Best films of Y2K

Another feature to be added here is something no one will take seriously, no one will listen to, and no one will regard as being right in any way. Every year the Academy Awards go to the wrong movies, and every year I bitch and moan. So this year I’m going to create my own list of who SHOULD be recognized for their work. And I don’t care if Ridley Scott did win best director in the Golden Globes. He’s a damn fine director, but Gladiator just isn’t a damn fine film…oh sure it’s OK, but…WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PSYCHO? Look, I’m not going to have this argument with you right now…

To keep things simple this year, I’m only going to offer a few categories; best sound, best score, best cinematography, best visual effects, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and actress, best director, and best picture. After that I’m not going to bother. How many of you actually WATCH the Oscars anyway? I for one do not sit there for 4 hours waiting, I just tape the damn thing and fast forward it, or I don’t watch it at all. It’s much easier to not watch it. Academy Awards are such a waste of time…but I addressed this at my homepage…you all HAVE read my homepage, haven’t you? If you haven’t, I hope you all enjoy being throttled about the neck and ears like a woman.

I jest, of course. But it’d sure be nice to know you care about me. Even after I ramble on so much…kind of like I’m doing now. So I stop, and give you my picks, along with a very small description, maybe no description, or maybe a very lengthy description as to why I made this pick. It’s really my prerogative.

BEST SOUND:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

You can really hear the crunches. A great movie, with great work by a sound crew of too many names for me to list. Go to IMDB.com if you want to see the full listing. And if you have the time to do that, make the time to see the movie. Oh you’ve seen it? So see it again.

BEST SCORE:

Almost Famous

OK, so I’m cheating here. Almost Famous was largely a collection of late 60’s/early 70’s rock and roll. But it was used brilliantly by director Cameron Crowe. Great example: after a particularly brutal battle of words, the entire band and crew are on a bus singing Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”. A simple moment, but it works so beautifully.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Traffic

Soderbergh is in top form with this, a story about the American drug trade from several sources from the cops, a drug czar, to the addicts themselves. Besides some really ingenious camera set ups, I’m largely making this pick based on the use of tinting present throughout the film. Tinting the stock used to be common in the era of silent black and white films, but since color it hasn’t been quite so common. In Traffic, digital tinting gives us a view of the world in a slightly skewed way. Some people I know (and those people will suffer) have complained that the tinting is really a way to “color code” the movie. I disagree. The tinting is used to help create a mood, and it succeeds.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

The Cell

Was there ever a doubt in your mind? Many criticized The Cell as being simplistic and unworthy of the 2 hours it would take to watch it. Sure, other movies have great visual effects, but it’s not so often that we see special effects play a role in the story, as opposed to the “hey let’s see what we can do” attitude often found. James Cameron often makes the special effects a part of the story, instead of seemingly gratuitous, and director Tarsem succeeds in blending a dark twisted dream world where a computer’s compositions become a real place and character instead of fancy background.

BEST ACTOR:

Ed Harris: Pollock Immersing himself into a role as I’ve seen rarely before, Harris becomes painter Jackson Pollock to the point that when Harris paints, he seems to BE a painter, rather than an actor pretending to paint. Anthony Hopkins playing Picasso seems to be child’s play.

BEST ACTRESS:

Laura Linney: You can count on me I refuse to comment on this movie. I would sully its good name. Any attempt at describing it would ruin it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Robert Downey Jr.: The Wonder Boys

Downey is a book publisher heading in to see Michael Douglas’ new manuscript. I choose Downey for this role for one important reason. So often in films you meet gay people as being somehow flamboyant, or irritating…wait, that’s the same thing. The Wonder Boys shows Downey as a person, not a caricature. Recently watching the Sigourney Weaver movie Copycat again, I cringed every time her gay housekeeper showed up in a scene. Dost Hollywood think us stupid?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Ellen Burstyn: Requiem for a Dream Jared Leto was astounding in the movie, but I give special credit to Burstyn here in her role of Sara Goldfarb, an overweight woman who loses weight, but in the process becomes addicted to diet pills. All the while she dreams of winning big on a quiz show. Those of you who’ve seen the movie know what the title means, and so you’ll understand why I give Ellen Burstyn her due credit for creating a real sympathetic person in this movie; a woman deluded in her dreams, while her son and his friends must face reality. See, I’m a giving person. I think Ellen Burstyn seems to be a complete flake in person, but the woman can act.

BEST DIRECTOR:

Jim Jarmusch: Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai

This is a pick I’m sure I’ll be questioned for. For those of you who question me, I offer my opinion. This film is a satire; for a joke to work certain elements must be blown way out of proportion while others remain intact. I agree that Forest Whitaker’s portrayal of the modern day samurai is unbelievable. I agree that it’s impossible for a man to abide by these codes if no one else around him does. That’s the point. As Roger Ebert said, “In a quiet, sweet way, he is totally unhinged and has lost all touch with reality. His profound sadness, which permeates the touching Whitaker performance, comes from his alienation from human society, his loneliness, his attempt to justify inhuman behavior (murder) with a belief system (the samurai code) that has no connection with his life or his world. Despite the years he's spent studying The Way of the Samurai, he doesn't even reflect that since his master doesn't subscribe to it, their relationship is meaningless.” Whitaker was almost my pick for best actor for his portrayal of the samurai, and his role is representative of the entire style of the movie. There is only a tentative grip on reality throughout the movie. The rapping Italian gangster may seem stupid, as if he’s simply an idiot, but he’s a perfect example of what Jarmusch is illustrating. These people are people who have no concept that the world they love is gone. Unable to adapt, they can only wait for death.

BEST PICTURE:

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

This was a difficult decision to make. I loved Traffic. I loved Shadow of the Vampire. Hell, I loved Blair Witch 2 when everyone else hated it. I felt kind of strange making the decision of saying that Darren Aronofsky’s latest film is the best I’ve seen in 2000. I constantly second-guess myself, and this habit becomes more common with time. But in the end, Requiem for a Dream is not only the first great movie of 2000 that I saw, it’s also the best. Aronofsky is a true filmmaker, one of the few who deserves the moniker “a Darren Aronofsky film” at the beginning of every project. I nearly gave him my support for Best Director, but in the end I had to pay service to Ghost Dog.

With all that good stuff out of the way, it’s time for a nice little “best of” list. Read and enjoy, if you have any comments, I encourage feedback. However, I can’t guarantee your safety if you do.