My 50 Favorite Movies of the 00’s (Psst that’s 2000-2009)

Well fellow movie buffs, here ya go! This is the final installment of “My Favorite Films Listings,” until 2020 rolls around and I have another decade of film to make yet another list.

I’ve covered the 1930’s   1940’s   1950’s   1960’s   1970’s   1980’s  and 1990’s.

This list has more foreign films, and more women directors than any other movie list that I’ve compiled.

50.   The Chronicles of Narnia…d. Andrew Adamson (USA / UK)

49.   Hot Fuzz…d. Edgar Wright (UK)

48.   Bread and Tulips…d. Silvio Soldani (Italy)

47.   Bruce Almighty…d. Tom Shadyac

46.   Austin Powers in Goldmember…d. Jay Roach

45.   Avatar…d. James Cameron

44.   300…d. Zack Snyder

43.   Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind…d. Michael Gondry

42.   Donny Darko…d. Richard Kelly

41.   The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King…d. Peter Jackson (N.Z. / USA)

Public Domain Image Courtesy of Pixabay

Have you ever seen those you tube videos of an angry Hitler with the subtitles changed to seem like he’s talking about World of Warcraft or something? Well that clip is from #35 Downfall.

40.   American Psycho…d. Mary Harron

39.   Black Hawk Down…d. Ridley Scott

38.   Children of Men…d. Alfonso Cuarón (USA / UK / Japan)

37.   The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers…d. Peter Jackson (N.Z. / USA)

36.   Underworld…d. Len Wiseman

35.   Downfall…d. Oliver Hirschbiegel (Germany)

34.   Black Book…d. Paul Verhoeven (Netherlands / Ger. / UK / Belgium)

33.   Under the Tuscan Sun…d. Audrey Wells

32.   Hotel Rwanda…d. Terry George (UK / South Africa / Italy)

31.   Ella Enchanted…d. Tommy O’Haver

Not as many comedies as my other lists. I guess Mel Brooks really did retire.

 30.   Spy Game…d. Tony Scott

29.   13 Tzametti…d. Géla Babluani (France)

28.   Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones…d. George Lucas

27.   Little Miss Sunshine…d. Jonathon Dayton / Valerie Faris

26.   Á L’aventure…d. Jean-Claude Brisseau (France)

25.   Julie & Julia…d. Nora Ephron

24.   The Aviator…d. Martin Scorsese

23.   V for Vendetta…d. James McTeigue (USA / UK / Ger.)

22.   Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone…d. Chris Columbus (UK / USA)

21.   Open Range…d. Kevin Costner

Austin Powers is not the first time super spies like James Bond were spoofed. The “Flint” series from the 1960’s started that trend. Now the French have picked up on it with #11 OSS 117.

20.   Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon…d. Ang Lee (Taiwan)

19.   Enemy at the Gates…d. Jean-Jacques Annaud

18.   The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo…d. Niels Arden Oplev (Sweden / Denmark / Ger. / Norway)

17.   Pitch Black…d. David Twohy

16.   Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle…d. David Leiner

15.   The Prestige…d. Christopher Nolan

14.   The Gleaners and I…d. Agnès Varda (France)

13.   Love Actually…d. Richard Curtis (USA / UK / France)

12.   The Lives of Others…d. Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck (Germany)

11.   OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies…d. Michel Hazanavicius (France)

I’m sure there will be blood in the comments concerning my top ten.

10.   Pan’s Labyrinth…d. Guillermo Del Toro (Spain)

09.   There Will Be Blood…d. Paul Thomas Anderson

08.   Schultze Gets the Blues…d. Michael Schorr (Germany)

07.   Amélie…d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (France)

06.   Bend It Like Beckham…d. Gurinder Chadha (UK)

05.   Flame and Citron…d. Ole Christian Madsen (Denmark)

04.   The Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Ring d. Peter Jackson (N Z/USA)

03.   Gangs of New York…d. Martin Scorsese

02.   Lost in Translation…d. Sofia Coppolla

01.   The Passion of the Christ…d. Mel Gibson

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Thoughts on Chapter Titles

Is it better to title a chapter or just number it?

The gurus, sages and soothsayers of the publishing industry really don’t seem to have a clear answer on this subject. I’ve done some searching and still haven’t found a definitive answer. It all boils down to taste.

Even among readers this question can’t be answered. Some readers get enticed by the titles; it may prompt them to purchase the book, or to press on into the night way past bedtime. Other readers prefer numbers and imagine their own title.

Open Book by Dave Dugdale used under CC License

It would seem like this is a parallel phenomenon to the character description conundrum. Some want a total description, while others want to create their own mental picture.

I truly believe this lack of concrete answers permits me to simply apply my own taste and work from there. Chefs do that all the time. They might add, substitute, or remove an ingredient based upon their own taste. I’ve admitted to doing that for some of the lovely meals from my Best Recipes Ever section on this blog.

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Personal taste time

I always skim through the table of contents when I’m browsing in a bookstore. Yes, I find the chapter titles to be a curious enhancement and enticement. They act as a builder of anticipation and help to give a coherent organization to the story. Each chapter becomes a mini-story in itself yet contributes to the whole. I think they are more telling than a blurb. Also, I have to admit that there is a unique charm that stems from chapter titles. After all, Tolkien did it, and it was his works that put me on the path of the fantasy genre.

Some naming conventions

A Place Name

Name a place where something important to your plot or main character is going to take place, like a clandestine meeting or a battle. This is great for fantasy authors, because you get the hidden benefit prompting readers to study the map of your world. Tolkien used this technique in The Fellowship of the Ring: Book Two Chapter V: The Bridge of Khazad-dûm.

A Character Name

This is a good way to introduce a new character or to shift the point of view. I’ve seen a few novels where different characters experience the same event and each chapter is dedicated to how each of those characters perceives or is affected by the event. Tolkien did this to introduce Aragorn under his alias in The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One Chapter X: Strider. George R.R. Martin does this all the time in the Game of Thrones series for different P.O.V.’s

Your Main Character’s Thoughts or Quotes

This could be a great retort, a simple quote, inner thought, or a surprise for your main character. From Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged comes Part III Chapter 7 “This is John Galt speaking.”

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In the end

I believe the bottom line should go something like this. Chapter titles are not going to transform a ho-hum novel into a page turner, nor will it turn a great novel into unpublishable trash. Just do what your artistic instincts lead you to do.

Do other authors prefer to create titles? As a reader, do you prefer them?

The World of Tyrennia

I’m writing a fantasy novel called Storm of Divine Light. It is the first in The Tales of Tyrennia series. Set in a Tolkien-inspired world with other muses like the famous tabletop Role Playing Games (RPG’s) Dungeons & Dragons, and Pathfinder. Also, there are the equally inspiring experiences associated with Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) and World of Warcraft (WoW).

Within Tyrennia are the three Human Kingdoms of Ravenna, Easterly, and Quintalya. Ravenna is the most powerful and wealthy kingdom as is its main city Mentiria, which also lies near The Shantokran, a separate area for light mages.

In the far North lies the Dwarven Kingdom and The Golgent lands of the Dark Mages. There are also Gnomes and Halflings lands as well as an Elven refuge.

Eleven of the first twelve chapters are set within Mentiria, a hustling and bustling cosmopolitan city containing taverns, saloons, guilds, and shops of all sorts. The tale opens during the Festival of the Summer Solstice, in which readers will encounter street vendors, performers, magicians and drunkards. The city’s atmosphere and culture provide ripe raw material for tales, adventure, and world-building.

Within the novel’s pages, the reader will follow a quest-based adventure with my two main characters, Dagorat and Cyril. Something precious and powerful has been lost (and no, it’s not a ring), and our heroes must retrieve it. Along the way they will be joined by interesting personas, all of whom bring something unique and fun to the journey.

Although classified as a fantasy novel, Storm of Divine Light has a healthy dose of humor, magic, religion, romance, mystery, action and adventure.

Is Tyrennia the name of the world or simply the main continent? Or both because the continent is the known world?

You’ll have to read to find out.