Film critics may serve a valuable purpose for moviegoers, but even more helpful is hindsight — especially for critics. Not one of the motion pictures listed below as the best of the ’00s won the Oscar for Best Picture, although most were at least nominated for something. But these are the movies people are still talking about, and watching, years later. The below films are listed in alphabetical order. This is the first of a five-part series on top films of the past five decades.
Critics call them “popcorn politics” and “sanctimonious morality tales.” Others, like U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, believe they can change the world. These are movies that tackle controversial global issues. Hollywood is no stranger to gritty realism; films of conscience and protest have been around since the early 1930s. In recent years, however, there seems to be an overabundance of this genre. Ban Ki-Moon has urged the industry to make even more, stressing how much popular culture can affect public consciousness. Whether these movies generate real change or spur the viewing public into action is debatable. But at the very least, they document tragic international events and highlight human rights issues that may otherwise remain obscure or resigned to history books. Here are 10 movies with a mission.
