Decade pt. ii ( Top Five 00’s Movies – 2001)

For the second part of my look back at this decade of donuts, I find myself in the year 2001. The year of the space odyssey was far from my favorite at the theatre. Granted 2000 wasn’t a whole lot better, but let’s just leave it at this: 2001 was the year we were subjected to GLITTER and FREDDY GOT FINGERED.

This was the year that two of the biggest fantasy franchises were unleashed on theatres, but neither of their opening chapters will be found in this five (though I promise, both series will show up eventually). This was also the year I really started to branch out cinematically and embrace foreign and independent cinema – both of which you’ll find in this five.

So come back with me to the year the iPod was born. After the jump, please find…

#5. SHREK… I’ve taken my fair share of shots at Dreamworks animation from this little corner of cyberspace. Perhaps it’s because with SHREK, they set the bar so very high for themselves. The movie succeeded on a lot of levels, not the least of which was taking every opportunity it could to tweak the nose of the biggest animation studio of all. It was clever where most animation is cute. It was funny where other cartoons are silly. If Pixar was going to be The Beatles of CG animation, Dreamworks unleashed this film on the world to make it clear that they were ready to be The Stones. It will likely go down as one of the best animated films of all time, and you must wonder – just how much did it burn Disney to lose the first ever Best Animated Film Oscar to this flick?

#4. MULHOLLAND DRIVE… There are certain films I’ve seen that I liken to a song whose lyrics don’t make sense. I’ve seen this one a few dozen times and I still don’t get it…but holy shit is it good! Part film noir, part mind-bending suspense, one hundred percent David Lynch. I sort of get the impression that Lynch had a few broken ideas and decided this was the best way to string them together, but its missing jigsaw pieces format is what makes it so unforgettable – and so very original. Truthfully, this flick might well have earned a spot in my five if only for that sublime spanish performance of “Crying”.

#3. Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN… Quite simply, JULES ET JIM for a new generation. In a perfect world, this would have won best Foreign Film…or, y’know been nominated.

#2. MEMENTO… Years before he was fending off questions about whether or not he’d be directing the next Batman film, director Christopher Nolan gave us this broken narrative about a truly damaged man’s attempt to make some sense of his life (too bad he can’t remember how many times he’s actually made it right). I’ve always loved how this is essentially a simple story made much more interesting through a broken narrative, and how it gives a different class of movie stars a chance to flex their muscles. Pardon me – I need to go get a tattoo of that last point before I forget it.

#1. MOULIN ROUGE!… Let’s remember that until Baz Luhrmann came along, and achieved critical and commercial success, the musical had essentially been a dead film genre for about twenty years. Think about that a moment – MOULIN ROUGE resurrected an entire genre. Without this film, there’s likely no CHICAGO, no HAIRSPRAY, no SWEENEY TODD. Beyond its powers of resurrection, this film deserves credit for making the extra time spent on it worthwhile. Usually, when a film’s release date gets pushed, it’s a bad sign – think GANGS OF NEW YORK. But every once in a while, it’s because the filmmaker knows their vision is incomplete, and a bit more time will make the difference between “humdrum” and “holy cow!” – think TITANIC. While it was the year of hobbits, of wizards, and of beautiful minds, it’s this daring, hyper-active, high-energy jukebox that stands out for me eight years later.

Others on my shortlist for 2001 include THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, DONNIE DARKO, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, GHOST WORLD, and GOSFORD PARK. Check in on May 19th for the next installment, my top five films of 2002.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments with your own favorite movies from 2001, along with suggestions for the next top five.