Looking Back at the Noughties-2000
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The end of a decade sees a feverish activity going on in the media world, unlike the mandatory year end articles, where you simply put together the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Year ahead, here it’s like you have to put together your recollections not just that of the year, but also the last 10 years, and then try to predict what is going to happen in the next 10 years. I mean, it’s like being a chronicler, a reporter and a futurist in 0ne go, phew. But the biggest challenge the media personell face when putting together their articles on the decade gone by, and the decade comming up next, is something far more challenging. Where print journalists had to contend with TV in 1999, trying to make sense of the 90’s, the 20th century and the comming 21st cenury, this time around they would have to contend with a four letter word-B-L-O-G.
Like every one else, yours truly dabbled in blogging, switching between half a dozen blogs, but not taking it too seriously enough. It was only since 2007, that i started to put all my articles on one single blog, and then in 2008, i came into PFC, and as the cliche goes, “things have never been the same again”. Putting together the list of my favorite movies of the Noughties, was quite a task for me. So what i have decided is to put together a series of posts on my favorite movies, of each year of the decade, till the end of the year, starting off with 2000. So if you are wondering why X is not there in the list, the reason could be a) Its not of that year b) I have not seen it c) I really did not like it. This is a list of movies i have liked personally, so chances are that you may not find that much acclaimed award winning movie, or you may find the name of a movie that was either slammed or not too well known. I start off with Y2K aka Year 2000, or Year 00, the year a certain George Herbert Walker Bush Jr, entered the Oval Office, in the most controversial election in history, while the much anticipated Dot Com revolution, ended up Dot Bust, throwing the economy into a tizzy. So here goes my list in no particular order.
Hey Ram: For me this would remain the best of the year, and I would rate this movie as one of my favorites in this decade. Sure the movie had it’s own flaws, it was way too indulgent at times with Kamal appearing in almost every other frame, the “smooch-A-thons” between Kamal-Rani and Kamal-Vasundhara just went on, and some of the surreal imagery did not really fit in the movie. But this was a movie, where the positives far outweighed the negatives for me. It was a wonderful depiction of the title character Saket Ram’s transition from a sheltered, blissful life, to one of revenge, when his wife Aparna, is killed and raped in the pre Partition riots that rocked Calcutta in the 30’s. The Hindu fundamentalist leader Abhayankar, provides Mahatma Gandhi as the scapegoat for all the troubles, claiming his policy of Muslim appeasement is what led to the situation. Unlike what some critics made it out to be, the movie was not anti Gandhi, it merely depicted how an individual who had lost everything, was made to believe that the Mahatma was the root of all his troubles. It was a movie that probed, questioned, made you think, and end of the day, you came back with some unforgettable moments. It was one of the few movies in the Noughties where we got to see Shahrukh Khan the actor, rather than the star, especially in one memorable scene, where he pleads with Kamal to save the lives of the Muslims around. And yes it was the first time i saw a certain Atul Kulkarni, in one of the finest on screen performances, as Abhayankar, and from then on been one big fan of his acting.
Almost Famous: Cameron Crowe took his own experiences as a teen writer for Rolling Stone, interviewing rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Eagles and translated them on screen, in an endearing, comming of age tale. The movie in one way traced the growing up process of the 15 year old lead character William Miller( Patrick Fuget) who has to deal with an overbearing Mom( Frances Mc Dormand) and pressure to get better grades at school. Miller seeks a refuge from his home life, by working as a teen reporter covering the rock and roll scene. His friendship with the Stillwater band’s lead guitarist Russel Hammond( Billy Crudup), and his subsequent growing up process, including his love for Penny Lane( Kate Hudson), one of the groupies. Though set against the 70’s rock music scene, the movie was more about William’s journey from a gawky, controlled by Mama teen to a adulthood, including moving out of his over protective Mama’s care. Crowe takes a nostalgic, affectionate look at his own teen years, not really focussing much on the darker side of the rock world. What works for the movie is the smart and witty dialogue, fabulous performances by Fuget, Frances Mc Dormand( first rate as always), Crudup and Kate Hudson, and also the classic 70’s rock soundtrack.
Cast Away: Not too often does a movie where a major chunk of the action involves a lone man and a volleyball grab one’s attention, as Cast Away does. Coming together after Forrest Gump, Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks, come out with a tale of a modern day Robinson Crusoe, marooned on an island. The irony is that Chuck Noland, Hanks character, is some one obsessed with time, and schedules, as a Fed Ex executive. And one fine day, he finds his entire life turned upside down literally, when his plane crashes in the Pacific, and he is left stranded on an island. It was not just the theme, but director Zemeckis treatment, that makes this movie truly one of my favorites. Not much of BGM, no fights with sharks or native tribesmen, nor any eye popping special effects of thunderstorms or exploding volcanoes. The narrative goes at a leisurely peace, showing Chuck’s struggle for survival on the island, his conversations with the volleyball Mr. Wilson. The most poignant scene for me, Chuck comming back from the island, attends a party, looks at the table laden with dishes, picks up a piece, and puts it down. No dialogue, no VO, but it conveys so much, of a person who experienced scarcity, now having to deal with excess.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: If not for anything else, the fact that this movie introduced me to the Wuxia style of martial arts, should be a reason good enough to put it in the list. But beyond the spectacular cinematography, the breath taking martial arts scenes, are the multiple layers, in the story that puts this movie firmly in the classic status for me. Be it the deeply etched out female characters, and their comment on the patriarchal Chinese society, their place in it. Or the clash between the value systems of Confucianism, Taoism and Zen Buddhism, represented by the 3 female characters. The symbolism of poison as a means of cowardice, or that of bamboo to represent the inner self. And to add some fabulous performances by Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi. The Wuxia martial arts genre has been one of my favorites, not just because of the colors or the action scenes, but also the layers of complexity involved in the stories.
Erin Brockovich: Never really been a big fan of Julia Roberts, but she manages to pack a wallop in this Steven Soderbergh feature about a feisty single mom who takes on the energy giant, that has been polluting the water supply in her town. Its the classic legal tale of a David taking on the Goliath, the underdog vs the top dog. The difference is Soderbergh, here ratchets up the tension and drama, not from any shady conspiracy hi jinks nor does Erin herself receive any threats, but from her interactions with the local people, her digging into the cases, her fight against cash rich Gas company, that could buy out the entire legal system. Nor does Soderbergh get into the trap of having the mandatory climax courtroom speeches, nor any big courtroom drama. In fact if you are looking for a fire and brimstone Hollywood style legal drama, Erin Brockovich is certainly not it. But what works for the movie is the smart writing, the witty dialogues and basically from Erin herself. My favorite quote ” I just went out there and performed sexual favors. Six hundred and thirty-four blow jobs in five days… I’m really quite tired.”
Gladiator: I was initially skeptical about putting this in my favorites list. For most of the second half, the movie looked like an extended WWF slugfest, with heads rolling, blood squirting around, and after some time the combat scenes got tiresome. But then again the positives were numerous, the opening battle scene, as rousing as it gets, “At my command, raise hell”. But more importantly, the entire sequence between Maximus( Russel Crowe) and the aged Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius( Richard Harris), where he decides to make Maximus the leader. And then the murder, intrigue by Aurelius jealous son Commodus( Joaquin Phoenix), which results in Maximus turning into a slave and then a Gladiator. Apart from some of the combat scenes, the dramatic confrontations between Maximus and Commodus have been well picturized too, and also helped by some solid acting from Crowe and Phoenix.
O Brother, Where Art Thou?: 3 escaped convicts from a chain gang, hidden treasure, whacked out characters all over, small town Rural South America in the Depression, and the allusions to Homer’s Odyssey throughout the movie. One of my favorite Coen Brothers movie, and to me not many movie makers capture the pop culture, small town rural America, better than these guys. Mixing up Klansmen, Missisippi sharecroppers, chain gangs with a hero named Ulysees, a modern day Cyclops, the 3 convicts being seduced to sleep by sirens, it to me again would be one of my favorite movies of this decade. Add to it some fab acting by George Clooney as Ulyssess, John Turturro as Pete and Holly Hunter as Penelope.
Requiem for a Dream: Dark, unsettling, holding back no punches, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, is a mirror to the lives gone waste from drug addiction. No sugar coating, no sermonizing, what Aronofosky does is stick a mirror, asks us to take a look at it, as is, and the picture ain’t too pleasant. The movie follows the lives of 4 different characters, each of whom takes to drugs for their own personal reasons. Harry( Jared Leto) and Tyrone( Marlon Wayans) are two stringed out junkies, hoping to open a fashion store that would show case the designs of Marion( Jennifer Connelly), a junkie herself. The other person is Harry’s mom Sara( Ellen Burnstyn), who gets hooked on to drugs, while trying to undergo a weight loss program, that would help her appear on a Tv show. It’s a movie that is depressing, as we see the characters going down into a spiral of self destruction, with no redemption in sight. And of course brilliant acting by all the 4 principal players, makes this memorable.
Snatch: Guy Ritchie follows his obsession for the low life scum of the London Underworld, after Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels, this time though on a more larger canvas, and interweaving numerous storylines. The lowlives here are the narrator Turkish( Jason Statham), a boxing promoter, Franky 4 fingers( Benicio Del Toro) the diamond thief, the Irish “pikey” Michael O Neill( Brad Pitt), ex KGB agent and arms dealer Boris The Blade and the bounty hunter Bullet Tooth Tony. And the usage of jump cuts, quick edits, as Guy Ritchie moves at a furious pace, connecting the numerous stories to the single point, the hunt for a 84 karat diamond, that has been stolen. And an ensemble cast featuring Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro, Vinnie Jones, Dennis Farina adds the icing on the cake perfectly.
Traffic: One movie that would make it to my Top 10 Movies of this decade. Stephen Soderbergh’s on screen adaptation of the TV series, that explores the entire spectrum of the drug mafia- from it’s origins in the poppy fields of Pakistan-Afghanistan, it’s distribution across the West and it’s use. The movie takes a look at the drug world, through 3 different interwoven tales, a Mexican cop Javier Rodriquez( Benicio Del Toro) used by a high ranking Mexican official to apprehend a notorious hitman, working for the cartels. A conservative Ohio judge Robert Wakefield( Michael Douglas) leading the fight on the drugs, at the same time having to deal with the fact that his daughter is a junkie herself. And a pair of undercover agents in San Diego, trying to nail a powerful drug lord Carlos Ayala, and his wife Helena( Catherine Zeta Jones) trying to subvert the trial. Soderbergh, takes us straight into the world of drug trafficking, as we get to know the various persona, the side characters, the players involved. Liked the use of different color tints based on the backdrops, and also the personal conflicts among the lead characters. The ever dependable Del Toro is brilliant, as is Michael Douglas as the Judge, torn between duty and his own family life. Catherine Zeta Jones, shows there is much more to her than just a pretty face.
Unbreakable: For me, this remains to date my favorite Shyamalan movie, much ahead of The 6th Sense. While the 6th Sense, for all it’s surprise shock ending, was a Ghost tale simple and straight, i liked Unbreakable more because of it’s look at the concept of the superhero, the way the protagonist, begins to discover his super hero qualities. The relationship between the physically fragile Mr. Glass aka Elijah Price( Samuel Jackson), and David Dunn( Bruce Willis), the lone survivor of a train crash, that killed 131 passengers, Elijah’s attempts to convince David of his own superhero qualities is what drives the entire movie. The twist in the end though, however looked a bit too forced for me, did not really fit into the story.
Some other movies with a Honorable mention in 2000
Hera Pheri- Cracker of a performance by Paresh Rawal, one of the best Hindi comedies of this decade, and a welcome relief from the David Dhawan stuff.
Rythm- A movie that is somewhat of a rarity, in Kollywood, a love story that is mature, understated and subtle. Vasanth’s take on the love between a widow and widower, their lives coming together, is done with a sensitivity that is quite often hard to find in mainstream Indian cinema. Arjun and Meena are excellent in the lead roles, and this has to be one of A.R.Rehman’s best musical scores ever, every song a winner in it’s own right.
X-Men- One of my favorite super hero flicks, it works because of the way each character is finely etched out, both the mutants and the humans, and add to it some eye popping special effects, and excellent performances from Hugh Jackman( Wolverine), Anna Paquin( Rogue), Hale Berry( Storm), Rebecca Romjin Stamos( Mystique).
Remember the Titans: Predictable, feel good sports flick, that works well. Excellent performance as always from Denzel Washington, as the coach who has to deal with racism, as well as motivate his team to win.
Tags: 2000 Movies, Almost Famous, Cast Away, Coen Brothers, Crouching Tiger, Erin Brockovich, Gladiator, Hey Ram, Hidden Dragon, O Brother Where Art Thou, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, Snatch, Traffic, Unbreakable
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
did you miss, did you NOT watch or did you NOT like:
Amores perros
In the Mood for Love
Memento
??
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A great list, btw
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Also regarding Memento, while it was released in some European nations in 2000, in the US it was released in 2001. From what i know, most of the studios were not too enthusiastic about it, as they felt it was too confusing, even Miramax’s Weisenstein passed it over. Stephen Soderbergh later championed the movie, he was a big fan of it. And on release, the movie went on to become a major success at the BO.
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Well both Amores Perros and In The Mood for Love, are on my Must Watch List.
Memento was a bad miss, dunno how it slipped out of my Mind.
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Gladiator quote – Isn’t it ‘At my signal, unleash hell’ ??
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Yep my bad, keep getting confused with this quote often.
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Inglorious Basterds
Hangover
Let the right one in
Taken (Liam)
Lagaan
Dil Chahata Hai
Khosla Ka Ghosla
Oye Lucky Lucky oye
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i believe the post is only about the year “2000″ & not beyond…there will be many more if we take the whole decade…
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Well Jitu, that’s what i had mentioned in the post clearly, if i were to list, all my favorites of this decade, it would be a huge list.
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Nice list Ratnakar.For the year Y2K aka 2000, I would also list down 2 more movies which made a mark – Alaipayuthey and Kandukondain Kandukondain.Alaipayuthey is not the best from Mani Sir but it was a fresh and breezy romantic film & the music of ARR is evergreen.The movie created a very strong impact and even the Telugu dubbed version – Sakhi and the Hindi remake Saathiya did create a good impact.
Kandukondain Kandukondain was one of the rare non Rajni/Kamal Tamil movie to create a big impact nationally.The movie had a very wide release across the country and this I feel was a reasonably good take on Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility.
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Alaipayuthey was good, but honestly not the kinda movie, would watch again and again. The songs and camera were good, but then that’s a given with any Mani Ratnam movie.
I think 2000 was one of Rehman’s best year, 3 brilliant albums- Alaipayuthey, Rythm and KK. Honestly wishing he scores more for Tam flicks.
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Keep adding more movies! My list of movies to be watched grows
I like Gladiator a lot! May not be a classic, but the dialogues, picturization and acting deserves it to be on any list unleash hell!
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I never liked Couching Tiger… I was in college those days and called it a foolish movie by watching its mid air fighting scenes,but then I claim not to hv great taste in English movies.
I was once bullied by my collegemates when I declared James Bond movies like a mithunda craper, for he keeps on doing the most difficult things with much ease.
A beautiful Mind is a film , I would definitely like to add here.. and Aviator too
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Yeah Yaatri, but as i said, this deals with Y2k, but both A Beautiful Mind and Aviator are my favorites. Regards Crouching Tiger, i guess maybe it’s because i generally like the Wuxia stuff, and that makes it to the list.
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Some people are missing the point. It is about the movies released n Y2K not in this decade.
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Rhythm is a good movie, feel good… but still one reservation I have abt that movie is that I thought Vasant was pandering to the Virginal heroine syndrome even though he was dealing with a movie which spoke otherwise.
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Ganesh, i guess Vasanth was doing a balancing act kind, one side he was dealing with the concept of love between widow and widower, but at same time, could not afford to be too bold.
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what’s the point of listing personal favorites that too of an year when GW Bush Jr came to power??? Liberhan report? Is PFC a dump for old stale articles? And it seems there will be 9 more such list coming from the same person.
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Desperately waiting for rest 8 list……..kip it coming!!!!!
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@ratnakar, great list bro. took me down memory lane, so to speak. quite a lot of my personal faves are on this list. I also loved “american psycho” in 2000. this was one of the movies, that mocked the wall street, upscale american way of life, the undue importance given to brands, labels, the scene comparing their business cards is one of the hysterical scenes in the movie, among many others. Also, this was the first movie, I discovered Christian Bale prominently.
I really look forward to your articles….and needless to say waiting for the other 8-9 from this decade. keep ‘em comin bro.
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Thanks Bipin, have not seen American Pyscho, but did hear it’s quite a cult movie. And from what you tell of the movie, it does seem somewhat like Fight Club, at least as far as the basic anti consumerism theme is concerned.
BTW i feel Stephen Soderbergh, Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan, would be the top American directors of this decade.
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Christian Bale was Bateman before he was Batman
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Darren Aronofsky and Nolan are the two directors who have emerged out of this decade. They are the directors to watch out in the future. I’ve liked all of their movies.
Steven Soderberg’s on the other hand had 2 releases in 2000 but he has not been consistent throughout. The other directors like Coen Bros., Paul Thomas Anderson, Clint Eastwood etc. have continued making arthouse stuff which come and go without making much fuss but grab some awards. Tim Burton and Scorcese have been continuously making decent movies. Others like Frank Darabount, David Cronenberg, Woody Allen etc. are consistent.
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Well in this decade, O Brother and No Country for Old Men were my favorite Coen Bros movies, their other movies were not that great, as some of their 90’s works.
Eastwood is consistent. His twin series on Battle of Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers/ Letters from Iwo Jima is to me one of the best war dramas, also liked Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino.
Well after Erin Brockovich and Traffic, did expect a lot from Soderbergh, but nothing really great. I only liked first of the Oceans series, did hear that The Informant was good.
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I liked the Ocean’s series though nothing great but enjoyable flicks. First was the best though. His remake (Solaris) of Solyaris was what turned me off. Havent watched Traffic and other movies after Ocean’s 13.
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Regarding Frank Darabont, poor guy had one big legacy to live up to( Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile), Mist was good, but in comparison to Shawshank and Green Mile, feel short.
Cronenberg’s History of Violence & Eastern Promises, again two of my favorites. Woody Allen this decade, nothing special, saw Match Point & Scoop, both quite ordinary.
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Never liked Woody Allen on the basis of whatever little I’ve seen of him from this decade and the past one. Have not watched his earlier movies.
Some people and friends used to banter about him. I think that’s why he has gone into my subconscious as a good director.
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Well some of his earlier stuff was excellent, Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Manhattan, this decade, though however nothing really great. Have not seen Vicky Christiana Barcelona, though some have praised it.
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I thought Soderbergh’s Che was an epic although I’ve only seen the 1st part (The Argentine)…it got overlooked because of the commie phobia in the west…also The new release Th Informant was pretty good…
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Che failed mainly because of it’s length, ran into almost 4 hours, don’t think it’s anything to do with Commie Phobia. Unless its something like LOTR, people nowadays don’t really dig for long,epic kinda movies.
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well…that’s why it was divided & released as two films out of which I’ve seen the 1st one only…probably the 2nd part is not as good…Anyway the reason why I mentioned commie phobia was because of the way it was totally ignored at the Oscars…Del Toro won at Cannes and considering the fact that Academy loves biopics, I thought he’d get a nomination at least…
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Well regarding not being at Oscars, well it’s politics could have been at a factor, something which was emphasized by Sean Penn, in a speech. And the commie thingy, well remember Ebert’s review of Motorcyle Diaries, where he thumbed it down, saying it was too politically correct, did not depict Che’s darker side. In fact many critics felt, that Soderbergh’s movie glossed over Che’s more darker side, but then that’s a standard complaint against all biopics.
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Nice list…pretty much agree with your choice…very interestingly you mentioned Atul Kulkarni and BGM in the same post….@MAMI this year I watched a marathi film Natarang wherein Atul Kulkarni has the lead role..a fine film but the BGM was just killing it…as if Atul Kulkarni isn’t capable of conveying an emotion without the BGM…btw its plot is, what a “nachya”-the man who plays the woman in the ‘Tamasha’, has to undergo…the movie i feel will appeal to all rural-urban or rich-poor or serious cinema-commercial cinema lovers…
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@ Rasik, thanks for the recco, have not really watched much Marathi cinema, except those i used to catch on DD, long time back. Atul Kulkarni is one of the best talents to emerge this decade, just love the way he gets into the character, his dialogue delivery. Even in a standard masala flick like Dum, he caught your attention with a gripping performance as the crooked Cop.
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I’d also like to put Malena in this list for various reasons…
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Have not seen Malena, but a certain Ms.Belluci makes me want to see it soon.
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if u r a belucci fan then u definitely should…
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Tornatore directed Malena. I liked his Cinema Paradiso and Legend of 1900 but not Malena because of certain reasons. may be I’d watch malena and Irreversible in future when I will become more mature in handling those subjects.
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…but not seen Malena….
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there was a pun intended when I said “various reasons” without specifying one…
…of course it’s not in the same league as Paradiso…BTW heard he’s come up with a new film this year…
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music of Malena is superb..one of the best BGM…coming to hot scenes it is just a few seconds and is available all over net..But it works really well as a love story as well as small town mentalities of Italy during second world war..In fact this movie has more resonance to our small town attitude towards woman..Really nice movie..
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Malena and Irreversible – Both of them awful! Google around and watch the “good” parts which both of them do have. Hollywood failed miserably in exposing the best side of Bellucini in “Tears of the Sun” and “Matrix”.
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Filmmaking in hollywood is not as liberal as in Europe.
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Memento was actually rejected by all studios in Hollywood, and that included Indie Specialist, Miramax. Soderbergh was one of the few directors who championed it aggressively, and it later was released by a lesser known studio, went on to become a surprise hit, Nolan had arrived.
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The best example of this would be probably Evil Dead first.
First time directors do face a lot of problems. Though Nolan had directed Following earlier, shooting it only on Weekends dunno why he faced so much problems with Memento.
I think Following, Pi and Primer are some of the best first time indie films made in minimal budget.
BTW, you might be knowing that we were talking about different kind of liberty.
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Yep, Jahan get ur point, Euro movies, for that matter Euro society is more liberal in it’s attitudes.
Well studio execs felt, Memento was too confusing, and not many wanted to take a risk. It was the producers, Newmarket who then again distributed the movie, and the rest as they say is history.
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seems like u were able to appreciate only the “good” parts of Malena..not able to connect to the love story nor the tragedy associated with Malena and also the superb BGM..one of best movies in 2000…
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you are right! Only the “good parts” remained in my memory. Good for you that you connected with the rest.
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The “good parts” of malena were really good. I enjoyed the whole movie though. When I had seen it for the first time, it made me feel sad. I felt sad not for Malena, but for myself. It seemed as if I had missed doing something in my childhood and I grew envious of that kid. The Reader too made me sad in similar kind of way.
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Ah!I never knew that these movies affect the people in this kind of way. R rating is justified for these movies then I guess.
I always thought that people when grow up, despise ‘these’ type of things if ever they did in their childhood or teen days. I guess, I was wrong again. Thanks for enlightening me.
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That’s the beauty and power of cinema – different things to different people.
I dont quite understand if you were being sarcstic or not, but let me make it clear that I meant it as a compliment to both these movies. Its very rare that I look back at my own life after having seen a movie. The Reader and There Will be Blood are perhaps the only recent past releases that have made me reflect back at my own life and personality, though in different kinds.
Tornatore has been the only director who two movies of his has made me nostalgic – one hand the childhood scene of cinema paradiso made me happy and other the child hood of the kid in Malena made me sad and envious.
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I really meant Belluci
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I remember the scene from cast away, which u mentioned. The one where there is a hige platter of lobster laid down. I love the small scene that followed it, The lighting of fire using the electric lighter.
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Among the Euro movies, liked Amelie, 4 months, 3weeks, 2days, Life of others…
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@ RS How about reviewing the worst of that year too….Papa the Great, Hum to Mohabbat Karega(Hard to believe Kundan Shah & Bhagyaraj were the directors)Mohabbatein
Gaja Gamini 
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Yaar Ajay, that wud be a different list in itself. Currently just concentrating on the best.
And am not very good at tearing movies apart.
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Dont have to be negative but some humour can save the day with interesting moments…Best sabko yaad rehte hain…Its the others which need to be reminded…
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Hmm yaar, Ajay, problem hai kya ki, if i were to list, all the crappy movies of 2000, that would be a huge list. Most of the Hindi cinema in 2000 was lousy, barring Hera Pheri, Astitva and to some extent Pukar, Jungle, PBDHH rest were all forgettable.
But still if i were to make my list of the worst movies of 2000, it would be Mohabattein, The Dhai Ghante Boredom Ke aka Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Bichoo, Jis Des Mein Ganga Rehte Hain, Mission Kashmir( and to think that Vikram Chandra, Suketu Mehta together scripted this), Jung, Khauff.
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Jung Khauff??? Kya baat kar rahe ho … they were a part of my Kii farak painda… sanjay gupta sanjay dutt jindabad… chalo popcorn khaate hain…. isko you compared with Mohabbatein and 2 and a half words…???
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Of course nothing to beat Aap Mujhe Ache Lagna Lage, when it comes to torture flicks, Amisha mistaking wheezing for acting, and Hrithik doing his Robocop+Terminator act in the climax, Argggggggggggggh.
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Good one Ratnakar ji…u have listed my all time favourite… Cast Away, this is the film which changed my attitude towards Hollywood film, prior to this I was every time Indian films watcher and was quite choosy for foreign films but after this mu life changed. Cast Away is a land mark film for me in many ways, it teaches a great lesson of survivorship…
Friendship between Chuk Noland and Mr. wilson was devine and what a beautiful BGM. There was a famous saying in pre independent time in north India- jine Lahour nahi dekhya, usne kuch nahi dekhya (The who have not seen Lahour, the person have seen nothing) in the same way today I say the one have not seen Cast Away, the person have seen nothing…(this is my personal thought, no offence to anybody)
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Akash, Cast Away is one of my all time favorites, don’t really care what critics feel about it, but it’s a movie, that somehow resonates close to my heart, including the final scene. What i loved about the movie, is that a lot is conveyed just through visualization, and less dialogue. And yeah lighting fire has never been so much fun.
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Great choices there. Just wanted to say that I have a collection of around 250 – 300 movies on my USB disk. Your post prompted me to sort them out yearwise and voila all 6 movies that I have for 2000 are in your list. Haven’t seen Almost Famous and Traffic yet but both sound fun. My vote for 99: American Beauty, Matrix, Sixth Sense, Fight Club
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Abhishek, do check out both of them. Traffic especially is one of the most hard hitting exposes of the drug trade. Almost Famous is more of a sweet, good natured, growing up flick, loved it for Frances McDormand, playing the dominating, possesive Mom.
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Only cuz you reminded me of Kannathil Muthammital …. I remembered seeing Rhythm mentioned in your post… how about Kandukondein Kandukondein…. suddenly simple and toned down movies, which were a lot more rooted on the ground appeared in Kollywood… with Rhythm and KK….
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I was browsing through IMDB and found that The Beach was 2000 release. Not a great movie but definitely one of the better movies of 2000. It was a decent adaptation of the Atlantis mythology. How things which look perfect on suface are hollow underneath.
Though I would have loved to see stronger characters in The Beach, I still enjoyed it a lot.
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