plays the patriarch of an eccentric New York clan that had the misfortune of peaking early. The Royal Tenenbaums is a masterpiece of production designevery detail is perfectly in place and realized down to a molecular levelbut the perfectionist visuals always serve the story and the melancholy mood instead of the other way around. Towering above it all is Hackmans lovable rogue, a charismatic schemer in the autumn of his life.16. Almost Famous (2000)Between the underwhelming box office and mixed reviews of Vanilla Sky and Elizabethtown, Cameron Crowe had a rough decade, but it began on a transcendent note with Almost Famous, a funny, sad, deeply humane autobiographical coming-of-age story inspired by the writer-directors experiences traveling with the Allman Brothers as a teen journalist for Rolling Stone. Just as Francois Truffaut eschewed the kneejerk cynicism that pervades most films about filmmaking in favor of swooning affection in Day For Night, Crowe offers a clear-eyed but overwhelmingly romantic take on the well-wrought mythology of the touring rock band. Crowe and his adorable surrogate (Patrick Fugit) are true believers who are able to see the glory and wonder in even a second-rate rock band like the films fictional Stillwater. Almost Famous populates its secondary cast with ringers who make the most of their minimal screen time, from Frances McDormands ferociously protective mother to Philip Seymour Hoffmans Lester Bangs. Crowe even coaxes a great performance from Jimmy Fallon as Stillwaters manager. Almost Famous is the film Crowe was born to make, the ultimate expression of his passionate devotion to rock n roll, and his deep affection for his characters.15. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)Alfonso Cuarons road trip through contemporary Mexico sends a woman and two menboys, reallyin search of an unspoiled bit of paradise. But like all road movies, its more about journeys than destinations. Its also a movie about the moments before things changebefore paradise gets spoiled, adulthood starts to close down the possibilities of youth, or life gives way to deathwhich Cuaron and his cast capture with a playfulness that never works against the grave themes just below the films beautiful surface.14. Talk To Her (2002)By the end of the 90s, Pedro Almodovar had already completed his transition from a creator of meaningful farces to a director of great dramatic weight. But his work in the 00s showcased the full extent of his gifts in a more somber mode. The best of a decade of strong efforts, Talk To Her brings a plot filled with twists straight out of the pulpiest melodramaits elements include matadors, comas, and what might be a miraclebut from those elements, it constructs a haunting examination of love, friendship, fate, unthinkable acts, fragile connections, and the way tragedy can unite as well as divide.13. Grizzly Man (2005)Obsessives and quixotic dreamers have long fascinated Werner Herzog, so he was perfectly suited to bring the tragic tale of Timothy Treadwell to the screen. A spacy former heroin addict and actor whose career peaked when he almost got the Cheers role that launched Woody Harrelson to stardom, Treadwell decided to devote his