7:29PM (ET) - Best Films Of 2002...
Here's a post I just posted at the other day:
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1.) Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
Being a fan of the book I try to look past the added, deleted, and substituted elements of the book. The underlying themes of friendship (the bond that Frodo and Sam share is inspiring), greed, corruption, personal loss, and self-sacrifice are interwoven to perfection. This film is more than an optical feast. It is more than an important lesson. It is more than a book come to life. It is a representation of what movies should be, and sometimes are. I am not throwing mere adjectives at you: the film truly does inspire, terrify, amaze, and sadden. It does Tolkien justice in that it makes Middle-Earth seem completely authentic. It does not haul us off into its own outrageous world: it shows us a believable, realistic world that is reminiscent of our own. In a word: Wow.
2.) My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Whether you change thw word "Greek" in the title to Italian, Spanish, Russian, or even Hungarian, we can all relate somhow to this woman named Toula. My Big Fat Greek Wedding stars Nia Vardalos (who wrote as well as starred) as Toula Portokalos. She is, of course, Greek. Very Greek. Her family is even "Greeker" (if that's a word). She starts the film as a sort of "ugly duckling," but suddenly, a man walks into her family's restaurant and the boiling overflows. He's charming and handsome, and serves as the last straw to send her on a quest to change her life before it becomes too late. Honest, funny, and even heartwarming, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is one of the best films I've seen this year.
3.) 8 mile
If there is one musical artist who has inspired more than their fair share of conversation, controversy, and downright vitriolic dispute than any other in recent years, it has got to be one Marshal Mathers, a.k.a Slim Shady, a.k.a Eminem. This film is really about authenticity. Yes, it is gritty, and yes, it is dark, and yes, it is depressing in some ways, but I found it to be ultimately uplifting. The cinematography is tight, Eminem's nonverbal expressiveness is right up there with the best of freshman acting efforts, and the supporting cast does a decent job backing Rabbit's tortured journey. A must-see for rap fans, and not a bad flick to catch if you appreciate the usual rah-rah heroic comeback fare.
4.) Sprited Away
Anime Fans Rejoice! Finally anime hits the screens again. But here's the question, "Well is this bad boy good enough to watch again like Mononoke?" Yes. "Is it good enough to watch again and again, and again, like Totoro?" In my opinion, yes. The world is so big, you'll need to if you wanna catch everything the Ghibli staff threw in there. If you haven't seen it already, shame on yourself!
5.) Signs
It's not Independence Day meets Armageddon...more American Beauty meets Deep Impact & Men in Black 2 (without the comedy). Yes, it's Signs. There are lines in Signs that will have some moviegoers laughing harder than anything in There's Something About Mary. There are moments that'll likely have you on the verge of tears. There are times throughout the film where the fear will rise in your throat until part of you wishes it could turn away. Questions are left unanswered, and the way the rest of the world reacts is left largely to our imagination. Hats off to Shyamalan.
Honorable Mention - Star Wars Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones
Entertained, you will be. As far as the story goes, it was alright, typical George Lucas, but it will never top A New Hope. Was a major improvement over The Phantom Menace but was still lagged by Christensen and Portman's acting. Hayden doesn't show the emotion he should have in scenes that obviously called for emotion. Same for Natalie. All in all, very enjoyable flick, and yes Yoda kicked ass.
Runners Up (<-- In No Particular Order):
Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
Spider-man
Blade 2
Catch Me If You Can
Chicago
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Meh. Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents. Either way, what better thing could I have done considering I just lost my voice yesterday? Nothing. ^^
Lighter Note: B-Day just in 3 days!
EQAddict.2003©
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1.) Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
Being a fan of the book I try to look past the added, deleted, and substituted elements of the book. The underlying themes of friendship (the bond that Frodo and Sam share is inspiring), greed, corruption, personal loss, and self-sacrifice are interwoven to perfection. This film is more than an optical feast. It is more than an important lesson. It is more than a book come to life. It is a representation of what movies should be, and sometimes are. I am not throwing mere adjectives at you: the film truly does inspire, terrify, amaze, and sadden. It does Tolkien justice in that it makes Middle-Earth seem completely authentic. It does not haul us off into its own outrageous world: it shows us a believable, realistic world that is reminiscent of our own. In a word: Wow.
2.) My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Whether you change thw word "Greek" in the title to Italian, Spanish, Russian, or even Hungarian, we can all relate somhow to this woman named Toula. My Big Fat Greek Wedding stars Nia Vardalos (who wrote as well as starred) as Toula Portokalos. She is, of course, Greek. Very Greek. Her family is even "Greeker" (if that's a word). She starts the film as a sort of "ugly duckling," but suddenly, a man walks into her family's restaurant and the boiling overflows. He's charming and handsome, and serves as the last straw to send her on a quest to change her life before it becomes too late. Honest, funny, and even heartwarming, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is one of the best films I've seen this year.
3.) 8 mile
If there is one musical artist who has inspired more than their fair share of conversation, controversy, and downright vitriolic dispute than any other in recent years, it has got to be one Marshal Mathers, a.k.a Slim Shady, a.k.a Eminem. This film is really about authenticity. Yes, it is gritty, and yes, it is dark, and yes, it is depressing in some ways, but I found it to be ultimately uplifting. The cinematography is tight, Eminem's nonverbal expressiveness is right up there with the best of freshman acting efforts, and the supporting cast does a decent job backing Rabbit's tortured journey. A must-see for rap fans, and not a bad flick to catch if you appreciate the usual rah-rah heroic comeback fare.
4.) Sprited Away
Anime Fans Rejoice! Finally anime hits the screens again. But here's the question, "Well is this bad boy good enough to watch again like Mononoke?" Yes. "Is it good enough to watch again and again, and again, like Totoro?" In my opinion, yes. The world is so big, you'll need to if you wanna catch everything the Ghibli staff threw in there. If you haven't seen it already, shame on yourself!
5.) Signs
It's not Independence Day meets Armageddon...more American Beauty meets Deep Impact & Men in Black 2 (without the comedy). Yes, it's Signs. There are lines in Signs that will have some moviegoers laughing harder than anything in There's Something About Mary. There are moments that'll likely have you on the verge of tears. There are times throughout the film where the fear will rise in your throat until part of you wishes it could turn away. Questions are left unanswered, and the way the rest of the world reacts is left largely to our imagination. Hats off to Shyamalan.
Honorable Mention - Star Wars Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones
Entertained, you will be. As far as the story goes, it was alright, typical George Lucas, but it will never top A New Hope. Was a major improvement over The Phantom Menace but was still lagged by Christensen and Portman's acting. Hayden doesn't show the emotion he should have in scenes that obviously called for emotion. Same for Natalie. All in all, very enjoyable flick, and yes Yoda kicked ass.
Runners Up (<-- In No Particular Order):
Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
Spider-man
Blade 2
Catch Me If You Can
Chicago
-------------------------------------------------------
Meh. Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents. Either way, what better thing could I have done considering I just lost my voice yesterday? Nothing. ^^
Lighter Note: B-Day just in 3 days!
EQAddict.2003©
