If you know me, one thing you likely know about me is that I love movies. If you don’t know me, and for some reason you are reading this, then I’m telling you, I really like movies. I’ve always loved movies. I was raised by parents who love movies. My parents see a movie in the theater almost every weekend. We had a VCR when they first came out, (luckily my Dad didn’t decide that Beta was the way to go), and we had an extensive and ever-growing VHS collection. I have 6 siblings, and I feel confident stating that all 7 of us are movie junkies. I’m not going to go on about this, just visit http://thekidswereallwright.blogspot.com and poke around and see how much we like movies.
So, being the movie nerd that I am, I listen to a couple of podcasts that are about movies. I like to hear what other people think of a movie and why. One of the podcasts I listen to is called Filmspotting. The 2 hosts, Adam and Matty, always start by critiquing one new release, and then, they spend the rest of the time talking about non new release movies. I really appreciate this because a lot of times they bring up movies I’ve never heard of, or that I meant to see but forgot. One of the things they have been doing is counting down their top 5 favorite movies from different years. I think the most recent one I heard was top 5 of 1996. And this inspired me to kind of do the same.
I have decided to do a top 10 list of my favorite movies for the “oughts”, or beginning with the year 2000 and going year by year to 2009. I don’t want to start with 2009 because that was too recent, and there are movies that came out that I haven’t seen yet.
I'm going to just list them in alphabetical order, rather than 1 through 10. It is really difficult to rank them in order of how much I liked them. And I am only going to briefly go into why I like these movies so much. So, here we go, my 10 favorite movies of 2000:
American Psycho (R)- This was my first introduction to Christian Bale (sorry I missed Newsies and Empire of the Sun), and I thought he was great as Patrick Bateman. I’m always interested in characters that live double lives. Patrick Bateman is a bank executive by day and serial killer by night. He is truly a psychopath, he feels absolutely nothing for anybody, but he loves Huey Lewis and the News. Do I recommend this movie? Only to people who like the Showtime show Dexter.
Best In Show (PG-13)- Probably on everyone’s top 10 for 2000. Great ensemble cast, directed by Christopher Guest, with lots of doggies. How could I not like this movie?!?
Cast Away (PG-13)- Gotta love a movie where one actor can carry the entire movie and make you cry when a volleyball floats away. This is one of those movies I almost always end up watching when it’s on cable.
Drowning Mona (PG-13)- A fun, quirky, murder mystery set in a town where everyone drives a Yugo. Bette Midler plays the murder victim and her husband and son don’t care that she’s dead. Danny de Vito plays the sheriff trying to solve the case. Bette Midler is great, and I really like dark comedies like this, and the fact everyone in town drives a Yugo, is one of those little touches that I love in movies like this.
High Fidelity (R)- A movie I didn’t really like right away, it really had to grow on me. And it is now on my top 10 for the year. I love John Cusack, I love his top 5 lists, Jack Black is great (he is kind of hit and miss with me), I like the guy who also works at the record store, there are a lot of things to like about this movie. Not your typical romantic comedy, and that’s a good thing, because I tend to not like romantic comedies.
Memento (R)- I love it when a movie like this comes out and just blows my mind. It is extremely difficult to explain what this movie is about, but I’ll try. The main character, Leonard, looses his short term memory; he cannot keep new memories any more. His last memory is of his wife being murdered. So everyday he wakes up and tries to solve his wife’s murder. Everyday he writes notes and tattoos himself with new clues, so he has to go over them everyday and start new. Part of the story moves forward, and part of it moves backwards. I love it! And it introduced me to director, Christopher Nolan (thank you sir for The Prestige, Batman Begins and Dark Knight, all will appear on future lists.)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (PG-13)- All you really need to tell me is “It’s a Coen Brothers movie” and I’m there. This is a particular favorite. George Clooney is so funny; it’s great to see him have fun with a role like this. And John Tuturro and the guy that plays Delmar are so great. This is such a great interpretation of Homer’s “The Odyssey” that has the Coen Brother’s unique style all through it.
Shadow of the Vampire (R)- John Malkovich is one of those actors that I will see anything he is in (okay, I just checked his IMDB page and he is in pre-production for Transformers 3, so I might skip that one). Put him in a vampire movie acting alongside Willem Defoe and I’m there opening night. This movie is about the filming of the 1922 silent movie “Nosferatu”. Willem Defoe is so creepy, he totally transforms into Count Orlock. If you like vampire movies and haven’t seen this one, you should check it out.
The Virgin Suicides (R)- I can’t really pinpoint what I like so much about this movie, but I really, really like this movie. James Woods and Kathleen Turner play the parents of 5 teenage daughters. The parents are very strict and religious and keep their daughters very sheltered from the outside world. A group of boys in the neighborhood become obsessed with the girls and try secret ways of communicating with them. I don’t want to say much more in case someone reading this hasn’t seen it and wants to. Not that my lame synopsis of the movie makes for a great recommendation, but I do recommend it. If you like movies set in the 70’s, you might like this.
And finally…..
X-Men (PG-13)- It’s probably best that this movie ended up in this spot alphabetically, because I probably would have chosen it as my #1 movie of 2000. It would have barely beat out American Psycho and O Brother. In my very early 20’s I worked the graveyard shift at a 7-11. Between about 1am and 5am, I literally had nothing to do except help the occasional customer. So, I spent a lot of my time reading magazines and comic books that we carried. I especially liked the X-Men series. (A lot of people don’t know that little tidbit about my history, so I just totally outed myself as a geek!) Anyway, I looked forward to this movie for about 2 years, and when it finally came out, it exceeded my expectations and made the inner geek in me squeal with delight. (That last part was really cheesy and lame, but I’m leaving it in!)
So there is the top 10, but I’m not finished yet! I couldn’t leave it at that without adding some honorable mentions. Movies I liked, but not enough to make the top 10 are:
Pollock (R)- Ed Harris portrays the artist Jackson Pollock. I really like biographical movies, especially about people I like and/or admire.
Dude, Where’s My Car? (PG-13)- One of those dumb comedies that I’m sometimes in the mood for. Plus it provided Cam and I one of our favorite lines “No and then!”
Final Destination (R)- Really lame story line, but I’ve grown quite fond of the Final Destination movies and the weird ways they kill people off.
Cecil B Demented (R)- I love John Waters movies. This would have made my top 10 if Melanie Griffith wasn’t so bad in it that I wanted to gouge my eyes out.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (PG)- Jim Carrey is a bit over the top as usual, but this is a favorite childhood book of mine, and I really loved the whole set design for Whoville.
My Dog Skip (PG)- I’m a sucker for boy and his dog movies.
Meet the Parents (PG-13)- Parts of this movie makes me laugh, but most of it just makes me feel really uncomfortable watching the situations Ben Stiller gets in.
But, wait! There’s more! I like to be very thorough, so here is a list of movies that I saw and either hated or was just kind of “eh”:
Little Nicky (PG-13)- Hated
Pay it Forward (PG-13)- Eh
Reindeer Games (R)- Eh
The Cell (R)- Hated
The Perfect Storm (PG-13)- Eh
Traffic (R)- Hated
Almost Famous (R)- Eh
Gladiator (R)- Eh
Me, Myself & Irene (R)- Hated
I’m still not finished. The next list are movies I totally meant to see, but never got around to it, then forgot about them until I started researching for this blog, so now I’ll make sure to watch them:
Chocolat (PG-13)
Dancer in the Dark (R)
Snatch (R)-my brother-in-law, Rob, will be disappointed in me.
The Patriot (R)
The Wonder Boys (R)-my sister, Emily, will be disappointed in me.
Requiem for a Dream (R)
Chicken Run (couldn’t find the rating)
And finally! This final list of movies are movies that did well in the box office and/or got a lot of buzz that I did not see, have no interest in seeing, and no matter how well you argue how good the movie is, you will not be able to talk me into seeing them:
Mission Impossible 2
What Women Want
Erin Brokovich
Charlie’s Angels
Miss Congeniality
Coyote Ugly
The Legend of Bagger Vance
Nurse Betty
Well, there it is; my movie breakdown of the year 2000. Perhaps my top 10 will change a bit after watching the movies I meant to see. In a couple of weeks I’ll breakdown 2001.
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12 comments:
The Patriot is really good. Great story. I watched the edited version and the only part they take out is Mel Gibson hacking someone up so you really don't miss anything. Also, you "eh'd" Gladiator! That's also a great movie. Why don't you like it that much? Just curious.
You should write a column, Sue. Good reviews. I think I saw more movies on your "movies I will never see" list than on all the other lists. (Maybe not, but almost).
You hated 'Me, Myself and Irene'?! I love that movie. And yes, you HAVE to see 'Wonder Boys'. Have you read the book? It's a great book and I was really impressed by the movie version, which is rare for me. Oh, and it's not just because of Toby Maguire either.
Wonder Boys an awesome book and movie, but book first- then movie I think.
Have you checked out /filmcast? I only did because Chris and Jimmy used to talk about it. I like it. I also listen to filmspotting.
Of your top ten list- Drowning Mona, the Virgin Suicides and X Men are the only ones I missed. I'll see the other two on your recommendation, but I don't think I will ever see X Men.
Of your honorable mentions I have only seen the Grinch and Meet the Parents. I agree with your Ehs when it comes to Pay it Forward and Almost Famous (which I was totally prepared to love).
See Snatch and Wonderboys. I have mixed feelings for Requiem- but worth seeing, and Chocolat is worth seeing.
I've see most of your movies that you will never see and you need not lose any sleep that you haven't, according to me.
One more thing- Patrick Bateman wasn't nearly as lovable as Dexter (but was a pretty good movie).
I shall look forward to your next installment.
Great fun, Sue! Thanks! I'll try a few of these I haven't seen (Drowning Mona and Shadow of the Vampire). With you, I LOVED High Fidelity and O Brother.
Just an "eh" on Almost Famous for both you and Emily? One of my favorites. What's the beef with it?
Glad you guys like it! I'm putting together 2001 right now.
The Gladiator is just eh with me. Sometimes those big epic movies just don't impress me, and this is one of them. When I think about the movie, the only thing I can seriously remember are the tigers. So if that's all I can remember, then it's just "eh".
Yes Cat, I hated and still hate Me, Myself and Irene. I just cannot get into that movie. It was on cable a couple of weeks ago and I tried to watch some of it and just couldn't.
When Almost Famous came out I was totally prepared to love that movie! But it just ended up "eh". I don't hate it, but it just wasn't that good. I've only seen it once, so perhaps a second viewing is in order. 2000 is the year before I left my first husband, so I was really miserable. I really think that had a big effect on my brain and attitude towards everything.
Agree with you on Gladiator and Me, Myself, and Irene.
Hope you will give Almost Famous another look. Fun look at the period and kinds of things that likely went on on the road in those circles. A lot of characters have really nice arcs, and the Frances McDormand character is one of the all-time classic movie moms. Hilarious! Plus some great lines here and there, and as hokey as it is to admit, I still get a bit emotional thinking about the Tiny Dancer scene and can't hear that song on the radio without thinking of the film.
My WV: mulic (just one letter off from music!)
I too hate Me, myself & Irene. Just can't watch it and I'm a Jim Carrey fan. Gladiator I dug a lot. Crowe is so good and he brings a tear to my eye. The Phoenix guy was so creepy..only part I didn't like. Thanks Dan, for the reminder that Frances McDormad was so good as the mom. Just a bit part but great. I don't remember the Tiny Dancer scene. Is it a song they sang? Good work, Sue on your comments and posting about the 2000 movies.
Erin Brokovich?? Good movie. Compelling story and good acting. You don't like Julia R?? Lame reason for not watching a great movie. Too much push-up bra I guess. Hahaha.
The Tiny Dancer scene in Almost Famous is incredible. The main guy in the band, Russell, has just really screwed up and the band is really on edge as they drive in their bus to the next city. Suddenly Elton's song comes on the radio and one of the band members begins singing along. Slowly everyone begins singing as well and you can see the tensions just melt away as the power of music works its magic. It's awesome.
Two famous lines related to the Frances McDormand character: "Your mom kind of freaked me out." and then one by her in another spot (as she's teaching her college class at San Diego State): "Rock stars have kidnapped my son!"
My favorite line from the movie, however, is by Zooey Deschanel (who plays the sister of the young guy who is writing the story on the band), who tells him as parting advice to him as she's fleeing home and their crazy mother: "Listen to Tommy with a candle burning, and you'll see your entire future." Classic!
That is a good scene in Almost Famous. I think I will give it another watch. I'll let you know what I think.
It's not really Julia Roberts that makes me not want to see Erin Brokovich. I'm not a huge fan of Julia's, but I won't avoid a movie because she is in it. I think she is a really over rated actress. I think people confuse being pretty with being a good actress. Angelina Jolie is a perfect example. Angelina's not a terrible actress, but she certainly isn't that great either.
Erin Brokovich just seems like a very predictable story and it just doesn't interest me. I don't like predictable. I'm familiar with the story enough that I just don't need to see it as a movie. Sounds boring.
Agree Dan, Tiny Dancer scene is very memorable and think of it everytime I hear that one too. Perhaps I will give it anither go too. I liked it, it just got more eh then awesome.
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