April 23, 2021
This week we’re going to look back twenty years and revisit the year 2001 in movies. I always find it interesting to look back and see what films were popular, how the award season shook out, and which films still resonate with me today. Going back to 2001, it was a fascinating time in movies, because we were at a low point in terms of franchise films. The MCU series wouldn’t start for another seven years, we were still 14 years away from the Star Wars revitalization (unfortunately in 2001, we were in the midst of the prequels – yikes), and there weren’t a lot of event franchise films to get excited about.
Now, as I thought about picking ten of my favorites from 2001 to write about, I went back to the list of films released that year and the top grossing movies of 2001. It’s funny that there were three monster franchises that started in 2001, but I’ve seen exactly zero films in any of these series – they just haven’t been in my wheelhouse. That’s not to discount the cultural and financial impact of the franchises – they generated a lot of money and interest for the studios, filmmakers, and actors associated with them. So, as you continue reading, I won’t be commenting on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, or Fast and the Furious.
In addition to these groundbreaking franchises, 2001 also saw two huge animation films – Disney’s Shrek, a franchise-launching movie on its own, and the continued dominance of Pixar with Monsters, Inc. Fun fact about the latter – Billy Crystal was offered the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story, but turned it down. When he saw the finished movie, he said that decision was the worst career mistake he ever made. Pixar gave him another shot with the character of Mike Wazowski, the manic sidekick to John Goodman’s Sulley. We recently rewatched Monsters, Inc. and it still holds up well after twenty years – I’m always amazed how the creators of Pixar films can create these worlds with such depth in characters, storylines, and details, particularly the little Easter eggs aimed towards the parents.
Ok, enough with the preamble – let’s dive into ten picks from 2001. As always, this is just one person’s suggestions, so buyer beware.
The Two Vitos – The Score
Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando. Two legendary actors, who are the only performers to win Oscars for playing the same character (Vito Corleone in The Godfather and its sequel) in two of the greatest films of all time, finally appeared together on screen in The Score, from director Frank Oz (yes, the same co-creator of The Muppets). The production on this one was reportedly very difficult, primarily due to Brando (in his final role) giving Oz a ton of shit, but it doesn’t show up on the screen. This is one of those movies that I probably like a lot more than most people, and I think it’s for a few reasons. First, it’s a classic heist film, with De Niro as a safe cracking thief hired by Brando to steal a rare antique from the customs house in Toronto, a city that’s rarely spotlighted in movies. Second, it features one of my favorite actors, Edward Norton, as De Niro’s protégé, the hot-headed young thief who thinks he knows more than his mentor. The plot points and storyline have some beats that we see in a lot of these films, and it wastes the talent of Angela Bassett in an underdeveloped role, but this one is a lot of fun – a good old popcorn movie with some of the greatest actors together on screen.
Speaking of Legendary Actors – Training Day
I was late to the party on this one, despite the strong reviews and Denzel Washington’s first Best Actor Oscar win. I wasn’t quite sure I was interested in the story of a deplorable cop, dragging his rookie partner through a torturous first day on the job. And let me tell you, watching a movie about a dirty cop is certainly hard in our current environment. But, I decided to check it out for this blog, as well as for an episode of a podcast I really enjoy (The Rewatchables) and found it very good, proving that almost anything Denzel does is worth watching. He embodies the worst of the worst kind of cop, but he is such a good actor, that you are not bothered by the character. And Ethan Hawke, who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the rookie cop, is excellent, demonstrating the rare ability of an actor who has the chops to go toe to toe with one of the best of all-time. A well-earned Oscar for Denzel, making up for the travesty of losing for his Malcolm X performance to Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. Woof!
An Old Fashioned Ghost Story – The Others
In 1999, the world was blown away by the ending of The Sixth Sense, and somehow (I guess it’s because there was no social media) the ending wasn’t spoiled for people before they saw the movie. Two years later, I was similarly impressed by The Others, a suspenseful ghost story starring Nicole Kidman as a mother of two young children living in a large spooky house after the end of World War II. While waiting for her husband to return from the war, she hires new servants, including Fionnula Flanagan in a creepy performance, and starts to sense there is a presence in her house that threatens her family. This is a very creative film that is scary, but in a fun way, not a violent and gory way. Kidman is outstanding, and carries the film with a performance that showcases her ability to play the caring mother and the terrified woman, just wanting her suffering to end. The Others is a wonderful movie that I highly recommend and was written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar, who has ties to another one of my picks coming up later in our list.
The Homage to Noir Crime – The Man Who Wasn’t There
1949 suburban California. Subtle performances by legendary actors. A slow-burn plot about a man looking for a quick payday who gets in way over his head. And soooooo much cigarette smoking, shot in glorious black and white by a legendary cinematographer. If you are a fan of old-time Hollywood crime noir films, but love the look of 21st century Hollywood filmmaking, you’ll love this superb picture. Billy Bob Thornton plays a small-town barber, just meandering his way through life, married to his bookkeeper wife, portrayed by Frances McDormand. When Thornton suspects his wife is having an affair with her boss while also wrapped up in some illegal activities, he decides to jump into the fray to make some money for himself and change his life forever. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned and he is left scrambling to escape the carnage. The Man Who Wasn’t There was made by Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo, The Big Lebowski), filmmakers who are considered among the best around, although I admit I haven’t seen many of their movies. This is one I particularly enjoy though, especially the slow-burn plot and the beautiful look and feel of a 1940s crime drama. In addition to great performances by Thornton and McDormand, the film features James Gandolfini (at the height of his Tony Soprano popularity) and a young Scarlett Johansson in one of her earliest roles.
The Ending is Batshit Crazy But I Still Love it – Vanilla Sky
He directed one of my favorite comfort movies (Say Anything, that I wrote about here), his 2000 masterpiece Almost Famous was my favorite film of that year, as I wrote about the last time I looked back twenty years, and he has an incredible ability to blend music and film, as I wrote about in my love of movie soundtrack here. I also could have covered the work of Cameron Crowe in my piece on directors who take risks, because after the success of Almost Famous, and an Oscar for Best Screenplay, he decided to take on a remake of a Spanish film directed by Alejandro Amenábar, who directed The Others. It may not seem that making a film starring Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz (who starred in the original), Cameron Diaz and Kurt Russell would be taking a risk, but if you’ve seen Vanilla Sky, you know this is not a conventional story. Cruise plays the wealthy head of a publishing company who meets the love of his life (Cruz) while he is in the middle of a “friends with benefits” relationship with Diaz. When Diaz gets jealous of his affection for his new love, they have an argument, there is a gruesome car accident, and Cruise’s life is altered forever. The film uses a flashback / flashforward technique that presents us with a mystery about what really happened to our leading man, and in the last act takes an unexpected turn that no one sees coming. I would describe the ending as batshit crazy, but it still works for me, particularly for the simplicity of the message of the movie, and for the wonderful soundtrack. It may not be for everyone, but I still love this one twenty years later.
Speaking of Crazy – Mulholland Drive
There are certain directors that are unique in their storytelling style and narrative choices that are sometimes jarring when you watch their movies. Spielberg and Scorsese are not examples of this – what you see is what you get. But when you watch a movie created by Charlie Kaufman or Paul Thomas Anderson, the storylines are not necessarily crystal clear, there may be more art than plot, and they usually leave you thinking a lot about what you just saw. The prime example of this kind of director is David Lynch. My first exposure to Lynch was in 1990 when he created the cultural phenomenon Twin Peaks, which I loved. I still admire the show for its quirky characters, oddball storylines (some of which go nowhere), and mesmerizing soundtrack. Not all of Lynch’s films work for me (some of them are just too weird), but I found his 2001 movie Mulholland Drive to be a masterpiece. Originally conceived as a pilot for an ABC network show (rejected by the network as being too strange), then expanded into a feature film, Mulholland Drive is the story of two women who meet under mysterious circumstances. The wonderful Naomi Watts plays Betty, an aspiring actress who travels to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams while staying at her aunt’s house. She encounters a woman who is experiencing amnesia and doesn’t remember anything about her past, and takes on the name Rita, until she learns her true identity. The two try to solve that mystery, while also encountering other characters in the Hollywood Hills, including Justin Theroux as a troubled film director. The last portion of the film is somewhat disorienting as we learn more about Betty and Rita, and see their worlds converge. A classic noir mystery with familiar trademarks of Lynch, who usually needs his audience to trust his vision and not have everything spelled out easily, instead leaving the ultimate interpretation up to the viewer.
Now, That’s One Messed Up Family – The Royal Tenenbaums
If there is one director who might be as good (if not better) than Cameron Crowe at the intersection of film and music, it’s Wes Anderson. Now, I was very late to the party with Anderson’s movies and I will cover my admiration for his work in detail later this year in advance of his next film, The French Dispatch. But the one movie of his that hit me in so many ways was The Royal Tenenbaums, the story of a dysfunctional New York City family, led by the patriarch played by Gene Hackman. His attempts to reconnect with his adult children (played by Ben Stiller, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson), all while dealing with his estranged wife (Anjelica Huston), play out in typical Anderson fashion – heartfelt moments, balanced with subtle humor, and a few plot lines that border on the absurd. But what I love the most about Anderson’s films is the way he incorporates the perfect songs into the moments of his movies as well-timed needle drops, and Tenenbaums is no different. Not many directors can weave in the songs of John Lennon, Nico, Paul Simon, Elliot Smith (in a particularly moving scene) and The Ramones to complement a wonderful screenplay and performances. More on Anderson later this year, but The Royal Tenenbaums remains a masterclass in storytelling.
The Oscar Winner – A Beautiful Mind
Occasionally we see controversy emerge with an Oscar-winning film, and sometimes I can understand it, like we saw when Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture in 1989, when Do the Right Thing (arguably one of the best and most-important movies of the last 50 years) wasn’t even nominated. And other times, I just don’t get it. It seems like twenty years after winning Best Picture, there is some revisionist history that A Beautiful Mind is not a very good film and not worthy of the award. While I understand some criticism that maybe the movie didn’t depict John Nash’s struggles with schizophrenia in the best way, and that director Ron Howard left out some of the more negative aspects of Nash’s life, this is still a great story with wonderful performances. Russell Crowe, who easily could have won his second straight Oscar, portrays mathematician John Nash, whose brilliance and potential is hampered by his quirky personality and a devastating mental illness. Standing by his side throughout all of his ordeals is his wife Alicia, played by Jennifer Connelly, who won an Oscar for her performance. Combine those two performances, along with a compelling story with a good combination of suspense, drama, and a little humor (not to mention excellent supporting performances from Christopher Plummer and Ed Harris), and I still think this is a winner. And I’m glad it won the Oscar for Best Picture and that Ron Howard was finally rewarded.
So Much Fun – Ocean’s Eleven
If having David Lynch challenge your cognitive thinking skills isn’t what you are in the mood for on a Friday night, you certainly can’t go wrong with Steven Soderbergh’s remake of the Rat Pack heist comedy from 1960. Ocean’s Eleven is one of those films that I think is perfect from start to finish. You have a top notch director, an all-star cast (led by Clooney, Pitt, Damon, and Roberts), some fun comedic moments throughout (particularly the subtle funny lines), and a clever story that keeps you guessing until the end. We get some nice bits throughout – the brothers constantly needling each other, Pitt eating something in almost every scene, Damon’s need to impress Clooney (as a stand-in father figure), and Clooney’s distractions from his mission because he is desperate to win back his one true love in Roberts. I love heist movies, especially ones that play with what you are seeing. This one reminds me a little bit of The Sting, one of my all-time favorite films. Much like when we get to the end and realize that Redford wasn’t really working with Charles Durning’s cop in The Sting, when we see how the robbery of the casinos in Ocean’s Eleven really unfolded through clever flashbacks, it all clicks together, leaving you wanting more. Of course, we got two more sequels, which were pretty good, but don’t quite hold up to the original (most never do). This is Soderbergh at his peak, coming off of an Oscar win for Traffic and second nomination for Erin Brockovich in the same year, and it certainly shows.
My Favorite Film of the Year – Memento
By the time you read one of my blog posts, it’s gone through several iterations – starting with a kernel of an idea, thinking through if it’s enough to warrant a full post, figuring out a way to connect it to something else going on in the world, and most importantly, if someone even wants to read my rambling thoughts. It always starts with the most daunting thing that faces someone who writes – the blank screen. So, I usually start with an outline, a way to organize my thoughts, and go from there. But one thing I can say for sure is that regardless of how rambling or confusing any of my posts were, none of them needed a schematic as confusing as this to keep it organized.
If you haven’t seen Christopher Nolan’s first full-length feature Memento, you are in for a treat, but do yourself a favor – put down your phone and pay attention to every detail as you watch the story unfold. Nolan, who wrote the screenplay based on a short story by his brother, tells the story of Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce in a top-notch performance), an insurance fraud investigator who is trying to find the man who killed his wife, all while dealing with short-term memory loss he suffered during the attack. Seems simple enough, right? But Nolan chooses to tell the story along two storylines – one moving backward (in color) and one moving forward (in black and white) that converge in the middle at the end of the movie. “Middle at the end?” Yeah, Nolan is trying twist our brain into a pretzel. Hence the need for the schematic above to keep things straight for the production team. Memento is one of my favorite movies from Nolan, who has directed some great ones over the years, because no matter how many times you have seen it, it’s always rewarding to see how it unfolds, pick up things you may have previously missed, and leave you questioning what we really know about our own memories.
That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed this look back to the year 2001 in movies. I’m going to be off next week, but will be back in two weeks for (just in time for Mother’s Day) a look at the best movie Moms. I’ve got a few surprises in store for that one. Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.
Thanks for a great read Steve!!