The 20 Best Movies of the Last 20 Years

My favorite movie of all time and an instant word of mouth classic upon its release, The Usual Suspects borrows from other classics in the genre but emerges as a unique and exciting entry into the crime cinema file. There are so many things to laud over from this film: the writing, the acting, the tone, the beauty of the plot, etc. What I will single out is that this is a film that delivers something new each time, leading to a much deeper dissection of the story and everything the film shows on screen and everything it doesn't show. A modern masterpiece.

Not one, but two of the best performances ever delivered by an actor or actress and in the same movie! Foster and Hopkins reach the pinnacle of their profession in their scenes together. Add to the mix an intriguing plot and great direction from Jonathon Demme and this adaptation becomes one of the best of all time. The moment when the lights go out on Clarice in the basement, is more terrifying than anything in any horror movie.

In many ways this was the defining film of the 90's. Almost every scene is a classic, with the dialogue playing center stage for most of the film. A career defining performance from Samuel L. Jackson centers the storyline and the theme and gives cinema one of the greatest monologues of all time.

Subversive, dark and right on the money. This is a personal movie for me, in that I saw this at a point in my life when the ideas of Tyler Durden really had a chance to sink into my brain and impact the way I viewed our consumer culture and physical violence. At that point I had never been in a fight. I used to walk around intimidated. Not after seeing this movie. I didn't give a sh*t what anyone thought and became my own person. Thanks for the life lessons Fight Club.

Seeing this a couple weeks after watching Fight Club really had a profound impact upon me and made me appreciate "every moment of my stupid little life." Kevin Spacey knocks it out of the park as the repressed Lester Burham, the everyman with whom every repressed man completely empathizes. Gorgeous cinematography from Conrad Hall on what would be his last movie adds another beautiful layer to this already layered masterpiece. An amazing script from Alan Ball provides so many great moments but with so many lines to choose from I always laugh at this: Carolyn Burnham: She doesn't want us to know how important this is to her. But she's been practicing her steps for weeks. Lester Burnham: Well, I'll bet money she's going to resent it, and I'm missing the James Bond marathon on TNT.

I had no idea what I was in store for when I went into the theater and when I came out all I knew was that I immediately wanted another 3 hours of this unbelievable story. The care that is paid to making the world of Middle Earth credible is beyond incredible. Ian McKellen is perfect as Gandalf and in fact all the cast is pretty much note perfect in their performances. What stays with me most about this film is how shocked I was by the level of violence in the Mines or Moiria. I did not expect that amount of badassery for a PG-13 movie. Oh and Gandalf vs. the Balrog is my personal favorite moment of the entire series.

I knew it would be tough to create a great ending to a story that had already spanned two classic films but I was very impressed with how Peter Jackson pulled it off. The Battle of Pelanor Fields is an amazement to watch every time and the charge of the Roherim is one of the top goose-bump-inducing moments in the long history of battlefield epics. While some might complain of too many multiple endings I enjoyed seeing everything get wrapped up and not having any loose ends to wonder about for the rest of my days. Thanks to all involved for the Star Wars of this generation.

I came to this movie with high expectations, which is never a good thing for a sequel. Batman Begins was a 10 for me and the fact that this movie had the Joker in it...lets just say the deck was stacked against The Dark Knight. When I walked out of the theater and sat in my car for 5 minutes, digesting what I had just witnessed, I could only think to myself, "They did it." Not only meeting but exceeding my expectations this film had it all and apparently everyone else thought so as well as it went on to become the #2 highest grossing movie ever (until Avatar). Heath Ledger defined The Joker and no one will even attempt to put the character in another live action film for at least 50 years because that's how good his performance was. The depth and themes of the script for this being a "comic book movie", were truly astounding and the action, writing, acting, score, set design and direction weren't too bad either. Instant classic.

This is the kind of movie people talk about when the word "gutpunch" gets thrown around. What could have been a cliche'd old cop/new cop retiring after one last case formula movie, turns out to be an art direction tour-de-force and showed that director David Fincher is a true master of his craft. Atmospheric, tense, twisted and just a damn good movie with an all time classic ending.

I love this movie. Love it. I had really liked an appreciated the great work Pixar had done before but this was the first film they had done that really struck a nerve in my inner child. The action sequences are top notch with the jungle escape as the main centerpiece. The film is also laugh out loud funny with all of the superhero injokes and midlife crisis moments. "No capes!" I think what makes me love the film most of all is the world of the film. I love Frozone and Mr. Incredible sitting in the car listening to the police scanner, loooking for action. It was a very believable fantasy. Again, great writing and direction from Brad Bird who has seated himself next to John Lasseter and Pete Docter as the reigning kings of animation.

How many times can I fit Kevin Spacey onto this list? As many times as I need to. This is the neo-noir that all other neo-noirs aspire to (aside from Chinatown). A fabulous script and intriguing plot, supported by great actors and great direction take the viewer on a trip to yester-year. The great thing about this movie is that all of the major players have great character depth to them, Crowe, Pearce, Spacey, Bassinger, Cromwell, DeVito and Strathairn all have distinct personalities, goals and needs and we know each and every one of them by film's end. Not an easy task, considering the density of the plot. Quite simply the best neo-noir next to Chinatown.

I missed this in theaters. I know. However, this was the first movie I ever watched, rewound (yes I said rewound), and watched again from the start. The mind bending concept and the mind bending action combined to give us a classic sci/fi action film. The sequels watered down the original, which is a shame, but if you take this one on its own merits it is still one of the best around. The moment we all get sucked down the rabbit hole with Neo and wake up in the pink goo wondering what the hell is going on is the moment where this film stops being just a movie and becomes an immersive experience. Then there's the brilliant Hugo Weaving, whose portrayal of a machine (computer program, whatever) with emotions and thoughts and how he expresses those is fascinating. Oh yeah and the lobby sequence, the subway fight and the helicopter crash are some of the best action set pieces ever.

Funniest damn movie ever. Start quoting it and you won't stop. Cemented Will Ferrel, Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell as comedy icons. The jazz flute afternoon delight, the newsteam showdown, Ron Burgundy reading the teleprompter, sex panther, Brick, etc, etc, etc. A non stop showcase of hilarity that will be watched again and again till the day the earth goes up in flames. "Oh, it's so hot. Milk was a bad choice."

Finally, a cartoon musical for adults about kids who swear like we all did when we were children. For all its absurdity and hilarity the message of censorship and hypocrisy in this country when it comes to bad language vs violence is actually spot on. This basically plays as a 90 minute version of the TV show without the bleeps and with musical numbers that are so infectious you'll be humming "Uncle F***a" or "Mountain Town" for days on end.

The two main things I come out of this movie with are Charlie Kaufman can write damn good dialogue and complex characters and how much I appreciate my memories, the good and the bad. Kate Winslett gives her career best performance as the complicated, whimsical Clementine and Jim Carrey is wonderfully understated as Joel. The opening scene on the train is some of the most realistic dialogue committed to the screen and carried off to perfection by both actors. While the concept of erasing ones memories takes a backseat to the characters and the dialogue, it really hits home when Joel realizes the mistake he's making. Very poignant and true to life. Kirsten Dunst's character quoted it best: "How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! / The world forgetting, by the world forgot / Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! / Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd."

The quintessential movie about high school, popularity and making sense of your life at the end of your adolescence. Following an all star cast of characters on the last day of school and the end of the year parties that follow leads to many a hilarious moment, all of it seeming like a story being told to you by one of your best friends. Following so many characters there are many great moments but none better than Randall "Pink" Floyd looking around the empty football stadium realizing that all the pressure of the moment doesn't mean anything and to enjoy life for what it is. Said best by Wooderson, "You just gotta keep livin man. L-I-V-I-N." As a bonus, this film has one of the best soundtracks around, bar none.

The ultimate in badassery. That first scene is a helluva way to start a film, followed by that haunting song from Nancy Sinatra. Tarantino's homage to kung-fu, samurai and Eastern cinema in general is such a fun ride that all logic gets thrown out the window to the benefit of a great storyteller. Uma has never been better and the character of the Bride may be Tarantino's greatest creation. The House of Blues Leaves sequence is astounding and culminates in that beautiful final fight between the Bride and O-Ren Ishii in the snow. One of the greatest revenge movies with a great cliffhanger ending setting you up for part two.

Deniro. Pacion. Coffee shop. This is an adult movie through and through with no punches pulled, no dialogue dumbed down and nothing but brutal honesty on screen courtesy of director Michael Mann. The bank heist alone makes this film an all time crime classic but it's the characterization of both Pacino and Deniro's characters that vaults this film past great crime film, into the rare air of the all time greats. Great supporting work by all the actors and a tight script make for an entertaining, believable ride on one last job in which the audience can root for either main character. Quite a feat of filmmaking indeed.

By taking Batman back to his beginning and showcasing Bruce Wayne instead of the persona of Batman or his great litany of villains, director Christopher Nolan successfully recreated the gritty reality of Gotham and got audiences to believe what they were seeing. One year after Spider Man 2 showed the depth and themes that a comic book movie could explore Nolan blew the doors wide open and tackled the ideas of fear, justice and accountability in the perfect vehicle for such an examination. Brilliant. Now a major part of the film's success (and some say the downfall of The Dark Knight) is Christian Bale's voice as Batman. Personally I thought he nailed the raspy whisper necessary for Batman to intimidate those he's pursuing. The world recreated successfully and the last scene leaving the audience immediately wanting a sequel this film is a success on all fronts.

Pixar scores again in what wound up being a very personal film for me. I thought the concept of this was ridiculous when I first heard about it and doubted it would be another commercial, much less critical success. I was happily proved wrong the moment the first 10 minutes is over and that opening montage instantly bonds you to the characters and then rips your heart out twice in the span of 60 seconds. After that the film is actually quite funny, with the talking dog, Doug providing the bulk of the comedy. A brilliant, heartfelt, visual storytelling masterpiece that instantly became one of the great animated films of all time.