Twenty -five years. Many? Few? Enough to sum up and ask what the best films of the 21st century. Usually, in drawing up these lists, it is always difficult to satisfy everyone. Indeed, to be honest, it is easier to create controversy rather than find a common thread capable of combining millions of cinephiles scattered around the world. But could New York Times exempt yourself from this dirty work? In recent days, the US newspaper has published the list drawn up in collaboration with The Upshot, The section of the newspaper that addresses each issue by combining statistical data and editorial deepening. Have they done everything? Absolutely not. For a precise and complete job, they drew to their very large column of over 500 cinema professionals: directors, actors, simple fans and ninety pieces such as Pedro Almodóvar, Sofia Coppola, Barry Jenkins and Guillermo del Toro. The request was simple: “Tell us your 10 favorite films of the past 25 years”. They collected the votes and that’s what came out.
Before Talk about winners and loserslet’s start with some general considerations: What does this list tell us? First of all, It combines pop and niche. You can find films seen on TV in the early evening – such as The gladiator (#92), The dark knight (#28) or The Social Network (#10) – but also more sought after titles such as I present Toni Erdmann (#59), In The Mood for Love (#4), Tà r (#67) or the most recent Past Lives (#83). The voters seem to look nostalgia in the past: the decade 2000–2009 counts 45 films, The next one (2010-2019) 33 FilmsWhile The last, still in progress, already has 22 films on the list, With another five years to enrich your booty. It is not the prizes that dictate law: taking into consideration the Oscar, Only 9 films awarded as best film by the Academy appear on the listand less than half received at least one statuette in some other category. Then there is a negative figure: out of 100 films, only 11 are signed by a women’s director. Looking at the genres, dominates the drama (about 30%): maybe the more you cry, the more beautiful is the movie? SortEgono Thriller (20%) and Sci-Fi/Fantasy (15%).
Statistics in hand the directors to dominate are Christopher Nolanpresent with five films: INTERSTELLAR (#89), Oppenheimer (#65)Memento (#62)Inception (#55)The dark knight (#28), The brothers Joel and Ethan Coen ** with four films: About Davis (#83), brother, where are you? (#76)To Serious Man (#36) e It is not a country for old people (#6),** with equal merit with Paul Thomas Anderson: Drunk with love (#56)The Master (#42)The hidden thread (#25) and the oil tanker (#3). At the top of the ranking of the countries of origin we find the United Statesfollowed by United Kingdom, France and the outsiders South Korea And Japan. Only one Italian film It appears on the list: Call me by your name (#37) Of Luca Guadagnino.
But here we are the main reach, what most of all captures our attention: The top 10. Without doing it on purpose, The first ten films of this special ranking are representative of the last twenty -five years. It’s like find yourself in front of an emotional and political map of the themes that marked the first two decades of the 2000s. Parasite (#1), directed by Bong Joon-Hotells social disparity, class struggle and economic injustice. In second place, Mulholland Drive Of David Lynch – that he never wanted to clearly clarify what he really wanted to represent – perhaps he captures better than any other the sense of disorientation typical of the beginning of the new millennium. Following There will be Blood (#3) powerful story of the birth of American capitalism, with a Daniel Day-Lewis Simply monumental. In fourth place we find In The Mood for Lovemasterpiece of Wong Kar-Wai that expresses A melancholy soul addressed to the past, while looking to the future with a sort of “cautious pessimism”. Sofia Coppola, who voted for it, described it as a film that “uses cinema as a poetic medium, which does not necessarily have to express everything. I seemed to me something I had never seen before and it was really stimulating to achieve more impressionistic things ». The ranking continues with Moonlight (#5)in fifth position, that Takes Queer and Black themes in the United States. For Barry Jenkinswho chose him among his favorites, is “a portal for teenagers, for a better understanding of themselves or how the world understands them or does not understand them». In sixth place we find It is not a country for old people brothers Coendoes not require explanations: simply crazy. Seventh is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindwhich we choose to call only with the original title, consciously ignoring his terrible Italian translation. The movie Explore the pain of relationships and the catastrophic and surreal effects that could have distorted use of technology. Get out (#8) merges horror and satire to deal with the theme of racism in America, anticipating the social tensions exploded with the movement Black Lives Matter. The enchanted cityninth in the standings, is a masterpiece of Hayao Miyazaki which would deserve a separate chapter. Among all the topics covered, perhaps the one most linked to the problems of our time is the conflict between tradition and consumerism. Closes the top ten The Social Networkthe story of How the digital world was born and with it a new way of relating, made of insulation and competition.
Ultimately, this list of New York Times everyone is satisfied? Perhaps it does not claim to be definitive or objective. It is the result of different tastes that they put together can return A faithful mirror of twenty -five years of cinema. Perhaps the value of this ranking like this is not so much in the titles it includes, but in the discussions it generates, as well as being a Fantastic Vademecum of the films to watch or recover.
Here the complete ranking:
- Parasite (2019) -Bong Joon-Ho
- Mulholland Drive (2001) – David Lynch
- The oil tanker (2007) – Paul Thomas Anderson
- In The Mood for Love (2000) -Wong Kar-Wai
- Moonlight (2016) – Barry Jenkins
- It is not a country for old people (2007) – Joel and Ethan Coen
- If you leave me, delete you (2004) – Michel Gondry
- ESCAPP – GET OUT (2017) – Jordan Peele
- The enchanted city (2001) – Hayao Miyazaki
- The Social Network (2010) – David Fincher
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – George Miller
- The Zone of Interest (2023) – Jonathan Glazer
- The Children (2006) – Alfonso Cuarón
- Bastards without glory (2009) – Quentin Tarantino
- City of God – The city of God (2002) – Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund
- Tiger & Dragon (2000) – Ang Lee
- Brokeback Mountain (2005) – Ang Lee
- Y tu mamá también (2001) – Alfonso Cuarón
- Zodiac (2007) – David Fincher
- The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) – Martin Scorsese
- The tenderbaums (2001) – Wes Anderson
- Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – Wes Anderson
- Boyhood (2014) – Richard Linklater
- Her (2013) – Spike Jonze
- The hidden thread (2017) – Paul Thomas Anderson
- Anatomy of A Fall (2023) – Justine Triet
- Adaptation – a crazy spiral (2002) – Spike Jonze
- The dark knight (2008) – Christopher Nolan
- Arrival (2016) – Denis Villeneuve
- Lost in Translation – Love translated (2003) – Sofia Coppola
- The Departed – Good and Evil (2006) – Martin Scorsese
- Bridesmaids (2011) – Paul Feig
- A separation (2011) – Asghar Farhadi
- Wall -and (2008) – Andrew Stanton
- A prophet (2009) – Jacques Audiard
- A Serious Man (2009) – Joel and Ethan Coen
- Call me by your name (2017) – Luca Guadagnino
- Portrait of the young man on fire (2019) – Céline Sciamama
- Lady Bird (2017) – Greta Gerwig
- Yi Yi – A family story (2000) – Edward Yang
- Amélie’s fabulous world (2001) -Jean-Pierre Jeunet
- The Master (2012) – Paul Thomas Anderson
- Oldboy (2003) -Park Chan-Wook
- Once upon a time … in Hollywood (2019) – Quentin Tarantino
- Moneyball – The art of winning (2011) – Bennett Miller
- Rome (2018) – Alfonso Cuarón
- Almost Famous Almost Famous – (2000) – Cameron Crowe
- The life of others (2006) – Florian Henckel von DonneSmerck
- Before sunset (2004) – Richard Linklater
- Up (2009) – Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
- 12 years Schiavo (2013) – Steve McQueen
- The Favorite (2018) – Yorgos Lanthimos
- Borat (2006) – Larry Charles
- The labyrinth of the fauno (2006) – Guillermo del Toro
- Inception (2010) – Christopher Nolan
- Love punch-red (2002) – Paul Thomas Anderson
- Best in show – 4 legs of champions (2000) – Christopher Guest
- Rough diamonds (2019) – Safdie Brothers
- Toni Erdmann (2016) – Maren Hades
- Whiplash (2014) – Damien Chazelle
- Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2 (2003–2004) – Quentin Tarantino
- Memento (2000) – Christopher Nolan
- Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
- Gone Girl – Bughany love (2014) – David Fincher
- Oppenheimer (2023) – Christopher Nolan
- The spotlight case (2015) – Tom McCarthy
- Tár (2022) – Todd Field
- The Hurt Locker – Siege area (2008) – Kathryn Bigelow
- Under The Skin (2013) – Jonathan Glazer
- Let me in (2008) – Tomas Alfredson
- Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – Steven Soderbergh
- Carol (2015) – Todd Haynes
- Ratatouille (2007) – Brad Bird
- The Florida Project (2017) – Sean Baker
- Amour (2012) – Michael Haneke
- Or Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) – Joel and Ethan Coen
- Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
- Aftersun (2022) – Charlotte Wells
- The Tree of Life (2011) – Terrence Malick
- Volver – return (2006) – Pedro Almodóvar
- Black Swan (2010) – Darren Aronofsky
- The Act of Killing (2012) – Joshua Oppenheimer
- Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) – Joel and Ethan Coen
- Melancholia (2011) – Lars von Trier
- Anchorma – Ron Burgundy’s legend (2004) – Adam McKay
- Past Lives (2023) – Celine Song
- The Lord of the Rings – The Compagnia dello ring (2001) – Peter Jackson
- Still Life (2006) -Jia Zhang-K
- Interstellar (2014) – Christopher Nolan
- Frances has (2012) – Noah Baumbach
- FISH TANK (2009) – Andrea Arnold
- The gladiator (2000) – Ridley Scott
- Michael Clayton (2007) – Tony Gilroy
- Minority report (2002) – Steven Spielberg
- The worst person in the world (2021) – Joachim Trier
- Black Panther (2018) – Ryan Coogler
- Gravity (2013) – Alfonso Cuarón
- Grizzly man (2005) – Werner Herzog
- Memoirs of a killer (2003) -Bong Joon-Ho
- Superbad (2007) – Greg Mottola
Source: Vanity Fair

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