Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (also known simply as Amélie) is not only my favorite film of the decade… but is also my favorite film of all time. I’ll never forget the first time I saw this magical little gem by Jean Pierre Jeunet. It was 2001, I was living in Paris and went with a few of my friends to the cinema. I was completely unprepared for the utter enchantment I was about to experience from a film that would ultimately change my life.

Audrey Tautou plays Amélie, a shy waitress from Montmartre who one day comes across a box of childhood treasures in her Parisian apartment. She decides that evening to return the box to its original owner and if the owner is moved- she will devote her life to helping others. He is moved- and Amélie’s adventures begin- thrusting her out of her shell and allowing her to live life, make meaningful connections and ultimately… to love.

Everything about this movie- the music, the cinematography, the acting- reads like a love letter to Paris. It is so moving- so poetic… so ultimately unforgettable. Since Amélie was released I have noticed so many art forms influenced by its unique and whimsical style- which has happily assured me that this beautiful film has not only affected me, but millions of people who have seen it too.

I have really enjoyed doing this series on my top ten films of the past decade. I’m looking forward to another decade full of inspiring cinema and would love to know… what were your top ten films of the last decade?

And now... I'm off to Barbados... Happy New Year!


Audrey Tautou is pictured above in a scene from Amélie.

Woody Allen’s 2005 thriller Match Point, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson is my second favorite film of the decade.

I came into this film knowing very little about it. I did know that Woody Allen directed it. I quite like Woody Allen films so I was expecting to be pleasantly entertained with neurotic characters looking for love and acceptance in New York City. Instead what I got was a complete shock- a thrilling 124 minutes that completely enveloped me in a tale of morality and seduction in modern day London.

Match Point follows Chris Wilton (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers) a young Irish tennis teacher that has a passion for Dostoevsky, tennis, fine wine and the arts. He befriends a wealthy upper class British family that is composed of brother and sister Chloe and Tom Hewitt (played brilliantly by Emily Mortimer and Matthew Goode). Wilton makes his way into the Hewitt family by romancing Chloe but temptation constantly lurks around the corner in the form of Nola Rice (played seductively by Scarlett Johansson). This film is fluid, enthralling and utterly fascinating with just the perfect touch of darkness added...

Match Point thrilled me in 2005 and continues to do so today and is, in my opinion, Woody Allen’s pivotal masterpiece…

I will announce my pick for the number one film of the decade on New Years Day. To recap my picks so far... here is my list:

10. Intimate Strangers
9. Drag Me to Hell
8. La Vie en Rose
7. Marie Antoinette
6. Lost in Translation
5. Y Tu Mamá También
4. The Dreamers
3. Gosford Park
2. Match Point


Any guess as to what #1 will be?


Scarlett Johansson is pictured in a scene from Match Point above.

By now many of you know that I am writing (and nearly finished with!) my first mystery novel. I consider myself to be not only a daily connoisseur but a mystery connoisseur as well. I tend to usually like highbrow mysteries- mysteries with tea cups and whiskeys, bridge and evening gowns, servants and poisons- so it should be no surprise to you that I freaking loved Gosford Park.

This 2001 film, written by Julian Fellowes and directed by the late (and sorely missed) Robert Altman was the cinematic equivalent of heaven for me. The film takes place in 1932 in the English country manor of Sir William McCordle (played by Michael Gambon). A glamorous group of Britons, Americans and their servants gather in the austere McCordle home where, naturally, a murder is committed in the middle of the night. Altman weaves an enthralling tale that follows the whodunit from the perspective of two very different classes- those that live ‘above the stairs’ and those that live ‘below’.

The all star cast includes the likes of Kristen Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Ryan Phillippe and Clive Owen. This film was certainly a classic of this decade and will remain one, I believe, for decades to come…


Won’t you stay tuned for my number 2 pick?

The Dreamers, released in 2003 and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci is my fourth favorite film of the decade. (**Disclaimer** Do not watch this film with your parents or your children unless you like being extremely uncomfortable. Only watch this film with cinema snobs that have a particularly open mind).

The Dreamers is a film that might be disturbing to some as it explores explicit sexual and philosophical themes (I, however, happen to find that stuff rather interesting). It takes place in 1968 Paris and follows brother and sister Isabelle and Théo (played by Eva Green and Louis Garrel) and their misadventures with American exchange student Matthew (played by Michael Pitt).

The three bright young things are idealistically obsessed with art and cinema and hide away together determined to escape the unstable reality that was the 1968 student rebellions in France. A bizarre love triangle is formed that ultimately forces them to escape their escapism and face a stark reality…

This film was sexy, disturbing, fascinating and ultimately unforgettable… a modern masterpiece from the visionary director Bernardo Bertolucci…

Won’t you stay tuned for my number three pick? This is getting good…

My fifth favorite movie of the decade is 2001's Y Tu Mamá También (And Your Mother Too) directed by Alfonso Cuarón. It takes place in Mexico in the year 1999 and explores the coming of age of two teenage boys: Julio (Gael García Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna).

The boys find themselves bored one summer after their girlfriends leave for an Italian vacation and decide to go on a road trip with Luisa (Maribel Verdú), a mysterious older woman that they meet at a wedding. The three go in search of a secluded beach called la boca del cielo (heaven’s mouth). Class issues, sexuality, mortality and loyalty are the themes explored in this explosive (and I'm talking explosive), seductive tale that ultimately is a celebration of life and all of the passion that goes along with it.

This film will have you measuring your mortality and sizing up the amount of passion in your life... two things that are probably good to do every now and then don't you think?

I hope you'll stay tuned for my #4 pick...

A film of quiet beauty, Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003) is my sixth favorite film of the decade. Lost in Translation stars Bill Murray as aged movie star Bob Harris. Harris is in Tokyo to film a lucrative commercial for Suntory whiskey. There he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), the lonely wife of a busy celebrity photographer.

Bob and Charlotte create an unlikely friendship as they explore the wonderfully foreign landscape of Tokyo together. Sofia Coppola masterfully explores the fine nuance of yearning, of longing and of loneliness. Lost in Translation is experienced more as an existential slice of life- one that is not full of the usual thrills that one would expect from a love story- but one that is equally as satisfying...

Hats off to Sofia Coppola for making her second appearance on my Top Ten Films of the Decade- she is a director with a fresh vision and perspective and I so look forward to what she will bring us in the decade to come!

Won’t you stay tuned for my #5 pick?

2006’s Marie Antoinette, directed by Sofia Coppola is my number seven favorite film of the decade. Yes, I will admit that I have a lifelong obsession with all things Marie Antoinette- I’ve read her biography by Antonia Fraser (highly recommended, btw), I’ve read the biography of her perfumer, I have books on her palaces and the court gardens. I have, naturally, been to Versailles where I spent an afternoon pretending I was Marie Antoinette (I can’t believe I’m admitting this).

So when Sofia Coppola’s film came out I was determined to like it for better or for worse. Luckily liking this film was not a stretch for me. I loved everything about it- from the quirky casting (Jason Schwartzman as Louis XVI!), to the indie soundtrack, to the amazing scenery (which was actually filmed in the Palace of Versailles) to the incredible costumes. I also thought Kirsten Dunst was lovely in the title role…

This film got mixed reviews from the critics but as far as I’m concerned, it was as delectable as one of Marie Antoinette’s little cakes… a true delight...

Won’t you stay tuned for my number 6 pick?


Kirsten Dunst is pictured in a scene from Marie Antoinette above.

Marion Cotillard won the Oscar for best actress for her portrayal of French chanteuse, Edith Piaf in the 2007 film, and my number 8 pick, La Vie en Rose, directed by Olivier Dahan.

Edith Piaf’s life was painful- it was a life lived in extremes- from the utter poverty and desolation of her youth to her later life basking in the luxury of fame. Along the way she suffered tragedies, love affairs, drug addictions and still, through this all, she had ‘no regrets’.

Piaf’s life was so dramatic it was only natural that it would make a good film subject. And while the film itself is good standalone biopic- Marion Cotillard’s brilliant performance as Piaf is what transcends this film and brings it over the edge.

Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that Cotillard’s performance as Piaf was “the most astonishing immersion of one performer into the body and soul of another I’ve ever encountered in a film”… and honestly, I couldn’t agree more.

To this day, Cotillard's performance is the most powerful and heart-wrenching I have ever seen…

Won’t you stay tuned for my number 7 pick?


Marion Cotillard is pictured above in a scene from La Vie en Rose

And no, I’m not kidding.

I have to start by saying I do not generally like horror movies. Which is why I was completely surprised to find myself loving this one (*Disclaimer* If you are of the faint of heart variety, I suggest you give this film a miss as it is rather scary. If you can handle a little thrill every now and then, however, do read on).

Sam Raimi’s 2009 horror flick, Drag Me to Hell starring Alison Lohman was one of the most thrilling cinematic experiences I’ve had in a long time. It was scary, funny and camp all rolled into one.

Lohman plays Christine Brown, a bright-eyed Los Angeles loan officer. She doesn’t want much in life- just a promotion at her job, a happy future with her boyfriend (future husband hopefully!) and a shot of happiness- just like the rest of us. But when she turns down an extension on a loan to a mysterious (and scary looking) Mrs. Ganush (played by Lorna Raver) a curse is placed upon her and all hell breaks loose. This movie frightened me, made me laugh out loud on several occasions and thrilled me with its twists and turns… Overall a rollicking good time- and very apropos for this Halloween weekend don't you think?


I do hope you'll stay tuned for my number 8 pick...

Alison Lohman and Co. in a scene from Drag Me to Hell is pictured above.

I can hardly believe the decade is almost over. The past ten years have produced some amazing films and I have decided to celebrate by counting down my ten favorite films of the past decade, connoisseur style. We start with number 10…

Intimate Strangers, or Confidences Trop Intime, is a French film released in 2004 starring Fabrice Luchini and Sandrine Bonnaire. It is the story of a woman named Anna (Bonnaire) who one day walks into the office of William (Luchini). William is an introverted tax attorney, bored with his life- frustrated. His world changes when Anna mistakes his office (and him) for that of her new psychologist. William wants to tell Anna that she is in the wrong office, but he is so intrigued by her- so beguiled that he allows her to talk and unfold her darkest secrets… and thus, the games begin...

What unfolds is a tale of erotic subtlety- one that explores the longings of the imagination and the heart. This movie is not overt in any sense of the word- its subtlety is rapturous and leaves the audience with a sense of passion and a longing for more...



I hope you'll stay tuned for my number 9 pick...

Sandrine Bonnaire is pictured above in Intimate Strangers