Michael Lee's Best and Worst of 2000 Film

I'm picking the five films that I want to (or have) seen more than once, and plan to (or already have) on DVD.

I'm limiting myself to five films. I could probably get to eight (by adding Saving Grace, The Gift and Chicken Run), but I don't think I saw enough first run films to justify it.

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
   This movie has something for everyone -- action, romance, and the best fight scenes I've ever seen. It's subtitled, but you'd never notice -- and not because it's all just around the action scenes, but it's that well done. I don't quite agree with Tim's decision to use the Oscar schedule -- I'd rather count it in a year's time for the best of 2001, but since 2000 wasn't a great year, we'll free up a 2001 slot.

2. The X-Men
   The best and most faithful superhero adaptation yet; we knew going in it had perfect casting for Magneto and Professor X, but Hugh Jackman as Wolverine was destiny; and as he carried the movie it's a tribute to his talent and skill in taking a role that was probably the biggest challenge in the film. The movie's biggest flaw is that it leaves you wanting more.

3. High Fidelity
   I reviewed this earlier in the year as well, but since then I've both read the book and seen the movie again when I got it on DVD, and I think it stands up, and by moving it to Chicago from the book's setting of England, the central issues that are the same regardless of location really come through. Besides, how could you do a top-five list and not mention a movie where making top five lists was such a major part!

4. Unbreakable
   I went in without knowing anything besides the title, director, and the two major cast members. To some extent, it suffers because it is from the same director as The Sixth Sense; it's obviously the work of the same director, and so some of the techniques don't work quite as well the second time around, but then, there are also some other techniques that most definitely do work the second time around.

5. Charlie's Angels
   Hysterical, campy fun. I expected this movie to be absolutely terrible -- another old TV series brought back to the big screen. And without Kate Jackson. But really, it's fantastic and fun and a riot. To some extent, I'm putting this on the list because I expect Chicken Run to be on many other people's lists, but because this movie shouldn't have been as good as it was, it gets the edge based on the lowered expectations that I had for it. There's a bit of a natural pairing with the first movie on my list, actually with one being a silly campy film with lots of martial arts action with women at the center of the film, and the other being a serious martial arts action film with women at the center of the film.

Worst of 2000

Mission to Mars: I can handle bad movies that are amusing or entertaining without any problem, and wouldn't complain at all. But this movie fails to be entertaining in any way, it's just that bad. The story is created by someone who took 2001 and Close Encounters and melded them together. It tries to be realistic, so the the scientific failings only stick out more.