Todd
Practically every Tim Burton film has gorgeous and lavish sets. But I think I'll have to choose Charlie as my favorite for taking the descriptions from the children's novel and building them to every last detail life size, and throwing in a perfect color palette everywhere. It makes the sets from the Gene Wilder original look like cardboard.	All the talking in Gangs of New York is about the Five Points, a cross section of old New York. So it was important that when the entire intersection was rebuilt that it would be the foreign slums of Manhattan that it's described as, but still remains historically accurate. This several block set was built completely to scale and made for a more real-looking film.	I almost gave this award to The Two Towers for the full-size construction of Helms Deep. Instead I tought I'd give it to Return of the King for combining the most sets: the anglo-saxon moutaintop village and great hall of Edoras, the medieval stone kingdom of Minas Tirith, the spiritual natural castle of Rivendel, and most notably the quaint farmers village of the Shire.	Between the three Pirates films, I have to hold Dead Man's Chest in the highest esteem in terms of art direction, mostly for the design and construction of the life size ship: The Flying Dutchman, a decaying morbidly gothic vessel that still miraculously floats. Plus there's plenty of great land sets like island ruins and Tia Dalma's magic hut.	Come to think of it, Johnny Depp got to act on a lot of great sets this decade. Anyway, Tim Burton continues his streak of brilliant sets with the dark gothic setpieces of Sweeney Todd. They're not too large but they are masterfully painted with the faces of death. My favorite item: the mechanical barber chair of doom.

Honorable Mentions: Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sherlock Holmes, Vatel

Best Cinematography

	Winner
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford	Children of Men	The Diving Bell and the Butterfly	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	Road to Perdition
This film represents the best use of lighting I've ever seen in a film. There are so many great shots in the film of light and dark transposed against each other to create great silhouettes and shadows, like the shot of the train approaching Jesse James. There are also several great daytime shots that that paint the environment with unnatural but creative colors.	I'm a sucker for great tracking shots, and Children of Men had the most impressive of the decade (though I am aware they cheated a little bit with some trick editing). The camera follows the action in this film nonstop no matter where it goes, what happens, or how long it takes. My favorite is the extended shot of Clive Owen running through the war field to find his friend.	There was a lot of great cinematography in 2007, and Diving Bell was a great example. Nearly half the film is shot from the first person perspective of the stroke victim main character who can't move a muscle other than one eye. The shots were a perfect way of establishing just how trapped this character is inside his own body because the audience felt the same.	All rings films were superb in their shots, but I'm choosing Fellowship as the winner for featuring more close and intimate shots. Plus it's the film with the most trick photography used to make the hobbit actors appear smaller than the other actors. It's great to see cinematographer Andrew Lesnie resort to simple camera techniques to do something so difficult.	The late Conrad L. Hall had a great career in cinematography, and his last piece of work in Perdition was one of his best. Taking imagery from the graphic novel, he replicates the dark rainy backdrops of the '30s. The use of lighting, silhouettes and reflection is brilliant. Best shot: when Paul Newman is gunned down from what all we can see is a flashing light in the far off darkness.

Honorable Mentions: The Man Who Wasn't There, The New World, The Phantom of the Opera

Best Editing

				Winner
Avatar	The Bourne Ultimatum	Casino Royale	The Departed	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
During the climactic battle in Avatar, there's a lot going on between the helicopters, the dragon creatures, the land armies and so on. There's a lot of characters fighting in a lot of places and it's pretty easy to get lost and forget who is where. But the editing kept everything in tact so perfectly that I didn't get confused once.	Bourne Ultimatum represents some of the quickest dynamic editing I've seen, without overdoing it like some films have. The most notable scene is Bourne's one on one fight with Dash that is quickly cut between several angles even faster than the two are throwing punches, but it never becomes tiredsome.	Of course this film's sequel Quantum of Solace went way overboard with its editing. But Casino Royale got it just right. The numerous action sequences are perfectly cut so that they remain fast and dynamic without causing confusion. But even the simpler things like the poker game require some careful editing to establish who has what hand.	Thelma Schoonmaker has always done great editing for Scorsese films, but Departed was a new challenge due to its dual-plot narrative. Brilliantly, the editing switches between the two lead characters as if they're both living the same life simultaneously. Best edited sequence: the cat and mouse chase sequence in the dark alley.	By the third film, there were about five parallel stories going on in Lord of the Rings and it took some careful editing to be able to switch between each and still give them all their proper timing. This combined with the action sequences made for a well edited film. Best edited sequence: when Legolas singlehandedly takes down the Olephant.

Honorable Mentions: The Dark Knight, The Hurt Locker, Wanted

Best Costumes

Winner
The Curse of the Golden Flower	Gladiator	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Memoirs of a Geisha	Moulin Rouge!
These costumes are clearly over the top, but in a good way. The costume designers fitted up a whole army of warriors laden with gold. And the costumes of the royal family were equally lush, detailed and fit with the whole golden color scheme. Asian culture costumes always impress here, and I think these were the best of the slate.	The opening sequence features a whole army of iron clad soldiers. And the gold linen royal costumes were a luxurious wonder. But some of the best costumes come from the heavy and symboled armor of the gladiators. My favorite article: the spikey helmet worn by Maximus. It really encompasses his savage killing nature.	There's great contrast in this film's costumes. Compare the Scandanavian-inspired horse-decorated armor of the kingdom of Rohan to the medieval England-inspired monochrome armor of the kingdom of Gondor. Then you have the spiritual robed Elves as well as the short-trousered Hobbits. The many worlds make for a great range of costumes.	Again, it's pretty easy to impress me with period Asian costumes, in this case borrowing history from WWII era Japan, an interesting time when the war started modernizing the culture. The numerous geisha costumes are a layered palette of color and unusal items from the period, like the tall wooden shoes. Odd culture, but great costumes.	These costumes are clearly over the top as well, and though they may not be perfectly accurate to the time and location in which they are set, they are accurate in depicting the culture that they represent. Satine's many dresses, and costumes in the big dance numbers are full of the detail and color that perfectly enhance Baz Luhrman's crazy style.

Honorable Mentions: Australia, The Last Samurai, Marie-Antoinette

Best Makeup

			Winner
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button	How the Grinch Stole Christmas	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Planet of the Apes	X2: X-Men United
Lots of films featured great aging makeup, including A Beatiful Mind and Click, but I'm going to have to go with Benjamin Button for accomplishing both the forward aging of Cate Blanchett and the reverse aging of Brad Pitt. Particularly on close-up shots it's clear that it's the most convincing aging makeup to date.	This is a lost art. If this film were made today, CGI would be used to create the Grinch instead of the complicated prosthetic work Rick Baker provided for this film. The best part of the Grinch is not only does it look really good, but Jim Carrey is even capable of giving the character his big trademark grin through it.	Again, there's great makeup throughout the trilogy, but I choose Return of the King for featuring the most made-up characters: the stubborn dwarf Gimli, the army of rotten decaying Orcs, and the land of the dead. And let's not forget the opening sequence that featured Andy Serkis slowly transforming into Gollum.	Likewise, if this film were made today the apes would all be CGI and/or performance capture. So this is probably the last film we'll ever see with really great makeup on an entire army of apes. There was great creativity in the range from chimp to gorilla to orangutan, each of which was fully able to show their full facial emotions through the complex prosthetics.	The last two X-Men films also deserve credit for creating well made-up characters like Beast and the Blob. But I have to go with X2 for featuring two great makeup characters. Nightcrawler is finely decorated with blue self-inflicted angelic scars. And the more impressive Mystique is naked and covered head to toe with blue and rubbery fish scales.

Honorable Mentions: Apocalypto, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Van Helsing

Best Visual Effects

Winner
Avatar	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button	King Kong	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Like I did for my sections on the '80s and '90s, I'm going to have to give best visual effects of the decade to a James Cameron film. In Avatar Cameron finally perfected motion capture technology by capturing the voice, facial acting, and body acting of multiple actors simultaneously. The result is the most real CGI performances to date. Plus Cameron gets credit for revolutionizing and popularizing 3D technology.	Convincing CGI characters had been around for about 10 years before Benjamin Button came along. But Button was the first film to feature a completely realistic CGI human being, in this case the oldish young Benjamin Button character. It was after this accomplishment when I finally admitted that we are at a point where there is nothing visual effects can't do.	The Weta Digital crew appears twice here, this time for the spectacular Kong remake. Not only was Kong himself a great accomplishment of performance capture, both in face and body, but practically the entire set was digital, and there are several other great CGI creatures. Best effect: seeing Andy Serkis get slowly eaten by the giant leech. The best effects are ones like those that have really tight CGI/reality interaction.	Each of the three Lord of the Rings films got progressively better in visual effects. But I'll have to pick Two Towers for taking the biggest leap into great visual effects thanks mostly to Gollum, who at that point was the most real-looking CGI character ever, and had the best acting of a CGI character ever. I also love the visual effects shot of King Theoden's transformation as his curse wares off.	The first Transformers deserves recognition for creating the most complicated CGI characters in history. But Revenge of the Fallen took it to a new level with its gigabyte level record-setting CGI that involved characters that could shapeshift into realistic animated characters. The gold crown is Devastator, the huge Constructicon rendered from over 50,000 digital parts.

Honorable Mentions: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, War of the Worlds

Best Sound Mixing and Editing

		Winner
Avatar	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	Wall-E
The final battle in Avatar has so much going on at once that it must have been a challenging mix. But the most impressive sound aspects of the film are all of the creature noises created, from the flying dragon creatures to the land predators. Then there's the sci-fi technology sounds of the ships and guns. They were certainly some weird but spot-on effects.	The battle of Minas Tirith had so much going on that it must have been an impossible mix, and yet it was very clean cut. Plus there are some really creative sound effects like the roar of the Olephants, the snarling of Shelob, and the haunting echo voice of the Ring. Plus there was something about the sound of the Minas Morgul scene that really blew me away.	The Star Wars films have always been known for their brilliant sound work, thanks mostly to the effects of Ben Burtt. Attack of the Clones was also good, but I'm going to have to go with Revenge of the Sith for having an action-packed but occasionally dramatic mix with creative sound effects like the roar of an army of wookies.	Greg Russell has mixed some of the best sounds in film history, and I believe the second Transformers was his best. The film is full of original effects, especially the mechanical sounds made when the characters transform. But the strength of the mix is evident when you consider all of the action going on at once, and yet the sound is still crystal clear.	Ben Burtt is probably the best sound editor in history, most notably for the Star Wars films. So it's appropriate that he would work on Wall-E to create completely synthetic voices for the robot characters Wall-E and EVE. They were comprehensible and yet completely digital. It made the film feel so much more real.

Honorable Mentions: Iron Man, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Pearl Harbor

Best Musical Score

			Winner
Danny Elfman (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)	Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)	Hans Zimmer (Gladiator)	Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)	A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)
Elfman again had several great scores this decade including Spider-Man and Corpse Bride. But I figure I'll award him for one of his many characteristc Tim Burton scores. Like any Burton film, this score rolls through the opening credit sequence with twisted sound and haunting rhythm. It helps maintain Elfman's status as my second-favorite composer ever.	I wish this composer would compose some mainstream films more often. The score in Crouching Tiger is soothingly gentle and romantacized. And I always love it when the rhythms and instruments for a score fit in with the film's culture: in this case ancient China. The music was soothing and yet tragic when it needed to be.	Zimmer did many great action movie scores this decade such as Pearl Harbor and The Dark Knight. But I have to pick Gladiator as my favorite for being really adventurous and keeping the dyanmic flow of the action going. And it also had its soft-spoken tragedy themes to clense the ears when needed.	Of course, I love the music from all three Rings films, together make a great symphony better than anything Beethoven or Mozart could come up with. But I pick Return of the King as the winner for the perfectly fluid and emotional mix that includes numbers such as the strong triumphant Gondor Theme, the natural legend Rohan Theme, and the gentle warm Shire Theme. So many of these tracks are playing in my head every day.	Slumdog was a very heart-warming and intense film, and a lot of it is thanks to A.R. Rahman's score. While blending the cultural instuments and voices native to India, the score emits the chaotic madness of inner city Dubai, and enchants the audience with its soft-spoken romance theme and just the right moments.

Honorable Mentions: Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain), John Williams (The Patriot), Craig Armstrong (World Trade Center)

Best Song

	Winner
U2 "The Hands that Built America" (Gangs of New York)	Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova "Falling Slowly" (Once)	Diane Warren "There You'll Be" (Pearl Harbor)	Linkin Park "New Divide" (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)	Peter Gabrial, Thomas Newman "Down to Earth" (Wall-E)
I'm not a huge fan of U2, but I do love this song of theirs. It's a great gentle rock song that really embraces America and the hands of the Irish that helped form it, appropriately enough sung by an Irish band. And when the film came out in the aftermath of 9/11, it was a good song to hear playing for its shining light on New York.	I love all the songs on this list and listen to them myself frequently, but the reason why I'm choosing "Falling Slowly" as the winner is because, unlike the others, this song plays an important part in the context of the film. The scene where the Glen and Marketa first sing the song together and are clearly growing closer together as they sing in harmony is one of my favorite scenes of the decade. The film wouldn't have been nearly as good had it not been for this beautiful song.	Diane Warren has written some of my favorite movie songs ever like "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon. But this was her best of the decade for her Faith Hill-performed song of love and loss. I did like the film Pearl Harbor more than most and I think the song fits well with its period romance theme.	The Linkin Park song "What I've Done" which played over the end credits of the first Transformers got me interested in the band. But their follow-up rock song which played more of an integral role in the score to Revenge of the Fallen got me hooked on the band. This has to be one of my favorite rock songs, and it's also a great Guitar Hero song.	This bouncy up and down song is just really catchy fits the film nicely with its theme of man's achievement. Playing over the end credits while watching the miniature static Wall-E and EVE chase each other was delightful, as is singing this song to myself in the shower, something I do with pretty much all on this list.

Honorable Mentions: "Into the West" (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), "Believe" (The Polar Express), "America, F*** Yeah!" (Team America: World Police)

Best Hero

		Winner
The Bride (Kill Bill: Vol. I and II)	Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy)	Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy)	Optimus Prime (Transformers 1 and 2)	Wolverine (X-Men Quadrilogy)
Quentin Tarantino is one of those writers who writes good roles for women, and the Bride (aka Beatrix Kiddo) is probably his best one. If you heard of a sword-wielding revenge-seeking assassin with dozens of kills, you wouldn't normally expect it to be a woman. But Tarantino and Uma Thurman make her a deadly killer that we root for.	Gandalf is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of this decade. He's the wise mentor we all wish would guide us through life, provide wisdom, and if needed unleash his mighty prowess in battle. Ian McKellen deserved his Oscar nomination for making Gandalf such a caring and yet almost godlike wizard. Most heroic moment: standing before the Balrog on the narrow bridge yelling, "You shall not pass!"	Johnny Depp saw a complete resurgence in his career thanks to this one creative role. Captain Jack Sparrow is a drunk womanizing clumsy pirate bent on finding lost treasure and checking the supply of rum. And yet he's a good guy. Depp's humor and silliness in the performance made Captain Jack one of the most enjoyable heros of the decade. Jack Sparrow is to the '00s what Indiana Jones was to the '80s.	Optimus is the type of leader we would want leading our own army, one who is willing to sacrifice himself at any moment. With his powerful combat abilities, his infinite wisdom, and his god-like voice, he's a beacon onto this world of what a great leader is. Plus, you've got to love the design of the flame-sported, LED-lit, semi truck.	This is the role that made Hugh Jackman a star, and he loved the character so much that he played the same character four times in one decade (something very few actors have accomplished). We love Wolverine too for being the rogue hero always set out to save himself but ends up saving others. And Jackman's fiery fury makes Wolverine a real animal of a hero.

Honorable Mentions: Hellboy (Hellboy 1 & 2), Leonidas (300), Rorschach (Watchmen)

Best Villain

			Winner
Anton Chigurgh (No Country for Old Men)	Frank Costello (The Departed)	Gollum (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy)	The Joker (The Dark Knight)	Col. Hans Landa (Inglourious Basterds)
Though I wasn't quite as impressed with Javier Bardem's performance as some others, there's no taking away from just how creepy this character is. The outfit and the haircut don't make you scream, but when you first see him strangle a cop to death with his own cuffs, you know just how bad this guy is. I just wish they hadn't stolen the coin-tossing concept from Two-Face.	Jack Nicholson certainly should have gotten yet another Oscar nomination for his performance as this Boston mob boss. Costello is quite the experienced businessman and yet has one of the most foul mouths of any other character this decade. I hear it was Nicholson's idea to also make him a sex addict. I think it was a nice touch.	The tricksiest villains are the ones that befriend us then stab us in the back. Gollum is that villain. He's small, frail and weak. He hardly poses any threat. But when under the power of the ring, nothing will stop Smeagol from getting what he wantses. And he wantses the precioussss. Andy Serkis deserves great credit for making Gollum the ring-addicted back-stabber that he is.	From his famous entrance when he makes a pencil "disappear", the ice is broken and you suddenly know exactly who this character is and just how insane he is. Heath Ledger gave the best performance ever as a villain for making Joker a scar-licking, fidgety, masochistic freak. He is one of the few villains in history that truly gave me a serious case of the creeps.	From his opening scene where he enjoys a glass of milk with a French farmer, you know right away that this isn't your typical Nazi character. Never in cinema history has there been a Nazi so clever, charming and philosophical who then suddenly strangles you to death. Christoph Waltz did a great job with the characters humility combined with his self-servitude.

Honorable Mentions: Bill (Kill Bill I and II), Bullseye (Daredevil), Magneto (X-Men Trilogy)

Best Action Choreography

Winner
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	Kill Bill: Vol. I	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith	Troy
There's a reason why this became the highest-grossing foregin film in North America. It's because it has some of the finest-choreographed action sequences film film history. Using numerous weapons, obstacles and arenas, the fight sequences were perfectly fast and fluid dances. My favorite is the brilliant Shu Lien vs. Jen sequence.	You can't have an action choreography category without mentioning the Kill Bill films. I have to give the award to Vol I over II due to the aggresive knife fight with Vernita Green, the one move at a time samurai fight with O-Ren, the painful ball and chain fight with Gogo, and most improtantly the massacre of the Crazy 88.	There were several great action sequences throughout the Pirates franchise, but I have to go with Dead Man's Chest for taking on the challenge of choreographing a three-way fight between Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Commodore Norrington, all while fighting over a key. Plus the obstacle of the giant water wheel made it more acrobatic and amusing.	George Lucas promised us that in the final film, it would feature the ultimate lightsaber battle. He didn't disappoint. The tragic master and apprentice battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan was long-lasting and contained many lava-related obstacles. And Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christiansen performed some of the finest lightsaber moves since Ray Park played Darth Maul.	There aren't too many ancient greek movies where warriors battle with spears and shields, so it's easy to say that Troy had the best spear and shield battle in film history when Achilles fought Hector. The moves were synchronized perfectly, the fight was long-lasting, and Brad Pitt and Eric Bana did a great job showing off their characters' skill in battle.

Honorable Mentions: Casino Royale, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Best Scene

		Winner
Crash "Invisible Cloak"	The Dark Knight "Interrogation Room"	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King "You bow to no one"	Slumdog Millionaire "The Phone Call"	Sweeney Todd "Little Priest"
I loved part one of the scene where the invisible cloak is passed on, but I was struck in the heart in part two of the scene that involved the bullet heard around the world. For one second we believe that the most horrible thing imaginable just happened, then are relieved and feel that something truly magical just happened. I cried. I recovered. But it stuck with me.	First of all, I believe this scene features the greatest splice of acting of the greatest performance of the decade. But also it's an interesting debacle between Batman and Joker and revealing the philosophy of how they need one another and how the people of Gotham don't need either. And the part where Joker is being pummeled and just keeps laughing was one of the scariest things I've seen all decade.	No scene in film history has ever made me shed tears of joy except for this. Every scene in Return of the King deserves a place on this list, many of which made me weep. But no scene has ever brought me greater joy than watching an entire kingdom bow before four little hobbits, a notion that would have seemed impossible before their adventure. I don't think another movie scene has ever made me happier.	There is so much intense stuff happening in this scene. For only 30 seconds, Jamal and Latika are finally reunited over the phone and we know they'll be together soon. Then it's topped off with the thrill of seeing a slumdog achieve the unachieveable. Simultaneous tragedy occurs so there's joy and sadness thrown into one big climax.	There were several musicals this decade and several great musical sequences. But my favorite of them all has to be the twisted duet between Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett, that has them literally singing about... cannibalism! The mere thought of a song about cannibalism is so ridiculous that it makes the scene all the more entertaining in combination with the clever lyrics and fine performances from Depp and Bonham-Carter.

Honorable Mentions: Gladiator (A Hero's Death), King Kong (Fight with the Rexes), World Trade Center (Emerging from the Rubble)

Actor of the Decade

	Winner
Matt Damon Titan AE Ocean's 11 The Bourne Identity The Bourne Supremacy Ocean's 12 Syriana The Departed The Good Shepherd Ocean's 13 The Bourne Ultimatum Invictus	Johnny Depp Before Night Falls Chocolat Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Finding Neverland Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Corpse Bride Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Sweeney Todd Public Enemies The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus	Leonardo Dicaprio Gangs of New York Catch Me if You Can The Aviator The Departed Blood Diamond Revolutionary Road	Brad Pitt Ocean's 11 Troy Ocean's 12 Mr. and Mrs. Smith Babel Ocean's 13 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Burn After Reading The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Inglourious Basterds	Will Smith Ali Men in Black II I, Robot Shark Tale The Pursuit of Happyness I Am Legend Hancock
Damon managed to be part of two of the biggest trilogies of the decade, the action-packed Bourne trilogy and the comedic Ocean's trilogy. Between these successful blockbusters he balanced several independent dramas like The Departed, Good Shepherd and Invictus, the latter of which got him his second Oscar nomination. And thanks to Team America, I now yell "Meht Day Muhn!" whenever I see his face.	Depp's career really broke out in the '00s and made him the biggest star in the business thanks mostly his hilarious turn as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates trilogy. Meanwhile he continued playing several oddball characters for Tim Burton in Charlie, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd. Plus he managed to tackle serious drama in Chocolat and Finding Neverland. Three Oscar nominations were awarded to him this decade.	Dicaprio's list may not be the longest, but he's the only one where I think he deserved an Oscar nomination for almost every film on the list. Dicaprio proved himself to be one of the most talented actors by playing real people in Catch Me and Aviator, tough guys in Gangs and Departed, and gave one of the best drama performances ever in Revolutionary Road.	Aside from having the biggest star power of the decade, Pitt was able to tackle humor in the Ocean's 11 franchise and Basterds, action in Troy and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and drama in Babel and Jesse James. He also got his second Oscar nomination for Benjamin Button, even though I find his best performance of the decade to be the clueless jazzercizer Chaz Feldheimer in Burn After Reading.	By the close of the '90s, Will Smith was becoming the most bankable action star. But in the '00s he dove into serious drama that earned him two Oscar nominations for Ali and Pursuit of Happyness. And yet he was able to maintain his blockbuster star status thanks to Men in Black, I Am Legend and Hancock. Smith remains a star on all stages.

Honorable Mentions: George Clooney, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman

Actress of the Decade

Winner
Cate Blanchett The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou The Aviator Babel The Good German Notes on a Scandal I'm Not There Elizabeth: The Golden Age Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The Curious Case of Benjamin Button	Judi Dench Chocolat Iris Pride and Prejudice Mrs. Henderson Presents Casino Royale Notes on a Scandal Quantum of Solace Nine	Angelina Jolie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Shark Tale Mr. and Mrs. Smith The Good Shepherd A Mighty Heart Beowulf Kung Fu Panda Wanted Changeling	Nicole Kidman Moulin Rouge! The Hours Cold Mountain The Stepford Wives Happy Feet The Golden Compass Australia Nine	Kate Winslet Quills Iris Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Finding Neverland Little Children The Reader Revolutionary Road
Blanchett did everything this decade. Fantasy in Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones, comedy in Life Aquatic, real people in Aviator and I'm Not There and tragic drama in Notes and Benjamin Button. Four Oscar nominations and one win resulted from this fine decade and I think she barely beats Winslet as the most talented actress working today.	Though her only Oscar win was in the '90s, Dench continued to be an Oscar favorite by getting four more nominations this decade for Chocolat, Mrs. Henderson, Notes, and Iris, the latter of which I consider to be her best. Though these serious dramas dominated her career, she was still able to show off her musical pipes in Nine, and remained loyal to the James Bond franchise as M.	Hot off her Oscar win in 2000, Jolie was ready to do everything she wanted this decade. She paved a way for sexy female action stars thanks to Tomb Raider, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Wanted. But she never lost her drama side thanks to Good Shepherd, Mighty Heart and Changeling, plus threw in some animated films like Beowulf and Kung Fu Panda while she was at it.	Kidman really broke into the awards center stage at the beginning of the decade with her dazzling performance in Moulin Rouge!. The very next year she won an Oscar for The Hours. The rest of the decade saw some more strong dramatic performances like Cold Mountain and Australia while also doing some mainstream work like Happy Feet and Golden Compass.	In a very close second place I have to go with Winslet who gave a nomination-worthy performance in every one of these films. There's not as much range as I would like seeing as how they're all serious dramas except for Eternal Sunshine, but she was brilliant in each. I'm glad she finally won an Oscar for The Reader despite deserving it more for Revolutionary Road.

Honorable Mentions: Laura Linney, Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep

Director of the Decade

		Winner
Clint Eastwood Space Cowboys Mystic River Million Dollar Baby Flags of Our Fathers Letters From Iwo Jima Changeling Gran Torino Invictus	Ron Howard How the Grinch Stole Christmas A Beautiful Mind Cinderella Man The Da Vinci Code Frost/Nixon Angels and Demons	Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King King Kong The Lovely Bones	Christopher Nolan Memento Batman Begins The Prestige The Dark Knight	Ridley Scott Gladiator Hannibal Black Hawk Down Kingdom of Heaven American Gangster
I don't think any other director had such a great career so late in their life. Eastwood won his second directing Oscar for Million Dollar Baby and was nominated for his equally impressive Mystic River and Iwo Jima. He managed to cram in at least five other films in this busy decade, and also put in some good acting performances in Gran Torino and Baby.	Opie started off the decade well with the highly successful Grinch, quickly followed by an overdue Oscar win for A Beautiful Mind. He continued directing serious dramas like Cinderella Man and Frost/Nixon but also made films for the mainstream like Da Vinci and Angels. Howard might be considered the former child star with the most prosperous adult career.	Peter Jackson spent almost six years of his life directing the greatest motion picture trilogy ever: The Lord of the Rings. I'm glad the Oscars recognized him for it. But it wasn't over there. He remade another great action fantasy with King Kong and then was able to go more somber and dramatic with The Lovely Bones. Hard to believe one director did so much in one decade.	These four films that Nolan wrote and directed changed filmmaking in several ways. Memento and Prestige were both suspenseful mysteries that completely messed with continuity and caused big twists at the end. And Nolan's two Batman films changed the superhero drama by injecting it with more realism, drama, and intelligence. These traits are now inspiring future filmmakers.	Ridley Scott has done at least one great film per decade for the last four decades. This time he had several. He should have won his overdue Oscar for Gladiator, but at least he got a second nomination for Black Hawk Down. Plus this decade he tackled a thriller in Hannibal, a gangster pic in American Gangster, and another historic actioneer in Kingdom of Heaven, plus three more films I haven't yet seen.

Honorable Mentions: Michael Bay, Jason Reitman, Quentin Tarantino

Well, I hope that you enjoyed my Breach Awards: Best of the '00s. I would tackle the '70s next year, but since this is my final year as host of Awards Breach, I'm afraid this is my last best of a decade column as well. Thank you for reading.