THE 100 BEST MOVIES OF THE 21st CENTURY

The Top Movies According to Times Readers

By The New York Times

July 2, 2025

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When we talk about the movies we love, every voice deserves a spotlight. So after publishing our official list of the best movies of the 21st century, compiled from the votes of 500-plus filmmakers, actors and other movie-industry professionals, we turned to New York Times readers, who cast more than 200,000 ballots of their own.

Here, you’ll find several blockbusters that fell short of the original 100 — “Sinners,” “Barbie,” not one but two “Dune” movies — and small international gems like “Drive My Car” and “The Handmaiden,” too. “Midsommar” and “Mean Girls” entered the chat, while a surprising number of rankings (“Mulholland Drive,” “The Social Network”) stood firm.

Maybe you’ve already seen them all. If not, you can click through and save the movies you want to watch as you go — they’ll be easily accessible on your watch list. You can also still create a ballot here to share with friends; it won’t count toward the final tally, but there’s no expiration date on a good debate.

The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

All 100 movies, ranked

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The Reader Top 100

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The Reader Top 100

1. Parasite Also No. 1 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

2. Mulholland Drive Also No. 2 on the 100 Best list

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I want to watch it

3. No Country for Old Men No. 6 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

4. There Will Be Blood No. 3 on the 100 Best list

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I want to watch it

5. Interstellar No. 89 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

6. The Dark Knight No. 28 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

7. Mad Max: Fury Road No. 11 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

8. Spirited Away No. 9 on the 100 Best list

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I want to watch it

9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind No. 7 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

10. The Social Network Also No. 10 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

11. Inglourious Basterds No. 14 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

12. In the Mood for Love No. 4 on the 100 Best list

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13. Everything Everywhere All at Once No. 77 on the 100 Best list

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I want to watch it

14. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring No. 87 on the 100 Best list

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I want to watch it

15. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

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16. La La Land

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17. Get Out No. 8 on the 100 Best list

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18. Moonlight No. 5 on the 100 Best list

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19. Whiplash No. 60 on the 100 Best list

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20. Arrival No. 29 on the 100 Best list

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21. Children of Men No. 13 on the 100 Best list

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22. The Grand Budapest Hotel Also No. 22 on the 100 Best list

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23. Oppenheimer No. 65 on the 100 Best list

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24. Inception No. 55 on the 100 Best list

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25. The Departed No. 31 on the 100 Best list

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26. Portrait of a Lady on Fire No. 38 on the 100 Best list

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27. Dune: Part Two

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I want to watch it

28. The Royal Tenenbaums No. 21 on the 100 Best list

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29. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood No. 44 on the 100 Best list

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30. Brokeback Mountain No. 17 on the 100 Best list

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31. Before Sunset No. 49 on the 100 Best list

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32. Lost in Translation No. 30 on the 100 Best list

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33. Gladiator No. 92 on the 100 Best list

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34. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

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35. Aftersun No. 78 on the 100 Best list

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36. Lady Bird No. 39 on the 100 Best list

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37. City of God No. 15 on the 100 Best list

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38. Call Me by Your Name No. 37 on the 100 Best list

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39. Pan’s Labyrinth No. 54 on the 100 Best list

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40. Oldboy No. 43 on the 100 Best list

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41. Zodiac No. 19 on the 100 Best list

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42. Little Miss Sunshine No. 63 on the 100 Best list

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43. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

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44. WALL·E No. 34 on the 100 Best list

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45. Phantom Thread No. 25 on the 100 Best list

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46. Amélie No. 41 on the 100 Best list

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47. Past Lives No. 86 on the 100 Best list

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48. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 No. 61 on the 100 Best list

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49. Memories of Murder No. 99 on the 100 Best list

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50. Pride & Prejudice

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51. Almost Famous No. 47 on the 100 Best list

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52. Sinners

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53. Superbad No. 100 on the 100 Best list

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54. The Wolf of Wall Street No. 20 on the 100 Best list

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55. Y tu mamá también No. 18 on the 100 Best list

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56. The Zone of Interest No. 12 on the 100 Best list

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57. Ocean’s Eleven No. 71 on the 100 Best list

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58. Ratatouille No. 73 on the 100 Best list

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59. Django Unchained

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60. Little Women

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61. Memento No. 62 on the 100 Best list

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62. Hereditary

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63. Blade Runner 2049

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64. Her No. 24 on the 100 Best list

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65. Fantastic Mr. Fox

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66. O Brother, Where Art Thou? No. 76 on the 100 Best list

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67. The Handmaiden

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68. Tár No. 67 on the 100 Best list

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69. Yi Yi No. 40 on the 100 Best list

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70. The Florida Project No. 74 on the 100 Best list

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71. The Tree of Life No. 79 on the 100 Best list

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72. Uncut Gems No. 58 on the 100 Best list

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73. Spotlight No. 66 on the 100 Best list

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74. Black Swan No. 81 on the 100 Best list

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75. Boyhood No. 23 on the 100 Best list

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76. The Worst Person in the World No. 95 on the 100 Best list

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77. The Prestige

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78. Michael Clayton No. 93 on the 100 Best list

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79. Gone Girl No. 64 on the 100 Best list

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80. Anatomy of a Fall No. 26 on the 100 Best list

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81. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon No. 16 on the 100 Best list

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82. Mean Girls

I’ve seen it

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83. Perfect Days

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84. Barbie

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

85. Up No. 50 on the 100 Best list

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86. Dune: Part One

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

87. The Master No. 42 on the 100 Best list

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88. Top Gun: Maverick

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

89. Drive My Car

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90. Bridesmaids No. 32 on the 100 Best list

I’ve seen it

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91. Knives Out

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92. The Incredibles

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93. Killers of the Flower Moon

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94. Moneyball No. 45 on the 100 Best list

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95. Inside Llewyn Davis No. 83 on the 100 Best list

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96. Howl’s Moving Castle

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97. The Lighthouse

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98. The Holdovers

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99. Midsommar

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100. Avengers: Endgame

I’ve seen it

I want to watch it

Plus, for fun, here are the next 400 movies, as ranked by our readers.

101. Synecdoche, New York  102. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World  103. Punch-Drunk Love  104. Nope  105. American Psycho  106. Poor Things  107. The Lives of Others  108. Hot Fuzz  109. Challengers  110. Inside Out  111. The Devil Wears Prada  112. In Bruges  113. Donnie Darko  114. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)  115. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse  116. Requiem for a Dream  117. Best in Show  118. Melancholia  119. Sicario  120. Manchester by the Sea  121. Prisoners  122. First Reformed  123. The Banshees of Inisherin  124. Roma  125. Frances Ha  126. The Substance  127. Incendies  128. The Piano Teacher  129. Drive  130. Moulin Rouge!  131. Shrek  132. Paddington 2  133. The Big Short  134. Chicago  135. Adaptation  136. The Witch  137. Coco  138. Toy Story 3  139. 1917  140. The Pianist  141. Anora  142. Ex Machina  143. Avatar  144. Casino Royale  145. A Separation  146. A Serious Man  147. Moonrise Kingdom  148. Burning  149. Jojo Rabbit  150. Shrek 2  151. Dunkirk  152. Finding Nemo  153. Under the Skin  154. Spider-Man 2  155. Carol  156. 28 Days Later  157. I Saw the TV Glow  158. Shaun of the Dead  158. Catch Me If You Can  160. About Time  161. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith  162. The Favourite  163. Slumdog Millionaire  164. Inland Empire  165. Avengers: Infinity War  166. Black Panther  167. Godzilla Minus One  168. Your Name.  169. Shutter Island  170. The Batman  171. Juno  172. Mission: Impossible - Fallout  173. Sideways  174. The Martian  175. Babylon  176. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story  177. The Irishman  178. Coraline  179. Legally Blonde  180. School of Rock  181. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri  182. The Act of Killing  183. Mamma Mia!  184. Mysterious Skin  185. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy  186. 12 Years a Slave  187. La Chimera  188. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl  189. Midnight in Paris  190. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World  191. Collateral  192. The Lobster  193. Decision to Leave  194. Conclave  195. Monster  196. Napoleon Dynamite  197. Volver  198. How to Train Your Dragon  199. Silver Linings Playbook  200. Borat  201. Atonement  202. Shoplifters  203. The Nice Guys  204. Wicked  205. Step Brothers  206. Dogville  207. Silence  208. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban  209. Snatch  210. Nickel Boys  211. Marie Antoinette  212. John Wick  213. Caché  214. The Fall  215. Minority Report  216. Skyfall  217. Tropic Thunder  218. Dancer in the Dark  219. Gravity  220. The Great Beauty  221. The Perks of Being a Wallflower  222. Lincoln  223. Speed Racer  224. Flow  225. RRR  226. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou  227. The Shape of Water  228. Titane  229. Good Time  230. 500 Days of Summer  231. Let the Right One In  232. Nightcrawler  233. Joker  234. The Hangover  235. The Wind Rises  236. Sound of Metal  237. The Bourne Identity  238. The King’s Speech  239. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford  240. Paprika  241. The Brutalist  242. Monsters, Inc.  243. Another Round  244. Argo  245. Kill Bill: Vol. 2  246. Amour  247. All of Us Strangers  248. Love Actually  249. The Hurt Locker  250. Training Day  251. Big Fish  252. Baby Driver  253. I’m Still Here  254. Hell or High Water  255. Zero Dark Thirty  256. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire  257. Amores Perros  258. A.I. Artificial Intelligence  259. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives  260. Talk to Her  261. The Hateful Eight  262. The Fabelmans  263. It’s Such a Beautiful Day  264. Green Book  265. A Beautiful Mind  266. Marriage Story  267. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone  268. The Hunt  269. Million Dollar Baby  270. Goodbye, Dragon Inn  271. The Revenant  272. Us  273. Grizzly Man  274. Mommy  275. Edge of Tomorrow  276. Burn After Reading  277. Tenet  278. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty  279. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya  280. CODA  281. Sorry to Bother You  282. Climax  283. Iron Man  284. Beau travail  285. Wet Hot American Summer  286. Miami Vice  287. Inherent Vice  288. Crazy, Stupid, Love.  289. Annihilation  290. The Boy and the Heron  291. Cast Away  292. Asteroid City  293. Holy Motors  294. Lilo & Stitch  295. Cold War  296. The Notebook  297. Bottoms  298. Sing Sing  299. It Follows  300. The Hours  301. Dogtooth  302. The White Ribbon  303. Bridget Jones’s Diary  304. Logan  305. The Darjeeling Limited  306. Millennium Actress  307. The Raid: Redemption  308. Train to Busan  309. Booksmart  310. All Quiet on the Western Front  311. Twilight  312. Nomadland  313. Certified Copy  314. The Virgin Suicides  315. The Gleaners & I  316. Werckmeister Harmonies  317. Guardians of the Galaxy  318. Mystic River  319. Ford v Ferrari  320. District 9  321. Spring Breakers  322. Cars  323. The Death of Stalin  324. Nosferatu  325. Love Exposure  326. The Hunger Games  327. V for Vendetta  328. Licorice Pizza  329. Gangs of New York  330. 20th Century Women  331. BlacKkKlansman  332. Tangerine  333. Promising Young Woman  334. Hidden Figures  335. Soul  336. Ponyo  337. Margaret  338. The Secret in Their Eyes  339. The Dark Knight Rises  340. Captain America: The Winter Soldier  341. Elf  342. Hundreds of Beavers  343. The Iron Claw  344. The Intouchables  345. True Grit  346. Saw  347. Suspiria  348. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy  349. Spider-Man  350. Batman Begins  351. Nobody Knows  352. Erin Brockovich  353. A Star Is Born  354. Crazy Rich Asians  355. The Green Knight  356. Birth  357. Forgetting Sarah Marshall  358. Brooklyn  359. Toni Erdmann  360. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  361. Kung Fu Hustle  362. Tropical Malady  363. Memoria  364. The Wild Robot  365. The Avengers  366. The Killing of a Sacred Deer  367. Moana  368. What We Do in the Shadows  369. Triangle of Sadness  370. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days  371. Sexy Beast  372. Remember the Titans  373. Zoolander  374. 25th Hour  375. Sing Street  376. Frozen  377. Tangled  378. Pulse  379. Into the Wild  380. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button  381. West Side Story  382. Ghost World  383. The New World  384. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story  385. The Beast  386. An Elephant Sitting Still  387. Raw  388. The Help  389. Hunt for the Wilderpeople  390. The Lego Movie  391. Pitch Perfect  392. Battle Royale  393. The Wrestler  394. A History of Violence  395. Hero  396. Before Midnight  397. Hedwig and the Angry Inch  398. Life of Pi  399. Enter the Void  400. Jennifer’s Body  401. Hot Rod  402. The Power of the Dog  403. Minari  404. Pain and Glory  405. Billy Elliot  406. The 40-Year-Old Virgin  407. Gran Torino  408. Bones and All  409. Gosford Park  410. Shin Godzilla  411. Columbus  412. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2  413. Black Hawk Down  414. Paterson  415. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish  416. Snowpiercer  417. A Ghost Story  418. Isle of Dogs  419. Wedding Crashers  420. Once  421. A Prophet  422. Mandy  423. The Wailing  424. Cloud Atlas  425. Signs  426. The Imitation Game  427. La ciénaga  428. Elephant  429. Palm Springs  430. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On  431. Blue Valentine  432. The Princess Diaries  433. The Town  434. Petite Maman  435. Millennium Mambo  436. 2046  437. Beau Is Afraid  438. Tokyo Godfathers  439. Blue Is the Warmest Colour  440. tick, tick... BOOM!  441. The Father  442. The Fast and the Furious  443. Eighth Grade  444. Force Majeure  445. American Fiction  446. Only Lovers Left Alive  447. Avatar: The Way of Water  448. The Cabin in the Woods  449. Aruitemo aruitemo  450. Fast Five  451. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days  452. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping  453. Munich  454. Unbreakable  455. Inside Man  456. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi  457. Beasts of the Southern Wild  458. Infernal Affairs  459. O.J.: Made in America  460. Ida  461. Mother!  462. Pacific Rim  463. The Turin Horse  464. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie  465. Irréversible  466. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby  467. John Wick: Chapter 4  468. Persepolis  469. Hacksaw Ridge  470. Under the Silver Lake  471. Sunshine  472. Emma.  473. Creed  474. The Other Guys  475. Les Misérables  476. Happy as Lazzaro  477. 13 Going on 30  478. A Silent Voice: The Movie  479. 3 Idiots  480. Wild Tales  481. Lady Vengeance  482. Beautiful Boy  483. If Beale Street Could Talk  484. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga  485. High Fidelity  486. Bohemian Rhapsody  487. The Menu  488. May December  489. Pearl  490. Close  491. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire  492. Everybody Wants Some!!  493. The Holiday  494. I’m Thinking of Ending Things  495. Dallas Buyers Club  496. Downfall  497. Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time  498. Morvern Callar  499. Long Day’s Journey Into Night  500. The Farewell  

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THE 100 BEST MOVIES OF THE 21st CENTURY

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