The Year in Movies: 2002

2002

I was in college (undergrad) from 1999-2003. East Coast Music and video had a running deal of Rent 1 get 1 free for DVDs for nearly all that time. I also spent nearly every weekend at the theater. So, yeah, I've seen these films. For that reason my top 10 is going to be the most fleshed out, unique, and diverse for these years. Enjoy!
Number of Movies I've Seen: 92
Now we are talking!

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  20

Oscar Winner:
Chicago - meh... This movie isn't really all that bad. I just don't like the story. It's too dark and mean to be believable as female empowerment, it certainly doesn't have much in the way of romance, and it only has a couple of good songs. The best song and performance ("Mr. Cellophane" from John C. Reilly) come from a secondary character who gets lost in the final act. The only one of the five films nominated for best picture that I didn't like (the others: The Pianist, Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Two Towers)

Box Office Winner:
Spider-Man - Folks like to point to 2008's Iron Man as the start of modern comic book cinema, but I point to this one. Sure, it wasn't the first, but, for me, it was the first that wasn't afraid to be a comic book. Superman, Batman, and X-Men all took comic book properties and made them into movies. Sam Raimi didn't change the spider suit or Peter Parker's origin (save for the web-slingers). I remember leaving the theater thinking that was the first time I had seen a movie that felt like a comic book rather than a comic book character shoehorned into a movie. 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. City of God - pictured above. This movie is a masterpiece. Fernando Meirelles transports the viewer to the slums of Rio in the 1970s as children and young adults are being recruited into the gangs that would dominate the area for decades to come. This movie is heartbreaking, exciting, and genuinely tough to watch, but may be the best movie I have ever seen about the tragedy and necessity of gangs in poor communities. I must've been sidetracked a bit in 2011 because I didn't really say much.

3. In America - I think maybe this movie was a decade and a half ahead of its time. It tells the story of Irish immigrants trying to make it in modern New York. I desperately need to rewatch this one with Abby. I remember adoring it and especially loving the performance Djimon Hounsou as the family's neighbor (and sometimes conscience). My post from the original blog.

4. Heaven - This is pretty funny. I said 9.5 years ago I needed to rewatch this movie. I still haven't.... oops.

5. Antwone Fisher - Somehow I forgot to include this movie on my "365". It is an absolute powerhouse of emotion. Derek Luke and Denzel Washington give some of the most moving performances of the new millennium. 

6. Punch-Drunk Love - You're going to see plenty of Paul Thomas Anderson on my top 10s from the last 25 years or so. This is maybe his most accessible film. That is not to say it is conventional. Adam Sandler plays a "Aspergers-esque" man who is overly obsesses about odd things and falls in love with an introverted young lady played by Emily Watson. Jon Brion's beautiful and haunting score really set's this film apart. My 365 post.

7. Rabbit-Proof Fence - Three Aboriginal girls escape from their forced "training" camp and walk 1500 miles across Australia to return to their family. This is a true story. Try to find this movie if you can. I would recommend it to pretty much anyone. From the first blog.

8. The Rules of Attraction - On the other hand, this one is definitely not for everyone. This is the mainstream directorial debut of Roger Avary who wrote much of the screenplays for Pulp Fiction, American Psycho, and True Romance. It is an odd tale of college student debauchery... and maybe aliens... I love it.

9. Lilo & Stitch - I really hope this one gets remembered as one of the last great films of traditional animation. It is so much fun and really quite timeless. When I wrote this, I'm pretty sure I still had a mini-Stitch hanging from my truck's antennae.

10. Death to Smoochy - In the mood for a dark comedy? Like really dark? Like Robin Williams and Edward Norton playing murderous feuding children's television hosts dark? Then you should watch this. Otherwise you should probably steer clear. It genuinely surprised me and I couldn't help but mention it here.