The Morning: Making lists

July 5, 2025

Good morning. We’ve been marinating in lists of the best movies of the 21st century. What purpose does a list serve, anyway?

María Jesús Contreras

Hit list

	By Melissa Kirsch

What did you rank as your top movies of the 21st century? Did you include “La La Land,” which landed at No. 16 on our list of readers’ picks, despite not appearing at all on the list by actors and directors? I struggled to determine how I would rank a movie as one of “the best.” Was it one that left me astonished when I saw it? One that stayed with me long after watching? Or should I choose films that somehow felt important in the history of cinema? And what does “important” mean anyway? In 2000, I loved “High Fidelity” and “Best in Show” — but of course I hadn’t seen “Moonlight” or “The Royal Tenenbaums” or “Tár” yet. What did it mean if my list diverged wildly from The Times’s lists? From those of my friends? I found myself inanely worrying that my picks weren’t serious enough, that they didn’t adequately convey my tastes or aesthetic.

What is the purpose of a list ranking “the best” of something, anyway? Is it to establish a canon, a definitive record, etched in stone? Is it to inspire questions and conversations and arguments about what makes something good? The very fact that we are stopping to consider the movies we love and debating their relative merits, interrogating what our picks say about us and the culture, is glorious. If we bemoan how the majesty of moviegoing has been diminished and replaced by slack-jawed streaming of algorithm-designed “content,” then a project that lifts us out of the endless scroll and helps us remember why we love movies in the first place is a welcome tonic.

I love the way a big list forces me to question and define my tastes, to consider what I like and don’t and why, to sharpen my critical takes against those of others. But the best part of engaging with the films of the 21st century is how the list prompted a cascade of memories of the past 25 years. I remember the exact theater in which I saw “Y Tu Mamá También” in 2002, the friends I was with, where we ate afterward. That restaurant is definitely not there anymore. I remember seeing “Melancholia” in 2011, talking about it over drinks in a weird bar in Midtown. What was my drink order in those days?

The objective quality of a film is fun to debate, but it’s a lovely sort of ecstasy to think back over one’s quarter-century of movie-watching experiences, to use those movies to populate a memory palace. The film is just the catalyst for a million other reminiscences.

Making a list of the movies you loved over the past 25 years is a way of organizing those years, a kind of post-factum diary. If you were to riff on each of your top 10 movies, what long-forgotten details from your history might be dislodged? You might remember how “The Hurt Locker” floored you in 2009, but you might also remember the rainy day on which you saw it, your raincoat — what happened to that raincoat? — the car you drove to the theater, the job you had then or the person you were dating. We’re forever cramming our brains with more information. Take these 10 movies and use them to sift through some of the accumulated sediment, to make order out of the chaos.

If I can rouse myself from reverie, I’ll commit myself this weekend to some of the 11 movies on the main list that I haven’t seen and want to. (How is it possible that I’ve never seen “Spirited Away”?) Or maybe not — “F1” and “Sorry, Baby” are in theaters, and it might be more satisfying to get a jump on 2050’s list.

THE LATEST NEWS

Flooding in Texas

The flooded Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. Carter Johnston for The New York Times

In central Texas, sudden floods swept through a summer camp and homes, killing at least 24. Rescuers are frantically searching for as many as 25 missing girls. Read more here.
Rain led to a rapid rise of the Guadalupe River, which accelerated to over 29 feet before sunrise on Friday.
Camp Mystic, a Christian camp, said that it did not have power, water or Wi-Fi and was struggling to get more help because a nearby highway had washed away.

Trump’s Policy Bill

President Trump seated and signing a bill outside the White House, surrounded by supporters.

In Washington D.C. Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

President Trump signed his sweeping policy bill into law in a Fourth of July ceremony.
The American tax code now blends traditional supply-side economics with President Trump’s populist 2024 campaign promises. See how the legislation could affect you.

THE WEEK IN CULTURE

Film and TV

Two women with blonde hair stand back-to-back against a bright red background. One wears a black blazer and looks at the camera, the other wears a white top and gold chain, gazing to the side.

Uma Thurman, left, with Charlize Theron. Thea Traff for The New York Times

Uma Thurman returns to action movies with “The Old Guard 2,” which pits her against Charlize Theron. The two of them spoke with The Times about women in action.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” is in theaters this weekend. Listen to its director, Gareth Edwards, narrate a T. rex escape scene from the film. (You can also read our review here.)
The teaser for “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s next film, is playing in theaters before “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Here’s what it reveals.
In “Heads of State,” Idris Elba plays the British prime minister and John Cena plays the U.S. president, both of whom fend off assassination attempts. Our reviewer calls it loud and harmless japery.

Music

Liam Gallagher, left, and Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis. Scott a Garfitt/Invision, via Associated Press

Oasis is back. In the 16 years they were away, the Gallagher brothers kept their names in the news by mastering the art of the troll.
Sean Combs was acquitted of the most serious charges against him. His successful defense hinged on the argument that he might be abusive, but he wasn’t a racketeer.
Ozzy Osbourne appears in his last-ever concert today. Five musicians, including Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, reflected on Osbourne’s career.

Fashion

A skinny little mustache is the facial hair style of the moment, GQ reports.
Some athletes’ wives and girlfriends are more famous than the players themselves. Fashion brands have noticed.
Marc Jacobs showed off his latest collection at the New York Public Library. The looks were dreamy and wide open to interpretation, our Styles editor wrote.

More Culture

Some say there is no longer a place for the straight white male novelist. The Times’s Marc Tracy asks: Should we care?
Some people are injecting themselves with Botox. The Cut is encouraging them to stop.

Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience.

Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more.

CULTURE CALENDAR

	By Alexis Soloski