Best of the Aughts Continued--2001

My top ten list from 2001 looked a little something like this...

1. In the Bedroom (Todd Field)
2. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)
3. Memento (Christopher Nolan)
4. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann)
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
6. Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
7. Gosford Park (Robert Altman)
8. Monster's Ball (Marc Forster)
9. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff)
10. The Believer (Henry Bean)

This is a mostly respectable list. 2001 boasted one of the best lineups for cinema in the aughts. #1 and #2 would probably swap places, then swap back on any given day. Both of these films hold up very well. I have probably returned to Todd Field's disarming debut the most out of all the films on this list. I seldom think about Memento anymore, though it is a singular achievement, without a doubt. Ditto for The Believer, which probably crept its way onto this list because of Ryan Gosling's fiery lead performance. Gosford Park would probably rank higher on this list if I were to make it today, and Ghost World may not make the list at all. I recognize that Zwigoff's biting misanthropic tragicomedy has moments of inspired brilliance, but as a whole I'm forced to admit that it hasn't burned bright in my memory. I'm one of the few people who actually approve of Halle Berry's highly-contested best actress win. I still hold true to that feeling. Having revisited Monster's Ball, I'm not sure it would still make the list, but it's a solid film. Since making this list, I've watched David Lynch's work of sheer brilliance that is Mulholland Drive. Something would have to take take the fall for these masterworks, but surely one of them is not Moulin Rouge! which evokes so many emotions in me (not all positive) but it is never boring or forgettable and I'm not sure it ever will be. For the record, I saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch after the fact...I enjoyed it, certainly, but not enough to justify a spot on this list.

Films I Missed: AI: Artificial Intelligence, Bandits, Black Hawk Down, Crazy/Beautiful, Frailty, Iris, In the Mood for Love, Monsoon Wedding, Vanilla Sky.