2001: No monoliths, no waltzes, no slowly spanning cameras, and no space babies.
2001: A YEAR IN REVIEW
THE BEST FILMS OF 2001
Honorable Mention:
14. A.I. Artificial Intelligence- A movie with great visuals and images, and a truly haunting and tragic plot. Extremely flawed, but unforgettable.
13. In the Bedroom- Small, but involving film that accurately depicts a family going through a time of grief and emotion. Very well-made and scripted.
12. Moulin Rouge!- Dazzling, exhausting, and sincere- all are faults, all are advantages. It is obnoxiously loud and dizzy, but it portrays love so romantically, its hard not to like. Wildly uneven, but stylized and unique.
11. No Man's Land- Predictable and conventional anti-war film, it still is powerful and has a strong message to get through to the audience. Great script and dialogue, its a rather tame for a scathing satire, which is it's greatest fault.
MY TOP TEN
10. In the Mood for Love
This haunting love story is a beautiful film. The cinematography and look of the film is brilliant and breath-taking. The plot is simple, but is executed so effectively. It moves at a leisurely pace, but never loses your interest. Its visuals are enough to hold your interest for the whole hour and a half. It is an inspiring film.
9. The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums is a very bittersweet film. Wes Anderson, known for his previous film, Rushmore, uses his trademark “quirky” style (to put it simply) and eccentric characters. In Tenebaums, the “pixilated” characters are used to make this otherwise sad, melancholy story into an offbeat black comedy. It’s most endearing quality is that its cynicism is just a facade, a shell that makes its sentimentality less sentimental. It still, fortunately, hits a chord in your heart and is very touching, as well as cynical. It also has a wonderful soundtrack, a great script, and funny performances.
8. Donnie Darko
Jake Gyllenhaal, of Bubble Boy fame, stars in this story of “Divine Intervention,” as interpreted by Director Richard Kelly. It is a well-made, well-scripted science-fiction/coming-of-age film, that uses its style to make-up for a uneven script. Wonderfully multi-layered, this film has a lot to say, but doesn’t quite say it all. Still, its a great, entertaining film about life, fate, and sacrifice. Atmospheric, dark, and complex, it may be a bit heavy-handed, but its still a joy to watch and analyze.
7. Memento
Memento is a great film- but definitely overrated. Its most extreme flaw is that its characters are distant. Even though its story hints at tragedy and strong themes about revenge and humanity, its grittiness and style overcome the substance. Still, its style and backwards gimmick is great, and the directing and acting is solid. It does manage to get through a few heart-tugging scenes and dialogue. But mostly, it is entertaining, clever, and twisted.
6. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings
Yes, I know, LOTR is so far down the list! I, too, expected it to be in the top 5, but when I ordered my Top 10 list in a sort of James Joyce/stream of consciousness way, it just happened to turn out this way! I found it odd. Anyway, it still is a great film. Epic, sweeping, involving, never boring film. It has action, angst, monsters, atmosphere, giant FX battle scenes- its just great escapism! Sometimes beautiful, sometimes gritty, sometimes light and whimsical. The story, of course, is classic and came from the immortal Tolkien books. It is breathtaking- especially the opening monologue. The directing, acting, script, and cinematography is great. It is a fan-based franchise, and that adds to its almost (**almost**) Star Wars appeal. Great film.
5. The Man Who Wasn't There
The Man Who Wasn't There is a great film. It is beautiful to look at and listen to (the music is incorporated into the film perfectly). The acting is perfect and the script is a subtle blend of dark comedy, film noir homage, and thriller. Oddly, though, it manages to move you with it's images and music, not exactly with its script. The great thing about the film is that there are so many murders and affairs, yet, through the eyes of the protagonist, it all seems as if nothing is happening. The film even brings up the protagonist's feelings on life, death, and the afterlife to deepen the films theme, to add something to a film that would probably just end up as another example of Coen "style-over-substance." The film is beautiful, especially the crash scene and the electric chair scene. My favorite part is Ed's visit to the medium. He states that he as turned into Big Dave's wife, turning to UFOs and ghosts to help fill the void life has thrown at them by taking away a vital part of their day, their spouses. This solidifies the films take on loneliness and life (and how you go through it wondering what comes after, which tells a lot about Ed's hopeful idealism and naive nature). Subtext aside, this film is probably the most enjoyable film I've seen. Some may say its boring, but I was hooked to the screen throughout the whole film. Acting is great (McDormand is a favorite of mine), and directing, of course, is great.
4. Amelie
When watching Amelie, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much this resembles Alien: Resurrection. They do share the same director, Jean-Pierre Juenet. Amelie is a whimsical, magical, hopeful romantic comedy that is impossible not to like. It is a very “happy” film, but uses some very effective black humor to raise this film above regular romantic comedies. It also has a weird, unique look and is eccentricly directed by Jeunet. Amelie is delightful and will charm many with its optimism.
3. Gosford Park
Some may say the film is boring and pointless, but I found this satire of the Upstairs-Downstairs Heirarchy of a manor of rich snobs and struggling servants to be effective, funny, and eye-opening. The most lasting theme is that even though their servants are poor and "lower than them," they know everything and are far superior to their shallow and cruel superiors. They are the ones suffering when their masters are wallowing in gossip and caviar. My favorite scene is when Jeremy Northam's character is playing the piano and we see everyone react to it- and we see various maids and butlers stopping to listen. The music is so special to them, for they know their life will never be as glamorous and romantic. Anyway, the directing is masterful, the acting is solid, and the writing is intricate and telling. Some great music, too.
2. Mulholland Dr.
I watched Mulholland Drive as a David Lynch newbie. I knew nothing of his style and had never watched any of his films. Still, I was engulfed in his beautiful, breathtaking, vivid, dark, colorful, surreal, eerie, heart-wrenching images. His visuals were all I needed to put the film in my Top 10 or 2001. Then I went online and I pieced together *most* of Lynch’s stylish thriller and saw that the film was also a tragic and powerful film about the dark, cruel side of Hollywood, as well as a story about love, revenge, and betrayal. It uses abstract symbolism to deepen the films impact, such as the powerful Club Silencio scene. What is most fascinating about this film is that the story is rather typical. Lynch, though, chooses to tell the film through a unique and “un-typical” way,inserting haunting symbolic images to make the film more puzzling. Wonderful acting and directing.
1. The Others
The Others is a haunting, tragic, and moving humanist ghost story. The film has beautiful cinematography, masterful directing, powerful performances, and gradually growing atmosphere. The scares are very high and the feeling of sorrow and grief is wonderfully kept strong through-out the film. The final twist is devastating, and brings up new themes of the afterlife and our fear of what we don't know. A beautiful and unforgettable film.
ANALYSIS OF FILM- **MAJOR SPOILERS**: Grace, after going mad from grief and sadness, goes into a state of denial and uses religion and the Bible to hide from the truth. She is afraid of what comes after life and is in inestimable guilt. The house is shelter from the truth. Once she accepts the truth, she and her children are able to walk into the "light" (the afterlife) without it "hurting anymore." Grace, now that she found forgiveness, is able to leave the house and the darkness (the manifestation of all her fears and sorrows). We are never told where exactly they are, and is left ambiguous for the film is about Grace and her fears and mental state, and the film is not about to tell us what comes after life. Maybe it was a second chance, for her to become "a good mother." She finally admits she is no wiser than they are and gains their trust again.
**END SPOILERS**
A Great Film. The Best Film of 2001.
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