| What the hell happened to the movies? Last year at this same time, I had sunken into a state of rare complacency whereby I essentially accepted my plight as a moviegoer, sat back, and hoped for sunnier horizons. Now, however, I’ve sat through yet another year of wholly forgettable- if not wholly unwatchable- cinema. Sure there were bright spots here and there. Some were even bright enough to make me temporarily forget my malice towards the movies. (Amelie, specifically comes to mind, with a smile and a spoon) However, that does not forgive the state of the art itself as it continues to lay in shambles. Tomorrow morning on February 12th, the Oscar nominations will be announced once again. While I will- as always- be up early to hear them read aloud, I am very sad to say that I couldn’t care less. (That is to say, I'm still excited in the ritualistic sense, but I can't believe what's happened) Once the brightest spot on my calendar, even moreso than my own birthday, the Oscars have sunk from a glamorous account of the congratulations bestowed upon our artistic champions to having now become a weak pat on the back in recognizing what shit stinks the least, if you’ll pardon the crude expression. A large problem is the ignoring of those few bright spots I mentioned in lieu of the rewarding of studio also-rans. Whether it’s good or not (I really don’t have any care to see it) can we all agree that A Beautiful Mind was merely a studio’s attempt to put all the right pieces together in order to pick up their prepackaged statuettes? The sad thing is that we’re all falling for it! Whereas even just last year, people were wise to the same game played by Pay It Forward, for example, this year, there is no recourse. Slowly we are sinking. With that, I propose a list of my top 10 (11 technically) bright spots that saved my sanity and in some cases lifted my spirits up out of the muck that were films in 2001. Though my list will indefinitely be subject for debate, I hope it may also serve as your guide, too, to the films I feel bravely challenged audiences and succeeded in the advancement of their craft in this last year of otherwise bottom-feeding fodder. |