This decade has basically been split in half when it comes to the kinds of movies that have made it to the silver screen. The first half of the 00's went decidedly to pure entertainment. It was all about super heroes, high fantasy, special effects and broad laughs. A few art films sneaked into the lineup, but it's apparent that American audiences wanted jokes and escapism in what turned out to be a rather dark period in our culture. The shift to heavier material in the second half of the decade indicates a recovery period. Stateside movie-goers have been more willing to embrace darker, more complex stories as of late. Looking at the films I've selected for the second part of this list, it all seems so cathartic in retrospect.

2005: Munich

Steven Spielberg has two modes. One is the saccharine, family-friendly side that composes most of his canon. The other is his willingness to take on very difficult topics and depict them with merciless detail. In the 1990's he made the quintessential Holocaust movie followed by the quintessential World War II movie. He didn't really approach a serious topic again in 2005 with Munich, the dramatized story of Israel's response to the Black September attacks on the 1972 Israeli Olympic Team. In a decade defined by terrorism and the impossible morality of attacks against it, Munich was possibly the single most relevant film to be produced. It was exciting and heart-wrenching at the same time watching Eric Bana and the rest of the cast lose themselves to the horrors of an unwinnable war.

2006: Children of Men

In the same vein as Munich, Alfonso Cuaron's liberal adaptation of P.D. James' 1992 novel Children of Men accessed the anxieties of our tumultuous decade to create a vital work of cinema. By essentially placing the camera over star Clive Owen's shoulder for most of the film, Cuaron inflicted the desperation and hopelessness of the plot on his audience. Through some very clever cinematography, Children of Men conveys a world that is tearing itself apart with no refuge of peace in sight. Through low science fiction, the film made a strong commentary about authoritarian governments and the dangers of society-wide panic.

2007: There Will Be Blood

There were two major cinematic events in 2007. One was this movie and the other was No Country For Old Men. I'm showing my personal bias here because I wasn't nearly as thrilled with No Country as most of the critical community. P.T. Anderson's There Will Be Blood is a far superior movie that I believe will better stand the test of time. Daniel Day Lewis gives the performance of his life as an oil prospector who smothers every bit of goodness that comes his way. Anderson allows the film to build slowly, applying classic cinematic techniques like expressionism to create a vivid, unforgettable atmosphere.

2008: The Dark Knight

It's strange for me to think so highly of a super hero movie. Of course, Christopher Nolan's second foray into the highly successful reboot of the Batman franchise aims to do no less than completely reinvent the cinematic super hero. By creating a relentlessly grim Gotham City in which the bad guys frequently win, Nolan asked audiences to examine the very concept of heroism, though not at the expense of excitement. If only because it's been talked about so much, I won't say a lot about Heath Ledger's revelatory performance, only that it made a villain we loved but didn't want to come out victorious.

With 2009 a little more than half over, I don't want to select a movie of the year just yet. I'll certainly compile a best-of list at year's end. I welcome you to share your own favorites in our comments section.