Tuesday, January 21, 2003

The Hours is an overrated estrogen fest. I recommend it to fans of Streep, Kidman, Moore, subdued lesbianism and suicide. And now that I've sat through it, I'm proud to present to you my annual list of the year's best and worst films (in no certain order).

The Best
Bowling for Columbine: Michael Moore's documentary on gun control found both the humor and the heartbreak of the issue. Even if you despise documentaries, this film is an incredible experience.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Epic filmmaking on such a grand scale is a dying trend that will hopefully be saved by the film's artistic and financial success.
The Pianist: Roman Polanski's tempered, almost objective film offers a realistic and brutal depiction of one man's struggle to survive the Holocaust.
Chicago: More so than Moulin Rouge!, this film is guaranteed to kick-start the musical genre revival. Each cast member gave a memorable, stylish performance.
Y Tu Mama Tambien: Forget Almodovar's, Talk to Her...this is the year's best foreign film. No kiddies allowed...lots of hot, Mexican sex.
Gangs of New York: Scorsese's overdue epic gave focus to an oft overlooked period of American history with innovative camera work and the scariest performance by Daniel Day-Lewis.
About Schmidt: As flashy as Jack Nicholson is, his subdued performance in an amusingly bleak movie showed a lazy 20-something generation the angst involved with aging and facing your own purposelessness.
One Hour Photo: Robin Williams gave a career-altering performance in a thriller that boiled over with clever symbolism and subtle creepiness.
Igby Goes Down: This film reached Catcher In the Rye and The Graduate levels of brilliance with its atypical depiction of youthful illogicality.
About a Boy: The year's funniest film kept the cuteness to a minimum while remaining true to the insane wit and style of the novel.
Honorable Mention: Punch-Drunk Love, Talk to Her, Unfaithful, Road to Perdition

The Worst
Mr. Deeds: In the bad performance category, Winona Ryder stole the show from Adam Sandler.
40 Days and 40 Nights: I'd abstain from living if I had to see this piece of shit again.
XXX: Hey Vin Diesel, there's a reason this movie featured a lot of explosions and stunts: You suck as an actor.
The Sweetest Thing: This film plays repeatedly in the seventh circle of Hell. Cameron Diaz can't necessarily act, but her laughter reminded me of Corky's girlfriend from Life Goes On.
Jackass: I'd rather eat shit and snort wasabi than watch someone else eat shit and snort wasabi.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: I'll let you in on a little secret: bring some drugs to this movie and you might enjoy it.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding: More like my big fat overrated independent film that played one joke over and over and over and, oh look, here comes a TV series. Nia Vardalos becomes more annoying with each interview and award show.
Death to Smoochy: Nope, too easy. Let's just say it was really, really bad.
Scooby Doo: More like Scooby Don't.
Die Another Day: It's hard for a James Bond movie buff to place this on a "worst list," but between the illogical glacier surfing and the droll one-liners, it was like Billy Crystal meets Spy Kids.
Dishonorable Mention: White Oleander, The New Guy, The Banger Sisters, Full Frontal