Strat's 20 of 2000

1999 was awesome. 2000 was a fantastic follow up year. Movies which saw their initial release in January even stayed relevant beyond their week of release. If 1999 was about breaking new ground, 2000 was about moving the film world in a whole new direction. Fast-cutting and hand-held were a-ok in American cinema and were here to stay.

20. Requiem For a Dream (drama)

The most intense movie made in a long time. If there were ever a movie that could scare kids to not do drugs, this is it. It's hard to watch, but scary good.

19. Remember the Titans (sports drama)

High school coach unites a team in turmoil. The best feel-good movie of the year. And it wasn't saccharine saturated.

18. Billy Elliot (comedy)

A boy who wanted to tap dance. This little movie reminds me a lot of The Full Monty in that it's that take a male and have him do a thing that's feminine. Still funny.

17. What Lies Beneath (suspense/thriller)

This one surprised me. Harrison Ford is definitely not the guy you're used to seeing here. It's a bit supernatural and nipping all along the way to being a solid scary movie.

16. U-571 (drama)

If you love Das Boot, you'll like this gem. It's nestled itself in really nicely with other great sub movies alongside other greats like Hunt For Red October and Run Silent, Run Deep.

15. Miss Congeniality (comedy)

Filled with a great supporting cast and free of that damn bus in Speed, this movie powers on to re-brand Sandra Bullock in the mold of Julia Roberts and less Sigourney Weaver. It also gives us a glimpse of William Shatner's comedic side.

14. American Psycho (drama)

Little Christian Bale is all grown up. And is disturbingly good in the lead role. Not as gory as you might think from the title. At least the theatrical least was not.

13. Boiler Room (drama)

Vin Diesel can't act. Or can he? This was a surprise. A Wall Street rendition of Glengary Glenn Ross.

12. High Fidelity (comedy)

This movie is all about lists. And more lists. And music. And vinyl.

11. Erin Brockovich (drama)

Before this movie, Julia Roberts was the queen of romantic comedies. This movie made her a legitimate actress. Based on a true story and further blending a hip, documentary edge to material we aren't used to seeing portrayed this way, this movie runs where others just walk.

10. Nurse Betty (comedy)

It's hard to imagine this kind of zany comedy coming from the guy who directed In the Company of Men. This is definitely more of Renée Zellweger post-Jerry Maguire.

9. Meet the Parents (comedy)

Depending on who you are, you'll either laugh at loud at the awkward moments that Jack corners Greg Focker in, or groan at how uncomfortably familiar it makes you feel.

8. Cast Away (drama)

It's nearly an entire movie done with one actor and goes nearly an hour without a line of dialogue. It's an emotional look into the world of an isolated man.

7. The Beach (drama)

Fresh off of Titanic and Man and the Iron Mask, DiCaprio takes his newfound fame and escapes to some remote Pacific island with Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) directing. It's all about adventure, until adventure finds you. And a great soundtrack featuring Moby along the way.

6. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (foreign, action)

The highest grossing foreign film of all time. It also further solidified all the kung fu craziness we saw a year earlier in The Matrix. Ang Lee proves he can do more than costume dramas and can get real drama in a martial arts film.

5. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (comedy)

The Coen brothers teamed up with George Clooney to follow a group of guys on their epic journey through a depression ravaged America, making records along the way.

4. Memento (suspense/drama)

Meet Christopher Nolan. This was a coming out movie for a new voice in cinema. An entire movie about memory loss where the gimmick is that it's told in reverse order. In reality, there's no other way to watch it. Simple yet startingly effective from the opening title credits.

3. Traffic (drama)

Marking 2000 as his year, Steven Soderbergh takes his cachet from Erin Brockovich and pushes us into the crossfire amongst all the different sides of the American war on drugs.

2. Gladiator (action adventure)

Before this film, it had been ages (Spartacus?) since there had been a true sword and sandal movie. Welcome to the 21st century with CGI, surround sound, and Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, GI Jane) directing Russell Crowe in a movie that ponders mass popularity and personal politics. Are we not entertained?

1. Almost Famous (comedy)

Quite possibly Cameron Crowe's greatest movie. It exists on so many levels both fantastic and realistic. The director's "Untitled" cut on DVD is worth watching as well. Oh yeah - the soundtrack is great too.