Best of 2000 - 2004

One of those movies you either love or hate. Dynamic, rich, intentionally gaudy, and absolutely brilliant. I admit, it took me a long time to warm up to it. Baz Luhrman is an acquired taste, but once you're hooked, you can't get enough. The man is one of the most visionary (and perhaps misunderstood) directors working today. If you listen to the man speak for five minutes, even if you don't like the movies, you have to appreciate him for the love and energy he puts into his work. I can't really sum up this film a few words, but I encourage everyone to see it themselves.

Between viewings, I often forget how great this film really is. I often consciously shun the more popular "arty" films, considering them generally overrated if they appear on everyone's favourite lists. But this is one of the ones that truly deserves the recognition. It's funny, poignant, and romantic, yet very subtle, nothing like your average romcom with over-the-top gestures of hokiness. Scarlett and Bill have great chemistry, despite the obvious age difference, and their characters' personal crises feel normal and real as opposed to the usual whiney and self-indulgent. To top it off, the film is beautifully shot and comes with a really fun soundtrack.

Most movies about writers are pretty self-indulgent, and quite often also boring. But this true story about Washington journalist Stephan Glass is anything but. Events unfold like a mystery as the editor of the New Republic discovers his star writer may have fabricated one of his pieces. Hayden Christensen plays the accused, and proves he can actually act. We watch the whole thing from his point of view. Throughout, flashback and voice-over -- devices I normally loathe -- are used to great effect to win sympathy for a rather unlikable character. Glass points out his strategy early on: act humble and you'll go far. But he takes his own advice a little too far. At staff meetings, he describes his outrageous ideas with great enthusiasm, only to talk himself down at the end, desperately seeking encouragement and approval from his peers. The magazine's support staff are all well-cast, especially Peter Sarsgaard, who subtly steals every scene he's in.

It may look cheesy on the outside, but it isn't trying to be anything more than a really fun movie, and it excels at it. Beneath all that shiny blonde hair, Reese Witherspoon delivers a breakout performance that is full of charisma and heart. The "never give up on yourself" theme may be a cliché, but thanks to Reese, it doesn't feel forced. The supporting players exaggerate their characters to the max, which works just fine with the film's spirited tone. Not many flicks make me cry out of happiness, but the ending to this one does it for me every time.

Awesome, awesome, awesome flick, making the most of the often misused "mock doc" genre. A fictional story told as fact, the Frankie Wilde character is hilarious, heartbreaking, inspirational, and an unlikely romantic hero all at once. Beautifully shot on the Spanish isle of Ibiza, clubbing mecca of the world, with Canadian funds and a mostly British cast, the movie mixes both international and American sensibilities together flawlessly. For a fan of house music, the soundtrack is wicked, and this remains one of the only films I've seen to get the look and feel of a nightclub exactly right. Makes me want to go out and dance until the sun comes up!

Perhaps the first indie romance ever to garner a sequel, this is an incredibly satisfying conclusion to Before Sunrise. Nine years after meeting on a train and spending a night walking the streets of Vienna together, Jesse and Celine meet up again in Paris and discover the chemistry is still there. Once again avoiding the typical pitfalls of romantic movies, this instead is completely believable, while still having a perfect ending that sort of hints at, but doesn't fully answer the "will they or won't they?" questions.

This romantic comedy defines quirky -- a word I try to avoid when critiquing movies, being the go-to descriptor for that ominously trendy independent film -- but this one works beautifully, because the eccentricity is not a gimmick, but embedded within the characters' personalities. The film explores a fairly controversial topic: can you choose your sexual orientation, or is it an attribute you're born with? The film is never political or preachy with this idea, but rather innocent and sweet. It explores the differences between friendship and romance and the general perplexities of the dating scene, which both gay and straight audiences can identify with.

Just like Ben Lee's folk-pop music, this flick is quirky and adorable.

This Showtime telefilm shares many story elements with Shakespeare's tragic Romeo and Juliet, but it takes it several steps further than even the Bard would dare to go, and it's a also a true story. In 1999, a US infantry soldier was brutally murdered for his love affair with a transgendered club performer. Rather than focus on the obvious politics, the filmmakers create a beautiful and intimate love story. With the co-operation of the real-life subjects, the script is handled tastefully, and the performers refuse to exploit their characters, instead exploring their complexity and developing electric chemistry in each of their relationships.

A smart and funny teen flick with well-developed characters who actually act their age. While the cliques are slightly exaggerated for comedy, they are also very close to the way it really is in high school. My school was just like this. Though she's better known for her personal life, Lindsay Lohan proves here that she really can act. Rachel McAdams is hilarious in the role of evil Regina, showing great promise just months before her breakout movie, The Notebook, came out. Writer Tina Fey and several of her Saturday Night Live co-stars round out the supporting cast. Tim Meadows is fantastic as the school principal.

One of the sexiest movies ever made. This one brought Alfonso Cuarón to the top of the directors-to-watch list, and he has continued to impress ever since. The story is simple, a coming-of-age road movie that avoids the clichés of both genres. The acting is completely natural and the chemistry between all three leads is electric. The occasional voice-over commentary is both smart and sassy, and the final scenes are possibly the hottest ten minutes in the history of cinema.

A great introduction to the world. Viggo has the best grand entrance scene ever here.

*This film represents the entire trilogy on my Favourites list.*

It takes several viewings to completely understand any Charlie Kaufmann film. To say the storytelling is non-linear would be an understatement. But once you figure it out, or even if you don't, you'll definitely agree you've experienced something different. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are brilliant in their against-type roles, and even though the style is completely over-the-top, they've created a beautiful relationship with moments that feel absolutely genuine.

Dwindles a bit in the second half, but this is the performance of a lifetime for Charlize.

The awkwardness of the characters seemed a tad overdone at times, but their extreme quirkiness is a valid excuse for it. Charming little film!

Wow! Intense, I haven't sat through a movie and been so captivated in ages. Can't wait to see the American adaption, but there's no way it'll be as good as this.

Insanely sexy drama/thriller! Fabulous cast, I love Diane Lane's scene on the train. Beautiful imagery and cinematography. I *love* the ending!

The first half was beautiful. The second half was depressing.

As intriguing as it is disturbing, with a heavy-handed yet poetic script. Agnes Bruckner is an incredible talent, I'm amazed that she isn't famous yet. David Strathairn, always reliable, plays a brilliantly complex character you can't decide whether to like or not. Karen Moncrieff shows great promise with this debut feature, I can't wait to see what she does next.

Alfred Kinsey is a man whose name you may not know unless you studied him in school, but his research in the 1940s revolutionized science and culture. It's hard to believe in today's world, where it can sell just about anything, sex was once a completely taboo subject. Kinsey set out to change that with his own in-depth survey, collecting stats from thousands of volunteer subjects. In addition to his academic achievements, the film explores Kinsey's complex personal life, including his troubled relationship with his father and an open marriage with his wife and one of his protégés. Liam Neeson leads a top notch cast, which includes Laura Linney, Peter Sarsgaard, and John Lithgow.

Totally quirky, ridiculous satire.

A great satire on filmmaking, celebrity culture, and Canadian/American relations. Simultaneously humourous and poignant. Mark Rendall is a rare truly gifted young actor. Great cast all-around.

At only 81 minutes, this is as tight as thrillers get. Colin Farrell delivers one hell of a riveting performance that is wicked fun to watch. The supporting cast is good in very limited roles, with Kiefer Sutherland being the only problem. He's fine as the sniper on the phone, but his voice is just a little too recognizable. A lesser-known actor might have served the story better.

This is about as high-concept as it gets. And about as Canadian as it gets. What other society could come up with a plot involving office workers placing bets on who could stay indoors the longest? Amazingly enough, the movie works like a charm. It's definitely quirky, perhaps an acquired taste that may not translate for international audiences, but there are some hilarious performances here, both of the over-the-top and understated kind. The direction and editing is just as unorthodox as the story, which some sly moves you might not notice or "get" the first time around. Definitely needs to be watched at least twice.

Critics raked this movie over the coals, and I can see why. It's 100% melodramatic schmaltz, and it's completely shameless about it. Normally, I don't fall for such over-the-top cheese, but every once in awhile, the pieces come together just right and the formula works. Such is the case for the Majestic. The script it tepid, repetitive, and meandering, but the cast absolutely sells it. Jim Carrey is cast against type in a straight man role, and proves again after a few previous turns to drama that he can build a character out of subtlety and doesn't always have to be pulling faces to win an audience.

Jake and Jen have great chemistry. Drooooool.

Fun stoner comedy that has more than it's share of moments that are funny even when sober. Some stupid gross-out jokes to be expected, but it also portrays a touching friendship and even hits on a few more serious notes, like themes of racism (but makes light of it all in the end). Best moments: the mix tape and Doogie Howser.

The Cooler is one of those old-fashioned Vegas movies that brings out the darkest the city has to offer, literally. The lighting and production design take cues from the story, featuring three characters each fighting their own set of demons. Alec Baldwin plays himself, as usual, and is unappealing as ever, storming around menacingly as an outdated casino owner. William H. Macy and Maria Bello more than make up for it however, as the casino's star "cooler," who brings bad luck to players on a hot streak, and as the cocktail waitress he falls in love with, who has a few secrets of her own.

A complex, beautifully acted murder mystery, of sorts. The characters are cleverly intertwined with each other, but not in a superficial way like in other recent ensemble dramas.

James and Maggie are great together

Hardly award worthy, but definitely one of my favourite comfort movies. A classic guilty pleasure. Sandra Bullock has a certain appeal in these cheesy roles, and William Shatner just plain rocks.

A lonely computer geek offers a stripper ten thousand dollars to go to Vegas with him for a weekend. What should have been a simple arrangement turns into an interesting, if a little underwritten and not entirely plausible, character study. Molly Parker as the stripper is emotionally unavailable and manipulative. Peter Sarsgaard is a dot com millionaire nerd who means well, but he comes off very creepy, completely clueless on how to interact with other people, especially women. Shot on digital camera with intentionally cheap-looking zooms, the whole movie has a voyeuristic nature to it. With the addition of the natural performances, it is pretty unsettling to watch.

Messed up, but great acting. And Sam Worthington's hot! :)

After building up some really tense situations among complex characters, the story ties itself up a little too neatly at the end. But the rest of the film is great and the young cast is absolutely phenomenal. Worth a look.

Hahaha, so ridiculous and stupid, but a lot of the cultural jokes are funny and true.

Great doc, lots of rock stars.

A very honest little film

Heartbreaking, wonderfully acted.

A fascinating documentary about an actor from a London ghetto who comes back to his neighbourhood to stage a production of Romeo and Juliet using all non-professional actors, mostly kids from the wrong side of the tracks. Most of them have little knowledge of Shakespeare and even less ambition. Via webcam, Baz Luhrman, director of the 1996 movie version of the play starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, provides guidance. We watch the kids go through workshops and rehearsals to understand the text, and then overcome obstacles including stage fright, clashing with their characters, and general apathy. Their growth over the four-week period from casting to showtime is beautiful to witness, and many of them are changed forever from the experience. Highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of theatre or Shakespeare.

A by-the-book spy thriller with a mix of decent/lame acting, intriguing premise that doesn't entirely make sense but is fun to watch, and guilty pleasure fun. It may not be perfect, but for a brainless action night, it's above average. Plus, the cast is really pretty.

A tad low on the drama, but the fact that it really happened adds a little punch. Beautiful Western Australian desert landscapes.

Fabulous script. Well acted. Dylan Kidd and Jesse Eisenberg are definitely talents to watch.

Creepy fun thriller! Robin Williams is great in darker roles, I wonder why he didn't try them way earlier. I'm kind of glad I've never made a habit of taking my pictures to the same place every time, lol.

Amazing acting, and one hell of a story. My only gripe would be that it didn't explore the so-called "friendships" he had with other men, but I think just about everything else is covered.

Beautiful! More dramatic than I expected, but still very funny. Brilliant acting from some of the greatest performers of their generation. Even the kid is good, and child actors more often than not bug the hell out of me.

If you've fallen under Michael Moore's spell, you've got to see this film.

I haven't laughed out loud this hard during a movie in ages! So friggin hilarious. The second act lags a bit, but so what, this one is all about the jokes, even if the plot is a little too ridiculous to sustain for 89 minutes. David Bowie's cameo is possibly the greatest moment in any Ben Stiller movie ever.

A silly romantic comedy with a ridiculous premise, but this one is elevated by Hugh Jackman, looking dashing as ever and portraying a lovely old-fashioned gentleman whom every woman secretly wants to fall in love with.

An unsettling drama with a fabulous cast.