Windy Merrill's 2001 Lists

First off, let me start with "ARGH!" With that out of the way, I can now tell you what a terrific year it was for me personally at the movies. Narrowing down to 10 is like eating cheesecake but leaving behind the graham cracker crust. Nonetheless, my list:

1.	LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring No surprise in this one's placing. I adored so many movies this year for so many different reasons, but this was a childhood dream/passion/obsession come to life. I had forgotten what a profound impact these books had on me until I saw this story start to unfold before my eyes and was reduced to tears by it. Packed with incredible performances, enhanced with special effects that you don't even notice, and guided by a man who GETS IT. In future years, this film can only grow to classic status and 2001 will be remembered as the year that the Trilogy started. And before you argue that it's getting my sentimental "I loved those books!" vote, go watch Boromir's final battle and death scene again.
2.	Moulin Rouge Love is like oxygen. It lifts us up where we belong. Love is all you need. And thank Baz Luhrman for knowing that. I'm ashamed of the Academy that it can nominate this brilliant, original film and somehow think that the man who conceived it, wrote it and envisioned it somehow had nothing to do with making it a great film. Baz Luhrman fills that one overlooked part of any true romantic's heart - the kooky, over-the-top, breathless part. The part that makes you sing in the middle of the street because you're in love. And he reminds us why we love movie musicals - because one of the best ways to get at honest truth is to heighten reality to the point that you CAN dance on the clouds, the moon serenades you, and a medley is your best tool in seduction. Here's where it starts to get muddy. #1 & #2 were so far above the rest, it was easy. Now we have about 20 films that slip and slide depending on the day. Today's Tuesday, and here's how it works out.
3.	Amelie Not enough has been said about this movie, because there are still people who haven't seen it. And everybody should! My list clearly shows a fascination with the quirky (see Royal Tenenbaums and Ghost World below), but this film transcended it's own quirk. A runaway garden gnome. A friendly and helpful sex shop worker. Passport picture booths. Paris. The color red. Seeing things no one else notices. This is a movie that puts a glow around the world after you've left the theatre. That reminds us about some basic truths about life and love without ever addressing the subject.
3.2	The Dish If Tim can do it, so can I. And both of these films captured a piece of my heart, and I would therefore be heartbroken to try and pick one I liked better. The Dish embodies all the reasons why film lovers love Australian films. You can count on good dialogue and great characters. And in this case, a tremendous amount of what is tritely called "heart".
4.	In the Bedroom Much has been said about Sissy Spacek's amazing performance in this movie, and rightly so. But it's Tom Wilkinson's eyes that destroyed me. One of the quiestest, slowest, most gentle movies of the year - and one of the most traumatic.
5.	Royal Tenenbaums The part Gene Hackman was born to play. And Owen Wilson. And Danny Glover. And Ben Stiller. A true ensemble piece, Gene Hackman's terrific characterization might overshadow all the depth and sparkle of this true gem. Every scene is packed with details that comment upon and explore the world inhabited by these super-genius, social retards. Laugh out loud funny, with geniunely tragic moments. A truly original film.
6.	Ghost World After Dungeons & Dragons it was easy to believe that Thora Birch's performance in American Beauty was a fluke. Ghost World was a definitive rebuttal. An honest look at life after high school, and a reminder why we all rewrite this part of our lives after we get through it. And once again, Steve Buscemi delivers the quirk as a tasty topping on a heaping helping of honest humanity.
7.	Memento Whether it will stand up to repeated viewings, I don't know. But the first viewing skewed my world profoundly. Guy Pearce is becoming one of my favorite actors to watch. The Time Machine may change all that, but for now I will bask in the afterglow of Memento.
8.	The Others You have to give it up to Nicole Kidman. The woman sure knew how to pick them this year - Moulin Rouge and then this. A haunted house flick delivered with style and precision by Alejandra Amenabar, with two of the spookiest tots ever seen on the screen. More haunted than the house is Nicole Kidman's performance.
9.	Monsters, Inc. Shrek has been the critics favorite, and I genuinely enjoyed it. But Monsters, Inc. touched the kid in me. Maybe it's displaced father-figure stuff, I don't know. But Sully and Boo had one of the most loving, honest relationships on screen this year. The animation was, natch, amazing. We take Pixar for granted. But it's the script and the character development they build into their animated romps that makes them such standouts. That, and a great closet door/rollercoaster chase sequence.
10.	Vanilla Sky Tom Cruise reminds us (again) that there's more to him than the toothy grin. He also gets special extra credit points for seeing the genius in the original Spanish film, and pursuing an English-version remake. Alejandro Amenabar gets the credit for this very profound story, and Cameron Crowe gets the credit for putting the American culture vulture polish on it. But for as terrific as Tom Cruise is in it (and he is), it's Cameron Diaz who stands out with her broken and brittle performance of a woman most men would kill for, but not the man she wants. Extra special doobie points to Jason Lee in his role as the best friend in the shadow of the most successful man in the world.

And in the "but I loved these movies too" category: The Majestic (only in 2001 could this gem be kept off my top ten), Jeepers Creepers (I have a soft spot for good B movies, and original horror flicks), Legally Blonde (Reese Witherspoon made a formula movie fun)

In the "you know, for kids" category: Iron Monkey, Josie and the Pussycats

In the "but boy, they sure were trying and I appreciate that" category: Brotherhood of the Wolf

Worst of the Year

Just cuz we got overloaded with quality this year doesn't mean the studios stopped cranking out the crap. In the year that brought us

1. Planet of the Apes
2. Ghosts of Mars
3. Sweet November, and
4. Tomb Raider

the two stand out stinkers were (for me) unquestionably Glitter and the Musketeer.