1.    Idiocracy (2006, D; Mike Judge): A box office failure and cult-enthusiast DVD with sales trailing behind Office Space, Mike Judge’s Orwellian nightmare was the most misunderstood film of the last decade. Most of the scathing humor sailed right over most people’s heads, perhaps because it hit a bit too close to home. The same concept behind the story was better illustrated a few years later as a children’s cartoon in WALL-E, but it seems ironic that the idea had to be literally dumbed-down in order to strike a chord with middle America. Without a doubt, it’s the smartest, funniest movie of the ‘00s.

2.    Jerkbeast (2005, D: Brady Hall & Calvin Reeder): There are a lot of indie films produced on shoestring budgets, Jerkbeast is one of them. It’s not particularly pretty; it has some problems with the pacing, the lighting, some continuity errors and the sound mix. In spite of its flaws, the film, much like its protagonist, simply beats you over the head with an endless stream of non-stop insults and absurd crudities.  The classic rock-n-roll road trip formula gets turned on its head with a weirdo concept birthed from a cable access show-turned band-turned movie , and it gets better with every viewing.

3.    Apocalypto (2006, D: Mel Gibson): Love him or hate him, everyone’s got an opinion about Mel Gibson. Although it seldom is, this film should be a major deciding factor in said opinion. He goes to extreme lengths to make his film as authentic as possible, and the end result is quite impressive. The beautiful photography never takes away from the riveting action, and the brutal violence never detracts from the compelling story line. It’s a real shame this movie never got its due.

4.    Club Dread (2004, D: Jay Chandrasekhar): This film’s main character, Coconut Pete, is a hilarious, fresh spin on an old character idea. Part salty sea-dog musician, part aging stoner, Coconut Pete tries to solve a murder mystery on the resort island he owns. The movie didn’t do as well as hoped in the wake of Broken Lizard’s monster hit Super Troopers, and many people may agree that it’s not as good as the 2002 stoner-cop comedy; but what Club Dread lacks in slapstick goofballery is made up for with its deceptively funny characterizations, and of course a little gore doesn’t hurt either.

5.    The Mist (2007, D: Frank Darabont) Stephen King hasn’t been too impressive in the last ten or fifteen years, so it seems appropriate that this is from a story he wrote way back in 1980; and only a reworking from director Frank Darabont really drives it over the next hill. (Darabont wrote the earth-shattering ending) Like all good horror films, the premise is very simple and the suspense gradually builds, culminating in what many would consider to be the most mind-blowing twist ending ever committed to celluloid.

6.    À l'intérieur (a.k.a. Inside, 2007, D: Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury) The 2000’s brought a Renaissance of French splatter movies (Alexandre Aja’s Haute Tension, Xavier Gens’ Frontiere(s) and Pascal Laugier’s Martyrs are good examples) and Inside is by far the most striking film to come from this new wave.  A simple plot with only a few characters and very little dialogue, it’s a movie that resonates for weeks, even months after you see it. Hell, it’s the best horror film of the 2000’s, maybe one of the best I’ve ever seen in my life. Vive le France!

7.    The Room (2003, D; Tommy Wiseau) Sometimes a trainwreck can be a compelling thing to watch. Having said that, The Room brings out the Szilveszter Matuska in all of us. Tommy Wiseau’s self-made messterpiece makes no sense. It has Swiss cheese for a plot, actors that rate only a point or two above homeless people, and seems to have been made with a budget in the double digits. It is, without a doubt, the worst movie of all time, and most certainly remains more memorable than any other film on this list. When the world ends and all that are left are the cockroaches, The Room will still be the worst movie ever made.

8.    The Host (2006, D:Joon-ho Bong) Korean cinema has really flourished in the past decade, and The Host was one of the films that really brought it into the limelight. If you can get past the crappy CGI, this movie has it all. It’s got drama, action, comedy, suspense, horror, and a big monster. It begins with a tension later copied by Cloverfield, and ends with an Amelie-like sweetness.

9.    O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000, D: Joel  Coen) The Coen Brothers are considered by many to be perhaps the finest filmmakers of the 20^th/21^st centuries.  O Brother may well be their finest moment.  A re-telling of the Odyssey through the lens of the great depression in the deep rural south with an award-winning soundtrack, it was nominated for two Oscars. This movie is a comedy in the truest sense of the word, and the first really amazing film of the decade.

10.         Little Miss Sunshine (2006, D: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris):  This surprise hit contains none of the sappy trappings you’d expect from a family-ish comedy called Little Miss Sunshine. It has a somber comedic tone, not too unlike American Beauty, but with a bit more Coen brothers-esque quirk (the film features the character Stan Grossman, a tip of the hat to the character of the same name in Fargo) that really makes it stand out from the slew of mediocre films with a similar concept.