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.
Adaptation – Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman, the director and writer of 1999′s Being John Malkovich, reteamed for Kaufman’s meta-autobiographical tale about the existential angst of the screenwriter. Blocked writers everywhere now have something to write about: being blocked.
Chicago – Rob Marshall kept the musical’s resurrection going with this stylish adaptation, but Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah were the ones who provided all that jazz.
Far From Heaven – Todd Haynes gave us a painstakingly faithful replica of a ’50s Douglas Sirk melodrama, right down to the gorgeous colour cinematography and the note-perfect emotional overload in Julianne Moore’s performance.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – If Peter Jackson had made this sequel to last year’s The Fellowship of the Ring only half as good as its predecessor, it still would have been one of this year’s top films. But as it turned out, Jackson made it better.
The Pianist – Based on the true story of Polish Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, this etude in cinematic genius from Roman Polanski was a welcome return to form from one of film’s true maestros.
Spider-Man – Sam Raimi’s love and respect for the Marvel comic books shone through in every frame, and Tobey Maguire’s costume was the coolest live-action superhero outfit ever. Bring on the Spidey sequels!
Talk to Her – Pedro Almodovar restrained his more wacky impulses long enough to make this comparatively understated (but still wacky) film about two comatose women and the men who love them.