Bill O Writes

Before I get to a list of my favorite movies of the decade, I have to point out that I see many more movies on DVD than in the theater, which means I’m usually about six months behind. So I’ve yet to see “Up” or “The Hangover,” not to mention two well-reviewed films, “The Road” and “Up in the Air,” which aren’t even in Cape theaters yet. And I don’t keep up with movies like my buddies Tim Miller and Ken Capobianco (check to the right where it says “Bill’s picks” for links to their blogs). So these are my picks for the best of what I’ve seen. I welcome recommendations about films I may have missed or comments about movies you think I overlooked or over-praised.

1. “Memento” (2000) – A mind-messer so clever I saw it two nights in a row.

2. “Angels in America” (2003) – I’m not going to limit this to movies that were made for the theater, because then I’d have to leave this HBO epic version of Tony Kushner’s play off the list.

3. “Punch-Drunk Love” (2002) – A love-it-or-hate-it romantic (black) comedy that convinced me that Adam Sandler can act when he wants to.

4. “Y Tu Mama Tambien” (2001) – A buddy flick, a road movie and a beautiful love story all rolled up in one.

5. “No Country for Old Men” (2007) – The decade’s creepiest villain in a movie that provided yet more evidence that the Coen Brothers are among the best directors ever.

6. “The Girl in the Café” (2005) – Another HBO film. The first hour, in which a couple awkwardly courts, ranks among the best acting performances by a duo I’ve ever seen.

7. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005) – It’s just so damn funny. Plus Catherine Keener’s in it.

8. “The Departed” (2006) – An incredible display of ensemble acting by Nicholson, Damon, DiCaprio, Baldwin, Wahlberg, Sheen and even all the henchmen.

9. “High Fidelity” (2000) – Look, if they made a movie based on one of your favorite books, you’d love it too.

10. “The Lives of Others” (2006) – A creepy look at life under a leadership that thinks nothing of violating its people’s privacy (and it’s not about the Bush administration).

Honorable mentions: “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Touching the Void,” “Chicago 10,” “Crash,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “District 9,” “The Pianist,” “28 Days Later,” “Shawn of the Dead,” “Almost Famous,” “Adaptation,” “Good Night and Good Luck,” “The Incredibles,” “Shrek,” “Traffic,” “Lost in Translation,” “Finding Neverland,” “Bad Santa,” “Cast Away” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Sideways,” “Man on Wire,” “Whale Rider,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “A Serious Man.”