10. Children of Men (2006)
Depending on your particular disposition Children of Men is either the most hopeful movie of the aughts or the most depressing. Either way the vision that director Alfonso Cuaran employs here is utterly fascinating in that he delivers a science fiction world that is frighteningly real. There are no flying ships or aliens but broken and lost individuals living out their lives in extreme political unrest and a climate of unrelenting war. Children of Men is a movie that is packed with so many powerful moments and inventive camera shots that I'm having a great deal of trouble condensing all of the best moments down to just a couple of paragraphs. Much has been said about the brilliant long takes during the film's most famous action scenes but their delivery cannot be overpraised. In an era loaded to the brim with quick and distracting cuts in the typical action films Children of Men takes the time to draw the audience in and allow the action to breathe. With that being said, I still think the greatest scene in the movie and one of the most moving moments I've personally ever seen in a movie is the moment Theo delivers Kee's baby. I get chill bumps every time that scene plays out because it moves you in so many different ways. The moment Theo first holds the newborn you see a sense of hope overtake a man who had remained cold and indifferent for most of the film's running time but also the viewer is given a glimmering ray of hope amongst the overwhelming darkness of the movie. This one moment alone is just as beautiful and poignant as anything that has been committed to celluloid in the past.