2000's Gushes
Jul 16 '02
The Bottom Line Buckle up. This is going to be a long ride...
One day last winter, a day empty of commitments but long on pent-up energy, I decided to make a list of all the movies I'd ever seen. Before you get too excited, let me say that I didn't do it from memory. With a little help from the IMDB (Internet Movie Database… like I have to tell you), and my trusty spreadsheet program, I came up with the following current total: 1075. That's only movies I've sat down and watched all the way through, at least once. I don't know if that's a high number or not, but it's my total and I'm sticking with it. For curiosity's sake, I figured that it meant I'd watched one new movie every 9.33 days since the day I was born (not likely I'd seen many flicks between the ages of 0-5, but curiosity never was a fickle fellow when it came to numbers).
Curiosity also lead me to my next task: ranking them. I got to about number 500 before I gave up out of exhaustion (and boredom, and apathy; who cares if I liked "Batman Returns" better than "Love Potion No. 9"? Not I, at that point).
When I discovered this little section of the Epinions universe, half a year later, I thought, "Eureka! A reason for my toil!" And since I'd had the foresight to include the year of release for every movie in the spreadsheet, it was just a matter of filtering out everything except the 2000s, and sorting by rank.
Not so fast, pardner. I found that many of the decisions I'd made at the time were faulty. I'd included movies in the top 20 then that I'd now banish from the face of the earth. And movies that were bringing up the rear I now thought deserved a place at the head of the caravan. Which is a fancy way of saying that this is my top 10 list today. If I come back tomorrow to look at it, it may be different. I won't change it, though. A snapshot like this is valid, even when those doing the posing have gone their separate ways.
A couple of final notes. Here's a list of the top 10 movies from 2000 that I *haven't* seen (ranked according to the IMDB; only movies receiving 500 or more votes are eligible.). So if you're asking yourself, "Hey, he forgot Movie X!", well, I can't very well rank it if I haven't seen it:
Amores Perros -- written by Guillermo Arriaga; directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Yi yi -- written and directed by Edward Yang
In the Mood for Love (a.k.a. Hua yang nian hua) -- written and directed by Kar-wai Wong
Battle Royale -- written by Kenta Fukasaku; directed by Kenta Fukasaku
Dancer in the Dark -- written and directed by Lars von Trier
Nine Queens -- written and directed by Fabián Bielinsky
Divided We Fall (a.k.a. Musíme si pomáhat) -- written and directed by Jan Hrebejk
Billy Elliott -- written by Lee Hall; directed by Stephen Daldry
Together (a.k.a. Tillsammans) -- written and directed by Lukas Moodysson
Italian For Beginners (a.k.a. Italiensk for begyndere) -- written and directed by Lone Scherfig
These films are much more foreign than the films you'll find below. I promise to broaden my horizons, ma, I really do!
I've only included movies that the IMDB classifies as being released in 2000. It may seem odd to include movie #1 in this list, seeing as its buzz grew to mammoth proportions during the spring and summer of 2001. But it made the film festival rounds during the autumn of 2000, so I include it here.
Lastly, after every movie I've asked the question, "Why not #X?" This is just a way for me to justify each film's place in the rankings (and an excuse to temper my gushing with some criticism). In an improved version of the Peter Principle, I ranked each film as high as I could, until I couldn't justify ranking it any higher. And thus, you get the following list:
10. Gladiator
written by David H. Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson
directed by Ridley Scott
Despite my still percolating anger over it having won the Best Picture Oscar (despite the presence of the 9 films below, including also-nominated #6), Ridley Scott's swords-and-sandals epic is a rousing entertainment. Set in motion by a rousing opening battle, rivaling the much vaunted battle opening in "Saving Private Ryan" for visceral excitement and human destruction, it becomes faux-Shakespearean very fast (which, I suspect, got Derek Jacobi his role). And then we get royal incest, between the ever-creepy Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen, Richard Harris offering some fine smoked ham for his death scene, and Oliver Reed actually dying in order to get the film made!
Before he became a pompous creep, pistol-whipping producers at after show parties and having the gall to form a band with an incomprehensible name, Russell Crowe was a charismatic actor. Fierce in "Romper Stomper", pious in "The Quick and the Dead", torrential in "L.A. Confidential", and just plain gargantuan here. I suspect General Maximus (oh how aptly named) doesn’t need an army to be successful; he could hold off all of Rome's enemies armed with nothing but a steely gaze. While not an Oscar-worthy performance (the more I watch it, the more I realize the lead in my #1 film below was the best performance of the year), it is certainly a star-making performance. Now if we could just get the star in question to tone it down a bit…
Why not #9?: The title is so banal and non-descriptive (I would have called the film "Brood-eus Maximus"). Like they thought they were making the gladiator film to end all gladiator films. To combat their hubris, I knock them down a peg.
9. The Princess and the Warrior
written and directed by Tom Tykwer
The second collaboration between writer/director Tom Tykwer and actress Franka Potente, "The Princess and the Warrior" has none of the kinetic energy, experimental filmmaking, or rollicking soundtrack of their first effort, "Run Lola Run". It is actually a rather quiet little affair; a meditation on fate and the circuitous nature of our personal histories.
The film focuses on Sissi (Potente), an unassuming nurse at a mental hospital. One day she is hit by a truck, and saved by a mysterious stranger, Bodo (Benno Furmann). It's a powerful moment, gruesome in its details, full of gripping suspense and tangible human connections. Tykwer spares the audience nothing, as Bodo must think on his feet in order to clear Sissi's windpipe. For her part, Sissi gazes with awe at Bodo (she is the princess, he is the warrior), fully aware that he is the only who can save her life. But she can't seem to hold on to him later as she is rushed through the hospital. The rest of the movie revolves around her attempts to reconnect with him, and of his pushing her away (figuratively and literally, violently at times). It's a stunning, poetic piece of work.
Why not #8?: Because it is ultimately unmemorable (I had to go back to my notes to cobble together the preceding summarization).
8. State and Main
written and directed by David Mamet
I remember seeing the ads for this one on TV and thinking, "Oh goody. Another Hollywood Insider's look at the ridiculous machinations that go along with moviemaking. Honey, hand me my razor blades!" And then I noticed in the credits the following important information: written and directed by David Mamet. I'm always willing to cut Dave some slack, and usually, like here, he delivers.
A small town is taken over by a production company. The movie people want to make a film called "The Old Mill". The town's Old Mill burned down 40 years ago. Ha! Big time actors (Alec Baldwin and Sarah Jessica Parker) get in trouble: he with a young girl, she with religion. The film never tells you which is worse. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a romantic lead for once, as the writer who gets no respect. William H. Macy, as the director, talks out of both sides of his mouth. Rebecca Pidgeon, usually god-awful in her husband's movies, steals the show as a small town theatre director worth falling in love with. "State and Main" offers no new insights on the Hollywood process, but it is a rollicking good time.
Why not #7?: Because the ending, while quite funny, was syrupy in a way I didn't think Mamet was capable of.
7. The Dish
written by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy and Rob Sitch
directed by Rob Sitch
In an Australian sheep paddock, half a world away from NASA headquarters, stands a satellite dish. Manned by a gentle group of oddball technicians, the dish becomes a key player in the 1969 Apollo moon landing. It's an exciting time for the small town, as the eyes of the world are on them, hoping and praying that the delicate images ("One small step for man…") will be brought back to earth in one piece.
Rob Sitch's deft little comedy uses this real-life story as a backdrop for some precise and precious character studies. His subtle touch is best on display in how he relays information about Sam Neill's head engineer. His secret is hinted at in several different moments, before he corroborates the evidence well into the movie. The audience gets to know the character, intimately, before it can be trusted with this information. The whole town is loaded with characters as intriguing as this.
Most notable is the character of the dish. A huge structure, Sitch has a lot of fun giving us odd angle views of the dish, whether it is shining in the afternoon sun against a backdrop of sheep, or lit up majestically in the night. During one memorable scenes, the technicians set up a cricket pitch on its concave floor. It's a most noble lead character in a film that, despite a marketing campaign trying to pass it off as a raucous farce, mines quiet comedy from the most unassuming places.
Why not #6?: Because it was too whimsical for its own good. A decided lack of edge will ruin a movie's long-term staying power.
6. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
written by Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus and Kuo Jung Tsai
directed by Ang Lee
The remarkable thing about this movie is not its narrative. Taken from a book which has been described in more than one place as “pulp”, there are elements within that we’ve all seen before: the headstrong young girl not wanting to go through with her arranged marriage; the smoldering but never realized love between two friends; the “you killed my master twenty years ago so now you must die” plot device. These are not original. Doesn’t matter.
Take a look at what director Ang Lee puts on the screen. On one hand, it’s just gorgeous. Witness the first crane-shot of Peking, the labyrinthine compound of Governor Yu, the desert, the reed forest, and the peasant village. All are presented with wonderfully composed shots, calling to mind haiku poetry rather than cinema. On the other hand, it’s kinetic and exhilarating. I’m talking, of course, of the wonderful fight scenes. Akin to “The Matrix” (same choreographer), but different in a very important way. Whereas “The Matrix” was riddled with bullets and explosions, “Crouching Tiger” works well with its silences. The Wudan warriors are economical in their movements, whether they are gliding on air, flying through reeds, or wielding swords. Thus, the fight scenes are compact and quick, rather than flashy and fast.
The actors here are all top notch. Chow is strong as steel, yet manages litheness unparalleled in my memory. There’s a quiet scene near the middle of the film, where he practices Tai Chi-like movements (with a warrior’s edge) alone in a courtyard. It’s almost as thrilling to watch his power and grace in this scene as in his fight scenes. Throw in his thespian eyes and you’ve got a real charismatic star. Only he’s not really the star, is he? He takes a backseat in terms of screen time to the two women. And they surely deserve it. Michelle Yeoh is all quiet dignity, fierce intelligence, and repressed emotion. Yet she can stomp you down six ways from Sunday if provoked properly. Contrast this with the determination and passion that newcomer Zhang Ziyi brings, and you see why Chow wasn’t needed all that much. A thrilling film.
Why not #5?: Because, despite the glory of the visuals, the story is ultimately quite formulaic. Intentionally so, which is fine. But that's not my problem.
5. You Can Count on Me
written and directed Kenneth Lonergan
Here's one of those films that doesn't jump up and bite you on first viewing, but will steal your heart if you dare look at it again. The familial relationships are played out in low-key but still dynamic ways. Mother protects and nurtures fatherless son. Sister protects and nurtures parentless brother. Uncle bonds with and then disappoints his precious nephew. And it's all relevant, and it's all powerful, while never trying to do or say too much.
Kenneth Lonergan wrote and directed this marvelous little gem. Set in a small town, the kind that'll stifle your spirit if you stick around too long, he's crafted something deft and powerful from a seemingly small narrative. His script is meticulously crafted, so as not to say too much, or be overly flashy. My favourite moment is the final one, where Terry (brother/uncle) consoles Sammy (mother/sister) as he's about to leave. The final line of the movie is the title of the movie. Only it's a line that's never actually said. Terry knows that Sammy knows what he's about to say, so he doesn't have to say it. Kudos to Lonergan for trusting his audience to follow through with them. The film is loaded with such moments, allowing you to marvel at the craft behind Lonergan's script.
Laura Linney is strong-willed but less-than-strong as Sammy. Mark Ruffalo is suitably ruffled, barely redeemable, and utterly watchable as Terry. And Rory Culkin, as young Rudy, displays none of his older brother's annoying ticks, instead opting for a classy and quiet. It's one of my favourite performances from a kid actor.
Why not #4?: Because Ruffalo's unwashed, greasy hair distracted me throughout the film's first half. Take a shower, man!
4. Snatch
written and directed by Guy Ritchie
After his first film, "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels", spent all of 1998 on my must-recommend-to-everybody list, I couldn't wait for Guy Ritchie's follow-up. So "Snatch" had the burden of high expectations. Thankfully, it met every one. It's a bigger and better movie than "Lock, Stock", that still follows the same basic conventions. A myriad of oppositions gangs -- some good, some bad, some inept, some fearsome -- are all after the same prized possession. This time, it's an 84-karat diamond that's followed through a labyrinthine plot, around fatalistic twists and turns, by some gun play, and avoiding mayhem, while running into more cute moments than you can shake a stick at.
Ritchie is a five-tool director, one of the only ones working today. He presents stunning visuals (virtuoso camera work that never feels over-the-top), controls a propulsive story, creates indelible characters, writes smart dialogue (spoken through twisted and hilarious Cockneyfied voices; you'll need a machete to make your way through the thick brush of accents here), and selects a winning soundtrack that always enhances the mood of the scene.
He gives Brad Pitt another chance to go Tyler Durden. He makes a star out of Vinnie Jones (an ex-footballer who plays Bullet-Tooth Tony). He allows Dennis Farina to do what he does best: chomp scenery. Most deliciously, he lets Benicio Del Toro mumble his way through a Yiddish accent. And on top of all this, surprising in a movie dressed up as a hilarious caper picture, he includes some moments of real pathos, culminating in a cathartic ending that had me wondering how I got there, but glad for the trip.
Why not #3?: I know it has nothing to do with the movie, but I still can't forgive Ritchie for marrying Madonna, and christening their first child 'Rocco'. God I hope she doesn't ruin him.
3. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
written by Joel and Ethan Coen
directed by Joel Coen
I suspect that I'll put every Coen Brothers' movie in a yearly top 10. Most likely top 5. So why does "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" come in at number 3?
For starters, it's probably the most accessible of the Coen's movies. Those unwilling or unable to follow its many Odyssean references will find pleasure in the story of three likable mooks, down home boys all, newly broken out of prison, on their way to find some buried loot. They'll laugh at George Clooney's loquacious leader, a man who bugs out his eyes, messes up his hair, and screams like a little girl. They'll smile sweetly at the sweet smile of Tim Blake Nelson, playing one dumb son of a gun. And they'll scratch their heads at the sight of John Turturro's gangly freakishness. There's all that pleasure, plus the added addition of a hit song! "Man of Constant Sorrow" is one of those movie breakout hits whose success you can be glad for. It's not a marketing campaign; it's pure bluegrass goodness.
But, this being the Coen's, there's some weirdness to be had too. A cow, wandering along a road, gets torpedoed by a passing car. A big, blustery bible salesman turns into a mad wrestler at the drop of a hat. A young, black guitarist, picked up at the crossroads, turns out to be a ripping guitar player. A KKK rally is staged like a Busby-Berkley musical. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's a frothy mixture, set up for good-timey fun that never disappoints, and periodically manages to enlighten.
Why not #2?: The trap that the Coen's usually fall into is that they produce exercises in genre deconstruction, instead of films. This one, while a fine film by anyone else's standards, is an example of the former.
2. Almost Famous
written and directed by Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe is passionate about telling this autobiographical tale with energy and sincerity and dignity, but also about keeping it true, exposing the warts and all. He does so. Magnificently. It lives up its pedigree, being superbly written, honestly acted, and insightful to such a degree that it exposes bone.
“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool,” says Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) at one point. It is my favourite line in a script that speaks deeply about a lot of personal issues in a pristine and economical way. A story that, though on first glance I found meandering and pointless, I now appreciate precisely because it is meandering and pointless. We follow a rock band on tour. What could be more meandering and pointless than that? On the other hand, when one sheds the veneer of cynicism that adulthood saddles us with, we have to realize that there is nothing more beautiful. To the people living it, it is Bohemia and Valhalla rolled into one. Beautiful life and beautiful death. Crowe lets these weighty concepts hang in the air, available for the passionate viewer to latch on to, and come along for the ride.
A remarkable cast brings it all to life. Billy Crudup as the cynical rock star; Kate Hudson as the bathed-in-light groupie; all-time fave Frances McDormand as the mom who freaks everybody out; Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a passionate, articulate, and lonely rock critic; and Patrick Fugit as Crowe's doppelganger. They all embody their characters perfectly, and passionately.
It takes a lot of guts to put your life up on the screen. Crowe does just that.
Why not #1?: If you're not in a hippie-trippie, "It's all about the music" mood, then the movie's magic fizzles away.
1. Memento
written and directed by Christopher Nolan
Chris Nolan has taken a typical film noir story -- at the best of times a convoluted and complex proposition -- chopped it up, and reassembled it frontwards and backwards. The biggest compliment I can give him is that the whole thing makes sense. I've seen "Memento" five times now, and I dare say that it contains nary a mistake. Not one plot hole, no unexplained motivations. All the details are assembled perfectly, carrying as much of the story's weight as they can, but no more. It's a marvelous achievement that boggles the mind.
For those living under a rock the last 2 years, here's the story: Leonard Shelby gets conked on the head, and now can only remember things fifteen minutes or so at a time. His long-term memory, unfortunately, remains intact. Unfortunately, because it holds the memory of his wife's brutal murder. So off we go on a plot motivated by revenge, but hampered by the fact that our protagonist must trust the Polaroids he's taken, and the notes he's tattooed on his body, lest he forget the whole thing.
Guy Pearce, as I said in #10 above, delivers the best acting performance of the year. I, as a viewer, have a tough time keeping the story straight. Guy had to act the thing out. He had to know where he was in the story, what he can remember in any given scene, who he recognizes, who he doesn't, etc., etc., etc. He never trips and stumbles, which is a feat in itself. The fact that he's endearing, that he can connect with the audience, and that's he's charismatic, well, that's asking too much. But Pearce handles it. Joe Pantoliano and Carrie-Ann Moss are along for the ride too, he as the corrupt cop, she as the femme fatale. They're both pretty perfect.
"Memento" is important because it is smart, because it is fun, and because it introduced the world to Chris Nolan. He's a supreme talent. And the good news is that I've seen "Following" and "Insomnia", the features that sandwich "Memento" in his oeuvre. They say one important thing: Nolan's no one-trick pony.
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Epinions.com ID:
mfunk75
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Member: Mike Stone
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 218
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