25 for '25

The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century (so far)

• only caveat: one film per director
• shoutout The Big Picture podcast for the inspiration!

25. Lady Bird

24. Hot Fuzz

23. Superbad

22. Get Out

21. The Handmaiden

20. The Favourite

19. Hereditary

18. Everything Everywhere All at Once

if there's a common theme on this list, its that im a sucker for sincere cinema.

17. All About Lily Chou-Chou

When I put this movie on for the first time a few months ago, I couldn't even get through the opening sequence without spamming my friends with texts professing my love for it. I'm just going to let a few of my initial messages speak for themselves:

yes, it was incredibly late at night, and yes, I was out on the town prior to watching, and yes, I may have been under the influence of a few substances... BUT THAT WAS FAR FROM THE FIRST TIME I FOUND MYSELF WATCHING A MOVIE IN THAT STATE AND LEMME TELL YA:

this movie fucks every which way no matter what state of mind you're in (and yes, I've rewatched it since and it still fucks).

P.S.

All About Lily Chou-Chou is a deeply fucked up movie and is an incredibly difficult watch for the vast majority of the film (despite how i've been making it sound)… genuine trigger warnings for sexual assault, bullying, and suicide. That being said, its one of the most beautifully shot films I've ever seen. The themes of alienation, escapism, peer-pressure, social media, youth, and fandom are explored in such a raw, unflinching manner. There's such a universality to the film's depictions of the horrors of adolescence, yet its simultaneously hyper-specific in its physical and temporal setting (Japan in the late 90s/early 2000s). This movie feels so lived in and only through such specificity of place and time can it ellicit such an emotional response from a global audience.

I've been thinking a lot about how complicated and impractical it is to find a community in our current society. Its been on my mind for a variety of reasons, less-so that I've been feeling especially lonely and more-so that I've just been consuming a lot of media that touches on the subject. While alienation (also see: escapism) is a common theme of many films on this list,All About Lily Chou-Chou is the film that keeps coming to mind when I try to think through the social and economic factors that contribute to the loneliness epidemic that's plagued the youth for decades. Sigh, anyways, I'm done rambling, but I just want to add that this movie also has such an incredible soundtrack, so have fun checking that out if you trust my music taste.

16. Children of Men

lol if The Brutalist was "up my alley", this movie features this scene. its unbearable how relevant this film is specifically in regard to america's despicable treatment of immigrants (illegal, legal, whatever it shouldn't matter they're ppl like holy shit have some empathy). the filmmaking in this is maybe the best of the century? the way it demonstrates the infighting that seems to always pop up between leftist factions in the face of oppression is dope + Cuaron empathizes with the correct side + we need to work together to fight the real enemy.

• quote from Mark Fisher's Capitalist Realism regarding Children of Men

15. The Brutalist

My buildings were designed to endure such erosion.

a self-indulgent, uncompromised 3 hour epic about the lie at the core of the american dream, how capitalism shackles artists, escapism thru drugs (and fucking zionism), the inability of the bourgeois class to engage with art… idk its just all very up my alley. oh and it took fucking risks!

• very thought-provoking The Big Picture podcast episode featuring Adam Nayman

14. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

this movie blew away my expectations… what i was anticipating would've been dope too but i mean cmon now. no one expects something of this magnitude going into a first-time viewing of any film. i was aware of the prestige and universal acclaim, but this is truly an epic in every sense of the word.

to briefly touch on the fight scenes, they fucking float lol. the moment in the initial showdown between Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh where they both just take off into the air holy shit its an "omg i love the movies" moment. it instantly communicates the enchanting/romantic nature of these mythic martial artists and their mastery over the craft. and it looks cool as fuckkk

so the leads of this movie (Ziyi, Yeoh, and Chow Yun-Fat) play maybe the three coolest people to ever exist? all of them deliver phenomenal performances, but its impossible not to key in on Zhang Ziyi. as a 20 year old, she's trusted with large chunks of a film that also features two of asia's most renown/beloved actors. needless to say, Ziyi was more than up to the task (lol her character is also just so cool this movie is so cool)

there's a lot that contributes to the magic of this movie (too much to try and list rn), but my fav theme is the suppression of desire between Yeoh and Yun-Fat's characters. i'm not going to spoil, but if you've seen it you know the vibe. what a banger

13. Whiplash

ur so pressed abt whether ur rushing or dragging, but when was the last time u asked urself why the fuck you give such a shit? do you even remember the moment that you stopped loving the thing u spend every waking moment trying to perfect? are you aware that ur never going to be able to? are you scared? do you need ur abusive teacher just as much as he needs you? do u feel more at ease when ur with someone who pushes you further than ur capable of being pushed? how have you fallen so deeply into obsession? or, why are you so scared of no longer being able to indulge urself in this obsession that ur making a father-figure out of a man whos life was broken by it? there is no perfecting it, you're now only capable of seeking satisfaction through the same cycle of trauma that's broken the fools that went down this path before you. cmon, miles. let's just go to the movies or something..

oooo i love this movie. its in the pantheon of the movie-about-how-self-destructive-it-is-to-make-movies subgenre… and, since its Damien Chazelle, obviously the metaphor for filmmaking is jazz music (p.s. all of Chazelle's movies fit in this subgenre). the ending is maybe(?) misinterpreted by some ppl, but omg is it devastating…

12. Inglourious Basterds

was my fav movie throughout high school and i'm very due to watch it again. my fav Tarantino + fuck nazis… its undeniable how entrenched some of these scenes/set-pieces are in the minds of everyone who watched them. that feat alone is incredibly special, but this movie's sum is still greater than its parts… just kind of like a masterclass i suppose lol also: excuse my language, but Quentin stop being a little self-righteous bitch and just make another movie y r u more worried abt ur legacy than just making a movie abt whatever ur into at the time? u made a dumb rule for yourself and ur the only one who cares anddd well yeah i just like want u to get over yourself bc u make great movies. not to mention ur wrong to universally criticize the later career works of directors: not only have ppl like Miyazaki and Scorsese both made ur theory look stupid as hell in the past couple of years, and those r just examples off the dome. do whatever u want, i guess, i dont have any right to demand something from an artist, but damn dude i do not understand ur mindset rn

11. Dune: Part 2

i dont think ive ever written anything significant abt Dune, which is an unusual thing for me to (not) do when i love something to the extent that i love Dune. the movies both fuck (and so will Messiah, fuck the doubters + trust in Villeneuve's vision), and the books are among my all-time favorites (mandatorily acknowledging that i dont read much ngl). this might be another example of the "Parasite Effect", a term that i just made up. it occurs when i'm just so passionate abt the themes explored and fully aligned with the critiques levelled in films (those akin to Parasite/Dune), and its hard for me to refrain from just saying "hell yeah" or simply listing all the things i love abt them. someday i'll get around to writing more thoughtfully abt Dune, but today is, yet again, not that day.

anyways, here r my fav books (fiction) (unordered):

• Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
• The Dispossessed
• Things Fall Apart
• Dune

(i like sci-fi)

10. Aftersun

ok this is the highest ranked movie that ive only watched once. and i watched it on an airplane. if you've seen it, then you can prob picture me hiding in my hoodie letting tears run down my face while the flight attendant asked if i wanted any water or biscoff cookies. i did cannot do justice to how well paced this movie is. there are a few other films on this list that similarly lure the audience in with their pacing, but i've never found myself as hypnotized as i did watching Afterson. i do not recall empathizing with a character so deeply in this manner… feeling all of his broken and unsatisfied soul, aware of time fleeting away, understanding the love he undoubtably carries for his daughter, watching him summon all of the remain will he has to try to make some sort of impact on someone he cares about, but ever-so-slowly recognizing he doesn't have enough left to give… and he knows it. ugh but watching a person who's given up on the world not only find, but summon the spirit to seek out, the occasional moment that justifies him still being here experiencing life and love… its just too much man lol anytime this movie comes up, the fact that it was director Charlotte Wells' first movie ever is worth bringing up bc omg wtf idk what else to say

9. Ratatouille

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new: an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook." But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artistcan come fromanywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more.

what a life affirming film. i will always cherish it 🐀👨‍🍳

8. Parasite

ya know when something just like absolutely nails all the themes u actively want to seek out in every other piece of artwork u engage with? yeah.

7. Pan's Labyrinth

u guys seen this shit? i feel like we dont talk abt this shit enough. oh my god i love this movie there's something about how the story is told that cannot be undersold in its beauty. the horrors of our world sigh this is one of the most humanistic films ive seen and i vividly remember the impact it had on me when i first watched it on a laptop while laying down on the foot of my bed in like sophomore, actually prob junior, year of high school. i was so entranced i didnt move an inch. right now, i can still call myself back to that specific emotion it solicited in me… it was a constant wave of complicated, heavy, uncompromised, brutal, beauty. i've watched it a few times since, but i'm more than due for another viewing… guess i got plans for tmrw night

6. The Social Network

Sorry, my Prada’s at the cleaners along with my hoodie and my fuck-you flip-flops you pretentious douchebag.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

5. Oppenheimer

if u wouldve told me i'd have Nolan ranked above Fincher prior to Oppenheimer's release (not to mention Tenet), i would've been like "whatever man, he's good and all but Social Network AND Zodiac exist??" anyways, this is far and away my fav nolan and has been since i first watched/reviewed it

**note: i love Tenet and had to mention it, but i wouldnt put it above either of the Fincher films i referenced (just to quell the (uncultured) Tenet haters before they get upset abt not having the courage to submit themselves to that incredible film)… alsoInterstellar fucks too i forgot to say anything abt it so there ya go

4. Spirited Away

i think me loving Miyazaki so much, seeing every movie he's made, and having a few personal favs that i cherish more than Spirited Away all worked against it in these rankings…

that is: this time i'm spending trying to justify only ranking it the fourth best film of the past 25 years is a testament to how incredible this piece of art is… plz forgive me, Miyazaki-san 😭🫡

• Studio Ghibli Movie Rankings

3. Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max vs. Spirited Away for the bronze metal is an absolutely brutal matchup. im going with my heart and my gut (but things r getting interesting i dont like that i had to do this)

2. Paprika

yep. it was always going to be these two films at the top. i obviously love this movie. i've probably said this about other movies in the past, but i can't think of a single film that aligns with my taste more than Paprika—wait fuck nevermind lol i somehow forgot End of Evangelion existed for a split-second there. ANYWAYS, its always overwhelming when i attempt to articulate—ya know what.

i really don't want to even tiptoe around a critical analysis of this film… i genuinely don't know where (or how) to start because whenever i try to focus on any particular element, i'm reminded of three more things that i love and how they're all connected and build off each other an—SOMEDAY i'll write a book or something, but for now: this is what i wrote when i watched this masterpiece for the first time.

on another note…

i'll forever mourn the immense, immense loss of the singular, genius artist who was Satoshi Kon. he made four outstanding films and a brilliant anime all by age 46. he gave the world so much, and we've been robbed of what should've been decades more of his visionary artistry. fuck cancer so hard. sigh, well here are a few great youtube vids abt Kon for those interested:

• The SATOSHI KON PROBLEM (video essay by STEVEM)
• Satoshi Kon and Why Love Is All You Need (video essay series by BREADSWORD)
  • Ep. 1 - Perfect Blue
  • Ep. 2 - Millenium Actress
  • Ep. 3 - Tokyo Godfathers

1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 hey this wasn't so hard! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥