Although it was one year into the new millennium, 2001 technically marked the beginning of the 21st century. Proving how quickly time passes by, the year that signaled the dawn of a new era for humanity, culture, and technology is now 25 years old. While the year has obviously been memorialized by the September 11th attacks, 2001, in retrospect, it turned out to be an inflection point in pop culture, and its aftershocks still linger in cinema today. Fittingly enough, the year that shares the name with Stanley Kubrick‘s sci-fi masterpiece about the evolution of life saw totemic releases like the debut of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, franchises that showed Hollywood a new pathway to the future of moviegoing. From major blockbusters to acclaimed arthouse auteurist visions, narrowing down the 10 best movies of 2001 was a cumbersome task.
10
‘Moulin Rouge!’
Movie musicals were never the same after Moulin Rouge! swung into theaters in the summer of 2001. Baz Luhrmann, the master of visual and auditory glamor, revamped the genre with his rapid-fire editing, hypnotic visual language, electric pacing, and use of anachronistic pop music to round out this jukebox musical.
Starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor as star-crossed lovers whose romance becomes a Shakespearean tragedy, Moulin Rouge! earns its exclamation point in its title. “Loud” doesn’t even come close to describing the vigor and relentless enthusiasm of Luhrmann’s signature movie. Right when you get on the film’s bonkers wavelength and catch up with its intense camera movements and breathless editing, Luhrmann undercuts the sensationalism with a tender, affectionate, yet poignant romance between wistful poet Christian (McGregor) and aspiring actress Satine (Kidman). Just as indelible as the sets are the catchy songs, which sample the best pop music and musical numbers of the 20th century. Although Moulin Rouge!‘s story is predictable, if not maudlin, it hits all the right spots. Luhrmann kicked off the right kind of boisterous party to start the century.
9
‘Ghost World’
This is no superhero movie. In what comic book or graphic novel could you ever find a story about two disaffected teen girls navigating through a cruel and confusing world? That’s what makes Ghost World, the Daniel Clowes graphic novel and the Terry Zwigoff screen adaptation, so special. After honoring the work of iconoclastic comic book artist Robert Crumb, Zwigoff directed a signature film for everyone who’s ever been misunderstood.
Ghost World, led by Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch, and featuring a stand-out supporting performance by Steve Buscemi, reflects an era where comics were underground and fashionable among arthouse corners before they became billion-dollar enterprises for movie studios. Zwigoff’s pitch-black and countercultural sensibilities that drove Crumb and Bad Santa are at their peak in his 2001 indie that earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination. Ghost World is effortlessly hilarious, even when it seems like Zwigoff has such scorn for his own quirky characters and their world that’s alien to them. While it’s initially coated in irony, the movie embraces the emotionality of Rebecca (Johansson) and Enid (Birch). Despite their glib attitude, these outsiders just want to feel loved and understood in a thankless world.
8
‘Ocean’s Eleven’
In what is perhaps the slickest and effortlessly cool Hollywood movie made in the last 25 years, Ocean’s Eleven is the best piece of evidence that filmmakers should remake unsuccessful movies with a strong premise. The original 1960 heist movie starring members of the Rat Pack was strangely dull and meandering, but if you find a sharp director like Steven Soderbergh and the present-day batch of the most suave stars, the movie ostensibly writes itself. Sure enough, 2001’s Ocean Eleven paid out like a slot machine.
This murderer’s row of seismic movie stars, which includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon, tells you everything you need to know about Ocean’s Eleven. The film carries itself with a swagger and flair that can only manifest with this level of Hollywood pedigree. Not to mention, Soderbergh’s fast-paced and precise direction keeps the flow electric. The director knows when to expedite the plot and let the scene play out methodically so that his charismatic stars can banter. Ocean’s Eleven perfectly calibrated the stardom of Clooney and Pitt, and their respective careers are indebted to Soderbergh’s blueprint. A lively piece of pop entertainment crafted with the excellence of prestige fare, the film is exactly the kind of cinematic bravura that appeals to four quadrants.
7
‘The Piano Teacher’
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