What's Your Favorite Movie of the 21st Century

Summary

All Of It Podcast Summary: "What's Your Favorite Movie of the 21st Century"

Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Kyle Buchanan, Pop Culture Reporter at The New York Times
Release Date: July 11, 2025
Duration: 26 minutes

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Introduction to The New York Times’ 100 Best Movies Project

In this episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart, the discussion centers around The New York Times' ambitious project to determine the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. This initiative involved soliciting top 10 film lists from over 500 influential figures in Hollywood, including directors, actors, and critics. The project culminated in a comprehensive list that reflects both mainstream favorites and hidden gems, set against the backdrop of the evolving film landscape dominated by streaming services and superhero blockbusters.

Notable Quote:

"The final list comes after the rise of streaming services and the proliferation of superhero blockbusters."
— Alison Stewart [00:29]

Methodology: Experts vs. Reader Polls

Kyle Buchanan explains that the project extended beyond industry experts by incorporating a reader's poll, which garnered over 200,000 ballots. This dual approach allowed for a comparison between the tastes of film insiders and the general public, revealing intriguing overlaps and distinct preferences.

Notable Quote:

"We thought it would be really interesting to publish that list of 100, especially in comparison and in conversation with Hollywood's own list."
— Kyle Buchanan [02:47]

Highlights and Surprises on the List

The conversation delves into unexpected inclusions and exclusions on the list. For instance, Mad Max: Fury Road secured the 11th spot, with Kyle expressing surprise at its position despite its critical acclaim.

Notable Quotes:

"I was thrilled to see it on so many other ballots. It's the highest placing action movie of the last 25 years on that list, as it should be."
— Kyle Buchanan [03:54]

"La La Land wasn't in the top 100 at all on the Hollywood list. Very surprising and placed fairly high on the readers list."
— Kyle Buchanan [09:01]

Guidelines for Ranking and Avoiding Bias

Alison inquires about the criteria used for ranking the films. Kyle emphasizes the minimal guidelines provided to voters, encouraging genuine personal choices without steering them towards specific genres or prestige films.

Notable Quote:

"We really tried to give them as little as possible. All we said was it had to be released in a theater in the US since January 1, 2000."
— Kyle Buchanan [05:35]

Audience Engagement and Call-Ins

The episode includes engaging call-ins from listeners who share their personal favorite films, adding a community perspective to the discussion. Notable mentions include Shrek 2, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and There Will Be Blood.

Notable Quote:

"It's intellectual fun and as Altair as it gets, it references the entire history of cinema..."
— Caller (Gary) [17:40]

Deep Dive into the Top 10 Movies

Alison and Kyle meticulously walk through the Top 10 Movies, providing insights into why each film earned its spot. Here's a breakdown of selected entries:

1. Parasite (2019)

   • Kyle’s Insight: Parasite’s universal acclaim stems from its incisive commentary on wealth disparity and societal structures. As the first non-English film to top both expert and reader lists, it underscores the global resonance of its themes.

   Notable Quote:

   "Parasite was the runaway victor, not only in the Hollywood list, but in the reader's list. There was no touching it."
   — Kyle Buchanan [24:47]

2. Mulholland Drive (2001)

   • Kyle’s Insight: Directed by David Lynch, this film showcases surreal storytelling and complex character development, solidifying its place as a masterpiece in modern cinema.

3. There Will Be Blood (2007)

   • Kyle’s Insight: The film’s exploration of unchecked capitalism and moral decay resonates deeply in today’s socio-economic climate, making it a timeless piece.

4. Moonlight (2016)

   • Kyle’s Insight: Celebrated for its poignant portrayal of identity and humanity, Moonlight not only won the Academy Award but also reflects the societal shifts and urgencies of its time.

5. Get Out (2017)

   • Kyle’s Insight: Jordan Peele's groundbreaking horror thriller deftly blends genre elements to address racism, leaving a lasting cultural impact and revitalizing horror cinema.

6. The Social Network (2010)

   • Kyle’s Insight: This film captures the rapid advancement of technology and its implications on human relationships, a theme increasingly relevant in the digital age.

7. Spirited Away (2001)

   • Kyle’s Insight: Hayao Miyazaki's animated masterpiece combines stunning visuals with a captivating narrative, exemplifying the artistry of hand-drawn animation.

8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

   • Kyle’s Insight: This film’s exploration of memory and relationships aligns with contemporary technological anxieties, making it profoundly resonant.

9. No Country for Old Men (2007)

   • Kyle’s Insight: The Coen Brothers' intense narrative and Javier Bardem's iconic performance elevate this film to a top-tier standing in modern cinema.

10. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

    • Kyle’s Insight: Its enduring acclaim is a testament to its cultural and musical influences, solidifying its place in the best films of the century.

Conclusion and Reflections

The episode concludes with reflections on the significance of the list and its representation of both expert opinions and public sentiment. Kyle underscores the importance of films that not only entertain but also provoke thought and mirror societal changes.

Notable Quote:

"This list, period, is a tribute to movies that you keep thinking about long, long, long after you've seen them."
— Kyle Buchanan [05:35]

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Join the Conversation:
Listeners are encouraged to engage with the project by filling out ballots or participating in movie ranking quizzes available on the All Of It website.

Tune In:
For more discussions on culture and its myriad facets, listen to All Of It with Alison Stewart, weekdays from 12:00 - 2:00 PM on WNYC.

Transcript

[Ira Flatow]

All of it is supported by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates for multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.

[Alison Stewart]

You are listening to all of it on WNYC everybody. I'm Alison Stewart. The New York Times recently embarked on a massive and let's face it, very entertaining project, figuring out what the 100 best movies of the 21st century are so far. To do it, they pulled more than 500 directors, actors and other influential names in Hollywood and around the world asking them for their top 10 films released since the start of this century. That's the year 2000. For anyone still in denial. The final list comes after the rise of streaming services and the proliferation of superhero blockbusters. We were definitely curious here at all of it. What made the list and if you want to join the fun like we did, the Times also published a separate list of readers, top 100 picks. And you can still fill out your own ballot or try their movie ranking quiz. There's even a handy guide if you need help deciding what to watch next. You can find these links on our website later today. Our guest today is Kyle Buchanan. He helped spearhead this project. Kyle is the pop culture reporter at the New York Times. He's the award season columnist known as the projectionist. He reports from all the major film festival. He is also the author of the bestselling book Blood Sweat and the Wild and True Story of Mad Max Fury Road. Kyle, it is nice to talk to you.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Alison. I got hyped just listening to you tout that project and I've been knee deep in it for months. You were giving it your best, Mr. Moviefone. I really appreciated that.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm giving it the most. How did this idea for this project come about?

[Kyle Buchanan]

You know, the culture desk had done a version of this with books last year and it felt sort of like the exciting next step. And I think especially with movies, people might be sort of surprised to find that they've watched a lot of the movies on this list. You know, I mean, number 100 is Superbad. Not far above that are films like Black Panther and Gravity. But at the same time, there are films on this list that I know that, you know, the average moviegoer hasn't seen. And I thought that would be a very exciting mix to be able to entice people in with, you know, mainstream films. That are superlative and then hopefully coax them in all sorts of different directions.

[Alison Stewart]

Why did you choose to do a reader's list versus a filmmakers, actors and industry list?

[Kyle Buchanan]

Yeah, so the original list is we pulled about 500, a little bit more than 500 major figures in and around the film industry. So we have, you know, Oscar winning directors, actors, people behind the scenes, and that's sort of the main list. But, you know, the thing that took off like a rocket is the ability for a reader to craft their own ballot. And just like the people who had voted in the Hollywood poll, you could select your 10 favorite, 10 best, whatever you want to call it, films released since January 1, 2000. That's a feature that went mega viral over the last few weeks. I saw it everywhere and was thrilled to see it. And what we ended up with was over 200,000 reader ballots. And we thought it would be really interesting to publish that list of 100, especially, you know, in comparison and in conversation with Hollywood's own list.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, I'm going to throw this gunk on the table. Mad Max Fury Road was number 11 out of 100 movies on the list. All right. To be honest, did you have anything to do with this?

[Kyle Buchanan]

No. Well, I mean, look, it was on my own ballot and I was. I was thrilled to see it on so many other ballots. It's the highest placing action movie of the last 25 years on that list, as it should be. I personally, look, if I had any leverage whatsoever, I would have snuck it into the top 10. But the chips fell where they may on that one.

[Alison Stewart]

Why did you think it made it at least to the top 20? What is it about Mad Fury Road that was important to you? Important in terms of its movie making?

[Kyle Buchanan]

I think it's just a sort of staggeringly visceral original action vision. And I don't think we'll get movies like that anymore. For as impactful and influential as it was, it kind of was a movie of its time. And it took place in a vanishing window where you could shoot, you know, and stage almost all of those action sequences for real instead of, you know, ultimately sort of inside a computer. Not that it didn't have computer aided enhancement, but I just think that movie, you know, and it's more than just looking incredible and feeling incredible. It's also what it's about. I think that the sort of post apocalyptic landscape of that film feels more and more uncomfortably real these days. And honestly, a lot of the movies that did well in this poll seem to be speaking to our current moment, or at least the last 25 years. It wasn't just that people were thinking, well, what are our favorite movies of the last 25 years? I think they're also taking the context of those last 25 years into account and choosing movies that speak to that.

[Alison Stewart]

I was gonna ask you, what were the guidelines for people in ranking the films? What criteria was using their choices?

[Kyle Buchanan]

We really tried to give them as little as possible. All we said was it had to be released in a theater in the US since January 1, 2000. That's it. It could be a documentary, it could be an animated film, all of that. And we didn't even tell them that because I was really curious to see what are people going to pick when sort of left to their own devices. And I was heartened to see how differently everybody interpreted that, but especially because, I don't know, my fear was that people were just going to default to the same sort of prestige movies and not, you know, not answer it with, you know, maybe their favorites or less acclaimed films that they, you know, have really taken a shine to. And that, for the most part, was not the case. Certainly, at least with the Hollywood ballot, and I'd wager with the reader ballots, people voted with their hearts. And I think that when a movie is really good, that's where it hits you. You know, I think that this. This list, period, is a tribute to movies that you keep thinking about long, long, long after you've seen them.

[Alison Stewart]

I was really worried there was gonna be recency bias in this film, but that didn't happen.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Yeah, Honestly, I think a lot of the films released in the last few years maybe were at a disadvantage. I really do think people took it pretty seriously and they said, no, no, no, it's. It's. It's got to have stood the test of time, even if that time, you know, is a relatively recent block of just a couple years. But we did have some things that surprised me as far as recency. You know, the highest placing movie directed by a woman on the list is Anatomy of a Fall, which placed fairly highly and above Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola, which I might have thought it would be reversed. But it's an impressive testimonial to Anatomy of a Fall that when people were putting their ballots together, that popped up on so many of them.

[Alison Stewart]

When you were comparing the readers list versus the, we'll call it experts list, they were actually pretty close. Did you derive any insights from comparing the two?

[Kyle Buchanan]

I was very startled. And we'll get to the top 10 soon. I don't want to spoil anything, but. But I was very surprised that even before we had announced our top 10 films, because we sort of released them in increments of 20 through the week when it launched, the reader ballots indicated that many of Those same top 10 films that the industry had chosen were going to rise to the top for the readers. In fact, the same two films topped both lists. That said, beyond that top 10 and even somewhat inside that top 10, there are somewhat more populist leanings from the reader ballot. Not that the Hollywood ballot didn't have those, but certainly the readers were a lot less afraid of franchise fare. You know, you had a lot of. You had many, many, many Chris Nolan movies in the reader's poll, and there were plenty in the Hollywood poll, too. But also, you know, all three Lord of the Rings movies, both Dune movies that have come out so far. Even Endgame, which was number 100 on.

[Alison Stewart]

The reader's ballot, were there any films that you assumed would make the list and didn't?

[Kyle Buchanan]

Yeah, it was interesting on social media to see people speculating as to what would be in the top 20 or the top 10. And a movie that I kept seeing mentioned. Okay. You know, people would. Would deduce, well, it hasn't appeared yet, so it's certain to be in the top 10. Was La La Land. La La Land wasn't in the top 100 at all on the Hollywood list. Very surprising and placed fairly high on the readers list. So I might have thought that would make it. You know, there's no films by Alejandro Gonzalez and Yitu, who won Best director twice, a pretty rare feat. In fact, there are a lot fewer Best Picture winners on this list than you think. And I think that is a really revealing indication of sometimes the movie that wins the top award that the. That Hollywood has to offer is the movie of the moment, but maybe not the movie of all time. And other films come to the fore. Maybe films that were a little more daring at the time that didn't have that consensus. But, you know, it's interesting to see which of these previous Best Picture winners have faded away and which stayed put.

[Ira Flatow]

All right, we're going to get to the top 10 in just a minute, but before we go to break, I want to know what were your top three movies? Your list.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Oh, man, you're going to make me choose my favorite today.

[Ira Flatow]

Your favorite was today. How about that?

[Kyle Buchanan]

I'll say this, I'll say this, Allison. Even whittling it down to 10 was way harder than I thought. And I think that's true of a lot of our participants. For me personally, I had, you know, I mean, there's no way Mad Max was not going to be on there. And then I'll actually give it to two movies that did not ultimately make the top 100 but that I'm always very eager to recommend. And they are 20th century women with Annette Bening and Birth with Nicole Kidman. Birth was directed by Jonathan Glazer, who had two films on this list, under the Skin and the Zone of Interest. I would have liked to have seen Birth on there too. It's got an absolutely bravura performance from.

[Ira Flatow]

Nicole, ones I really liked that weren't on the list. Girls Trip.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Yes, amazing.

[Ira Flatow]

Girls Trip. Rachel getting married.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Uh huh.

[Ira Flatow]

I thought about Jonathan Demme and I thought about Anne Hathaway in an early role and Lars and the Real Girl.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Oh, that's a good one too.

[Ira Flatow]

I love that movie and it really showed what Ryan Gosling, what his superpower.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Is, you know, as far as Girls Trip goes, we had one female driven comedy that made the list and it placed pretty high, Bridesmaids. But I would have liked to see more, you know, whether it's Girls Trip, whether it's Mean Girls, you know, films that really sort of were lexicon defining and I don't feel like they get as fair a shake in the cultural consciousness when it comes to importance as some of these films starring men did. But you know, I mean, like look, we polled a lot of women and they were voting for films like, you know, Superbad and Borat and Anchorman too. So.

[Ira Flatow]

All right, we're talking to the New York Times. Kyle Buchanan. We're talking about the Times project of ranking the 100 best movies of the 21st century. It is time for you to weigh in. What is your pick for the best movie of the 21st century? The number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. We'll get to the top 10 after a quick break.

[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest is Kyle Buchanan from the New York Times. We're talking about the Times new project ranking the 100 best movies of the 21st century. Okay, we're going to try to get through all 10. At number 10, the social network. What is it about this film that means something to you?

[Kyle Buchanan]

I think the Social Network in particular is an example of a trend we saw all throughout the list, which is about Technology and the scary pace that it's proceeding and how that's sort of encroaching on our humanity. You know, not too, too far down under the Social Network is Her by Spike Jonze about, you know, an AI that becomes awfully personal and real for Joaquin Phoenix. And I think we're seeing a lot of films like that because like I said, you know, what speaks to this current moment, what feels at times unusually prescient about the situation we're in. And certainly the Social Network does all.

[Alison Stewart]

Right at number nine, Spirited Away from 2001. Okay, about this film, half of our staff was like, that movie scared me. And the other half said it's a beautiful animated masterpiece. First of all, what makes the animation worth noting?

[Kyle Buchanan]

Well, I'd like to tell your staff both things can be true. Yes. This is a hand drawn animated masterpiece to my mind by Hayao Miyazaki. And it's gorgeous, uncanny, strange, sometimes a little bit scary. And I was heartened to see that this made the top 10. Animation was actually pretty well represented on this list. There could have been more, but we had some Pixars. We had up and Wally and Ratatouille. Very interesting to me. Three of the very few Pixars that did not spawn sequels. So it sort of felt like they were powerful enough to stand alone. And I think that registered in a lot of voters.

[Alison Stewart]

Minds number eight, get out from 2017. Jordan Peele's thriller about the horrors of racism in a post racial America. The New York Times description said, when Chris, the hero of Jordan Peele's freakout, visits his white girlfriend's parents, it's obvious that something is off. Her mother is weirdly watchful. Her father is embarrassingly obsequious. Chris soon discovers that the family and their friends are modern day slavers transplanting white brains into black bodies. Let's listen to a clip before Chris is invited to go to that special place.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Why can't I move?

[Alison Stewart]

You're paralyzed.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Just like that take when you did.

[Alison Stewart]

Nothing, you did nothing. Now sink into the floor.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Sink.

[Alison Stewart]

He goes to the Sunken Place. That was such an interesting film because it really did cross genres.

[Kyle Buchanan]

It really crossed genres and honestly revitalized them. So many movies are still coming out in the wake of get out that feel indebted to it. So I wasn't shocked that it made the top 10 because it feels like we're still, you know, essentially in the aftermath of that film in so many ways, culturally pop. Culturally. And I think it's gonna be a significant movie that stays near the tops of people's rankings for the years to come. And heartening also that it's a horror movie. I'm thrilled to see a genre movie make it into the top ten.

[Alison Stewart]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind from 2004. Number seven. Will you remind people what this is about?

[Kyle Buchanan]

Yeah. So this is with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, and it's about two former lovers who seek to remove the painful memories of each other from their brains. And again, this feels of a piece with films like her and the Social Network in that it's unusually prescient about, you know, the ways that things that felt probably absurd, you know, these, these plot devices, these notions when. When Eternal Sunshine came out feel honestly sort of uncanny and more around the corner than ever where we're shaping ourselves or being shaped in such terrifying ways because of technology. And I think a movie like that that, you know, investigates why we do these things to each other or let them be done to us, feels all the more resonant.

[Ira Flatow]

All right, we've got some texts coming in. Arrival and Portrait of a Lady come to mind.

[Alison Stewart]

Perfect Days by Vim Ven vendors.

[Ira Flatow]

Let's also talk to Gary, who's calling in from the Catskills.

[Alison Stewart]

Hi, Gary.

[Ira Flatow]

Thanks for calling on all of it.

[Caller]

Hey there. Well, I wanted to put in my 2 cents for what I think is an astonishingly great movie with a horrible name. It's Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle. It's intellectual fun and as Altair as it gets, it references the entire history of cinema, from Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin to the great Warner Brothers cartoons of the 40s through 60s, as well as French New Wave and Kurosawa. And I think its only downfall was its kind of low brow name. I don't know how much attention it actually got when it was released, but if you haven't seen it, you've really missed out.

[Ira Flatow]

Thank you so much for calling in, Gary. We're talking to Kyle Buchanan from the New York Times. We're talking about the Times new ranking project, the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century, based on votes from more than 500 filmmakers, actors and critics. Number six, no country for Old Men. This is a scene from the movie. It's directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. It's sort of this iconic gas station scene where the hitman Anton, played by Javier Bedem, confronts a gas station attendant. Let's listen.

[Kyle Buchanan]

What's the most you ever lost On a coin toss, sir. The most you ever lost on a coin toss? I don't know. I couldn't say. Call it. Call it. Yes, for a whole lot. Just call it.

[Ira Flatow]

Brian Cox said it's the Coen brothers at their best. What do you think?

[Kyle Buchanan]

I mean, just listening to that audio snippet. There you go. That's all you need to hear. It is probably one of the top tier Coen brothers movies and they've got a few on this list and have certainly made some old timers. But that Javier Bardem performance, if you're. If you're looking at this list of 100 films and you're picking out the most iconic characters, that might almost be number one. He is incredible in that movie.

[Alison Stewart]

I love oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Which I think is on the list.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Yes, it is. It did make the list.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, that one scene, I think it's Tim Nelson says, oh, not the livestock, George.

[Kyle Buchanan]

And the music of that movie, you know. Yeah, it's very interesting. Cause I think that film sort of rose and rose and rose in acclaim. And for it to make this list is a testament to just how much it's stuck around.

[Alison Stewart]

At number five is Moonlight. Yes, it did win the Academy Award. Despite what they said about La La Land, moonlight did win the Academy Award. It's hard to put into words, but what was special about moonlight, you know.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Okay, so this is a really interesting one, especially vis a vis that Oscar contest when it was, you know, down to moonlight and La La Land. And at times it seemed as they had both, like they had both won. I think that part of the reason ultimately that moonlight won Best Picture is that for all the wonderful strengths of La La Land, moonlight felt like. Felt more like what was happening in our country, in our moment in our humanity. You know, La La Land is a. Is a retro leaning film by design. Moonlight felt extremely urgent. It's, you know, it's a Best Picture winner that actually takes place in contemporary times that feels like it couldn't have been made before now. And I was very excited to see that make the top five. It's extremely deserving, and I think it's a real testament to the Academy picking wisely that year. In fact, if you went back and reordered this list sort of by year and you picked the highest placing movie per year, you'd only get two Best Picture winners. You know, if you're deciding to sort of pick as a default Best Picture winner the highest ranking movie from that year, only moonlight and our number one movie would be the best picture winners to prevail. And I think that's a sign of both movies strength.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Megan, calling in from East New York. Hey, Megan.

[Caller]

Get out of here. I got all so excited. I love you, Allison. Aw, thanks. Thank you. Shrek. Shrek 2. Shrek 2. Shrek2. Shrek2 is my number one favorite movie of all time.

[Alison Stewart]

I think she likes Shrek 2. I'm not sure.

[Kyle Buchanan]

I love this specific Shrek 2. Not 1, not 3, 2 Shrek.

[Alison Stewart]

True. Let's talk to Josh from Brooklyn. Hey, Josh.

[Caller]

Hi. Can you hear me?

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, go for it.

[Caller]

Hi. Yeah, hi. Okay, first of all, I think it's been a great century for movies and. Okay, here are my top four. Number one is Eternal Sunshine, then Tree of Life, Boyhood, and Lives of Others. That's it.

[Ira Flatow]

That's a good.

[Kyle Buchanan]

All four of which made the list.

[Alison Stewart]

There you go. At number four, you had in the Mood for Love, which I believe is playing now in New York City. So take a look for that number three, there will be blood from 2007. Do we have the classic line.

[Kyle Buchanan]

I.

[Caller]

Drink your milkshake, I drink it up.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Don't bully me, Daniel.

[Alison Stewart]

It's such a classic. Daniel Day Lewis portraying Daniel Plainview, a ruthless oil prospector determined to make a profit at any cost. Why do you think this is one of the big movies?

[Kyle Buchanan]

You know, just listening to that, I could really go for a milkshake right now myself. Not your milkshake, Alison. I won't drink your milkshake.

[Alison Stewart]

Thank you.

[Kyle Buchanan]

I will find my own. Why is this one of the great movies again? You know, iconic characters, scenes, especially ending scenes that really stick in the mind. And, you know, when you're thinking about the story of the last 25 years, it's accelerating trends from the 20th century. You know, this movie, There Will Be Blood, is about utterly rapacious, unchecked, moral free capitalism and how it trammels everything it comes across, including the participant souls. And I think that at a time when the wealth disparity is greater than it's ever been, it feels even more germane.

[Ira Flatow]

At number two, Mulholland Drive, directed by David Lynch, Rest in Peace. And at number one, came out in 2019, Parasite. And it's on both lists, the readers and the experts. Were you expecting that to top the list?

[Kyle Buchanan]

I thought Mulholland Drive might top the Hollywood list, especially because as we were polling people, it's when David lynch passed away. But honestly, Parasite was the runaway victor, not only in the Hollywood list, but in the reader's list. There was no touching it. And I think that's pretty astonishing. It really is. I mean, there's so much that you can say about Parasite topping this list. It's, you know, the first film not in the English language to win best picture and representative of the rest of our list, the experts list, because about 25 of this hundred, so a quarter of the list is in a film, is a film not in the English language. But, you know, everything I was saying about There Will Be Blood Parasites, the modern day version of that, it is about, you know, that wealth disparity and how it only feels like it's getting worse and it's driving people to utter desperation. You know, it's a film that came out just before the pandemic, but if it came out now, you, you'd still find it to be a movie of the moment. And in addition to that, ruthlessly entertaining.

[Ira Flatow]

Kyle Buchanan from the New York Times, he's walked us through the Times new project ranking the 100 best movies of the 21st century. Kyle, it is always a pleasure to have you on the show.

[Kyle Buchanan]

Thank you, Alison. I'm gonna go see if Uber Eats can give me a milkshake.

[Ira Flatow]

This is Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, the science Friday team has been reporting high quality science and technology news, making science fun for curious people by covering everything from the outer reaches of space to the rapidly changing world of AI to the tiniest microbes in our bodies. Audiences trust our show because they know we're driven by a mission to inform and serve listeners first and foremost with important news they won't get anywhere else. And our sponsors benefit from that halo effect. For more information on becoming a sponsor, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.