Top 10 Films of the Years 2002-2008

In preparation for my Top 10 films of 2009 list, I went back and redid all my Top 10 (and Bottom 10) lists from the years I’ve been an official film critic. Enjoy!

The Best of 2002

1. “Far From Heaven”
2. “Adaptation.”
3. “Minority Report”
4. “Bowling For Columbine”
5. “Frailty”
6. “Talk to Her”
7. “Spirited Away”
8. “The Hours”
9. “The Pianist”
10. “About a Boy”

HONORABLE MENTION: “About Schmidt,” “Changing Lanes,” “Chicago,” “Frida,” “Gangs of New York,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Narc,” “Punch-Drunk Love,” “Russian Ark,” and “13 Conversations About One Thing”

The Worst of 2002

1. “Sorority Boys”
2. “Death to Smoochy”
3. “Undercover Brother”
4. “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder”
5. “The Sweetest Thing”
6. “Blade II”
7. “Full Frontal”
8. “XXX”
9. “The Time Machine”
10. “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones”

The Best of 2003

1. “Man on the Train”
2. “American Splendor”
3. “Shattered Glass”
4. “City of God”
5. “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”
6. “Finding Nemo”
7. “The Station Agent”
8. “Mystic River”
9. “Lost in Translation”
10. “Kill Bill Vol. 1”

HONORABLE MENTION: “Better Luck Tomorrow,” “Capturing the Friedmans,” “The Fog of War” “In America,” “Love Actually,” “Owning Mahowny,” “School of Rock,” “Spellbound,” “Whale Rider,” and “Winged Migration”

The Worst of 2003

1. “Bad Boys II”
2. “Dorm Daze”
3. “Scary Movie 3”
4. “Basic”
5. “House of the Dead”
6. “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”
7. “Masked and Anonymous”
8. “Party Monster”
9. “Gigli”
10. “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions”

The Best of 2004

1. “Sideways”
2. “Kill Bill Vol. 2”
3. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
4. “Million Dollar Baby”
5. “Fahrenheit 9/11”
6. “Kinsey”
7. “The Incredibles”
8. “The Aviator”
9. “Hotel Rwanda”
10. “Baadasssss!”

HONORABLE MENTION: “Before Sunset,” “Closer,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Khakee,” “The Machinist,” “Mean Girls,” “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” “Shaun of the Dead,” “Spider-Man 2,” and “Touching the Void”

The Worst of 2004

1. “The Brown Bunny”
2. “Soul Plane”
3. “Surviving Christmas”
4. “Christmas with the Kranks”
5. “Alexander”
6. “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”
7. “The Village”
8. “Dogville”
9. “Meet the Fockers”
10. “Team America: World Police”

The Best of 2005

1. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”
2. “Good Night, and Good Luck.”
3. “The Constant Gardener”
4. “Batman Begins”
5. “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”
6. “Murderball”
7. “Brokeback Mountain”
8. “Capote”
9. “The Squid and the Whale”
10. “A History of Violence”

HONORABLE MENTION: “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” “Grizzly Man,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “King Kong,” “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” “March of the Penguins,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Syriana,” “Walk on Water,” and “Walk the Line”

The Worst of 2005

1. “Margaret Cho: The Assassin Tour”
2. “State Property 2”
3. “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo”
4. “Dirty Love”
5. “Undiscovered”
6. “Alone in the Dark”
7. “Aeon Flux”
8. “In the Mix”
9. “Waiting…”
10. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”

The Best of 2006

1. “United 93”
2. “The Departed”
3. “Letters from Iwo Jima”
4. “The Proposition”
5. “Little Children”
6. “Notes on a Scandal”
7. “Little Miss Sunshine”
8. “Casino Royale”
9. “The Queen”
10. “Children of Men”

HONORABL EMENTION: “Deliver Us from Evil,” “The Devil and Daniel Johnston,” “Half Nelson,” “Jesus Camp,” “Neil Young: Heart of Gold,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Prestige,” “The Road to Guantanamo,” “Street Fight,” and “The War Tapes”

The Worst of 2006

1. “London”
2. “The Hamiltons”
3. “Date Movie”
4. “Inland Empire”
5. “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector”
6. “BloodRayne”
7. “Grandma’s Boy”
8. “Clerks II”
9. “Beerfest”
10. “Deck the Halls”

The Best of 2007

1. “The Lives of Others”
2. “There Will Be Blood”
3. “No Country for Old Men”
4. “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”
5. “3:10 to Yuma”
6. “Once”
7. “Into the Wild”
8. “No End in Sight”
9. “Michael Clayton”
10. “The Savages”

HONORABLE MENTION: “Away From Her,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” “Hairspray,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Hot Fuzz,” “I’m Not There,” “Knocked Up,” “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song,” “Ratatouille,” and “Sicko”

The Worst of 2007

1. “Balls of Fury”
2. “License to Wed”
3. “Hostel Part II”
4. “Redline”
5. “BRATZ”
6. “Good Luck Chuck”
7. “The Comebacks”
8. “Kickin’ it Old Skool”
9. “P.S. I Love You”
10. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”

The Best of 2008

1. “The Wrestler”
2. “Milk”
3. “Frost/Nixon”
4. “WALL-E”
5. “The Dark Knight”
6. “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*”
7. “Happy-Go-Lucky”
8. “In Bruges”
9. “Gomorrah”
10. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”

HONORABLE MENTION: “The Class,” “The Counterfeiters,” “Let the Right One In,” “Man on Wire,” “Rachel Getting Married,” “Shine a Light,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Taxi to the Dark Side,” “Tell No One,” and “Trouble the Water”

The Worst of 2008

1. “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed”
2. “The Hottie & the Nottie”
3. “The Love Guru”
4. “Blonde and Blonder”
5. “Mad Money”
6. “88 Minutes”
7. “10,000 B.C.”
8. “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”
9. “The Happening”
10. “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” and “Postal”