Gautam Anand
2000, in my opinion, was one of the best years for movies ever. I haven’t seen such series of quality films release one after another. Not just quality, but 2000 was also about variety. From science fiction to romance, 2000 had everything. Here is the list top films of 2000 that will be and are remembered for a long, long time. (That’s why you will find many of the films on the list also found a place in our “Best of the 21st Century” list).
10. Mission: Impossible 2
If you have seen all the Mission Impossible films, which one of them showcases Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) as the toughest version of himself? If the answer is Mission Impossible 2 then its definitely correct. From the free-hand rock climbing in the beginning to the bike chase action scene towards the end of the movie, we don’t actually feel like we are watching a spy movie but a high octane action movie. The story involves I.M.F. agent Ethan Hunt going on a mission to find and destroy the virus called Chimera which was stolen by Hunt’s former partner Sean Ambrose from a biochemical facility. Director John Woo’s style is very much appreciated in this film for using Hong Kong cinema style gunfights and slow motions. Hunt would have just retrieved the virus samples and destroyed it but since the antagonist messed with him by holding Hunt’s love interest captive, he ends up killing Ambrose and his whole team, something that a Real Man would do.
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9. Gladiator
‘Gladiator’ is a triumph. On the surface, it’s a terrific yarn with strong, rounded characters, agonizing suspense and visceral thrills. Look closer and you’ll find rich historical themes, and a harrowing critique of violence as amusement. In the movie “When a Roman General is betrayed, and his family murdered by an emperor’s corrupt son, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge.” Russell Crowe as ‘Maximus’ has the charismatic glower of a true star.
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8. Traffic (2000)
Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Traffic’ is essentially a maze, where multiple characters through different storylines, tell the same story. It’s an amalgamation of three stories, where drug deals, its trafficking and its abuse impacts many lives including the ones fighting against and for it. Somewhere it’s a story of an upright cop fighting for his society’s poor children. Somewhere it’s a judge pressing strongly for a hardened drug law, only to lose his purpose upon knowing his daughter’s addiction. The success of the movie spawned four academy awards which included best director and best supporting actor.
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7. American Psycho
Christian Bale plays a narcissist, ego centric Patrick Bateman who has everything, but still lacks something to boost his inner demons. He showcases every trait of a psychopath i.e. self obsession, insecurity, measuring people with the level of vanities they possess. This movie ran into troubles with MPAA because of its depiction of increasingly graphic sexual violence. The brilliance of this movie rises to its peak with an absolutely cracking climax.
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6. Almost Famous
Writer and director Cameron Crowe’s experiences as a teenage rock journalist inspired this coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy hitting the road with an up-and-coming rock band in the early 1970s. There’s a personal element to the film that you can’t miss. It is warm and fuzzy, but also equally memorable and effective.
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5. Requiem For A Dream
‘Requiem For A Dream’ is a movie-viewing experience that you may never have had before — and never will. How drugs destroy four lives who aspire to be great — but succumb to addictions — may seem to be a simple enough premise, but it is the innovative and bold story-telling of Aronofsky that stands out and takes this film to the heights of greatness. Also, few movies have such devastatingly affecting ending as this film does.
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4. Amores Perros
This dazzling and fierce piece of work happens to be the debut of the serial Oscar-winning director, Alejandro González Iñárritu. Not even five minutes into the film, you will realize why Iñárritu is such a maverick. Gritty and solidly engaging, the scenes in the film have been so realistically constructed — especially the dog fights — that when I first watched it, I had to confirm that I am watching a fiction and not a documentary. Read more ..
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3. Yi Yi: A One and A Two
An epic tale about a middle-class family living in Tapei seen through three generations, ‘Yi Yi’ ((A One And a Two) is a sombre and heart-warming depiction of the meaninglessness of life. In the banal mundanities of everyday life, Yang finds a way to reflect upon what it means to be human. To some, the film might feel slow-paced, but in actuality, ‘Yi Yi’ is a gradual accumulation of small moments that add up to a deeper whole. You probably won’t realize it’s a masterpiece until it’s over.
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2. Memento
‘Memento’, in ways more than one, is a landmark film. It re-shaped the concept of story-telling in cinema. It teased, tested and challenged its viewers like very few films manage to do. Though, the ultimate strength of ‘Memento’ may not actually lie in its jigsaw narration, but rather on how surprisingly affecting it is — a quality that Nolan always tries to bring in all his films, even though with not as much success. ‘Memento’ is also a template of filmmaking that proves big doesn’t always mean better; small can be great too. We only wish, Nolan can come back again to making such intimate, striking pieces of art.
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1. In the Mood For Love (2000)
‘In The Mood For Love’ is not just a film; it is a poetry in motion. With beautiful, captivating images and equally exquisite, soul-piercing music, ‘In The Mood For Love’ tells the complex story of two simple and intrinsically beautiful individuals who are caught together in circumstances that ever-so-unpredictable life can pose. Two individuals who go through the simultaneous fear and lure of falling in love, and once in love, the sheer pain of leaving it incomplete. ‘In the Mood for Love’ has so much of love simmering underneath the surface, that it could very well be one of most romantic films ever made. Read More …
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