Best of 2001
TOP FIVE (In Order)

1) Mulholland Drive: David Lynch's best movie to date. A sheer masterpiece. Everything a movie should be. Funny, intriguing, creative, original, manic, clever. Lynch mixes reality and the dreamworld in a way never seen before, bringing together over a century worth of cinema in one two-hour session. Acting, writing, directing, music, cinematography: all perfect. A paradigm of quality American cinema.

2)Fat Girl: Catherine Breillat's dark and brutal tale of two young girls on vacation with their family in Rome where they grow ten years in a matter of weeks. Probably the most honest of any movie this year. Some of the most beautifully tragic shots, terrific acting from two very young actresses, and a screenplay that proves Breillat has a key hold on a generation separate from her own while still bringing forth a certain introspection one can only know through years of aged wisdom.

3) A Beautiful Mind: Ron Howard's opus of a lifetime. Russell Crowe tops his performance from Michael Mann's "The Insider," Jennifer Connelly proves she can still hold a movie up on her own, and a heavenly score from master tunesmith James Horner brought this picture together in a way no one could have imagined. Akiva Goldsman definitely proves his writing ability, which was suspect after certain problematic films in the past, with a certain humor,depressing mood, and honest heartfelt story that is this year's best biopic.

4) Bully: Larry Clark retreats back to the world of teenage debauchery and decadence to perhaps clean the slate and show a world in whichreality can work in conjunction with a well-written story, developed/developing characters, and even a representation of those not on the inside of this torrid world. New faces abound in this film, be they Michael Pitt, Kelli Garner, Bijou Phillips, or Rachel Miner along with the triumphant return of Nick Stahl and Brad Renfro who have grown into substantial actors, ready to take on future challenges with the best of them.

5) Amelie: A fantastic work of dreamy wonder that brings together contemporary music video aesthetics with those of the classic realist stylings make a beautiful work of art from a brilliant painter, who explodes each shot with glorious majesty. Irreverent, cartoonish, and true, the film's actors,screenplay, and clever directing style all work together to produce a piece of cinema rarely seen.

OTHER GREAT FLICKS THIS YEAR
(No Particular Order)
1) Dropping Out (2000)
2) Porn Star
3) L.I.E.
4) Liam
5) Trouble Every Day
6) Hedwig and the Angry Inch
7) Panic (1999)
8) Tape
9) Band of Outsiders - Director's Cut
10) Apolocolypse Now - Redux
11) Memento
12) Ghost World
13) Faithless
14) The Closet

WORST MOVIES
(No Particular Order)
1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2) Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
3) Curse of the Jade Scorpion
4) AI
5) Baby Boy
6) Heist
7) Our Lady of the Assasins

*) Probably forgetting some, but I tend to block out crap, so can't quite remember. These just in particular stood out for me.