since you dug training day...

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: and have probably viewed everything rick linklater's done, have you ever considered working with ethan hawke? i think his style could deliver your dialogue perfectly. just a thought. : : I don't think I've ever done this before, but here goes... : : This is by no means a Top Ten list. I don't believe in Top Ten lists. : : These are just thoughts on the flicks I've seen in the 2001 calendar : : year. : : Mind you, I haven't seen everything that came out. But I've seen a : : good deal of the so-called "Oscar Hopefuls" (God bless the Academy : : and those pre-holiday screener DVD's they send out). There are a : : few more that I've yet to watch, but I've delineated those below. : : And also, I've seen a lot more flicks than what's listed below. These : : are just the stand-outs for me. : : Let me repeat that part: FOR ME. Keep in mind, these are just one : : man's opinions. And this man's opinion is no more valid than, say, : : that Roeper guy's. : : Which is to say, my opinion's just about as worthless. : : Movies I Saw, Really Liked/and or Loved, and Would Watch Again : : In no particular order... : : - Amelie : : Wonderful, wonderful subtitled stuff. God-willing, no one will try to : : remake it in English. : : - Bridget Jones Diary : : I've seen this flick around twenty times now, and it never loses : : anything. Crisp script, subtle direction, fantastic performances. If I : : had to pick a favorite of the year, this was it. : : - Training Day : : Just watched this the other day. It's a "programmer" that rises above : : that station, thanks to incredibly strong direction and a couple of great : : performances from Denzel and the Ethan "The Hawk" Hawke. : : - Monster Inc. : : One of the most imaginative movies I've seen in years. The Pixar : : team cannot fail. And whoever voiced "Boo" deserves an Oscar. : : - Shrek : : As a parent, you're forced to watch a lot of the same videos over and : : over again. Thankfully, "Shrek" holds up through repeated viewings. : : The animation and the script wasn't as strong as "Monsters, Inc.", but : : the vocal performances by Murphy, Myers, Diaz, and Lithgow more : : than make up for that. : : - Sexy Beast : : Ben Kingsley and Ray Winstone put in some stellar work, and the : : flick was incredibly well-made. Make an effort to see this flick. : : - The first half of Baby Boy that I watched : : Still haven't finished the flick, but I really liked what I saw. Singleton's : : turned in his best work since "Boyz n' the Hood." : : - The Thirty minutes of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with Alan : : Rickman in them : : What can I say? I'm a fan of the man. And his overly-dramatic : : entrance into Potion's Class may very well be my favorite movie : : moment of 2001. I look forward to getting this screener just to watch : : that clip over and over. : : Honorable Mentions : : - Spy Kids : : A living comic book for kids, and one in which the GIRL is the lead : : (very rare, that). As always, incredibly well-shot and edited by Robert. : : - In the Bedroom : : A very, very moody flick, with understated performances. : : - The Biggs and Band-Camp/Stiffler Stuff in American Pie 2 : : This former was incredibly sweet and the latter was incredibly funny. : : The rest of the picture was incredibly bad, but this stuff saved the day. : : Kudos to those portions of the script, and those performers. : : Movies I Haven't Seen Yet, but Have Been Sent, and Will Watch Soon : : - Moulin Rouge : : I'm a big fan of "Strictly Ballroom" and Ewan McGregor, so I imagine : : I'll like it. Plus, it made Mosier cry, so that's pretty monumental, as : : Mosier's hated every movie he's seen since "Raising Arizona." : : Including our own. : : - The Man Who Wasn't There : : Two words: Billy Bob. The man gave, what I felt, was the best : : performance of the '90's in "A Simple Plan." I'll give whatever he does : : a shot. : : - The Others : : Vincent dug it, so I've gotta give it a try. : : - Waking Life : : Richard Linklater's "Slacker" got me off my ass and made me want to : : be a filmmaker. For that reason alone, I'll watch anything he does. : : -Mulholland Drive : : C'mon - it's David Lynch. : : - Life as a House : : What can I say? I like Kevin Kline. : : Movies I Haven't Been Sent Yet, but Will See Regardless : : - Monster's Ball : : Again, the Billy Bob curve's at work here. : : - I Am Sam : : Do I understand this correctly: Sean Penn plays a retarded guy who's : : trying to adopt/keep a keep? I'm so there. I'm all about Sean Penn. : : His "Dead Man Walking" and "Carlito's Way" performances are so : : captivating, not to mention his "Falcon and the Snowman" and "Fast : : Times" stuff. Fuck, he's even great in "Taps." : : - Iris : : Mmmmmm. Dame Judy Dench. : : Movies I Didn't See and Probably Won't Until They Come Out on : : Video, If Ever : : -The Lord of the Rings : : I love Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures" like you read about, but I : : could give a shit about Hobbits and Middle Earth. : : - A Beautiful Mind : : I love Russell Crowe, but there've been exactly two Math genius : : movies that I've enjoyed: the one with the "Phantoms" guy in it, and : : "Little Man Tate." I don't know if there's room for another - particularly : : one made by the guy who butchered "The Grinch." However, same : : guy also gave us "Splash" and "Parenthood", so he can't be all bad. : : - The Majestic : : I love "Shawshank" (but didn't like "Green Mile"), so Frank Darabont's : : got a fifty/fifty chance here to win a brother back. : : - Heist : : I dig Mamet as much as the next guy, but man, it better be better than : : "State and Main." : : And a Final Tacky Shout-Out : : - Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back : : I know it's mine, but I've seen it at least a hundred times, and it still : : hasn't lost its charm. Mewes deserves a big, cosmic blow job for his : : bravado leading man work, not to mention the very up for anything : : (including making fun of themselves) cast. I call's 'em as I see's 'em; : : and I calls this one a gem. : : I should point out that some of the best filmmaking this year was to : : be found on HBO. "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City," and "Curb : : Your Enthusiasm" blew almost all theatrical releases away. I say : : give HBO an Oscar; they're taking the real risks these days.

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