35 From 00: My Favorite Films From The Year 2000
there was Happy Accidents.
A time-traveling love story about timeless love transcending the timelessness that is time.
Or is it a loving time-traveling story about the transcendence through infinity which is true love....?
Either way, in short, it's a straight-on chick-flick theme with just a twist of wormholed logic.
A group of space-farers find their intergalactic journey interrupted when they are marooned on a planet of perpetual daylight, with the exception of the periodical cycles of ecliptical darkness.
And during these few shifts of nightfall,
the major form of alien life are hordes of flying meat-eating whatchamacallits.
And to these nocturnal beasties, humans make a pretty tasty midnight snack.
So when the new millennium started, I was even more excited about the future for non-mainstream cinema.
Ā Even though Beautiful Creatures came off more like a watered down version of the Wachowski Brothers 1996 feature film debut, Bound, it's jagged edge story still shone enough to make me hopeful of where this style of filmmaking was going. Creatures isĀ one those British films thatcomes off as one that initally started out asĀ exclusively for movie fans from across the pond, but the hopes of making a crossover to a bigger U.S. international market.Ā And as is most often the case from those types of motion pictures,Ā is one that, in the end, only got so-so reviews.Ā However from my point of view, I think itās a little above that kind of middling rating.Ā It's not at the level of a say a 90's era Tarantino project, but it does have an entertaining vibe that is in synche with pictures like Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown.Ā Ā Now, of course, Iām not saying that itās one of the years best (otherwise, it would have a much higher spot on this list), but I do think it's an interesting "twisty-turny" caper movie that's worth giving a looksee, and then some.Ā Ā
Ā Ā In the end, the 00's fell short compared to the previous decade, not to mention that it seems to be even worse during the second decade of the millennium, but that's a story for another disscusion forum.
Ā BC maybe didn't live to the high quality of previous independent projects that it was shooting for, but the mixture of dark humor and quirky shock in it's premise still served as a spark of non-conventionality in a world of ever-increasing bloated big-budgetry.
One of those moments that I'll always remember being in the theater and just being totally visually amazed by what was on the screen.
And when I say "creative, surreal and stunning visuals", contrary to what all of y'all might be thinkin', I am not referring to Jennifer Lopez's big ol' onion booty.
In this household, the family name is carried on by picking up a sniper rifle and aiming it right between a target's eyes.
Ā In the not too distant future, an entire grade level of high school students are planted on a remote island and forced to either kill each other or defend themselves. A class subject in which the only way to get a passing grade is to be the only one left standing.
Ā Battle Royale is a system of discipline that demonstrates how to respect authority and a method of teaching that could prove to be more efficient than making the kids stay after school, cleaning erasers or detention.
Ā But, in the end, it probably wouldn't be as enduring.
Ā Cuz, well then, y'know....
all the little ingrates would all be dead an' stuff.
But I'm not going to. That would be too easy.
So instead, what I'm gonna do is reward myself for showing such self-control by satiating the hungerous urge that I usually feel after watching this "fowl" film.
I'm going on a "chicken run".
Anybody else want anything from KFC?
Space Cowboys is a movie with formula written all over it. Which, though usually that tends to be a bad thing, when done correctly, as this movie does, can act as a reminder of why the formula became a formula in the first place. With Eastwood (playing a different kind of cowboy than he usually does) leading a cast full of well-seasoned actors whose individual film credits all accumulate into a comfortability in front of the camera that allows each actor to feel just as comfortable up in space, there here film is what I refer to as a non-guilty guilty pleasure.
A formula love story done with enough maturity and with a genuinely (not to mention, metaphorically) honest heart, that I couldn't help but be swayed by it.
A solid father/son/mystery tale of reunion that actually ventures into the reality warping aspects of time travel. And despite it's far reaching plot device, it's a formula that manages to find a way to make it all work out in the end.
he was Bateman, the American Psycho.
Yep. Before he began dispensing justice to all evil doers preying on random innocents,
he was dispensing body parts of random innocents who fell victim as his prey.
And as you can probably tell,
before I began dispensing bad descriptive puns on time-wasting lists like this,
I had a life outside of the internet.
Damn you, world wide web. I want my life back.
Heck, I can keep digging up a crap-load of doggie-theme phrases to help describe the premise of this movie ("sitting up" with wit, "rolling over" with laughter, etc),
but I don't want the unfunniness of those metaphors to discredit the humor of this canine comedy.
I am now a blogger. And gone now is any semblance of a real life.
For me, I found this flick to be, by far, the second funniest film in the movie genre of the sublimely funny hick flick. And yes, that is a movie genre. Unfortunately, there are only two movies that make up this genre-specific category so far (the Coen Brothers' Raising Arizona being the other one). However, don't let it's last place position in this burgeoning list fool you... that takes nothing away from the fact that O Brother Where Art Thou?, in its own distinctive manner, is a movie that can truly be referred to as bonafide.
Back when the world of cinema was still in it's infancy, how could a director make a film about a vampire at a time when the first CGI special effects won't make an appearance for yet another 70 years?
Easy.
Ā It used to be that if I said everyone knows the story about the problems that this movie had with copyrights, then I would be speaking the truth. But since the beginning of the New Millennium, and the shortening of attention spans of audiences since then, it appears that the number of cinephiles i.e. movie fans who were actually knowledgeable about older films, have been diminishing at quite an alarming rate. Therefore, thereās a pretty good chance that there are quite a few people out there who do not know the story behind Nosferatu and why the names have been changed despite that this is a film adaptation (the very first film adaptation as a matter of fact) of the Dracula novel.
Ā Basically what it boils down to is that the makers of this early silent celluloid venture into the bloodsucking genre never bothered attaining the rights or even the approval of estate of Bram Stoker, the writer of the novel which first introduced the world to the king of all vampires, Count Vlad Dracula. So, instead of calling the lead character Dracula, they ended up, giving him the title of count or lock, and then proceeded to give different names to the other lead characters, but still continue to portray the plot almost exactly as in the book. Consequentially, this lead the lawyers of the Stoker estate to issue a cease and desist order against the movie, even after it had been released and was a success. This in turn, led to a court order in which all copies of Nosferatu were to be confiscated and destroyed. For a long time, this was considered a lost film of the silent era. Luckily, a few prints survived, and it was eventually allowed to be distributed again, and now considered an influential masterpiece of not just the horror genre, but also of overall cinema in general.
With it's portrayal of the moral bending temptations that tend to lure earnest go-getters into stretching the laws of their field to the breaking point, Boiler Room is basically a poor man's (pun nonintentional) version of Wall Street (the movie, not the actual street). To the extent that the primary characters in this film live by the famous quote of that film, which is that "Greed is good".
Oh wait,
I forgot that I once read an article that stated that more than 70% of the internet crowd were 15 years old or younger.
So, if you're reading this, it's more than likely that you don't remember back when they used to make alot of gladiator movies.
Well, they did. Films like Spartacus, Ben-Hur, Samson & Delilah, even Hercules.
Though, I guess, the proper term that the younger generation like to use on those rare occasions that they do talk about these type 'o' flicks would be "sword and sandal" movies.
Whatever.
The point is, I miss good gladiator movies.
So for me, it's pretty cool when a sword sandal movie like Gladiator (hey! that's also the term we used to use to describe the genre....!) comes along.
It's even cooler when the film is of this high overall quality. Tends to remind me of the good ol' days.
Tobey McGuire is James Leer, a student who lies about his family situation and is either really into Marilyn Monroe memorabilia or just likes to steal Marilyn Monroe memorabilia.
And Robert Downey Jr. is Terry Crabtree, a book agent who relies on Grady's unfinished novel to save his career and is "infatuated" with students who like to steal Marilyn Monroe memorabilia.
Together, this triumvirate of tattered tools are the guys that make up the Wonder Boys.
And no matter where on the totem pole one is, no right-minded ambitious wiseguy wants to be known simply as Gangster No. 55, Gangster No. 15, or even Gangster No. 2. The goal is to get to the top spot.
And when you're in the mob, if that means pitting your enemies against your friends, so be it. By hook or crook, the important thing is that the name plate on your desk reads "Gangster No. 1".
While one trickster is well experienced, the other is still wet behind the ears. But together, they begin to learn a few new tricks from each other strengths, which eventually leads to a scheme with a potential score that's big enough to get each man stamped out of his own personal jam.
Fast-paced and simplistically complicated, Nine Queens is the type of slight-of-hand cinema that is fun to watch as layers of the plot consistently continues to unfold and non-trustworthy characters unerringly appear to come out of the woodwork.
I really find that I'm just a sucker for love triangles.
Even if that triangle is only made up of two people.
I always like Ed Harris as an actor and with this being his directorial debut, he makes Pollock a personal achievement, both as an individual accomplishment and as an indie arthouse flick that depicts the creative process of an artist and his internal struggles between demons and dollars.
Cameron Crowe's excellent nostalgic road trip down memory Penny Lane.
There comes a time in every young girl's life where her body starts to give off signs that she's becoming a woman.
Or a werewolf.
A setting that is so humblingly ironic, that it was a story that practically wrote itself. With a little bit of embellishment from the makers of this movie, of course.
A quietly funny look at how mankind's biggest step was bought to you via a flock of cuddly wooly ruminants (although, I must confess, whenever I think of the word "dish" associated with sheep, it's usually because I'm thinking of something along the lines of lamb chops).
Two great tastes that taste great together.
And yeah, I know I should probably get into more detail about why I think this is such a quality romance film,
but to be honest, whenever I think about of this "charmingly light-hearted food fable",
I can't get the idea of a chocolat Binoche out of my mind.
:homerdrool:
There's a caper to be pulled. And a former thief comes to realize that no matter how much he tries to convince a former associate that he's retired,
being thick as thieves sometimes means that a life of crime is a life sentence, even if you've never been caught.
The future director of the Dark Knight utilizes a backwards structure for this film in a manner that was exceptionally well-thought thru, making it possible for the viewer to able to be kept on his/her toes and yet still able to follow the plot thru one's own puzzle-solving skillz.
Many forms of physical combat like to brag of itself as being a form of violent ballet, but Crouching Tiger Hidden dragon is one that just wants to portray it martial arts as an art tool that blends into the majesty of the story's theme of honor, love and wisdom, that this film ends up laying claim to that dance-metaphor that the other fighting films wish they could be truly worthy of.
No character in this film, no matter how small, is colored in the simple black & white colors of good & evil, and all are duty bound by a personal sense of honor. And both men and women are equally capable in either masterfully full contact engagement or scaling the walls and even the very air in gravity defying leaps that serve more to enhance the fable-like atmosphere of the story.
Intelligent, straightforward and "martially artistic", Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a pure fun action flick merged into a story whose simplicity is hidden behind the human depth of a group of characters who believe their respective situations to be truly epic.
A film that makes me realize just how much I luvs me some wuxia.
I gotta admit,
I really do luvs me some Snatch.
Ā Ā When I think of Soderbergh, I think of a director who has a sleek, stylish andĀ
"cool" look to his craft as demonstrated by such films as Out of Sight, the Ocean's trilogy, and his first flick, Sex Lies and Video Tape. Because of this, I didn't expect to see his name on this project, whose subject matter can only be bought to lite without the slick, stylish or "cool" that I associate him with. But not only did Steve manage to cover this kind of ground with the appropiate attitude that the project required, he also did it with the level of "high" quality needed to match the scope that was, and still is, the international illegal drug trade. Ya gotta get your hands dirty if you truly want to depict the real nature of this border spanning plague and, as a result, offer any true insight at the "end of the tunnel".
An example of how this was achieved is through one of theĀ characters in this movie, played by Michael Douglas. InĀ this role, he depicts a high ranking official who has been appointed to a Presidential committe whose primary purpose is to address the ever increasing drug problem in the U.S.. Near the end of the story, this character, Judge Robert Wakefield, comes to a conclusion about this issue that sums up the problem not just in his own personal case, but also, in the context of the whole country. And it's a conclusion that he comes upon not by the findings of his committee, but more by finding out that his own daughter has succumbed to the addiction that is plaguing so much of the population. In one of the final scenes, he says that in order to help his daughter to overcome this problem, he's going to have to concentrate less on his work, and focus more attention on helping her get better. Instead of lecturibg her not to do drugs, him and his wife are going to have listen more to his daughter.Ā
Ā Ā For a movie named Traffic, in which its story takes the closest look ever captured on film at the dynamics of a giant system that is set up to readily move "product" into this country, that is a realization that looks straight into the heart of the matter and demonstrates that the "traffic" itself is just an effect. The cause is much deeper than that, not just on a personal level of an indiviual who suffers from addiction, but also, from a national level of a nation that has looked the other way for far too long.
Ā Ā Featuring an ensemble cast that can be categorized both as "all star" and " some of the best of thier generation", (Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle, James Brolin, Luis Guzman, the aforementioned Douglas, etc), all helmed by Soderbergh, it's a sort of a minor victory in the war against drugs to see a piece of cinema handle the theme with hard truth that must be faced if we hope to ever to truly deal with it.
And that is, by no means, an exaggeration.
Ā To be honest, this is one of those films that I refrained from seeing in theatres when it first came out because I know the whole story of the Cuban Missle Crisis from my high school American history class. However, upon hearing mostly positive reviews after the fact, I decided to give it a view when I came across it the DVD rental store. And I have to say that this is a movie that does an excellent job of depicting the build-up of sophisticated international political tension that must've filled the White House during this period of history. As cliche as it sounds, despite knowing how this story ends, this film still managed to keep me at the edge of my seat.
Ā Ā It wasnāt until I began to undertake the task of compiling a list of favorite films many years ago on discussion forums and movie sites on the internet that I realized how much I liked politically themed movies, whether they be in the form of a drama, comedy, or a thriller.
Ā When you look at the very heart of it, resisting something progressive simply on tradition, it makes no sense. But, the resistance to it makes up the kinds of transparent reasons and excuses that could easily fit into a fictional tale such as the one that makes up this one. With its tightly written political script and the great performances all around from each of it's A list level and highly respected actors, particularly by Joan Allen, who just completely pwns this movie, The Contender is a very enthralling and compelling watch and effectively captures the kind ofĀ negotiated compromising, backroom dealing, and power position maneuvering that goes on at the highest levels of government, whether the players involved truly believe if it's for the good for "the people' or not.
Ā Now feel free to exercise your freedom of speech and insert a snide comment about Sarah Palin or Hilary Clinton (depending on your own particular partisan tastes) here.
Three really great political dramas leads off a list that is then followed by seven films that each come with a certain level of quality of distinctive creativeness or quirkiness to their respective genres.
Updated entry:
- Dinner Rush
Films from this year that I have not seen but am interested in seeing:
- State and Main
- Requiem for a Dream
Other Fave Movies Lists By Year:
1970
www.listal.com/list/10-70-my-fave-films
1971
www.listal.com/list/15-71-my-favorite-movies
1972
www.listal.com/list/15-72-my-favorite-films
1973
www.listal.com/list/20-73-my-favorite-films
1974
www.listal.com/list/films-of-1974
1975
www.listal.com/list/20-75-my-favorite-films
1976
www.listal.com/list/20-76-my-favorite-films
1977
www.listal.com/list/20-77-my-favorite-films
1978
www.listal.com/list/20-1978-my-favorite-films
1979
www.listal.com/list/20-79-my-favorite-films
1981
www.listal.com/list/25-81-my-favorite-films
1982
www.listal.com/list/25-82-my-favorite-films
1983
www.listal.com/list/25-83-my-favorite-films
1984
www.listal.com/list/25-84-my-favorite-films
1985
www.listal.com/list/25-85-my-favorite-films
1986
www.listal.com/list/25-86-my-favorite-films
1987
www.listal.com/list/25-87-my-favorite-films
1988
www.listal.com/list/25-88-my-favorite-films
1989
www.listal.com/list/25-89-my-favorite-films
1990
www.listal.com/list/30-90-my-favorite-films
1991
www.listal.com/list/30-91-my-favorite-films
1992
www.listal.com/list/30-92-my-favorite-films
1993
www.listal.com/list/30-93-my-favorite-films
1994
www.listal.com/list/30-94-my-favorite-films
1995
www.listal.com/list/30-95-my-favorite-films
1996
www.listal.com/list/30-96-my-favorite-films
1997
www.listal.com/list/30-97-my-favorite-films
1998
www.listal.com/list/30-98-my-favorite-films
1999
www.listal.com/list/30-99-my-favorite-films
2001
www.listal.com/list/35-1-my-favorite-films
2002
www.listal.com/list/35-2-my-favorite-films
2003
www.listal.com/list/35-3-my-favorite-films
Other lists by The Mighty Celestial:
My Top 20 Female Movie Bad-Asses www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-female
10 Movies That Feature A Dancin' Travolta In 'Em www.listal.com/list/my-list-9158
My Top 15 Guilty Pleasure Movies www.listal.com/list/guilty-pleasures-thecelestial
Can't We Be Dysfunctional Like A Normal Family? www.listal.com/list/dysfunctional-family-movies
A - Z
www.listal.com/list/ay-zee-my-favorite-films
My Favorite Movies By Genre:
WAATAAAH!! My Top 10 Favorite Martial Arts Flix!
www.listal.com/list/my-list-thecelestial
Science Fiction:
- When Aliens Attack ....Or At Least, Go Bad www.listal.com/list/aliens-attack-at-least-go
- Aliens Who Come In Peace www.listal.com/list/good-aliens
- Favorite Sci Fi's Of Like....Ever. www.listal.com/list/scifi-movies
Horror:
www.listal.com/list/my-top-ten-favorite-horror
- Run For Your Lives! My 25 Fave Giant Monster Films www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-favorite-giant
Comicbook:
- Superhero Movies www.listal.com/list/yep-am-huge-comicbook
- Non-Superhero Movies www.listal.com/list/my-favorite-nonsuperhero-comicbook-movies
My Top Favorite Westerns, Pard'ner www.listal.com/list/westerns-thecelestial
Romance:
- Romantic Comedies www.listal.com/list/my-top-30-romantic-comedies
- Straight-Up Romance www.listal.com/list/romance-movies
Animated:
- 3D www.listal.com/list/animate-this-my-favorite-animated
- 2D www.listal.com/list/my-favorite-animated-movies-thecelestial
Foreign:
- From Around The World www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-favorite-foriegn
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