17. Children of Men (2006, Alfonso Cuaron)
Alfonso Cuaron’s grim, dark portrait of a world gone to hell and of no hope was one of the decade’s biggest wake up calls. While Al Gore preached at us in front of PowerPoint for a good two hours, boring people to death, Cuaron plunges straight into the heart of this terrifying world. It’s oppressive but always gripping and at times, very entertaining. Michael Caine also delivers one of his finest performances in a small role and Clive Owen is a stand out and has never been better.
16. The Wrestler (2008, Darren Aronofsky)
Aronofsky’s offbeat, docu-drama approach to the world of wrestling gave us one of the decade’s strangest and unexpected comebacks. The return of Mickey Rourke to our screens was a surprise to everybody and he gave one of the decade’s most raw and powerful performances. Often unflinching in its depiction of the independent wrestling circuit, the scenes of violence are nastier than one initially expects. Powerful and very moving, this is a tremendous film.
15. WALL-E (2008, Andrew Stanton)
WALL•E is the greatest animated film of the last 10 years. The animation is beautiful and sharp and the backgrounds are almost frighteningly realistic. The space scenes and the post-apocalyptic earth both have a certain eloquence to them as they are breathtaking and mesmerising.
Furthermore, the character of WALL•E is utterly heartbreaking. It’s amazing to think that so much emotion comes from a little robot who spends his time creating skyscrapers out of compacted cubes of rubbish, in amongst the shining glass buildings of a familiar US city and whose only friend is a small cockroach. It’s a truly beautiful film.
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