Narrative Feature Films: 2000: Old

Submitted by dgeiser13 on Tue, 02/20/2001 - 09:22
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  1. Ranked and Rated
  2.  
  3. ========= 8 Stars ========
  4.  
  5. Amores Perros (2000) (aka Love's a Bitch)
  6. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
  7. Memento (2000)
  8.  
  9. ========= 7 Stars ========
  10.  
  11. Fa Yeung Nin Wa (2000) (aka In The Mood for Love)
  12. Wo Hu Cang Long (2000) (aka Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
  13. You Can Count on Me (2000)
  14. Nueve Reinas (2000) (aka Nine Queens)
  15. High Fidelity (2000)
  16.  
  17. Italiensk For Begyndere (2000) (aka Italian for Beginners) [07/10] ~ I saw a preview of this movie at the local "art film" theater and like most American trailers for foreign language films they gloss over the fact that the film is in an entirely different language than the American movie-going public is used to by removing almost all traces of dialogue in the trailer. I wasn't fooled about the origins of the film, being a little more observant than that, but I categorized it as a slight European comedy which might be nice to go see with my girlfriend to fulfull the fabled "chick flick"* quota. I was right, this was a good movie to see with my girlfriend, but it was much, much more than that.
  18.  
  19. You see the real strength of this movie was not the European backdrops and the situations that our characters found themselves in, all of which could be gleamed from that trailer, it was the dialogue and the characterization and all of the little touches which couldn't be conveyed in a trailer that made this movie such a treat. This movie deals with the harsh realities of life head on (if you see it you'll know what I mean), over and over, in an unflinching manner and still manages to entertain repeadtedly throughout the story and right on into and past the closing credits. I can't think of a way to describe it better.
  20.  
  21. The film definitely benefits from it's Dogme 95-style, keeping everything grounded and real, and the plot doesn't seem planned and the dialogue written it just seems like they sort of filmed what happened to this group of people without their knowledge. They don't even seem like actors when you watch it. This is not earth-shattering filmmaking, by any means, but it is a demonstrable example of story- and character-driven filmmaking and how important they are and by contrast how much we can miss them when they aren't there. Check it out some time if you get a chance, preferably in a theater.
  22.  
  23. Wonder Boys (2000)
  24. The Way of the Gun (2000)
  25. Thirteen Days (2000)
  26. Happy Accidents (2000)
  27. Snatch (2000)
  28. Almost Famous (2000)
  29. Panic (2000)
  30. Before Night Falls (2000)
  31. Traffic (2000)
  32. Unbreakable (2000)
  33. Chicken Run (2000)
  34.  
  35. ========= 6 Stars ========
  36.  
  37. Gladiator (2000)
  38. Billy Elliot (2000)
  39. Pane e Tulipani (2000) (aka Bread and Tulips)
  40.  
  41. Sexy Beast (2000) ~ Sexy Beast is a brutish British film about a neo-gangster who tries to leave the "business" by retiring to Spain. Various commentaries I've read talk about this film as a comedy (albeit black) and a love story. The love story elements are there, in retrospect, but, unless the world has redefined what comedy means and left me behind, the comedic aspects of this film are slim to nil. If I had to deal with 95% of the characters on a semi-regular basis I'd have an ulcer the size of Alpha Centauri and be as jumpy as all get out.
  42.  
  43. These are really unpleasant people. And Ben Kingsley's character, Don Logan, is the most unpleasant of all. Nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor the intensity and duration of his performance almost propel it to Best Actor status and make everyone else seem like bit players in a movie about him. When the focus shifts back to the real main characters you might breathe a palpable sigh of relief. I did.
  44.  
  45. Sexy Beast has some nice visual touches and like Guy Ritchie's Snatch has a self-awareness in parts that take advantage of the visual cues available in the medium of film. If you do watch count how many stationary cameras you notice attached to mechanical devices. I noticed two, one attached to a swinging car door and another attached to a revolving door. I like that technique.
  46.  
  47. A real challenge, even for the observant viewer, is to decipher some of the dialogue. After watching the film I noticed there were English subtitles available and I wish now I would've had them on. Any distraction by them would have been counterbalanced by a more relaxed viewing experience. Tension from straining to listen combined with the real onscreen tension most definitely affected any enjoyment of this film.
  48.  
  49. So, in closing, Sexy Beast is not a fun movie to watch. It has characters you could really care less about, a drunken, stumbling plot, some good to great perfomances and nice visual touches. If you're an avid movie watcher (like me) then you probably have to see it (like me). If you don't watch too many movies then you can probably safely skip this one.
  50.  
  51. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
  52. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
  53. Maze (2000)
  54. Erin Brockovich (2000)
  55. Return to Me (2000) [06/10]
  56. Pitch Black (2000)
  57. Batoru Rowaiaru (2000) (aka Battle Royale)
  58. Best in Show (2000)
  59. The Tao of Steve (2000)
  60. Shanghai Noon (2000)
  61. Frequency (2000)
  62. The Strange Case of Señor Computer (2000)
  63. Nurse Betty (2000)
  64. The Gift (2000)
  65. Chopper (2000)
  66. The Original Kings of Comedy (2000)
  67. Meet the Parents (2000)
  68. Keeping the Faith (2000)
  69. Charlie's Angels (2000)
  70. I'm the One That I Want (2000)
  71. The Dish (2000)
  72. What Lies Beneath (2000)
  73. 101 Reykjavík (2000)
  74. Oodishon (2000) (aka Audition)
  75. X-Men (2000)
  76. Born Romantic (2000)
  77. Versus (2000) [06/10]
  78.  
  79. ========= 5 Stars ========
  80.  
  81. The Krieger und die Kaiserin (2000) (aka The Princess and The Warrior)
  82. Quills (2000)
  83. The Contender (2000)
  84. Cast Away (2000)
  85. American Psycho (2000)
  86. The Perfect Storm (2000)
  87. U-571 (2000)
  88. What Women Want (2000)
  89.  
  90. Ghost World (2000) ~ I was pretty disappointed with Ghost World. It seems that it's been overrated by the film-going community. The actions of the characters while painfully human were not always consistent. Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) felt too bitchy and morose at times. Enid (Thora Birch) was sweet but tried too hard. Seymour (Steve Buscemi) was a lonely sad man of character. Ultimately I felt betrayed by Enid and Seymour. I'm all for teen angst, odd-ball humor and slow leisurely walks through the plot line but Ghost World did none of these all that well. However, I'm glad Roberta (Illeana Douglas) finally came around and I thought Doug (Dave Sheridan) the nunchuck wielding redneck was hilarious.
  91.  
  92. Bring It On (2000)
  93. Titan A.E. (2000)
  94. Proof of Life (2000)
  95. Boiler Room (2000)
  96. The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
  97. Greenfingers (2000) [05/10]
  98. Pay It Forward (2000)
  99. The Cell (2000)
  100. Hollow Man (2000)
  101. Mission: Impossible II (2000)
  102. Bedazzled (2000)
  103. Vertical Limit (2000)
  104. Final Destination (2000)
  105. The 6th Day (2000)
  106. The Beach (2000)
  107. Road Trip (2000)
  108. Harry, Un Ami Qui Vous Veut Du Bien (2000) (aka With a Friend Like Harry...)
  109. Cecil B. DeMented (2000)
  110. Romeo Must Die (2000)
  111. 28 Days (2000)
  112.  
  113. Red Planet (2000) ~ The film industry is weird. Most people in the industry have to be competent and at least do a passable job within their chosen vocation. Directors, actors and special effects crews all need to keep things together and make them look convincing. All except for the writer. The writer can write one horrible line of plot and dialogue after another, in one bad movie after another and the film industry will still keep buy his scripts and turning them into films.
  114.  
  115. Here is a random scattering of things I didn't like about Red Planet:
  116.  
  117. The characters speak so glibly like they are straight out of 1930s-era comedy like Holiday or His Girl Friday. Everything is a verbal jousting match with these people yet in reality their wisecracks say nothing. There is no meat behind them.
  118.  
  119. At other times they bandy about scientific phraseology, words and concepts in the same manner. They go out of their way to use certain keywords which are supposed to sound familiar to those with a passing interest in the subject area but again their is no meat behind what they are doing or saying.
  120.  
  121. This happened twice in the film:
  122.  
  123. Character A: You have to leave me behind.
  124. Character B: There's no way in hell we are going to leave you here to die.
  125. Character A: I'm in charge here and I'm telling you to leave.
  126. Character B: OK, see you later.
  127.  
  128. Quite a doozy of a fight Character B put up there.
  129.  
  130. A "solar flare" almost entirely disables the electronics of a spaceship in orbit around Mars.
  131.  
  132. Characters use "costly laboratory equipment" to make alcohol. Like they wouldn't have been allowed a little booze for the trip.
  133.  
  134. The character in the orbiter, last name Bowman for god's sake, actually says a sentence back to Houston and waits for their response 40 minutes later.
  135.  
  136. Here is a random scattering of things I liked about Red Planet:
  137.  
  138. I liked the robot, AMEE. Tom Sizemore's accent. Most of the special effects including the cool green color of the algae.
  139.  
  140. Now I think I'm going to go hunt up Jim's review.
  141.  
  142. The Irrefutable Truth About Demons (2000)
  143. The Specials (2000)
  144. Scream 3 (2000)
  145. Scary Movie (2000)
  146. Woman on Top (2000)
  147. Anatomie (2000) (aka Anatomy)
  148. Pantaleón y las Visitadoras (2000) (aka Captain Pantoja and the Special Services)
  149. Four Dogs Playing Poker (2000)
  150.  
  151. ========= 4 Stars ========
  152.  
  153. Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
  154. Reindeer Games (2000)
  155. Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
  156.  
  157. ========= 3 Stars ========
  158.  
  159. Mission to Mars (2000)
  160.  
  161. ========= 2 Stars ========
  162.  
  163. Screwed (2000)
  164.  
  165. ========= 1 Stars ========
  166.  
  167. ==========================
  168.  
  169. ==========================
  170.  
  171. To See?
  172.  
  173. Definitely: The Heart of the World (2000), No Maps for These Territories (2000), Uzumaki (2000)
  174.  
  175. Probably: Aberdeen (2000), El Arte de Morir (2000) (aka The Art of Dying), Bamboozled (2000), Big Eden (2000), Blinkende Lygter (2000) (aka Flickering Lights), Bread and Roses (2000), Camera (2000), Chocolat (2000), Chunhyang (2000), The Claim (2000), Code inconnu: Récit incomplet de divers voyages (2000), Comédie de l'innocence (2000) (aka Comedy of Innocence), Dayereh (2000), Les Destinées Sentimentales (2000), The Emperor's New Groove (2000), Esperando al mesías (2000), Eureka (2000), The Family Man (2000), Faust: Love of the Damned (2000), Finding Forrester (2000), Gangster No. 1 (2000), George Washington (2000), Ginger Snaps (2000), Girlfight (2000), Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA (2000), Le Goût des Autres (2000) (aka The Taste of Others), Gouttes d'eau Sur Pierres Brûlantes (2000) (aka Water Drops on Burning Rocks), Harrison's Flowers (2000), Hyôryuu-gai (2000) (aka The City of Lost Souls), Iedereen Beroemd! (2000) (aka Everybody's Famous), Im Juli. (2000), Innocence (2000), The King Is Alive (2000), Kurosufaia (2000), La Ley de Herodes (2000) (aka Herod's Law), Malèna (2000), Musíme Si Pomáhat (2000) (aka Divided We Fall), Otesánek (2000) (aka Little Otik), Our Song (2000), Pantaleón y las visitadoras (2000), Plata quemada (2000), Pollock (2000), Que no quede huella (2000), Remember the Titans (2000), Les Rivières Pourpres (2000), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Saving Grace (2000), Scarlet Diva (2000), Seunlau Ngaklau (2000) (aka Time and Tide), Songcatcher (2000), Sous le Sable (2000) (aka Under the Sand), State and Main (2000), Supernova (2000), Suzhou he (2000), Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000), Thomas Est Amoureux (2000) (aka Thomas In Love), Tillsammans (2000) (aka Together), Tully (2000), Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000), What's Cooking? (2000), Wild Zero (2000), The Yards (2000), Yi Yi (2000) (aka A One and a Two)
  176.  
  177. Possibly: Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000), Big Momma's House (2000), Les Blessures Assassines (2000), Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), Bounce (2000), Bread and Roses (2000), Bruiser (2000), La Captive (2000), Cherry Falls (2000), Chunhyang (2000), Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger Part 4 (2000), The Claim (2000), Coyote Ugly (2000), Dead Babies (2000), Diamond Men (2000), Dinosaur (2000), Dracula 2000 (2000), Dungeons & Dragons (2000), En el país de no pasa nada (2000), Esther Kahn (2000), Eu Tu Eles (2000), Everything Put Together (2000), O Fantasma (2000), Fast Food Fast Women (2000), For the Cause (2000), Fugitivas (2000), Gangster No. 1 (2000), The Girl (2000), The Golden Bowl (2000), Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA (2000), Ha-Hesder (2000), Hana a jej bratia (2000), Yau sau tung dong (2000), The House of Mirth (2000), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), In the Light of the Moon (2000), The Independent (2000), Joe Gould's Secret (2000), Kippur (2000), Krámpack (2000), Kuet chin chi gam ji din (2000), Last Resort (2000), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), Lei ting zhan jing (2000), Little Nicky (2000), Love & Sex (2000), The Man Who Cried (2000) , Men of Honor (2000), Merci Pour le Chocolat (2000) (aka Nightcap), Miss Congeniality (2000), Noche con Sabrina Love, Una (2000), Nora (2000), The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000), Other Voices (2000), Overnight Sensation (2000), Plata Quemada (2000) (aka Burnt Money), Por la Libre (2000), Proof of Life (2000), Psycho Beach Party (2000), Rat (2000), The Replacements (2000), Rules of Engagement (2000), Sa tree lex (2000), Sånger från andra våningen (2000), Saving Grace (2000), Seom (2000), Seven Days to Live (2000), Shaft (2000), Shiner (2000), Small Time Crooks (2000), Space Cowboys (2000), Die Stille nach dem Schuß (2000), Takhté siah (2000), The Tic Code (2000), Tigerland (2000), Trolösa (2000), Vengo (2000), La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000), La Ville est Tranquille (2000), La Virgen de los Sicarios (2000), The Watcher (2000), The Weight of Water (2000), When the Sky Falls (2000), Yau sau tung dong (2000)
  178.  
  179. Unlikely: 102 Dalmatians (2000), The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000), The Art of War (2000), Autumn in New York (2000), Bless the Child (2000), The Kid (2000), The Little Vampire (2000), Lockdown (2000), Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (2000), Promenons-nous dans les bois (2000), Terror Tract (2000), The Tigger Movie (2000), You Are Here* (2000)
Author Comments: 

My ratings system is explained here. Recent additions to this list are highlighted in yellow.

nadine09/13/2000

Can you please explain your numbering system to me? Thanks :)

lbangs09/13/2000

His first number is the position the film has on his / her top ten. The list is then sorted within each position alphabetically, and the second number simply reflects each film's alphabetical position within its rank.

For example:

1.1. Cherry Picker
1.2. Ozone Warrior

The two films are tied for number one. They are sorted alphabetically, and the second number refers to each films alphabetical place within each rank. The next film (if not tied for first place) would be 3.1., since having a two-way tie for first eliminates the number two slot.

I do think, perhaps, that doing away with the second number may eliminate some confusion.

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

dgeiser1309/13/2000

Thanks, L. Yea, that's basically how the numbering system works. I guess I could eliminate it. It's not really adding much. As long as I don't get a lot of messages about two titles with the same ranking :-) Look for the changes in the very, very near future (the next 5 minutes).

jim12/02/2000

I like the new format of this list.

dgeiser1305/21/2003

You mean the blank format? :-)