2002 was a year in film that was both good and bad for me. There were good films, but there were also bad films, and I saw both kinds. Normally I post my opinions about the movies I see on various Internet fan sites (where I enjoy a devout following!). For reasons too numerous to detail here, however, I have abandoned LiveJournal and its "peanut gallery" of jerks and haters. (Note to ThwartedCrucifix: I was only trying to express myself.) My New Year's resolution is to finally get my own blog up and running on a full-time basis. Anyway, The Stranger has asked me to write an article about the movies I saw this past year--the good ones... and the bad.
Top and Bottom 10
The Two Towers--A stirring ode to the power of hobbits. My one and only complaint with the second chapter of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy is that we never really find out what the two towers are. Perhaps in part three?
Minority Report--At last, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg have joined forces (and box-office power) to make a movie set in the world of science fiction. The whole thing didn't work for me, but some of it--especially those jetpacks--was absolutely amazing. Despite its genre, Minority Report was more of a film than a movie (unlike Attack of the Clones, which I refuse to discuss).
Far from Heaven--I can understand all the hoopla about Todd Haynes' lushly cinematic ode to the films of the 1950s, but I have to say that for me the film fell apart when it came to the gay stuff. I'm not a bigot, far from it. I'm just saying that for me, it doesn't make sense that the Dennis Quaid character would turn into a homosexual after being married to such a beautiful woman (Julianne Moore) and having kids. I think the son being gay would have been a much better twist, because it would make the parents have to work together more, and then she probably wouldn't have had the affair with the black gardener, which would never happen in the '50s.
Punch-Drunk Love--Punch-drunk is exactly how I felt when I realized that this was not an Adam Sandler movie, but some kind of messed-up "art film" that starred Adam Sandler. I didn't know what the hell any of these people were thinking, or what anyone was talking about half the time. Plus, it's highly implausible that a pudding company would make the kind of mistake that allows the main character of this movie to fly around the country for free. Thank God for Mr. Deeds and Eight Crazy Nights, is all I can say.
Monster's Ball--A film about the legacy of Southern racism, and the attempts of two Southern people--one black and one white--to break down its walls by sleeping together after their kids get killed. Halle Berry's brave performance (and courageous nude scene) were well worthy of Oscar honors. I can only hope that she will continue taking her clothes off in films as her career continues.
Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers--A tie for my favorite war film in the wake of 9/11. It's so important now that the world has changed to remember that the value of human life is sacred, and that when you have war (i.e., terrorism), human life becomes secondary to killing. Both of these films were quite political--which, as a lifelong Democrat, I found satisfying, to say the least.
The Sum of All Fears--And speaking of political: Few authors today are as political as Tom Clancy, whose books take place in the world of government agencies (like the CIA). In this one, Jack Ryan, played this time by Ben Affleck, has to help find a missing nuclear bomb in the Middle East. Talk about torn from today's headlines! My only problem is that the nuclear explosion that happens in it is too small, so we don't feel the threat of nuclear war as much.
Analyze That and Men in Black II--Another tie, this time for most disappointing sequel. I must say, I expected so much more from everyone involved in both of these lackluster movies--especially Billy Crystal, who has really fallen off since he stopped hosting the Oscars, and Will Smith, who must have still been thinking about Muhammad Ali's corny poetry. Oh well, at least we had Austin Powers in Goldmember. See you next year!
