Films of 2001

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Posted 2021-02-02 by Steven G ⇒ follow

I saw a number of films at the cinema in 2001, the early years of my marriage. You know, the date night sort of thing. I have some fond memories of many movies because of that concept (even before I was married, dating back to the 80s). Movies are an interesting beast in that they are a visual and quite passive experience, so I am not sure how much of them actually enter the subconscious. Well, it seems a lot, because looking back 20 years at these films, I remembered an awful lot!

I did not see all of these at the cinema, of course; I went on to see many on DVD over the intervening years. But these are still some great films from 20 years ago.

Yes, 20 years ago. And some of them surprised me at being that old. Tempus fugit and all that. Now, there are a couple of films missing. I'd love to say Donnie Darko but I don't know if I like it or not, even after seeing it three times now. And I would love to add Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter but I think everyone else would hate with a passion. So, let's stick with this list of 10!
**A Beautiful Mind
Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Akiva Goldsman
Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly & Ed Harris**

A stunning film, a biopic about mathematical genius John Nash that is made by Russell Crowe's stunning performance. It is maybe a film that won't appeal to everyone, but I found it fascinating. It won a few Oscars (including best picture!) and, in my opinion, deservedly so.
**Ali
Directed by Michael Mann
Written by Michael Mann, Stephen J. Rivele, Eric Roth & Christopher Wilkinson
Starring Will Smith**

Another biopic! This one bombed at the box office, but I do not understand why. The story of Muhammad Ali from his start in boxing to the 1974 Rumble In The Jungle, it stars Will Smith in one of his (in my opinion) best actual acting performances. The film was well done and looked great, and also looked seriously at the great social upheavals of the times. Under-rated movie.
**From Hell
Directed by Albert & Allan Hughes
Written by Terry Hayes & Rafael Yglesias
Starring Johnny Depp**

Based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the investigation of the Jack The Ripper killings, involving the Freemasons, the royal family, drugs and weirdness. I liked the look of it and found the film a bit of fun to watch. It is not the greatest film ever, but Depp can usually be counted on to deliver a fine performance, especially in a film like this one. (I preferred the graphic novel, for what it's worth.)
**Ghosts Of Mars
Directed by John Carpenter
Written by John Carpenter & Larry Sulkis
Starring Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge & Jason Statham**

Another film that bombed on release, but I went to see it with a mate because we are both fans of John Carpenter. It is a stunning visual film and has a story that is not cookie-cutter. The acting is fine, the open ending is interesting and, as I said, it looks good, but some of the special effects are dodgy. Still, a fine popcorn film.
**Memento
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Christopher Nolan
Starring Guy Pearce**

Starting your popular acting career on a soap opera need not harm you. Exhibit A – Guy Pearce. This is an amazing film. It took me two watchings to actually "get it", but Nolan is sort of getting known for that. The whole concept of a man who needs tattoos on his body to remember is intriguing and it is delivered brilliantly with a final denouement that is stunning. This is a great film.
**Moulin Rouge!
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Written by Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce
Starring Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor**

Yes, this film has come up when I ranked Luhrmann's films and I said I loved this. I still love this. It is called a jukebox musical because of the use of popular songs, but it does not matter – it is a tragic love story with a sad ending and a lot of great music. It is visually awesome and musically wonderful. I really enjoy this.
**Ocean's Eleven
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Ted Griffin
Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt & Julia Roberts**

One of the very few remakes that is better than the original. The acting is better, the dialogue is better and the characters are more likeable. This is an OTT heist film and it works. It shouldn't, but it does. Clooney holds it together just by being Clooney, and the rest of the large ensemble cast all hold their own. I enjoy this film.
**Shrek
Directed by Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson
Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Roger S. H. Schulman & Joe Stillman
Starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz & John Lithgow**

One of the very few animated films I can stand (as I mentioned in my songs column ), this has enough adult-orientated humour and pop culture references to keep parents happy even as the kids laugh at the fart jokes. I didn't see it until I had kids a few years later, and really did not mind when my son and later my daughter insisted on watching it. It is genuinely funny and the animation is really good.
**The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson
Starring lots and lots of people!**

The first of the trilogy is still my favourite in the series, based on a book it was almost compulsory for D&D nerds (like me) to read. I liked the book and thought the film did a great job of translating it to the screen. It looks stunning, even now, 20 years later. The acting is fine, it is well put together and it is a great piece of cinema. We saw it in the cinema when it opened and I will say this – it is better on DVD because it is so long! Yes, the DVD is longer, but you can pause that! Anyway, a spectacle and when this came out we decided it was so good to see that epic film-making never died.
**The Mummy Returns
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Written by Stephen Sommers
Starring Brendan Fraser & Rachel Weisz**

The first The Mummy is one of my favourite films. Don't @ me. This sequel is not as good, but is certainly really fun. It has a good story, does not stop moving, carries along at a million miles an hour, and has some good use of Egyptian mythology. Okay, the child acting is dodgy… but not as dodgy as the horrific special effects that turned Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson into the Scorpion King. Ugh! We were seeing better images in video games! Still, it is a fun film and a fun story, just turn your brain off at the door.
10 movies from 20 years ago. They are all such fun to watch and you could certainly do worse than picking any of these for an afternoon of chilling out in front of the TV. Stream them, watch them on DVD, whatever. Fun films.

Hope you enjoyed this!