2001: Top Ten

Little Intro
2001 was a successful year for me and the movies. I saw 56 movies, a personal best for me. After much deliberation, I have come up with my top ten cinematic masterpieces of the year.

First Things First: Dishonorable Mentions
2001 was not all good by any strech of the imagination. There were vile, rotting, putrid masses of celluloid that deserve to be buried beneath the surface of Pluto. Here are the five films that really built up the bile:

5. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Disney has fallen so far: sad sterotypes, terrible plot, and a boring movie. Didn't somebody see what happened to Titan AE?

4. Jurassic Park III
Stupidity taken to an entirely new level. No suspense, no terror, no fun.

3. Lost and Delirious
Hammy acting, juvenile screenplay, and tedious directing. I am convinced that this wasn't trashed only because there was a lesbian sex scene in it.

2. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
When a director goes dark, critics fawn. Spielberg's movie is very dark, but it is also flawed. Tragically flawed. Jude Law and Haley Joel's brilliant performances could not save this mess.

1. Hearts in Atlantis
I really don't like to dwell on the negative in an article like this, so let me say that this treakily waste of brain matter made me furious. Bad child acting needs to stop. Alakina Mann and James Bentley in The Others put this talentless cast of kiddies to shame. Anthony Hopkins turns in a lackluster performance, that alone is enough to make me hate this film. Suffice to say that the best part is when the screen goes blank and you're spared more of this crap.

Good Times: The Honorable Mentions!

16. Memento
Cinematic brain candy. Very clever, extremely entertaining. Ultimately just fodder for the cinephile. Good fodder, but still, just fodder.

15. In the Bedroom
Some of the best acting of the year, controlled and nuanced directing, good script, but bad ending. At least I loved 3/4 of the movie.

14. The Princess and the Warrior
Beautifully shot, dream-like effort from very talented director Tom Tykwer. Perhaps it drags on too long, but I was riveted in certain scenes. It never ceased to startle me, but in the end it made more of a blunt impression than a lasting mark.

13. The Tailor of Panama
Very, very clever satire. I laughed out loud in certain scenes, and cringed in others. A perfect example of a movie that was WAY too smart for its own good.

12. Waking Life
Innovative, breath taking, in any other year, this exciting experiment would make the top ten. I loved the idea that a movie doesn't have to DO anything to BE something.

11. Series 7: The Contenders
I'm not sure a lot of people understood what this was a parody of. Some people said "its stupid just to parody reality shows". Others said that it didn't even make any sense as a reality show. I'm not sure people got that it wasn't just Reality TV that was being skewered. The line "everything feels like its been dipped in plastic" is explanation enough. Its a satire of our society today. Our brainless society in which murder is considered entertainment, and a pregnant women's fight to keep her baby is a sweeps stunt. Instead of letting the lessons sink in, people rushed to reject this witty caricature of our world today.
PS: The scene in which Bloody Mama's neice hugs her, then casually glances at the camera is the perfect embodiment of reality shows. They're all just trying to get their 15 minutes.

Finally, The Top Ten of 2001

10. Under the Sand
Propelled by the subtleties of the acting, and the completely thorough character development, Under the Sand plays out like an even more mature In the Bedroom. Charlotte Rampling does everything an actress can do right. Marie's grief and slow boiling insanity are so perfectly captured in this glorious actress. With a concept that screams "Lifetime Movie of the Week!", Under the Sand takes the central tragedy further inside of itself than I've ever seen. The agony of Marie's loss is profound, just like the denial she suffers is understandable. In a subtle, masterful movie, Rampling glows like a queen.

9. Sexy Beast
Heist movies suck. They are a dime a dozen nowadays. We had five in 2001 alone. That is why Sexy Beast is so refreshing. Old character types and a tired genre get reinvigorated in this dark comedy. Ben Kingsley's wonderful performance is actually not so much evil as it is violently insecure. Don Logan has so much baggage that he takes it out on everything else in the world. He's a middle management ganster, and he knows it. He's threatening, but he is also a trapped animal. He can still kill and lie, and maim and curse, but he isn't going to go past his current place in life. He has achieved all he can, now all he can do is scream impotently (and not so impotently) at the people he hates. Frustration and sexual angst fuel this villian, and he is the centerpiece in a wonderfully wicked tapestry. Now, Ben Kingsley is not the only thing in the film. Ray Winstone has a subtle and touching performance that rivals Don Logan, and Amanda Redman is a sensation as DeeDee. Her presence on the screen was just as riveting as anything else this year.

8. The Others
Such restrained horror, such a perfectly fluid film. If I had my way, no other horror movie would have opened this year. This haunted house joyride elevated the material so much, that I felt my breath taken away four or five times. The tension is built so well, that when the shocker hits, it hits extra hard. The really fascinating thing about the film is that it doesn't focus on the ghosts. Grace, the leading lady, is the focus of the screenplay. Grace's insecurities, her religious upbringing, her view of the world in black and white. All of the films parts come together to work as a near perfect whole. Also, this was Nicole's best performance this year, and it was a doozy.

7. The Royal Tenenbaums
Wes Anderson creates a little diorama world for us. His characters are detailed to the most minute degree. His story is a messy little masterpiece. His screenplay is a marvel of humour and quirkiness. The fact that most people ignored this, saying it wasn't funny, or too weird, is a tribute to the director. His film manages to be universal to cinephiles. He created a deeply personal work that matches up to our expectations. He coaxes fabulous performances out of a hodge podge cast, and creates an almost-masterpiece. That little 'almost' adds to the tragic good humour of this eccentric upheavel.
PS: I find it funny that exaggeration it ultimately what brings out the most truth in characters and situations.

6. In the Mood for Love
Has there ever been a romance in which the chemistry is so powerful in such an unconventional way? Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, under the gifted guidance of Wong Kar-Wai, smolder with distinction. The unconsumated love affair hits harder than the agressive passion of Satine and Christian, Hedwig and Tommy, or even the devoted friendship of Our Song. Sumptuous to look at, and even more beautiful to hear, In the Mood for Love moves you like no other. The potent direction and intelligent performances match perfectly with the ingenius cinematography. If you can watch a film with the sound off and still be moved....damn.

5. Our Song
Truth in film doesn't usually do well. Naturalism hasn't caught on here in the states. Everything is stylized or artificial. Nothing seems to ring true. Nothing except Our Song. The story of a couple of weeks in three girls' lives, Our Song flows along at the pace of life. The hesitant decisions are a shared experience between the audience and the characters. We are plunked in a situation that we slowly learn about. We see the budding relationships of the young, and the pressures exerted upon every character. We see genuine emotion and artistry without any sensationalism. The ensemnle is beyond perfect, and the perhaps one day, more movies will dare to be truthful.

4. Gosford Park
Trust Altman to make a movie that fools everybody. Described as a murder mystery, Gosford Park goes far beyond that. It is a class analyzation, ensemble celebration, and witty comedy. The screenplay is the best of the year, and the witty word play is just one reason to love it. Bouncing off the walls, the characters of Gosford Park have so many secret, unsaid stories, that I would love if this film went on for hours. The tableau opens so beautifully, that I wish I could see it again for the first time.

3. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Majesty. Mystery. Brilliance. Expansiveness. Scope. Emotion. Good. Evil.
Wow.

2. Moulin Rouge!
Baz Luhrmann first stripped the love story down to its Christmas tree form.
He then began to hang the tinsel. The brilliantly intricate costumes that define the characters and fit the theatrical themes. The fantastically over the top sets, with their red immersed glow. The sharp, invigorating editing that helps define the feel of the Moulin's decadence.
Then come the lights. Flamboyant music. Orgasmic coreography. A witty and entertaining screenplay.
Finally the ornaments. The innocent Christian played to perfection by Ewan McGregor. The smoldering, wilting, bubbly Satine, embodiedby the sensational Nicole Kidman. The funny/sad Harold Zidler, personified by the stunningly talented Jim Broadbent.
Baz could have made a good movie with just this, but luckily, he used his skill and remembered to plug the lights in. Everything comes together in Moulin Rouge! to make absolutely the best musical in twenty years. The ultimate movie for movie lovers. Filled to the brim with excess and wonderful things. Everything is perfect, and its all a big, fun mess.

1. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
I'm not sure I can fully explain why I love this film. I'll try to sum it up in one paragraph.
I love the way that Hedwig conveys humor, pathos, and humanity, all while remaining an iconic character. I love the way that the movie doesn't look like it was made on a shoe string budget (whcih it was). I love the way 'Wig in a Box' made me want to jump up and sing. I love the way I walked out of the theater loving movies more than I did going in. I love the way that despite all my attempts I can not describe my love for this film. I love the way that John Cameron Mitchell made the best film of the year. I love the way that despite all of its flaws, Hedwig touched me more than anything I saw this year.
I love Hedwig.