My List of Good (To Date) 21st Century Films

Since many of the films I enjoy are from the UK, I decided to illustrate this posting with this so-English scene of a garden behind York Minster.

After making a listing many postings ago of my all-time favorite movies (up to 1999), I decided to list those I've particularly enjoyed from this century.  I admit to rarely going to a theater any more but receive them through the mail instead.  (So I've not seen some of the later 2012 films.)  Here are the ones I've found memorable.

Foreign:

• Vatel (France/UK/Belgium) '00
• The Color of Paradise (Iran) '00
• The Girl from Paris (Une Hirondelle A Fait le Printemps) (France) '01
• Late Marriage (Israel/France) '01
• Mostly Martha (Bella Martha) (Germany) '01
• Satin Rouge (Tunisia) '02
• Rabbit-Proof Fence (Australia) '02
• Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (China/France) '02
• Travellers and Magicians (Bhutan) '03
• The Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon) (France) '03
• Yesterday (South Africa) '04
• Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noël) (France) '05
• Sabah:  A Love Story (Canada) '05
• The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant (Australia) '05
• The Girl in the Cafe (UK) '05
• The World's Fastest Indian (New Zealand) '05
• Pride and Prejudice (UK) '05
• The Painted Veil (China/US) '06
• The Queen (UK) '06
• Amazing Grace (UK/US) '06
• Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) (Mexico/US) '07
• Vitus (Switzerland) '07
• Ballet Shoes (UK) '07
• The Grocer's Son (Le Fils de l'epicier) (France) '07
• The Song of Sparrows (Iran) '08
• The Dutchess (UK) '08
• Miss Austen Regrets (UK) '08
• The Last Station (Germany/Russia/UK) '09
• Invictus (South Africa/US) '09
• Queen to Play (Joueuse) (France) '09
• The Young Victoria (UK/US) '09
• I Am Love (Io Sono Amore) (Italy) '09
• Creation (UK) '09
• The King's Speech (UK) '10
• A Separation (Iran) '11
• Mozart's Sister (Nannerl, la Soeur de Mozart) (France) '11
• Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (UK) '11
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (UK) '12

U.S.:

• Songcatcher '00
• Something the Lord Made '04
• Duma '05
• Outsourced '06
• Akeelah and the Bee '06
• Marie Antoinette '06
• Julie and Julia '09
• The Way '10
• The Company Men '10
• Fair Game '10
• Hugo '11

TV Series/Mini-Series (almost all UK):

• Love in a Cold Climate '01
• The Cazalets '01
• Victoria and Albert '01
• Random Passage (Canada) '01
• Foyle's War '02
• The Last King '03
• Cambridge Spies '03
• Island at War '04
• North and South (BBC about 19th c. England, not the U.S. Civil War) '04
• Jane Eyre '06
• The Impressionists '06
• Sense and Sensibility '08
• Emma '09
• South Riding '11
• Downton Abbey '10 - ongoing

Documentary (art, finances, elections, food, Zen, the times, etc.):

• The Amish:  A People of Preservation '00
• Rivers and Tides '03
• Howard Zinn:  You Can't be Neutral '04
• March of the Penguins '04
• The Gates '05
• Maxed Out '06
• Hacking Democracy '06
• The One Percent '06
• Cezanne in Provence '06
• Helvetica '07
• Zeitgeist:  The Movie '07
• How to Cook Your Life '07
• Earth '07
• Religulous '08
• Food, Inc. '08
• Between the Folds '08
• Kings of Pastry '09
• Ingredients '09
• Bird by Bird with Annie '09
• Inside Job '10
• Casino Jack and the U.S. of Money '10 (check title)
• Buck '11
• Woody Allen:  A Documentary '11