35 From 1: My Favorite Films From 2001

  A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a science fiction epic that ends up being an uncharacteristically uneven film by Steven Spielberg, based off of a script that legendary director/auteur Stanley Kubrick was planning to take on as his next project after the 1999 erotic mystery/psychological drama Eyes Wide Shut. But as everyone knows by now, Mr. Kubrick sadly passed away before he could even put together a production deal that would've gotten things started. Steven, seeing the potential for greatness that A.I. had as a groundbreaking major motion picture epic, stepped in and tried to put together a film experience that would be as close to Kubrick's vision as possible. 
  Now I have no clue as to why, despite Spielberg’s heavyweight skills and resources, A.I. came off as two clunky halves that were stitched together with yarn but there was the claim by many Hollywood insiders that Steven tried to insert his personal flair into the story and therefore swaying away somewhat from the original vision somewhere in the second half. The Close Encountering director since has denied this, claiming that he did indeed follow all the way through to what Stanley intended. But whatever the true story is, the truth is, the end result is what it is, and I guess all we can really do is bypass whatever possible potential for a new masterpiece that was generally expected by the combo of two iconic sci-fi film makers and simply enjoy A.I. for what it is… a modest tale of future shock set that overstretched its boundaries within the epic sized production and intricately designed digital technology.

 A nerdy expert of the lost Empire of Atlantis, Milo Thatch, dreams of someday finding said empire in hopes of finally proving that it did actually exist. And, as is typical of these kinds of storylines, it's a dream that about to come true. However, again, as is typical of these kinds of storylines, it will be an expedition that will be fraught with perils and dangers (which I realize are the same things, but I'm looking for a dramatic set-up here...). And, one last time, as is typical with these kinds of storylines, it will be an exciting adventure in which the reality that the journey uncovers, may not be the one that Milo wants it to be.



 In many of my discussions about movies, I have stated many times that I did not grow up as a fan of Disney movies, particularly their animated stuff. Back then, I often found the stories that they produced "for all ages" a bit too saccharine and sometimes even oversentimentally gooey for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, the polished smoothness of their art style was pretty damn impressive, even to my preadolescent eyes, but still, it wasn't enough to eliminate the cringe I felt to their cornball presentations.
 However, by the time of the mid to late 90's, I felt as though they were making the of family friendly type of stuff that was including the tastes of the parents a little more with each feature, but now, in my eyes, at least, their animation style was beginning to look a bit dated. The polish was still there, but the style itself was didn't seem like it evolved much since the 1960's.
  It wasn't until the beginning of the New Millenium that I finally detected some semblance of originality in the way that they were presenting the way that these cartoon visuals were being drawn. Features such as Tarzan, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and the Emperor's New Groove were being cranked out with a style and flashy individuality that were each movie's own. For me, this new distinctive style of cartooning their craft reached its peak with film, Atlantis.
 Coming along near the end of their 2-D run, and at a time when the company finally agreed that their homogenized brand could do with a bit of an edge, Atlantis was finally an animated movie from Disney that I truly enjoyed from start to finish. With its vast and sheer expansive underwater visuals making the whole of the project come alive with a whole new world of which we've never seen come out the mouse-eared movie making megalith. along with what seems to me like a little inspiration from comic book illustrator Mike Mignola to their house style. And wouldn't you know it, just when they had me starting to warm to their stuff, just when they were producing 2-dimensional art that truly was a sight to behold, they decided to pull the plug to the hand-drawn animation department.

 I've mentioned this before, but from my perspective, it seemed as though the romantic comedy had hit its stride's peak back during the late 40's and early 50's. While they were still being made after that, they really seem to be as prevalent as they used to be. That is until the about the mid 90's. But then again, the entire business of cinema appeared to hitting records numbers as far as the number of movies that were being released every month. And with the amount of rom-coms that were coming out, filmmakers were scrambling for themes to base their premises on in order to make each feature distinctive from the others. Luckily for them, time travel seemed like a pool that they could continually dip their toes into. With the wide expanse that time obviously covered, not just from the past, but also from the future, it looked like transversing through the barriers of chronological existence was a "creative" well with practically no bottom to it. 
Kate & Leopold is not the first cinematic chronicle that is about a guy who travels from a distant period of time in order to steal the heart of an incredibly pretty female lead. The same theme can be seen in other films like Somewhere in Time, Happy Accidents, The Time Traveler's Wife, and to some extent, even the first Terminator movie.

  OK, let’s be honest here, there are just some jobs that No matter how scary they may be, they simply need to be done. And one of those types of jobs is the removal of asbestos. 

 Asbestos is a natural fibrous material that was highly resistance to flame and because of this, it was a commonly used commercially quite a bit back in the 1930’s in the construction business for buildings and homes. However, as time went by, it was eventually discovered that it was quite a dangerous material as the dust from asbestos was made up of tiny fiber materials that, when inhaled, would lodge into a person's lungs, causing quite amount of damage. It was this particular health hazard that despite it’s popular and wide do use in and out of the construction industry, it became a banned substance. However, since it was so commonly used back, then, there are still buildings and houses to this day, which contain asbestos in them. Therefore, there is now a small pocket industry that is in the business of removing the deadly building material.

   Session 9 is a movie that has taking the already scary subject of as best of removal and placed it in the center of another scary subject, this one a more popularly used subject in the horror genre, and that is of an abandoned insane asylum. In this story, an asbestos removal team is assigned to remove said item from mental institution that had been shut down many years earlier. During the early stages of the job, one of the team members, Mike, comes across nine session tapes in one of the rooms and begins listening to him. And of course, now the scary stuff begins to ensue.

  Session 9 is a great idea for the premise of a horror feature and uses its set up to good effect here. To just about everyone who I have talked to who have seen this movie, they’ve mostly all have agreed that this is a bit of an underrated “neo-classic”, but if I can be a little nick picky here, I think it could’ve gone a bit darker considering it’s setting within the abandoned institution. It’s a really good film that, in my opinion, had the potential to be really great.

  Still, in the end, it is a nice addition to the whole ghostly asylum subgenre that, when inhaled in deeply, won’t be as hazardous to your physical health as tiny fibers of asbestos, but will leave an impression within your mental health that will stay you longer your sanity would like, especially when it comes to getting a sound sleep without any nightmares.

  Yeah yeah, I know that after Kate & Leopold, this may seem like just another straight-up chick-flick. But still, speaking as a guy, after I gave this first chapter in the Bridget Jones franchise a proper looksee, I have to say that I really felt that, more than just about romance, this move was really more a kind of introspection about the road of self-discovery. A road upon which the titular Mz. Jones realizes that she is driving on as a result her life as a single Englishwoman in these modern times. And this sense of self-realization is one that comes to her via the reflective entries in her diary, as she writes about her ideas of relationships, life journeys and whatnot.  And it is that aspect of the script of BJD that helps to sets these Bridget pics apart from the rest of the romantic comedy pack. The consistent quality not just in the production and delivery of the stories, but also in the dialogue, whether it be what Bridge laments to herself, or in the conversations, quips and just overall exchanges that she shares with her friends, family, and whoever else is featured in this story. The writing in these movies, but most particularly in this first one, her Diary, covers a lot more ground than most people may notice at first. It may sound cliche as all hell to say this, but there are layers to stuff that Bridget likes to scribble down in her she-journal and it's these layers that make her inner thoughts so much fun to intrude upon.
  Now, don't get me wrong, the sheen of escapist romance is definitely there in these BJ films. The promotions department to film company that produces them and the ad campaigns surrounding them have no qualms about that. Nor should they.
  I mean, just look at how much box office bucks these damn things bring in. No matter how high the level of quality to the words are here, at the end of the summer, Bridget Jones and all three chapters in her Diary series, are, as I mentioned at the beginning of this entry, straight-up chick flix. Any guy who is out on a date with a girl, and takes her to see this, there's a pretty good chance that these movies will make her eyes twinkle with glee. I'm not saying that it will guarantee that he will score with said date girl, but at least he will have had a much more enjoyable time watchin' these movies (especially with this one,) that he might have initially expected, even if he doesn't end up getting lucky at the end of the night. 

   Which I know may not sound like much, but, I mean, c'mon... ya gotta admit that it's better than nothing. 

After making a name for himself as a kid star on the TV series 3rd Rock From The Sun, Joseph Gordon-Levitt started the new millennium by setting to hone his big-screen acting skillz by starring in a series of high quality indie films such as Manic.
In this one, he portrays a teen who is committed to a juvenile psychiatric ward of a hospital after nearly beating to death a baseball teammate with a bat during one of their games.
Now he must learn to come to terms with his tendency toward short but violent outbursts, and in the process, finds himself forming relationships with the other patients, either as friends or as enemies.

  In the 90's, after Jackie Chan made the martial arts comedy a force of farce to be reckoned with in the film industry of the Far East, he had involuntarily started a cinematic movement wherein the actions of kung fu fighting would extend past the limits of physical restrictions.
  In the first decade of the new millennium, following the rise of the subgenre now known as Chop Socky, the door was kicked wide open for other wacky wunderkind warriors like Stephen Chow, star and director of both Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, two films that have since become the staple of Socky cinema. Taking the absurdity of both the humor and the high kicks from this new style of Asian filmmaking, and cranking 'em up a notch, then placing the plots in unlikely settings, like say that of a soccer field, movies like these prove that when it comes taking Kung Fu to the next level, ya gotta be willing to do the Hustle.

Okay, to be honest, this movie probably deserves to be higher on my list. But for some reason my memory banks is suffering some kind of brain fart when I try to recall Black Hawk's storyline. I do remember really liking it alot, but since I only saw once when it was first released, I'd have to give it another viewing before I am able to better determine to what degree I enjoyed it. which spot to place it.
For now, I'll just mention that it was a very good movie, good enough to make it this list.
It will probably get a better spot on this and I'll put in a better comment for this once I've watched it again.

"What is a ghost?
A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again?
A moment of pain, perhaps?
Something dead which still seems to be alive?
An emotion suspended in time.
Like a blurred photograph.
Like an insect trapped in amber.
A ghost.

That's what I am."



  Set in war-torn Spain during the final stages of the Spanish Civil War (a setting that the writer/director revisits five years later in Pan's Labyrinth), Guillermo Del Toro's tale of how an orphanage-turned-temporary safe-haven begins to show signs of a haunting after one of the orphan boys disappears (after that description, can you see why I stressed the comparison to Del Toro on my Orphanage entry?).
A story that may seem somewhat simplistic at first,
but when combined with the background dramas of both the lead characters, along with those hinted at of the supporting characters, along with the blatant "not-so-blatant" metaphors that are the director's strong-suit (that is, it's his strong-suit only if he isn't directing a Hellboy movie),
The Devil's Backbone turns out to be a satisfyingly rich movie that goes more for creepy metaphysical melodrama than it does for in-your-face scare tactics.

 For anyone out there reading this who is Familiar with the world of comic books. , from Hell is an acclaimed miniseries that came out in 1989 and it is basically a reworked history tale that centers on speculations of who the true identity of the legendary mysterious street killer, Jack the Ripper, was. It was written by a British gentleman named Alan Moore, who is considered one of these greatest, if not the greatest, writer in the history of comic books.  As a result of this, the story of From Hell and its speculations of the true identity of Jack is told in a very intelligent and logical manner. The goal of the story was to delve deeply into the details of the century long mystery with very few aspects of it being sacrificed just for the sake of dining of the kind dynamic drama that is using incorporated in not just comic book stories, but in just about any form of historically based entertainment of any medium.



   As a tried-and-true fan of comic books, I should take the opportunity at this point of the discussion, to mention that the author, Mr. Moore has never given his approval for any of his comic book work to be adapted into films. The reason why his comic books continue to be made into films despite his lack of participation is because most of it was done for DC Comics, which means that they own the property rights to anything that he has penned while under contract with the company. And being that AM was such a popular, not to mention groundbreaking scribe while under his tenure under their logo, his stories have always been a big target for movie companies looking to profit from big screen adaptations.
The primary argument that Moore makes about making his missives into movies is the severity of the watering down that occurs when making such a transition. 
 One of the trademarks that has helped to make Alan so revered in the industry is the amount of rich detail and vibrant dialogue that he has always utilized in his stories. This is a literary trait that the writer recognizes and therefore has always concluded that his work was never meant to be crammed into the two hours or less running time of a typical major motion picture. In other words, he feels as though a lot would be lost in the transition from print to film. 

  And From Hell the movie is a perfect example of that. A lot, and I mean a lot, is lost in this cinematic translation, in which a meticulously researched project, full of all sorts of intricate facts and angles that spanned ten issues of comics, was squeezed into a film that barely ran an hour and a half. Johnny Depp, in a rare gothic role that was not in conjunction with a Tim Burton feature, does a more than fair job as protagonist Frederick Abberline, the real-life chief inspector assigned to the so-called "Whitechapel Murders", in which a mysterious serial killer was targeting mostly ladies of the night during the late Victorian Era.  The then hot actress Heather Graham more than fulfills her role in lighting up the screen as Mary Jane Kelly, the destitute prostitute who most likely didn't shine as bright as Mz. Graham, and who was the last known, and most tragically eviscerated, of all of the Ripper's victims. The combined solid efforts of two lead roles are "abutmented" by a strong supporting cast which includes Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane, and Jason Flemyng. 
 In other words, this had all the markings of a great movie. But again, when compared to the source material, From Hell, feels more like it could've been titled as "From Heck". This is the overall consensus from many movie critics, and while I share some of their criticisms, I think that my status as a hardcore comic book nerd tends to make look at a movie like with a bit more of a dedicated set of glasses to the medium. Yeah, the film was never gonna be able to match the comprehensive quality of the original Hell comic book, particularly within the fiercely limited timespan. But I think that, if one were to watch this film without having read the comic book series first, it can come off as a satisfying mystery tale with a unique speculation to the identity of the one of the most infamous unsolved mysterious in all of history.

  Sarting exactly on the year 1990, and going on for two decades straight, Russell Crowe was huge. Actually, now that I think about it, he's still huge these days. Just in a totally different way. When he was at the height of his career, movie goers loved Russ for the heavyweight presence that he tended to bring to any production that he was featured in. But in this particular film, he was loved for his beautiful mind. (Did you guys see what I did there? Oh wait, what am I thinking, of course you saw what I did. I mean, it wasn't like it was a subtle reference or anything.)

 The story behind A Beautiful Mind is the kind that always fascinates me. Based on the true story of John Nash, a mathematician who studied things game theory, differential geometry, and real algebraic geometry. In other words, stuff that I don't have even the slightest clue of understanding. For example, what's make real algebraic geometry real enough that they have to apply the word "real" to it? Does that mean that the other forms of algebraic geometry that are not so real? And if anyone out there reading this this does know the answer, please don't bother explaining it to me. That would require also explaining what is it that makes this form of geometry so algebraic and now we're getting into two forms of math that I didn't do well in when I was high school. Getting back to John Nash, he had won several scientifically prestigious awards for his contributions to various forms of math, particularly the Nash equilibrium, for which he won a Nobel Prize for. But it wasn't for this kind of crazy level of intelligence that he won a movie based on is life for. It was also because he suffered from a very concentrated form of paranoid schizophrenia. And he was able to manage to accomplish what he did while suffering from this kind of mental disability is what many believe is what his mind so beautiful. 

A "spirited" journey, filled with really cool childlike fairytale visuals with a level of creativity that reminds us why mythic tales fascinated us so much during our young ages, yet with enough of a few dark undertones to keep the interest of that part of our spirits that were crushed by the reality of becoming an adult. Fantasy fun with a slight twist of macabre for the whole family.

A really cool blockbuster epic from France that is half historic film, half horror adventure.
A beastly creature is terrorizing the locals of the southern French province of Gévaudan. But is it an actual werewolf of many a folkloric legend 0r just an oversized man-eating wolf?
There are only two men who can find out,
and one them is the dude who hosts Iron Chef America!
Not since the Wolf-Man took on Abbott & Costello has there been such a clash of legendary titans!

  When the Harry Potter books first came into my radar of awareness, I must admit that I completely dismissed them simply because, from what I had heard, they were a really big hit with the tweener audience. Therefore, I obviously just assumed that these English stories about some geeky "spectacled" kid who carried around a wand because he was some kind of a witch or something, and, as a result, it was something that would have absolutely no appeal to me, particularly as an adult.   And I had gone through several years under this mindset. Then one day, while I was babysitting my niece, who just so happened to be a fan of the Potter books. 
 At one point, we were watching TV together and as I surfed through the channels lookin' for something that would (hopefully) appease both our tastes, I came upon one that was showing that was showing the film adaptation of The Prisoner of Azkaban. My niece turned to me and excitedly said to me, "Oh, leave it here, leave it here!". So, being the dutiful uncle that I was, I did, with the anticipation feeling that I would not in any way find any kind of enjoyment from watching this. But I stayed by my niece's side and decided to "endure" it for her sake. 
 And, of course, as the faith would have it, to my surprise, not only did I find The Prisoner of Azkaban to be pretty enjoyable, but also, rather compelling and interesting.  I was rather surprised at the Intellectual approach that the story had towards the idea of a secret civilization of wizards living amongst us mere "mudbloods" and the manner in which all the various creatures of classic mythological lore were presented,
 In other words, I had just fallen down the rabbit hole that was this universally massive and successful franchise. From here on end, I was what they called a die-hard "Pothead" (that's the name I heard that they affectionately put on the hardcore fans of this series, but I will confess that I was a sort of a mild version of the other kind of pothead before this life-changing event that brought me my niece closer together). I watched the other films that preceded Azkaban, and then and went out and purchased all the book. Not to mention, that I watched all the later films on the weekends that they debuted.



  Since this is the first chapter, it isn't as tightly molded in its story as were any of the follow ups, but as part of the whole of the Harry Potter film series,
The Sorcerer (Philosopher's) Stone still has more than enough to be enjoyed even by those of us whose adolescence would require a lot of twists on the ol' time-turner pendant. And in the same manner that the very first book did, the primary purpose of Stone's cinematic version was to introduce audiences to the World of Wizardry that was the Potterverse, along with an entry level examination into the rules and regulations that made up this universe of magicks and metaphysics.  Because these first HP films were, as I mentioned, targeted in a much more straightforward fashion towards the more younger demographic, the stories didn't really grab me as much as the later, darker stories. However, I was still able to enjoy 'em for the colorful enthusiasm and youthful spells that they cast towards the initial arcane adventures of Harry, Hermione, Ron and the rest of Hogwarts' spellbinding sorcerous student body.

  In K-Pax, Kevin Spacey is "Prot", a "wandering spirit" who is either a mental patient masquerading as an alien
or
an alien masquerading as a mental patient.
  Jeff Bridges plays Dr. Mark Powell, the psychiatrist whose job is to figure out which one it is. And though, as a man of science, he tends to strongly lean towards the former, he can't ignore that this patient/alien gives off the signals that it might be the latter. Signals in the form of Prot knowing certain astronomical information that few others on this planet know. Or being able to solve seemingly improbable mathematical theories.
And even when Dr. Powell comes across a background history of Prot as a man who has been severely psychologically and emotionally scarred, Prot still shows an unearthly ability to be able to soothe, unite and ultimately, provide hope to his fellow institutionalized inmates.
As a film, K-PAX weaves through its various "less epic" identities of E.T., Starman, and even of a fluffier version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
But, as with most sci-fi movies with the "aliens walking amongst humans to better understand humankind" theme, it tries to end with a life-lesson that teaches us more about us than it does "them".
In this case, no matter how crazy our individualized inner-scars can make us,
sometimes, all we need is a hopeful hand extended in friendship to help brings us back down to Earth.
 And if that lesson comes off sounding as a bit too "spacey-headed", please take into account what Hollywood writers of these types of scripts have in common with people from K-Pax: They both tend to be a bunchA distant souls that live out amongst the stars.

The Dali-esque/surreal journey through time travel of a high school teenager turned reluctant "superhero" Donnie Darko and his spiritual sidekick Frank the bunny.
Believe me, despite having the ability to perceive warps in the time-stream,
these two guys ain't no dynamic duo.

A trio of house servants come arrive to thhei place of employment, a family of three, the mother, a son, a daughter, and a father who went "out to war".
As the story unfolds, secrets begin to emerge, from the servants, from the family, and from the house itself.
Saying to much else risks the chance of revealing spoilers, which, are apparent as the nature of this movie is one that is already widely known.



Taking advantage of Nicole Kidman's old skool natural beauty (obviously, this is  before her face became hidden under layers of plastic surgery), The Others is a New  Millenial film that presents itself as a classic gothic horror that writers like Edgar Allen Poe could only dream of as coming to life.  Suiting itself as the background for a ghost tale in which the old formulas of Victorian style designed manors set in foggy English countrysides set the tone of leading, then misleading the viewer, this is a piece of cinema that manages to provide the kind of  shakes and shudders that have been the tradition of spooky stories for so many centuries.

In this same year, I saw movie called Ghost World, which quickly became one of my fave flix of '01. And while there are several reasons why I liked that film, my eyes could not help but bulge at the beauteous actress that Scarlett Johansson was sprouting into. And I also noticed that, during this time period she seemed to be quite the darling of the indie film circuit.
Which prompted me to see An American Rhapsody when I saw what her name was in the credits.
Also starring the ever rapturous Nastassja Kinski, this movie tells the tale of the difficulties that can result from cultural assimilation, even if the move is from the greyness of oppressive communism to the more sunny sided liberation of Democracy.

Jon Faveau sits behind the director's chair for the first time and with his usual partner in crime, Vince Vaughn, the real life friends portray movie life friends in a film that shows that if you can make it in the mob,
then you've really got it made.

This is an independent movie that often tends to get overlooked because of the more well-known Faveau/Vaughn indie efort, Swingers.
And while I like that film too, I thought this one was just a tiny bit better, not just story-wise but more in particular, in terms of it's comedy angle.

And whle we're on the subject of mafia themed movies, here's one that originally was supposed to go straight to DVD, but after Vin Diesel started becoming popular, it was then decided to be given a wide theatre release. It still didn't do any business, but it is a good movie that was well worth the effort.
And to be honest, prolly the best one the ol' Vinster has starred in up to date. However since dis list is about my fave flicks of 2001, then for the 2001 movie season, it only comes in at #16.
And sure, maybe it's not the top ten, but still, it made it on this list. And that's still pretty good.
Seriously.

 Paris is well known as being the "City of Love".  Therefore, it's a bit surprising that French cinema hasn't produced a lot more legendary romance films than there are. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the amount of movies that France has made throughout its history hasn't been its fair share of stories centered around the affairs of the heart. It's just that with the reputation that has accumulated over the centuries with its capital city, you'd think that it would've produced more than its fair share. I'm also not saying that there haven't been movies made by other countries that have used Paris (or any other areas of the country) as the setting for the plot's love angle (Funny Face, Midnight in Paris, Before Sunset and its sequels, even Ratatouille, are just a few examples that had come out of the U.S,). Just that one would think that this specific type of cinema would've been the primary export of the country with the richest amount of amour in its atmosphere. 
  But before this starts to sound like some kind of critique against the French and their motion picture prowess, I should say now that I only bring this up because they have displayed an ability to craft romance films that capture it with that elegant savior-faire that only they can evoke. That Obscure Object of Desire, La belle noiseuse, Diva, The Aviator's Wife, and several versions of Cyrano de Bergerac are just a few that I know of. But one of the country's biggest is this one, Amelie.  A whimsical fairytale from the mind of the lead character whose name is the movie's title, the entire running span unrolls with such a deep picturesque quality, both in its scenery as in its colorful storyline. It is crafted by its filmmaker, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, with a level of artistry and creative enchantment that is rare in any movie production no matter what part of the world it come from, and the end result is an example of a romantic comedy that exemplifies that certain je ne sais quoi that captures the distinct essence of amour that France is internationally famous for.

  Bill Paxton was a respected and beloved actor by both critics and fans alike. He was well known for his supporting character work in films such as Aliens, Terminator, Titanic, and Edge of Tomorrow. Unfortunately, two of his best works in which he received top billing, and one that he even directed himself, did not do much business and are on the edge of being completely forgotten. A Simple Plan from 1998 is the first and this one, Frailty, is the second.
  Frailty is the one that Bill directed and the story follows a widowed father who swears that he's been touched by the hand of God. He claims that this has given him the supernatural ability to see "demons" who walk the Earth in human form and therefore sets out him to wipe these disguised beings of darkness out. He then enlists his two boys in helping him in this divinely directed charge, a process which causes his eldest son to cause the very sanity of his father. Is dad really a divine slayer of evil or just a serial killer hiding behind a biblical excuse?
  Actually, I forgot to mention that this story of the father and his two sons are told in flashback, framed within the second part of the premise, which is set in the "present", and features a cast of led by Matthew McConaughy and Powers Booth. 
Along with Paxton, this is the type of roll call that would indicate that Frailty "must be a good", but after viewing, reveals that it is a great movie, the kind that qualifies it a shame that, at the time of its release, it flew under the radar of mainstream audiences. This is a psychological horror feature that, along with other films such as Session 9, The Devil's Backbone, From Hell, Brotherhood of the Wolf, and The Others, is part of the list of movies from 2001 that demonstrates that this was a year that was filled to the brim with some really high-quality scare fare cinema.

 

A new cop finds out that the best way to learn the beat on the streets is to get as down and as dirty as the lining on that paves their way.
And with a partner who's just as down and as dirty, the only way to determine whether or not you've got a passing grade is if you're still alive at the end of the day.

While many of my fellow film connoisseurs were talking up Wes Anderson's first two films, Bottle Rocket and especially Rushmore, I did't really start liking his work until this movie. I know that I'm mostly in the minority when I say this, but his previous two films before Tenenbaums didn't really do anything for me. Now, it has been awhile since I saw those sophomore efforts, so I'd have to watch 'em again to see if my indifference towards them still holds up.
Regardless, he has since become one of my favorite directors of contemporary cinema. As a matter of fact, two of his most recent works, Moonrise Kingdom and Grand Budapest Hotel are, IMO, two of the best films of this decade.
Anderson has a style of storytelling and art direction that is unique, understated, and blends well with the underlying dysfunctional drama that he likes to add into the mix. It's a brand of film-making that will probably never be suited for mass consumption, but it definitely has the potential to satisfy the appetite for those of us movie lovers who, every once in a while, just wanna expand our palettes beyond that of a typical popcorn flick.



With names like Gene Hackman, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller and Angelica Houston,
it's no surprise that as far as dark comedies go,
The Tenenbaums are what you might call the royal family of aristocratic and eccentric dysfunction.

Another weird/surreal modern film noir by the modern master of the genre, David Lynch.
Mulholland Dr. is a road whose journey leads down the kind of very dark and dreamlike path that only Mr. lynch can provide.
Done very much in the same flair of Twin Peaks. But this time, with lesbians!



Actually, while I consider David Lynch to be the modern master of surrealism, the truth is, when I look over this list, I noticed that with films like Waking Life, Amelie, Donnie Darko, Spirited Away and this one, 2001 seems to be the year of surreal spiced cinema. And if not full-fledged surrealism, then with the addition of Ghost World, The Man Who Wasn't There, Session 9, From Hell, even Spieberg's A.I. (with it's slight Kubrick aftertaste), it's definitely a year with it's fair share of quirk.

This here is one of those independent type of films that actors love so much because it allows them to really act in the kind of dramatic roles that will hopefully garner many accolades from critics and awards shows. As anyone can see by the way it gets desribed in it's reviews... "expertly crafted and performed... a quietly wrenching portrayal of grief", "the most evocative, the most mysterious, the most inconsolably devastating film", or "an achievement as a perfectly consummated marriage of intent and execution".
In other words, this is a movie that is so good on a thespian level, that it's one of those that is always so hard for me to describe it's quality because it's beyond my ability to use of prose. So I end up having to steal other reviewers words in order to accomplish what I can't.
In short, if you like watching actors using their skills on the highest level, then watch In The Bedroom.
On the other hand, if you prefer watching superheros or robots or Bruce Willis blowing shit up,
then don't.

The Anniversary is one of those great movies that seems to have gone underneath the radar for everyone else.
A Hollywood anniversary party that shows how underlying suppressed feelings can just suddenly bubble up and reveal themselves to those who spend years immersing themselves into the Tinseltown culture of shallowness and the L.A. style of distorted political correctness.

  I remember as a kid reading a three book fantasy novel series called Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, and how much it blew my mind. The attention to detail that was paid to the world building of sword & sorcery setting in another dimension, the mystical creatures and hierarchy of humanoid type life forms, even the way the dynamics of "magic" worked there, it was all so extensive, expansive, and made me almost believe that such an otherworldly universe could exist.

As a result, I began to read other fantasy novel series that followed pretty much the same formula of creating an existence that laid beyond ours. 

However, even back then, I knew it would be impossible to adapt any of published books into film because the world of motion pictures was not equipped to make such worlds "come alive"

  Sure, there were a few attempts here and there.... the obvious ones who the Ray Harryhausen stop-motioned centered flicks of the 60's and 70's. There was the animated, yet truncated version of The Lord of the Rings from 1978. And other sporadic efforts that came later, like Ladyhawke, Legend, Clash of the Titans and Willow. But even with cutting edge technology that could create sagas for the sci-fi genre, such as Star Wars and Star Trek, were not enough to create a sword & sorcery film that could completely immerse viewers into that kind of setting, which should be filled with creatures of mythological stature and magicks of spellbinding wonder.

   Then, in 2001, Peter Jackson took a massive leap from a middle-sized career in filmmaking that he had established up to that point, into the uber-ambitious production of making LotR one of the biggest franchises in the history of cinema.
Ten minutes in the Fellowship of the Ring, I was pretty sure that he had accomplished what I had been waiting for almost all my life as fandom-based nerd.  Driven by the writer/director's aspiring vision and backed with the budget that only a blockbuster could command, from the very first frame to very last one, this was a cinematic experience filled to the brim with special effects and visuals that were even more amazing, more meticulous, and more grand than anyone could have expected.
  By the time of the third installment, Return of the King, it was now evident that being able to see wizards, faeries, hobbits and bug-eyed emo moppets running around side by side with dragons, Orcs, giant spiders, walking trees, and walrogs, Middle-Earth was no longer limited to our imaginations to visualize. The world of motion pictures has now reached a point in history when it possible to make such things come to life on the silver screen, or at the very least, streamed on our personal devices. Sure, kept in perspective, movies are really just escapist entertainment with the purpose of allowing us to kill a couple of hours. But from here on end, with the critical, commercial, and for the purposes of this discussion, the technical success of the Lord of the Rings films, they are almost a window to a universe that before, only existed only our heads.

While there are many changes that comes with the coming of age, the hardest has to be the psychological. Reality tends to hit hard at this point in any young person's stage of growth, but especially if life decides to throw some of it's hardest knocks at this same time. And it's during times like this that a pliable adolescent mind can become easy prey for anyone with more predatory motives. Unless, amidst the chaos, that young person can find a way to deal with the barraging uncertainties of the situation and try to decipher between what is real and what is a lie.



L.I.E. is a exemplary example of the potential that can be reached with the type of stories and themes that can only be captured through the use modern independent films. And along with other indie flicks that were released in the early 2000's (Ghost World, Tape, Manic, Donnie Darko, etc.), it showed the particular kind of promise that, IMO, laid ahead for those movies that prefer to journey through the road less traveled.

  Not really known for releasing films too close together, 2001 was a year in which we were gifted with two films by filmmmaker Richard Linkletter (although, at the time of this writing, for some inknown reason, Listal has the second one, Waking Life listed as a 2002 release). 
 Starring Linkletter favorite Ethan Hawke, along with his then wife, Uma Thurman, tight and terse dialogue drive the story of Tape, a film about three old high school friends who meet up in a motel room to reminisce about old times. The reunion soon turns dark as it reveals deep secrets with deep consequences that have yet to be settled. It is a twist of events that quickly threaten not only to severe the ties that bound their friendships, but also the future pathway of their lives.

 

  Starting with his very first movie project, 1990's Slacker, screenwriter/director Richard Linkletter has harnessed and honed his own unique brand of filmmaking, which includes a pretty heavy slant towards the philosophical. From my point of view, I honestly thought that he had incorporated it at a zenith level with his first installment into his famous romance "Before Trilogy", Before Sunrise. Not just in terms of content, but also in terms of delivery. 

But then, in 2001, came this film, Waking Life, which not only uses philosophy as a central theme of the movie, but even moreso, uses it as the only theme of the movie.

   The plot presented here isn't so much a linear storyline of which comprise what we're used to seeing in a typical wide release motion picture, but more of a collection of intellect-driven musings on the whole "what does it all mean" type of discussion. It is a patchwork of existentialistic narratives strung together in a manner that only Linkletter himself could have pulled off. And what I mean by that is that it not only does it succeed on the whole as a piece of watchable cinema, but it does also so with an engaging enthusiasm. Unlike those rare previous attempts of capturing philosophical introspections on film, such as My Dinner with Andre, Waking Life tries to make this kind of "thing" more digestible for wider audiences by focusing more on the questions that are asked at the beginning of such conversations instead of the answers which ultimately result after long periods of pondering and reflection. And it's not just because of RL's ability to make this kind of subject matter interesting to listen to. In Waking Life, the semi-auteur decides to present the visuals with a type of then-new style of animation called Rotoscoping, in which digital paint is overlayed the real-life images. Personally, I think it's an animation technique that only works in a very rare instances, but fortunately enough, this is one of those instances. It gives the movie an overall semi expressionistic look that helps to enhance lucid dreamlike quality of the narrative.
  In the end, what we're given with this film is a refreshing, vividly colored, mind-delving, alternative to the same ol' same ol' formula that continually saturates the market and gives the brain a front row seat instead having it wait outside of the lobby doors.  

The ironic thing about this movie is
that the man in question was there.
I know, cuz I saw this movie.
And don't worry, I'm not giving anything away by saying that.
Let me also add that, as far as the rating for this movie goes,
Billy Bob's performance is great, as usual,
James Gando is cool, as usual
and Scarlett Jo is simply gorgeous, as usual.
Over-all, a top notch quality pic from the Bros. Coen.
As usual.

One of my favorite film genres is the heist movie. And the mark of a good quality one are the twists and unexpected turns that tend take place during the central caper-theme of the plot. For me, this movie delivers in those aspects but with the additive of the combined seasoned talents of cinema icons Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando, along with Ed Norton, whose half limped effort does a stand-out job of keeping up with the two thespian titans.

First, let me say that while I had seen Scarlett Johansson before in other movies, mostly her more independent work, Ghost World was the first one where she had truly "stolen my heart" (which is saying something considering that her role here is of someone who really isn't all that nice).



Now I always been a big fan of Dan Clowes' comics, mainly because his work definitely subscribed to the idea of having a "style that was all his own". When it comes to the so-called "alternative" genre, for my money, Clowes' style seems to fit in even more effectively in the medium of film than it does in the comic-book version (and don't get me wrong, his printed works mold into the genre quite successfully). From my point of view, his movies bring a well-welcomed shot of something new and different to the experience of viewing just as effectively as his comics bring to the experience of reading.

   Okay, so let's be honest here, how hard is it to put George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Don Chido, Bernie Mac into a Steven Soderberg movie and not have it ending up being one of the coolest, if not THE coolest movie of the New Millenium?
(Actually, now that I think about it, it's not all that hard really. Just make it two sequels later, add the typically overblown acting antics of Al Pacino into the mix, dump Julia Roberts and scrape together a story that barely makes any sense and wha-la, there you have it....
the death of a forced fed franchise. One that should've been left alone in the first place. But, as the saying goes, I digress....) Leading this really cool cast of heavyweights, is George Clooney, who for most of the time that his career was its height was being compared to Hollywood icon Cary Grant. For me, I'm not sure how well that kind of comparison holds up, but  if there was a movie that could come close to that validating that comparison, IMO, it would be this one.



  A reboot of a classic heist film that was done by the classic cadre of cool known as the Rat Pack (I'm not gonna take up any space explaining who the Rat Pack were, but if you're young reader who doesn't know, google it, and you'll see why the running theme of being cool applies here), the cast that was assembled here does a great job of carrying on the tradition, especially when it includes veterans Elliott Gould and Carl Reiner, not to mention what I consider to be an underrated and scene stealing performance by Don Cheadle.
  2001's Ocean's Eleven is truly a top-quality remake and provides just the right amount of escapist-fare that one might expect when it comes to movie plots centered around unique get rich quick schemes with complex plans and entertaining follow throughs. 
  so far, as of yet, this is my favorite heist movie of all time.