Over dinner last month, Soren asked a bunch of us what we thought the best film of the decade was. Now when film nerds/critics debate this, there are 3 that always seem to be mentioned: The Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. Maybe there are some others people have in mind. But these 3 big epic-style major productions seem to be the type that are worthy of consideration for “the best”. And although I really liked the first two (still haven’t seen There Will Be Blood), I’m a big fan of the simple off-kilter weirdo indie feel-good film.

So my vote is for Little Miss Sunshine. Which is certainly not the “best” film production of the decade (imdb points out a bunch of continuity errors), but it’s probably my favourite. The family is hilarious & endearing (feel good dysfunctional family films always capture my interest), it has these ridiculous quirky characters that I find much more relatable than “normal” down-to-earth ones, and by far the best dance sequence from anything anywhere.

And the ending... I really like the ending. Because things don’t end perfect for the family. The directors had an alternate ending where the family is sharing happy memories over a meal on a picnic table in a beautiful park and they said it was “too bright and happy”. And so they ended it in a way that people still recognise that their van is fucked up, they still have the same problems they had at the beginning of the film. But things will still be okay, cuz they’ve learned to stick together and so forth.

So I guess it’s those feel-good-even-though-things-kinda-suck type movies that really draw me in. They have a simple message, are very entertaining, make me laugh, and move me heartstrings a little. So here’s a list of what, in my eyes, are the “best” movies:
The Royal Tenenbaums (and Wes Anderson films in general)
Half Nelson
The Squid & The Whale
Funny People (similar style ending to Little Miss Sunshine, I think)

And I had some others in mind, but I forgot... but yeah, them’s my faves.

Dan er Canada (This is Dan's attempt to write in Danish!). He is from the city of Mississauga, Ontario which is not Toronto (but is very close by). He does not really know anything about film, just that he loves it. And has hopes to one day rise to the ranks of other Canadian filmmakers, such as Atom Egoyan, Sarah Polley, Paul Gross, Norman Jewison, and James Cameron. And he will. One day. Maybe tomorrow...