POLL REDO: Best Film of the 21st Century - Year 2 - 2001

[Evil Twin]

After the meltdown of the last poll we're redoing this. We're trying to solicit feedback so that we don't miss anything significant and minimize the need for OTHER, but I apologize if I miss anything. There's another topic discussing the polls where I'll solicit feedback for what poll choices should be on. And if you have any other suggestions, feel free to post them.

 

[Evil Twin]

I'm voting for Mulholland Drive. The dream logic, Lynch's craftmanship, exquisite cinematography and sound design, and great acting just do it for me. I love the tagline "A nightmare in the city of dreams".

I strongly considered Gosford Park. Altman back at the top of his form. An homage to an obvious influence to Altman's work, Rules of the Game. Terrific acting and dialogue. And a solid mystery at the center of it.

And, of course, Fellowship of the Ring. I fully expect it to win the poll, with good reason. It's still my favorite of the LotR films, partly because I think it balances best the needs of film and the thrust of the book. Also, Sean Bean playing a big part helps.

 

[dude stannis]

Black Hawk Down.

No one can orchestrate a battle like Ridley Scott.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Sexy Beast. What an awesome flick. Ray Winstone is a legend, Kingsley is great and Ian McShane is...badass. If I continue describing it, I will run out of superlatives.

 

[BLACK-SPIDEY]

Donnie Darko, it has a deep and interesting story, Frank The Rabbit is one of my favorite movie characters to date.

 

[Bim]

I gave my vote to Moulin Rouge, but it was a tough close one. My other favorites are:

- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Mulholland Drive
- Donnie Darko
- Black Hawk Down
- Monsters, Inc.
- Amelie

 

[Kane52630]

im still picking LOTR

 

[Evil Twin]

im still picking LOTR

I'm sure you'll have a lot of company. The goal of the redo isn't to change the final outcome, but to make sure the poll is more representative of the variety of tastes of the voters. And making sure that nothing substantial gets relegated to OTHER. The optimal outcome would be if all 39 films got at least one vote and OTHER got none.

I doubt we'll be able to accomplish that, but I'm trying to embrace diversity and accept feedback in the process.

Also, I haven't looked at all the years, but it strikes me that 2002 is a depper year than 2001.

 

[Armored Avenger]

I vote for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
It's my favourite film of all time.

 

[Max J Power]

im still picking LOTR

Me too.

 

[Adrian89]

Zoolander! ROFL..

 

[cerealkiller182]

I chose Black Hawk Down. A choice I didnt come too easily.

 

[livrule]

LOTR ..... by a mile.

 

[Evil Twin]

I'm just going to bump this back up to the first page.

 

[Johnny Drama]

LMAO at all you people who think Lord Of The Rings was a better movie than Training Day, A Beautiful Mind, Ali and Monsters Ball.

 

[Evil Twin]

LMAO at all you people who think Lord Of The Rings was a better movie than Training Day, A Beautiful Mind, Ali and Monsters Ball.

I have problems with those and haven't seen Ali.

A Beautiful Mind is a Hollywoodization and sanitized version of a more interesting story. The idea that Crowe reasons his way out of his schizophrenia is given second fiddle to the idea that "the love of a good woman saves him". It's like Howard and Goldsman don't understand the book they are adapting. Or, are too cynical to present more difficult material when they can settle for the simple crowd pleaser.

Training Day is elevated from standard material by Denzel Washington giving a great performance and Ethan Hawke giving a very good one. There's nothing really there outside those performances though.

Monster's Ball is finely acted. Halle Berry is good in it even if her subsequent choices and performances aren't. Billy Bob Thornton is also really good. It's also a thematic mess of a movie and manipulative as hell. Throws in everything it can to be "meaningful" without having much to actually say.

Lord of the Rings isn't perfect and beyond reproach. Neither are any of those options.

 

[Sawyer]

Fellowship of the Rings, without a doubt.

 

[Lord Valumart]

hard decision to make between donnie darko and K-PAX.

i went for K-PAX cause, even thought both are really good films, i feel i enjoyed it more that donnie darko.

 

[CELTICPRED]

Training Day, A Beautiful Mind, and Black Hawk Down are three I'm having a hard time choosing between.

So The Fast and the Furious it is. (jk)

 

[CFE]

"Training Day"

 

[Figs]

There are a lot of good films on that list and a lot of 'fun' films as well.

I think I'll be alone with this decision but I really really liked The Pledge.

Even for being a Nicholson fan I didn't think I was going to like this film for some reason. I ended up really enjoying it, although the ending was pretty damn depressing that might have been one of the reasons why I liked it.

 

[darkseid26]

Lotr

 

[The Dark Defender]

LMAO at all you people who think Lord Of The Rings was a better movie than Training Day, A Beautiful Mind, Ali and Monsters Ball.

Haven't seen Ali, but the others? Yes, by a longshot.

Like LOTR or not it's one of the greatest accomplishment and the single most demanding task any filmmaker has ever undertaken.
A Beautiful Mind was a made for Lifetime movie with an all star cast, Training Day was a typical crime drama and few entries of that sub-genre ever did much for me, Monster's Ball was good...that's it.

Despite how much I love LOTR, I voted for Hannibal. Possibly the most underrated film I've ever seen, and since FOTR stops dead in the middle of nowhere and is really just act 1 of a whole, I'd give the edge to Hannibal. Definitely not a greater technical achievement, but as a stand alone film I think I find it a bit more fulfilling.

 

[Episode29]

Like LOTR or not it's one of the greatest accomplishment and the single most demanding task any filmmaker has ever undertaken.

Hyperbole, much?

Frances Ford Coppola would probably disagree with you about that one...

 

[Bunker]

Training Day, yo.

I loved both LOTR and Training Day equally, so it was a toss-up.