Chris Jones' Best of 2000 Film

Movies I should mention I haven't yet seen:

• Wonder Boys
• Erin Brockovich
• Emporer's New Groove
• Gladiator
• Requiem for a Dream

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
   All the dazzling, kinetic power of Hong Kong "wire-fu" movies harnessed to the service of a powerful, character-driven drama with Oscar-caliber performances. Rather than fearing the boundaries of suspension of disbelief for its over-the-top action scenes, this Ang Lee masterpiece leaps gleefully over them. It's characters fly and are clearly acting on a nother plane of reality from we mortals. This film has a fairy tale quality, helped immensely by its beautiful cinematography. My favorite film of the year, it's a "chick flick" with ass-kicking fight scenes. The must-see film of the year.

2. Unbreakable
   M. Night Shyamalan failed to catch lightning in a bottle a second time in terms of equaling the popularity of his freshman offering The Sixth Sense, but this methodical thriller may actually be the superior film. Many people have still yet to see this excellent film, so I won't ruin its surprises here. Even moreso than with The Sixth Sense, some viewers may not stay with the film as it journeys further and further into the fantastics, but even for those that don't the film is worth viewing for the amazing performances by Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.

3. Traffic
   A brilliant ensemble cast dramatizes the frontlines and the futility of the War On Drugs(tm). There's much less speechmaking and preachiness than there easily could have been given the subject matter, and many of the film's observations are genuinely insightful. Stylized motifs in the film's cinematography that could have been distracting actually work in creating a sense of the far-removed worlds of supply and demand.

4. Cast Away
   Tom Hanks clicks off another Oscar-worthy performance in this powerful and moving film. I wish the film's advertising campaign hadn't given away the fact that we see Hanks escape from the island by the end of the film, but while the island portion of the film is compelling and fascinating to watch, it is the film's final act that is the true hard of the film's power.

5. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (uncut)
   Is this one of the 10 best cinematic achievements of the year? No. Was this a kick-ass film that told a great story with characters I love who are too-often mishandled and bungled? Yes. Special kudos to the geniuses at Warner Brothers who followed up their brilliant marketing of the Iron Giant with their brave choice to re-edit and re-animate portions of the film to make it paletable for over-protective parents with unsupervised 5-year-olds.

6. The Gift
   Bleah. Sorry. Still getting the acrid taste of sarcasm out of my mouth. This understated, creepy thriller boasts excellent performances by Cate Blanchett (not surprising), Giovanni Ribisi (well, OK, he's good sometimes...), and Keanu Reeves (WHAT TH--? HAS HELL FROZEN OVER???). I don't know what kind of brick Sam Raimi hit him in the head with, but Keanu is actually good in this. Really, really good. Go figure. Actually, this film might have ranked even higher on my list, but much of the film had a familiar, I've-seen-this-before quality to it. But that might just be a side effect of coming out in the year after The Sixth Sense and other supernatural thrillers.

7. X-Men
   OK, stop bitching about the black costumes. The comic book costumes would have looked rediculous. Whether rendered in spandex or molded latex ala the Batman films, we were better off with this look. Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto anchor this surprisingly moody and thoughtful film that is light on action and heavy on characterization. A sequel is on the way and the enjoyable original allows some room for improvement. Expecially if they recast Halle Berry as Storm...

8. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
   They're in a tight spot, and the road to salvation takes a detour through Homer's The Odyssey. Typical Coen brothers lunacy, this film is hysterical and full of great moments and performances. After viewing it, I now want to go re-read The Odyssey to figure out what jokes I missed...

9. Snatch
   Funnier and more polished than Guy Ritchie's first film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, this is a gritty comedy about second- and thrid-rate British and American hoods all chasing after a really big diamond. And Brad Pitt demonstrates once again that he's not trying to build a career solely on his pretty-boy looks.

10. Keeping the Faith
    Nearly forgotten by the end of the year, this Edward Norton film (he starred AND directed) with Ben Stiller and Jenna Elfman was both funny and an insightful view of three modern characters having a crisis of faith. Seek this one out if you missed it!

Honerable Mentions:

Willem Dafoe's performance in Shadow of the Vampire
I thought the film as a whole was a mixed success, but Willem Dafoe's performance is stunning as he creates a truly inhuman yet sympathetic creature of the night.

Dishonerable Mentions:

1. Mission to Mars
   Crap acting. Crap story. Written by someone who got an F in basic physics.

2. Battlefield Earth
   John Travolta thinks this will be looked back on as a classic film and wants to make a sequel. He needs electro-shock therapy.

3. The Grinch
   Brilliant Grinch make-up. Brilliant performance by Jim Carrey that isn't quite true to the character. And a script that completely misses the point. What a waste.