29 December 2000

GEORGE WASHINGTON
This is one of those magical little movies that film festivals are all about. It’s not really a movie for everyone, but it is a remarkable debut by David Gordon Green, and it is a beautiful, tiny story about a young man and his world.

GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI
I was never a big Jim Jarmusch fan, but Ghost Dog hit me right between the eyes. Violent, silly, angry, funny, touching, powerful, moral, immoral... it’s all there. Forest Whitaker is great, and the real surprises are a funny, funky performance by Henry Silva and a truly twisted turn by Cliff Gorman.

THE GIRL ON THE BRIDGE
This would be in my Top Ten, except that it was in my Top Ten last year. You see, I saw it at Telluride and immediately fell in love. But I decided that this year, I’m including only movies that have been released in this calendar year. So it isn’t fair to give it a Top Ten slot. A brilliant movie about love, loss, and hope from Patrice Leconte, one of my very favorite directors.

KIKUJIRO
A comedy from "Beat" Takeshi, Japan’s leading tough-guy actor and highly respected director. In Kikujiro, Takeshi does a spin on his image as a dangerous man because he has a child to deal with. It’s a Hollywood formula as old as the hills, but Takeshi’s slow, careful pacing makes it fresh again.

THE LIFESTYLE
A documentary that is definitely not for the kids. It may not even be for many adults. The lifestyle at issue is swinging, and this movie is mostly about 45-plus aged swingers. Surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of sex, though there is a boatload of nudity. But the film is really about people. They happen to have a unique perspective on life but, then again, you will recognize the majority of the life, which is as plain as white bread. A fascinating film.

MEET THE PARENTS
The best comedy of 2000. All the pieces fell together just right. De Niro’s comedy work has never been better, and he is as funny as he is dramatic. Ben Stiller is still America’s favorite punching bag. Owen Wilson delivers a great cameo. And the overall movie hits every cylinder of the story, with which everyone who has ever met the parents can identify.

ME, MYSELF & IRENE
I laughed my butt off at this raunchy bit of insanity from the Brothers Farrelly. You can’t go much further to the edge in the R-rated universe, but if you want to laugh, you will do so out loud.

THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY
Perhaps the best-directed comedy concert film ever. Spike Lee did a wonderful job of making the audience a part of the movie... and the audience is a big part of the concert experience, never more so than on a comedy tour of major comedy names in the black community.

REMEMBER THE TITANS
A last-minute entry after seeing it care of a tape from Disney. I liked the idea of this movie when I saw the trailers... a sucker for feel-good films. And when I saw the movie, I was surprised that it was every bit as hokey as expected and much more enjoyable than I saw coming. A real delight.

SHANGHAI NOON
I didn’t expect much here. I liked Rush Hour, but not as much as some. But the combination of Jackie Chan and the completely off-the-wall Owen Wilson surprised and delighted me. Even Jackie Chan expanded his range. A fun, silly romp.

TIMECODE
A Mike Figgis tour de force of technology and theatrical genius. Four digital cameras roll and don’t stop until the tape runs out. The story unfolds, in a combination of improvisation and very careful scheduling. I don’t know of any other filmmaker who could have made this movie happen. Sure, it was a bit of a gimmick film. But this is no juggling monkey. It’s more on the level of making the Statue of Liberty disappear. Hard-core magic.

A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES
Very powerful story of children living on the edge of the abyss, literally on the border of Iran and Iraq. There is no positive answer, but there is still faith in the raw power of the human spirit. A beautiful movie, visually and emotionally.

WAKING THE DEAD
Another version of Endless Love, arriving at Sundance because the director is a well-liked arty guy, I assumed. But this movie was so much better than that. Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly were ethereal and dark and real. Keith Gordon made the film into an unbalanced puzzle of romantic pain and joy. A film that makes you feel and think.

WAY OF THE GUN
Another great surprise. Chris McQuarrie took aim at two or three genres in this dark tale, but managed to make his way through with very few missteps. Another very strong Benicio Del Toro performance and a great turn by James Caan. A nice genre piece that just didn’t have a studio that could find a hook to promote it properly. A big video hit to be.

WHAT LIES BENEATH
This year’s Psycho remake. Bob Zemeckis took the Hitchcock Bible and added a few new pages that The Master hadn’t come up with. Again, it’s one of those movies that that critics decided not to ride with going in, although audiences couldn’t get enough. Here’s the drill... take off the thinking cap and just enjoy the ride. Zemeckis is a genre master and his work here is as masterful as any he’s done.

WONDER BOYS
Terrific, personal kind of movie. All the performances are great, and Michael Douglas deserves kudos for having the guts to scruff up and age after a career of dressing up and playing against young women. (And sometimes, marrying them!) But it is Tobey Maguire who hits the home run here for me. A great, weird, mischievous performance. Every film critic in the world feels like a failed wonder boy at times, so there’s no wonder why we all connected... or why the general audiences did not.

YOU CAN COUNT ON ME
I really like this movie a lot. Laura Linney is wonderful. The script is smart and quirky and true to life. And Mark Ruffalo is nothing less than a young Marlon Brando... we’ll see if he can keep up with that level of praise. A terrific movie... definitely Top Fifteen.

 
PAGE THREE: The Top Ten