Film Faves 2000
Cast Away – Robert Zemeckis always makes interesting films. Some of them are truly great (classics, even) and some of them are experiments in filmmaking or storytelling. Cast Away is an experiment in both filmmaking and storytelling, showing us a man trapped on an island and the realities and uncertainties he must face during what may be the rest of his life in isolation. It's one of Tom Hank's best performances and the visuals used in the telling of the tale are some of the best ever created by Zemeckis and his team (and the fact that most people won't recognize many of the effects as effects is testament to their quality).
Mission: Impossible 2 – My favorite film of 2000. I've been a fan of John Woo since his Honk Kong days. I remember watching Hard Boiled and The Killer over and over on my laserdisc player (yes, that long, ago). Since his pilgrimage to the U.S. market, I've been waiting for him to show his stuff onscreen, the kind of amazing theatrics that made him a sensation when paired with Chow Yun Fat. But his American films have left me unimpressed. Until I saw MI:2, that is, and John Woo redeemed himself with an action film the likes of which only he, with his balletic slow-mo and fluttering dove wings, could create.
Unbreakable – This would be my favorite M. Night Shyamalan film, if not for that awful title card at the end of the movie. Other than that one little storytelling misstep, the film is a wonderfully understated modern day super hero story.
U-571 – Not the best movie of the year, just simply a great submarine film. Entertaining, exciting, with interesting characters and plenty of tense "trapped in a sub" moments make this film a winner for me. Sometimes, just being a quality, entertaining film is enough. If you have a home theater system, buy this DVD and give your sub-woofer something to chew on for a while.
X-Men – Coalescing the X-Men comics into something resembling a feature film is a challenge in and of itself, but turning it into a really good film that fans of the original comics can embrace is an achievement for the books. I grew up on X-men comics. It was an X-Men comic (Uncanny #173) that got me interested in comics in the first place, and this film put a huge smile on my face. Director Bryan Singer did a great job of bringing the X-Men to life. His choice of Hugh Jackman to play Wolverine gives me hope that his next film's unknown lead will help lead to another great comic book movie.
-Otis
Previous Film Fave Entries:
Comments