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Best and Worst clockwise from top left: Michael
Douglas in Wonder Boys; Ellen Burstyn in
Requiem for a Dream; Björk in Dancer in
the Dark; John Travolta in Battlefield Earth
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Another 12 months of moviegoing comes to a close with the inevitable complaining about the lack of quality. From this film critic's perspective, the annual round-up of the year's best and worst films shows most of the whining to be unfounded. Granted, there are plenty of candidates for the year's worst films. But there are also a surprising number of significant films, performances and directing efforts to remind me just how joyful a trip to the movies can be.
CityBeat's attempt at a numerical lineup of the year's movies includes all art-house releases and studio blockbusters that opened in 2000. A few of these movies won't arrive in Cincinnati theaters until early 2001. Including these "upcoming" films is my way of keeping Cincinnati in sync with the rest of the moviegoing planet.
Best Films · Steve Ramos
1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Director Ang Lee combines breathtaking action, spectacular landscapes and incredible stunts into a nostalgic vision of Imperial China. A timeless adventure about the battle between a martial artist (Chow Yun-Fat), his lifelong love (Michelle Yeoh) and a female assassin (Cheng Pei-pei) over a magical sword, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a martial arts western that's both poetic and spiritual.
2. You Can Count on Me
First-time writer/director Kenneth Lonergan tackles the meaning of the modern-day family with this poignant tale about two siblings (Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo), orphaned at an early age and reunited as adults. Of all the American films this year, none offers a more humanistic portrait than You Can Count on Me.
3. Dancer in the Dark
Daring filmmaking from Lars von Trier makes his song-and-dance melodrama about a Czech immigrant (Pop singer Björk) struggling to save the eyesight of her young son into a momentous experience. Dancer in the Dark is one of those love-it-or-hate-it films. Personally, I love it.
4. Yi Yi
Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang (A Brighter Summer Day, A Confucian Confusion) creates an epic drama around the lives of a middle-class Taiwanese family. As substantial and lyrical as a novel, Yi Yi is a cinematic masterpiece worthy of a sizable audience.
5. Requiem for a Dream
Innovative editing and a Hip Hop aesthetic allow director Darren Aronofsky to capture the feeling of mind-altering drugs in the shocking addiction drama Requiem for a Dream. An adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel, Ellen Burstyn's performance as diet-pill-addicted Sara Goldfarb is the emotional core of the film.
6. Chuck & Buck
Class prejudices, childlike obsessions, homosexuality and lost innocence are the driving themes in director Miguel Arteta's dark drama about childhood friends who reunite as adults. Mike White delivers a stunning screenplay and lead performance as Buck, a simple-minded hero with a lollipop.
7. Not One Less
The hardships of peasant life are powerfully captured by veteran Chinese filmmaker, Zhang Yimou. His documentarylike tale about a 13-year-old substitute teacher becomes the source of poignant drama.
8. Quills
Stand-out performances by Kate Winslet and Geoffrey Rush breathe life into director Philip Kaufman's drama about the Marquis de Sade. The result is an absorbing tale of artistic expression, sexual power and political danger.
9. The Color of Paradise
A transcendent climax is the highlight of Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi's heart-wrenching drama about a father's reluctance to care for his blind son in Iran's north country.
10. Time Code
Director Mike Figgis pushed the boundaries of video technology in dazzling fashion. Time Code unspools four separate stories via four simultaneous images. The impact is truly dazzling.
Runners-up
Almost Famous, Before Night Falls, Black and White, Croupier, Girl on the Bridge, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, A Pornographic Affair, Shower, Traffic, Wonder Boys
Best Films · Rodger Pille
1. Gladiator
It wasn't supposed to be this good. It was a popcorn movie with an untested star. Yet Gladiator ambushed moviegoers with more force than any action movie, more heart than any three-hankie weeper and more sheer spectacle than any movie since Braveheart.
2. Almost Famous
To watch someone fall in love on screen is one of the true treasures of cinema. To watch someone fall in love while the object of his affection gets her stomach pumped is inspired genius.
3. Cast Away
Make no mistake: This title is two words on purpose. Tom Hanks' transformation is what people will remember. But it's his character's gut-wrenching realization that he has been forgotten that makes this film extraordinary.
4. Erin Brockovich
I hate Julia Roberts movies. I loved Erin Brockovich. Draw your own conclusions.
5. High Fidelity
Top five things to love about High Fidelity: John Cusack doing what John Cusack does best; great soundtrack; amazing supporting cast; best use of addressing the camera since Ferris Bueller; and a Bruce Springsteen cameo.
6. Unbreakable
A comic book movie done as a straight-up drama. No camp. No special effects. No ubiquitous action figure marketing. This is the thinking man's X-Men. Storyteller M. Night Shyamalan is here to stay.
7. The Tao of Steve
A romantic comedy for the new century. Anchored by the career-making performance of Donal Logue, The Tao of Steve is, hands-down, the most genuine film of the year. Sweet. Simple. Perfect.
8. Mission: Impossible 2
We have come to expect that agent Ethan Hunt could do anything. In the hands of director John Woo, he can. And watching him try is a joyride. Each adrenalized segment is more over-the-top than the last. We're too blown away to question it.
9. State and Main
When the most intelligent and scathing writer in Hollywood takes on the movie industry, what you get is a bitter, funny inside look at how films are made. David Mamet is on top of his game and the cast, top to bottom, is to die for.
10. Chicken Run
It sounds easy to do, but no other movie found a way to truly entertain kids and adults alike this year. Chicken Run found the right blend of innocent charm and sophisticated wit to make everyone giggle with glee. It's a rare feat.
Runners-up
Best in Show, Charlie's Angels, The Exorcist re-release, Meet the Parents, Nurse Betty, The Perfect Storm, Proof of Life, Return To Me, Steal This Movie, You Can Count on Me
Worst Films · Steve Ramos
1. Bless the Child
Kim Basinger battles devil worshippers in this unintentionally laughable attempt at an occult thriller.
2. Boys and Girls
Pretty faces Freddie Prinze Jr. and Claire Forlani strike out in a coed, copycat version of Annie Hall. There is nothing romantic about this wannabe romance.
3. Battlefield Earth
John Travolta looks foolish as a mean-spirited alien in his sci-fi homage to Scientology.
4. Gone in 60 Seconds
Repetitive car chases smother Nicolas Cage under a blanket of popcorn dullness. Gone in 60 Seconds is as bad as summer actioners get.
5. The In Crowd
No amount of pretty faces, hard bodies and sexual foreplay can save director Mary Lambert's dull attempt at a country club thriller.
6. Isn't She Great?
There is no escaping Bette Midler embarrassing herself as flamboyant author Jacqueline Susann, creator of Valley of the Dolls. Midler's overacting is enough to make you wince.
7. Bedazzled
Elizabeth Hurley's constant ass-wiggling fails to jolt any comic life into director Harold Ramis' sorry remake of the 1967 Dudley Moore-Peter Cook comedy.
8. Whatever It Takes
Up-and-comers Shane West, James Franco and Marla Sokoloff sputter in a GenY update of Cyrano de Bergerac. It's sad to watch a classic tale dissolve into a dull, high school version of the dating game.
9. Big Momma's House
An avalanche of gross-out gags fails to generate one laugh out of Martin Lawrence in a fat woman's suit. You know a film is desperate when it resorts to showing an overweight woman wiggling her naked butt.
10. Where the Money Is
The sparkle is gone from Paul Newman's eyes in this dull caper comedy. As a veteran bank robber who undertakes one last heist, Newman's charms are completely wasted.
Runners-up
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Duets, Hanging Up, Lost Souls, Loves Labour's Lost, Pay It Forward, Scream 3, Screwed, Trixie, Where the Heart Is
Worst Films · Rodger Pille
1. Battlefield Earth
While bashing Travolta's love-letter to L. Ron Hubbard has become cliché, there's a very solid reason: The film is downright awful. Even five out of five dentists could agree on this.
2. Mission to Mars
I feel sorry for the A-list cast behind this heartbreak. The film had such promise. Instead it turned into a bad TV-movie version of Contact. By the way, that A-list cast is now on the B-list.
3. Scream 3
Jenny McCarthy bragged at the time that she had a choice between being in the final chapter of the once-clever Scream franchise or its spoof, Scary Movie. She chose Scream 3 and boy-howdy did she choose wrong. It's dead, right? Please, tell me it's dead.
4. What Lies Beneath
Robert Zemeckis made this flick while on hiatus from Cast Away. Sadly, he left his brilliance on the island. What Lies Beneath may well be an ingenious ode to every film Hitchcock made, but I couldn't bear sitting through it again to figure it out.
5. Autumn in New York
If I ever meet Richard Gere or Winona Ryder, I'm going to demand two hours of my life back. They had about as much chemistry as a religion classroom.
6. American Psycho
While the camera creeps in on Christian Bale in the closing seconds of American Psycho, he states with regret, "This confession has meant nothing." He's absolutely right. Fight Club proved that tough novels can adapt to film. This one just didn't.
7. Little Nicky
Whoever gave the creator of Opera Man carte blanche in Hollywood should be forced to watch this film for all eternity. Adam Sandler can be funny at times. It's amazing that this film managed to capture not one of those times.
8. Godzilla 2000
Suddenly Matthew Broderick's version looks good. Apparently neither hemisphere can make this outdated creation enjoyable. Not that either hemisphere will stop trying ... .
9. Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Any credibility Peter Fonda gained from Ulee's Gold a few years ago was shot to hell when he agreed to appear in this cinematic mess. And Alec Baldwin? He was supposed to be the smart one in his family.
10. Whipped
Memo to Amanda Peet: Fire your agent and disavow any knowledge of this film. Next to Whipped, American Pie looks high-brow. And funny.
Runners-Up
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Beautiful, Digimon, Dr. T and the Women, Duets, Emperor's New Groove, Hanging Up, Play It to the Bone, U-571, Woman on Top
Noteworthy Efforts · Steve Ramos
1. Ellen Burstyn -- Requiem for a Dream
Burstyn was unforgettable as a pathetic spinster. As Sara Goldfarb, addicted to diet pills, Burstyn's path to destruction resonated powerfully.
2. Steven Soderbergh -- Erin Brockovich and Traffic
Soderbergh's deft direction inspired Julia Roberts to her best performance as Erin Brockovich. In the ensemble drug drama, Traffic, Soderbergh's lively camerawork kept the epic drama straightforward and compelling.
3. Mike White -- Chuck & Buck
In addition to writing the film's screenplay, White took command of the film as Buck O'Brien, a 27-year-old man who acts and thinks like an 11-year-old. His performance created a poignant, childlike hero.
4. Lars von Trier -- Dancer in the Dark
Courageous filmmaking by von Trier confirms his status as a world-class filmmaker. Filming musical numbers with 100 digital video cameras is noteworthy only when commandeered by a master storyteller like von Trier.
5. Kate Hudson -- Almost Famous
Hudson's heartfelt performance as Rock & Roll groupie Penny Lane put the shadow of her mother Goldie Hawn to rest. Now Hudson is an acclaimed actress in her own right.
Noteworthy Efforts · Rodger Pille
1. Michael Douglas -- Wonder Boys
A grayer and older Douglas went the dramatic distance as frumpy English professor Grady Tripp in Wonder Boys.
2. Ridley Scott -- Gladiator
Scott made an old-fashioned, blood-and-sandals epic worthy of comparisons to Ben-Hur and Spartacus.
3. Laura Linney -- You Can Count on Me
Linney's emotionally charged performance as an uptight single mom helped make You Can Count on Me a subtle and substantial drama.
4. Cameron Crowe -- Almost Famous
Writer/director Crowe managed to balance equal parts of sweet nostalgia and Rock & Roll fandom into his semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age tale.
5. Jack Black -- High Fidelity
Black nearly stole the film away from star John Cusack. Black's performance as one of Cusack's wacky record store clerks resulted in one of the year's best comic riffs.
