1
Moulin Rouge
The best musical in at least 30 years reinvigorated a dead genre and, in turn, a whole year of movie-going as Baz Luhrmannís’ Moulin Rouge held the energy of at least three movies. Combining a classic tale of the doomed love affair between a poet and courtesan in 19th century France with some decidedly 20th century musical numbers (including “Like a Virgin” and “Your Song”), Moulin Rouge strutted out of the gate with a fearlessness and confidence like no musical before it. The movie contains scenes and numbers I will watch repeatedly and never forget, all cornerstones of one awe-inspiring motion picture.
2
Amélie
Just lovely. After spending the last several years making dark, brooding pictures, French maverick Jean-Pierre Jeunet leapt into the light in 2001 with Amélie, a shot of sunshine that the words “feel-good movie” somehow fail. In this tale of a misfit child who orchestrates the happiness of others while forsaking her own, French elf Audrey Tautou is as charming and effective as the other big-screen Audrey ever was. The result: the first movie I’ve gone back to see a second time in years.
3
Memento
In a year jam-packed with cinematic puzzles, Memento was the one most worthy of solving. Told backwards, this mystery followed a widowed man (a magnetic Guy Pearce) out to find his wife’s killer, though he’s hampered by his inability to retain his short term memory. As the film leads him down its serpentine paths, so too it leads us, resulting in a film of uncommon structure and even more uncommon artistry.
4
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Take Blood Simple, remove the color, add some oddity and preserve the spirit and you’ve got The Man Who Wasn’t There, the latest riveting film noir from the Coen brothers, probably the most consistently excellent filmmakers at work today. Lushly photographed by Roger Deakins, Man quietly and expertly follows barber Billy Bob Thornton through a murderous tale of adultery, murder and dry cleaning.
5
Ghost World
Ghost World is Terry Zwigoff’s bittersweet story of two rebellious high schoolers (Thora Birch and Scarlet Johannson) who are so busy being ironic that they fail to be much else. Birch encounters a sadsack music collector (Steve Buscemi, in his best performance to date) who turns her in a new direction. Unconventional and ultimately moving, it might be the best movie ever made from a comic book.
6
The Royal Tenenbaums
The year’s funniest movie. This comic romp from Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson took its dream cast (including Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller) and plopped them in at the corner of Oddball Avenue and Hilarious Street. At times pricelessly funny and occasionally moving, The Royal Tenenbaums is The Brady Bunch on quaaludes.
7
Shrek
One of the year’s most popular entertainments was also one of the year’s best films. The screenplay about a loner ogre (voiced by Mike Myers) and a chatty donkey (the hilarious Eddie Murphy) turned fairy tales upside down and truly lived up to the billing “a movie for all ages.” With the release of Shrek, DreamWorks has established itself as the best animation house currently around; bad news for the Mouse House.
8
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The year 2001, ironically, was when Steven met Stanley. And the space odyssey that resulted is a sprawling, seductive epic that is as engrossing as it is maddening. Working from an idea of the late master Kubrick, Spielberg returned as an auteur to be reckoned with as Haley Joel Osment cemented his status as a Good Actor as a robotic “mecha” who simulates life as a child for wanton mother, Frances OíConnor. Despite the inevitable flaws that A.I.’s directorial marriage would create, it proved one of the most unforgettable films of the year. Hopefully, this one will get the respect it deserves in years to come.
9
In the Bedroom
Todd Field’s mature, deliberate, and tightly-scripted motion picture about two grieving parents dealing with an unspeakable tragedy is a precise, unrelenting study in acting. The performances of Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei help raise this material to a higher level than your typical TV weepie. In a year filled with films about parents doggedly trying to protect their children, In the Bedroom was the best.
10
The Deep End
Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s crackling drama about a mother blindly trying to shield her son from the repercussions of a murder she thinks he’s committed is a refreshing thriller for two reasons. First, its characters don’t always act with the utmost brilliance always reserved for Movie Characters. They act as off-kilter and frightened as most ordinary people would in such extraordinary situations. Combine that with Tilda Swintonís Oscar-calibre performance and the dreamy cinematography of Giles Nuttgens, and you’ve got one engrossing film.
Danny Linton reviewed movies for The Daily Helmsman from 1993-1998. He now teaches film for The University of Memphis.
