51. Unbreakable (2000)

M. Night Shyamalan’s introspective superhero tale features terrific performances from Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. It misses the Top 50 because Shayamalan made three terrible movies later in the decade. I had to sit through “The Happening,” so payback is a bitch.

The first of five Pixar films on the list. “WALL-E” is proof that a classic love story can be about anything, including robots that only speak in blips, beeps and whistles.

49. Best in Show (2000)

A mockumentary from Christopher Guest about dog shows and the insane people who participate in them, “Best in Show” is beginning-to-end hilarious. Fred Willard as a clueless color commentator is the decade’s best comedic performance. How much do you think he can bench press?

48. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Will Ferrell comedies are almost always stupid, but this one is just too funny, even after multiple viewings. “Go back to your home on whore island!”

47. Millions (2004)

Director Danny Boyle won Oscars for “Slumdog Millionaire,” but this little film, about two boys who discover a sack full of money, is the more powerful rags-to-riches fairy tale.

46. Spirited Away (2001)

A hand-drawn masterpiece from Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, who recently capped a terrific decade with “Ponyo.”

45. Lost in Translation (2003)

Nothing “big” really happens in this drama about a depressed movie star (Bill Murray) and an emotionally lost young woman (Scarlett Johansson), but director Sophia Coppola finds beauty and insight in small places. And no, it doesn’t matter what Bill whispers into Scarlett’s ear.

44. Grizzly Man (2005)

Werner Herzog’s unforgettable documentary follows the final days of bear activist Timothy Treadwell, who was killed by the very animals he spent a lifetime protecting.

43. Sideways (2004)

An insightful and amusing look at wine aficionados, anchored by the pure comedic genius of actor Paul Giamatti.

42. Zodiac (2007)

David Fincher earned high marks for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” but this crime epic about the hunt for the infamous Zodiac killer is his true masterpiece of the decade.

Joel and Ethan Coen’s Oscar-winning thriller boasts a chilling performance by Javier Bardem as a guy you really don’t want as a friend-o.

Gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and a standout performance by David Strathairn highlight George Clooney’s docudrama about Edward R. Murrow and his television bout with Joseph McCarthy.

When he’s not playing a flaming skeleton or Wicker Man investigator, Nicolas Cage can be a pretty amazing actor. In Spike Jonze’s offbeat “Adaptation,” he plays screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (and his fictional brother Donald) to hilarious perfection.

A rodent pursues his passion for cooking in a French restaurant, and a grumpy critic rediscovers a love he lost years ago in this Pixar gem.

Steven Spielberg’s sensitive and enthralling drama chronicles the aftermath of the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. A perfect film… minus one awkward, sweaty shot of star Eric Bana.

A visually stunning French romance from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Martin Scorsese finally won an Oscar for this potent crime thriller. And gasp! Mark Wahlberg proves he’s a good actor!

An unforgettable drama that graphically explores the nightmare that is drug addiction. “Requiem” opened an impressive decade for director Darren Aronofsky, who went on to make “The Wrestler” and the unfairly panned “The Fountain.”

Quentin Tarantino’s bold revision of World War II proves the director is still the most exciting thing to happen to Hollywood in the last 20 years.

Pixar on the list again, this time with an 80-year-old widower, an upstart wilderness explorer and a pack of talking dogs. The dialogue-free sequence depicting the lifespan of a marriage should be celebrated and dissected in film schools for years to come.

Interlocking stories depict every angle of America’s war on drugs in Steven Soderbergh’s most stylistic and cohesive offering of the decade.

A sensitive WWII epic told from the Japanese perspective. Clint Eastwood’s best in a decade full of great films (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Mystic River,” etc.)

I have no idea what it’s about, but David Lynch’s whacked drama is brain-teasing entertainment at its best.

Visionary, personal storytelling from Guillermo del Toro, the man who gave us two entertaining “Hellboy” movies and will tackle “The Hobbit” next.

A terrific ultra-low budget musical that also gave us one of the few genuine Oscar moments of the decade — Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s stage performance of “Falling Slowly.”

This list-loving comedy is easily one of the Top 5 John Cusack movies of all-time.

A madcap musical that mashes together everything from Elton John to “Lady Marmalade.” And it’s the rare film that makes Nicole Kidman tolerable.

Everybody remembers the black-and-white sword fight in “Vol. 1,” but “Vol. 2” is the more satisfying installment, with Quentin Tarantino’s uncanny ear for unique dialogue taking center stage.

Jim Sheridan’s heartwarming story of an Irish immigrant family living in New York takes its cues from “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” of all things.

A modern-day gangster flick that offers a disturbing but necessary depiction of violence and its gruesome aftermath. Director David Cronenberg and star Viggo Mortensen reteamed for the equally potent “Eastern Promises” in 2007.

As discomforting and real as a documentary, Jonathan Demme’s divisive drama is both devastating and uplifting. Credit Anne Hathaway for her portrayal of a broken woman returning home after years of rehab.

A boisterous musical reimagining of “The Odyssey” from those eccentric Coen Brothers. George Clooney’s decade-long winning streak begins here.

Underrated and powerful science fiction from Steven Spielberg, who drew inspiration from the late Stanley Kubrick.

Daniel Day-Lewis is spectacular in Paul Thomas Anderson’s portrait of greed, oil and drinking one’s milkshake.

17. Children of Men (2006)

A stunning and expertly crafted thriller from director Alfonso Cuaron about a near-future where humans can no longer procreate. The long, uninterrupted camera shots are drool-inducing.

16. Almost Famous (2000)

Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical tale of a teenager working for “Rolling Stone” magazine is a love letter to rock & roll and the craft of writing.

15. Before Sunset (2004)

Richard Linklater’s sequel to the 1995 indie “Before Sunrise” is 80 minutes of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy talking. Thrilling stuff… really.

14. The Dark Knight (2008)

The definitive crime epic of the decade disguised as a comic book movie. Christopher Nolan’s Batman installment brings the superhero genre into the adult world. And do we really even need to mention Heath Ledger?

13. The Incredibles (2004)

Another Pixar Animation gem and still the best superhero movie of all time.

12. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Ang Lee’s operatic martial arts epic has genuine heart to go along with its spectacular fight sequences.

11. Oldboy (2003)

A Korean import about a man out for revenge after being kidnapped and locked away for 15 years. Stylistic, disturbing and refreshingly original.