Here are my picks for the Best of 2001 - my top ten movies and ten honorable mentions. Note that these films were selected from all of the films that were eligible for 2001 Academy Awards based on their release date.


1. Mulholland Drive
This movie may be remembered as David Lynch’s masterpiece. In Mulholland Drive Lynch has honed his dream-logic editing style and luscious camera work to a fine edge, allowing the film to retain the wonderful mystery of Lost Highway while addressing broader themes and providing a more meaningful experience. It is a simultaneous exploration of Hollywood, the nature of dreams, and the psychology of love. Few filmmakers would take on such a tangled thematic web, and still fewer would succeed so brilliantly. This film features excellent direction, beautiful camerawork, and an amazing performance by Naomi Watts. The best film of the year.


2. The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums is another example of why Wes Anderson is America’s best young filmmaker. His films take an appreciation for old-fashioned stories and express it with a fresh, energetic style. In his latest effort he combines The Magnificent Ambersons and MTV in equal parts to tell the story of the Tenenbaum family. Like Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums is less about plot than character, and it illuminates the inhabitants of its not-quite-real New York through a jumble of incidents and nuances rather than a straightforward storyline. This results in a mélange of scenes that are by turns hilarious and heartbreaking. They play like a collection of memories, vivid and dreamy and, like the films of David Lynch, they are somehow intuitively correct in a way that defies description. So detailed and finely crafted are Wes Anderson’s films that one can only appreciate the full measure of them through multiple viewings; as such, The Royal Tenenbaums may be even better than I think it is. This is a wonderful film and a worthy follow-up to Rushmore.


3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring succeeds not only as one of the best book adaptations in recent memory but also as a thrilling piece of moviemaking. Peter Jackson and his team of filmmakers have created an on-screen universe that matches the richness and gravity of the one that previously only existed in the imaginations of readers. Every facet of the movie reinforces the feeling that we are in another world; the dialogue, costumes, production design, and lighting all ooze Tolkien atmosphere. More impressively, the changes made to the story are true to the spirit and plot of the novels. Although every fan of the books can likely find a change that they don’t care for, some of the alterations, such as the beefed-up role of the elf princess Arwen, are actual improvements over the book. The cast is great, and their performances wonderfully expand the characters in the book. The love and reverence that Peter Jackson and his crew have for Tolkien’s world come through in every single frame of this film, and this is the primary reason it succeeds. Let’s not forget, however, that the movie is just plain fun. The action, the adventure, and the sense of pervasive evil are thrilling in a way that we haven’t seen since Star Wars. The battle scenes are exhilarating, and there are a few genuine hold-your-breath moments. The Two Towers can’t come too soon.


4. Ghost World
There have been numerous films about the outcast-teenager-who-doesn’t-quite-fit-in, but Ghost World manages to rise to the top of the pile. Thora Birch is wonderfully cast as Enid, and she turns in an equally wonderful performance. Director Terry Zwigoff and writer Daniel Clowes paint an ironic and touching picture of modern America with subtle, deft strokes. One of my favorite moments is when Enid and Rebecca encounter a pair of weather-worn jeans in the middle of the sidewalk. Rebecca’s nonchalant observation (“Hey look. Pants.”) perfectly describes both the world in which the girls live and their relationship to it. A fine piece of filmmaking.


5. In The Mood For Love
This mesmerizing film by Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai is a love story told in a quiet, beautiful manner rarely seen in American romances. Its characters are well-drawn, the performances are understated and achingly real, and the photography is gorgeous. Wong Kar-Wai wrings more meaning from a stolen glance and the brush of a hand than many directors manage in their entire film. Complementing his fine actors with inspiring camera work, the director turns everyday scenes like the purchase of noodles into cut gems.


6. The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition
Anyone that requires an example of the power of the documentary need only see The Endurance. This is an incredible story, compellingly told. The story is so incredible, in fact, that it could only be made as a documentary; if someone were to write this as fiction, no one would believe it. Director George Butler does a masterful job of combining dramatization with vintage photographs and motion picture footage to create a gripping tale that is thrilling from beginning to end.


7. Apocalypse Now Redux
In my opinion, this longer cut of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is an unqualified improvement over the original. Although a powerful film, the original seemed disjointed and abbreviated. The film is about the journey downriver and the changes that come over the characters during their travels, and the new cut emphasizes that. One reviewer commented that by the end of the film he felt just as exhausted as Captain Willard did in movie. In my opinion, that’s the point. The longer cut does a better job of communicating the sense of displacement, confusion, and weariness that Willard feels, and it provides better context for his encounter with Kurtz. Seeing this new version is like trying on a pair of shoes that fit perfectly: even though you can’t explain exactly why, you can just tell that it’s the right size. This is a good film made better.


8. Memento
Don’t ever accuse Chris Nolan of pandering to his audience. His audacious film noir/mystery/thriller directed from his own script runs both forward and backward, jumps around in time, makes liberal use of flashbacks from a possibly-unreliable narrator, and uses tattoos as its primary method of disseminating clues. Unlike other similar experiments (did anyone else see the backwards “Seinfeld” episode?), its unusual structure isn’t just a gimmick. This is the way this story must be told, and Nolan expertly guides the audience through the confusing-but-consistent labyrinth of a plot. I can’t decide which was more fun: watching the film or arguing about it on the way home.


9. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Scoff if you must, but A.I. was one of the best movies of 2001. Many critics made the mistake of dismissing the film on the basis of its missteps rather than appreciating it based on its merits. There is no denying that the film is flawed. Its tacked-on ending is a little too sweet, its story loses coherence toward the end, and there are some distracting Spielberg-ian moments that overwhelm the Kubrick-ian vision. Looking past this, however, we find some marvelous filmmaking and a wealth of compelling ideas about very important subjects. The first half of this film is one of the most haunting, thought-provoking hours of cinema that I can recall, thanks largely to the brilliant performance by Haley Joel Osment. David’s relationship with his family is eerie and magnificent, as is his relationship with Gigolo Joe.

You can see the fingerprints of Stanley Kubrick all over this movie, and Spielberg deserves a lot of credit for taking on the awesome task of bringing his mentor's beloved project to the screen. Perhaps the greatest complement that critics paid to A.I. was to turn in sharply divided reviews, just as they did for every film Stanley Kubrick ever made. Hopefully they will choose to revisit this film as they did with Kubrick’s; if they do, I’m confident that appreciation of A.I. will grow.

Finally, regardless of what you think of the movie, you have to credit Steven Spielberg for his guts; releasing a cerebral, off-putting film like A.I. in the middle of the summer action movie season would be unthinkable for most directors. And yet, while other filmmakers of his stature are cranking out by-the-numbers shoot-'em-up Hollywood fare, Spielberg continues to take risks. (Are you listening, George Lucas?)


10. The Man Who Wasn’t There
The only thing that anyone can ever confidently say about a new Coen Brothers movie is that it will be unlike any previous Coen Brothers movie. The Man Who Wasn’t There is a perfect example. After thrillers, screwball comedies, gangster films, and period pieces, the Brothers Coen have here decided to take on the existentialist art film. They are not content to make just any existentialist art film, of course, so they have done so while also tweaking the conventions of film noir, creating a noir hero that is as bereft of desire as his femmes fatale is bereft of sexuality. The film is deliberate, fatalistic, and wonderful to look at, even if it lacks the power of the Coen Brothers’ best films.




Honorable Mentions

11. (tie) Amélie
What can I say about Amélie that hasn’t already been said? It’s light, romantic, and pure fun. It’s the best piece of escapist cinema this year, a point that some stuffy French critics seem to have missed. (Note to France: escapism is where you’re supposed to forget about your problems.)


11. (tie) Donnie Darko
A truly fascinating and bizarre look at adolescence - kind of a dark version of Ghost World. At one point or another, haven't we all felt like we were hearing voices, telling us to do things we shouldn't? This movie also wins a special prize for Best Cinematic Use of a Duran Duran Song Ever.


12. Gosford Park
Robert Altman takes a fascinating look at class relations through the lens of the classic mystery movie. Unlike many mysteries, which maintain the audience’s attention through pure momentum of plot, Altman’s keeps the audience interested with his wonderful characters. By the end, we care as much about the motive as we do about the murderer’s identity.


13. Moulin Rouge
This is one of the most confounding films I’ve ever seen. Some of its “Three’s Company”-style scenes seemed jarring and out of place, but the music, story and overall style were moving and entertaining. Its frantic editing was used to exhilarating effect, and the severely computer-enhanced images gave it an otherworldly look that served the film well. Above all, Baz Luhrmann and his team deserve credit for having the guts to try something new.


14. Black Hawk Down
Although hampered by a poor script, Black Hawk Down is a very powerful film. It does a fine job of putting the viewer in the middle of combat, and truly demonstrates that, despite good intentions and advanced technology, war is always hell.


15. Ocean’s Eleven
Steven Soderbergh returns from last year’s triumph with this stylish caper film. Unlike some of his recent movies (such as Out of Sight and The Limey) this is a genre film that succeeds within its genre without transcending it. Still, it’s a lot of fun.


16. O
O is an excellent adaptation of Othello that’s meaningful even if you don’t know the story and suspenseful even if you do. It also contains some excellent camera work, especially in the basketball sequences.


17. Ginger Snaps
Behind the clever title is an endearing horror movie about the trauma of young girls growing up. Has there ever been a better metaphor for puberty than lyncanthropy?


18. Hybrid
This creative documentary combines beautiful black and white photography with stop-motion animation to tell the story of the man who popularized the hybridization of corn. If you think that sounds odd, wait until you see the sequence about corn sex.


19. The American Astronaut
This bizarre film by Corey McAbee was one of 2001’s delightful surprises. They don’t make black-and-white musical space westerns like this anymore.