Movie Year in depth: the 2000s: 2001

[cestuneblague]

Hey so in response to the discussion in the other thread, I think it would be interesting to actually go through the years individually to see both how the films fared when they were released and how they've stood the test of the time, and even as usual just dig into some unhidden gems or forgotten flops and get some decent reccomendations in the process. I guess selfishly I'm starting with 2000s cause I was following film (especially the culture of film) much more closely at the time and can kind of give a more on-the-ground assessment of how the movies of each year were recieved at the time and what kind of trends were bubbling up and disappearing, though going by a more American release schedule on my part at least.


So I guess it makes sense to start at the Millenium's beginning: 2000.

[Applerill]

This is interesting , because on some days I’d consider 2000 to be my favorite year in movies, definitely more than 1999. Just among my all-time favorites, there’s:

In Vanda’s Room
Bamboozled
Requiem For a Dream
American Psycho
Ritual
Dancer in the Dark
High Fidelity
Eureka
As I Was Moving Ahead
August Underground
Yi Yi
La Commune
Timecode
As I Was Moving Ahead
Memento
The Video Diary of Ricardo Lopez
Italian For Beginners
And a FUCKING AKERMAN PROUST ADAPTATION

(There also were a LOT of shorts I love that I might put into a YouTube playlist)

I think part of what makes it special for me is the perfect interplay between theatergoing and DVD, and more generally the interplay between celluloid and digital. It seemed like the point of the digital revolution where people were so excited to experiment, even if a lot of the results might seem sophomoric to others. I think this was also helped by enthusiastic critics like Jonathan Rosenbaum who were so enthralled with the innovation of movies beyond our grasp, almost like the Jonathan Gold of the arthouse.

[Bach]

2000 (IMDb year) - My Top 10:

1. Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier)
2. Krampack / Nico and Dani (Cesc Gay)
3. Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes / Water Drops on Burning Rocks (François Ozon)
4. Yi Yi (Edward Yang)
5. Memento (Christopher Nolan)
6. Sous le sable / Under the Sand (François Ozon)
7. Werckmeister harmóniák / Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr)
8. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai)
9. Before Night Falls (Julian Schnabel)
10. Tigerland (Joel Schumacher)

Other flms I like:

Trolösa / Faithless (Liv Ullmann)
The Beach (Danny Boyle)
Unbreakable (M. Night Shyamalan)
Small Time Crooks (Woody Allen)
La Comunidad (Alex de la Iglesia)
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"De gustibus non disputandum est"

[Hayden]

Regarding even the last 40-50 years, I consider 2000 a very cinematic year for film. It's just so juicy. The highs of that year a really high. Refined, sophisticated, captivating, distinct, compelling— almost luxurious at times. But it didn't spoonfeed you. Challenging, rewarding, and deserving your patience. It's a great year to bite into. Everywhere in the world seemed to have something to say. (Probably because we didn't all die the year prior, etc).

Bar what Charli and Bach have already mentioned, I'd give a shoutout to these—

—Songs From The Second Floor
—Devils On Th Doorstep
—O Brother, Where Are Thou?
—Joint Security Area
—Suzhou River
—Almost Famous
—The Circle
—Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors

[mickilennial]

I think my ranking would probably go somewhat like:

High Fidelity
Memento
臥虎藏龍 [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]
式日 [Ritual]
Frequency
American Psycho
ユリイカ [Eureka]
Unbreakable
Dancer in the Dark
Requiem for a Dream
Quills
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
You Can Count on Me
花樣年華 [In the Mood for Love]
Timecode
Pitch Black
공동경비구역 JSA [Joint Security Area]
Gladiator
Best in Show
The Family Man
Almost Famous
バトル・ロワイアル [Battle Royale]

[MadhattanJack]

Mine's fairly similar, I guess, but after the first three it's hard to be definitive with where I'd rank them.

Memento
O Brother Where Art Thou
In the Mood For Love
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gladiator
Chicken Run
Pitch Black
Best In Show
Traffic
Timecode
Snatch
Chocolat
Quills
The Dish
Erin Brockovich
Cast Away
The Filth and the Fury

[Olli]

1. Dancer in the Dark 10/10
2. O Brother, Where Art Thou? 10/10
3. 시월애 (Il Mare) 9/10
4. Gladiator 9/10
5. Malèna 9/10
6. American Psycho 8/10
7. High Fidelity 8/10
8. Memento 8/10
9. Snatch 8/10
10. 卧虎藏龙 (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) 8/10

[CA Dreamin]

Totally agree with Hayden. 2000 was very a cinematic year, with a lot to offer from all over the globe. The UK, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Mexico (and probably others I'm not thinking of) all churned out films that are widely appreciated to this day. The US, too, had a very strong year for independent and award-type films. I love You Can Count on Me, High Fidelity, The Wonder Boys, Almost Famous, etc. The only thing I'd have to criticize about 2000 films was the mainstream. Looking back at the top box office performers, domestically and internationally...not good overall. Gladiator and X-Men appear to be the highlights amongst movies that didn't age well, or weren't very good to begin with.

Since everyone else is doing it, I'll leave my top 10 here.
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on such a winter's day

[Hayden]

[LedZep]

Don't have a lot to add, here's a top 10 (also first time doing it for 2000)

1. In the mood for love
2. Dancer in the dark
3. American psycho
4. Snatch
5. Amores perros
6. Memento
7. Requiem for a dream
8. O brother where art thou
9. Nine queens
10. Gladiator or Songs from the second floor (pretty much polar opposite movies, both good)

Yi Yi and Werckmeister Harmonies are near the top of the watchlist (after the 60s movies)
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Overall chart
Fake overall chart

2020s