THE list of the decade

Why am i so obsessed with making lists and reading lists and obsessing over lists...

Speaking of lists, while I've been working on this list of the best/my favorite films of the past 10 years (really 9 and 3/4) I came across: 1) An even better idea and 2) a couple other lists I made in the past.

My even better idea (though, don't worry, I'm still producing that best films list) is a list of the best artists of the decade, regardless of medium. This list would include visual artists, musicians, film directors and actors (and maybe cinematographers and writers), architects, and perhaps writers(though I'm not exactly an expert on the subject). I've come up with a rough sketch but was wondering if others could help. Not sure how many readers, if any, I have out there, but what do you think are the best artists of the decade past? Let me know and they probably will make it on my list.

Some of (many of) these could go. Here's what I got so far:

Michael Haneke

Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne - really hit their stride in the 2000s with Le Fils in 2003 and L'Enfant in 2006.

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Alfonso Cuarón
Werner Herzog

Paul Greengrass

Ryan Gosling

Paul Giamatti

Daniel Day-Lewis

Cate Blanchett

Penelope Cruz

Tilda Swinton

Meryl Streep - played out but never overrated.

Judd Apatow - for better or worse.

Charlie Kaufman

Spike Jonze

Wes Anderson

Michel Gondry

Gus Van Sant

Pixar

Jeff Koons (?)

Damien Hirst - though his heyday might've been the 90s, Hirst continued in popularity and critical acclaim in the 2000s.

Olafur Eliasson

Doug Aitken

Paul Chan

Pipilotti Rist

Tracey Emin

Cai Guo-Qiang

Neo Rauch

Jesper Just

TM Sisters

Christo and Jeanne-Claude - sure they had the 80s and 90s (and the 70s for that matter) but what about The Gates?! This blog hearts Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

TV on the Radio

Arcade Fire

Animal Collective

Panda Bear

Girl Talk

Dan Deacon

Kanye West

M.I.A.

The Raveonettes

Cat Power

Madvillain - seperately and together.

Wilco

Bierut

Sufjan Stevens

The White Stripes - sorry, had to.

Outkast

Jay-Z

Danger Mouse

Radiohead

T-Pain (?)

Jens Lekman

Herzog & de Meuron

Dave Eggers

Need more visual artists. Need MANY more architects. And I might just leave writers out all together. Lets see how this list pans out in the weeks to come...

In the meantime, here's a list I came up with a year or two ago: the best films on the "female experience." Yes, I know. This is from a guy. So really, what do I know?! These are all films that I feel epitomize what it means to be a women, with all it's struggle and passion, accurately chronicling the angst and frustration felt by lighter sex while trying to deal with all the world places upon them. These aren't solely female empowerment or feminist films but, deeper than that, most of them are a celebration of women, admiring courageousness they display when at their best. 

In no particular order...

Volver

Girl Interrupted

The Hours

Marie Antoinette

Marnie

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

Pride and Prejudice

Persona (duly noted. not sure how I forgot this one)

Short, I know, but sweet.