2002’s Top Ten Films

Sasha Stone
Mirror film critic

   While most people complain about what a bad year this was for films, (as was last year and the year before that), in actuality, 2002 has been a better year than most, and the first in many years to offer a significant number of films by women, about women, but not necessarily just for women.
   The year also brought us, for the first time ever, a strong class of female auteurs, notably Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity), Nicole Holofcener (Lovely and Amazing) and Jill Sprecher (13 Conversations About One Thing).
   Picking a top ten from 2002’s crop is no easy task. The films named here were not necessarily four star films on first viewing, but rather those that clung on long after the credits rolled and stayed with me weeks, even months later. Remembering a movie is sometimes the best way to figure out you feel about it. Here they are – the films that took hold and hung on.
   Inspired those women auteurs, I feel I can be less rigid about the traditional hierarchy, so three films tie for first:

   1. Far From Heaven – Todd Haynes’ lovely, moving story that works as both an homage to melodramas of the 1950s and as an ironic comment on the way we pattern our perception of the past based on what we see in old movies and TV shows. Haynes juxtaposes truth with glossy pretense and the result is strangely profound. Julianne Moore hits the nail on the head with her portrayal of Cathy, a confused pillar of society on the decline.

   1. Adaptation – the dynamic duo of Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) re-team to make an even better film -– bringing the audience that rare “smart” story which is, in fact, like a snake eating its own tail as it starts writing itself halfway through. Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper and Nicolas Cage have never been better.

   1. Spirited Away – written and animated by the great Hayou Miyazaki, it is the unforgettable odyssey of a loveable heroine named Chiriho, who starts out scared, but embarks on a journey that will make her unafraid of whatever life may throw at her. In her travels she learns how to see the goodness in people and spirits, even when they seem too easily corrupted. It is a glorious achievement, a watercolor come to life, a gorgeous display that will remain unmatched until Miyazaki decides to make another one.

   4. Gangs of New York – Martin Scorsese’s wildly imperfect, but nonetheless breathtaking vision, thirty years in the making, is no crowd-pleaser. But there is more beauty in a single scene, especially with the astonishing work of Daniel-Day Lewis, than in most of the films released this year.

   5. About Schmidt – Alexander Payne’s Election follow-up is no easy ride for this easy rider (Jack Nicholson), who must maneuver a Winnebago across the Omaha landscape to break up his daughter’s wedding. But in his reflection of self, in his own delusions, a truth emerges that is as heartbreaking as it is uplifting.

   6. Y Tu Mama Tambien – Alfonso Cuaron’s sleeper hit that brought an older woman in touch with two sexually explosive young men is so much more than any ad campaign or review can explain. It’s a coming-of-age sex comedy that deceives you into thinking you’re on a joy ride, but it hits hard at the end. And when you think back, you see the layers of emotion, the pain, that were there the whole time.

   7. Chicago – Rob Marshall’s adaptation for the screen of the Kander and Ebb musical razzle-dazzles us and then some. Who’d have thought Richard Gere would be the one to steal a musical? He gets some tough competition from Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The songs haunt your brain, the dancing begs to be seen again and the movie becomes one of the few flat-out crowd-pleasing entertainers of the year. Sure, it’s been slightly de-Fosse’d but it is enjoyable nonetheless, thanks to the crisp writing of Bill Condon’s script, a swell Queen Latifa, and all that jazz and liquor.

   8. Lovely and Amazing – Nicole Holofcener’s precise and ultimately devastating portrayal of a female-inhabited family –- neurotic women who regard themselves as anything but lovely and amazing –- and all of the precious time they waste doing it. When life finally catches up with them, they find themselves faced with a choice as to how they will interpret their own success and happiness.

   9. Personal Velocity – Rebecca Miller’s film of three separate tales (from her own book of short stories) features some of the best acting of the year from Kira Sedgewick, Fairuza Balk and especially Parker Posey. Miller has a talent with language that, genes aside, distinguishes her from her famous father (Arthur Miller).
   10. A toss up between: About a Boy, Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, Lan Yu, One Hour Photo, The Rookie, and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. (Remember, I’m eschewing the hierarchy!)
   Other moments of significance in film this year:
Spider-Man – the biggest blockbuster of the year had a beating heart underneath all those special effects. Take a lesson, guys.
   Eminem in 8 Mile – the boy is as charismatic and brooding as James Dean. A star is born.
   Oops, Peter Jackson did it again – his Two Towers proved an equal accomplishment to Fellowship of the Ring, and became one of the few films to hit the $200 million mark in ten short days.
   Steven Spielberg and Phillip Noyce – two master directors turned out two exceptional films within the year – Spielberg with Minority Report and Catch Me if You Can, and Noyce with Rabbit-Proof Fence and The Quiet American.
   Roman Polanski – he re-emerges suddenly with his most biographical film to date, The Pianist, and wins the Palme D’Or at Cannes.
   Nicole Kidman dons a fake nose and gets the best reviews of her career in the overrated The Hours, making her an Oscar frontrunner.
   Talk to Her – Pedro Almodovar’s greatest critical achievement is not submitted by Spain for Academy consideration, but goes on to be the overall top vote getter on critics’ top ten lists.