Sexy
      Beast:
      Best
      Heist
      Film
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tions
      perfectly,
      but
      still
      inspire
      some
     
     
      sort
      of
      romantic
      hope
      in
      the
      audience;
     
     
      another
      important
      factor,
      of
      course,
      is
     
     
      that
      the
      film
      has
      to
      be
      funny.
      Bridget
     
     
      Jones’s
      Diary
      accomplishes
      all
      of
     
     
      these
      things
      and
      blows
      all
      other
     
     
      romantic
      comedies
      from
      last
      year
      out
     
     
      of
      the
      water,
      including
      two
      mediocre
     
     
      efforts
      starring
      John
      Cusack
     
     
      (America’s
      Sweethearts
      and
     
     
      Serendipity)—an
      actor
      who
      typically
     
     
      chooses
      to
      be
      in
      solid
      films.
      Let’s
     
     
      hope
      there
      will
      be
      fewer
      cookie-cutter
     
     
      romantic
      comedies,
      and
      more
      fun
      and
     
     
      different
      romantic
      comedies
      like
     
     
      Bridget
      Jones's
      Diary.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Best
      Foreign
      Film:
      Amelie
      ‘
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      opening
      sequence
      of
      Jean-Pierre
     
     
      Jeunet’s
      Amelie
      is
      one
      of
      the
      most
     
     
      energetic
      and
      hilarious
      film
      prologues
     
     
      since
      Magnolia.
      If
      the
      entire
      film
      had
     
     
      been
      that
      good,
      Amelie
      would
      have
     
     
      been
      one
      of
      the
      best
      films
      in
      years—
     
     
      based
      purely
      on
      its
      ability
      to
      entertain.
     
     
      As
      it
      is,
      Amelie
      is
      a
      delight
      to
      watch,
     
     
      even
      though
      it
      sags
      under
      the
      weight
     
     
      of
      the
      main
      plot.
      Audrey
      Tautou
      is
     
     
      mesmerising
      as
      the
      title
      character
      who
     
     
      tries
      to
      ignore
      her
      own
      problems
      by
     
     
      doing
      good
      for
      others:
      she
      is
      one
      of
     
     
      those
      actors
      who
      can
      speak
      volumes
     
     
      with
      a
      mere
      look.
      Even
      more
      wonder-
     
     
      ful
      are
      the
      visual
      tricks
      that
      represent
     
     
      Amelie’s
      overactive
      imagination.
     
     
      Amazing
      special
      effects,
      which
      might
     
     
      be
      the
      centrepiece
      to
      lesser
      Hollywood
     
     
      films,
      get
      only
      a
      few
      seconds’
      screen
     
     
      time.
      Alas,
      one
      deterrent
      for
      potential
     
     
      viewers
      will
      be
      that
      it
      is
      a
      French
      film
     
    
   
   
    
     
      er
      ae
     
     
      ry
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      is
      subtitled.
      To
      those
      people
      who
     
     
      don’t
      like
      to
      read
      their
      films,
      I
      can
     
     
      only
      say
      that
      they
      are
      missing
      out
      on
      a
     
     
      great
      experience.
      To
      those
      people
      who
     
     
      don’t
      mind
      the
      language
      barrier,
      I
      say
     
     
      catch
      it
      while
      you
      still
      can.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Best
      Film
      with
      Wizards:
      The
      Lord
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Rings:
      The
      Fellowship
      of
      the
      Ring
     
    
   
   
    
     
      From
      start
      to
      finish,
      Harry
      Potter
      and
     
     
      the
      Philosopher's
      Stone
      feels
      like
      a
     
     
      film
      that
      is
      not
      nearly
      as
      great
      as
      it
     
     
      wants
      to
      be.
      The.
      big
      mistake
      that
      the
     
     
      Studio
      Gods
      made
      was
      giving
      the
     
     
      project
      to
      Chris
      Columbus,
      whose
      best
     
     
      work
      in
      film
      was
      his
      first:
      the
      screen-
     
     
      play
      for
      Gremlins.
      As
      a
      director,
     
     
      Columbus
      does
      not
      have
      the
      standards
     
     
      or
      the
      attention
      to
      detail
      that
      is
     
     
      required
      for
      a
      movie
      as
      large
      in
      scope
     
     
      as
      an
      adaptation
      of
      J.K.
      Rowling’s
     
     
      first
      Harry
      Potter
      book.
      The
      resulting
     
     
      film
      is
      cinematographically
      stiff,
      has
     
     
      shoddy
      digital
      effects
      (despite
      what
     
     
      most
      people
      claimed,
      the
      Quidditch
     
     
      match
      looks
      unconvincing)
      and
      has
     
     
      the
      most
      distracting
      and
      overbearing
     
     
      scores
      that
      |
      can
      remember.
      The
      Lord
     
     
      of
      the
      Rings:
      The
      Fellowship
      of
      the
     
     
      Ring,
      on
      the
      other
      hand
      visualises
     
     
      J.R.R.
      Tolkien’s
      Middle
      Earth
      beauti-
     
     
      fully.
      Every
      frame
      of
      the
      film
      immers-
     
     
      es
      the
      viewer
      into
      a
      beautiful
      new
     
     
      world
      full
      of
      humans,
      elves,
      goblins,
     
     
      dwarves,
      cave
      trolls
      and,
      of
      course,
     
     
      hobbits.
      Peter
      Jackson,
      who
      has
      never
     
     
      done
      a
      film
      of
      any
      grandness
      before,
     
     
      directs
      the
      film
      perfectly
      with
      a
      cast
      of
     
     
      actors
      that
      is
      both
      predictable
      and
      sur-
     
     
      prising.
      Ian
      McKellan
      as
      Gandalf
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Best
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Grey
      is
      a
      no-brainer,
      but
      who
      would
     
     
      have
      thought
      that
      Sean
      Astin
      (whose
     
     
      first
      film
      was
      The
      Goonies,
      scripted
     
     
      by
      Columbus)
      would
      have
      made
      the
     
     
      perfect
      Sam
      Gamgee?
      Although
      the
     
     
      film
      is
      effects-intensive,
      Jackson
     
     
      never
      lets
      the
      effects
      run
      away
      from
     
     
      his
      fine
      cast
      and
      uses
      many
      close-up
     
     
      shots
      to
      keep
      the
      attention
      focussed
      on
     
     
      the
      characters.
      No
      film
      of
      The
      Lord
      of
     
     
      the
      Rings
      could
      ever
      do
      Tolkien’s
     
     
      encyclopaedic
      novel
      justice,
      but
     
     
      Jackson’s
      film
      is
      nevertheless
      a
     
     
      delight
      to
      watch.
     
    

    
     
      Film
      with
      a
      Non-Linear
     
     
      Narrative:
      Memento
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Quentin
      Tarantino
      wasn’t
      the
      first
      per-
     
     
      son
      to
      make
      a
      non-linear
      film,
      but
      he
     
     
      certainly
      got
      a
      lot
      of
      praise
      for
      Pulp
     
     
      Fiction—which
      is
      great,
      not
      because
     
     
      of
      its
      narrative
      structure,
      but
      because
     
     
      of
      its
      characters
      and
      dialogue.
      With
     
     
      Memento,
      Christopher
      Nolan
      has
      actu-
     
     
      ally
      employed
      a
      non-linear
      narrative
     
     
      for
      a
      better
      reason
      than
      “Wouldn’t
      it
     
     
      be
      cool
      if
      we
      shuffled
      the
      chronology
     
     
      around?”
      Memento
      is
      about
      a
      man
     
     
      who
      suffers
      short-term
      memory
      loss
     
     
      (Guy
      Pearce),
      and
      in
      order
      to
      make
      the
     
     
      audience
      understand
      how
      disorienting
     
     
      such
      a
      condition
      must
      be,
      every
     
     
      sequence
      is
      placed
      in
      a
      reverse
     
    
   
   
    
     
      chronological
      order.
      The
      effect
      is.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      close
      to
      that
      of
      reading
      a
      children’s
     
     
      book,
      beginning
      at
      the
      last
      page
      and
     
     
      ending
      at
      the
      first.
      The
      audience
     
     
      already
      knows
      how
      the
      plot
      turns
      out,
     
     
      but
      there
      are
      plenty
      of
      surprises
      to
     
     
      learn
      about
      along
      the
      way,
      which
     
     
      makes
      Memento
      one
      of
      the
      best
      plot-
     
     
      driven
      films
      to
      come
      out
      in
      many
     
     
      years.
      It
      doesn’t
      hurt
      to
      have
      Guy
     
     
      Pearce
      as
      the
      star—an
      Australian
      actor
     
     
      who
      hasn’t
      been
      in
      nearly
      enough
     
     
      films
      since
      his
      outstanding
      perform-
     
     
      ance
      as
      the
      straight-arrow
      cop
      in
      L.A.
     
     
      Confidental.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Best
      Canadian
      Film:
      The
      Left
      Side
      of
     
     
      the
      Fridge
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      is
      a
      special
      place
      in
      my
      heart
      for
     
     
      the
      mockumentary
      and
      I’m
      glad
      that
     
     
      Quebec’s
      Philippe
      Falardeau
      has
     
     
      added
      another
      film
      to
      this
      small
      genre.
     
     
      The
      Left
      Side
      of
      the
      Fridge
      is
      about
      a
     
     
      an
      actor-turned-documentary
      film-
     
     
      maker
      who
      follows
      around
      his
      unem-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      X
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ployed
      roommate
      who
      is
      looking
      for
      a
     
     
      job
      that
      he
      is
      not
      overqualified
      for
      (he
     
     
      is,
      after
      all,
      a
      qualified
      engineer).
      It
      is
     
     
      in
      part
      a
      film
      about
      unemployment
     
     
      woes
      and
      corporate
      morality,
      but
      just
     
     
      as
      importantly
      it
      is
      about
      how
      the
     
     
      media
      can
      interfere
      with
      people’s
     
     
      lives.
      Even
      though
      the
      filmmaker
      is
     
     
      merely
      an
      independent
      filmmaker,
      he
     
     
      is
      just
      like
      any
      other
      member
      of
      the
     
     
      mainstream
      media
      because
      he
      manip-
     
     
      ulates
      the
      unemployed
      man’s
      life
     
     
      while
      still
      pretending
      to
      be
      an
      objec-
     
     
      tive
      observer;
      he
      will
      do
      anything
      to
     
     
      make
      an
      interesting
      film.
      Anybody
     
     
      who
      appreciates
      good
      satire
      will
      cer-
     
     
      tainly
      appreciate
      The
      Left
      Side
      of
      the
     
     
      Fridge.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Best
      Heist
      Film:
      Sexy
      Beast
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      a
      year
      with
      so
      many
      great
      heist
     
     
      films
      to
      choose
      from—Snatch,
      The
     
     
      Score,
      Heist,
      Sexy
      Beast
      and
      Ocean’
     
     
      11—Sexy
      Beast
      stands
      out
      because
      it
     
     
      is
      not
      so
      much
      about
      the
      thrill
      of
      the
     
     
      heist
      as
      it
      is
      about
      avoiding
      the
      thrill
     
     
      of
      the
      heist.
      The
      main
      character
      Gary
     
     
      “Gal”
      Dove
      is
      a
      retired
      London
      gang-
     
     
      ster
      living
      with
      his
      wife
      in
      a
      beautiful
     
     
      house
      in
      Spain;
      he’s
      fat,
      tanned
      and
     
     
      content.
      His
      contentment
      changes,
     
     
      however
      when
      Don
      Logan
      (Ben
     
     
      Kingsley)
      shows
      up
      and
      tries
      to
      con-
     
     
      vince
      him
      to
      take
      part
      in
      the
      robbery
     
     
      of
      a
      high
      security
      vault
      in
      London.
     
     
      Dove
      does
      not
      want
      to
      come
      out
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Man
      Who
      Wasn't
      There:
     
     
      Best
      Coen
      Brothers
      Film
     
    
   
   
    
     
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