Movie Central's Best Films of the 21st Century

Speed Racer is the best movie you probably haven’t seen yet.

Released in 2008, Speed Racer was met with immense criticism. Claimed to be a mess of chaotic CGI. As a kid, I didn’t get it either. I walked out of the theatre unsure what I actually just watched. The movie is fast and interlaced with characters and plot points all visually meshing together through fades and cuts in some kind of VFX tapestry. There’s colours flying every which way that makes for a visually overwhelming movie. It’s for these reasons most didn’t like this movie, which is too bad because the Wachowski sisters created a visual language years ahead of its time with this mastercraft in visual storytelling. We just didn’t get it yet.

To understand Speed Racer, know that it is more of an animated movie despite being a live action film. Which makes sense since it is an adaptation of the anime and takes inspiration from Japanese storytelling. The Wachowskis created a movie that leans into the emotions of the characters by emphasising colour, dynamic camera moves, and fast moving cuts. It plays with time and space to tell an emotional story. There’s moments that will switch between the present time, fade into a character’s childhood, and then transition to another character’s backstory all interlaced within the same high intensity race scene. What many considered to be a weak point of the film turned out to be a feature of its unique visual language.

The Wachowskis set out to make an artful movie about following your passions in the face of crushing capitalist regimes. A theme that continues to remain timely. This movie reminds us to stay true to yourself and follow your dreams. Despite the negativity and criticism, Speed Racer remained true to itself and its source material, even down to the goofiness of the character interactions. Through the filmmaking expertise on display, the Wachowskis were driven to create one of the most unique and underrated films that you are doing yourself a disservice by not watching.

It’s got mystery, suspense, psychological thrill, and Leo DiCaprio. Scorsese doing his thing with a great story that keeps you thinking long after the movie is done due to its jaw-dropping ending sequence! I haven’t seen it in a while, but whenever it comes up in conversation, my first thought is: “such a good movie.”

“…Ricky Baker, Ricky Baker, Happy Birthday! Once rejected, now accepted. By me and Hector, a trifecta….”

Family is not always blood!

Discussing the idea of the banality of evil as it pertains to The Zone of Interest has become, well... banal. The film makes no secret of its central thesis; from the onset we are inundated with the mundanity of the Höss family’s daily lives while an entirely different story plays out in the periphery, in the perpetual dread hum of the crematorium incinerator, the plumes of smoke staining the skies above them, and the faint cries and sporadic gunfire buried beneath their asinine conversations. Their apathy toward the atrocities they are surrounded by and complicit in is borne not from any coherent ideological principles, but from a disturbingly quotidian thoughtlessness that facilitates the normalization of such horrors — they are the very image of banal evil as written about by Hannah Arendt in her formulation of the concept.

The film's most impactful moments are those wherein the veil of mundanity is ruptured and the façade of banality can no longer be sustained, when reality violently enters the dream and the unheimlich infiltrates the home. The illusion of normalcy is necessary in order for the Höss family to avoid confronting the overwhelming and incomprehensible nature of the evils they are implicated in. Their awareness of this evil is something they must swallow and bury deep within the recesses of their minds or else heave up like a wretched mass of bile, yet it is ever-present, like the ashes of the dead that suffocate their lungs, fertilize the flowers in their garden, and drift downstream to disturb their idyllic afternoon swim. Awareness flickers at the surface of their solipsistic existence in several instances, most notably in a few scenes where it threatens to overwhelm the film entirely with a gradual fade to a white/red/black screen accompanied by the haunting drones of Mica Levi's score, as if even the camera's ostensibly dispassionate gaze has been forced to look away. These moments are perhaps director Jonathan Glazer's most prudent refutations for detractors who accuse the film of having nothing to say beyond its initial premise, or for being too one-note in its delivery.

But the most powerful moment in the entire film is undoubtedly its final scene. Descending the empty stairwell of his Berlin office, we see Höss pause and retch repeatedly, struggling to rid himself of something within him that refuses to leave. Continuing further down, he stops again, staring into the yawning abyss of the void-like corridors, his attention apparently captured by something off-screen. He stares into the camera. Cut to black. Light spills into the darkness as a door is opened and we find ourselves transported to the present day Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. For the next few minutes, we watch as the museum janitors silently set about their daily tasks, vacuuming the floors and wiping down various surfaces. The camera silently observes, panning across displays of the clothing and personal effects taken from the victims who were brought to the camp to be killed. The sheer number of items is sickening. We cut back to Höss, his gaze still turned upon the audience watching him from beyond the screen

In the established conventions of cinematic storytelling, this can be viewed as an extended shot/reverse shot — we see a shot of a character looking at something, and the subsequent shot reveals what it is they are looking at. Yet we know it is impossible for Höss to have seen into the future, to witness what we have in any logical sense. What is it then that gives him pause, forcing him to stop in his tracks and stare into the abyss? Is it guilt or shame? A disquieting premonition? An emergent sense of remorse or dawning awareness for the scope of the tragedy his actions will be responsible for, the bloody stain upon history that will be his only legacy? Neither he nor the film proffer an answer. Turning away from the audience, he continues his descent down the seemingly endless staircase into the umbral depths below.

Imagine being out at sea and noticing a body floating in the water. You hurry the boat to retrieve it but find that the man is still alive. But when he awakens, he has no memory of his past life. This is the story of Jason Bourne’s journey across Europe to find out who he is. And as he travels he discovers the impossible truth of who he was and who’s trying to kill him!

I love how this movie withholds information to the viewer. It allows the mystery of Bourne’s identity to go through several unexpected twists and setbacks without the audience sitting there and waiting for him to put the pieces together himself. We are along for the ride in every way with very few breaks from his perspective during the duration of the film. I also like the action sequences sprinkled thoughout, they are well done in the sense that they aren’t over the top or campy, but rather, elevate the tension of the scenes they’re placed in.

I also want to add that I love the way this movie fades to black into the credits with the song “Extreme Ways” by Moby (If you’ve never heard it you should check it out!). If I ever get the privilege of producing a film, this is how it would end! The song signifies a mood of unfinished business, or a wrong left un-righted. Just the way I want a suspenseful movie to end… to leave me in suspense for the sequel! (that’s The Bourne Supremacy, 2004)

If you are a fan of the action thriller drama, I can’t recommend this film enough! And if you like this movie, I would recommend a similar action thriller starring Matt Damon called “The Adjustment Bureau” (2011).

Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite finds Olivia Colman’s Queen Anne at the center of a war fought in whispers, bedchambers, and elaborate wigs. What makes this film so electrifying is its queerness–presented not as subtext, but as the driving force of the narrative. The relationships between Anne, Sarah (Rachel Weisz), and Abigail (Emma Stone) are messy, erotic, and deeply powerful, blurring the line between intimacy and political strategy. Whether or not Queen Anne’s real relationships were romantic (many historians have long hypothesized her queerness), Lanthimos uses this speculation to show how desire has always shaped power. By queering the royal court, The Favourite doesn’t just retell history: it reframes it. The Favourite is a period piece that feels subversively modern, filthy, and utterly hysterical.

What I love most about movies is what they don’t tell me. I love trying to figure out little details and hidden clues in the visual aspects of film and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema allows me to go on a full-on scavenger hunt. The world around Theodore is bland, boring and beige, but the colour red punches through the beige to give him that hope he has lost. His shirt, the operating system, his lamp, the office. The red only pops up when he wants it to. The walls, the shower, his shirt, his office. The beige consumes him when he gives up. It's classic. Despite being depicted in a not-so-distant future of AI advancements and robot connections, Spike Jonze is able to capture the absolute rock bottom of despair and hopelessness in finding love. Divorce, cheating, loneliness, Joaquin’s striking blue-eyed stare, they’re all things that threaten us. We have to learn to accept them and get through them one step at a time.

Rachel Sennott and Emma Seligman nail the absurdity of the queer highschool experience in this comedy. Every detail in Bottoms is just over the top and ridiculous and thats what makes it so fun to watch. Just when you think the movie is about to take itself seriously and get heartfelt, the gays are slaughtering football players during homecoming. This movie truly makes me laugh out loud.

Radiator Springs: the town you never knew you wanted to visit, but after watching Cars, you’d happily trade your left lug nut to drive “low ‘n’ slow” down Route 66. I don’t know what it is about this particular Disney movie, but it’s just so good. It might be the scenery, the soundtrack, the animation, or the lovable and charming characters… no matter what it is, I love it.

Brokeback Mountain was and still is a groundbreaking piece of cinema. It's a film that's beautiful in every respect, as beautiful as it is so deeply sad. One of the first to tackle a LGBT romance with the gravity and tenderness that it rightly deserves. It has overcome the limitations of the "gay cowboy movie" label, as its merits are rightfully being appreciated with each passing year as a well-crafted, emotionally resonant drama. This is essential viewing for film lovers, and especially for film lovers who consider themselves allies of the LGBT+ community.

I don’t have a super deep or profound reason for loving Moonrise Kingdom — I just do. It was the first Wes Anderson film I ever watched, and that makes it really special to me. I love the aesthetic, the story, and the entire vibe of the film. It’s just really nice.

Spoilers? Maybe? This movie is so incredibly beautiful in its visuals and soundtrack and yet so profoundly heartbreaking. This is the most I’ve wept due to a film in years. To find myself identifying with someone who refuses to see themselves and to move forward is terrifying and jarring. I am queer and the lengths it took me to own that identity with the mentality I carried from being raised in the church was so incredibly difficult but I’m so glad for where and who I am. To watch someone so scared and lonely and stuck and yearning for love and acceptance and belonging is such a vivid mirror to anyone who has felt Othered in search for community. To feel so distressed and stuck is so horrifying but don’t worry…

There is still time

Spielberg’s direction of this true story is beyond entertaining and features two of this century’s best actors: Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. The film tells the story of Frank Abagnale Jr., who is arguably the modern world’s most popular con artist. It’s an FBI agent vs. con artist criminal chase portrayed as a Tom and Jerry cat and mouse game with a very interesting ending that leaves you wanting to learn more about the current dealings of the main character. The movie is funny, sad, thrilling, and thought-provoking and I always enjoy watching it (I’ve probably seen it over ten times!).

Baby Driver is a chewy, sugary, loveletter to fast cars, bank heists, and old iPods. The movie itself dances to the groovy soundtrack while the cinematography has that eye-popping, almost animated quality you can always count on Edgar Wright to deliver. The story isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's self aware enough to wear its tropes on its rolled up white tee sleeves; this allows the audience to lean into the corniness of the quips and the quiffs without rolling one's eyes (too often). It's like Grease meets GTA. With a devilish rogue's gallery, a charming little romance, and enough diner scenes to make David Lynch blush, Baby Driver truly deserves to be taken for a spin around the block. A few times. At least.

This movie is sharp, hilarious, and unexpectedly moving, all while doubling as the best tourism ad Bruges never asked for. I love traveling to Bruges, and every time I rewatch this film, I feel like I am already back there, wandering the cobblestone streets and ducking into every museum Colin Farrell would have hated. It is great when a movie can place you back in a place you love, all from the confines of your couch. I can taste the fries and waffles. The writing is flawless. “You are in a dream. You are in a dream in a place like this.” Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are magic together, and Ralph Fiennes is chaos in a tie. The ending sticks, the pacing is perfect, and the whole thing leaves me wanting one more bite and one more night in Belgium.

This is actually what The Beatles did when they went to India.

We had a movie poster in our rec room that Will had brought home from the theatre of this one – I hadn’t seen it in the theatre but when it came up on streaming, decided to check it out – and watched it multiple times. If you’ve read my review of Frequency, you’ll know I’m a sucker for crossing the line from the living to the lost. The fantasy of opportunity to connect with those taken from us too soon is hard to resist. To say what you always wanted to say… Domhnall Gleeson and Bill Nighy as the Son/Father combo give just the right mix of tragic awkwardness and crude complacency. Add in the beauty and grace of Rachel McAdams and the mix is complete. A classic for me.

Chat GPT pls write a coming-of-age movie but pls for the love of God make it original. Combine The Fault in Our Stars with The Kings of Summer with Submarine. Have it be a love story but also like not really at all. Maybe Brian Eno does the soundtrack IDK. Write that the protagonist loves filmmaking and then have the movie itself look like it was made by him. And finally, make sure when someone watches they feel transported back to their high school grad year, but this time they understand what it means to be a true friend, follow their dreams, and choose what’s right over what’s easy.

The Handmaiden really took me for a ride the first time I watched it. What you first think is a typical period piece lesbian romance turns out to be so much more. The twists and turns and multi-perspective story telling really keeps you on your toes, while providing an insightful commentary on the fetishization of young “innocent” women. It’s a disturbing but loveable pyschological thriller that you can’t take your eyes off once you start watching.

Smart, sexy, sweaty – Challengers is not just about tennis, it is tennis. With a techno club soundtrack that sets your heart racing and cinematography that draws you in from your seat, it’s a full sensory experience that takes you straight into the game of tennis – and the game of love.

I dare anyone not to think of Elle Woods as a feminist role model. She's intelligent but empathetic. Approachable but not easily pushed over. Hard-working but stops to appreciate the little victories in life. She's full of integrity. She gives voice to those who can't speak up for themselves. She knows her own worth. She finds personal and professional success in the balance between her stodgy, serious profession and her vibrant personality.

Elle, and Legally Blonde, has been there for every major milestone of my career as a litigator so far. I think this film should be essential viewing for every new lawyer.

Unfortunately shaped my view on love during very formative years but how I feel about this movie after each rewatch (25+ and counting) has been an effective assessment of how I'm feeling at any point in time and how much I've grown. Oh, and one of the best movie soundtracks ever.

This movie came out when I was 10 years old and it was the funniest shit I’d ever seen. I’m now 27 years old and it’s still probably the funniest shit I’ve ever seen.

The original Transformers wasn't just a movie. It was a full blown adolescent fantasy brought to life. Forget Oscars. Forget plot. This film delivered everything a mid-pubescent boy could ever want: alien-robots, overly exaggerated slow motion explosions, cars turning into cannon wielding death machines... and Megan freaking Fox, glistening in the California sun, bent over a yellow Camaro like she was sent from the heavens. That scene alone was a spiritual experience.

Yes, Optimus Prime gave speeches with Linkin Park playing epic music in the background. And yes, there was technically a plot. But let's not lie to ourselves. We were there for the chaos, the explosions, the CGI transforming sequences, and the Goddess Megan Fox in cutoff jeans and a tank top tighter than my jeans after she leaned over that engine. Transformers didn't just stimulate. It awakened.

Juno is a perfect little movie. The relationship between Juno and Paulie tugs at my heartstrings just as much as when it came out. Plus, an underrated killer soundtrack.

(SPOILER IN HERE) This movie sent me into an existential crisis, and honestly made me contemplate about becoming a misandrist. I HATED its dreadfully perfect ending and I HATED how Anora was treated. Mikey Madison played the part of Ani so beautifully and so authentically that I think she should receive an Oscar every year for the rest of her life. The movie’s demonstration of class disparity was something that I feel like isn’t really talked about enough, but was something so real and so important that the story represented. This movie is literally so good. I watched it for the first time in the movie theatre and I heard a man near me laughing in the scene where she was screaming and being tied up by Vanya’s staff and it both enraged and devastated me. I actually really hate this story, but it is genuinely the best movie I have ever watched.

Dan in Real Life is an ultimate comfort movie. With a solo indie artist soundtrack that carries themes all the way through, a close and cozy cinematography style, and a laid-back attitude to the actors – it truly feels like you are a part of this family reunion. Full of second-hand embarrassment, raucous comedy, and heart-wrenching moments of real life, it’s the perfect movie for the nostalgia seeker.

There’s a reason Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly remains iconic nearly two decades later. There’s a reason we are all fiending over any paparazzi photographs we can get of Meryl on the set of the sequel. In The Devil Wears Prada, Streep is a quiet storm, cutting through every scene with a single look or a dismissive, iconic “That’s all.” Then, of course, there’s the cerulean monologue (as I have endearingly named it), which has been adopted into drag culture as a lip-sync staple, proof of Streep’s lasting impact in queer camp culture. The film feels like a time capsule of mid-2000’s ambition, however problematic. A world where hustle culture is aspirational, where magazine empires hold cultural capital, where young women sacrifice themselves at the sheer idea of “making it.” The entire ensemble cast helps the audience get absorbed into this world before spitting us out and forcing us to contend with its tensions: is this world empowering, exploitative, or both? This ambiguity, paired with the feel-good nostalgia of a mid-2000’s dramedy, is what keeps the film relevant today. Here’s hoping the sequel can measure up.