yearinreview
Movies of 2002...
If I were to summarize 2002, I'd call it "The Year the Indie Film got replaced by the Indie DVD". Oh, and "The Year Hollywood Learned Nothing".
Let's talk about the big (hype) movies. You had XXX, Spider Man, Attack of the Clones, and Two Towers. These lived up to their names. They were calcuated efforts of shlock films. ok, there's nothing left to say about them. "saturated media" would be the word for it.
Screw the commentary. I've got nothing interesting to say about the year in general. Go read berardinelli's list . He sees a hell more movies than me, and is a good reviewer to boot. My summary: This year sucked in my book. I don't count the movies that come out in limited release unless I can see them in december. Overall, theaters=bad dvds=good.
Here's my Top 5 of the Year:
5. Solaris (2002)
Time has washed away the initial confusion from seeing this movie, and replaced it with a warm little memory. My analysis of "what the hell just happened" stopped about a week after the movie was over, but that length of time is a feat in itself. Perhaps this movie fit well into my quality judging criteria: it doesn't drop from memory immediately after viewing. Whether its a comedy, leaving me with a smile on my face for days, or a documentary, making my rethink my outlook, the impact is generally how I decide on the long-term liking. Ok, I liked Dude Where's My Car, but that shouldn't be held against me.
This movie was more of an inkblot than a film. Sure, there are ways of looking at it, but the questions you ask at the end are based upon your views of life and death (and love). I came out asking if the movie meant that we love an image of our girlfriends or boyfriends in real life, so it might be enough for forever? Bah. Dunno. I'm sure I'll see it again on video.
Other than that, it made me a big fan of Jeremy Davies. Sure, he could be annoying to some, but his seemingly random pauses completely set the tone for the rest of the movie. His confusion and refusal to tell all the facts turned out to be for good reason, and was mimicked in the overall storytelling technique of the movie. Too much info at once, and you might not accept it as real or reasonable.
Anyway, You can read the full review here: Solaris
4. Insomnia
This one is akin to Solaris, in that its also not a groundbreaking movie, but a thoroughly good one. Both are worth a watch, even if they aren't the epitome of cinema (oh, and they both are remakes).
Insomnia has a case of "too much talent" for its own good. This should have been number one on my lsit, but it just fell short in the end. But I don't know what to blame. The script was good, the direction was solid, and acting was superb. But it didn't gel completely.
Even without completely gelling, though, it's still a great movie, highlighted by the wonderful performance of Al Pacino. He holds the movie together, making seemingly unreasonable actions seem plausible. Combine that with a solid supporting performance by robin williams, and you've all you need for a good movie. But, behind them, the slow script allows enough breadth to work, and the setting is beautiful while still haunting.
Anyway, the dvd's out now.. Check it out, but not when you're sleepy (I'm serious).
3. Minority Report
This movie surprised me. I was expecting a fairly generic "question reality" movie, and it turned out to be a very well-made future morality play. Sure, it examines concepts fairly abstract from the present, but with our current government spying on all our actions, its not unthinkable that soon they will believe they can predict actions and arrest people based upon their assumptions.
Tom cruise does a good job portraying the damaged father, and colin farrel does a good job with the cop. But, this movie isn't really a character study, its just a swirling mass of action's with an underlying point. And the action is really good, and the concepts are well developed, and thats about it. Sure, most people wouldn't put a movie on a "best of" list because it was good, but I think this movie was timely and well thought out, which is more than I could say for most of the hollywood trash. Speilberg has a better future now than a year ago (after AI).
2. About a Boy
This movie surprised me, and it didn't. I went and saw it mostly because I loved the soundtrack cd by Badly Drawn Boy, but in the end I liked it because it was nice, without being saccarine. And it was funny without pulling out the normal tricks. Mostly, though, it was the actors.
Hugh Grant, I respect the man after this one. Sure, I'm a sucker for his romantic comedies (Notting Hill, Four Weddings), but this is the role I'm proud to say I completely enjoyed. He takes the role and just envelops it. Perhaps it's because he had a connection with the character, perhaps its because we all do. Dunno, he just hit it perfect.
And, the supporting cast was great also. Rachel Weisz was sweet, and Toni Collette made the crazy lady human. Even the kid wasn't annoying. Good stuff.
Oh, Rachel Weisz's son in the movie was annoying (intentionally). They could have toned him down and I'd have appreciated it. But, its a minor annoyance.
Overall, I'd say the creators took a great source material, and made a thoroughly good movie. This is a romantic comedy with a dose of reality. Instilling a tired genre with a new energy, this movie should be given a good watch, anytime (it's a good chick flick).
1. Adaptation
If I wrote a screenplay, about a person writing a screenplay about a person writing a screenplay... would you call me crazy?
Hell yeah.
But, charlie kaufman pulls crazy out of thin air, and makes it meaningful. This script is so full of double-backs, that it might take me two viewings to get it all in, but it'd be worth it. I really enjoyed his Being John Malkovich script (c'mon... a half floor for little people, that's awesome), but this one completely kicks it's butt. Real meaning is intertwined in a seemingly disjointed narrative. This guy's got a real talent.
Acting, wonderful. Chris Cooper lives up to every good word. For one reason or another, his character could have broken this movie if played wrong. But, his orchid hunter combines an eccentricity with a heart with a flair. Perhaps his character will finally cleanse everyone's mind of the "deliverance" southern stereotype. Sure, we're a bit off, but we're not stupid and inbred.
Nicholas Cage... completely immersive. I never had trouble distinguishing who was who. Dunno how they did it, but I never questioned the technical aspects of his performance. I didn't see a strange glance, or an innappropriately read reply. Just wonderful. Best example of "twin" acting that I've ever seen.
Meryl Streep, Brian Cox, everyone else... golden. Not a stinker in the bunch. Not even the half-naked indian.
The direction is solid. Spike Jonze makes a circus seem easy. Bah.
Combining themes of art and originality, making fun of them while also paying respect to the topics. Strange. A concoction that's interesting and playful, while being serious... I think. In the end, this movie even makes fun of itself (but not in an egotistical way).
Boy, this is the only movie this year that really just knocked me silly. It'll be out in theaters on Jan 10th, though maybe not near anyone. See it when you get the chance, that is all I'll say. It's an experience if nothing else.
Well, that's it. Here's a quick list of other good films of 2002 before I go
Honorable Mentions:
-Reign of Fire
-The Mothman Prophecies
-Signs
-Tape
-Narc
Worst Movie I Saw This Year:
Scooby Doo--This movie sucked. Bad Script, wooden acting. The only upside were the cute girls, and that's not saying much. Truly, this movie was just baad. But, I carefully chose my movies this year, so I'm not saying it's a "Freddy Got Fingered", just a boring pile of stink.
until we meet again...
adios
I give this commentary 3 circles out of 4.
tic tac freakin toe |
