In case anyone wants to add their two cents, the New York Times is conducting a poll where readers can vote for their ten best films of the 21st Century...
Here are mine, alphabetized (poll listings aren't numerical)...
Best of Enemies: Buckey Vs. Vidal
Casino Royale
Harriet
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Hotel Rwanda
The King's Speech
Match Point
Oppenheimer
Samurai Marathon -- which I had to add because it wasn't on their list. Top Gun: Maverick
In the Mood for Love (2000)
The New World (2005)
A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
Zodiac (2007)
Atonement (2007)
Never Let Me Go (2010)
About Time (2013)
45 Years (2015)
20th Century Women (2016)
Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
Agree Paul, this is a tough assignment because I've had to look through lists to come up with 10...and I'm probably STILL missing some here also!
These are just in alphabetical order and I purposefully avoided the usual trendy picks like MAD MAX FURY ROAD, GLADIATOR, anything by Paul WS Anderson which I usually find overrated too.
I also like genre movies but instead of BLACK PANTHER my list would go like this, offering a few different genres and not just (what used to be called) "Oscar fare".
1917
Nolan's Batman Trilogy (as a collective whole)
Captain Phillips
Conjuring 2
Gravity
The Patriot
Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl
Oppenheimer
Spider-Man 2
Top Gun Maverick
These were the reader's picks. A lot of overlap with the films on the official list.
1. Parasite
2. Mulholland Drive
3. No Country for Old Men
4. There Will Be Blood
5. Interstellar
6. The Dark Knight
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
8. Spirited Away
9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
10. The Social Network
11. Inglorious Basterds
12. In the Mood for Love
13. Everything Everywhere All at Once
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
16. La La Land
17. Get Out
18. Moonlight
19. Whiplash
20. Arrival
21. Children of Men
22. The Grand Budapest Hotel
23. Oppenheimer
24. Inception
25. The Departed
26. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
27. Dune Part II
28. The Royal Tenenbaums
29. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
30. Brokeback Mountain
31. Before Sunset
32. Lost in Translation
33. Gladiator
34. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
35. Aftersun
36. Lady Bird
37. City of God
38. Call Me By Your Name
39. Pan's Labyrinth
40. Oldboy
41. Zodiac
42. Little Miss Sunshine
43. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
44. WALL-E
45. Phantom Thread
46. Amelie
47. Past Lives
48. Kill Bill Vol. 1
49. Memories of Murder
50. Pride and Prejudice
51. Almost Famous
52. Sinners
53. Superbad
54. The Wolf of Wall Street
55. Y Tu Mama Tambien
56. The Zone of Interest
57. Ocean's Eleven
58. Ratatouille
59. Django Unchained
60. Little Women
61. Memento
62. Hereditary
63. Blade Runner 2049
64. Her
65. Fantastic Mr. Fox
66. O Brother Where Art Thou?
67. The Handmaiden
68. Tár
69. Yi Yi
70. The Florida Project
71. The Tree of Life
72. Uncut Gems
73. Spotlight
74. Black Swan
75. Boyhood
76. The Worst Person in the World
77. The Prestige
78. Michael Clayton
79. Gone Girl
80. Anatomy of a Fall
81. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
82. Mean Girls
83. Perfect Days
84. Barbie
85. Up
86. Dune Part One
87. The Master
88. Top Gun: Maverick
89. Drive My Car
90. Bridesmaids
91. Knives Out
92. The Incredibles
93. Killers of the Flower Moon
94. Moneyball
95. Inside Llewyn Davis
96. Howl's Moving Castle
97. The Lighthouse
98. The Holdovers
99. Midsommer
100. Avengers: Endgame
I didn't realize until after I posted that the Times actually listed the Readers Top 500 films.
101. Synecdoche, New York
102. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
103. Punch-Drunk Love
104. Nope
105. American Psycho
106. Poor Things
107. The Lives of Others
108. Hot Fuzz
109. Challengers
110. Inside Out
111. The Devil Wears Prada
112. In Bruges
113. Donnie Darko
114. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
115. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
116. Requiem for a Dream
117. Best in Show
118. Melancholia
119. Sicario
120. Manchester by the Sea
121. Prisoners
122. First Reformed
123. The Banshees of Inisherin
124. Roma
125. Frances Ha
126. The Substance
127. Incendies
128. The Piano Teacher
129. Drive
130. Moulin Rouge!
131. Shrek
132. Paddington 2
133. The Big Short
134. Chicago
135. Adaptation
136. The Witch
137. Coco
138. Toy Story 3
139. 1917
140. The Pianist
141. Anora
142. Ex Machina
143. Avatar
144. Casino Royale
145. A Separation
146. A Serious Man
147. Moonrise Kingdom
148. Burning
149. Jojo Rabbit
150. Shrek 2
151. Dunkirk
152. Finding Nemo
153. Under the Skin
154. Spider-Man 2
155. Carol
156. 28 Days Later
157. I Saw the TV Glow
158. Shaun of the Dead
159. Catch Me If You Can
160. About Time
161. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
162. The Favourite
163. Slumdog Millionaire
164. Inland Empire
165. Avengers: Infinity War
166. Black Panther
167. Godzilla Minus One
168. Your Name.
169. Shutter Island
170. The Batman
171. Juno
172. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
173. Sideways
174. The Martian
175. Babylon
176. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
177. The Irishman
178. Coraline
179. Legally Blonde
180. School of Rock
181. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
182. The Act of Killing
183. Mamma Mia!
184. Mysterious Skin
185. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
186. 12 Years a Slave
187. La Chimera
188. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
189. Midnight in Paris
190. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
191. Collateral
192. The Lobster
193. Decision to Leave
194. Conclave
195. Monster
196. Napoleon Dynamite
197. Volver
198. How to Train Your Dragon
199. Silver Linings Playbook
200. Borat
201. Atonement
202. Shoplifters
203. The Nice Guys
204. Wicked
205. Step Brothers
206. Dogville
207. Silence
208. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
209. Snatch
210. Nickel Boys
211. Marie Antoinette
212. John Wick
213. Caché
214. The Fall
215. Minority Report
216. Skyfall
217. Tropic Thunder
218. Dancer in the Dark
219. Gravity
220. The Great Beauty
221. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
222. Lincoln
223. Speed Racer
224. Flow
225. RRR
226. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
227. The Shape of Water
228. Titane
229. Good Time
230. 500 Days of Summer
231. Let the Right One In
232. Nightcrawler
233. Joker
234. The Hangover
235. The Wind Rises
236. Sound of Metal
237. The Bourne Identity
238. The King’s Speech
239. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
240. Paprika
241. The Brutalist
242. Monsters, Inc.
243. Another Round
244. Argo
245. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
246. Amour
247. All of Us Strangers
248. Love Actually
249. The Hurt Locker
250. Training Day
251. Big Fish
252. Baby Driver
253. I’m Still Here
254. Hell or High Water
255. Zero Dark Thirty
256. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
257. Amores Perros
258. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
259. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
260. Talk to Her
261. The Hateful Eight
262. The Fabelmans
263. It’s Such a Beautiful Day
264. Green Book
265. A Beautiful Mind
266. Marriage Story
267. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
268. The Hunt
269. Million Dollar Baby
270. Goodbye, Dragon Inn
271. The Revenant
272. Us
273. Grizzly Man
274. Mommy
275. Edge of Tomorrow
276. Burn After Reading
277. Tenet
278. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
279. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
280. CODA
281. Sorry to Bother You
282. Climax
283. Iron Man
284. Beau travail
285. Wet Hot American Summer
286. Miami Vice
287. Inherent Vice
288. Crazy, Stupid, Love.
289. Annihilation
290. The Boy and the Heron
291. Cast Away
292. Asteroid City
293. Holy Motors
294. Lilo & Stitch
295. Cold War
296. The Notebook
297. Bottoms
298. Sing Sing
299. It Follows
300. The Hours
301. Dogtooth
302. The White Ribbon
303. Bridget Jones’s Diary
304. Logan
305. The Darjeeling Limited
306. Millennium Actress
307. The Raid: Redemption
308. Train to Busan
309. Booksmart
310. All Quiet on the Western Front
311. Twilight
312. Nomadland
313. Certified Copy
314. The Virgin Suicides
315. The Gleaners & I
316. Werckmeister Harmonies
317. Guardians of the Galaxy
318. Mystic River
319. Ford v Ferrari
320. District 9
321. Spring Breakers
322. Cars
323. The Death of Stalin
324. Nosferatu
325. Love Exposure
326. The Hunger Games
327. V for Vendetta
328. Licorice Pizza
329. Gangs of New York
330. 20th Century Women
331. BlacKkKlansman
332. Tangerine
333. Promising Young Woman
334. Hidden Figures
335. Soul
336. Ponyo
337. Margaret
338. The Secret in Their Eyes
339. The Dark Knight Rises
340. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
341. Elf
342. Hundreds of Beavers
343. The Iron Claw
344. The Intouchables
345. True Grit
346. Saw
347. Suspiria
348. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
349. Spider-Man
350. Batman Begins
351. Nobody Knows
352. Erin Brockovich
353. A Star Is Born
354. Crazy Rich Asians
355. The Green Knight
356. Birth
357. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
358. Brooklyn
359. Toni Erdmann
360. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
361. Kung Fu Hustle
362. Tropical Malady
363. Memoria
364. The Wild Robot
365. The Avengers
366. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
367. Moana
368. What We Do in the Shadows
369. Triangle of Sadness
370. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
371. Sexy Beast
372. Remember the Titans
373. Zoolander
374. 25th Hour
375. Sing Street
376. Frozen
377. Tangled
378. Pulse
379. Into the Wild
380. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
381. West Side Story
382. Ghost World
383. The New World
384. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
385. The Beast
386. An Elephant Sitting Still
387. Raw
388. The Help
389. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
390. The Lego Movie
391. Pitch Perfect
392. Battle Royale
393. The Wrestler
394. A History of Violence
395. Hero
396. Before Midnight
397. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
398. Life of Pi
399. Enter the Void
400. Jennifer’s Body
401. Hot Rod
402. The Power of the Dog
403. Minari
404. Pain and Glory
405. Billy Elliot
406. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
407. Gran Torino
408. Bones and All
409. Gosford Park
410. Shin Godzilla
411. Columbus
412. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
413. Black Hawk Down
414. Paterson
415. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
416. Snowpiercer
417. A Ghost Story
418. Isle of Dogs
419. Wedding Crashers
420. Once
421. A Prophet
422. Mandy
423. The Wailing
424. Cloud Atlas
425. Signs
426. The Imitation Game
427. La ciénaga
428. Elephant
429. Palm Springs
430. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
431. Blue Valentine
432. The Princess Diaries
433. The Town
434. Petite Maman
435. Millennium Mambo
436. 2046
437. Beau Is Afraid
438. Tokyo Godfathers
439. Blue Is the Warmest Colour
440. tick, tick... BOOM!
441. The Father
442. The Fast and the Furious
443. Eighth Grade
444. Force Majeure
445. American Fiction
446. Only Lovers Left Alive
447. Avatar: The Way of Water
448. The Cabin in the Woods
449. Aruitemo aruitemo
450. Fast Five
451. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
452. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
453. Munich
454. Unbreakable
455. Inside Man
456. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
457. Beasts of the Southern Wild
458. Infernal Affairs
459. O.J.: Made in America
460. Ida
461. Mother!
462. Pacific Rim
463. The Turin Horse
464. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
465. Irréversible
466. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
467. John Wick: Chapter 4
468. Persepolis
469. Hacksaw Ridge
470. Under the Silver Lake
471. Sunshine
472. Emma.
473. Creed
474. The Other Guys
475. Les Misérables
476. Happy as Lazzaro
477. 13 Going on 30
478. A Silent Voice: The Movie
479. 3 Idiots
480. Wild Tales
481. Lady Vengeance
482. Beautiful Boy
483. If Beale Street Could Talk
484. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
485. High Fidelity
486. Bohemian Rhapsody
487. The Menu
488. May December
489. Pearl
490. Close
491. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
492. Everybody Wants Some!!
493. The Holiday
494. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
495. Dallas Buyers Club
496. Downfall
497. Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time
498. Morvern Callar
499. Long Day’s Journey Into Night
500. The Farewell
