Well, it’s almost over. On to a new decade and the further decline of Western civilization. But first, I think it behooves us (and by “us” I mean “me”) to review the best films of the past 10 years, because movies are pretty much the only interesting thing that happened.

1. “Sideways” (2004, Payne) At its best, cinema plugs us into the souls of those onscreen, allowing us to share in their pain and triumphs. Perhaps no film did that better over these past 10 years than “Sideways,” Alexander Payne’s masterpiece about a failed writer (Paul Giamatti) on vacation with his boisterous friend (Thomas Hayden Church) in the California wine country. No other film had characters this deep, humor this sweetly acrid, or so eloquently captured the rich tapestry of emotional experience.

2. Memento (2001, Nolan) Remember this one? It’s impossible to forget Nolan’s mind-bending neo-noir, an enthralling and deeply sad thriller. The hero is a man (Guy Pearce) with no short term memory who is in pursuit of his wife’s killers. Known for a plot that ingeniously unfolds half-backwards, the film’s longevity stems from its portrayal of a man plagued by the loss of a key element of what makes us human.

3. “Black Hawk Down” (2001, Scott) There’s so much that “Black Hawk Down” has to say. A commentary on subjects ranging from nation-building to contemporary combat, Ridley Scott’s war film resonates best as a brutal look at the punishing destruction wrought on men by battle. The combat sequences are exhilarating and gritty, among the best ever filmed, while the film’s astute sorrow conveys an unfathomable sense of tragedy bestowed upon the soldiers by injury and death.

4. “The Dark Knight” (2008, Nolan) It’s all downhill from here for the superhero film. “The Dark Knight” was the biggest movie of the decade, a frightening, grim shot of adrenaline that shattered expectations as violently as it did box office records. Epic in scope and nearly flawless in construction, its indisputable highlight is the late Heath Ledger’s Joker, a brilliant screen villain seemingly ripped from the fabric of a nightmare.

5. “Bad Santa” (2003, Zwigoff) Who would have guessed that the decade’s best Christmas film would be a hard R comedy completely unsuitable for even the most permissive family viewing? Billy Bob Thornton stars as an alcoholic safe-cracker who works as a mall Santa in order to rob the stores blind come Christmas Eve. His wretched Christmas spirit slowly warms as he befriends a lonely rich kid, but that doesn’t stem the tide of crass, offensive and unfailingly hilarious jokes.

6. “Punch-Drunk Love” (2002, Anderson) Fresh off a string of brilliant films (“Boogie Nights, “Magnolia), Paul Thomas Anderson took a strange turn and announced his intent to make a love story starring Adam Sandler. Strange, but not as much as the film itself, a wonderfully bizarre romance about an angry loner (Sandler) and his girlfriend (Emily Watson). Anderson’s film isn’t about story or plot, but about tone, about scenes and events that pluck the heartstrings and entice the spirit.

7. “Equilibrium” (2002, Wimmer) Released to theaters with virtually no fanfare, “Equilibrium” has since earned a well-deserved cult following due to its ingeniously galvanizing action scenes. Christian Bale stars as a policeman in a futuristic society where emotions are outlawed and regulated by a powerful drug. A slayer of those who disobey, Bale’s universe is rocked when he begins embracing those banned feelings, leading to a tragic attraction to a condemned woman (Emily Watson) and culminating with a web of gunfire that’s staggering in body count and dazzling to the eye.

8. “Up” (2009, Docter, Peterson) Seemingly every Pixar film of the decade, from “The Incredibles” to “Ratatouille,” has been heralded as just the best thing ever. It’s a close call between “WALL-E,” and “Up,” but the latter’s beautifully conveyed pathos ignites a fun, thoughtful and moving examination of life as both trial and adventure.

9. “American Psycho” (2000, Harron) It took two women to properly bring Bret Easton Ellis’s horrifically violent novel to life. It’s propelled by a sensationally creepy performance by Christian Bale (who went on to have a great decade) as a psychopathic Manhattan yuppie who struggles for identity through crass materialism and blood-curdling violence.

10. “Burn After Reading” (2008, Coen Brothers) When I reviewed this for the NI, I gave it a 3.5 out of 5. I wrote ‘Burn After Reading,’ the latest film from the Coen Brothers, is a dark comedy and spy farce that unfolds like a chemical reaction, its plot elements combining, mixing, then igniting briefly before fizzing out.” I got it right until that last part. Repeat viewings have convinced me of “Burn’s” offbeat greatness, carried by the Coens’ fearless willingness to tell the story they want to, which, in this case, sees a pathetic lot of nitwits hilariously fumble blindly for the rewards they believe due to them.