#10-Monsters, Inc.
Sure, Shrek was enjoyable, but this movie is far more original. Rather than poke fun at every single Disney movie ever made, this film made up its own story. Plus, the imaginary characters of Monsters Inc. are nowhere near as creepy as the porcelain humans of that ogre film.
#9-Lord of the Rings
When I first saw this film, I felt that it had truly great moments of directorial vision and interpretation. It is true, the movie accomplishes a monumental task, but this is really more of a triumph of storytelling (as in, great source material) and script adaptation. Sure, those CGI shots flying into the bad guy’s lair are cool, but are they what Tolkien envisioned?
#8-The Man Who Wasn’t There
There’s a scene late into the Coen brothers’ oddest movie to date that makes the whole black and white experiment in film-noir as a retro motif worthwhile. As the fast talking Tony Schlaub delivers a jail house soliloquy, the shadows from the bars literally cut the screen in half and make it look 3-D. It says something about how trapped these individuals are, while at the same time reminding us how amazing the lighting work is.
#7-Sexy Beast
A crime movie where the criminal’s id is actually a character. Aside from taking the Tarantino formula (crime movies where the interactions, not the crimes are important) and making it work, this film should be seen for three reasons. Ben Kingsley, Ben Kingsley, Ben Kingsley. Half spoiled brat, half psychopath, Kingsley’s mob man is beyond frightening.
#6-Mulholland Drive
I really could not even begin to explain what this movie is about. But what makes it so good is that every time the characters change, evolve or disappear in front of us, director David Lynch brings the audience along. At every twist and turn is an accomplished filmmaker, making us think we have the foggiest idea what’s happening. Confusing as hell, but in a good way.
#5-The Royal Tenenbaums
While Wes Anderson’s follow-up to Rushmore may not be as good a film, it is thoroughly more enjoyable. The script, acting and overall quirkiness of the film set in a bizzaro New York more than make up for any small editing or pacing problems the movie might have. Yet, problems aside, this is the funniest movie of the year.
#4-Ali
In a year where Steven Spielberg faultered and Ron Howard did the same thing he always does, Michael Mann continued to emerge as a filmmaking powerhouse. His Ali is a focused portrait and the only thing that outshines Mann’s bravura vision is Will Smith’s performance. Smith’s greatest accomplishment is not found in his rigorous training nor his mastery of Ali’s mannerisms and sound, but rather that after the first ten minutes of the movie, you forget that this is the same guy who unleashed the catchiest TV theme of all time.
#3-In the Bedroom
Simply put, the best-acted movie of the year. While Sissy Spacek’s performance is getting nothing but raves, the real star is the tortured father of Todd Wilkinson. He remains the glue that keeps the family and film together. Spacek still shines, however, her facial expressions speak more than words ever could. The real surprise in the film remains Todd Field’s steady directing hand. With the wrong person at the helm, this could’ve been a disastorous excursion, yet Fields keeps his characters, the pacing, and the editing under such tight control that the tension builds until an ending that has to be seen to be believed.
#2-Memonto
Four times. I paid to see this four times. Fittingly, the movie is filled with moments you can’t forget. The Polaroid fading out during the opening. The notes scrawled on the back of pictures. The importance of having a pen. Trying to find out who’s chasing who. Christopher Nolan’s Memento is an absolute triumph of writing, directing and acting. Guy Pearce proves L.A. Confidential was no fluke, and Carrie-Anne Moss plays her role perfectly. The movie’s only flaw is that you can only see it for the first time once.
#1-Moulin Rouge
Yeah, it has dorky songs. Yet, what Baz Lurhman’s schizoid tale of love also has is the most amazing editing committed to film in the last ten years. His film redefines the word coverage. The “Roxanne” scene alone has so many different angles, so many different cuts, so many different story lines working at the same time, that it makes you wonder how on earth anyone could have accomplished this task. It may be cheesy and it may be corny, but Moulin Rouge is a fully realized filmmaking vision, even if that “Lady Marmalade” song was the biggest piece of crap unleashed on the public this year. Director Baz Luhrman has done what few directors have done since Martin Scorcesse: realize the importance of music and film’s ability to show that in spades.
#0-The Worst Film of 2001: A Beautiful Mind
The end of this film has a title card explaining how the works of John Forbes Nash changed politics, trade, economics, etc…Why isn’t any of that in the movie? Instead we get an experiment in what it might be like to have schizophrenia. While Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly are solid, Ron Howard’s direction is as plain as a TV movie. Obviously written by someone who has seen The Sixth Sense a few too many times, the movie plays like Fight Club without any real importance. If what John Forbes Nash did was so great, why is this Mind is in the gutter?
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