The Magnificent Seven
(The Best Movies of 2003)
Superheroes, serial killers, and… a spelling bee? This year’s best movies were once again a variety showcase. There was also a great mix of different genres, from fantasy and documentary to… a romantic comedy? Give us a romantic comedy set against the turbulent backdrop of a spelling bee, and we’ll officially have seen it all.
The Magnificent Seven
(The Best Movies of 2002)
This year proved that all movies can be created equal—or at least equally good. Our favourites include a superhero flick, a fantasy epic and a musical along with the weightier dramas that usually grab all the top spots in lists like this.
Perhaps more surprising than the films that made the cut are the ones that didn’t. Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Spielberg’s Minority Report, and Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition were all highly anticipated, and all turned out to be disappointing.
But the biggest surprise of all? That would be Eminem. Even though 8 Mile didn’t make this list, Marshall Mathers showed that as both rapper and actor, he’s eight miles high above that other wigger thespian, Vanilla Ice.
The Magnificent Seven
(The Best Movies of 2001)
The year 2000 was a crappy year for movies—it will always be known as the year that gave us Battlefield Earth—so it should come as no surprise that this year turned out better. While there was no shortage of dreck (see our Worst of 2001 for proof), we were treated to plenty of films that were original, challenging, and immensely enjoyable.
Animation continued to be a strong presence in 2001 (two very different animated films made our list this year), but the biggest draw was fantasy, as people shell-shocked by events in the real world escaped to Hogwarts Academy and Middle-Earth in record numbers, and those who wondered whether movies still mattered got their answer loud and clear. Still, it’s a good thing The Two Towers isn’t due until next year!
The Magnificent Seven
(The Best Movies of 1999)
In our Best of 1999, we expressed our hope that 2000 would be half as good a year for movies. It wasn’t. Unlike last year, when American Beauty had us looking closer, this year’s film offerings usually made us want to look at a book.
Still, we try to be optimistic here at Screen & Noted. Though Y2K didn’t exactly produce a bumper crop of celluloid greatness (see our Worst of 2000), at least there was no Armageddon to worry about—film or otherwise. And aren’t you glad you won’t have to hear the term “Y2K” anymore?
The Magnificent Seven
(The Best Movies of 1999)
When film buffs look back on 1999, they’ll most likely lean back for a pensive moment, squint wistfully, and proclaim with all the authoritative weight of wine experts, “Yes, that was a good year… a good year indeed.”
It was a year in which more records were broken than at an anti-disco rally, thanks in large part to a certain movie about some kid named Anakin. At the same time, it was a year that brought a whole new legitimacy to the cinematic equivalent of the garage band—people like Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick, whose Blair Witch Project became the most successful home movie in history. Independent movies continued to be a force in the industry. Even the animated fare, from the laugh-a-millisecond South Park to the Japanese classic Princess Mononoke to Pixar’s superior sequel Toy Story 2 and Warner Bros’ The Iron Giant, was consistently strong.