3. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Hurrah! No, I don’t care that some people have decided not to like this anymore, or whatever, my love is true and loyal, and this movie rocks. Number one in the trilogy introduces those of us who had not yet managed to get through the monolith that is Tolkien’s novel to four of the cutest hobbits you ever did see, a very pretty elf, a robust dwarf and two of the toughest men you’ll ever see. I could (clearly) go on about this for ages, so what’s my favourite part? Hobbiton. The greenness and lushness and the fact that they got Bag End EXACTLY right. It’s a huge production, but every little detail is fantastic.Best scene: Ian McKellen’s – sorry, Gandalf’s – entry into Hobbiton.
“Before you came along we Bagginses were very well thought of.”
“Indeed?”
“Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.”
“If you’re referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved.”
“Indeed?”
“Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.”
“If you’re referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved.”
4. Gosford Park (2001)
A hunting party of well-to-dos arrives at a country estate for a week
end, attended by their many servants. In the night, someone is murdered. Everyone's a suspect! This is one of the most underrated films of the decade, has a remarkably elegant script and a cast to die for. It also has some very skilled direction going on – many different conversations going on simultaneously while the camera drifts in and out of each. One might be mistaken in thinking Gosford Park is a quiet film, but the truth is there are cacophonies of subtext in every line. Helen Mirren kicks ASS and Maggie Smith has some delicious lines, but there seriously isn’t a dud in the whole production.
end, attended by their many servants. In the night, someone is murdered. Everyone's a suspect! This is one of the most underrated films of the decade, has a remarkably elegant script and a cast to die for. It also has some very skilled direction going on – many different conversations going on simultaneously while the camera drifts in and out of each. One might be mistaken in thinking Gosford Park is a quiet film, but the truth is there are cacophonies of subtext in every line. Helen Mirren kicks ASS and Maggie Smith has some delicious lines, but there seriously isn’t a dud in the whole production.Best scene: Helen Mirren’s final conversation with Kelly Macdonald.
“What gift do you think a good servant has that separates them from the others? It’s the gift of anticipation. And I’m a good servant. I’m better than good. I’m the best. I’m the perfect servant. I know when they’ll be hungry and the food is ready. I know when they’ll be tired and the bed is turned down. I know it before they know it themselves.”
5. Amelie (2001)
I totally almost forgot this one (had to get rid of Casino Royale)! The thing about Amelie, though, is that it is as fascinating from a filmmaking standpoint as it is from that of story: French waitress Amelie sets out to improve the lives of strangers, friends and relatives, seeking magic and mystery in a modern world. The colours are saturated and generally keep to rich reds, greens and yellows, giving the viewer an insight into Amelie’s character from note one – here is someone determined to see something extraordinary in the everyday. The humour is quick and the quirks sincere – the lightning-fast insights into the lives of passing characters manage to give the audience a city full of rounded, real people. Amelie’s slow-burn of self awareness is touching and only serves to highlight the effort it takes her to get to her final scene.Best scene: skipping stones on the Canal St. Martin, in one of the film’s most beautiful shots.
“Amelie is a shy young woman with a taste for all life’s small pleasures: immersing one’s hand in a sack of grain, cracking the top of a crème brulee with the back of a teaspoon…or skipping stones on the Canal St. Martin…”
6. The Others (2001)
Speaking of underrated, I think this film has more to offer than it might a
t first seem. A Kelly-like Kidman is the mother of two in a large, empty house, waiting for her husband to return from the war. Slowly, things emerge in the ever-present shadows, and it becomes clear that someone – some others – are listening. There is a real eeriness to the film, with the great house on the hill surrounded by fog and not another sound in earshot. Nicole Kidman and her two creepy pale-faced children are fragile and very good as the tension builds between the light, the dark and the mist. Nice and atmospheric.
t first seem. A Kelly-like Kidman is the mother of two in a large, empty house, waiting for her husband to return from the war. Slowly, things emerge in the ever-present shadows, and it becomes clear that someone – some others – are listening. There is a real eeriness to the film, with the great house on the hill surrounded by fog and not another sound in earshot. Nicole Kidman and her two creepy pale-faced children are fragile and very good as the tension builds between the light, the dark and the mist. Nice and atmospheric.Best scene: the old woman and the little girl. if you have seen it you’ll know what I mean.
“I’m beginning to feel totally cut off from the world…”
7. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Two star-crossed lovers steal moments together as they prepare for a performance spectacular, amid suspicious rivals and deadly consequences. It’s Romeo and Juliet, with music! And prostitutes! I love the enthusiasm of the exclamation point in the title. But this movie is mainly here for its sheer ballsiness – it’s so operatic, all colour and movement and mash-ups of songs you wouldn’t expect to find in gaye paree, but somehow after a few minutes it just WORKS. There are parts that I like more than others, but I think my favourite performance is El Tango de Roxanne. Moulin Rouge! just reinvented the musical for the new millennium.Best scene: ‘your song’.
“Above all things I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong – all you need is love!”
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