Having just watched Richard Sandling’s Top Five Films of the Decade on You Tube I thought I’d share with you my own. Rich’s choices are all excellent solid choices, much better than most of the proper critics choices I’ve been reading, but they don’t include my absolute favourites. Now I found it impossible to come up with five choices, so instead I’ll tell you the three choices that have made it into my all time favourite movies list that just happened to be released in the last ten years.

In no particular order:

a) Mulholland Dr. (2001)

David Lynch‘s best film since The Elephant Man. A movie disguised as a puzzle, all for the solving. Many found it confusing on first release, and with confusion comes annoyance meaning this film never seemed to receive the props it deserved. Equally compelling and better on second and third viewings, as soon as the penny drops as to what exactly is going on it becomes (for me) one of the greatest cinematic fantasties ever. Now I could be talking nonsense here, as Lynch has never gone on record as to how the he sees the film, so it’s meaning is open to interpretation, but do yourselves a favour and see it, if not for the first time, watch it again and again, because once you get it, it really gets you.

Lynch is the greatest horror director to never have made a horror movie. I find his films terrifying, and I think that’s because he’s able to tap into “what dreams are actually like” better than any other director ever, and more specifically nightmares. The diner scene is one of the greatest examples of how to direct terror I’ve ever seen.

The movie was originally filmed in 1999 as a TV pilot before extra scenes were filmed to make a theatrical release. I can only dream of what this proposed TV series could have been like. Plus Billy Ray Cyrus is in it playing a redneck.

b) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

I love Wes Anderson‘s films, all of them but this is his masterpiece. One of the nice things about his films is you never know what’s going to happen minute to minute, and this is the best example. Much of it’s humour comes from shock value, but not in a base way, because of a wild turning point in the plot or character arc, and boy is it funny. It’s downright hilarious. It’s one of those movies that almost seems as if it was made just for me, otherwise how can it be so near-perfect.

At times it really reminds me of the Tintin books, and I can’t help but think that Anderson would’ve been a much better choice to chronicle his big screen adventures than Peter Jackson or Stephen Spielberg.

The cast are all exceptional and it really is hard to pick out any particular favourites without just reading off the cast list. Brazilian musician Seu Jorge also stars in the film as a crew member aboard the Belafonte who spends much of the film strumming out Portuguese David Bowie covers on an acoustic guitar. I say “covers” but the translation to Portuguese is not exact; Jorge keeps the melodies, but often changes the lyrics. He “covers” songs from Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust with the exception of Suffragette City (from Diamond Dogs), Space Oddity and When I Live My Dream. The latter a brilliant obscure offering from Bowie’s Deram period in 1967.

c) The Incredibles (2004)

Pixar seem incapable of making bad movies, and The Incredibles is their very best. Not only that, I’d say it’s the best superhero movie ever made (with the possible exception of The Rocketeer). Very few superhero movies are able to capture the sense of wonder of the best comic books but The Incredibles has it in spades. Take for example the scene in which Dash learns just how fast he can run. It’s absolutely magical.

Although not strictly adapted from comics The Incredibles is the best Fantastic Four movie they’ll never make. It’s working title was even The Fantastics, which begs the question of what exactly the Craig T. Nelson would’ve been named if that title had struck. Still in tone and substance it’s a much more faithful FF adaptation than either of it’s two horrendous live action movies.

It’s directed by Brad Bird who made the wonderful movie The Iron Giant (a film so good it would’ve made this list had it been made a year later) before it, and Ratatouille after it. He’s one of my favourite film makers despite working almost exclusively in animation, and I can’t wait for his next movie 1906 about the San Francisco earthquake.

Everything from it’s James Bond/John Barry inspired score to it’s beautiful animation is absolutely perfect.

The Incredibles will be showing on BBC1 on Christmas Day at 3.10pm. Quite right too.