Best Film of 2000 (ongoing survey)

[JonTurner]

Alright, I know we've got polls like this all the time around here, but I figure this one will be a little more comprehensive and perhaps even informative.

This thread will be for your pick for best film released during 2000 (think Oscar considerations for what's eligible). In a few days or so, hopefully after a good number of responses, I'll start a new thread for 1999, and then 1998, and so on. (We'll get back to 2001 eventually)

Results will be posted in this thread, and all subsequent threads for each year, and they will be ongoing... so you can still vote here even weeks after other year's polls have begun.

Please start your post with your #1 film from 2000, and yes, discussions are more than welcome!

Current Leader -- Requiem For a Dream

All Years:
2000 (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=169768) -- Requiem For a Dream
1999 (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=170274) -- (currently) American Beauty
1998 (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171440) -- (currently) Thin Red Line
1997 (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=172054) -- (currently) Boogie Nights
1996 (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=173057) -- Fargo
1995 (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=174141)

[JonTurner]

Requiem For a Dream

[Keyser_Soze2]

Requiem for a Dream, by far.

[Snake Plissken]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Almost Famous, Yi-Yi, and You Can Count on Me were the best films.

Runner Up: Requiem for a Dream

[Goat3001]

Originally posted by JonTurner
Requiem For a Dream

:thumbsup:

[JonTurner]

Originally posted by Snake Plissken
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Almost Famous, Yi-Yi, and You Can Count on Me were the best films.

Runner Up: Requiem for a Dream

For the poll, I'll give each of the first 4 you mentioned 1/4 of a vote... good choices by the way.

[MOOVBUFF]

Traffic

[evenflow]

Originally posted by MOOVBUFF
Traffic

Ditto.

[Krug]

Originally posted by MOOVBUFF
Traffic

Yeah I'd say Yi Yi with Traffic a not very close 2nd.

[Grizzly]

<b>O Brother, Where Art Thou?</b>

[JustinS]

Despite my distaste for von Trier as a person, I'd have to say Dancer in the Dark.

Craig Monahan's The Interview would have vied for the top spot were it not for one unfortunate subplot that badly hurts the film. Yi Yi, You Can Count on Me, and Winterbottom's Wonderland probably round out my Top 5.

[Sierra Disc]

There were a lot of good films, but Almost Famous is the one I keep coming back to and the one I've watched the most times, so it gets my vote, with Crouching Tiger narrowly behind.

[William Fuld]

Another vote for Dancer in the Dark, but unlike JustinS, I actually like von Trier as a person.

[Sunday Morning]

Requiem for a dream gets my vote
runner up: wonderboys

[Keyser_Soze2]

Just in case runners-up matter or anybody happens to care, here is my top twelve (the number of four-star movies I saw that year) list:

10/10

1) Requiem for a Dream
2) Unbreakable

9/10

3) Dancer in the Dark
4) Almost Famous
5) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
6) Nurse Betty
7) Snatch
8) Traffic
9) American Psycho
10) Gladiator
11) The Virgin Suicides
12) Bamboozled

[Suprmallet]

I'm going to go with Requiem and Dancer In The Dark, with a nod to O Brother, Where Art Thou?

[Adboy151]

Requiem for a Dream or Wonder Boys...

[das Monkey]

What's wrong with you people? <B>Gladiator</B> was by far the best film of the year.

das

P.S. The previous comments are an act of the highest sarcasm. I hesitate to pick a film, as my favorites from the year are in such wildly different genres. The criteria I use will therefore be arbitrary, but I must say that it's rare a film does to me what <B>Almost Famous</B> does. Plenty of films evoke laughter or tears, but this film made me feel warm all over, and I found that I was literally hugging myself in the theater. Most films I can describe in detail what aspects make me appreciate them, but <B>Almost Famous</B> is that special film that defies description and simply is what it is. So it gets my vote.

P.P.S. <B>For the love of God ... read the PS!!!</B>

[dknight04]

Originally posted by das Monkey
What's wrong with you people? <B>Gladiator</B> was by far the best film of the year.

I would have to agree by this. Don't get me wrong. I also liked Traffic and Almost Famous.

[PixyJunket]

Requiem for a Dream

[Frank TJ Mackey]

WONDER BOYS

[das Monkey]

Originally posted by dknight04
I would have to agree by this. Don't get me wrong. I also liked Traffic and Almost Famous.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that someone would quote me out of context. :)

das

[JonTurner]

Alright, getting some votes in... keep them coming. I hope to at least get to page 2 before a tally and we start 1999.

No surprise to me, it appears that Aronofsky's masterpiece - Requiem For a Dream - will take it.

[Phyre]

Can't choose one, sorry:

Yi Yi, Requiem for a Dream, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Dancer in the Dark

[Snake Plissken]

Originally posted by das Monkey
What's wrong with you people? <B>Gladiator</B> was by far the best film of the year.


Er, yeah right. :rolleyes:

[das Monkey]

Originally posted by Snake Plissken
Er, yeah right. :rolleyes:

Well, there was doubt that <B>TWO</B> people would quote me out of context. It was a joke ... a freakin' joke. :D

das

[RolloTomasi]

And here I thought I would be the only one voting for Wonder Boys...

[raithen]

It's kind of difficult for me to award Requiem as best film of the year when it blatantly, virtually frame for frame, ripped off an anime (Perfect Blue) for one of its principle scenes (ie. the bathtub).

That being said, my pick is easily Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Cheers,

-matt

PS: Snake, I'm another believer that Gladiator was one of the best of 2000. If you're going to roll your eyes, at least provide some analysis as to why you're doing so.

[wildcatlh]

Another vote for Requiem

[Keyser_Soze2]

Originally posted by raithen
It's kind of difficult for me to award Requiem as best film of the year when it blatantly, virtually frame for frame, ripped off an anime (Perfect Blue) for one of its principle scenes (ie. the bathtub).

That being said, my pick is easily Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Cheers,

-matt

PS: Snake, I'm another believer that Gladiator was one of the best of 2000. If you're going to roll your eyes, at least provide some analysis as to why you're doing so.

If you're talking about the Jennifer Connely screaming scene, that lasted all of what, 10 seconds? Crouching Tiger borrowed much, more more from other movies, but I wouldn't even call that a rip-off.

[SaintMax]

Easy. George Washington. Dancer in the Dark is a close second.

[Donald Brown]

YI YI!

[raithen]

Originally posted by Keyser_Soze2
If you're talking about the Jennifer Connely screaming scene, that lasted all of what, 10 seconds?Yes, that would be the scene. Normally I wouldn't have that much of a problem with a Director "borrowing" an idea or two from other films - but this wasn't just lifting, this was frame-by-frame ripping Perfect Blue off - that is a major no-no.

Crouching Tiger borrowed much, more more from other movies, but I wouldn't even call that a rip-off. What exactly did Crouching Tiger "borrow" from other films? Can you list some specific examples?

-matt

[NitroJMS]

Originally posted by Frank TJ Mackey
WONDER BOYS

Can't agree anymore. What a great little film.

[NitroJMS]

Originally posted by raithen
PS: Snake, I'm another believer that Gladiator was one of the best of 2000. If you're going to roll your eyes, at least provide some analysis as to why you're doing so.

He just loves to fight with everyone about films. Let everyone have their own opinion is my feeling.

[Keyser_Soze2]

raithen, if you watch Iron Monkey, you will see that CTHD lifted several specific shots (most notably the rooftop scenes). Also, the Jade Fox (I think that's her name) and her demeanor bears a striking resembelance (sp?) to the "witch" in IM. But that's not to say that CTHD isn't a great film that made old ideas and concepts seem fresh and new again.

As for the RfaD thing, I can't really say until I've seen Perfect Blue for myself, but even if Aronofsky did "steal" 10 seconds from another movie, that in no way diminishes the acheivment as a whole.

[raithen]

Originally posted by Keyser_Soze2
raithen, if you watch Iron Monkey, you will see that CTHD lifted several specific shots (most notably the rooftop scenes). Also, the Jade Fox (I think that's her name) and her demeanor bears a striking resembelance (sp?) to the "witch" in IM. But that's not to say that CTHD isn't a great film that made old ideas and concepts seem fresh and new again.I have Iron Monkey, and the rooftop scene and Jade Fox bear only superficial resemblances. Of course, this is debatable (barely), but my point here is that CTHD did not "lift" directly, shot-for-shot, from any film (not that I'm aware of anyway) - Requiem blatantly did so.

As for the RfaD thing, I can't really say until I've seen Perfect Blue for myself, but even if Aronofsky did "steal" 10 seconds from another movie, that in no way diminishes the acheivment as a whole. There is no doubt that Aronofsky stole that scene from Perfect Blue - and it's quite disconcerting that he did so without even bothering to at least change camera angles. Instead, he ripped it without a thought. It's no secret he's a fan of PD, he's mentioned it in interviews that he'd like to do a live feature film of it (I can't quote the source, my apologies!) - so some might say this was his way of providing an "homage" - but I find that debatable considering he has not mentioned this intention in any interview regarding Requiem (to my knowledge).

Personally, I think that directly plaigerizing another film, even if for only 10 seconds, does diminish the achievement of a film. Darren Aronofsky could have changed that scene in any number of ways and achieved the same resonance - but he didn't, and that does not sit well with me. It makes me wonder how much else he may have "lifted"...

Anyway, others certainly may not feel as strongly as I do on the matter - and all the power to them. In the end, it is a fantastic film - but the plaigerism factor knocks this film down a peg or two, IMHO.

Cheers,

-matt

[bjhess]

Well here's the movies that I rated 9+ out of 10. Actually, looking at this, I kind of feel that either a) last year was way better for movies than I remember it or b) I need to put a little more thought into my ratings. Also, I go by the official Oscar eligibility in my year designations, so Thirteen Days got in, too:


10
Traffic
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

9.5
Dancer in the Dark
State & Main
Unbreakable

9
American Psycho
High Fidelity
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Thirteen Days
You Can Count on Me

With more thought, I'd probably drop High Fidelity and You Can Count on Me to 8.5 or 8. Maybe State & Main, too, though I love that movie!

Barry

[JonTurner]

First total in:

Not surprisingly, Requiem For a Dream is running away with it with 9.25 votes.

Here's a link to the new thread for 1999 (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=170274)... I figure this one will be more interesting as I can't perceive any clear cut winner.

[Chuckopolis]

Yet another vote for Requiem for a Dream, proving once again what an unoriginal git I am.

And hey, I thought the Perfect Blue homage was spiffy. :)

[EZ3]

Requiem for a Dream

Grimfarrow, just out of curiosity, when did you drop
George Washington out of your top 10? I haven't seen it for a year, but it still holds up in my mind fairly well.

[Grimfarrow]

Originally posted by EZ3
Requiem for a Dream

Grimfarrow, just out of curiosity, when did you drop
George Washington out of your top 10? I haven't seen it for a year, but it still holds up in my mind fairly well.

I dropped it after I saw "The Wind Will Carry Us" and "Suzhou River". George Washington has always been at the bottom of my Top Ten anyways.

[Beaver]

Almost Famous, although I haven't seen Requiem for a Dream yet.

[monkey]

Almost Famous by quite a margin.

[Pudthai]

Gladiator

[Johnny Zhivago]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Runners up - Traffic, O' Brother and Wonder Boys.

Requim was much better than Gladiator, I'll give it that, but it wasn't a great film by any stretch IMHO.

[cwwallace]

Requiem For A Dream.

Traffic is a close second though.

[Grimfarrow]

I've changed my Top Ten:

1) Requiem for a Dream
2) Ratcatcher
3) Beau Travail <- new entry
4) Suzhou River
5) The Wind Will Carry Us
6) Girl on the Bridge
7) State and Main
8) You Can Count On Me
9) The Color of Paradise
10) Dancer in the Dark

Any fan of Terrence Malick and/or George Washington should try to see Beau Travail ASAP.

[Scarecrow]

Almost Famous

[RobCA]

Frequency

[LX98Civic]

The Fast and The Furious! ...nuff said :)

[SightandSound]

Requiem for a Dream

[Mazinger]

Almost Famous

And I also haven't seen Reqiuem For A Dream.

[Big Quasimodo]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

[PixyJunket]

ah yes.. animes fans are awesome.. :)

[CrashMan]

Almost Famous

[garmonbozia]

Wonder Boys

[garmonbozia]

Originally posted by Grimfarrow
Any fan of Terrence Malick and/or George Washington should try to see Beau Travail ASAP.

How did you see it?
Is there a dvd available?
playable in Region 1 NTSC?

[Grimfarrow]

Originally posted by garmonbozia


How did you see it?
Is there a dvd available?
playable in Region 1 NTSC?

No DVD, but it's been playing on the Sundance Channel.

[Variable697]

You Can Count On Me

Traffic is a close #2

[Krug]

Originally posted by raithen
What exactly did Crouching Tiger "borrow" from other films? Can you list some specific examples?

-matt

CTHD remade the genre. For a martial arts film, it took chances and on the whole succeeded. Martial arts flicks have been stagnant for years, and CTHD was able to reshape it into something new and pretty entertaining. It's not that easy to make a great martial arts flick; look at the confused mess The Legend of Zu, which seemed to have been rushed out in the hope of emulating CTHD's success.

I'm looking forward to what Zhang Yimou can do in his attempt to tackle the martial arts movie, but that's for another thread... ;)

[martin q. blank]

Almost Famous

with You Can Count on Me and High Fidelity close behind.

[Malmox]

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Traffic

[pjflyer]

1. Chuck and Buck
2. Panic

[filmguy]

Can't narrow it down to one. But here were my FAVS.

TRAFFIC
REQIUEM FOR A DREAM
CAST AWAY
UNBREAKABLE
MELENA

[filmguy]

Originally posted by Grimfarrow
I've changed my Top Ten:

1) Requiem for a Dream
2) Ratcatcher
3) Beau Travail <- new entry
4) Suzhou River
5) The Wind Will Carry Us
6) Girl on the Bridge
7) State and Main
8) You Can Count On Me
9) The Color of Paradise
10) Dancer in the Dark

Any fan of Terrence Malick and/or George Washington should try to see Beau Travail ASAP.

Did you happen to see MELENA (from director of Cinema Paradiso)? Another great coming-of-age story by the great filmmaker. Not better thaan CP, but it gets my nod.

[Snake Plissken]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Almost Famous

[funstan]

My pick: Almost Famous

[BizRodian]

This is hard.

Unbreakable I guess... Requiem is close, but it's just too disturbing for me to enjoy. It's probably a better film, but it's not my favorite... so best goes to Unbreakable... because I liked it as much and I can rewatch it more... I also thought Gladiator was pretty good. American Psycho was very good (but also suffers a bit from the disturbing thing) and State and Main, Wonder Boys, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? are also enjoyable.

I saw pretty much every mainstream movie in 2000, god, I'm never going to do that again. I only saw about 4 in 2001 as a result!

[Grimfarrow]

Originally posted by filmguy


Did you happen to see MELENA (from director of Cinema Paradiso)? Another great coming-of-age story by the great filmmaker. Not better thaan CP, but it gets my nod.

It's actually called Malena, but no, I didn't bother seeing it. It seems like a rehash of every Italian coming-of-age film that has ever been made. And since I was never big on the genre, I gladly passed on it.

[randy1320]

I guess I'm the only person in the whole
world who liked Chocolat. Crouching Tiger would be my second. I have not yet seen Almost Famous. It's on my to do list.
Did everyone hate Chocolat?

[JonTurner]

Originally posted by randy1320
I guess I'm the only person in the whole
world who liked Chocolat. Crouching Tiger would be my second. I have not yet seen Almost Famous. It's on my to do list.
Did everyone hate Chocolat?

Chocolat's about the last semi-mainstream film on my list from 2000 that I still haven't seen... I was waiting for it to be available for enrollment from CH, and it finally became so a week or so ago... it's been ordered and I'll see it soon.

But as far as films nominated for best picture, I've hardly ever read more negative things (with no really positive reviews (I use this disclaimer b/c some critics gave really high marks to Titanic and Gladiator even though many people have bashed them both)) than I have about Chocolat. I hope that makes since.

[MarcusAurelius]

MEMENTO

Don't agree it was a 2000 release?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00003CXZ4/qid=1010815212/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_67_1/103-8373184-9381432

it was released overseas in 2000. 2001 in the US. I don't care what year any of you technically consider it to be released, I'm putting it down. It beats everything else hands down.

[randy1320]

The best of 2000:
CHICKEN RUN!!

[JonTurner]

Closing this thread because the result is pretty obvious and we don't want to clutter the board too much.