BEST MOVIE OF THE 21st CENTURY: DECADE ONE/YEAR ONE - 2000

[Addendum]

Battle Royale kicks ass

I haven't seen the movie in any store here in town, but I got a copy of the book.

And the book is excellent

 

[FVD]

On the list:

Cast Away

NOT on the list:

Memento (My official number 1)
Chicken Run
The Emperor's New Groove
Unbreakable
Frequency

With polls like this, though, there's always gonna be SOME good movies missing - great idea nonetheless!

At least we got another Frequency on here. I so loved that movie. Which is why after I mentioned it, I just had to see it again.

 

[thejon93]

Thank God the poll was multiple choice, because I honestly had trouble deciding for just one. But, the ones that I picked were: 'Titan A.E.', 'American Psycho', 'Meet The Parents' and, of course, 'Cast Away'. The best movie of that year (for me) was probably 'Cast Away'. 'Titan A.E.' just surprised the hell outta me. After hearing so many split opinions on the movie, I finally decided to go and see it myself. And I personally found it to be quite fascinating. Certainly not the greatest of the "Tales From Outer Space", but a gem that I deeply enjoy watching. 'Meet The Parents' is just one of my favourite comedies, plain and simple. Possibly comes to #2 or #3 of my favourite Stiller comedies. And 'American Psycho'... these are the kind of comedies that don't come around to often, but I enjoy the hell out of all of them. 'Bad Santa', 'The Ice Harvest', among others... I love dark comedies, and this one is just terrific.

 

[Sarge 2.0]

Isn't Bad Santa from like, 2004ish?

 

[thejon93]

Isn't Bad Santa from like, 2004ish?

I was refering to other movies in the dark comedy genre. Not necessarily from the same year or time-frame.

 

[Sarge 2.0]

Gotcha.

 

[Evil Twin]

Just to add some content, a few thoughts on the movies.

How I would have ranked the top.

1. Memento

Memory, identity, and lies collide in Christopher Nolan's breakthrough film. The structure of the film is ingenious as we shift backwards in time in the same position as the protagonist who has no short term memory. The form and the content work together to create a unique experience. And Guy Pearce is the glue that holds the enterprise together. Expertly crafted, unique, and well thought out, it's the real deal and a high concept that delivers.

2. Requiem for a Dream

The dream being referenced is the American Dream. People tantalized by big dreams, appearing on television, owning their own business, making it, and succumbing to a variety of addictions. It's starkly ugly and beautiful all at the same time. And Ellen Burstyn gives a knockout performance at the center of it all.

3. Traffic

Soderbergh's complex, multi-layered movie about the drug trade, how it connects all of us, and the lack of easy answers. Well acted and Soderbergh's decision to use different color schemes for each thread instantly keeps the audience informed on what story they are watching. Other movies have strived for this complexity of narrative this decade, Babel for instance, but Traffic does it best.

And, the case against Gladiator.

Gladiator is an entertaining film and I have no real beef with it winning the poll, although it didn't get my vote. But it's not a great movie. The purpose of Gladiator seems to be, let's remake Ben Hur but with 100X more violence and excitement. They try real hard, but there's really nothing 1/10th as memorable and well done as the chariot race from Ben Hur in Gladiator.

And, despite the high gloss, this is really nothing except a well done revenge story. It's ultimately about nothing else. The historical setting is largely irrelevant, you could have made it a sci fi epic and told the same plot. Commodus, while acted well, is cartoon villainy and tells us little about the corruption of the actual Roman emperor. The political intrigue doesn't go anywhere. And despite their skill in covering it up, Oliver Reed is missed.

Which is not to say it's a bad film. Russell Crowe is at his most charismatic and crowd pleasing in the film. It's handsomely filmed, paced well, has fine action, a rousing score, and is well acted. It just doesn't provide much room for discussion or thought past its running time. Russell Crowe asks "Are you not entertained?" and we are, but it doesn't offer any deeper questions.

 

[Mister H.]

^ Good stuff Evil Twin. I've always felt Gladiator was an overrated film.

My top 5 from 2000 would be:

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2. Cast Away
3. Requiem For A Dream
4. Memento
5. X-Men

 

[Sarge 2.0]

Just to add some content, a few thoughts on the movies.

How I would have ranked the top.

1. Memento

Memory, identity, and lies collide in Christopher Nolan's breakthrough film. The structure of the film is ingenious as we shift backwards in time in the same position as the protagonist who has no short term memory. The form and the content work together to create a unique experience. And Guy Pearce is the glue that holds the enterprise together. Expertly crafted, unique, and well thought out, it's the real deal and a high concept that delivers.

2. Requiem for a Dream

The dream being referenced is the American Dream. People tantalized by big dreams, appearing on television, owning their own business, making it, and succumbing to a variety of addictions. It's starkly ugly and beautiful all at the same time. And Ellen Burstyn gives a knockout performance at the center of it all.

3. Traffic

Soderbergh's complex, multi-layered movie about the drug trade, how it connects all of us, and the lack of easy answers. Well acted and Soderbergh's decision to use different color schemes for each thread instantly keeps the audience informed on what story they are watching. Other movies have strived for this complexity of narrative this decade, Babel for instance, but Traffic does it best.

And, the case against Gladiator.

Gladiator is an entertaining film and I have no real beef with it winning the poll, although it didn't get my vote. But it's not a great movie. The purpose of Gladiator seems to be, let's remake Ben Hur but with 100X more violence and excitement. They try real hard, but there's really nothing 1/10th as memorable and well done as the chariot race from Ben Hur in Gladiator.

And, despite the high gloss, this is really nothing except a well done revenge story. It's ultimately about nothing else. The historical setting is largely irrelevant, you could have made it a sci fi epic and told the same plot. Commodus, while acted well, is cartoon villainy and tells us little about the corruption of the actual Roman emperor. The political intrigue doesn't go anywhere. And despite their skill in covering it up, Oliver Reed is missed.

Which is not to say it's a bad film. Russell Crowe is at his most charismatic and crowd pleasing in the film. It's handsomely filmed, paced well, has fine action, a rousing score, and is well acted. It just doesn't provide much room for discussion or thought past its running time. Russell Crowe asks "Are you not entertained?" and we are, but it doesn't offer any deeper questions.

I agree with pretty much everything you said about Gladiator.

It's a great entertainment, but it never quite gets beyond the shallow end of the pool.

 

[WeaponXProject]

I'd say Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Memento, American Psycho, There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, LOTR: Two Towers, Slumdog Millionaire, Catch Me If You Can, Blood Diamond, The Host and 28 Days Later.

Edit: So out of all them I'm stuck between:
1. There Will Be Blood.
2. Adaptation
3. No Country for Old Men.

 

[JRPJCDJC]

The case being made against Gladiator is a good one. The first thing I checked after seeing it was the historical accuracy and, well, it was 'off.' If that would have been closer to the truth I think it would have been even better. I personally think '300' is better than 'Gladiator' and for the year 2000 I'm probably going to go with something else. Hell, I might even like 'Troy' more than 'Gladiator.' Could be because I had heard ALL the hype before I even saw this and maybe I was expecting too much. I was honestly expecting it to be, hands down, the BEST MOVIE OF THE 21ST CENTURY! I'm not even sure it's Russell Crowe's best movie of this century. Either 'The Patriot' or 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' is what I'm probably going to go with for 2000.

 

[WeaponXProject]

Hell, I might even like 'Troy' more than 'Gladiator.'.

Gladiator may be overrated but Troy was by far the most over-hyped crap movie. Melodramatic crap. It wasn't even close to expectations.

I agree with most on how Gladiator wasn't the best movie but it's a cool "guys" movie and is well done. Decent story, good suspense, good action, great villain, and good visuals. But both Troy and Gladiator are completely historically innacurate.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

So, so many!

Vanilla Sky
Dead End
American Psycho
American Beauty
Kung Fu Hustle
Shoalin Soccer
TDK
Batman Begins
Juno
40 year old Virgin
Borat
Donnie Darko
Spider-Man 1 and 2.
X2
Transformers
Iron Man
Watchmen
Star Trek
King Kong
Equilibrium
Forgetting Sarah Marshell
Castaway
LOTR 1 and 2
Passion Of The Christ
Casino Royale
300
Final Destination
28 days later
Kill Bill vol 1 and 2
Saw
Clerks 2
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Zach and Miri
Shawn Of The Dead
Rocky Balboa
Cellular
Jeepers creepers

 

[Sarge 2.0]

This thread is just for the year 2000.

And uh, Jeepers Creepers and Cellular? Really?

 

[Evil Twin]

I will say I don't begrudge anyone their enjoyment of Gladiator. And, certainly, it's an ideal introduction to the whole swords & sandals / historical epic genre. I do think that if you've seen Ben Hur and I, Claudius (starring Derek Jacobi who's also in Gladiator) first, some of the shine is taken off. And, if you enjoy Gladiator and haven't seen them, I'd recommend the latter as follow ups.

In many ways, a great movie for me works on more than one level. The most basic level is that of entertainment. Gladiator scores close to a 10 for me on that measure. No movie can be called great if it doesn't pass that test. The other measures are more intangible. Does the movie contain ideas? Does it communicate a love of the medium? Does it do something different with form or content than we've seen before? Does it give you something that sticks past the running time? etc. That's where I think Gladiator comes up short.

 

[Sarge 2.0]

Exactly. A lot of films function as great entertainments, but not necessarily great films. However, some films function so perfectly as entertainments that they might as well be called great films. Goldfinger, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws, etc.

 

[Episode29]

I'm reeeaaally not a fan of Gladiator. I thought it was dull and with some of the cheesiest CG background compositing ever witnessed. Toss in a handful of incomprehensible actions sequences and endless scenes of uninspired political intrigue and....

I agree that Crowe was pretty darn good, but not "Best Actor" of 2000 good.

As far as Ridley Scott sandal epics go, I'll take Kingdom Of Heaven (regular or DC) any day of the week.

 

[JRPJCDJC]

Gladiator may be overrated but Troy was by far the most over-hyped crap movie. Melodramatic crap. It wasn't even close to expectations.

I agree with most on how Gladiator wasn't the best movie but it's a cool "guys" movie and is well done. Decent story, good suspense, good action, great villain, and good visuals. But both Troy and Gladiator are completely historically innacurate.

I had heard none of the hype before seeing Troy and I rather enjoyed it. Conversely, I heard ALL the hype and praise of Gladiator, and it didn't bore me and I was able to watch it straight through, but it didn't inspre me to tell anyone they must see it.

(possible spinoff thread)
Gladiator
Troy
Alexander
300

Take your pick.

 

[livrule]

I had heard none of the hype before seeing Troy and I rather enjoyed it. Conversely, I heard ALL the hype and praise of Gladiator, and it didn't bore me and I was able to watch it straight through, but it didn't inspre me to tell anyone they must see it.

(possible spinoff thread)
Gladiator
Troy
Alexander
300

Take your pick.

Troy was fun, nothing more ... the sort of film I can sit through once, enjoy ... then thats it.

Gladiator I have seen maybe 4-5 over the years and it still packs a punch. Its FAR from perfect but it has something special going on that lifts it above similar movies.

 

[FVD]

I wanted to like Troy but Brad Pitt killed it for me much like Tom Cruise in Valkyrie.

The Kingdom of Heaven DC is superb. Can't wait to see what Ridley and Crowe does with Robin Hood soon. And I continue to enjoy Gladiator. Yet as far as his films go I enjoyed Black Hawk Down a great deal more...

 

[Poetic Chaos]

I wanted to like Troy but Brad Pitt killed it for me much like Tom Cruise in Valkyrie.

The Kingdom of Heaven DC is superb. Can't wait to see what Ridley and Crowe does with Robin Hood soon. And I continue to enjoy Gladiator. Yet as far as his films go I enjoyed Black Hawk Down a great deal more...

My favorite war movie though I'm immediately hit with omgwtfbbq Saving Private Ryan FTW! every time I say it.

 

[JRPJCDJC]

It's going to be a challenge to keep this thread on the first page for 2 1/2 more weeks.

 

[JRPJCDJC]

Coming down to the final week of voting here. 'Gladiator' haters, get your votes in now.

 

[Crosswind Ghost]

This is a terrible list.

1. Memento
2. Almost Famous
3. The Virgin Suicides
4. The Beach
5. Unbreakable
6. X-Men

 

[Poeman]

memento and gladiator