Nobody disagrees that this was a year of explosive consequences. On-screen, in the military action movie Pearl Harbor, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay re-created history with a detailed reenactment of the Japanese invasion that catapulted America into World War II. Off-screen, on Sept. 11, people stayed glued to the TV and watched the World Trade Center and Pentagon fall victim to terrorist attacks.
Later in the week, as Americans tried to make sense of all that had happened, it was clear that many of us were experiencing our first "Where were you when ..." moment of shared disaster. Suddenly, in light of 9/11, Pearl Harbor's story of a catastrophic tragedy became more personal. It's no surprise that DVD copies of Bay's poorly reviewed film are currently flying off store shelves.
Before 9/11, Hollywood studios were enjoying another year of record-setting box office. After 9/11, studio execs were debating the types of movies needed to pull people away from cable news channels.
The odyssey known as 2001 will be over soon. It's the perfect time to look back at the cinematic hits and hurts. What you'll find in this wrap: Newcomer Naomi Watts shares the secrets behind her sexy, star-making performance in Mulholland Drive. Wes Anderson faces the hype as Hollywood's "It Boy" director for The Royal Tenenbaums. Acts of risky moviemaking, overexposed performers and female storytelling are listed, labeled and checked twice.
What you won't find: Top 10 Lists of 2001's Best Films and Best Performances. There's only so much you can say in one section. So be patient and check out CityBeat's Best-of lists in the Jan. 3 issue.
JANUARY
Director Henry Bean's The Believer, a riveting drama about a young religion student who becomes a neo-fascist, wins the Dramatic Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and fails to secure a major distribution deal. The Believer remains one of the year's best films seen by too few people.
I Saw It on the Internet: Lord of the Rings Web site begins a year's worth of the hype for Peter Jackson's fantasy epic.
Good News: Audiences flock to the complex and gritty drug-trade drama Traffic.
Bad News: Hollywood studios ignore Traffic's box-office success and continue to release vacant fluff like Antitrust and Save the Last Dance.
"Sundance is like any big convention. It's a boat show. Who's got the biggest boat? Who's got the flashiest boat? Hey, C'mon and check out my boat. It's a boat show, well, except with films." -- Actress Ann Magnuson, at Sundance to promote her role in Kasi Lemmons' premiere film The Caveman's Valentine.
FEBRUARY
Hannibal, director Ridley Scott's gory sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, becomes the first blockbuster hit of 2001.
Worth Watching: Director Sean Penn's taut murder mystery, The Pledge, and Willem Dafoe's role as actor Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire, director E. Elias Merhige's homage to the silent horror classic, Nosferatu.
Worthless: The embarrassingly unfunny comedy Saving Silverman; Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron generating zero sparks in the romance, Sweet November; and Kevin Costner donning an embarrassing Elvis costume in the lame-o caper drama 3000 Miles to Graceland.
"You don't pretend to be a movie star. I wanted to have a job in a theater in a town somewhere. I thought I would work at the local theater company and do plays." -- Julianne Moore, who replaced Jodie Foster as FBI Agent Clarice Starling in Hannibal.
MARCH
Oscar Gold goes to Ang Lee's martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich) and director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic).
Well Reviewed: Writer/director Robert Rodriguez's rousing family adventure Spy Kids and Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang's detailed family drama Yi Yi.
Best Ignored: Ho-hum gross-out comedy Say It Isn't So and Ashley Judd's superficial romance Someone Like You.
"Two things are most rewarding to me. One is from the filmmaker's perspective. I get a chance to do it. That is the most rewarding thing. I've done it. The other thing is that I think it works as a movie, a pure movie. It's not a film. It's a movie-movie experience, and I think that's really how people look at it and talk about it. The reason I wanted to do this movie is because it's fun and emotional. That has been very rewarding, the feedback from the audience." -- Ang Lee, whose film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon took home four Oscars.
APRIL
Juliette Binoche's heartfelt performance as the wife of 19th century French Canadian military officer in The Widow of Saint-Pierre offers calm before the summertime frenzy.
Surprise Flops: Real-life cartoon Josie and the Pussycats; Liv Tyler/Michael Douglas sex farce One Night at McCool's and shock-comic Tom Green's shocking comedy Freddy Got Fingered.
Surprise Hits: Renée Zellweger comedy Bridget Jones' Diary, and director Christopher Nolan's noirish thriller Memento.
"I like it when people feel a little bit uncomfortable. I like it when people aren't sure what's going to happen next. That's walking along that line and then when it comes out on the positive, then, people can take a breath. Hopefully they like the character and think he's kind of a goofy goof guy and they'll go on to the next scene and laugh again." -- Tom Green, speaking about Freddy Got Fingered.
MAY
Audiences flock to the sequel The Mummy Returns and animated fairy tale Shrek jump-starting the summer box office race in impressive fashion.
Old Day of Infamy: Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay's World War II epic opens to mixed reviews. Months later, Pearl Harbor would be redeemed by its worldwide box office take.
New Day of Infamy: Director Wayne Wang's unrated drama The Center of the World opens in Cincinnati after Esquire Theatre operator Gary Goldman cuts a sex scene.
"I'm all for people picking apart films. I think it's great. It keeps people thinking I do it. But the thing about Pearl Harbor is every single person I ask who was alive in that era say that's exactly how they remember it." -- Pearl Harbor star Josh Hartnett, addressing the film's many critics.
JUNE
Nicole Kidman sings, dances and vamps her way through the year's sexiest performance, playing nightclub singer Satine in Baz Luhrmann's high-energy musical Moulin Rouge.
Losing Streak of Awful Summer Movies: What's the Worst That Could Happen?, The Animal, Evolution and Swordfish.
Thumbs Down: David Manning from the Ridgefield Press, a make-believe film critic created by the marketing department of Sony Pictures, gives good reviews to The Animal.
"Baz sent me some flowers when I was doing this play backstage with a note saying, 'I have this great character for you. She sings, she dances and then she dies,' and that piqued my interest." -- actress Nicole Kidman on accepting the lead role in Moulin Rouge.
July
Big Misses: Tim Burton's chaotic remake of Planet of the Apes and Joe Johnston's plot-less Jurassic Park III. It's clear that both directors needed more time to make their films.
Little Hits: With a Friend Like Harry, director Dominik Moll's sly thriller is a worthy homage to Hitchcock. Ben Kingsley's vicious gangster leaps from the screen in director Jonathan Glazer's thrilling crime drama, Sexy Beast.
"One of my favorite roles of the past few years was Ed Norton's in American History X. I remember within minutes of sitting down with Jonathan (Glazer), we described Don as a flying ax-head coming toward you. When the writing is that good and you're working with such terrific people, something in you frees up. The body is dictated by who the man is." -- Ben Kingsley, speaking about his role in Sexy Beast.
AUGUST
Money-Go-Round: Rush Hour 2 breaks weekend box office records, besting the totals set by Jurassic Park III and Planet of the Apes two weeks earlier.
Smaller films like Ghost World, The Princess Diaries and The Others compensate for uninspired releases like Original Sin, Summer Catch and Ghosts of Mars.
"Kung fu now is a part of pop culture. If you watch any movie, including Shrek, including Charlie's Angels, there is a kung fu sequence in the movie. Kung fu has always been in the urban culture. Black kids always went to kung fu movies and I also grew up a gig fan of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Today, Jackie Chan is to 10-year-old kids what Eddie Murphy was to me." -- Brett Ratner, director of both Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2.
SEPTEMBER
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon halt the Toronto International Film Festival. When the festival resumes the following day, French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet's childlike fantasy, Amélie, an eye-popping tale about a pixyish waitress (Audrey Tautou) in Paris' Montmartre neighborhood, proves to be the best diversion from the tragic events.
"Children have a big power of imagination and usually people lose this power as they grow older. I don't know why, but I kept it. Part of my brain doesn't work with mathematical problems. It's like a spider's web. But with imagination, I have no problem. It's a gift."-- Jean-Pierre Jeunet, speaking about Amélie.
OCTOBER
Hollywood executives debate what type of movies audiences want to see in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The results are surprising. Comedies like Corky Romano and Zoolander flop, while gritty dramas like Don't Say a Word and Training Day attract sizable audiences.
"Nobody knew after Sept. 11 what to do with any films that had any rough content in it. We as Americans had no idea if another show was going to drop. Was another attack going to happen? So you're worried about everything. You're worried about going to a shopping mall." -- Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down.
NOVEMBER
Monsters, Inc. becomes the Holiday Season's first monster hit. Two weeks later, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone proves that a mediocre movie can become a phenomenon with blitz marketing and a loyal fan base.
Meanwhile, adults have to put up with losers like Spy Game, Behind Enemy Lines and The Last Castle.
DECEMBER
One year after its Web site began the frenzy, Peter Jackson's first installment of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) opens to critical acclaim and frenzied anticipation. At 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 19, LOTR fanatics pack theaters for special midnight screenings. The wait is over.
Christmas Cheers: Wes Anderson's New York comedy, The Royal Tenenbaums; the time-travel romance Kate and Leopold, the Tom Cruise thriller, Vanilla Sky and the Ridley Scott action movie, Black Hawk Down.
Christmas Jeers: Clumsy melodramas like The Shipping News and I Am Sam and lifeless special-effects films like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. ©
