The Top Nine Films of Two Thousand

It was the year of Soderbergh. Steven Soderbergh, having directed two of the top six films for the year, had the best year for a director since Steven Spielberg directed Schindler's List and Jurassic Park in 1993. Soderbergh's two films, Traffic and Erin Brockovich are equally as impressive. He had more impact than any in helping this lacklsuter year. Ignore other critics, these were the top films in the year 2000.

 

9. Unbreakable - M. Night Shyamalan
Decidedly dark and deliberate, Shyamalan's followup to his mega-hit The Sixth Sense is actually a better film - until the last thirty seconds. For the most part it's a slow, mystifying comic book yarn, spun around mythical characters with unique abilities. Featuring some genuinely golden movie scenes, it's also likely to be vastly underappreciated because of the stunningly bad conclusion.

8. X-Men - Bryan Singer
It suprisingly turned into one of the best comic book adaptations ever produced. Dizzying action and special effects form the centerpiece of this well-acted ensemble superhero flick. The script whisks by and introduces us to fleshed-out characters that we will, without a doubt, see again.

7. Chicken Run - Nick Park and Peter Lords
This film was an incredible production: 24 frames per second of claymation. Each frame had minute movements that were magnificently captured on screen. The cast of voices was one of the best I've heard. Featuring virtuoso action sequences and humor to boot, Chicken Run was the best family film of the year.

6. Erin Brockovich - Steven Soderbergh
This was the feel-good film of the year, but was also one of the most solidly directed, finely scripted, impressively performed efforts. Julia Roberts was the cleavage-baring, do-as-she-feels-like lawyer who took on a big corporation in a small town.

5. Gladiator - Ridley Scott
A legendary director with an eye for the visual is at the top of his game for this Roman epic of brutality and love. Bringing back a long gone genre, Scott constructed a summer blockbuster that actually earned its gigantic boxoffice. Featuring an indelible performance by Russell Crowe as the general Maximus, Gladiator became more than entertainment: it became a testament to the nature of people that lived during those tumultuous times.

4. Traffic - Steven Soderbergh
Rather than being about the consequences of abusing drugs, Traffic deals with the futility of the American drug war. It's a battle we're losing and will continue to lose. The film thankfully doesn't concern itself with offering any solutions to the growing problem, instead it outlines just where the battle is taking place. The battle is not only on the U.S. and Mexican border, it's in our own homes.When fighting this war you're not fighting another country, you're fighting yourself.

3. Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe
Easily the most commercially overlooked film of the year, Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical journey with a rock band featured the year's best script and ensemble cast. Penny Lane, magnetically performed by Kate Hudson, became one of my favorite characters ever captured on film. It's an incredible coming of age story, one that captures the serene mood of the mid 70's rock scene.

2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Ang Lee
This martial arts romantic epic was the most entertaining film of the year. The Chinese subtitles become part of the picture, making one absorb the beautiful dialogue rather than reading it. The high flying romance was dealt with reality and emotion, and the fight scenes are the most balletic I've ever seen. Silently the characters dance over the rooftops of the ancient Chinese city, and they yield their weapons with stealthy skill.

1. Requiem for a Dream - Darren Aronofsky
Simply put, Requiem for a Dream did everything right. It managed to be so much more than anti-drug propoganda. It turned out to be a harrowing examination of a group of tortured souls, souls searching for meaning in a corrupted world. The two hours of Aronofsky's gem are far more effective at laying down reasons not to take drugs than any six years of drug education at school. Requiem for a Dream should be required viewing for every adolescent. It just might save lives.

 

List Composed on 1/07/01