The
      Best
      Films
      That
      I
      Watched
      in
      2001
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Jeff
      COLL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      problem
      with
      writing
      top
     
     
      ten
      lists
      of
      films
      that
      were
      released
      in
     
     
      the
      previous
      year
      is
      that
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      best
      films
      don’t
      get
      released
      until
      the
     
     
      last
      week
      of
      the
      year
      to
      ensure
      that
     
     
      they
      will
      be
      remembered
      during
      Oscar
     
     
      nomination
      time.
      This
      means
      that
      it
     
     
      may
      take
      months
      before
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      best
      films
      of
      2001
      get
      to
     
     
      Charlottetown.
     
    

    
     
      Instead
      of
      a
      conventional
      top
     
     
      ten
      list
      like
      critics
      in
      big
      cities
      might
     
     
      write,
      |
      feel
      that
      I
      must
      write
      a
      list
      of
     
     
      the
      top
      ten
      movies
      (plus
      a
      bonus
      fif-
     
     
      teen)
      that
      I
      watched
      in
      theatres
      in
     
     
      2001.
      This
      will
      inevitably
      include
     
     
      movies
      that
      were
      actually
      released
      in
     
     
      2000,
      but
      didn’t
      make
      it
      to
     
     
      Charlottetown
      until
      2001.
      Also,
      there
     
     
      is
      a
      re-released
      film
      on
      the
      list,
      to
      give
     
     
      me
      an
      excuse
      to
      complain
      about
      re-
     
     
      releases.
     
    

    
     
      I
      saw
      133
      different
      films
      in
     
     
      theatres
      last
      year,
      so
      I
      think
      I
      have
     
     
      enough
      films
      to
      choose
      from
      to
      make
     
     
      a
      good
      list.
      I
      would
      have
      seen
      more,
     
     
      but
      as
      far
      as
      I
      could
      tell,
      it
      wasn’t
      real-
     
     
      ly
      a
      great
      year
      for
      films.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TEN
      FILMS
      THAT
      MORE
     
     
      FILMS
      SHOULD
      BE
      LIKE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      I
      go
      to
      movies,
      I
      love
      to
      see
     
     
      something
      new;
      I
      love
      to
      be
      surprised;
     
     
      I
      love
      to
      be
      challenged.
      The
      following
     
     
      ten
      films
      are
      entertaining,
      thought
     
     
      provoking,
      inventive
      and
      worth
     
     
      watching
      many
      times
      over.
      They
      rep-
     
     
      resent,
      in
      their
      various
      categories,
      the
     
     
      way
      most
      films
      should
      be,
      but
      rarely
     
     
      are.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Best
      Re-released
      Film:
      A
      Hard
      Day's
     
     
      Night
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ever
      since
      George
      Lucas
      revised
      and
     
     
      re-released
      the
      Star
      Wars
      trilogy
      with
     
     
      great
      financial
      success
      five
      years
      ago,
     
     
      it
      seems
      that
      more
      and
      more
      special
     
     
      editions
      of
      some
      of
      the
      greatest
      films
     
     
      ever
      made
      have
      been
      appearing
      in
      the-
     
     
      atres.
      Even
      though
      these
      special
      edi-
     
     
      tions
      usually
      boast
      restored’
      picture
     
     
      and
      sound,
      added
      scenes,
      and
      mod-
     
     
      ernised
      special
      effects,
      most
      of
      them
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [10]
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      are
      rarely
      better
      than
      the
      original;
      they
     
     
      are
      more
      cash
      grabs
      than
      improve-
     
     
      ments.
      Recently,
      Francis
      Ford
     
     
      Coppola’s
      Vietnam
      War
      epic
     
     
      Apocalypse
      Now
      Redux
      was
      released
     
     
      in
      theatres
      and
      hailed
      as
      a
      masterpiece
     
     
      by
      many
      critics.
      Improvements
      to
      the
     
     
      film
      were
      definitely
      made,
      but
      much
     
     
      of
      the
      extra
      44
      minutes
      bogs
      the
      film
     
     
      down
      or
      is
      incomprehensible.
      The
     
     
      20th
      anniversary
      special
      edition
      of
     
     
      E.T.
      The
      Extra
      Terrestrial,
      due
      out
      in
     
     
      theatres
      in
      March,
      is
      bound
      to
      be
     
     
      another
      example
      of
      a
      classic
      being
     
     
      marred,
      considering
      the
      fact
      that
      guns
     
     
      will
      be
      replaced
      with
      walkie
      talkies
     
     
      and
      the
      word
      terrorist
      will
      be
      removed
     
     
      from
      the
      dialogue
      because
      of
      these
     
     
      sensitive
      post
      September
      11th
      times.
     
     
      Thank
      goodness
      for
      re-releases
      like
     
     
      the
      classic
      Beatles
      film
      A
      Hard
      Day's
     
     
      Night,
      which
      merely
      cleaned
      up
      the
     
     
      picture
      and
      sound
      quality
      instead
      of
     
     
      opting
      to
      digitally
      remove
      crooked
     
     
      teeth
      or
      cigarettes.
      Richard
      Lester’s
     
     
      1964
      film
      is
      a
      delight
      to
      watch
     
     
      because
      of
      its
      visual
      style,
      its
      energy,
     
     
      its
      humour
      and,
      of
      course,
      its
      music.
     
     
      Every
      film
      could
      use
      improvement,
     
     
      but
      there
      is
      a
      certain
      comfort
      in
      know-
     
     
      ing
      that
      a
      film
      remains
      constant
     
     
      throughout
      the
      ages.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Best
      Musical:
      Dancer
      in
      the
      Dark
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      was
      a
      time
      when
      the
      musical
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Fellowship
      of
      the
      Ring:
      Best
      Film
      with
      Wizards
     
    
   
   
    
     
      was
      a
      very
      popular
      film
      genre—even
     
     
      the
      first
      film
      to
      feature
      sound
      (The
     
     
      Jazz
      Singer)
      was
      a
      musical.
      These
     
     
      days,
      we
      are
      lucky
      to
      see
      one
      new
      film
     
     
      musical
      every
      year,
      besides
      Disney’s
     
     
      contribution
      to
      its
      animated
      musical
     
     
      canon.
      Last
      year’s
      Moulin
      Rouge
      was
     
     
      an
      entertaining
      tragicomic
      postmod-
     
     
      ern
      joyride,
      using
      contemporary
      songs
     
     
      and
      film
      techniques
      to
      represent
      the
     
     
      spirit
      of
      Paris’s
      Moulin
      Rouge
      in
     
     
      1899.
      That
      film
      does
      not
      compare,
     
     
      however,
      to
      Lars
      von
      Trier’s
      Dancer
     
     
      in
      the
      Dark
      which
      is
      just
      plain
      tragic.
     
     
      Bjérk
      stars
      as
      Selma,
      an
      immigrant
     
     
      woman
      from
      east
      Europe
      who
      is
      going
     
    
   
   
    
     
      blind
      and
      is
      trying
      to
      save
      enough
     
     
      money
      to
      pay
      for
      her
      son’s
      operation
     
     
      so
      that
      he
      will
      not
      suffer
      the
      same
      fate.
     
     
      For
      roughly
      the
      first
      forty
      minutes,
      the
     
     
      film
      is
      in
      the
      spirit
      of
      many
      of
      von
     
     
      Trier’s
      Dogma
      ‘95
      films—simple,
     
     
      cold
      and_
      difficult—then
      Selma
     
     
      retreats
      into
      a
      fantasy
      world
      in
      which
     
     
      she
      is
      the
      star
      of
      a
      Hollywood
      musical
     
     
      and
      her
      depressing
      life
      is
      made
      glori-
     
     
      ous
      for
      a
      few
      minutes.
      The
      rest
      of
      the
     
     
      film
      blurs
      the
      line
      between
      fantasy
     
     
      and
      reality
      even
      more
      as
      her
      life
     
     
      becomes
      more
      and
      more
      depressing
     
     
      and
      the
      music
      takes
      over.
      The
      final
     
     
      musical
      number,
      “107
      Steps,”
      is
      one
     
     
      of
      the
      most
      heartbreaking
      and
      breath-
     
     
      traking
      scenes
      on
      film.
      Dancer
      in
      the
     
     
      Dark
      is
      a
      daring,
      one
      of
      a
      kind
      film.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Best.
      Romantic
      Comedy:
      Bridget
     
     
      Jones
      s
      Diary
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Most
      Romantic
      comedies
      are
      about
     
     
      beautiful
      and
      charming
      people
     
     
      inevitably
      being
      thrown
      together
      by
     
     
      The
      Plot.
      In
      Bridget
      Jones’s
      Diary,
     
     
      although
      Renée
      Zellweger
      is
      certainly
     
     
      a
      beautiful
      and
      charming
      person,
     
     
      Bridget
      Jones
      is
      plump
      and
      shy,
      and
     
     
      Mark
      Darcy
      (Colin
      Firth)—the
      man
     
     
      with
      whom
      she
      is
      inevitably
      thrown
     
     
      together—
      is,
      to
      say
      the
      least,
      awk-
     
     
      ward.
      The
      best
      romantic
      comedies
      are
     
     
      the
      ones
      that
      don’t
      follow
      the
      conven-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Amelie:
      Best
      Foreign
      Film