The Best Movies of 2000Jun 20 '04 (Updated Jun 24 '04) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line 2000 was another year that let down the viewers of movies in theaters, and we were only treated to a few gems along the way
2000 was another year that let down the viewers of movies in theaters, and we were only treated to a few gems along the way 10. X-Men -- Starring Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, and Famke Janssen In the first of what will be many films starring the comic book characters, we are treated with some of the origins behind various characters. Mutants have taken sides with one set being the guardians of humans, and the other set being out to destroy human-kind. Mutants have become a part of society, but some humans have nothing but fear and anger towards them. This leads to a volatile situation in which some of the mutants want to alter the DNA of every human into that of a mutant. The X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), must stop the forces of evil in order to prevent the ultimate erasure of all humans. 9. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas -- Starring Jim Carrey In a live-action version of the great Christmas story, Jim Carrey takes on the role of The Grinch. The film does its best to stick to the original story, but at times it is forced to add some things that are needed to bring it into the new century, and it is pumped up with more exciting dialogue and additional sub-plots to keep the story running smoothly. In a role it seems that Carrey was born to play, he excels greatly at being The Grinch. At times he is as evil as he needs to be, yet at other times he is also as caring as the character turns out to be. This is a family movie that will last for years, because it delivers the ultimate message, that Christmas is not just only about presents, but also about family and friends above all else. 8. The Patriot -- Starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger Against his wishes, Benjamin Martin (Gibson) is drawn into the American revolutionary war. His reason for not entering are the eight children that he is now taking care of by himself. Memories still haunt him from his days as a soldier in the French and Indian War as well, and he knows exactly what happens in a war-like situation. Fear for his own life and that of his children takes an unexpected turn, when one of his children is killed in cold-blood. Already seeing that the personal loss of a war in the colonies will take effect whether he fights or not, he decides to step up and make a difference. Gibson plays the role of a fighting father very well, and the epic story serves as a back-drop to the struggle of a family trying to stay alive, and ultimately to stay together. 7. Cast Away -- Starring Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt In a cruel twist of fate, Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks) goes on a business tip right after proposing to his girlfriend (played by Helen Hunt). Hanks plays FedEx systems engineer whose personal and professional life are ruled by the clock. He is the type of person that will do anything to make sure that the job gets done right. He takes this late flight in order to go deal with a business situation, but half-way there, his fed-ex plane crashes in the middle of the ocean. Luckily for him, he washes up on an island, but unluckily, he ends up on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere without a chance at rescue. The film depicts the struggles that he endures trying to stay alive, and survive on an island without another human being within miles. It is a great film about the human struggle, and just how far we will go to survive what fate throws at us. 6. The Contender -- Starring Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, and Sam Elliott When the Vice-President of the United States suddenly dies, the President (played by Jeff Bridges) must find a replacement from a list of contenders. Nearing the end of his final term as President, he decides that he wants a woman to become the Vice President. Joan Allen plays the Senator who appears to be the perfect candidate. Suddenly an allegation of sexual escapades when she was younger surface as a result of a committee chairman leaking unethical information. The story ends up showing just how wicked politics can be, and shows what type of a person it takes to stand above the mud-slinging. In a film that slipped through the cracks, this all-star cast shows the climate that today?s politics are a part of. 5. Unbreakable -- Starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson In the second movie by M. Night Shyamalan, we see just how great a Director he really is. The character of Bruce Willis survives a train crash in the beginning of the film. The trick is, that he has become the only survivor among 300+ passengers... and he does not have a scratch on him. Enter Samuel L. Jackson who prophesizes that this means great things are in store for Bruce Willis, and that he needs to realize his potential in order to become a better man. What follows is a dark story about what evil lurks in the minds of men. In a well done story, with a plot that leaves a lot to the imagination, Bruce Willis scores again in a thriller about the good and evil that exists in our world. 4. Finding Forrester -- Starring Sean Connery and Rob Brown A teenage protégée in the art of writing, comes across a writer who has been retired since his ground-breaking novel hit the main-stream. Growing up in the Bronx, his first thought is to the basketball skills that he possesses, and it even gets him into an illustrious school that prides itself on being great at everything else. While Jamal is given a heavy load at his new school, both he and the school know that the real reason they took him on is for his prowess on the court. Connery plays the retired William Forrester who tries to show the boy just how far his potential can take him if he lets it happen. This is a great movie about making yourself more than your environment dictates that you should be. It has a great ending, and with a strong story, it provides great entertainment from start to end. 3. Men of Honor -- Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert DeNiro, and Charlize Theron This was the story of Carl Brashear (played by Cuba Gooding), who was striving to become the first African American Diver in the U.S. Navy. DeNiro plays Master Chief Leslie W. 'Billy' Sunday, who is his supervisor at the camp where he starts to train to become a diver. The film shows how hard it was to be an African-American who wanted to be more than a cook on the ships of the U.S. Navy. It also shows how much heart that he had when he has to endure a grave accident during one of his dives. Theron plays a drunk wife of DeNiro, that has been driven to near madness by the way that he has treated her. This is a film based on a true story, and it helps to show just how hard it was to become a deep see diver for the U.S. Navy. 2. U-571 -- Starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, and Harvey Keitel. U-571 revolves around an American team of naval officers, that must take a German submarine that has been damaged out at sea. On board is the ?Enigma?, which is a code machine that the Germans are using to communicate between each of the U-Boats. It is extremely important that the U.S. take the sub, and gain control of the code machine in the hopes of turning the tide of the war. This movie is chock-full of great special effects, and the sound that goes along with the movie knocks your socks right off. The acting is well done, and the setting within the sub is done with stark realism. 1. Gladiator -- Starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix In a year all o.k. movies, Ridley Scott directed this film that stands above all the others. Russell Crowe stars as Maximus, a Roman General who is the favorite of a dying Emperor by the name of Marcus Aurelius. The only problem, is that the Emperor's son (played by Joaquin Phoenix) wants the power all to himself, and set up Maximus to be taken off and killed. Maximus lives through the ordeal only to find out that his family has been ordered to death as well. Losing his wife and son to this treachery keeps him alive long enough to go back to Rome in the hope of exacting revenge on the man that stripped him of his life. The movie has everything needed to become an epic for a long time to come. The scenery is great, the story keeps us involved in the story, and the acting by the two stars makes us yearn for the movie to never end. But, it does in end a sequence of scenes that go down in movie History. Gladiator is a film that made its mark by being like nothing to come before it, and it will stand as one of the best films involving what took place at the Roman Coliseum.  |
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