Don Hosek - Movies I've seen in 2001

Each movie's given with a quickie review and the date that I've seen it. They're listed from best to worst. If a film has a number in brackets after the title, that indicates a film I've seen more than once, and which viewing I'm listing. I'd also point out that I do see revival and repertory stuff so not every film on the list will be a 2001 release. It will, however, be a film I saw projected on a screen in a dark room filled with strangers. Titles in bold feature a film whose director was born in the United States. [F] indicates a film I saw at the Chicago International Film Festival.

  1. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (7/4) A flawed movie, but that's part of what makes it so intriguing. It's fun to see conflicting evaluations by the critics of which parts are Spielberg and which are Kubrick
  2. Amores Perros (6/3) The middle story was a bit weak, but Emilio Echevarría was a captivating presence throughout the film.
  3. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (12/31) I shouldn't have re-read the books before seeing the film. It made it a bit hard to judge the film on its own merits.
  4. Series 7: The Contenders (3/16) The best movie I will never see again. Highly disturbing film
  5. Apocalypse Now Redux (9/2) I'm not sure that the extra scenes really added anything, but they did at least not take anything from the movie either
  6. Baran [F] (10/15) An astonishing bit of Iranian cinema. Made me want to see more Iranian films.
  7. Nueve Reinas [F] (10/6) Twist-filled con man film. Even expecting twists I was caught by surprise by the ending
  8. The Score (8/10) By the numbers, but excellently acted.
  9. Italiensk for Begynder [F] (10/6) Charming romantic comedy.
  10. Legally Blonde (7/28) A surprisingly intelligent film.
  11. Shirin Neshat - Confronting Silence [F] (10/17) An uneven collection of short films. The music by Sussan Deyhim was fantastic though.
  12. Shrek (7/8) How can an animated film hip enough to have a Leonard Cohen song in the soundtrack be bad?
  13. With a Friend Like Harry (6/22) Fun dark comedy
  14. Made (8/19) If you liked Swingers you'll enjoy this.
  15. Monsters Inc (11/17) Another fine film from Pixar
  16. Kytice [F] (10/10) Some of the segments were brilliant while others were merely adequate
  17. Focus [F] (10/7) A startling look at American fascism during World War II
  18. Ghost World (8/12) Intriguing although perhaps a bit unfocused
  19. The Circle (6/23) Intriguing, but ultimately unsatisfying
  20. Chico [F] (10/10) Usually amusing, but a bit confused film
  21. When Brendan Met Trudy (3/14) Burdened a bit by an over-long third act, but the movie references make it great fun for introverted cinophiles
  22. Shadow of the Vampire (2/3) I don't care if it's not historically accurate, it was fun
  23. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (11/24) The hands of love? That's Harry's great power? You've got to be kidding.
  24. Chocolat (2/14) Occasionally silly, but entertaining
  25. Rat Race (8/26) It's a mad mad ripoff. Good until the sappy ending
  26. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (9/7) Woody Allen back in form
  27. Hardball (9/23) Sappy, but mostly accurate film of little league in the inner city
  28. The Anniversary Party (7/29) I saw this film by accident (walked into the wrong theatre at Piper's Alley). A lot of potential, but ultimately unrealized.
  29. Le Lait de la Téndresse Humaine [F] (10/5) An intriguing, but not especially compelling film.
  30. The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein (10/17) The germ of a good movie. An editor could make this a great film by cutting about an hour of footage from the story.
  31. Meet the Parents (6/?) The original film the Stiller/DeNiro comedy was based on. Much darker than the original, but marred by some amateurish performances.
  32. Atlantis (6/?) If you can get past the plot and characterization flaws, it's great fun
  33. Planet of the Apes (7/27) I expected something much more unconventional from Tim Burton.
  34. Hi Tereska [F] (10/14) Another film that didn't do a whole lot for me
  35. Warm Water under a Red Bridge [F] (10/12) I didn't particularly get it, I'm afraid
  36. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (1/20) An interesting, if occasionally opaque kung fu movie
  37. Cast Away (1/3) Two halves of two movies each of which, if expanded, could have stood on their own, but together just leave me a bit unsatisfied. Tom Hanks, though was brilliant.
  38. Sexy Beast (7/7) Some great use of cinema for story telling, but ultimately unsatisfying despite the great performances
  39. Our Lady of the Assassins [F] (10/13) The previews led me to expect something much different. Just not a film I was likely to enjoy