2000 in Review

  1. Almost Famous, A, really fun and well-balanced
  2. Gladiator, A, very strong movie with a weak ending
  3. The Patriot, A, similar to Gladiator, very solid
  4. The Family Man, A, well-done alternative reality movie
  5. Traffic, A-, a hard look at many sides of illegal drugs
  6. You Can Count on Me, A-, a neat portrait of some realistic people
  7. Erin Brockovich, B+, solid lawyer movie, arbitration ending fizzles
  8. The Emperor's New Groove, B+, funny and light-hearted Disney buddy movie
  9. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, B+, some good concepts at work in this DC animation
  10. Bounce, B+, good performances but not a lot of chemistry
  11. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, B+, good story and fights, cheesy effects
  12. Thirteen Days, B+, Kennedys get the West Wing treatment
  13. The Cell, B+, stunning visuals, cool ideas, dumb detective story
  14. Nurse Betty, B+, goofy, violent, fun, not for everyone
  15. The Perfect Storm, B, takes a long time to get to an ending we know
  16. Billy Elliot, B, nice movie about a gritty boy dreaming of ballet
  17. Snatch, B, darker, British version of Get Shorty
  18. The Dish, B, fun story about the space race in Australia
  19. Small Time Crooks, B, first part was good, but it strays
  20. O Brother Where Art Thou, B-, the Coen brothers miss the mark
  21. Cast Away, B-, interesting but not much substance
  22. Wonder Boys, B-, starts out great, but loses its way
  23. Best in Show, B-, too much improvisation, not many good laughs
  24. Chicken Run, B-, too mechanical, not as clever as Wallace & Gromit
  25. Titan A.E., B, pretty neat cartoon, good story, but for kids
  26. High Fidelity, C+, Cusack as a whining loser with girl troubles
  27. Space Cowboys, C+, entertaining, but nobody is trying very hard
  28. U-571, C+, okay movie, but there are better submarine flicks
  29. Rules of Engagement, D+, poor writing and bad plot waste a great cast
  30. Mission: Impossible 2, C-, decent thriller goes off the rails in third act