The New York Times decided to make a list of the one hundred best movies from this current century. As there have only been twenty-five years to date, this task might not appear to be all that daunting. Yet when you consider such an extensive range and vast assortment of cinema created over this period, this project might be more of a challenge then it would seem. So to help decide which films were selected and ranked, five hundred filmmakers, actors, influential insiders and fans were asked to each vote for their personal top-ten favorites that were released since January 1, 2000. Then these votes were complied to create this listing of best movies which were revealed twenty at a time over five days that began on June 23rd.
Please click below for the complete list of films selected as the best of this current century:
And below are the trailers of my ten favorites from this particular list of one hundred best movies of the twenty-first century (not in ranking order). This was extremely difficult to narrow down and I never would have been able to finish if I had added some great movies that didn't actually make it on this list:
Where & When: AMC The Grove, Los Angeles, CA. June 14, 2025 3:30 PM
The filmmaker, Celine Song dazzled us with her debut feature, "Past Lives", a compelling drama lightly inspired by real events in her life which went on to be critically acclaimed and awarded, receiving two Academy Award nominations including Best Picture.
With her follow-up, "Materialists", Song has once again focused on a love triangle, this time involving a woman who struggles between the familiar comfort of her financially struggling, former boyfriend and the enticing qualities of a handsome, extremely wealthy financier. This dramatic romance offers enlightened observations on the complications in trying to find love and intimacy in today's money-driven world. Yet "Materialists" is strangely designed like a romantic-comedy without actually using the formula, leaving us puzzled by what exactly is this film trying to be?
Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a professional matchmaker who works for the dating service, Adore. And while she's very good at her job, Lucy is perfectly content being single herself with no interest in a relationship, having decided that if she ever marries, it will be to a man with a lot of money. During the wedding of her ninth successful match, Lucy meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), the groom's brother. Rich, attractive and captivating yet still single, Lucy only sees a potential new client. But Harry wants to go on a date with her which she promptly declines. After managing to get Lucy to go out with him, Harry seduces her with his considerable charm and financial assets that leads them to a romantic connection.
Also at the wedding, Lucy runs into her ex-boyfriend, John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor who is working as a caterer at the reception. They hadn't seen each other in some time since they broke-up and as they reconnect, the attraction is still quite palpable. During their five years together, Lucy and John were both trying to be actors yet she gave up on that profession and the relationship, deciding she no longer wanted to struggle and fight about money. And while this still remains true for Lucy, she begins to consider that money might not be the only solution to a perfect partnership.
I have heard some refer to "Materialists" as a romantic-comedy yet there's not a single joke nor comedic moment to be found in the film. What I think might lead people to believe this drama could be labeled as a rom-com is "Materialists" delivers the familiar trappings of the genre; ridiculously attractive people with a vast amount of wealth who are unable to find love with the ideal match, living in a New York presented with a glossy sheen (shot by Shabier Kirchner who also filmed Song's debut feature) that anyone who has ever been to the city knows does not exist. In fact, Carrie Bradshaw and her pals would fit quite comfortably in this world. This film would have actually benefited with a few pointed laughs and greater sense of fun, with the story at times becoming overwrought and far too somber. There is one disturbing, traumatic moment that happens to one of Lucy's clients, shifting the tone enough that nearly derails the film. But "Materialists" manages to recover enough to get us back on track to it's main objective with a stern yet light-hearted examination of love connections.
I have previously expressed my thoughts on the performative abilities of Ms. Johnson but I will just say that while the actress does deliver a serviceable performance here, she does not display the magnetic presence required that would have us believe that these two men would do almost anything to win her over. Evans and Pascal have built their careers as actors who captivate with their considerable charms and they do not disappoint here, creating some sense of chemistry with the woman in the middle.
"Materialists" might be a somewhat, dark drama in rom-com clothing yet still captures the difficulties of dating and relationships in these modern times with a light hearted touch. The film offers thoughtful and thought-provoking views about the contractual nature of marriage and calling out the silly notion that monetary comfort is not that important in a relationship as long as you have love. It reveals that because men don't want to marry a woman over thirty and a woman won't even consider dating a man under six feet tall is exactly why there's so many lonely, single people out there misguided in feeling that the use a matchmaker will actually help them find a potential partner.
Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà have teamed-up for a special presentation to bring long overdue recognition to one of the great performers of Italian films and world cinema: Monica Vitti. A striking beauty with a magnetic presence, Vitti has been hailed as an actor who transformed the screen with a modern sensibility as film shifted from glossy spectacle to gritty realism during the 1960's.
Born in Rome in 1931 as Maria Luisa Ceciarelli, she took her mother's maiden name when deciding to become an actress, getting bit parts on stage and in films before earning a significant role in "Le dritte", directed by Mario Amendola in 1958. Two years later, Vitti met filmmaker, Michelangelo Antonioni who cast her in "L'Avventura". This film about the disappearance of a young woman during a boating trip in the Mediterranean with the woman's lover and her best friend (played by Vitti) coming together to search for her went on to win the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and would make Vitti an international movie star. From this notable success, an artistic partnership began between Antonioni and Vitti with them going on to make three more groundbreaking films together: "La Notte", "L'Eclisse" and "Il deserto rosso (Red Desert)".
This is the first North American retrospective dedicated to the remarkable career of Vitti with fourteen of her essential films to be screened, several with new 4K restorations.
Please click below for the complete list of films, to purchase tickets and additional information:
Claire Denis, the distinguished French filmmaker, will be honored with a celebration of her work and career with an American Cinematheque retrospective beginning on June 4th through 7th which is also part of the Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair film festival.
While she was born in Paris, Denis was raised during her formative years in colonial West Africa as her father was a civil servant which he moved the family around every two years across the area. This experience would have a profound influence on her future career as a filmmaker as well as the old American films she would watch as a child.
By the time she returned to France as a teenager, Denis felt disconnected to her birth country. As as young woman, she searched for direction. She was briefly married to a photographer and studied various subjects before attending the prestigious film school, IDHEC (which is now La Fémis). After graduating in 1971, Denis would go on to be the assistant director for many acclaimed filmmakers which included Wim Wenders with Denis traveling to the US with the German director to film "Paris, Texas" and his return to Germany to make "Wings of Desire".
At this point, Denis was ready to call her own shots behind the camera and made "Chocolat" in 1988. This semi-autobiographical drama looks at a French woman reflecting on her childhood in Cameroon and her relationship with her family's African servant. This film, nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, brought her immediate acclaim.
Denis would go to have an extraordinary career with the now seventy-nine year old director having made sixteen feature films to date as well as numerous short films and documentaries. American Cinematheque will spotlight six of her movies which includes Denis' most acclaimed film, "Beau Travail", a 1999 drama loosely based on
Herman Melville's novella, "Billy Budd". The other films featured are "35 Rhums (35 Shots of Rum)"; the erotic-horror drama, "Trouble Every Day"; "Les Salauds (Bastards)", an homage to film noir starring Vincent Lindon and Chiara Mastroianni; her first English-language film, "High Life", a sci-fi horror with Robert Pattinson and "White Material" which has Denis returning to Africa with Isabelle Huppert as the owner of a struggling coffee plantation trying to hold on to it during the eruption of a civil war.
Please click below for the complete list of films, to purchase tickets and additional information:
The Juliette Binoche-led Main Competition jury has selected Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" for the top prize of the Palme d'Or at the close of the2025 Cannes Film Festival. The Iranian filmmaker is currently in exile from his home country and has used his cinema to bring voice to opposition to the Islamic Republic. This, in turn, has effectively gotten him "banned" from making films in Iran and previously imprisoned several times. This thriller, shot in secret, tells the story of five Iranian protestors who deal with a moral dilemma about whether or not to murder their former torturer. Following winning the Golden Bear at Berlin for "Taxi" in 2015 and the Golden Lion at Venice for "The Circle" in 2000, Pahahi becomes only the fourth filmmaker to win top honors at all three festivals (the previous three are Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Robert Altman). And the film distributer, Neon has won bragging rights with Panahi's win as they will release the film and have acquired the Palme d’Or winners for six years in a row.
The runner-up winner or Grand Prix went to the latest from Joachim Trier, "Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value)". The last time the Norwegian director was at the fest, he had won the Palme d'Or for "Verdens verste menneske (The Worst Person in the World)" back in 2021. Renate Reinsve (who won Best Actress for her role in the 2021 film) stars in this family drama centered on the estranged relationship between a father and his two daughters. The Jury Prize was a tie with "Sirât", Óliver Coro's drama about a father's search for his missing daughter in the deserts of southern Morocco and "Sound of Falling" from Mascha Schilinski with this German-set drama following four girls from different historical periods whose lives are interconnected, sharing the award.
The Brazilian filmmaker, Kleber Mendonça Filho received Best Director for his film, "The Secret Agent" and the star of this drama, Wagner Moura won Best Actor. Set in 1977, a teacher is caught in the political turmoil of the final years of the Brazilian military dictatorship.
Here are the winners of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival:
Palme d'Or: "یک تصادف ساده (It Was Just an Accident)"
Grand Prix: "Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value)"
Jury Prize: (TIE) "Sirât" and "In die Sonne schauen (Sound of Falling)"
Best Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, "O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)"
Best Screenplay: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, "Jeunes Mères (Young Mothers)"
Best Actress: Nadia Melliti, "La Petite Dernière (The Little Sister)"
Best Actor: Wagner Moura, "O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)"
Camera d’Or: Hasan Hadi, "The President’s Cake"
Camera d’Or (Special Mention): Akinola Davies Jr., "My Father’s Shadow"
Special Award: Bi Gan, "狂野时代 (Resurrection)"
I can't believe we are already approaching June which means the summer movie season is just around the corner. These next three months are the most important for the film industry as it tends to account for about 40% of the annual box-office totals in the US. The first quarter of the year has been down significantly but there is optimism due to the recent successes of "A Minecraft Movie", "Sinners" and even "Thunderbolts" which has helped the box-office regain some lost ground by 16%.
This upcoming line-up of summer films appears, for the most part, overly cautious with Hollywood seeming to rely even more heavily on remakes, sequels and live-action versions of popular animated films to try and lure audiences back into theaters. But despite this safe, unadventurous slate, there are a few films that has managed to catch my attention that I am anticipating:
"ELIO"
Release date: June 20, 2025
With "Elio", Pixar/Disney will be releasing their first original animated movie since "Elemental" three years ago. This tells the story of an eleven-year-old boy named Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) who is convinced there is extraterrestrial life somewhere out there in the galaxy. After being beamed up to an alien communiverse, Elio accidentally becomes the ambassador of Earth where he must help divert an intergalactic crisis.
"F1"
Release date: June 27, 2025
Brad Pitt lends his star power to Formula One racing in "F1", a sports action drama from director, Joseph Kosinski who last brought us "Top Gun: Maverick". Pitt plays a successful Formula One driver who has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire. Years later, a team owner and friend (Javier Bardem) contacts him to mentor a promising young driver (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team.
"THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS"
Release date: July 25, 2025
The Fantastic Four, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961, were the first superhero team by Marvel Comics. But Marvel has struggled to get a decent cinematic version of this group to make it to the big screen. With "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" (the third attempt of these characters in a feature film), this version looks very promising. The story is set in a 1960s-inspired, parallel Earth with highly intelligent scientist, Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), his wife, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), her brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and Reed's best friend, former astronaut, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) making up the Fantastic Four who were transformed into Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing respectively, who gained their superpowers after exposure to cosmic rays during a scientific mission into space. They must stop the planet-devouring cosmic being, Galactus (Ralph Ineson) in order to save Earth.
"WEAPONS"
Release date: August 8, 2025
"Weapons" is a disturbing, horror mystery from Zach Cregger, a performer who found great critical and commercial success his first time as a writer/director with another horror film, "Barbarian" three years ago. One night, all of the children but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish at exactly the same time. The community is left frightened and confused by who or what could be behind the disappearance of their children. But they soon begin to look suspiciously at the teacher of the classroom, played by Julia Garner. Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan also star.
"AMERICANA"
Release date: August 22, 2025
"Americana", the feature debut by writer/director Tony Tost, made it's premiere at South by Southwest back in 2023 and is now finally getting it's theatrical release. Originally titled, "National Anthem", this brutal, dark comedy thriller revolves around numerous people who become connected through a fight to the death over a priceless, Native American ghost shirt that is believed to have spiritual powers. Sydney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser headline a cast that also features Simon Rex, Eric Dane and pop singer, Halsey.
"THE ROSES"
Release date: August 29, 2025
Way back in 1989, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner starred in a pitch-black marital comedy, "The War of the Roses" which was directed by Danny DeVito who also co-starred. Now this popular hit has been remade as "The Roses" and directed by Jay Roach (the "Austin Powers" film series; "Meet the Parents"). We have the inspired pairing of Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as Theo and Ivy Rose, a long-time married couple whose relationship quickly comes apart, progressively leading to more violent behavior. And while the film appears to be still quite dark, the comedy feels raunchier and more edgy which makes this version come across as a completely different movie than the original. SNL vets, Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg and Oscar-winner, Allison Janney are also along for the ride.
The 78th annual Cannes Film Festival, the first of the major fests to premiere important new works of cinema by some of the world's most prestigious filmmakers, will be held this year on May 13th through 24th. Cannes will open this year with "Leave One Day", a comedy by French filmmaker, Amelie Bonnin. This is the first time a debut feature film has been selected to open the festival. "Leave One Day" tells the story of a young woman who leaves behind her hometown to start a new life but must return due to a family emergency.
The Oscar-winning, French actress Juliette Binoche will serve as this year's President of the Jury who will select the winners of various prizes. Her fellow jurors are American actress, Halle Berry; Congolese filmmaker, Dieudo Hamadi; South Korean filmmaker, Hong Sang-soo; Indian filmmaker, Payal Kapadia; Mexican filmmaker, Carlos Reygadas; Italian actress, Alba Rohrwacher; Moroccan writer, Leïla Slimani and American actor, Jeremy Strong. Some of the films in the Main Competition include new works by acclaimed international filmmakers: Wes Anderson ("The Phoenician Scheme"); Richard Linklater ("Nouvelle Vague"); Ari Aster ("Eddington"); Jochim Trier ("Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value)"); Kelly Reichardt ("The Mastermind"); Dominik Moll ("Dossier 137"); Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne ("Jeunes mères (The Young Mothers Home)"); Mario Martone ("Fuori"); Jafar Panahi ("It Was Just an Accident"); Lynne Ramsay ("Die, My Love") and Julia Ducournau ("Alpha").
Some highlights playing out of competition are Spike Lee's latest, "Highest 2 Lowest", which will make it's world premiere, and stars Denzel Washington (his fifth cinematic collaboration with Lee) in a revision of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller "High and Low". Tom Cruise and his possible last time as IMF agent, Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" will also screen at Cannes. Ethan Coen's second feature as a solo filmmaker, "Honey Don't!" will screen during the fest and the latest from Rebecca Zlotowski, "Vie privée (A Private Life)", a French psychological thriller which is notable for starring American actress, Jodie Foster who will appear only speaking the language. There is also a special screening of "Bono: Stories of Surrender", a documentary by Andrew Dominik about the lead vocalist of the Irish rock band, U2.
In Cannes Classics, which will screen restored prints, world cinema, tributes and documentaries on cinema, a restored 4K version of Charlie Chaplin's classic silent comedy, "The Gold Rush" will open this section, celebrating one hundred years since its release, while Stanley Kubrick's 1974 historical epic drama, "Barry Lyndon", also restored in 4K, will close.
The official double poster for the festival features Anouk Aimée on one and Jean-Louis Trintignant on the other from the movie, "A Man and a Woman" by Claude Lelouch, the winner of the Palme d'Or at the 19th Cannes Film Festival in 1966. And Robert De Niro will receive the festival’s Honorary Palme d’Or during the opening-night ceremony.
