1. The Others (Alejandro Amenabar)
2. La pianiste / The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke)
3. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch)
4. Le fate ignoranti / His Secret Life (Ferzan Ozpetek)
5. Intimacy (Patrice Chéreau)
6. What Time Is It There? (Tsai Ming-liang)
7. AI: Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg)
8. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann)
9. Enemy at the Gates (Jean-Jacques Annaud)
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson) _________________ "De gustibus non disputandum est"
More or less the same as my 2000 post. I was a kid in 2001 so both my movie taste and intake was limited. Saw Jurassic Park III and the first Harry Potter in theaters. There were a fair number of other 2001 films I missed in theaters but saw when they arrived on cable. I don't know what people thought of 2001 at the time. From looking at the top 2001 movies on LB, the Oscars, and the top-grossing films of the year, a few thoughts:
- There was not a single superhero movie among the top box office earners that year. Rather, 2001 was a year of profitable sequels to non-superhero hits of the 90s...Rush Hour 2, The Mummy Returns, Jurassic Park III, American Pie 2, Hannibal. Definitely the last year for that kind of blockbuster, for Spider-Man totally changed things the following year.
- A year for CGI-animated originals, namely Shrek (Dreamworks) and Monsters, Inc (Pixar). Those two movies destroyed their Disney hand-drawn counterpart that year, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. In 2001, it became clear that: 1. CGI was the animated look of the future. And 2. Pixar and Dreamworks were not only serious competitors to Disney, but beating them at their own game. This certainly played a part in the creation of the Best Animated Feature Oscar, which Shrek won in its inaugural year. Although, over in Japan, 2001 saw the release of a hand-drawn film that has grown in prestige in the years since far more than Shrek and Monsters, Inc (which honestly haven't aged well). I'm talking, of course, about Spirited Away. It wasn't released in North America until summer of 2002, but it's a 2001 film. Goes to show how it takes time for movies to spread, and the strength of word-of-mouth.
- I would say the same about Ghost World and Donnie Darko. Two vastly different indie films, but both concerning misfit teenagers, both were barely noticed at their time of release, both later achieved cult status and today are among the most admired films of 2001.
- As for the awards circuit, it looked like a mediocre year.
- Like 2000, I can see how people thought 2001 was a weaker-than-average year at the time. However, also like 2000, I think it's viewed more fondly today.
- Personally I think 2001 was better than average. I'd give it a B or a B- on the A-F scale.
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