THE TOP FILMS OF 2001

It was a year heavy with anticipation. Stemming from that anticipation, and with the realization that very few films can meet the expectations which I had laid upon them, I choose these as the best films of the year 2001. You're not allowed to disagree with me. Don't even try.

Honorable Mention: Monsters, Inc., Ocean's Eleven, Shrek

9. A.I. Artificial Intelligence -
Like most of Kubrick’s films, it’s one of the least understood films to come out in the past year. However, this is a Spielberg film, but you wouldn’t notice it until the 180 it spins near the end. Still, Spielberg’s film is a technically fantastic piece of work, featuring camera work and lighting that would make even the master proud.

8. Monster's Ball -
An uncommonly intelligent film about tragedy and racial discrimination. Impeccably shot and brilliantly performed by the two leads, the film is a tour-de-force of message filmmaking. The deliberately paced direction perfectly matches the movements of the script, and the issues it raises are controversial and thought provoking. This film is exactly what independent film should be: courageous.

7. In The Bedroom -
An incredibly delicate thriller, Todd Field's directorial debut is an astonishing look at the destructive power of grief. Oftentimes suprising, it's impossible to eliminate yourself from the actions of the characters, as Bedroom is simply one of the most revealing films on human nature I've seen. Impeccably performed and masterfully constructed, Field's film will rise farther in standing with time.

6. A Beautiful Mind -
Anchored by stellar performances all around, this was an unexpectedly captivating thriller. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly are each fantastic as the schizophrenic mathematician and his helpless wife. Director Ron Howard uses a suprising amount of restraint, thankfully allowing each actor to give their respective characters a unique personality. I found this tremendously, suprisingly enjoyable.

5. Black Hawk Down -
Ridley Scott's directorial showcase is nothing less than the most prolonged and brilliant representation of combat ever laid to film. Constantly riveting and extremely gory, this film gives tremendous insight to the life of a foot soldier. The film is almost two hours of non-stop firefight, a harrowing and exhausting film of immense power.

4. Mulholland Drive -
Surely the weirdest film of the year couldn’t be one of the best? Oh, but it can. David Lynch’s TV series pilot turned feature film is a mesmerizing roller coaster of a film. Featuring exchanged identities, amnesia, murder, adultery, loads of lesbian sex, and a cowboy, Mulholland Drive is hypnotic filmmaking at its peak.

3. Moulin Rouge -
Baz Luhrman daringly tries to reinvent the musical with his modern cinematic opus. Where people have often complained of the obvious MTV-influenced editing, I found the style to be quite enjoyable. Luhrman is clearly a visual experimentalist and his risk taking paid off in spades. It's refreshing to see a film director who still cares about expanding the realm of cinema as art, and along with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, the crew truly created a gem of artistic cinema.

2. Memento -
It was so much more than a gimmick. Memento's narrative structure was simply one of the great achievements of the year in filmmaking. Christopher Nolan's direction was a thing of beauty as he handled the complex plot with stunning control. The whole ensemble was excellent, with Guy Pearce turning in one of the better performances of the year. Memento is a film to be studied and analyzed, a film where each time you see it you'll notice something new.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring -
Like a dark, foreboding skyscraper of immense mystical power, it towers above all other films released this year. Not only the best film of 2001, The Fellowship is the best film product to be released in several years. Peter Jackson’s triumphant trilogy opener is a model of passionate, invigorating filmmaking.

List composed on 1/23/02