Whenever people list their ten favorite movies of the year, I always feel like there are a couple of films that you just know aren't going to age well while there are other overlooked movies that you know will probably grow in popularity as the years go by. So I thought it would be interesting to see what people thought were the 10 essential movies from a decade ago. (Since I had to turn off the comments on my page, you can comment on this over at the soulhonky.com facebook page.

To start out, I'm going to wimp out a bit and leave two spots of my top ten open. The reason is because there were four movies that, from what I've heard, probably should make the list but I STILL haven't gotten around to seeing them. The four I've ignored are: Yi Yi, Dancer in the Dark, Best in Show, and Before Night Falls. I'm sure there are a few others that I've missed but those were the ones that have been on my radar but never on my TV.

Next up is what I probably should have started with and that's the definition of "Essential". And for the sake of discussion, I'd say that there is no strict definition; points can be given for originality, breakthroughs, sheer quality of filmmaking, plain and simple entertainment value, or the influence it had on the future landscape of cinema. For instance, an argument could be made for "X-Men" as one of the essential movies of the year because its surprise success helped many other superhero films get the greenlight and/or bigger budgets. Now, I wouldn't put it on my list but I think that's a legit argument for why it could be considered.
One thing that should be noted is that I'm going off of US release dates in terms of year so something like Amores Perros, which came out in 2000 elsewhere but 2001 in the US, isn't eligible.

So, without further ado, my ten Essesntial Movies of 2000

1. Requiem for a Dream: A tour de force breakout movie for Darren Aronofsky, it is one of the decade's best movies IMO. Also, a couple dozen trailers (and Lord of the Rings) wouldn't be the same without Clint Mansell's theme song, Lux Aeterna.

2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: It didn't single-handedly bring martial arts into the modern American cinema but it definitely was the movie that made it respectable. Ang Lee did what I always wish Tarantino would do; not just make an homage to a genre but take a genre to another level (for the mainstream audience, at least.)
3. Traffic: It might not have been the first movie to do it but I feel like the multiple storylines movement of the 2000's was really inspired by this movie. And I don't think a US filmmaker did a better job with it than Soderbergh.
4. Remember the Titans: This is one that I would definitely be willing to sacrifice if a bunch of people were compiling a list but since this is my personal list, I'm going to add this one since the film is timeless and is a classic sports movie. They really don't make 'em much better than this.
5. Bring It On: First off, it probably has the most sequels of any movie that came out this year. But it also was a girl power movie that didn't make girl power obnoxious. Its success might have opened the door for other female-centric teen films to get a go-ahead. I'm not sure if the dance movie craze of late takes off if "Bring It On" doesn't do as well.
6. Almost Famous: Another timeless movie, I think it has aged well and no matter how many crappy movies Kate Hudson makes, her performance as Penny Lane still shines. There are also a number of moments that have become somewhat iconic.
7. Gladiator: I didn't want to put this one on my list because I think it's pretty overrated as a movie but it did make Russell Crowe a superstar and helped usher in the new era of sword and sandal movies. Hate as I might, it's still gotta be one of the Essentials for this year.
8. The Boondock Saints: No, the movie itself isn't essential. Or even all that good. But the story behind it is legendary. A bartender named Troy Duffy writes a script that everyone flips over; Harvey Weinstein buys the script and then buys the bar for Duffy; the success immediately goes to Duff's head, he pisses off Harvey, and finds himself and his once hot script on the outside and not even allowed to look in. The meltdown was captured by two of Duffy's co-horts and turned into a great documentary called "Overnight", which I highly recommend. In the end, the film itself might not be essential but I believe the legend surrounding it is.

So which movies do you think are The Essentials of 2000? To take a look at what came out that year, check out the list over at The Numbers.

And for another reference, Ebert and Roeper's Top Tens were (in order):
Roeper: Crouching Tiger, Traffic, The Claim, The Contender, Wonder Boys, Finding Forrester***, You Can Count on Me*, Sunshine**, Cast Away, Almost Famous
Ebert: Almost Famous, Wonder Boys, You Can Count on Me, Traffic, George Washington**, The Cell, High Fidelity*, Pollock, Crouching Tiger, Requiem for a Dream
* These two films came VERY close to my list.
** Haven't seen these.
*** If there were essential quotables, "You're the man now, dog!" would definitely make the list.