Last week I looked back on the 10 albums that made my 2002. For my final top 10 until sometime in late December (at least for Geekscape) I present you the top 10 movies that made 2002 enjoyable for me.
10. Jackass: the Movie
This is not a good movie. It’s not even necessarily a film. It’s a collection of insane stunts starring the MTV goldmine that was Jackass. There’s so many cringe worthy moments, there’s even a sequence or two that I can’t stand to watch (which is extra impressive since I adore Pink Flamingos). That being said I still love these films and hope that the tragic loss of Ryan Dunn doesn’t mean that we’ll never see a Jackass 4.
9. Slackers
This is one of the dumbest films ever conceived and I can’t get enough of it. When this movie first came out on DVD I immediately purchased it and would watch it on a semi-weekly basis with friends. The cast is full of random “before they were famous” actors like Jason Segal and Jason Swartzman; plus people whose career was on a downslide (Devon Sawa; Older Pete from Pete and Pete). This film has some of the most disturbing moments in sex comedy history (specifically involving a singing penis).
8. Spider-Man
This is the first superhero film to really rock my world. I enjoyed X-Men… but I LOVED Spider-Man. He was my favorite comic book character and I loved the cartoon series so the experience of seeing this in the theater was mind-altering. I’ve rarely had any other ‘edge of my seat with excitement’ moments quite like seeing this for the first time in theaters.
7. Hollywood Ending
Most of Woody Allen’s 90’s and early 2000’s career was mediocre at best. While critics disliked this film I enjoyed it. I think it’s one of the best films of his early 2000’s (not say much since it’s between Anything Else and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion). I believe Allen’s scriptwriting is at it’s best when he is writing about himself.
6. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
Part Two of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy is the best part of franchise (like most trilogies), things are darker and things seem to be at their worst. More importantly, this is the film that introduced us to Gollum, probably the most impressive CGI creature ever made.
5. About Schmidt
First things first… yes this is the film where you see Kathy Bates naked. This works against the film more than for it. The film continued Alexander Payne’s incredible track record (one that still hasn’t disappointed me so far) started by Election. Jack Nicholson shines in the dramedy. Schmidt is going through alot. He’s going on a road trip to his daughter’s wedding while subsequently dealing with the rest death of his wife who he fell out of love with. The film won well deserved Golden Globe awards for best screenplay and best performance of any actor.
4. One Hour Photo
Robin Williams has never been more terrifying than in this film. There’s such an overwhelming level of eeriness but what makes it all the more difficult to watch is that you feel sorry for his character (at least I did). Music video director Mark Romanek did an excellent job creating a sympathetic look at a lonely, obsessed stalker. If you’ve never seen this film, now is the time to check it out.
3. About a Boy
Probably the most faithful of Nick Hornby adaptations (not a giant feat when you factor in that his ode to Soccer was turned into a film about Baseball). There’s few films quite as heartwarming as this film. Hugh Grant has never been more likable and Badly Drawn Boy’s music has never sounded better than on this soundtrack. While a few elements from the original novel were omitted I completely support them being dropped. It saddens me about how few people have seen this film when it’s truly one of the romantic comedies both guys and girls could enjoy for it’s dark humor.
2. Death to Smoochy
This movie was a financial embarrassment to everyone involved. However, time has proven that this dark comedy was not only able to stand the test of time but also build up a great cult following. It is easily Danny Devito’s best directorial film (fuck the over-rated War of the Roses) and probably my favorite Edward Norton performance. The film delightfully shows off the dark side of children’s entertainment so for a Muppet/Sesame Street loving person like myself that’s just an added bonus.
1. Rules of Attraction
I remember seeing the trailer for this movie at the beginning of Donnie Darko. It was so bizarre and told you so little about the movie that my girlfriend at the time and I went out the next weekend and rented it. This was my first experience with a movie based on a Bret Easton Ellis novel (and still my favorite adaptation). The film follows a bizarre love triangle between three college kids. Sean falls in love with Lauren, who used to date Paul, who’s now gay and in love with Sean. What I loved about this movie was how intensely dark the humor is which is nothing new in the world of Ellis obviously. Things like drug overdoses, drug abuse, attempted murder and rape are looked at with such a blank faced lack of concern that it goes from disturbing and shocking into hilarious. It’s also incredible to factor in that James Van Der Beek was still a teenage heart-throb when he chose this role of Sean Bateman. A womanizing, drug dealer who is in general a terrible human being (also the brother of Patrick Bateman of American Psycho). One of my favorite elements of this film was the editing and soundtrack. The music gives the film an 80’s vibe (the time period the book took place in) while still clearly being modern time. Meanwhile the editing is constantly rewinding and fast forwarding sequence for us to see what multiple characters are doing at any given point. If you want to check out a surreal and sadly underrated drug/sex/college dark comedy, this is that genre at it’s finest.