The New Critical Underground Guide to Films of 2001
- Shrek (Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson): **** 1/2
- 15 Minutes (John Herzfeld): *** 1/2
- The Pledge (Sean Penn): *** 1/2
- Spy Kids (Robert Rodriguez): *** 1/2
- Sugar & Spice (Francine McDougall): *** 1/2
- Angel Eyes (Luis Mandoki): ***
- Bridget Jones's Diary (Sharon Maguire): ***
- Enemy at the Gates (Jean-Jacques Annaud): ***
- Josie and the Pussycats (Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan): ***
- The Mexican (Gore Verbinski): ***
- Blow (Ted Demme): ** 1/2
- The Brothers (Gary Hardwick): ** 1/2
- Hannibal (Ridley Scott): ** 1/2
- Heartbreakers (David Mirkin): ** 1/2
- The Mummy Returns (Stephen Sommers): ** 1/2
- One Night at McCool's (Harald Zwart): ** 1/2
- Save the Last Dance (Thomas Carter): ** 1/2
- Antitrust (Peter Howitt): **
- Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (Simon Wincer): **
- Driven (Renny Harlin): **
- Freddy Got Fingered (Tom Green): **
- Get Over It (Tommy O'Haver): **
- Monkeybone (Henry Selick): **
- Recess the Movie: School's Out: **
- Say It Isn't So (J.B. Rogers): **
- Town and Country (Peter Chelsom): **
- Along Came a Spider (Lee Tamahori): * 1/2
- Double Take (George Gallo): * 1/2
- Down to Earth (Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz): * 1/2
- Exit Wounds (Andrzej Bartkowiak): * 1/2
- The Forsaken (J.S. Cardone): * 1/2
- Head Over Heels (Mark Waters): * 1/2
- Joe Dirt (Dennie Gordon): * 1/2
- Just Visiting (Jean-Marie Poire): * 1/2
- Kingdom Come (Doug McHenry): * 1/2
- Pokemon 3 the Movie: Spell of the Unknown (Kunihiko Yuyama, Michael Haigney): * 1/2
- Saving Silverman (Dennis Dugan): * 1/2
- See Spot Run (John Whitesell): * 1/2
- Someone Like You (Tony Goldwyn): * 1/2
- Sweet November (Pat O'Connor): * 1/2
- 3000 Miles to Graceland (Demian Lichtenstein): * 1/2
- The Wedding Planner (Adam Schankman): * 1/2
- Tomcats (Gregory Poirer): *
- Valentine (Jamie Blanks): *
As decided by the New Critical Underground...
Our rating system:
***** - A masterpiece; these are rare.
**** 1/2 - An excellent work of art, good enough that even people who usually hate the genre or main artists involved will still probably enjoy it.
**** - A very good work; people who hate the genre / artists involved may not care for it, but almost anyone else will.
*** 1/2 - A fairly good work, but will probably only be embraced by fans of the genre / artist.
*** - A barely good work; only diehard fans need apply.
** 1/2 - An average work; probably won't excite even diehard fans.
** - A below average piece of art; non-fans will hate this work.
* 1/2 - A bad work that few people are likely to enjoy and many are likely to hate.
* - A truly awful work; nearly everybody will hate this.
1/2 - One of the worst works of art ever; like the 5 stars, these are also rare.
Oof. Tough year so far. Although I guess this time of the year usually is.
Small technical note. You can stop a bullet from appearing on any line (like on your blank lines) by starting the line with an underscore. For example:
That's how I put the blank lines and bullet-less headers into this list, for example.
Great idea. Thanks, Jim!
Yes, this time of year usually isn't exactly stellar, and this year is no exception. For what it is worth, I personally enjoyed 15 Minutes; it is no masterpiece, to be sure, but it is a good cop thriller with a bit more going on intellectually than is usual for the genre.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Alright, I have to add this juicy piece of information. Although it is technically a 2000 film and not eligible for this list, Memento is only hitting most cities in 2001. I have now received enough votes to rate it, and so far, it is earning a **** 1/2!!! This easily puts it at the top of the heap for 2001.
I guess I'll be seeing this one when it hits Tulsa!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
A definitre must see as I saw it this weekend. There are not many movies you can compare it with...truly unique plus Guy Pearce is a very underrated Actor. Hmm Tulsa..I guess sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live where I live Cambridge MA. There are literally 75 movies playing within 20 miles of my house. Not to make you feel bad or anything....
I'll just go and slit my wrists now... Thanks...
Nah, this just primes the pump even more. When it arrives here in 2(20?) months, I'll be first in line!
Glad to hear you liked it, as given our past records, that probably means I'll enjoy it as well.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
lbangs, just a quick question. Does the Guide not rate books? Just curious.
No, we don't. Sadly, it is nearly impossible. With under twenty members, the chances that four or more of us (the minimum number of ratings need to formulate an official NCU rating) have read any given book are rather slim. No doubt, we could probably rate a few classic or extremely popular books, but we could not really get any substantial guide together without fundamentally changing the way we calculate our ratings.
I hope that makes sense.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Man. I guess I don't really agree with the new critical underground. "Hannibal"'s low rating would be my first clue. Then there's "Bridget Jone's Diary". "Spy Kids" was fresh and entertaining, but beating those two? "Hannibal" I think is more entertaining and more challenging to the status quo than "Silence of the Lambs" ever was, and its only mistake was sacrificing the novel's end to placate the masses. And "Bridget Jone's Diary" showcased great, funny performances, witty dialogue and a story I quite enjoyed, though it started to get a wee bit flat towards the end.
I guess I'm the new critical Earth's Core.
It obviously won't help everybody, but it may help some. I myself did not care for Hannibal at all, but I know some people do.
We still haven't received a ton of votes on Bridget Jones yet, so there's no telling what rating it may end up with.
So, from the underground to the core, thanks for the comments.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs