2002 And J.Lo Have Much In Common… Both Feature Quality Hind-Quarters
Feb 18 '03
The Bottom Line More fun with lists! And links, Links, LINKS!
More so than any year I can remember, 2002 was dominated by a rash of quality films in its last quarter. Heading into the Halloween homestretch, I was as giddy as a schoolgirl looking at the to-be-released lists for the upcoming week. It seemed like every Friday brought with it a long awaited jewel, and every jewel, once I was in the theatre, shined beyond expectations. A mad flurry of theatre-going and review-writing kept me too busy to notice the season's changing. It came as a shock when I woke up on January 1st, after the gold rush, to find snow on the ground.
Eight out of the ten films on this list were released to North American theatres after October 1st, 2002. Of the two that weren't, one was an obvious attempt at summertime "Star Wars" counterprogramming. The other saw its worldwide release some time in 2001, and only made its way to these shores this autumn. I'm glad it did.
There was so much quality in the year's last quarter that some films of high stature had to be left off this list. Which his why you won't find here any remakes of Swedish cop thrillers. Or any sci-fi meditations on the nature of lost love. Or a period-piece gangster epic about fathers and sons. Or any futuristic examinations on the elasticity of fate, sprinkled with knowing winks towards the omnipresence of advertising. Or any violent retellings of the founding of New York City, leading up to the 1863 draft riots. All good films. Just not good enough to make the cut.
You also won't find "Catch Me If You Can", or "Chicago", or "Igby Goes Down", or "One Hour Photo", or "The Pianist", because I haven't gotten around to seeing them yet. But I figure if I haven't sought them out by now, they probably aren't the kinds of films that would make my Top 10 list anyway.
What follows, of course, is a list of films that did make my Top 10 list. I tried not to go overboard, this time, with the mini-reviews accompanying each selection. Just a quick peak into my thinking. Also, I included a little postscript for each film, explaining why it got stuck at the rank it did, and no higher. It's my own little version of the Peter Principle, only without the incompetence.
Enjoy.
10. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi, a.k.a. Spirited Away
written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
A stunning, hand-drawn meditation on loneliness, adolescence, womanhood, and romantic love (amongst, I'm sure, many other themes), Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" was a box-office Godzilla in its native Japan before making its way on to North American shores. After a painstaking dubbing process -- headed by Pixar chief John Lasseter -- which is seamless to a point I never thought possible, the film is now ready for Western consumption. Take along a knife and fork, and be prepared to chow down on a sumptuous feast featuring giant marshmallow spirits, an evil witch with a head of fluctuating sizes, a lithe dragon, shadowy ghosts, an arachnidan mustachioed boiler room operator, and his army of sentient soot. All seen through the eyes of Chihiro, a sad, spunky, and ingenious protagonist, longing for a return to her missing parents.
Why not #9?
Western audiences, not necessarily in tune with the Japanese cultural traditions referenced in this story, will be a tad confused by some of its more erratic narrative points.
9. Hable con ella, a.k.a. Talk to Her
written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Almodóvar's meditation on the disconnections inherent in modern day relationships is probably the saddest film released all year. Two men -- a travel writer and a nurse -- love two women -- a bullfighter and a dancer. The problem? The women are in comas. "Talk to Her" explores all the permutations and combinations that can result in such a high-concept setup. Especially poignant is the relationship that develops between Marco and Benigno, the surviving lovers. These are two men that would never coexist in the outside world. But their shared pain leads to a touching friendship. Almodóvar even manages one silly and creepy scene where the two women interact, if only briefly. And, if for no other reason, "Talk to Her" should be seen just so you can say you saw "The Shrunken Lover", the silent-film-within-the-film that sets the story off towards its disturbing but satisfying denouement.
Why not #8?
I still can't figure out if the opening and closing dance numbers are meant to be sincere or ironic.
8. Cidade de Deus, a.k.a. City of God
written by Bráulio Mantovani
directed by Kátia Lund & Fernando Meirelles
An Augustinian treatise come ironically to life, Lund and Meirelles' "City of God" is a viscerally thrilling, and intensely disturbing, piece of cinema. In much the same vein that "Reservoir Dogs" or "The Godfather" is viscerally thrilling: it features blatantly stylish camera work, a starkly violent story, and imagery that'll get stuck in your mind's craw for days. Following the life of Rocket, the resident photographer in Rio de Janeiro's largest and most anarchic slum, from boyhood to, well, later on in boyhood, it tells a gripping tale of the consequences of poverty, and the results of violent crime. Kind of like a "Scarface for Kids", only "City of God" has the power to both disturb and enlighten.
Why not #7?
Ultimately, it's too violent. With a bit more comic relief, and some longer breaks between scenes of carnage, the violence it does show might be more effective.
7. The Kid Stays in the Picture
written by Brett Morgen, based on the autobiography by Robert Evans
directed by Nanette Burstein & Brett Morgen
For many of the same reasons I proclaimed displeasure with George Clooney's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", I adored Morgen and Burstein's "The Kid Stays in the Picture", the stylishly realized and addictively watchable (auto)biography of infamous movie producer Robert Evans. It presents Evans' views wholesale, never questioning his self-serving assertions. Coppola, Polanski, and Ali MacGraw all get raked over the coals, here. But Evans' viewpoint, presented using his own gravelly voice to great effect, regardless of its veracity, makes for a gripping tale.
Why not #6?
It's best moment wasn't even featured in the film. Evans, doing his part to promote, went on "The Charlie Rose Show" for an hour-long interview. Rose was away that day, but fill-in host Wes Anderson ("Rushmore", "The Royal Tenenbaums", "Bottle Rocket") performed admirably, getting honest and fascinating answers from the tanned and pastel Evans.
6. About a Boy
written by Peter Hedges and Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz, based on the novel by Nick Hornby
directed by Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz
The Weitz boys, fresh from unleashing the wretched "American Pie" series on the movie-going public, adapted a Nick Hornby novel, whose author was fresh off the wonderful celluloid rendition of his "High Fidelity", and had Hugh Grant, fresh from a series of blasé Yank RomComs, return to his roots in a Brit wit-fest. The result? A great little movie, that has much to say about men as selfish islands, adolescence as a time of extreme cruelty (especially if your mother just can't stop crying), and the power to heal exhibited by a bad Roberta Flack song (or at least the bad performance of a Roberta Flack song). Hugh gets to return to "Bridget Jones" cad-mode, which, in hindsight, is where he really belongs. The movie follows his lead, never turns sappy, and remains always entertaining.
Why not #5?
Still managed to be only the fourth best novel-to-film adaptation of the year.
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
written by Frances Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Stephen Sinclair & Peter Jackson, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien
directed by Peter Jackson
There's a pretty good movie, buried deep within "The Two Towers", about how power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the power to absolutely rule them all turns a once friendly hobbit into a shaggy little devil full of schizophrenia and mania. Like if J.R.R. Tolkien had written "Me, Myself, and Irene". Surrounding that film-within-a-film is a larger tale, a larger battle, and a larger stage for Viggo Mortensen to get his star on. Sure the Ent scenes are a bore, and I can't remember if Miranda Otto actually speaks, but "The Two Towers", like "The Fellowship of the Ring", is an exciting old-school epic, made by a bunch of Kiwis, far away from Hollywood, and itching to just tell a good story well.
Why not #4?
Because, even after viewing nearly thirty-minutes worth of explanation in the "Fellowship of the Ring" Special Edition DVD, I still can't figure out what Liv Tyler's doing in these movies. And, "Rudy" aside, Sean Astin still can't act.
4. About Schmidt
written by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, based on the novel by Louis Begley
directed by Alexander Payne
Hands down, the best character study of the year. Warren Schmidt is a 66-year old man, recently retired and widowed, on the road in his brand new Winnebago to discover America, and, in the process, himself. It's hardly a glamourous part, as Warren sports a comb-over, a bulging gut, a fat neck, wrinkles on his wrinkles, and less sex appeal than a manatee on an ice cream binge. Which makes the decision to cast Jack Nicholson that much sweeter. The fact that Happy Jack pulls the whole thing off, without ever breaking a sweat, is a testament not only to his acting prowess, but the directing abilities of "Election" kingpin Alexander Payne. And yes, it's true, you get to see Kathy Bates' boobies. Get over it, already!
Why not #3?
The more I think about it, the less enthused I am about the film's broader comic moments: Warren trying in vain to mount a waterbed; Warren hopped up on Percadin; Dermot Mulroney's mullet.
3. Punch-Drunk Love
written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
A friend was recently lamenting that Adam Sandler didn't get an Oscar nomination for this revelatory performance. I explained that no matter how good he was, you just can't let Opera Man anywhere near the Academy Awards. My friend understood, mumbled something under his breath, and went on his way. But he's right, you know. Sandler, and it hurts me just anticipating typing this out, did turn in one of the best acting performances of the year. There's no getting around that. P.T. Anderson, to his credit, not only dragged some semblance of reality from his leading man, but managed to fashion a coherent film to surround him, one that says a lot about the quirkiness of romantic love, and the destructive nature of loneliness.
Why not #2?
I'm sorry, but if you tell me Phillip Seymour Hoffman's going to be in your film, and then you only show him in a couple of scenes, that's grounds for dismissal from the DGA. And a drop in ranking a couple of notches on this list.
2. Bowling for Columbine
written and directed by Michael Moore
On one hand, it's the most socially relevant film of the year. On the other hand, one of the most entertaining. So, there's something for everybody. Even if your ultra-conservative personal politics disagree with Moore's central thesis -- to put it way too simply: "Guns are bad" -- then the cinephile within will still love the "South Park"-esque "A Brief History of the United States", or the whacked-out interview with Oklahoma City bombing suspect James Nichols, or Moore's trademark corporate ambushes. And if you don't find a smile and a laugh in those moments, then you're certain to be moved by the Columbine High School security camera footage, or a video montage depicting the destructive effects of guns, or, for crying out loud, the pragmatic interview with Marilyn Manson.
Why not #1?
The final image, after Moore interviews Charlton Heston, is manipulative and phony. Moore plays hard for the audience's tears -- the only time he does so -- and his effort falls flat.
1. Adaptation
written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman, based on the novel The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
directed by Spike Jonze
I know that some have written "Adaptation" off as just some high-concept gimmick: a writer writes himself into his own screenplay, when he can't seem to write the adaptation he's supposed to write. Yes, the literary pyrotechnics fly fast and furious here. Especially when you consider that the movie is about said writer, his pursuit of the unadaptable book's author, and his abhorrence for the lifestyle of his twin brother, who doesn't really exist. (I'm going to stop the plot summary for now, because the effort in keeping it all straight is giving me a headache.)
But "Adaptation" is much more than a writer's trick writ large. If you look close enough, it does indeed serve as a faithful adaptation of Susan Orlean's book. It expounds on a whole series of themes, from loneliness, to romantic compatibility, to the search for truth in art, to the destructiveness of the human ego, etc., etc., etc. And despite being anchored by a triumvirate (or is that a quartet?) of superior acting performances (Nic Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper… and Nic Cage), it's a screenwriter's movie. Charlie Kaufman never lets the fun and games become too theoretical; his skill at creating moments that are at once cerebral and emotional, while keeping the off-kilter story together, is something to marvel at. Oh, and Spike Jonze, in his second danse absurd with Kaufman, makes the whole confection truthful and fantastically delightful.
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Member: Mike Stone
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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