The Top 10 Movies of 2002? How about Top 20.
Oct 15 '04
The Bottom Line 2002 was a great year for movies, and here's why.
The palindromic year of 2002 is also the year that I really started to fall in love with five-dollar sodas, four-dollar nachos, fifteen foot faces and plush seats. This was the year that I started to indulge in such things as often as 3 or 4 times a month.
But I'll spare you the ruthless exposition and get straight to the top 20 in a sec. First, here are the Bottom Five of 2002...
Solaris
Swimfan
Fear Dot Com
40 Days & 40 Nights
Dragonfly
Now that we have that out of the way, here are six movies I have yet to see, but want to, and will graciously work into the list in the future, if necessary: Bowling For Columbine, Equilibrium, Rules of Attraction, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Talk To Her, The Hours.
So, let's kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy.
20.) The Ring
Directed By Gore Verbinski
Starring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox
Best Quote
"What is it with reporters? You take one person's tragedy and force the world to experience it... spread it like sickness."
Once upon a time, The Ring was just another in the list of Honorable Mentions, but when there got to be 10 of them, I figured why not rank them too? The Ring is a movie about a video tape that kills people seven days after they watch it. After all the mediocrity that is the rest of the film, it turns out they actually came up with a pretty interesting way of saving oneself. Plus, the music is good in a "primitive" way. Speaking of primitive, The Ring is actually a lot like a black and white film with blue instead of black.
19.) Punch-Drunk Love
Directed By Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Best Quote
"I don't know if there is anything wrong with me, because I don't know how other people are."
Despite all I hemmed and hawed about how overrated I found this film to be, there is something intoxicating about my memory of it. Punch-Drunk Love is the story of a simple man in a simple life, who happens to find a loophole and a girlfriend. The whole thing is kind of dreamy, but Barry Egan's problems are ones that I think we all face at some point in life. If it is true that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, Barry is one of the few in this world with the balls to react. Adam Sandler really showed them up with this one.
18.) Ice Age
Directed By Carlos Saldanha, Chris Wedge
"Starring" Dennis Leary, Ray Romano, John Leguizamo
Best Quote
Sid: "For a second there, I actually thought you were going to eat me."
Diego: "I don't eat junk food."
In the same vein as previous animated films Shrek and Monsters Inc., Ice Age is a story about three animals teaming up to deliver a baby back to The Humans after it is tragically torn from its mother. It's a routine "road trip" story, but it's also extremely funny. The action sequences aren't quite the same on the small screen, but there are plenty of one-liners to go around.
17.) Enough
Directed By Michael Apted
Starring Jennifer Lopez, Bill Campbell, Juliette Lewis
Best Quote
"You have a divine animal right to protect your own life and the life of your offspring."
Okay, so I dwell amongst that 10% of moviegoers who actually like this movie, but hey, I do :) Jennifer Lopez plays an abused woman who basically runs away with her kid, learns how to defend herself, then goes back and beats the living tar out of the guy. And that's it. It's just a really simple story that doesn't pull any punches.
16.) About Schmidt
Directed By Alexander Payne
Starring Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Kathy Bates
Best Quote
"I know we're all pretty small in the big scheme of things, and I suppose the most you can hope for is to make some kind of difference, but what kind of difference have I made? What in the world is better because of me?"
This is more of an old person's movie, or so they say. Still, I find something undeniably beautiful about the way Jack Nicholson recounts the bittersweet details of his life, and I wonder if my feelings will be in any way similar when I get there, or if everyone in the world feels that way at that age. I love how the movie uses the song "Sentimental Lady" by Bob Welch (in the tire shop) which you never hear anymore. And Kathy Bates taking off her shirt is dementedly funny.
15.) 8 Mile
Directed By Curtis Hanson
Starring Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy
Best Quote
"My motto: f*ck Lotto, I'll get the seven digits from your mother for a dollar tomorrow."
As our very own Dan Feinberg says, it's like Karate Kid where the competition is rap battling instead of karate. Eminem shows some formidable acting skills here. The scenes between him and his little sister are shockingly sweet. And the rap battles are loads of fun.
14.) Unfaithful
Directed By Adrian Lyne
Starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez
Best Quote
"There is no such thing as a mistake. There are things you do, and things you don't do."
Diane Lane and Richard Gere are leading a pretty normal life, until one day she meets Olivier Martinez. She is so completely taken with him that she can't stop herself and she has an affair. Richard Gere hires a detective, and the fur flies. Despite the slow pace of this film, it is a thing of beauty both to the eyes and the ears. Diane Lane's performance is flawless in every way, because there is no logical reason to feel sympathy for her character, yet you still do.
13.) Signs
Directed By M. Night Shyamalan
Starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin
Best Quote
"See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?"
If there's one thing we had a lot of in 2002, it was slow-paced movies. Signs is basically the leader of that pack. It's a bare-bones story about a guy who starts seeing crop circles on his farmland, only to discover that the real cause lies somewhere up in the sky. The mere mention of a bird crashing into an invisible barrier mid-flight is enough to send chills down my spine. The acting from the kids is marvelous, and makes it feel like a real "at home" experience.
12.) My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Directed By Joel Zwick
Starring Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine, John Corbett
Best Quote
"The men may be the head of the house but the women are the neck and they can turn the head anyway they want."
I didn't catch this one until April '04, and what a cute movie it is! Toula is what you might consider a not-so-attractive person on the first glance, but you ever notice how many of them start to look more attractive as you spend more time watching them? I don't know. Of course, I fail to acknowledge that she does undergo a quasi-makeover about 20 minutes in and comes out looking pretty damn foxy if I do say so myself. Anyway, this movie has a squelchy sense of humor and an irresistible charm. While Toula's family is all Greek, they have trouble with her dating anyone who is non-Greek. But she finds this guy, and... well, you've just got to see it.
11.) Murd3r By Num8ers
Directed By Barbet Schroeder
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling
Best Quote
"I enjoy taking indefensible positions and creating an argument for them."
While this certainly isn't as great of a movie as I remember it being, it's still a strong murder mystery. At first, it looks like they're telling you everything about the murder, when in fact there are still tons of things left to explain. There are actual clues scattered around so that the surprise doesn't come across as insane as it does in most mysteries. I love Justin's soliloquy and the interrogation scenes which flash back to put all the pieces together. And even then, there are still things you've yet to find out...
10.) Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones
Directed By George Lucas
Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel Jackson
Best Quote
"One day, I will become the greatest Jedi ever. I will even learn how to stop people from dying."
I grew up on Star Wars, I'll die on it. Even if these prequels don't carry the same "magic" as the Original Trilogy, it's obvious that tons of work was put into AOTC. Lucas may have been a bit heavy on the CGI and the references to the Original Trilogy, not to mention a deranged love story. But the whole atmosphere is gorgeous all around. The wars are exciting, the battle of Geonosis especially, and I'll never forget how it felt the first time I saw Yoda withdraw...
9.) Secretary
Directed By Steven Shainberg
Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader
Best Quote
"In one way or another I've always suffered. I didn't know why exactly. But I do know that I'm not so scared of suffering now. I feel more than I've ever felt and I've found someone to feel with. To play with. To love in a way that feels right for me. I hope he knows that I can see that he suffers too. And that I want to love him."
I don't know, man, I think that quote about sums it up. The only thing worse than pain is untraceable pain. Maggie plays a girl who willfully hurts herself because it helps bring the pain to the surface, where it can more or less "evaporate". There are people who get this movie, people who don't, and people who want to.
8.) A Walk To Remember
Directed By Adam Shankman
Starring Mandy Moore, Shane West, Daryl Hannah
Best Quote
"Maybe God has a bigger plan for me than I had for myself. Like this journey never ends. Like you were sent to me because I'm sick. To help me through all this. You're my angel."
This is definitely one of those movies that makes you want to live like there was no tomorrow. Mandy Moore plays a smart student and an outcast, who offers to help Shane West study, so long as he doesn't fall in love with her. Talk about setting yourself up! A wonderfully schmaltzy tale of two young lovers, that's just what you'll get here.
7.) Spider-Man
Directed By Sam Raimi
Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, William Dafoe
Best Quote
"You do too much - college, a job, all this time with me... You're not Superman, you know."
The weird thing about Spider-Man to me is that there are tons of little annoying stupid things (like how does a guy in first grade actually cry at a girl playing Cinderella anyway?), but for all of its missteps, Spider-Man is a colorful, exuberant, exciting action flick with a love story so sweet, it should've put Little Debbie out of business by now.
6.) National Lampoon's Van Wilder
Directed By Walt Becker
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Kal Penn
Best Quote
Van Wilder: "Okay, we're just going do a little word association. Say the first thing that comes to your mind. Milk."
Taj: "Tit! Oh, mommy. Most Indians would say "cow" because they are sacred, but I hear "milk," I think giant jugs. You see, I cannot go home a virgin. I came here to study the great American art of muff diving. To smack clam, munch rug, dine at just one American pink taco stand! You know, I wanted to, how is it, park the porpoise. You know? I want to take it through the car wash, baby. And get it waxed. I want to wax it. Wax it! You know, and air dry. Air dry that shit, yeah! And I would like to be your assistant very much, Mr. Van Wilder."
Van Wilder has been in college for 7 years, and his Dad is sick and tired of paying for it. Will Van Wilder ever find the courage to leave and start a new life? Well, maybe, but in the meantime, he's falling in love, making new friends, checking out the new "student bodies", and of course offering encouragement which his colleagues have come to appreciate very much. All kinds of characters with all kinds of problems, but Van Wilder gladly takes care of them. Doesn't sound like there's much of a point, well, that's because this is a comedy. And probably the funniest comedy of this decade so far. The Air Supply scene is priceless.
5.) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Directed By Peter Jackson
Starring Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen
Best Quote
Theoden: "I will not risk open war."
Aragorn: "Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not."
After some speculation, I believe The Two Towers is my favorite of the LOTR Trilogy. I don't know if it's just some hokey Empire Strikes Back psychological thing or what, but there is just so much about The Two Towers that is beautiful. Gandalf's return in the middle of the forest, the Battle at Helm's Deep, Frodo holding a sword up against the screen (YIKES!), Gollum's inner conflict, it's all very intriguing. Perhaps the best moment of all is right at the end, when the Ents make their big rampage. That is simply one of the most beautiful displays of mass destruction you'll ever see.
4.) Frailty
Directed By Bill Paxton
Starring Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Matt O'Leary, Powers Boothe
Best Quote
"Didn't think anybody knew about that, did you?"
In a horrifying tale of Divine Intervention, Bill Paxton both directs and acts. He plays a father, a very good father, until one day he wakes the kids up in the middle of the night to tell them that he has been visited by an angel. The angel has told him that he and his two boys are going to be superheroes who are going to help save the world by performing God's will and destroying demons who live among us. The catch is that you don't know for sure if they really are demons, because they look just like ordinary people. And as far as the older boy, Fentin Meeks (spectacularly played by Matt O'Leary) is concerned, his father is a murderer. This is one movie that'll keep you on the edge, all the way to its anticlimactic yet mind-blowing end.
3.) Minority Report
Directed By Steven Speilberg
Starring Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
Best Quote
Officer: "The precogs see the future and they are never wrong."
Danny Witwer: "But it's not the future if you stop it. Isn't that a fundamental paradox?"
In the year 2054, murders are stopped before they happen, because of three precognitives who can see them in the future. But when John Anderton, who works for the precog agency, is seen murdering someone in the futuristic visuals, it puts him on the run to hide his identity and find out the truth about the system and who it is he's "destined" to kill. The whole concept of the "minority report" and the manner in which the "Echo" comes into play is quite brilliant. But the biggest surprise has yet to come: Minority Report is just plain funny as hell.
2.) John Q
Directed By Nick Cassavetes
Starring Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, Kimberly Elise
Best Quote
"They just don't get that what he hold sacred in this country isn't values, it's value. We got haves, have-nots, we got white-collar, blue-collar, and then we got no-collar. Inside there, you got inpatient surgery, you got outpatient surgery, and you got out-of-luck surgery. You know, there's a lot of people out there, a lot of people who don't have $250,000 stuck in their billfold. To shame a man like that and back him into a corner, well, it seems that something is out of whack, not someone. But what do I know? I'm just a carpenter."
You just can't go wrong with Denzel. Not only does he play a loving, hard-working father here, but he plays a father who when driven to protect the life of his son, will do anything... and I do mean anything. One day, his son Mike collapses at a baseball game, and gets rushed to the hospital. A few tests later, it is determined that Mike will need a heart transplant, or else he will die within a matter of "months, weeks, ...days". John does everything in his power to come up with the money he needs, but has to resort to a more um, assertive tactic. Although much of the movie revolves around blasting medical policies and HMO's and such, the backbone of the story is simply a father trying to save his son's life and stopping at nothing along the way.
1.) One Hour Photo
Directed By Mark Romanek
Starring Robin Williams, Connie Neilsen, Michael Vartan
Best Quote
"And if these pictures have anything important to say to future generations, it's this: I was here. I existed. I was young, I was happy, and someone cared enough about me in this world to take my picture."
Well, my regular readers have been through this before. In fact, so much of me wasn't sure I really thought this movie deserved to be #1. But, the reason our lists differ is that our lives differ, and if there is one movie in this world that has made me think about my life, it has been One Hour Photo. Sy Parrish, also known as "Sy The Photo Guy" has been making extra copies of a certain family's pictures for several years. Since his own life is mostly unremarkable, he needs to live vicariously through the achievements and experiences of the Yorkin family. To some extent, we all do that when we watch sports, the news, even movies. 'Cause sometimes you can't help but think of how interesting it would be to know someone else, to be someone else, to live somewhere else. The fascinating thing about Sy's fixation with the Yorkins is that it's not all that disturbing. It's not as if he's keeping porn shots or getting off in any way on it. He just needs their "presence", their timeline, to make him feel less alone and more like a part of something. One Hour Photo is not so much about what happens as it is about what doesn't happen. Because for some people, that's the most interesting thing they have to talk about. Yeah, I quoted myself, so shoot me.
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The Anticlimactic Epilogue
And there you have it, the top 20 movies of 2002. Whew, that only took what, six hours!
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