Films from 2001

In continuing my series of my favorite (see Ms. Stu-di-ous, no "u" this time) films of the decade I look to 2001. 2001 was a very diverse year in my selection of films. There are no doubt a couple on this list that will raise eyebrows but nonetheless they are my favorites from 2001.

My top two films listed are my top two films of the year and they both have the "What!?" factor. As in "What!? I'm blown away!" and "What?! did I just see?", respectively. The rest follow in no particular order.

The image to the left is of the river the Fellowship travels down in Fellowship of the Ring. I took this photo during a semester break trip to New Zealand in 2007.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• Moulin Rouge!
• Amélie
• Dogtown and Z-Boys
• Ghost World
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• In the Bedroom
• Metropolis
• Monsoon Wedding
• Monster's Inc.
• Ocean's 11
• Saving Silverman
• Not Another Teen Movie
• Rush Hour 2
• The Majestic

The top two films also share something in common in that their last half-hours are about as good as anything put to film. The Battle of Amon Hen is a fantastic piece of camera work, editing, choreography, and drama capped off by an exciting one-on-one battle and one of the more moving scenes in the trilogy as Boromir shares his final words with Aragorn. When Christian confronts Satine during Spectacular! Spectacular! the scene is filled with a sense of lament for the love lost as the Duke's plan is working. We see Christian lose his way and denounce love, only to have it restored tenfold as Satine brings him back and makes him realize why he believes in love in the first place.

Both sequences beautifully end films that bring out the fantastical, the tragic, the heroic, and the sense of awe and wonderment that are embodied in the heart and soul of each film. These two films exemplify everything that I love in film which is why they are at the top of my list for 2001.