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1. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- A mesmerizing tale of an artificial child's enormous love that outlasts
the fickle whims of human desire. Haley Joel Osment gives an extraordinary
performance and both he and director Steven Spielberg deserve acclaim for
this achievement. This wonderful film contains all of the intriguing Spielbergian
themes -- abandonment, distrust of adult emotions and being the outsider. |
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2. Muholland Drive - A breathless,
hypnotic look at the land of dreams by the visionary director, David Lynch.
We follow two young ambitious women through the harsh maze of back-stabbing
power plays, infidelity, money and murder. Lynch cleverly lashes out at
the phillantines who run the industry and trample over artists who try to
make good movies. Brutally honest and dazzling, this film captures the true
nature of the place we call Hollywood. |
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3. The Golden Bowl - A wonderful adaptation
of Henry James' tale of American wealth, gullibility and love at the turn
of the 20th Century by the Merchant Ivory team. Uma Thurman is superb
as the desperate woman obsessed with a married man and her performance
proves that a great actress lies beneath her dazzling beauty. Furthermore,
Nick Nolte gives one of the finest performances of his career as her naive
husband and father of her rival.
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4. Our Song - Writer/director
Jim McKay crafts a touching, fictional portrait of contemporary teenagers
which plays like a true life tale. The most unlikely heroines -- three beautiful
Brooklyn girls of color -- Kerry Washington, Anna Simpson and Melissa Martinez
-- journey through the mercurial world of adolescence where friendships,
loyalties and romance ignite and fade like a shooting star. Using a naturalistic
style that resembles a documentary, McKay poignantly creates the turbulent
world of Black and Latin teenagers with grace and an extraordinary depth
of emotion. |
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5. Ghost World - Based on the popular comic
book by Daniel Clowes, "Ghost World" does a marvelous job of
celebrating two quirky oddball teenagers and a May-December romance between
Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi. Birch's Enid is surprised when she falls
hard for Buscemi's Seymour and she discovers that when love happens, people
are willing to risk everything. Both actors quietly delight the viewer
with funny, insightful performances that reflect loneliness and quiet
yearning.
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6. Ali - Director Michael Mann
celebrates one of the greatest pop figures of the 20th century in the dazzling,
hypnotic film. Focusing on a traumatic ten-year period that included Ali's
embrace of the Muslims, his refusal to join the Army and the subsequent
taking of his title which effected his livelihood, the film beautiful captures
the era where the world of our parents changed forever. Will Smith gives
a wonderful performance as the loud, showboating Ali complete with a dynamic
physical change and electrifying fight scenes. |
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7. Angel Eyes - This offbeat
dark and romantic film that looks like a thriller is actually a carefully
orchestrated drama about emotional disappointments and healing. Jennifer
Lopez is dazzling as a no-nonsense cop who falls in love with a mysterious
stranger, Jim Caviezel and ultimately faces the brutal facts of life. Ms.
Lopez gives the best performance of her fast rising acting career. |
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8. Crimson River - A breathtaking
French thriller about two cops who unwittingly team up to catch a vicious
serial killer in a remote Alpine village. Fighting the icy elements, the
arrogance of the indigenous population and their wildly different detective
styles, Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel are both intriguing and funny. The
film gives audiences a glimpse into the age-old business of murder in a
contemporary foreign location and it's exhilarating. |
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9. The Lord of the Rings - Based
on J.R.R. Tolkien's popular novel, this marvelous film is well cast and
well crafted. As we journey through the Middle Earth with the hobbit guarding
the powerful ring from marauding bands of evil, the filmmakers wet our appetites
with a visual, magical world based on the lush fiction of Tolkien. This
is the best event film of the year. |
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10. Gosford Park - Director Robert Altman
proves that a good American filmmaker can capture an audiences attention
with a superb cast in a genre that is usually best produced by the British.
This wonderful murder mystery set during an English country weekend of
shooting and social mischief is really about the appalling social cast
system. But, only Altman can make such a serious subject funny, interesting
and socially relevant. Audiences don't simply bow to pretension, they
are lured into dissecting it.
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