We took this one to the entire office with a simple objective: to determine what was the best film for each year since 2000.
2000 – Gladiator
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
2001 – Training Day
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Starring Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn
2002 – Catch Me If You Can
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
2003 – Oldboy
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Starring Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung
2004 – Troy
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom
2005 – Walk The Line
Directed by James Mangold
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin
2006 – The Departed
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
2007 – No Country For Old Men
Directed by the Coen Brothers
Starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones
2008 – The Dark Knight
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman
2009 – Inglourious Basterds
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender
2010 – Inception
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
2011 – Moneyball
Directed by Bennett Miller
Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
2012 – [Tied] Skyfall, Seven Psychopaths
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench
Directed by Martin McDonagh
Starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson
2013 – [Tied] The Wolf Of Wall Street, Prisoners
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano
2014 – Whiplash
Directed by Damien Chazelle
Starring Miles Teller, JK Simmons, Paul Reiser
2015 – Sicario
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Starring Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin
2016 – Manchester By The Sea
Directed by Kenneth Lonergan
Starring Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler
2017 – Bladerunner 2049
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Starring Ryan Gosling, Ana De Armas, Harrison Ford
2018 – Isle Of Dogs
Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Ed Norton
2019 – 1917
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong
2020 – The jury’s still out, but check out some of our top contenders…
Uncut Gems
Directed: Josh & Benny Safdie
Starring: Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, The Weeknd
Release Date: January 31st
Adam Sandler makes a spectacular return to form with his dramatic talents, with some even pegging him to land an Oscar for his performance. Uncut Gems follows a charismatic New York City jeweller and compulsive gambler looking for his “next big score.” This involves a series of high stakes bets and owing a lot of dangerous people money which obviously puts a lot of people in the crosshairs.
No Time To Die
Directed: Cary Fukunaga
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Jeffrey Wright, Christopher Waltz, Ralph Fiennes
Release Date: November 12th
This entry needs no explanation nor further hype. From what little we’ve seen so far, Daniel Craig’s send-off as the storied 007 promises to be a big one. Line up accordingly.
Top Gun: Maverick
Directed: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer
Release Date: TBA
Again, another entry that needs no explanation nor further hype. This one has been a long time coming, and old mate TC is pulling out all the stops in true action movie star fashion.
TENET
Directed: Christopher Nolan
Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Release Date: TBA
As per the Christopher Nolan brand, cinema fans will get to enjoy yet another mind-bending flick which involves espionage, preventing WWIII, with an element of time travel.
The King’s Man
Directed: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Atterton, Rhys Ifans, Daniel Bruhl, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, Harris Dickson
Release Date: TBA
Go back to where it all started. Before Eggsy, Harry, and Merlin. Before the high-tech innovations. There were just a few exceptionally skilled individuals willing to do what needed to be done.
Dune
Directed: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem
Release Date: TBA
This is a project that positively screams ambition and potential. Though Sicario and Bladerunner 2049 director, Denis Villeneuve, certainly has his work cut out for him. For those who are unaware, this sci-fi epic is an adaptation of the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name and has long been labelled “unfilmable”. David Lynch tried and failed once with Kyle MacLachlan. But just look at the cast (and consider the mammoth talent behind the camera including Hans Zimmer). This is definitely one to look out for.
