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Father Geek's Top 10 Favorite Films of 2001
Well, geeks its that time of year once again... the dreaded List time. Yeah I hate these! I hate doing yearend lists for several reasons: First, I haven't seen every film made in the world this year... yet; Second, even if I saw no more of this year's crop my opinions could change completely on repeat viewings of the ones I list; Third, I please no one by doing this, because I always leave off someone's favorite, or include someone's least fave; Fourth, aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggh! I'm making a list of why I hate lists.
OK, I'll get on with it, buuut first this IS NOT a list of the BEST films of 2001. It is the list of Father Geek's FAVORITE "new" films that he has seen this calendar year (that's out of over 300 seen), and while its a TOP 10 LIST, I will actually be listing twenty motion pictures, 21 if I can remember the WORST film I saw by the time I get to the end. Further I WILL be listing these in the order of my preferiences. So that should give you even more ammunition for the talkbacks to follow. Also I will not be giving my reasons for the order, or the choices... These motion pictures really speak for themselves, and I cannot recommend strongly enough going to see ALL of them on the big screen for yourselves.
Here's FATHER GEEK'S TOP 10 OF 2001
1. Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
2. Jean-Prerre Jeunet's AMELIE
3. The Coen Brothers' THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
4. Baz Luhrmann's MOULIN ROUGE
5. Christophe Gans' BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF
6. Dreamwork's SHREK
7. Guillermo del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE
8. John Cameron Mitchell's HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
9. Richard Linklater's WAKING LIFE
10. David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE
...And the runners up are:
Here's FATHER GEEK'S TOP 10 OF 2001
1. Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
2. Jean-Prerre Jeunet's AMELIE
3. The Coen Brothers' THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
4. Baz Luhrmann's MOULIN ROUGE
5. Christophe Gans' BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF
6. Dreamwork's SHREK
7. Guillermo del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE
8. John Cameron Mitchell's HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
9. Richard Linklater's WAKING LIFE
10. David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE
...And the runners up are:
2. Jean-Prerre Jeunet's AMELIE
3. The Coen Brothers' THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
4. Baz Luhrmann's MOULIN ROUGE
5. Christophe Gans' BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF
6. Dreamwork's SHREK
7. Guillermo del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE
8. John Cameron Mitchell's HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
9. Richard Linklater's WAKING LIFE
10. David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE
...And the runners up are:
4. Baz Luhrmann's MOULIN ROUGE
5. Christophe Gans' BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF
6. Dreamwork's SHREK
7. Guillermo del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE
8. John Cameron Mitchell's HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
9. Richard Linklater's WAKING LIFE
10. David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE
...And the runners up are:
6. Dreamwork's SHREK
7. Guillermo del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE
8. John Cameron Mitchell's HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
9. Richard Linklater's WAKING LIFE
10. David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE
...And the runners up are:
8. John Cameron Mitchell's HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
9. Richard Linklater's WAKING LIFE
10. David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE
...And the runners up are:
10. David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE
...And the runners up are:
11. VANILLA SKY
12. MEMENTO
13. BULLY
14. FROM HELL
15. BATTLE ROYALE...And the runners up to the runners up are:
16. THE OTHERS
17. WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY
18. THE MAJESTIC
19. SPY KIDS
20. HANNIBAL
Well, guess what, my worst film experience of 2001 has been wiped from my memory by all the good ones and those multible screenings of FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. I've tried to remember it... honest... but its no longer there... thank god!
Father Geek, signing off of the LIST PATROL... till next year anyway.
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+ Expand All
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Let the shooting begin...
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glad to see it there anyway though...and memento and the others should have been higher than that over directed peice of shit we know as baz lurhman's poo.
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At least AI isn't on here...
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of course. Never had the knack of compiling these lists myself. To put films in any order...impossible. Well, I would have ranked Vanilla Sky little higher. Amelie and Brotherhood Of The wolves...I don't care about them, sorry. Moulin Rouge had lot going for it but the last act really bummed me out in a bad way. Can't explain why, really...told ya I was bad in this sorta thing. I would have included A.I. though. So flame me.
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Dec 27, 2001 3:55:02 PM CST
I just cannot understand SHREK being anywhere near anyone's
by cash bailey
I suppose Father Geek is just a big Smash Mouth fan.
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I had a chance to see this at our local uber-plex (which has a tendency to rope off a couple of theaters for indy and foreign films). I thought it was a terrific movie - and the theater was sold out, which was pretty surprising for the suburbs. I hope it recieves a nomination this year for Best Foreign Film, although I don't think it will beat Amelie.
Regarding Hedwig - this also had some packed showings at my local theater, although it hasn't made as much of a splash as I wished it would have. Interestingly, everyone I've recommended the DVD to has rented it and loved it, as well as picking up the soundtrack (although the cast recording is a little better in my opinion).
Great list, though Father Geek - I don't think this was the best year overall for movies, but the ones that stood out were really stellar and not just the least bad of a bunch. -
Come on Father Geek, you know in your heart Memento should at least be in the top ten. If it had been released at the end of the year instead of in march, it would be less of a distant memory and would have a place in the top three. Memento is brilliant! All that independent filmmaking should be!
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and very nice to see Battle Royale being mentioned. If there is one film which hollywood could remake that is it.
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Someone else agrees with me on Amelie being the #2 film of the year, right behind my #1 FOTR. So glad Jay will back me when I tell the die hard Moulin Rouge fans around here that I rank the gorgeous Amelie above the exciting, yet not as loved (by me) MR. Woohoo!
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That film was nothing but crap. Not a single moment of suspense or freshness. "The Mexican" and "Someone Like You" were also very bad movies. I hope "Ghost World" gets even more "award season" recognition and people actually go out and watch this wonderful film.
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Dec 27, 2001 4:18:14 PM CST
the best of the year-an auteurist point of view or why the Ameri
by shiva
FORGIVE ME THOSE WHO HAVE READ THIS BEFORE BUT AMERICAN CINEMA IS RIGHT NOW BEING ABUSED INTO OBLIVION,SO I have no choice but to REPEAT(retaliate),AWAKE NOBLE FILM LOVERS BEFORE ALL THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE IS PUT TO THE SWORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Listen, baby
Ain't no mountain high
Ain't no valley low
Ain't no river wide enough, baby
-Marvin Gaye
Why?Why is it that American film critics never spot the diamonds in their own backyard?They promote charlatans like Chris Nolan and Baz Luhrmann and Ron Howard(this disease seems to be spreading,I was disgusted to see the Aussie critics who trashed Peter Weirs Picnic at Hanging Rock,Gallipoli,The Last Wave and Fearless fawning over tripe like Moulin Rouge and Chopper).These are the same critics who refused to recognize Hitchcock,Hawks,Walsh,Welles,Ray,Lang,Mann(Anthony),Boetticher,Murnau,Sternberg,Sirk,Ulmer,Stroheim,Torneur,Preminger,Ophuls or Tashlin.They have the nerve to call The Deep End an 'orginal movie' when its a cheap copy of a Ophuls'The Reckless Moment.Nothing has changed.They are now denying Spielberg,Burton,Makhmalbaf,the Coens,Carpenter,Anderson(wes),del toro,Hark,Green,Anh Hung,Godard,the respect and recognition they deserve.these Bosely Crowther Pauline Kael-types are ripping the insides out of film appreciation and turning it into a base circus.
Well they can count me out of the merrygo ride that they are trying to put up.Without anymore ado here are the 13 best movies of the year.
A.I.-
The pinnacle of science fiction cinema.Rich and dense with thought,its Spielbergs best film to date and it goes to places Kubrick never even dared imagine.It reminded me of something that Orson Welles said about the work of von Stroheim-Jewish Baroque.His mise-en-scene has never been better,his oedipal fascination never more obsessive.The only thing more stunning in cinema this year has been the idiocy that critics have displayed in evaluating this film.
Kandhar-
To all you Kiarostami lovers out there,this film should tell you who the master is.Mohsen Makhmalbaf is the least known of all Iranian film makers.His situation vis-a-vis Kiarostami is much like the what Mizoguchi faced when most western critics ignored him in favour of the inferior Kurosawa.But it doesn't matter,in this movie he displays all his subversive skills creating the greatest Islamic feature film ever.The reason for his surreptiousness is two folded,one to escape from the cultural policing of the Taliban and the other,and more importantly to make a 180 degree turn towards his religion.His haunting theme of piety and anger intertwined is miles ahead of anything the Iranian cinema has ever produced.John Ashcroft,Susan Sontag,Noam Chomsky and all those armchair analysts of the left and right should be strapped in a chair,Clockwork Orange like,and be made to watch this film over and over again.'Kandhar' in Urdu means 'ruins'.What a fitting title for a movie that reveals the anguish of a devastated nation.
Planet of the Apes-
If there is anyone more consistently misunderstood among American film makers its Tim Burton.He channels the nihilism of the earlier series and transforms it into an exquisite atavistic fable.The distancing techniques that he uses in the film reminded me of Lang in his early noir period-hard to observe,but worth the effort.The subtle changes in the the degree of depth and surface texture of his compositions,the reframing of his protagonists towards the climax,the use of animist religion and the misguided purity of one of its followers(Michael Clarke Duncan as Attar,the films best character and not coincidentally the one who comes in for most abuse.By the end he loses his faith in religion and friendship)are all themes that Burton has been working towards since Pee wee Big Adventure.They come to full fruitition here.What a pity that no one was there to appreciate it.The last shot is the most amazing thing I have seen on film all year(yes,even more than A.I.).It speaks more about liberty and freedom(while turning the tables one last time on his nominal hero)than anything I have heard from the government or the press all year since Sept 11.
In Praise of Love-
This was a tough call.Jean luc Godard has annoyed me time and again with his pointless anti-American polemic,but his work is simply too good to be ignored for such a petty reason.Godard has finally come to terms with his religion and although this film is not as overt as H -
The fact that Harry and every other so-called "geek" on this site disregard Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, a true American masterpiece of emotion and hilarity, is a huge black mark for Aint-it-cool's credibility.
Shrek? SHREK?!
"I'm talking about putting a brick through the other guy's windshield. I'm talking about takin' it out and choppin' it up!"
The Royal Tenenbaums is the best movie of the year. -
1. Devil's Backbone 2. Moulin Rouge 3. Memento 4. The Others 5. A.I. Most overrated movies of the year (but still good movies): Lord of the Rings, Shrek. Most overrated movie of the year (and so-so movie) Harry Potter & the sorcerer stone. Most UNDERrated movie of the year: Swordfish. Worst movie of the year: Pearl Harbor (shitty, isn't it?). Best performance of the year: Haley Joel Osment, in A.I. Worst performance: Ben Affleck, in Pearl Harbor. Just hope next year would be less dissapointing than this...
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calm down man
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Dec 27, 2001 4:31:37 PM CST
Kubla21- it's the movie of the century? Pretty early to be c
by blue devil
'nuff said.
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...if you had seen Memento late in the year, it would be in your top 10 for sure. C'mon, it's not just a good film -- the structure is freakin' UNIQUE! How many movies can you say that about? And I hate to say it but Shrek is nothing special. Yes, funny and entertaining but no way one of the best of the year. Furthermore, for all the anti-Disney hype, it
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the worst movie i saw (exept all these german tv crap)
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pearl harbor
do i have to say more? -
It takes guts to come in here and lobby for any movie with this angry mob, so my hat's off to ya. On a somewhat depressing note, I only saw 5 of the 20 films Harry lists. (But somehow I'm sure Momento should be higher)
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Dec 27, 2001 4:52:00 PM CST
Sorry but I would of ranked The Others, From Hell and Memento WA
by iamlegolas
SHREK in the top 10? Not in my world.
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...Armond White, the film critic for New York Press? If not, you sure do sound like him. Exactly like him.
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Donnie Darko won't make any list, Best OR Worst, because hardly anyone saw it. Personally, I'd say it was one of the best, if not THE best, of the year. Yes, Memento may edge it out, but then again, I avoided the theaters quite a bit this year. Reasons to go: Memento, Ghost World, Donnie Darko, Waking Life. Reasons to wonder just what movie everyone else saw: Shrek. You couldn't make me see that one again.
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Armond White is an ok critic in my book(My favourites are Andrew Sarris,Richard Schickel, Jonathan Rosenbaum,and Dave Kehr in his auteurist phase-although his appraisal of Zemeckis and Wes Anderson has always been magnificient).I felt that he was totally off the mark when he called Unbreakable 'racist'(not true,man!,what were you thinking?!),and even stopped reading him for some time.I too like de Palma and Altman like he does but I think De Palmas best films were Carlitos Way and Snakeyes and that Altman has come back into form only since Kansas City(I feel that from Nashville onwards he went into a 20 year creative abyss).I don't think White would agree with any of that.I think White is one of the few who recognized AI&3000 Miles to Graceland and I salute him for that.I really differ with his evaluation of Planet of the Apes,but since we both agree that its a great movie it doesn't really matter!!
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Shiva, you talk a good game but you are clearly insane. Look, your analysis of Burton is comprehensible but when made in support of a movie like Planet of the Apes, a film absent of all the usual virtues of a Tim Burton movie, you are showing the same blind loyalty to a director that supporters of TPM show Lucas or that Altman's fans gave him in between Short Cuts and Gosford Park... and you lose ALL credibility as a result. Jesus, Shiva, even Tim Burton has pretty much called Apes a studio-driven piece of crap that killed his soul to make. I seriously suspect you were wired as hell when you wrote that post and are very pleased with how prolific you were. It's just sound and fury, man. Jesus, if you hadn't included Kandahar on your list, I would have thought the whole thing was a joke. Freddy Got Fingered? Ghosts of Mars? Good lord. Stop verbally masturbating on the AICN talk back boards, please.
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Hmmm. Other than that little exclamation, I have no response to this.
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Dec 27, 2001 5:16:51 PM CST
Hey , no "The Others" or "Memento"! in the top ten??? FUCK YOU G
by diplan
They are far the best two films of the year, and Harry when you'll post your 2001 top ten?
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Buuuuuuuut, I just delved in to my pile of xmas tapes, and rewatched a movie I saw in the theater in the summer. I liked it as good, goofy, bubblegum fun when I saw it back then. Mindless entertainment, yeah, but the key word is entertainment. On that basis, it delivered. On second viewing, I enjoyed it even more. Still for the same reasons. The film (okay, flamers...give me your best shot...) Lara Croft : Tomb Raider. What wants an elderly, frail Harrison Ford hobbling around trying to recapture past glories as Indy, when we have the knock out drop dead gorgeous Angelina Jolie bouncing around in slow motions, avoiding 70 tons of tidal wave ? Still on summer movies, "Shrek" was #1 for me. I liked "Pearl Harbor" but was sorry that I never got to see it with an U.S. audience while I was out your way. Welsh audiences just aren't the same somehow. "JP3" was a disappointment, apart from the pteradon. The Spinosaur just wasn't impressive. "Hannibal" I've yet to see, though I have the tape right here (so many movies...so little time before I'm back at work) "Mummy Returns" passed the running time pretty much as I figured it would. I mean come on people...we ALL knew what to expect. On the other side of the coin, I totally hated "Planet of the Apes"...hated it. Blown opportunity. Needless remake. Erase it form the collective memory.
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5. Harry Potter & The Sorceror's Stone 4. Memento 3. The Man Who Wasn't There 2. Monsters, Inc. 1. Fellowship of the Ring
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Anyone who has actually read any of tolkien's novels would not call the Lord of the Rings the movie of the century or the movie of the year.
They completely restructured the entire first half of the story, cutting to the gandalf/saruman/building an army of orcs sequences, which are not actually shown in the book, or even refered to until around the middle of the book. This artificially cranks up the pacing and violence of the first half, at the expense of the early journey of the hobbits which proceeds at a slower pace. Ulitmately, this severly deteriorates the character development of the hobbits, especially Merry and Pippin.
Indeed throughout the movie, they chose to focus on the violent episodes of the book rather than the dialogue and interaction between the characters. I don't expect the movie to contain all of the detail of the book, but by sacrificing character for action, the movie ceases to represent the story that Tolkien intended.
Also, where were the songs?
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that's a huge fucking post!!!
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...before the flaming "RobinP is insane" campaign starts...I have not, I repeat NOT yet seen "Harry Potter" or "LOTR". My local theater is actually shut for something like five weeks. Yeah, five fucking weeks, because they found some asbestos in the ceiling or something. What a shithole I live in. I'm anxious to see Potter. The RobinP jury's still out on LOTR, though several people have suggested I get my head out of my ass and submit to the inevitability of seeing it.
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No, I admit I haven't. Do I really HAVE to ? I tried "The Hobbit" a few years ago, but it really didn't float my boat. Wizards, goblins & the whole fantasy, sword & sorcery thing kinda leave me cold. This is one of the reasons I'm having a problem deciding whether to see the movie or not.On the one hand, I don't want to miss out on what may be a classic (an approximation may well be "can you imagine being the only guy NOT having seen Star Wars") on the other hand, I don't want to sit in an uncomfortable seat, with rigor mortis creeping up my ass for three hours or whatever watching a movie I detest. For the love of Lucas, will SOMEBODY please make up my mind for me ?????
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That was the most remarkably self-aggrandizing bunch of clap-trap I have ever heard. You obviously have tremendous knowledge of film, but this referential madness sounds like Dennis Miller on speed-usually insightful and poignant, but the overkill....Not every film needs to be enjoyed enjoyed or reviled only in reference to some other obscure foreign film. Relax and enjoy the sights and sounds and stories on the screen and the personal emotional impact. You sound like an art critic who can only look at art in comparison to other art. Well, enough bitching, and thanks for liking Planet of the Apes, I enjoyed it as well (not a top ten, but a nice peice of work) Now make a New Years resolution to go out and enjoy a movie for itself.
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'Nuff said.
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Damn dude, you think Snakeyes was one of DePalma's two best? That movie is miserable!
And Scorcese's Taxi Driver is not as good as Bringing Out the Dead?
Right. At least you appreciate Wes Anderson.
Top movies of the year:
1. The Royal Tenenbaums; 2. Mulholland Drive; 3. Memento; 4. Amores Perros; 5. Waking Life; 6. In the Bedroom; 7. Ghost World; 8. The Others.
The Lord of the Rings was enjoyable enough, but I don't get what people are losing their shit about. Barely top 10 of this year, not even close to top 10 of all time. -
Shiva, just wanted to point out that the reason The Deep End is similar to Ophuls's Reckless Moment is because they are based on the same novel. Now to add to this "best of" pool. So far, my favorite films this year have been Memento, Hedwig, Ghost World, and Mulholland Drive. Also really dug Amelie, Friend Like Harry and Ginger Snaps. Least favorite; Hannibal and Bridget Jones's Diary
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Ghost World and Apocalypse Now:Redux? Surely Hannibal isn't better than those two. But then, you put Shrek above Memento, so you're clearly certifiable.
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if the whole fantasy thing doesn't float your boat, then you would probably better off with your $8.50, that sit through 3 hours of hobbits, wizards, and such.
Did you like the never ending story or willow?
If you didn't you shouldn't bother to see the Lord of the Rings, because those movies are better and briefer.
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Dec 27, 2001 5:45:27 PM CST
my dear MrSnart so that I leave no doubts about my sanity,I do f
by shiva
Seriously.
I think Lucas got rid of all those genocidal tendencies that he began to exhibit in Star Wars due an overdose of Riefenstahls Triumph of the Will in TPM,ITS A WORK OF WONDER AND IMAGINATION WHOSE VISUALS OUTSTRIP THOSE OF THE MATRIX,which beat it to the best sfx oscar that year.Although that film had some damn fine impressive visuals of its own.Its his best work since THX-1138 and I would go so far as to place it above American Grafitti.
Altman started making imaginative films after he took a long hiatus from 1975 to 1995,much like Terry Malick.Only Altman made a lot of inferior movies,none of which come close to his pre-75 or post-95 work.
I know its a bit much to expect all sorts of wonders in a studio summer movie like Planet of the Apes but believe me it can happen.The similarities between apes and humans are regarded as an indication of our origin,while the differences help shape our ideas of ourselves as both being distinct from our animal 'ancestors' and possessing a 'unique' destiny.Constructing and exploring human self-identity has been an important part of our fascination with apes.Burton uses this fascination to construct or rather deconstruct human society and its supeficial obsessions.Hope that that didn't come off sounding as a lot of gobbledygook,but I belireve that Burtons attitude towards Christian religion plays a major role in each of his movies,be they the sublime 'Sleepy Hollow' or the insipid 'Batman'.You needn't worry with any of Burtions statements.A great artist may never himself be covinced of his worth,but that does not mean that we film fans cannot appreciate it.The whole of the French New Wave came out of observing the hidden artistry in obscure Hollywood works(at the time) like Vertigo,A Touch of Evil,The Searchers,The Big Heat,Rio Bravo to cite only a few examples.Back in their day they too were rejected as 'mere genre pieces'(I remember that both Vertigo and Rio Bravo were called'failures') having no 'message' whatsoever.Remember any of them?
however this discussion does not belong to a best picture talkback,I just wanted to clarify my position on my being insane.
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3000 Miles to Graceland was pure crap, if you want to watch a good movie with Kirt Russell shooting things watch Big Trouble in Little China (which was 10,000 times better then the shit pile Ghosts of Mars). And with that said here's my top 5.
1. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Memento was really good, but LOTR was simply beautiful film making, memento was cool because it was shown backwards ... face it if you show it forwards it would suck.)
2. Memento
3. Ameli
4. The Man Who Wasn't there
5. Shrek (THAT'S RIGHT I LIKED SHREK! SO CRUCIFY ME!)
Keep in mind I haven't seen movies like Kandahar, which could easily bump any one of these films off my list. Thanks! -
Dec 27, 2001 5:47:58 PM CST
SHIVA, been reading too much ROBIN WOOD in film school?
by charles grady
Maybe you've never read the guy, but your analyses seem directly inspired by those of Robin Wood, an admitted Marxist anti-Establishment film theorist from Ontario who wrote "Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan," which is a frequently used tome in film schools. Your arguments mirror his, and your comment about Assault on Precinct 13 is taken almost verbatim from that book. Maybe he's an inspiration to you, maybe you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, but he likewise frowned upon the establishment's idea of "proper" good cinema, and relished in sociopolitical analysis of B movies and disreputable pictures. Of course, the guy's biggest problem was that, although he brought an interesting new perspective to film studies, he was completely insane, and his militancy obscured some pretty valid points. Likewise, your comments about valid but disreputable genre flicks are interesting, and I'm glad you shared them (again), but your prejudices against milquetoast-y, middle of the road criticism is so spiteful and closed-minded that, like Wood, it dampens a lot of very good ideas.
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1-Amelie 2-Memento 3-The Man Who Wasn't There 4- With A Friend Like Harry 5-The Royal Tenenbaums
These were all fresh creative films that showed that films still have the power to surprise and delight.
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1. MEMENTO , 2. MOULIN ROUGE , 3. FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, 4. AMELIE, 5. SEXY BEAST, 6. BATTLE ROYALE , 7. THE OTHERS, 8. GINGER SNAPS 9. SHREK, 10. CHOPPER. *****The 5 Worst films of the year - 1. PEARL HARBOUR, 2. FREDDIE GOT FINGERED, 3. DUDE WHERES MY CAR, 4. GHOSTS OF MARS, 5. THE ANIMAL. ***** Pearl Harbour as mentioned in another post above is actually worse than the German TV Movies, it is simply the worst film I have seen in a long time. Michael Bay should give up movie making for life for giving us that film, I hope he has nightmares for the rest of his life. I didnt even want to put 4 other films along with it, its unfair on them even though they were bad. Pearl Harbour is everything a movie shouldnt be, enough said.
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To add to the confusion, I hated "Willow" I liked "Never Ending Story" (Go figure) and I even pretty much liked the Ralph Bakshi animated LOTR way back in the early eighties. Though I have to admit it's been about 16 years since I saw it.
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I haven't seen near enough (I have yet to see Royal Tannenbaums, Gosford Park, Amelie, Ali, or a few others), so here's a tentative list of the Top Five films I've seen. Along with them, the Suckiest Five of the year.
Best Films
5. A.I. - This pretty much guarantees some fire, but it was the only film this summer that made me both THINK and FEEL. THINKING about the future of the human race and our responsibilities to what we make, and FEELING about the loneliness of a scared young (artificial) boy.
4. Memento - By no means the masterpiece everyone thinks it to be, Memento is still a marvelously stylistic film that lends itself well to Guy Pearce's constantly confused, pitch-perfect performance. (one question: if he can't remember anything since he got hit in the head, how can he remember he has a disease? Hmmmm . . . )
3. Ghost World - A wonderful film about actual teenagers, and not archetypes. I loved Thora Birch's sardonic outlook on, well, everything. Also, Steve Buscemi steals every scene he's in. I didn't like a little bit of forced whimsy at the end, and background characters who never get fleshed out (her dad, the art teacher), but that's nitpicking.
2. The Fellowship of the Ring - C'mon, you knew it was coming. I read the book before I saw the movie, and was amazed how Peter Jackson, while not leaving everything in, effortlessly captured the SPIRIT of the stories. The cast is great, the effects mostly stunning, and, most amazingly, there's some emotional depth. [SPOILER WARNING] The deaths of Gandalf and Boromir were exactly what they should have been.
1. Moulin Rouge - Loved it. Amazed by it. Want to see it again.
AND NOW, THE SUCKIEST.
5. Planet of the Apes - What a disappointment. After Sleepy Hollow, I figured Tim Burton was on a role. At least he admits his dissatisfaction with the final product. Disown it, and move on buddy.
4. Rush Hour 2 - Boy did this one blow! Well, actually Jackie Chan was still enjoyable, and some action scenes were fun. I think it was Chris Tucker's insanely stupid racial jokes that did it. Yep, that's it alright.
3. Final Fantasy - Think about it. Someone financed $80 million into this film. What happened? All of it went to the mind-blowing effects, and none of it went towards making us care about the people in the film.
2. The Mummy Returns - Sequels, sequels, sequels. Empire was fantastic. Godfather II was good. Even Scream 2 didn't blow. What about The Mummy Returns? Makes a mockery of things like pacing, writing, and movies in general. Avoid this like a computer-generated Rock-scorpion.
1. Scary Movie 2 - Were ever a movie more unnecessary, crass, disgusting, tepid, ingratiating, and unfunny? Well probably, but watching Scary Movie 2 was akin to being beat relentlessly with a hammer. -
I agre with you in so many ways SHIVA,(although Im ignorant of most of the critics you mention) but I can't agree with you on Burton's Planet of the Apes. Im a big fan of Burtion and was dissapointed with the film. Token females who's sole purpose is to look pretty, cringeworthy references to the original and the story being little more than "chase the human" detracted from the positive elements. Also Attar who was shown to be greatly loyal to Thade, betrayed him on the word of what was supposedly an inferior race. It never pushed the ideas the original raised and for that would not appear on my best of 2001 list.
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But your description of film makers partially answers your question,why must we tolerate the work of'middle of the road milquetoasts'?.Are we not under enough stress?I have heard that Robin Wood was one of the great auteurists,but i haven't had the pleasure of reading his work.My opinion must therefore be that much more uninformed.I will try to catch up during the holidays.By the way I am not a professional film critic,just an enthusiast,a signpost,pointing you to the Hidden Paradise that American genre cinema is(actually I'm a student doing my masters in Industrial engineering at UMass-Amherst).And yes dear Craigmd I do look upon film as an art,and it must be appreciated as such,and I believe that a film lover like you will agree with me.
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My sister-in-law has never seen Star Wars. Not one of them. Ever. She is 21. She is not seeing LOTR for the same reason she has never seen Star Wars: she "doesn't like those kind of movies." Now, I don't know what movie she saw that suddenly soured her on the entire sci-fi/fantasy genre, but whatever it was, I hope I never see it. And no, she didn't like The Matrix either. You see what I have to contend with? Consider yourselves lucky. BTW my wife thoroughly enjoyed LOTR, and she hasn't read the book. She is also most definitely not a geek. You have been warned.
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For damn near a year now, virtually everyone has scoffed at Harry's, and now Father Geek's, appraisal of HANNIBAL, usually insulting it with some juvenile premutation of the word "shit." Do you idiots know what a "piece of shit" movie is??? Have you seen more than 16 movies in your life? If HANNIBAL is your reference point for a terrible or shitty movie, then lucky you! Never mind that HANNIBAL was one of a handful of flicks from the first half of the year that had a consistent tone, style, and intensity. Granted, it was way over-the-top, but in a garish, grisly, operatically sickly way....Every scene and every shot was from a master filmmaker working at the top of his game. The film had a great look, a haunting Hans Zimmer score, hilariously over-the-top work from Hopkins and Liotta, and, if nothing else, that Italy sequence that was one of the year's best sustained cat and mouse sequence. Obviously it's not on a par with SOTL or MANHUNTER, but it still deserves some respect.
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Dec 27, 2001 6:10:31 PM CST
Also its fairly well known that Carpenter took inspiration from
by shiva
But he picked the wrong Hawks to remake.Should have picked El Dorado.Good that he did something about it this year.
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but it would definately be either Battle Royale or Shaolin Soccer. And more power to Shiva. Someone who comes in and gives their honest opinion, even though it is way different than popular opinion. I fucking loved Ghosts of Mars. I don't give a shit what anyone says. I would have it in my top ten list. And it would probably be listed above Momento. Not saying I hated Momento. I actually loved it. But different strokes..... And before I go, I have to note my absolute least favorite movie of the year. The Majestic. I hated this movie so much I was actually angry watching it. I would watch Dude Wheres My Car again before I watch the Majestic again. Now Im getting angry again.
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I forgot my worst list, which is just, if not more than important as the best list...
6. AI (They Destroyed Kubrics baby! Damn you Speilburg for Cutsie-Pooing everything you touch! To hell with you and your Jurassic Park!!!)
5. Evolution (Ghostbusters + Fox Mulder from X-Files = BAD MOVIE)
4. Scary Movie 2 (Must destroy Waynes Brothers...)
3. 3000 Miles to Graceland (Kevin Costner has officially made a worse movie than "Water World" or "The Post Man" take your pick)
2. Pearl Harbor (Need I say more?)
1. GHOSTS OF MARS (It's like drinking drain-O with a side of baby urine, except it kills you slower). -
My best of 2001:
1. Moulin Rouge
2. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings
3. Amelie
4. Mullholland Drive
5. The Piano Teacher
6. Blow
7. The Pledge
8. Das Experiment
(Mememto would be in there, but I always regarded that as a 2000 movie, where it appeared in the top 5, rest assured.
The worst....
PEARL HARBOR!
Runners up: Evolution, Tomb Raider, Someone like you, The Wedding Planer -
Momento? Seriously? Why is this movie so grotesquely overrated by Movie geek-dom? It was an *ok* movie with a gimic. I found it intriguing, challenging, and yet barely entertaining.
LOTR, on the other hand, did "challenge" me to follow the storyline. But it sure entertained the shit out of me. It's equally tired listening to idiots bash this movie as they find it for us to be praising it all the time, by the way. -
My top ten fave movies of 01, in a vague, probably not final order (Note: I haven't seen Amelie, Waking Life or In the Bedroom yet):
1: Memento. 2: Ghost World. 3: The Others. 4: Wet Hot American Summer. 5: A.I. 6: Series 7. 7: The Man Who Wasn't There. 8: Moulin Rouge. 9: Sexy Beast. 10: A Beautiful Mind (Those last three I'm shaky on... things like Harry Potter, Mullholand (sp?) Drive or Monsters Inc could easily sneak in there when I really sit down and think about it.)
Hey, Scarlet Johansen is in two of my top ten. Go her. -
sucked. The only thing remotely interesting about that film was the way the info unfolded, and even that was grabbed from Harold Pinter. I'd like to see somebody edit the movie so it played out in the order the events *really* unfolded and then everyone would see it for the tripe that it is. And that terrible cop-out ending. Whatever. I must live in the land of the easily impressed.
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3-Final Fantasy, the title markets the film as based on the wonderful, detailed and imaginative fantasy video game, but the movie itself has nothing to do with the world of Final Fantasy, an instead was a tired,rote, run of the mill, sub-starship troopers sci-fi plot that they tried to animate to make interesting.
2-Planet of the Apes, the worst script ever. It seems as though the decision to bankroll this film and the hiring of Burton must have occured before they even had a script, for I can't imaginge anyone signing on the dotted line after reading the flimsiest, most inane dialogue and plot I have ever borne witness to. This was the first movie I have ever seen that had absolutely no character development whatsoever. None. A huge gaping void where there was suppose to be people we actually care about. I one point the young boy character steps forward and says he is going to make a stand with mark walburg, and I turned to my girlfriend and said, "so what. the kid has only had three lines, I don't even know his name". Pathetic.
1- Ghost World, major studio garbage masquerading as indie-hip. Characters act as though they are flinging astute barbs of biting sarcasm, when in fact the whole premise is achingly off the mark as teen alienation and rebelion is boiled down to dying your hair blue and saying "this sucks" to everything. In a film which claims to have a sense of irony, this film instead becomes ironic itself by proclaiming itself above the shallow, comercialized mainstream culture when in fact it is an example of weak,cookie cutter, co-opted, comericalized rebelion. In addition, the movie was not edgey or funny(the art teacher and white bluesband aside), but was actually slow, plodding, deppressing and dull. This movie pissed me off especially because I think Steve Buschemi is one of the greatest actors of recent decades and here his talent is wasted on a ill-conceived and poorly written character, in addition *spoiler* I feel the whole episode in which he has sex with Thora Birch to be contemptable middle age male wish fufillment and completely tears apart what the comic was about, (in which the buscemi character does not even appear). This was the worst movie of the year because it was prentenious, pointless, clueless to its subject and worst of all boring. -
The worst movies of the year!
3. Pearl Harbor. Dear lord, that sucked, didn't it?
2. Glitter. Save me. So cold... so very cold.
1. 3000 Miles to Graceland. This movie was King Sucky of the Sucky Tribe. Seriously, it hurt. What a painful cinematic experience. -
I may disagree with some of your choices, but I respect anyone whose ten-best list is not a weak, conformist list of nothing but critical and/or fanboy faves(like Father Geek, sorry). Here are my top 10 fave films of 2001: Baby Boy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Pearl Harbor(it's called an open mind), Ghost World, Monsters Inc, Memento, Ocean's Eleven, Fast and the Furious, Ali and Training Day. Worst films: Jurassic Park 3, Mulholland Drive, Wakilng Life, Made, Joe Dirt, Say It Isn't So, Behind Enemy Lines. Overrated good movies: Amelie, Shrek, LOTR. Overrated mediocre or bad films: Moulin Rouge, AI, Life As A House. Underrated: Josie and the Pussycats, Angel Eyes, Blow, The Forsaken, Serendipity. Disappointments: The Score, POTA, From Hell, Vanilla Sky.
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1-JAY & SILENT BOB-Don't see too many of this one yet. A love letter to all who love Kevin Smith's NJ world and raunchy humor, also funniest movie of the year. 2-VANILLA SKY-Blows away most other mind-bending, "what's going on" flick(i.e.JACOB'S LADDER) with an ending that is satisfying and poignant. 3-BABY BOY-Another one absent from other lists, Singleton finally fulfills some of the promise he exhibited with BOYZ N THE HOOD, but this time focusing on the mother-son relationship, powerful performances and some fresh themes not usually explored. 4-THE PLEDGE-Another MIA, Sean Penn's masterful direction, great supporting cast, Nicholson's best performance in years, and a heart-breaking ending.5-TRAINING DAY-Carried by Denzel Wahington's tour-de-force, playing a bad guy with all the intensity he always brings to a role, plus a really fucking good "hood" movie, like we haven't seen since the early 90's. 6-FROM HELL-Great, assured, atmospheric direction from the Huges Brothers, who we don't get to see often enough, with an intriguing story and beautiful performances, another heart-breaker. 7-FREDDY GOT FINGERED-Tom Green is either a get-him or don't-get-him type, but this was his attempt to create a gross-out comedy to end them all. I dare anyone who saw this and SHALLOW HAL afterwards to say they felt the same. 8-PEARL HARBOR-ARMAGEDDON for the Greatest Generation. Based on the TITANIC template for sure, but the attack scenes looked great, there was definitely a love for cinema exhibited, and though it wasn't FROM HERE TO ETERNITY or SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, it was fun. 9-A.I.-Hated the slow pace and murky message while watching it, couldn't stop going back to it for at least a week, and now can't wait to see it again on DVD, may be Spielberg's most analyzed film of all time in years to come. 10-MADE-Funny, well-acted and directed, all together a nice little picture from John Favreau, obviously made with love.
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2nd Lord of the rings,3rd unbreakable, 4th mummy returns and 5th crouching tiger hidden dragon(we had it in january) ,anyone else who thought shaolin soccer was the best?.
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Such a slighted film. Not to mention something that got NO PRESS on this freakin' site after the most momentary of plugs. No follow-through, and it is a fucking brilliant film. I love, repeat LOVE FOTR, but I still think Ghost World is the better movie. Of course, not everyone has seen everything under the sun, and I am no exception. That's why I'm plugging the film so much. More people should go see it. It deserves a lot of credit. It is some seriously smart filmmaking. My top ten (that I saw) 1. Ghost World 2. Fellowship of the Ring 3. Memento 4. The Man Who Wasn't There 5. The Deep End 6. Moulin Rouge 7. Monsters, Inc., and I leave the last three open for some newcomers I'm looking forward to (e.g., Royal Tennebaums, Devil's Backbone, and Brotherhood of the Wolf, among others). I thought Harry Potter, Shrek, Vanilla Sky, and The Others were all great efforts, but each one failed for different reasons (HP for its reliance on competence and fear of innovation; Shrek for its pop-culture heaviness, which was at times unforgivable; Vanilla Sky for its terrible, terrible last half-hour; and The Others for its lack of a good story to back up all the atmosphere). Planet of the Apes was notably dismissable, and finally A.I. was entirely unbearable the second time around (which I subjected myself to because I feared I'd sort of missed something the first time-- I hadn't; in fact, I'd given it too much credit the first go-around). A final note: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Terry Zwigoff, Ian McKellan, Guy Pearce, and Peter Jackson all deserve massive praise this year. I can only hope that their presence does not go unnoticed.
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if you leave donnie darko off a top ten list this year....you should be smacked in the mouth, hard. YES, it was better than memento, but i guess you people only see indie movies that play at the multiplexes.
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This year was certainly one of the most disappointing for movie fans. I'm not even sure if you can make comparisons between movies like Memento and LOTR. They're entirely different entities and as you all have different tastes one might come out on top of the other. Personally, I go to movies to be entertained and none entertained me more than Lord of the Rings. A blockbuster which defied the traditional rules, directed by a man who understands great film making, charged with emotion, fear, power and so obviously created with an obsessive attention to detail that it's like will never be seen again (well not until next december)I truly hope we see more movies like Fellowship, but I doubt it.
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Go Thora Birch!!!
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Where the heck was Monsters Inc. It was certainly better than Shrek, and better than about seventy percent of the movies released in 2001.
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I guess not many people here saw it, which leads me to ask....If you guys all love movies, so much, why don't ALL of you live in New York or Los Angeles, where you could see all of these cool flicks, instead of waiting siz months and having to drive an hour? Move out of the sticks, fellas.
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...but to add my voice to the din he has raised. I like everybody to have strong, intelligent opinions on movies. Not the ones your (well my) friends have that drip with ignorance and narrowmindedness. I wish more critics would stand up and enjoy a fun but flawed genre movie like Red Planet or Things to Do in Denver when You're Dead. Instead they all praise and deride the same things. No, I didn't like POTA. Yes, I think Burton is wildly uneven and his scripts are hit and miss, often in the same scene. But I think it's fun someone came up with a cool argument why it's good. I too want to be entertained but I am just as entertained by Amelie or Sexy Beast as LOTR or Oceans 11. Why can't I like Micheal Bay and Lars Von Trier? Also, I too agree that Scorsese is out there making movies as good as ever and the critics want to pound them. It does fall in line with the goddamn Kael attitude that if isn't Godfather 2, it's crap. Fuck that. NOTHING is that good. When was the last time you saw anything that good? Oh wait...when you watched Godfather 2 last! They pretend to like genre movies and then squash them. Its's like when The Underneath came out. You'd think they'd fallen all over themsleves to praise it. Nope. Oh but the 2 hour West Wing episode of Traffic is a gritty masterpiece. I agree. I wish critics could rate movies like the rest of us do: "Worth a matinee." "Wait til video." "Go see it if nothing else is out." I can see riding a hunk of junk like Along came a Spider but try to have a good time. Oh well, I don't wanna go on forver. And I'd like to add to all you fuckers who have seen Darko and Backbone: fuck you! I have waited forever. Austin is never gonna get 'em and fucking Del Toro lives here! So annoying! Hey Knowles family tell GDT to screen his print at the Drafthouse or something! I won't bore you with my favorites but I will say: How can u assholes forget Tomcats as the worst movie of the year?? At least a dishonorable mention! Later geeks. Keep fighting!
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No. Wait... It was cool. Yeah yeah, I MEANT it was cool.
Seriously, that was (in the words of somebody much younger and cooler than I) "some dope-ass shite." Seen it twice and it made the friggen hairs on my neck stand up. Even more so the second time. Anyway, I just wanted to throw out MY list of top all-time movies - cause I'm the center of the universe and all.
1.The Matrix (can't fuck with it - I know there are better movies - BUT I LOVE THIS FILM.) 2.LOTR - FOTR (with a bullet - simply amazing in every way) 3.Schindler's List (kill lots of Jews bad - movie good) 4.Pulp Fiction (I've seen it 50 times and it never fades as funny, suspenseful and supremely well executed) 5.2001 (Is it wrong that I masterbate to the caveman scenes?) 6.Raider of the Lost Ark (Marion was hot. I still pretend I'm Indy when no one's around) 7.The Shining (Scariest movie ever) 8.The Empire Strikes Back (Ok. used to be higher on the list but my whole taste for Star Wars was shot by Lucas. HEESA MAKE-A ME PUKEIN! MEESA FUCKING HATES HEEM.) 9.BRAZIL (Terry Gilliam is God.) 10.Fight Club (That movie spoke to me. I got something out of it. How many movies can you say that about?) That's it. Blow me. Oh, and Galaxy Quest is number 11. Yeah, yeah - go make your own fucking list.
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I think it's obvious that he's being sarcastic. That's the only thing that makes any sense. Read the post over again with a sarcastic tone, and it totally makes sense. He's making fun of pretentious film critics. I mean, why else would he chose the crap that he did?
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So basically what you wanted from LOTR was a 5-hour movie that no one would go see. I've read LOTR at least once a year since I was 11 years old, and I put the movie at the top of my ALL-TIME list. The reason is the film didn't set out to be a slavish recreation (I'm talking to YOU, Harry Potter) but tried to capture the spirit of Tolkien rather than the letter. The increased presence of Saruman actually improves on the book in my mind, since most of his story is merely told by Gandalf after the fact, which is fairly weak story-telling. Show, don't tell. And it makes the threat of Saruman that much more evident than the books -- there, you only see him after he's been defeated, and then are again TOLD all these bad things he's done. Simply will not work on film. The changes Jackson made not only enhance the character but add a satisfying pay-off to the first film that is simply lacking in the book and that a film must have, even if it's acknowledged as part one of a trilogy.
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This film had more heart and artistry in it than Shrek could ever hope to have, but Shrek is all trendy because, oooh, it makes fun of Disney. I enjoyed Shrek, but it doesn't belong anywhere near a top ten list.
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I'd say that, at the risk of sounding overrated, LOTR is the best film of the year. It's a fantasy movie that goes beyond my expectation of Willow meets Excalibur. Moulin Rouge is second best, though excessively fast editing in the first almost derailed my enjoyment of the film - what to expect from that crazy Aussie director Baz Luhrmann? Oh yes, Divided We Fall is a funny Czech flick about the Nazi occupation and the will to live under dire circumstances. The worst films are Shrek, Freddy Got Fingered and Amelie are pieces of horse shit pretending to know art. Pandering to the audience is more like it. Shrek is a painful experience to witness, because its tired cartoonish character cliches, reeking cynicism, reliance on gross humor and attempted jabs at self-conscious pop-culture reference insulted my intelligence enough to eject the video from the VCR and smash it to smithereens. Atrocious movie and horribly overrated. Freddy Got Fingered - it simply sucks cock! Need more to say? Amelie is a superficial and doped-up-like-a-heroin-junkie romance fantasy where French blacks and other diverse minorities don't exist, only pretty and ugly white people promoting racial diversity genocide in Paris with a cliched "true love complimented by having sex" ending. Huge letdown considering I'm a fan of Jean-Pierre Juenet's work (piece of shit Alien Resurrection notwithstanding). Enough bashing. 2001 is a terrible movie year like last year, hope 2002 is a tad better and '03 much better. I haven't seen much movies because I'm still a jaded moviegoer turned off by pieces of shit churned at increased rate by Hollywood and smaller films keep getting shafted by local theaters in favor of dishing shitty movies to the masses of braindead moviegoers. Gotta try Memento, The Road Home, Ghost World, With a Friend Like Harry...
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Faves of this year (bear in mind I'm British and a lot of the films discussed here haven't come out here yet) 1. LOTR:FOTR - what can I say? It puts me in The Zone. It's not really like a movie, more like a kind of mad fever dream - a sort of North by Northwest meets The Exorcist by way of Legend. 2. Moulin Rouge - I have a very low tolerance for romantic comedies, date movies, etc, but I lapped this up. Dizzying design, nice marrying up of the themes of exploitation and cynicism (the underworld and sex for sale) vs. this glittering, candy-perfect world of *lurrve*, real, true love. The songs (in the main) hit all the right notes and were interestingly used. Loved the soundtrack. 3. Memento - yeah, it's a movie based around two gimmicks, neither particularly original, but carried off with panache and the final decision Guy Pearce's character makes, burning the photo, made it exceptional rather than simply cool. 4. Amelie - looked gorgeous, full of ideas, properly cooky instead of simply just trying. Another romance. Romance was big this year. 5. AI - yeah, the ending was horrendous, but it had ideas and while they weren't all explored fully, the viewer still had a good deal of thinking to do. Looked fab. 6. Brigitte Jones' Diary - I thought this was really funny and cute. Another chick flick. I'm losing my touch. 7. Hannibal - controversial, yeah, but I love it like a guilty pleasure. It has a stupid plot, admittedly, but bags of atmosphere, Hannibal Lecter, and the sense of a world where EVERYBODY is morally flawed except for Starling, which makes Lecter look almost virtuous, was executed far better than it was in the book. Thank God they didn't film the book. 8. Brotherhood of the Wolf - beautiful to look at, fabulous action scenes, proper scary monsters. Last of the Mohicans meets The Matrix. 9. Hedwig and the Angry Inch - mad, exuberant, dark shit with this insane 70s pop group video sensibility going on in the background. With trippy animations. What's not to love? 10. Ginger Snaps - this movie ruled. Stunning turn from the chick that played Ginger - this movie stayed with me for ages. Also rans - The Others (I didn't get the twist, unlike The Sixth Sense where I got it ten minutes in), Shrek (which was just okay), Ghost World (which had some cool moments but also some middle-aged male sexual fantasy shit shoe-horned in there), Unbreakable (which would have scored way higher but for the lame, lame, LAME postscript on the very last frame). Most horrifying movie was Audition, which was nevertheless quite a cool film. Most horrifying movie in terms of sheer incompetence was "Planet of the Apes" by a million miles. It SUCKED ASS! Why was this film made? All of the thought-provoking shit (such as it was) from the original movie appeared to have been carefully excised from the pedestrian remake. Most disappointing movie would be "Harry Potter" - it just plodded along with its weird script and tacked-on seeming denouement. Worst movie - "Town and Country". See it if you don't believe me. Dishonourable mentions naturally go to "Pearl Harbour", "Scary Movie 2", "Tomb Raider", and "(Insert practically any Hollywood summer event film here)"
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...HANNIBAL!!! Oh my goodness, what a piece of giant horse/bull/elephant/human shit! Badly written, poorly acted (Gary Oldman back in his over the top form since The Professional and...Juliette Moore is like a robot reciting memorized dialogues, ugh), no suspense, lame characters, poor attempt at black humor, bad cinematopgraphy, hackneyed direction and crack cocaine editing, etc. To top it off, the conclusion is one of the lamest and most laughably contrived endings in the history of film. A terrible and atrocious sequel that should never have existed alongside the undeniably excellent and tense Silence of the Lambs. Sir Anthony Hopkins should be ashamed of himself for selling out to Dino De Laurentiis, that head-up-his-wrinky-ass old fart Italian producer who thinks killing morally repugnant people is somehow better than Leatherface, Pinhead, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Hannibal Lector joined together for mass slaughter of the innocents!
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Dec 27, 2001 8:58:53 PM CST
Lord of the Rings at no. 1? well, i guess i can't say it com
by a goonie
and at least you got Moulin Rouge and The Man Who Wasn't There nice and high up there. the inclusion of Vanilla Sky (even though it should be in the TOP TEN) is very welcome, very welcome indeed. my list isn't quite finished yet. i have to see a few more pictures that got released in the past couple days, cuz i have a feeling that at least one of them is going to disrupt my list. but as soon as i finish my Top Ten Best and Top Five Worst lists, i'll be sure to post 'em on this site and share them with you all. cuz I LOVE LISTS!!!!!! i also look forward to seeing everyone else's lists, too.
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Dec 27, 2001 9:26:48 PM CST
Father Geek has some Boones Farm and cheets on Peter Jackson!
by kampbell-kid
Ugh... I hate being a the bottom of the talkback. Usually when a talkback gets too long I don't feel my two cents will be worth much... but hey ya never know sometimes your post will mysteriously get shot up near the top. :) "My" top 6, not yours... 6-Momento: worth describing it as brilliant because the plot is told forward and backwards at the same time from beginning to end ... very clever editing and kept your attention the whole way. 5-Shaolin Soccer: I got this dvd way back last summer... truely a overlooked asian martial art wonder that might make it to US this year. Check it out if you love marital art films!!! 4-Iron Monkey: Had the dvd for years and expected the theatrical version to be worse, it was actually better with the new 5.1 sound fx and new beginning/ending. 3-Harry Potter: I went to see this without reading the books, came out suprised... my first thought of it was "cute", it wasn't dumbed down for adults to enjoy either. 2-LOTR: Besides it's minor flaws and film length it is a film the more understand it, is great! It is however not as godlike as some make it out to be... especially when they say LOTR's is what hollywood should look at to make better films becuase it's truthful and not a box office gimmic... WRONG, Liv Tyler's part was changed from the book to saving Frodo and giving her character more beef to appeal to the female demographic, hence a marketing ploy, hence LOTR has just as many gimmics as any other Hollywood film to make money becuase entertaining the people isn't only second important when making back money and it's budget is first which dosen't make it perfect or my No.1 film. It's a tad short from perfection and I did overall like it. 1-Moulin Rouge: Brilliant film that took every musical and film cliche mixing them into one beautiful emotional journey that had music so catchy becuase they were old catchy tunes we grew up with. It's my no.1 becuase it has LOTS of rewatch value to me.
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although I could easily make a "Good lord, don't see!" list. There are several promising movies I have not yet seen this year so maybe I can complete it in a few months. So far there are only four movies I can highly recommend 1) Ghost World 2) Man Who Wasn't There 3) LotR and 4) Iron Monkey if you'll let me count it. I dug Ocean's 11, Shrek, Monsters Inc., and Harry Potter but i don't see them as "Top 10" movies. Verdicts still out on Memento***** Some talkbacker's top ten of all time lists are just sad. To give y'all ammunition, here's my list off the top of my head and in no particular order. 1) Psycho 2) Jaws 3) Star Wars 4) The Conversation 5) Chinatown 6) Network 7) Dr Strangelove 8) Sunset Blvd. 9) Bridge on the River Kwai 10) Blazing Saddles. I'm sure in ten seconds I'll be wanting to make changes....
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Battle Royale is the only movie that i've seen this year, or even in my LIFE, that has really made me lose sleep thinking about how good it is. i have never been as impacted by a movie in my entire life! before watching it i didn't know what to expect, but afterwards i just couldn't get some scenes out of my head. there are so many memorable moments in this movie...maybe its because i'm an impressionable teenager and i can imagine my friends (or myself) acting the same way as the kids that are portrayed onscreen, but i would have to say that Battle Royale is the best movie of the year...and its too bad that so many people will miss out on this experience. for people curious how i saw it, a friend of mine has a subtitled version on divx format so i watched it on my computer...
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I thought it was easily better then SOTL. One of the reasons why I think that is because SOTL IMO is a VERY overrated film. I loved the scenes in Italy, the film was well paced and well acted. I'm really dumbfounded why people seemed to not like it. But hey that's just my opinion.
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10) The Man Who Wasn't There, 9) Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 8) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 7) The Majestic, 6) The Others, 5) Moulin Rouge, 4) Monsters Inc, 3) Amelie, 2) The Royal Tenenbaums, and 1) Memento. The film I understand least why people like it so much: SHREK, which I thought was funny, but paled in comparison to the heart and emotion of Monsters Inc. My least favorite film of the year? THE MUMMY RETURNS, which I never saw, but damn if I didn't get fucking tired of that trailer. Film I like but just don't see why everyone is naming it the best film of all time? Lord of the Rings. It's cool, I like it, but come ON! Have you never SEEN Lawrence of Arabia? The Seven Samurai? The 400 Blows? Citizen Kane? The Godfather? Raiders of the Lost Ark? Raging Bull? Chinatown? The Graduate? Casablanca? The Bridge On the River Kwai? The Empire Strikes Back? SE7EN? Apocalypse Now? Blade Runner? Brazil? Pulp Fiction? JAWS? I just don't understand some people...
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I don't understand all of the bashing of Hannibal either. I thought it was a great summer flick. If you were expecting "Silence of the Lambs II" then you were probably disappointed.
But taken on its own, Hannibal is a fun, scary, well-acted and beautifully shot film that will keep you entertained for a couple of hours.
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1.) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2.) Monsters, Inc.
3.) A.I. Artificial Intelligence
I liked Planet of the Apes. It's not going to take Batman's spot as Burton's best film, but it certainly ranks in the middle of all his films.
I also liked Hannibal. It's just as good as SOTL, if not better. You get to see more Hannibal, and I that's all I really want.
I have read LOTR and the Hobbit and I can say it's pretty much the best movie ever made, it ties the Star Wars Saga for best (I agree that TPM is better than the Matrix, I hate that movie)
I still haven't gotten to see The Majestic. I really want to though. Jim Carrey is always enjoyable. -
then why do them?
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Frankly, this was the best film of the year...though Fellowship was good, this was brilliant. Nothing else this year compares.
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why do ppl like those movies so much?
what did shrek do but make fun of every disney cartoon ever made? i mean anyone can do a spoof, but it takes imagination to come up with something creative, something funny and something with heart, all of which Monsters Inc has, and shrek does NOT!
as for moulin rouge, the less said the better, baz lurhmann ripped off Indian Cinema and everyone thinks hes a "visionary" bleh...i think people have been seriously deprived of decent entertainment this year; thats the only explanation why anyone would want to put these pieces of crap on their list. -
10)Hey, would you like a digital camera? by Xoom 9)Here's a picture of a bikini girl to make you do something about movies that I can't remember! by some movie thing 8)C'mon, get a digital camera. by Xoom 7)Hurt by the recent attacks on our country? Well, grab a cartoon boxing glove and open a can of hastily-animated cyber whoop-heinie on a near-resemblence of Osama Bin Laden! Woo! by OsamaYaMama 6)Staplers gave you life! Repay the debt or die! by OfficeMax 5)C'mon, my wife's gonna leave me! Get a damn digital camera! I can't support my family! AUGGGH! I'm in hell!!by Xoom 4) You obviously can't have a computer if you go to websites, so go to CompUSA for a computer! by CompUSA 3)Get Pop-Up Killer now! by Downloads.com 2)IGN wishes you a merry Selling-Out Day! Want to know more? Get the IGN Weekly Magazine NOW! by IGN... and of course, the number one Pop-Up of 2001; IRON MONKEY! I tell ya, that was an underrated gem, in my opinion. Man, you didn't NEED to access the articles! All the entertainment was there in front of you, making all sorts of clever noises and stuff. Sniff... I miss those two little ninjas. This has been a Moment with User ID Indeed!
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Was *inspired* to fire this off after someone mentioned Shaolin Soccer coz I think it was the most entertaining yet insightful film this year. Strip away the CG and gags and what you get is Stephen Chow proselytizing the virtues and philosophies of the martial arts. It's a movie with values. And since everyone is doing it............
1. Shaolin Soccer; 2. Yi Yi (A One and A Two); 3. Brotherhood of the Wolf; 4. Spirited Away; 5. Happenstance (The Beating of Butterfly Wings) 6. Waking Life; 7. Avalon; 8. Memento .......... Haven't seen Ghost World, Amores Perros, From Hell, Sexy Beast, and The Royal Tenenbaums. -
These are my faves, with Mulholland Drive making it for freaky humor, Vanilla Sky making it for having psychedelic balls the size of church bells, Waking Life making it for beauty, and Ghost World making it for having Thora Birch. And yeah, there were a lot of other greats... We all love hobbits and Nicole Kidman suddenly walks on water for some reason. Whatever. It was a cool, weird year. I dig that.
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Well there's a populist lust, much like Moriarity's all time top ten (heavy on the sci-fi and the spectacle). My own top ten isn't so different, including (in no paticular order) The Man Who Wasn't There, A.I., Vanilla Sky, FotR, and Mulholland Dr. Howevener, none of the above detract from my oppinion that Shiva is quite thoroughly insane, and should be terminated with extreme predjudice. So my top ten of this year including those mentioned above would include... god,I don't know, I'm wasted and I haven't even seen 'Monsters Ball', 'In The Bedroom', or 'Black Hawk Down'. Though I know it won't happen, I really hope that 'Hannibal' is at least nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. I'm sure a better film has been made from a worse novel, but I have no idea what it could have been.
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1: The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
2: Memento
3: Moulin Rouge
4: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer -
If ya dont like the list make your own! Get over it, and get a life!!
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Dec 28, 2001 1:03:00 AM CST
Baz Luhrmann did not "rip off" Indian cinema; he brought it to u
by lenny nero
He put it in a movie among other things. That does NOT mean that he ripped it off. He acknowledges it, and it was well done. Sure, if I wanted to see a better Indian musical I could go rent one, but MOULIN ROUGE is MANY things.
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1.Dark City 2. The Wrath of Kahn 3. Lawrence of Arabia 4.China Town 5. Blade Runner 6. Pulp Fiction 7. To Catch a Theif 8. Taxi Driver 9. The Shawshank Redemtion 10. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
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Dec 28, 2001 1:11:38 AM CST
Dude, don't get on our cases for not seeing DONNIE DARKO. I
by lenny nero
I see nearly every movie, and that one ran by me. These people didn't intentionally NOT see the movie, ok? Also, this is Father Geek's list, not Harry. Some people thought that last year and nearly ripped Father Geek a new one.
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Dec 28, 2001 1:18:01 AM CST
SHIVA im sitting under my California Split poster &.............
by star80
you have some noble ideas. But Altman did make a good flick in the 80's. So misunderstood that it sat on the shelf for years, gaining a poisonous reputation in that time. I'll take it over Potemkin, Illusion, Vertigo & any French or Iranian (I try so very hard to dig those crazy Iranian flicks, but I really am bored to death) film. I am speaking of O.C. & Stiggs, which stands next to the mighty Split. Run to the video store, campaign for a DVD release, buy a print. Everybody! Run!
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Hawks like to comment that he remade "Rio Bravo" two more times with "El Dorado" and "Rio Lobo." Though not a concise remake of "Rio Bravo", there are elements and similiar story arcs. All three scripts were written by Leigh Brackett(One of the greatest writers, now deceased.) The police sergeant who gets killed first in "Assault On Precinct 13" was Henry Branden, who played "Scar" in John Ford's, "The Searchers." If you ever want to see what a great actor he was, check out Laurel And Hardy's, "March Of the Wooden Soldiers"(Black and white version.) where he played the bad guy who was supposed to be in his sixties. He was in his early twenties!
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10.Zoolander
9.The Others
8.Final Fansty The Sprits Within
7.Monsters Inc
6. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
5. The Royal Tenabaums
4.Harry Potter
3.Menmento
2.Fellowship Of The Ring
1. From Hell
And if anyone Dont like it they Can Kiss my Ass -
Great film. Underated. Like "California Split" should be released.
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Several people on here have said no other film year compares to 2001. Did you guys forget 1999?(the matrix, fight club, american beauty, the straight story, the insider, being john malkovich, eyes wide shut, etcetcetc)
With the exception of a few, mainstream films have sucked ass this year. It was indie and foreign filsm that rawked(Avalon, Crouching Tiger, amelie, with a friend like harry) as for father geek's top ten of the year list, he actually included some of my picks so im happy. heres my top ten of the year:
1. monsters inc.
2. the caveman's valentine
3. avalon
4. final fantasy
5. made
6. with a friend like harry
7. crouching tiger hidden dragon
8. waking life
9. the pledge
10.mulholland drive
runners up include: a.i.(especially the last half hour, L.I.E., bully, ghost world, and amelie) films that i thought in the end failed were 15 minutes, tomb raider, jurassic park 3, jay and bob, and ESPECIALLY MEMENTO!
not to mention, a certain indie film about a fellowship of nine that really shamed itself by not having an ending(that hasnt been done since american psycho) Dont know why everyone is getting so wet over LOTR. I honestly thought Mummy Returns was way more fun...just as loud and violent, and actually had an ending!
finally, 2002 looks to be th enext BIG film year what with episode two, red dragon, one hour photo, signs, adaptation, spiderman, blade 2, etc.)
:: x l o g i k ::
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Dec 28, 2001 1:36:22 AM CST
Shiva, how can we take you seriously when you named yourself aft
by hung-wei lo
Kidding! Of course, I'm only kidding. You appear to have prevented major forms of backlash despite your novelistic post in an internet talkback (AICN talkbackers, sometimes I just can't figure you guys out! How do you pick your targets?) Anyways, I have nothing useful or intelligent to rebuke your findings or interpretations of cinema. But I leave you with this puzzling riddle: Why in the hell is Mr. Bones the number one movie in South Africa this week? Here's proof: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl Happy Holidays Peeps!
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Long time reader, first time talker (haha)!!!
Despite the Coen Bros. finally making a piece of crap (i.e. The Man Who Wasn't There) and even the Indies cranking out formulaic garbage (i.e. Memento)...2001 has been without a doubt the greatest year for movies EVER. I know I'll leave some great one's off but let's just get started
10. Driven...Is it just me or does Sly just get better with age? This is a really cool, very slick movie. And its real baddass too. Renny Harlin hasn't hit one out of the park like this since Cutthroat Island. (Which is hard to even compare the two since Cutthroat has career making performances from Modine and Davis)
9. Jurassic Park III...Come on, why couldn't we have gotten Joe Johnston to direct the first two. A lot of people seem to think that Hollywood shouldn't make so many sequels but this is sure a breath of fresh air. This sort of reinvention and originality hasn't been seen since Breakin 2: The Electric Bugaloo.
8. Tomcats...Jerry O'Connell just has that star presence. Some of this movie may go over people's heads (or into their pants- haha) but I think real film fans will embrace this as one of the classics to emerge this year. And Charles Minsky's cinematography is AMAZING!!!!
7. The Mummy Returns...My only complaint (and this goes to JP3, as well) not enough reliance on the effects. When something works...GO FOR IT!!!
6. & 5. These spots go to Scary Movie 2 & Not Another Teen Movie...Mel Brooks can keep Broadway 'cause we don't need him no more!!! I love that instead of trying new jokes they sometimes just repeat lines from the original. You gotta give the audience what they want without making them think too much.
4. Joe Somebody...Haven't seen this one yet but I just know Tim Allen will make some magic ala For Richer or Poorer. And Tim Allen and Jim Belushi on screen together???? This must be heaven.
3. Kate & Leopold...I don't know if any of you guys are Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans (I sure am!!!) but the concept of a man who actually TRAVELS FORWARD IN TIME to meet the girl of his dreams just blew my mind. Very fresh. Very original. And flawlessly executed. Meg Ryan's work in this is not up to par with that in Armed & Dangerous (or even Innerspace for that matter) but it will definitely be remembered. And this may sound a little effeminate, but Rolfe Kent's simply perfect musical score made me a little weepy at times (ESPECIALLY that last scene!!!).
2. Black Knight...Anyone who hasn't recognized Martin Lawrence's comedic genius seriously needs to wake up. He is funnier than Eddie Murphy was and 1,000 time the actor that Don Cheadle could ever be. He brings depth and heart to a role that probably seemed pretty flat on paper. The ending really surprised me too. (Thanks to Darryl Quarle, Peter Gaulke, and Gerry Swallow, the screenwriting team who brought this one together for those of you who are uninformed) I won't spoil it for anyone, but let's just say that Marty's not stuck in the middle ages forever. Go see it for yourself if you already haven't.
1. PEARL HARBOR...I know this is number one on a lot of people's lists, but it really deserves it. Is it too early to call Michael Bay the second best director ever. It's too bad the only better one, Renny Harlin, didn't have the same script to work with. Oh to dream what he could have done. I cannot wait for Bruckheimer and Harlin to get together.Granted it was easy for Bay with this being such an important part of Hawaii's state history, but he handled it with such grace. Cuba Gooding, Jr. is his finest since Gladiator (no not with Russell Crowe, the boxing movie where he plays Abraham Lincoln Haines...dummy). His character brought a depth to the piece that really would have shortchanged the rest of the movie without him. I really can't say much more about this movie. It's really a breathtaking American classic. It'll be hard to top next time AFI does a 100 Best list. The only question is...Will we ever get to see Josh Hartnet and Kate Beckinsale on screen together again? Let's all say a little prayer. And while we're praying, LET'S PRAY FOR A SEQUEL!!! -
here you go:(*note, i had the presence of mind not to be sucked into seeing crap like pearl harbor, evolution, shrek, driven, and the bazillion teen movies that infested cineplexes throughout the country. unfortunately i did end up seeing the other summer's crap. i would also like to add from hell as an honorable mention for runner up to best film, while adding fellowship of the ring as a runner up for biggest 'so good, and then the fucked it up!' award along with jay and bob, and the first half of a.i.
worst:
1. memento
2. 15 minutes
3. jurassic park 3
4. jay and silent bob strike back
5. planet of the apes
6. tomb raider
7. swordfish
8. moulin rouge
9. the crimson rivers
10.zoolander
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Best Films: 1)LOTR 2)Memento 3) 13 Days 4) Training Day 5)The Others 6)O' Brother... 7) Shallow Hal 8) Enemy at the Gates 9) Oceans 11 10) JP3
Worst: 1)Freddie got Fingered 2) AI 3) 3000 miles to graceland 4) The Score 5) The Pledge 6) Blow 7) Pearl Harbor 8) Hannibal 9) Planet of the Apes 10) Hearts in Atlantis
Actors/resses Ian McKellen LOTR, Nicole Kidman The Others, Tom Cruise Vanilla Sky, Cameron Diaz Vanilla Sky, Guy Pearce Memento, Bruce Greenwood 13 Days, Denzel Washington Training Day, Ethan Hawke Training Day, George Clooney O' Brother, Anthony Hopkins Hannibal, -
Roj blake wrote:
"Memento...
Comment: sucked. The only thing remotely interesting about that film was the way the info unfolded, and even that was grabbed from Harold Pinter. I'd like to see somebody edit the movie so it played out in the order the events *really* unfolded and then everyone would see it for the tripe that it is. And that terrible cop-out ending. Whatever. I must live in the land of the easily impressed.<<<
HOLY SHIT! That is almost VERBATIM my big argument for why memento sucked ass. ive tried to watch this horrid cheapass film several times to excruciating results. The catch? After finishing the following, this director was probablys toned off his ass watching the backward episode of seinfeld and said "hey, i can make a movie like this with the cast from the matrix!" Also wanted to say what a big dissapointment Vanilla Sky was, especially for being a near shot for shot remake of Open Your Eyes. As for Freddy Got Fingered, the most disturbing film ive seen next to jacob's latter, se7en, fire walk with me, and gummo!
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Vanilla Sky sucked!! I saw the spanish version (if you guys did not know it's a remake) and it's 1000 times better than that crap!! Don't get me wrong, I love Cameron Crow, but he took a huge dump doing Vanilla Sky.
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You have no taste in films its official.Yeah its good to see that the DEVILS BACKBONE was up there BUT MOULIN ROUGE????
The film has no redeeming features its a soulless cgi gay fest of a movie!YOU PUT BATTLE ROYALE UNDER IT!!!ARE YOU INSANE!
Where was CROUCHING TIGER????SPY FUCKING KIDS!!!!My god....Your a sick man go get some help.... -
Ruled...for sure.
Crouching tiger ive watched many times.Shaolin soccer was the most enjoyable HK comedy ive seen in years!period!
How can someone like harry have a movie site with such a limited knowledge of films from AROUND THE WORLD?
I agree with one of the talkbacks that MOULIN ROUGE did rip off indian movies and also somehow managed to do it without a soul.God bless america I say! they think they created movies but they are in there own way killing it!
All I can say is thank heavens for dvd importers and low key cinemas!otherwise I would be as brainless as most of the mainstream public! -
Ruled...for sure.
Crouching tiger ive watched many times.Shaolin soccer was the most enjoyable HK comedy ive seen in years!period!
How can someone like harry have a movie site with such a limited knowledge of films from AROUND THE WORLD?
I agree with one of the talkbacks that MOULIN ROUGE did rip off indian movies and also somehow managed to do it without a soul.God bless america I say! they think they created movies but they are in there own way killing it!
All I can say is thank heavens for dvd importers and low key cinemas!otherwise I would be as brainless as most of the mainstream public! -
I'm only 15 so I'm just getting in to the whole "film buff" thing (although I've gone to Sundance since I was 12). Herewego: 1. Waking Life____ (when I see this, I'm in a different world; it isn't just philosophical mumbo-jumbo, there's an internal structure, I think, too)____ 2. Mulholland Drive____ (David Lynch's best movie, watching the movie is pure illogical joy)____ 3. Ghost World____(Thora Birch and especially Steve Buscemi connected to me in this; they weren't characters, they were people, and the whole thing was also fucking hilarious)____ 4. Amelie____(exhilirating, Audrey Tautou is soooo hot!)____ 5. Bully____(Larry Clark is not a pornographer, he's a genius; this is very funny, disturbing and surprisingly moving.)____ 6. In the Bedroom____(AMAZING acting by Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei, Nick Stahl, who was also quite good in #5)____ 7. Amores Perros____(Alejandro whatever-his-name-is has a lot of good coming to him, the emotional pay-off of the movie sticks with you long after you see it)____ 8. Jump Tomorrow____(An unavoidably charming romantic comedy bursting with life, sort of like an American Amelie)____ 9. Innocence____(The conclusion is the best scene in any movie this year, or in years; metaphysically moving story of old people fucking)____ 10. A Beautiful Mind____(I hated Gladiator, but A Beautiful Mind fucking kicks ass! Makes you think about what it's like to actually go crazy, Russell Crowe should win an Oscar)
Other things that kicked your ass (in no particular order): Chunhyang, Bread and Roses, Bread and Tulips, Final Fantasy, The Pledge, Monsters Inc., The King Is Alive, The Anniversary Party,
Moulin Rouge, Spy Kids, Bridget Jones' Diary, A.I., Under the Sand, Baby Boy, Shrek, Donnie Darko, Series 7, Sexy Beast, Ocean's Eleven, Heist, The Deep End, Hearts In Atlantis, Liam, Joy Ride, Training Day, The Princess and the Warrior, The Legend of Rita, Vanilla Sky, The Man Who Wasn't There, The Royal Tenenbaums, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, In the Mood For Love
I liked Battle Royale and a French movie called Mortal Transfer, but I don't think they count because they weren't actually released, and I loved George Washington but that was a last year thing. Wit, Things Behind the Sun, and The Believer are also outstanding but they've all been sentenced (sans The Believer, methinks) to TV runs. Everything Put Together is a masterpiece (I saw it like 2 years ago) but it was released in a couple peoples' basements.
Good Movies With Problems: The Others (scared the hell out of me, weak story); Memento (entertaining, lacks substance); Lord of the Rings (good along the way, goes on too long, also structure is incomplete; for example, the whole Cate Blanchett thing reminded me of the French plantation sequence in Apocalypse Now Redux... where the fuck is that going?)
Have not seen: The Majestic; Monster's Ball; Black Hawk Down; The Shipping News; Ali; Charlotte Gray; Gosford Park; No Man's Land; The Devil's Backbone; Brotherhood of the Wolves; All that other crap that I haven't seen
Worst of 2001: Pearl Harbor (the most excruciatingly boring experience of my life); The Princess Diaries, Joe Dirt, Tomcats, American Outlaws, Himalaya, crazy/beautiful, The Caveman's Valentine, My First Mister, Bandits
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By far the 2 best films of the year followed by:
3. In the Mood for Love 4. Freddy Got Fingered 5. Moulin Rouge 6. Ghost World 7. Gosford Park 8. Battle Royale and that's it. There's only 8. Worst: 3000 Miles to Graceland, Evolution and Shrek. Those 3 movies sucked. -
Just finished watching Momento... after the approx 9mth first viewing and it is awesome... those of you who bash AI need to remember that it was Spielberg (thre king of the annoying family seen) and he's lost it. For him it was incredible, as a movie it was pretty damn good. Pearl Harbour was not the worst movie of the year, it just wasn't violent enough to be the best (lose the love scene, bring on the re-edit). It was no more or less than a summer popcorn movie. CLEARLY THE WORST MOVIE, OF THE LAST CENTURY IS THAT FLAMIN PILE.... HANIBAL. I never really liked Jodie (although Contact was great) but now I love her for the way she passed on this god-awful waste of film... is there a way we can make Ridley feel our pain?
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Oops! Forgot to mention "Spy Kids" and "Almost Famous" - they were brilliant. I had my doubts about whether I would like "Spy Kids" before I went in, but it blew me away with its sheer inventiveness. In the shitty movies frame, I forgot that "Dude, Where's My Car?" ties with "Town and Country" for worst film of the year. Or maybe that should be worst remake, since it clearly wanted to be "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", only clearly without any jokes.
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1. FOTR
2. A.I.
3. Shrek
4. Ginger Snaps
5. Planet of the Apes
6. Monsters Inc.
7. From Hell
8. crouching Tiger
9. TPM DVD
Uh, that's it. I didn't see many films this year and I dislike most critics favorites. -
So cool! Very close to my own personal list! At least 4 first, didn't figure out the others yet... FOTR, Amelie, But I think I'd put Moulin 3rd cause means alot to me... and the Barber next. That's why I like all you guys soo much! Most of the time it's right on, exactly how I feel too! It's crazy! Thank you so much! I don't feel like such a freak thanks to you! ;oP
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why hasn't anyone seen Monsoon Wedding or Lagaan? Lagaan has even seen release in the US and has gotten excellent reviews....i guess people don't like to see movies with an open mind around here, just the stuff that harry drools all over about in one of his 10 page pieces of how that one scene in that one obscure movie changed his life....Lagaan even beats Amelie, of course, Jean Pierre Jeunet is the favourite, and hes more or less already the winner of this years oscar and globe.
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There are a couple of movies I want to see before the end of the year so too early for a top 10, BUT here are some extra awards: *Funniest Comedy - The Royal Tenenbaums *Best Action Film - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *Best Drama - Memento
*Best Animated Movie - Shrek *Best Musical - Moulin Rouge *Best Foreign Film - Am -
Now, originally I was going to go over to iafd.com and get the names of a bunch of porno movies and call it my top ten list. Ha Ha. Then I decided to do it all serious like. Sadly, I didn't see 10 new films in 2001 that were good enough to rate. Maybe I'm too picky, or maybe I just don't see enough movies. However, I do have a list of the best movies that were new TO ME in 2001. In no particular order: 1-Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring-yeah, it could have substituted action for character in certain places, but as a Tolkien fan since I was in single digits I can honestly say I was moved. 2-Moulin Rouge-...but I almost didn't include it just because of the "Like a Virgin" number. 3-Snatch-I'm one of the only people in the world who liked this better than my next choice... 4-Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels-Guy Ritchie beats Tarantino because he doesn't make films just to give himself acting jobs. 5-Memento-I'D never seen anything like it before, but then I'm just an unwashed prole who doesn't attend Pinter plays 6-Wicker Man-A new favorite of mine. Christopher Lee, a perfectly disturbing ending, and a soundtrack that's alternately haunting and hilariously dated. 7-The Gift-Sam Raimi is GOOD! 8-Blood: The Last Vampire-Splendid animation, intriguing storyline, way too short. 9-Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back-Hilarious, and I usually hate "gross out" comedies. I actually think Mewes is improving as an actor. Here's hoping he's kicked the smack for good. 10-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-I actually think most people probably saw this in early 2001. My favorite parts were the ones that everyone else found boring. sk
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Dec 28, 2001 10:53:49 AM CST
Some of you need to get off the drugs and realize what year it i
by james bond
Crouching Tiger, O Brother, Almost Famous, these are all films that were released in 2000. If you saw them this year and loved them, great. But don't put them in your best-of-2001 list. Crikey, Crouching Tiger was nominated for best picture last year. I mean really.
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..fair point - but remember not everyone gets releases in the same year as the US of A.
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Christ, if I hear one more person saying that I'm going to run through a mall with a shotgun. At the IMDB The Godfather has been passed in votes by The Fellowship; I see this and despair. I mean it's a great film, one I've looked forward to for years but it's only been out for a week. Talk about fickle. Is everyone who voted a woman or something.
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Let me start by saying I'm more an average Joe than most of you I guess. I don't really care for independent stuff, but here i am offering my opinion, cuz it's fun!
My favorites:
**"Memento"--(I know it's Indie)thought about it for days afterward, sparked great conversation, and probably the all-around "best" I've seen this year ("Best" and "Favorite" are a little different...)
**"Fellowship of the Ring"--Exciting and beautiful...can't wait to see it again...
**"From Hell"--Stylish, Creepy, Bloody...Depp is getting better..Absinthe tastes absolutely horrible...
**"Jeepers Creepers"--Very hated, I know, but dark, scary, not dependent on cutesy jokes or a Smashmouth, Creed, Ja Rule soundtrack...
**"Kiss of the Dragon"--THE kickass action flick I'd been waiting for...
**"Ghosts of Mars"---Dammit I love this...
**"American Pie 2"--I was a bit apprehensive, but I laughed so much...
**"Ginger Snaps"--Really liked the approach to the material, and again it's not "cute."
**"Time and Tide"--kudos to the other guy who listed this
**"The Accidental Spy"--I love Jackie, Good plot here..
Other stuff I really liked:
"Zoolander," "The Fast and the Furious," "The Convent" is cheezy fun.."Sleepless" was good, too.
Good, but a little dissapointing:
POTA, "Jay and Silent Bob," "Rush Hour 2" (after a second viewing I now hate Tucker), "Pearl Harbor" (kick my butt if you want, I do realize the last hour was pretty bad, but everything else entertained me), "Scary Movie 2," "Hannibal," "Final Fantasy"
Horrible cinematic feces:
**"Tomb Raider"--outside of various direct to video horror flicks, this was the worst! P.S. Hot girls do not make the movie good (also see below)
**"13 Ghosts"--Loud and stupid, but great sets! And five mins. of Shannon Elizabeth!
**"3,000 Miles to Graceland"--Great cast, boring and dumb, but Ice-T's scenes alone make it better than the 13, and Tomb...
And I DO hope to see "Ghost World" and "Donnie Darko."
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Gotta say I liked "Unbreakable" a whole lot, And "The Others" was kinda slow, and a little close to "Sixth Sense," but it was pretty good. Kidman was excellent, and those kids were great...
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How does making LOTR #1 movie all time, come down to everyone who voted being a WOMAN? Kind of sexist if you ask me! Dont bash us girls for having more intelligence than most men, bash god.
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Charlie, I thought it had been said enough times--there's absolutely no way the first section of the book (the full version of the Hobbits' flight to Rivendell) could have been included in the movie--as it is it is already 3 hours long! I won't lie, had Jackson made a 5 or 6 hour film, I would have greedily watched it because of my love of Tolkien, but to do so would have been undeniable box office suicide. While I too wish that some of the depth which JRRT created with his long chapters of their travel out of the shire had been included, it was simply an impossible wish. Hopefully the DVD might have something to offer in that regard. Otherwise, just let down your fanboy guard for a few hours and enjoy what is actually an incredible adaptation of FOTR.
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I don't think the statement about only women voting FOTR to the top is really true. I'm a man and I think it's pretty much the best movie ever. I've seen it 6 times, and everytime, the majority of the audience is male. I wouldn't call getting to the top of the IMDB Top 250 list a great accomplishment. There is so much crap on that list and all the good stuff is pretty much out of order. It's all screwed up.
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Dec 28, 2001 1:34:01 PM CST
2001 was so bad that lots of people are listing year 2000 movies
by hung-wei lo
I've seen posts where 2001 lists contain Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Traffic, and Unbreakable. After wasting several hard-earned dollars on movies that I hoped would be good this year, I can see why this trend comes in handy. Movies where my money got wasted: 1) Evolution (the trailer was funny, the movie was not) 2) Vanilla Sky (stupid ending rendered the entire movie pointless and uninspired) 3) A. I. (ok, it was decent until the 5th, 6th, and 7th act)
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Dec 28, 2001 1:42:32 PM CST
1.) Moulin Rouge, 2.) Amelie, 3.) surprise, surprise...
by boris grushenko
1.) Moulin Rouge, 2.) Amelie, 3.) Monster's Ball, 4.) Memento, 5.) Mulholland Drive, 6.) With A Friend Like Harry, 7.) The Deep End, 8.) The Man Who Wasn't There, 9.) Vanilla Sky, 10.) A Beautiful Mind, 11.) In The Bedroom, 12.) Happy Accidents, 13.) Made, 14.) Waking Life, 15.) Ghost World, 16.) Sidewalks of New York, 17.) Monster's Inc. 18.) The Score, 19.) Sexy Beast, 20.) The Others.............. Oh, and just so you know, LOTR: FOTR is #33 on my list, just after #32 Brigette Jones's Diary, and just before #34 Heartbreakers. Didn't hate LOTR, didn't love it either. An admirable, but flawed (and sometimes boring) fantasy movie. Other notables... #26 Shrek, #47 The Royal Tenenbaums, #52 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, #61 From Hell, and my worst movie of the year, #68 Driven.
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So the first few months of the year were lifeless, most summer movies didn't live up to the hype and a lot of the Oscar bait flicks were trite and schmaltzy... But isn't that the case every year ?
Through it all, ten films did wow me, with a dozen or so others entertaining me more than well enough (notably -
Movie most likley to be found burning on someone's doorstep as a prank.
I'm beyond shocked that it is the #1 seller on DVD this christmas. Guess santa was out of lumps of coal? -
... Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I don't know what letters to type to indicate the sound of vomiting, but I'll just try this: blurgahshellksksgah.
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NOTE: I have not seen TAPE, THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE, NOVOCAINE, OCEAN'S 11, NO MAN'S LAND, THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS, ALI, BLACK HAWK DOWN, or I SAM SAM yet, so this list is tentative. 1.) DONNIE DARKO (Kelly) Welcome to the world of cinema, Mr. Kelly. We expect extraordinary things from you. 2.) THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (del Toro) One of the finest films in years. Eduardo Noriega is once again amazing, as is Federico Luppi. 3.) THE OTHERS(Amen
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Dec 28, 2001 4:45:38 PM CST
1) Training Day 2) Fellowship of the Ring 3) Ghost World 4) Mulh
by bruno diaz
1)Training Day -Just hit me very hard when I saw it. Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke absolutely kicked ass in this movie. Well directed, I was fascinating all the way through.
2)Fellowship of the Ring- AWESOME. Enough said.
3) Ghost World - Funny, intimate and honest. Really good.
4) Mulholland Drive - See Harry's review (Right on, Harry).
5) Shrek - Pound for pound the most entertaining movie of the year. "You know something everybody likes?...Parfaits..."
6) AI - There's so much cool shit in this movie, who cares if Spielberg didn't know how to end it? I give him props for freeing himself from his "history teacher" position in Hollywood.
7) Made - Funny as hell. Vince Vaughn is such an awesome comic actor. He and Jon Favreau are a great team. Why doesn't Vince Vaughn do more comedies?
8) Hedwig - Trippy story. Awesome music. Entertaining.
9) The Royal Tenenbaums - "THERE ARE NO TEAMS!"
10) Rush Hour 2 - A shitty movie, but who cares? I laughed my ass off. Chris Tucker is fucking funny.
I know probably nobody gives a shit about some geek's list on AICN. But, as long as we can post here, I'll be a dork all I want. -
Donnie Darko (can't wait), Blackhawk Down, Ali, Tape, I am Sam, The Business of Strangers, or the Devil's Backbone yet. So my list is also tentative (not that anybody gives a shit). I Donnie Dorko.
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MEMENTO would be right up there with the best of them and I personally think GINGER SNAPS kicked major butt in '01. Surpised not to see THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS mentioned by anyone - maybe my obsession with cars dictates that one being in there.....btw, was PITCH BLACK '00 or '01 cos that also rocked my world!!!
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Memento would probably be #11 on my list. Not in the top ten because, for one, the movie just honestly left me cold emotionally. A little too cold. And also, it has a pretty major flaw: IF HE DOESN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS AFTER THE INCIDENT THEN HOW DOES HE REMEMBER THAT HE HAS SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS? That problem could have been solved very simply if Christopher Nolan would have shown us a tattoo on Guy Pierce's body that said in big letters, "You have short term memory loss." That would be it. End of flaw. It's still a cool movie. But that's kind of a big flaw.
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Dec 28, 2001 5:18:24 PM CST
My #1 was Moulin Rouge! And yes, Shrek is crap, go see Monsters,
by lord_soth
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"'Shrek' sucked? 'Memento' is crap? 'Lord of the Rings' is the greatest movie that was ever made?" ***** Yeah, everybody is entitled to their own opinions, but let's be a little serious for a second, ok? "Memento" helped me remember why I choose to spend $8.75 for a movie ticket ($17.50 on "Date Night"), and "Shrek" was such a good movie that it even made Eddie Murphy seem funny again. As for "Lord of the Rings"... yes, it WAS a very good movie. I honestly had no desire to see it and I still liked it a lot. However, all of these "Greatest Movie Ever" posts are ridiculous. For all of you who are bragging about seeing it 8 or 9 times (like that is something to be proud about), do you really think that impresses anyone? The movie came out, what, 3 weeks ago, and you have already spent over a day of your life watching the same movie? Please.
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To those bitching about people putting "2001" movies in their list, this just in - different movies have different global release dates. I live in the UK and we didn't get Unbreakable, Crouching Tiger or Almost Famous till 2001. So long as we're straight. On a side issue, I can relate to people who don't think that FOTR is all that (though my initial reaction is to believe that they are mad and blind, however this is just my knee-jerk inner troll speaking). Cos I thought the same thing about "The Man Who Wasn't There". It was beautifully shot. Wonderful performances, especially Billy Bob and Frances Dormand. Read that mock-up article the Coen bros did pretending to be their made up editor, thought that was hilarious. I love "Fargo". But I thought the movie was totally uninvolving and apart from a few nice moments (the dead guy's wife with the paranoia about aliens, for instance) really quite dull. It was the Movie That Wasn't There. I know that this is a minority opinion, but... did anyone else find this? Or am I the mad, blind dumbass chick? I mean a few people that liked "Hannibal" dared to stick their heads over the top of the trench...
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Great dialogue too! "Let me get his wallet, homes, before you do him!" "Its not what you know; itw what you can prove!" Great, gritty movie!
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It confounds me that you people can spend so much energy attacking a list which is based entirely on one man's experiences and opinions. These were the movies he liked. Deal. Although the omission of JAY AND SILENT BOB does prove Father Geek to be lacking in taste. And where's Return to Phat Beach? What a moron.
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I didn't see more than a dozen movies this year, so a top 10 list is pointless. I doubt I could name 10 good films released in 2001 anyway.
Memento was my favorite movie of 2001, followed by Waking Life.
The worst movie of 2001 was Planet of the Apes, followed closely by Jurassic Park 3. Two movies with absolutely no heart or soul. -
Definitely the funniest guy on these boards since Seattle Sleww went into cyrogenic freeze.
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1. Memento
2. The Others
3. Monster's Inc.
Everything else: did not see.
*My first child was born this year so I only saw three movies :)
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Dec 28, 2001 11:58:24 PM CST
And, because I have no life when my girlfriend is at work ...
by theshiner
... here is yet another opinion you couldn't care less about. The idea of coming up with a top ten list for this year is pointless because A) many of the best movies don't get released outside of NYC and LA, and B) I didn't even see 10 good movies this year, let alone the ten best ones. For every "Ghost World" or "Donnie Darko" I missed, there was a "Fast and the Furious" and "Jeepers Creepers" I did see. But, even though I saw "Jurassic Park III" and "Planet of the Apes," the biggest disappointment of the year had to be "Ali." How can a movie about one of the most charismatic personalities in history be the longest three hours of your life? Two words: Michael Mann. With his 'style over subtance' method of directing, Mann actually made the lame 1977 Ali biopic, "The Greatest," look good by comparison (and, if you haven't seen "The Greatest," one critic said that Muhammad Ali's portrayal of himself was "unconvincing"). There was more suspense in those old 30 second "Forgot to add the fabric softener" commercials than in most of this year's releases combined.
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10. DROP DEAD, LAZARUS -- If post-modernist cloak and dagger shenanigans with a swap meet background are your cup of tea, look no further. 9.)LIQUOR FOR ONE -- Who says LEAVING LAS VEGAS was the last great drunk movie. 8) AROUND THE WORLD -- A self-indulgent story of a young movie producer's first experience with a call girl that goes from bad to worse. 7)SATURDAY NIGH LIVE -- I admired Loren Michaels for saying, "Screw it, instead of repackaging all of my show's lame skit characters as movies, I'll just film the show." 6)INCOMPREHENDIBLE -- There's a trend lately to give films mysterious one word titles. I like this trend. 5)TWO DAYS 'TIL RETIREMENT -- Spoiler alert! I pitied police detective Sam Carlyle (Delroy Lindo) when, two days shy of his pension, he's saddled with loose cannon partner George Waxenstein (Jake Lloyd, playing older). I never thought those two would bond and take out crack-lord Sugar P. (Jaleel White). 4)GLUM GIRLS -- I know, I know, it's a chick flick but every bad boy has a soft side (their testicles, if they're healthy). Teaming Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci was a dream come true for all the guys out here who like disaffected, hard to get along with chicks. All 4 of those guys. 3)THE MYSTERY OF SID -- Technically, it won't be released until next year, but I saw a sneak of it and didn't have to pay for it. 2)SKYBOURNE -- Reminding us that the Invasion of Panama was hell, too. 1)......BAGGIN'S NINE -- Who'd have thought a film about a hairy little fantasy creature teaming up with his old War Against The Dark Lord unit to rob a casino in Fairyland would be such a swingin' experience?
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Dec 29, 2001 12:13:34 AM CST
Shiva, If You're Still Around, I Must Tell You That Hawk'
by buzz maverik
First, we have John Wayne as a metaphor for the mean assed American white male who seeks sexual satisfaction from women half his age (Dorothy Provine, lookin' good) and offering himself as a perfect example of a man killing those who are trying to kill him. Next, we have Jack Lemmon as the drunk, a fallen man who can never measure up to our iconic hero. Further down the scale, we have The Kid (Buddy Holly in his only acting role) a younger, faster version of our hero who will one day measure up. I believe it was Leslie Fielder, or perhaps Kenneth Turan, or maybe even Joel Siegel who said, "This was a rootin' tootin' shootin' Western for the whole family."
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10) That one with the guy. 9) I can't remember what it was called, but there was a girl in the ad. 8) Monkeys! 7) Lesbians! 6) I didn't see that movie. 5) This movie made me very sad, and at the end I went 'Huh?' 4) One Word - Funny!!! 3) The kids who pick on me aren't my real friends. 2) I love Hockey! and finally, 1) My very favoritist, some people thought it was too long, but I wished it had gone on forever.
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HA HA! Over in the LOTR talkbacks all the LOTR hating trollers almost gave the impression that AICN TBers generally hated FOTR. Here, though, where things are more balanced, we see the truth. Most people really liked it, but just weren't so absorbed by it that they would go into YET ANOTHER gushy Harry post that offered superfluous praise for the movie! So, again, HA HA!
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What??? No Shaolin Soccer? Easily the my favorite film of 2001. Get the DVD from your fave importer before Disney f**ks it up.
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...who said that, I do believe.
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Dec 29, 2001 2:32:34 AM CST
Shaolin Soccer...definitely on these stupid "Best Of" lists!
by hung-wei lo
Man, got the dvd a few months ago, and I've probably popped it back into the dvd playa about 5 times now. I remember the day after I watched it, I couldn't stop thinking about the geniunely charming moments in it. It will definitely bring a smile to your face. If you haven't seen it, go buy it now! It's readily available at most Hong Kong online stores. Or if you are more than patient, Rotten Tomatoes says that it is schedule for an April 2002 release in theaters. As for my previous post about complaining that people were posting "2000" movies on "2001" lists, I apologize...but only to those who live in countries where it was actually released this year. If you were from the US and made this mistake, you are a stupid dummy head (I stand by that statement).
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But you left out "Inner-Ear Disorders+Hot Girls=Hilarity", starring Julianne Moore and Sandy Bullock and Monica Potter. I don't know how many times I've watched "On Golden Pond" and wished that Kate Hepburn would fall more. Orale!
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10) Face-Jam 9)Latina Wonderland starring Veronica Brazil 8) Double Air-Bags pt. 5 7)Lord of the Cock-Rings 6)Tit's a Wonderful Life 5)Gym Teacher Sleep-Over 4) Girls Just Wanna Suck Cock 3)The Duke of Knockers 2)Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius 2)Womb Raider
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Am I on yet?
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Brotherhood of the Wolf
why has this film flown under our radar?
why haven't i heard of this film till now?
why can't i go to the toronto film festival =)
imdb says...
Coming to a Theater Near You!
The surprise hit of Toronto, Christophe Gans's The Brotherhood of the Wolf, arrives in theaters in limited release on January 11th and opens wide January 25th. Though competing with the Olympics for public attention there is enough action and acrobatics in Wolf to qualify for six winter biathlons. The plot of Brotherhood is based upon a legendary killing spree in 18th century France, where the mysterious "Beast of Gevaudan" murdered over 150 men, women and children. As you can see from our gallery the film has more than its share of gorgeous actors and actresses, including Vincent Cassel, Emilie Dequenne and Monica Belluci. Also make sure to visit the official site and see the photos for The Brotherhood of the Wolf.
www.brotherhoodofthewolf.net
aintitcool, you rock! -
There are only a few movies I rated this year, here they are:
1) A.I. This was sci-fi done in a serious and inventive way, not since Bladerunner have I seen a sci-fi movie of this calibre.
2) Storytelling. Brilliant observations of family life, and it had another film-stealing performance form John Goodman.
3)Memento. To call this lightweight is a fair criticism, but while it works on your mind, it is a very enjoyable thriller with a twist that doesn't feel tacked on.
4)Fellowship of the Rings. This one was flawed to fuck, it disappointed me almost as much as it made me think, "Wow". Smelt of rush-job, some of the effects were poor, but it had a heart. However, it did lose the feeling in the book that we were living this adventure, despite it being played out in live-action. A very strange movie indeed to watch, and that is why it is fourth.
Here is hoping that the promise of next year is not drowned in the disgusting sea of hype and sentiment that fucked most of this year's cinematic events up. -
The Others and Hannibal were two of my favorite movies this year. I'll agree that SOTL was better but it had an appeal that I thought was interesting. Second, The Others was cool bcause it's good to see Nicole Kidman dead! It was nothing like Sixth Sense. That movie plain sucked. Finally, John Carpenter, never do another movie like Ghostof Mars. Please NEVER!!!
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Glad to see my two faves of the year getting so much recognition in fans' lists -- and "Sexy Beast" landing on so many critics' Top Tens. Both these blew me outta my seat. And it's a shame "Ginger Snaps" got virtually no theatrical distribution in the States. It was dumped in NYC for two weeks at the dinky Cinema Village for late night shows only during Halloween with no advertising. The theater had a dozen diehard film geeks in the audience the night I saw it, and we all dug it and bonded. Can't believe the distributor didn't even FUCKING TRY to go wider in the States. Oh well. It's on video/DVD though, so don't miss it. A treat, and the director is the guy to watch.
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This film was a mere shadow of the book. I admire the craft, but not the fact that it was aimed at fucking 12 year olds with badly edited violence and pointless shots of the Uruk-hai and Orthanc. We deserved better, and expected better. The edit is a studio job, blatantly. The characterisation was poor, we had no histories or even captions of the places visited. No sense of fucking history, that is what the first part os about, the passing of a history (the elves) into a new phase of history (Men). We get none of this melanchloy feel throughout Middle Earth, no sense of sadness at the passing of the elves. Frankly, the first half of this movie was awful. There was no way Fellowship could be an action/adventure, it needed to be subtle, powerful and needed actors not CGI to express the power of the Ring and the fear of Sauron. The songs needed to be used, perhaps before certain scenes, they would have re-created the atmosphere from the book that was so undermined by the film we got. There was no subtlety, no sense of time, and we did not connect with the Hobbits, and boy will we need to. FUCKING DISAPPOINTMENT, and if you easily spoon-fed movie goers cannot see this, then may you drown in inferior blockbusting sequels, and poor book adaptations for the rest of your lives.
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I'm gonna get killed for this but while the story of Pearl Harbor admittedly sucked, I think MB and Bruckheimer are film masters. I went to film school and argue this all the time but I think Hollywood popconr flicks are top notch.
I think The Rock is still his best film, I mean all the elements were there. Armageddon kicked ass for mindless entertainment, and Bad Boys had some cool things to look that.
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I would not say I lose sleep, I just feel rather disappointed by the whole thing. I felt this way about Episode 1, although FOTR is infinitely better than that.
I will not sit here and listen to people endlessly praise a film that was far from a "masterpiece".
I wanted to love FOTR, and I came out and just felt so empty. The essence of the book was lost, and that galls me.
I can see why lots of people would love this movie, the scope, the action, the cinematography etc (I am assuming you did?), but for me it just did not work - it lacked cohesion and subtlety. I just think that some of you guys and the critics out there need to be more objective about what you regard as a "classic" or a "masterpiece".
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I love witnessing how low some people will go just to prove that their film was better than yours. What a mature thing to argue about. Some of you cry about it so much that I wonder why you don't just kill yourself. I mean that is what I would recommend.
In any case my top 3 for the year are...
1-Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
For once somebody made a film for which I have nothing negative to say. Amazing!
2-Fellowship of the Ring
What is this? 2 films in one year for which I have nothing negative to say about. What is going on?
3-A.I.
You guys serving fries at
McDonalds are going to eat this one up. Yeah I've heard it all... "Spielberg is satan..." yadda yadda. You guys just don't know a good thing when you see it. I care very little for your opinion on this matter. I loved this film, and artistic masterpiece rivaling the aforementioned films. This will be a classic to be remembered. I promise.
And not to show my credibility I present the "Credit where Credit is due award". This choice goes to the film that I talked the most shit about and then when I saw it I realized that it was 50% better than I expected. Some of you guys are going to laugh (some of you will laugh again since you're probably apauled at the A.I. comment) but 'Moulin Rouge' hits me in a way that no other film has.
Why I liked it? The visuals are simply stunning. Any FX fanboys out there should sit through it for the direction and scenery.
Why I didn't like it. The music. Made the film seem like a bad episode of 'Quantum Leap' where young 'Obi-Wan' was teleported into the body of a sap and forced to sing 'Whitney Houston' songs all night. (I shudder at the thought of seeing this one again.)
This is just what I think. Save your comments for yourself for your pitiful souls and this pitiful world mean nothing to me so go cry about it to the pillow you call 'Sally' everynight. Isn't it good to know that someone is always there for you.
I hate you all.
-AZ -
Is everyone posting here being paid off by the movie studios? AI in the top ten? When does a 5/10 star movie end up in the top ten? I think all you geek boys are voting for movies based on the special effects. Just because a movie is different doesn't make it a top ten movie. Please, start rating movies based on something besides being different. I dont have a top ten list because there were not enough movies in 2001 that were 9's or 10's. Mulan rouge! Give me a break! Were your girlfriends watching you type this? Is that why you put that drivel on your list for top 10? If I read one more time how shrek or monsters inc was SO good i think i am going to puke. They were both watchable. Once. Any joke they had was unfunny by the second viewing. Ghost world... I am still waiting for something to happen in that movie. Boring!!! Different? Yes. Boring? Yes. Good? NO!
Have a nice day ;) -
Come on people lets face it, that movie is nothing more than try outs for the next installment of Rhino's Golden Throats CD!
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Dec 30, 2001 8:29:46 PM CST
"Sticking feathers up your butt does NOT make you a chicken."
by roger_smith
I like looking at most of these responses. I can get a few good laughs out of them. Normally, I'll only post if something catches my eye, and this thing caught it, gutted it, fileted it, and fast-fooded it. It's become painfully obvious that everyone on this message board is doing nothing but sucking on the tit of The Lord Of The Rings. Best movie of the year? Not by a long shot. One of the ten best? Definatly. I've seen a bunch of movies this year, old and new. Most of the ones in the theater sucked, horribly. I'm suprised that no one remembered Vin Diesel in his epic role as a street racer. And people were calling Shrek tripe. Shrek has heart and humor. The only reason I can fathom you people disliking it is simply because it was insanely popular (trust me, there have to be a few of those types here). And I loved the one guy who claimed that it was all gross humor. So one fart joke and Shrek using ear wax as a candle is too much gross humor? I just saw Scary Movie 2...funny how that was never mentioned along side that argument. If you want gross humor, look at Tomcats, SM2, Freddy Got Fingered, and Not Another Teen Movie. And the constant bashing of Hannibal. This just really pisses me off. Granted, it's nothing like Silence of the Lambs (and yes, Julie Moore should have stayed away from this. Her performance was sub-par), but it is one of the best directed films I've seen. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was entertaining and well thought out. Someone else said it was nothing like Final Fantasy. Well, quite frankly, you know nothing of Final Fantasy, otherwise you would know that it should have nothing to do with any FF you've played. It's like comparing FF4 to FF7 in terms of similarity. Planet of the Apes had it's moments, but I would not consider it top ten material. Pearl Harbor. Micheal Bay needs to crawl in a hole and die. The man is drunk on the power that he is given by money-hungry Disney. It was a shanm of a movie and a disgrace to the American tradgey it was based on. However, in light of what has happened this year, I see this piece of shit winning Best Picture. Sad, really. Finally, Memento. This is how you make a movie. A fabulous idea that should have been more widely recognized. Anyone who hasn't seen it, rent or buy it. That's right, put back that copy of Swordfish and watch a movie. Anyway, I'd like to get back to The Lord of the Rings. I've seen the movie and all I can say is that it was a well directed and acted movie. However, the only reason it is being hailed as movie of the year on here is simply because it was anticipated by nearly everyone on here. No one seemed to have the balls to bring everyone back down from Middle Earth to the real world and see that it is not all that it is cracked up to be. Long, drawn out periods of walking, a fight scene that was flimsy (the fight between Gandolf and the enemy wizard...name escapes me), and over three hours in length? I see it like The Phantom Menace: only the beginning of an epic story (which, actually it is. Never read the books, though). So, thats my take on this Talkback board. As for my lists:
Top 3 for 2001:
1-Memento 2-Hannibal 3-Unbreakable (was this a 2001 or 2000?)
Runners up:
LOTR, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Worst 3 for 2001:
1-Pearl Harbor 2-Fast and the Furious 3-Rush Hour 2
Here's to better movies in 2002. -
kinda boring as a movie goer,
frankly, the HK VCD/DVD's we saw were in most cases, better than most of the hollywood movies out this year...LOTR is boring (unless you've read the book, i supposed) there are really no notable GREAT movies this year, VS was good but after 6th sense, every movie with a "surprise" ending just doesn't cut it for me anymore. I can't even name a top 10 list if i tried hard, momento maybe, that's about it, all the Jet li stuffs are crap, all the tentpole summer release were crap, the thxgiving event movies were crap, I so much wanted to enjoy LOTR but it was slow as heck and like i said before, CONAN is a way better fantasy movie. well, here are some of the better HK movies that i DO remember...Shaolin Soccer, Full time Killer, Love on a Diet, Legend of ZU, Goodbye Mr. Cool, Time and Tide, Gen Y cops & Tokyo Raider. Most of these movies has flaws as well, but in terms of story telling, and artistic visual execution, these movies blows most of the CIG-laden hollycrap out there...i am not saying they are better than the stateside stuffs, but just that the story's more involving and not as predictable. check it out and see what i mean. next year, i am hoping to get my hands on the Korean movies, i hear they are the shites in the orient and their visual flair is outpacing their island neighbors in Japan...
lates -
While neither merit being on the worst of the year list, I strongly believe that neither of these films deserve to be placed anywhere near the lists of best films of 2001, in particular Mr. Potter.
HARRY POTTER was a poorly written, humorless piece of dreck. The film had an inconsistent tone and wasted some very fine actors in one-note roles. The only positive thing it had going for it were some imaginative visual effect.
LORD OF THE RINGS got better as it went along, but had an extremely uninteresting opening that ruined the rest of the experience for me. I also found that Christopher Lee made no impact as the villain, which is going to hurt the future editions in this series.
Both were cases of a film being too faithful to it's source material.
Books are allowed to have awkward pacing to have deep characters. Books are allowed to have scenes that have no reckoning on the ending. Movies cannot have that, for reasons of pacing and story-telling.
Had Harry Potter used his Quittich skills to defeat the villain in the end, or if dragons had anything to do with anything, then maybe I might have given the film a break.
Had LORD OF THE RINGS not had such an awkward pace, and a weak opening, perhaps I would have been more awake when the film became fun.
However, here's my favorites so far this year:
MONKEYBONE (clever, with great directing by Henry Selick and a superb comedic performance from Brendan Fraser),MEMENTO, BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, SHREK, EVOLUTION (I know, I know...But this was one of the more fun flicks, with some terrific chemistry between it's leads), A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, LEGALLY BLONDE (a fun, light summer comedy it was exactly what "America's Sweethearts" should have been), JURASSIC PARK III (it blew a refreshing breath of air into a dead series), MADE, THE OTHERS, JEEPERS CREEPERS (for me, this reinvigorated horror better than "Scream" did), BANDITS (a fresh, funny, surprising movie with clever direction and awesome performances), MONSTERS INC., OCEAN'S 11, and VANILLA SKY. There's still a few contenders I've yet to see: "A Beautiful Mind," "Gosford Park," "Black Hawk Down," and "The Royal Tenenbaums."
Among the most disappointing: For sure, the most disappointing was ALI. The make-up was clever and the performances were great, but I was expecting more from Michael Mann. Other disappointments: FROM HELL (did anyone notice how Johnny Depp's opium habit lent nothing to the progression of the story?), PEARL HARBOR (had it not been for the hokey romance, this one could have been great), and TRAINING DAY (for as good as Washington's performance was, I kept thinking of what a weak story it was, and how it was too similar to that Mark Wahlberg/Chow Yun Fat flick "The Corruptor").
MOST SURPRISING: DOMESTIC DISTURBNANCE, which was a little bit of fun despite being predictable. Also THE MAJESTIC, which had a lame trailer, but was a nice, sweet movie. I was surprised that DON'T SAY A WORD sucked so much, because I thought Douglas and Fleder could do better work, even with a formulaic plot. The same goes with expectations Cusack brought to SERENDIPITY.
THE WORST: How about 3,000 MILES TO GRACELAND? No? THE MUMMY RETURNS? No? ALONG CAME A SPIDER? No? Hmmmm...VALENTINE? DOWN TO EARTH? THE WEDDING PLANNER? 15 MINUTES? SWORDFISH? TOMB RAIDER? CATS & DOGS? SCARY MOVIE 2? Anything released on August 24th. (for your reference, that's "Ghosts of Mars," "Bubble Boy," and "Summer Catch")? NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE? God, there's too many to name so I'll get right down to it...The winner is AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS. Not only was this film profoundly disappointing, but also terribly unfunny and ridiculously out-of-date (excuse me, but a warning sign is the Backstreet Boys joke that caps the ads? That is SOOOOO 1998). What a lame, horrendous, awful, awful, awful movie.
MOVIES TO RENT: Just a few movies I thought were fun, but not necessarily quality pics. CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL, CROCODILE DUNDEE IN L.A., and ONE NIGHT AT McCOOL'S.
So, if I were to pick those damn Oscars.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: "VANILLA SKY"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: "MEMENTO"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett in "Bandits" or Cameron Diaz in "Vanilla Sky" or even Carrie Anne Moss from "Memento"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jude Law from "A.I." hands down. By Joe Pantoliano and Kurt Russell (pitch-perfect casting in "Vanilla Sky") are also both contenders.
BEST ACTRESS: Nicole Kidman in "The Others"
BRST ACTOR: Guy Pearce. They should give this guy the "Best Actor for the Rest of Time" award, but that won't happen.
BEST DIRECTOR: Soderbergh did great with "Ocean's 11," but Nolan or Spanish guy that made "The Others" make this a tough one.
BEST PICTURE: It's a tough choice not having seen them all, but at the moment the race for me is among "A.I.," "MEMENTO," "THE OTHERS," and "OCEAN'S 11." -
Here is mine without seeing Beautiful Mind, In the Bedroom, Blackhawk Down. Have seen most in contention:
1.) Ghost World
2.) Lord of the Rings
3.) Bridget Jones -
Shrek was the best animated movie of the year. Monsters Inc was very cute, and Boo was wonderfully realized, but Shrek's exploding bird scene alone was well worth the price of admission, and the most I've laughed at any scene in a movie all year (except maybe my viewing of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World on dvd when Jonathan Winters trashes the gas station). Moulin Rouge was quite simply the best movie of the year. It is unbelievably beautiful to look at and to listen to, and it makes me feel in love with love. I smile through the whole picture (except the sad finale).
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