MY favorites of 2001

[Wakewalker]

in alphabetical order...

Artificial Intelligence dir. Steven Spielberg
http://www.moviemantz.com/review_shots/ai.jpg
What do you say about a film that has been discussed numerous times? Well, you could say that it has one of the most thought-provoking narratives about the battle between the ever-progressing man-made machines and the jealous humans who won't live to see robo-pornos. Or, you could say that Haley Joel Osment gives a performance so perfect that it is questionable as to whether or not he is a robot.

Audition dir. Takashi Miike
This is best seen without knowing anything about it, except, of course, that it is one of my favorite films of the year. The movie has something that kicks The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense out of their jack-in-the-box!

Bully dir. Larry Clark
http://graphics2.ink19.com/issues/february2002/bully.jpeg
Not many people like Clark¡¦s movies, which I suppose is understandable. But if you look past the film¡¦s nudity and sexuality, you will see one of the timeliest and most powerful motion-pictures to be released post-Columbine. Actor Michael Pitt gives a performance that is just as perfect as Osment¡¦s in A.I..

Cure dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
http://www.etrangefestival.com/NewPixsEFWeb/Cure.jpg
Luckily, I caught the most hypnotic film I have ever seen in the comfort of my own home. Seriously guys, if I was to have seen this film in a movie theater, I would have needed someone to escort me home. I was totally fatigued.

Ghost World dir. Terry Zwigoff
http://images.ireland.com/dublin/entertainment/cinema/ghostworld.jpg
I¡¦ve never met girls like these, but I can totally identify with their wanting to rebel against a totally materialistic society. Sarcasm is one of the most underrated verbal weapons to use against idiots.

Mulholland Dr. dir. David Lynch
http://www.moviemaker.com/hop/08/images/Mulholland2.jpg
Lame film goers will have you believe that this meticulously structured master-puzzle is unsolvable. Well, they¡¦re wrong. Once you solve it, you¡¦ll never be able to stop watching it.

The Royal Tenenbaums dir. Wes Anderson
http://www.webwombat.com.au/entertainment/movies/images/tenenbaums.JPG
Wes Anderson¡¦s new film is a comedy about an unhappy family, whose world and costumes are totally unrealistic. The genius of the screenplay, co-written by actor Owen Wilson, is that those same characters are as human as you are I.

Waking Life dir. Richard Linklater
http://www.wileywiggins.com/images/BedWiley.jpg
I¡¦m in college, and my favorite class out of five is Psychology. I could take that class all day and all week. Richard Linklater¡¦s commentary on existentialism is just as interesting, and beautiful.

I've just posted this thread for the sake of allowing you all to know something about me. You can reply if you want.

[Zing6786]

Nice. Mulholland Drive was my #1 fav of 2001. Rotal Tenenabaums was on there, as was Waking Life. Ghost World disappointed me. On my list also is In the Bedroom, Memento, Man Who Wasn't There, and Beautiful Mind (I liked it. So sue me!).

[Wakewalker]

Originally posted by Zing6786
Nice. Mulholland Drive was my #1 fav of 2001. Rotal Tenenabaums was on there, as was Waking Life. Ghost World disappointed me. On my list also is In the Bedroom, Memento, Man Who Wasn't There, and Beautiful Mind (I liked it. So sue me!).

I liked A Beautiful Mind, too. But the fact that the screenwriters dismissed the darker side of the protagonist's life to glorify him is a flaw for me.

I didn't enjoy In the Bedroom as much as everyone else did. A little bit too restrained for me. And I didn't enjoy Spacek's performance either.

And about Ghost World, with successive viewings, the Enid character grew on me!

[Zing6786]

Originally posted by Wakewalker
I liked A Beautiful Mind, too. But the fact that the screenwriters dismissed the darker side of the protagonist's life to glorify him is a flaw for me.

I didn't enjoy In the Bedroom as much as everyone else did. A little bit too restrained for me. And I didn't enjoy Spacek's performance either.

And about Ghost World, with successive viewings, the Enid character grew on me!

I agree about A Beautiful Mind. It was toward the bottom of my list. Ghost World just wasn't as funny as I hoped. It tried to hard to be cynical and "on-edge." Buscemi was great though. I liked Spacek, but Wilkenson stole the show and should have won the Oscar.

[King fp]

Masterpieces in 2002

AI: Artificial Intelligence
Lord of the Ring - The Fellowship of the Ring
The Royal Tenenbuams
The Others

**** star ratings

Monster's Ball
Snakeskin
Memento

***1/2

Legally Blonde
A Beautiful Mind
Gosford Park
Bridget Jone's Dairy

2001 for me was a very strong year.

[Wakewalker]

Originally posted by King fp
2001 for me was a very strong year.

You listed films that you gave three and a half stars to. I just realized that I totally disregarded those movies. I only mentioned the 4-star winners.

[Wakewalker]

Originally posted by King fp
**** star ratings
Monster's Ball

***1/2
Gosford Park


I am one of the big defenders of MONSTER'S BALL. I can't stand it when people look at the film from a "racist white guy kills a black man and fu*ks his wife" perspective. I mean, grow up!

I'm not a big fan of British humour, so I didn't totally enjoy GOSFORD PARK. Although, Maggie Smith's sarcastic remarks were on target.

[toiletduck!]

Originally posted by Zing6786
Ghost World disappointed me.

Whew, I thought I was the only one...

-Toilet Duck

[Marcello]

"Lame film goers will have you believe that this meticulously structured master-puzzle is unsolvable. Well, they¡¦re wrong. Once you solve it, you¡¦ll never be able to stop watching it."

See, that's my problem with the film - I feel that by interpreting it as a puzzle people are reducing the film to a game.

Each scene in the final third was a self-contained tapestry of emotion, and I can appreciate the film entirely on that level. I cried during the Club Silencio scene.

[the idiot kid]

Cool list, interesting mix of diverse films. Glad to see Waking Life on there.

My faves were:

01. The Royal Tenenbaums
02. Focus
03. Mulholland Dr.
04. The Man Who Wasn't There
05. The Pledge
06. Waking Life
07. Promises
08. No Man's Land
09. Amelie
10. In The Bedroom
11. Moulin Rouge!
12. The Shipping News

[filmsRpriceless]

Cool list. I still have to check out CURE.

[projectmayhem447]

pretty similar to mine, mine would also have vanilla sky in it tho

[Dancing Potato]

What's Cure about? I've never heard of it.

[Blackened Dove]

Audition is a great movie! Too bad it came out in 1999!

BTW check out other Miike flicks.

[Trevor]

Interesting list.

Ghost World, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Mulholland Drive were on my top ten list.

[Jules Winnfield]

Cool list :)

Right Now.....
My TOP 10

Amelie (Jeunet, 2001)
Deep End (Mcgehee & Siegel, 2001)
The Devil's Backbone (Del Toro, 2001)
Gosford Park (Altman, 2001)
Me Without You (Goldbacher, 2001)
Mullholland Dr. (Lynch, 2001)
O Brother Where Art Thou (Coen Brothers, 2001)
The Others (Amenabar, 2001)
The Royal Tenenbaums (Anderson, 2001)
Shipping News (Hallstrom, 2001)


Some other films to mention are 3 intellegent insanely diffrent fantasy sci-fi's Ghosts of Mars (2001), Artificial Intelligence, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring a weird canibalistic horror Trouble Every Day directed by Claire Denis and another fantasic psychological horror film Session 9 .A best picture that I tohught was okay A Beautiful Mind. A great animated feature by Linklater waking life. 2 good crafted heist flicks The Score (Oz) & Heist (Mamet). A solid Jail thriller The Castle. Woody do his thang The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. One great remake Ocean's Eleven and a couple that weren't so swift Planet of the Apes & Moulin Rouge!. A few killer action flicks Black Hawk Down & Enemy at the Gates. a slick sequel Hannibal and a really awful sequel Jurassic Park III. A bad love story war film Pearl Harbor. Depp doing drug like a madman with a really bad hair style Blow a simple love story yarn that's really cuite and fluffy Bridget Jones's Diary. A Coen Brothers noir The Man Who Wasn't There. Jack Nicholson giving a magnificent performance in Sean Penn's The Pledge. A great kids flick for adults Spy Kids and Carey doing another Truman Show in The Majestic.

and on and on......