The Year In Movies: Top 10 In 2001

Like many other things, movies this year didn't seem all that important in light of the tragedies of Sept. 11.

In a subconscious way, perhaps that explains why the movies I picked for this year's Top 10 list are mostly about escapism. That's the great thing about movies: They often take away the pain of the harsh realities of the real world, at least for a little while.

Have a safe and Happy New Year, and thanks for your readership in 2001. I'll see you @ The Movies in 2002!

10. 'The Majestic'

Cynics call it sappy, but there's no question that filmmaker Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile") once again captures the true spirit of yesteryear with a Capra-esque tale of a blacklisted screenwriter (Jim Carrey) who's mistaken for a long-lost soldier after he suffers a bout of amnesia. Carrey continues to amaze with his acting range -- this time completely avoiding any physical comic shtick.

9. 'Kate & Leopold'

Sure, the "Back to the Future" plot of Hugh Jackman's nineteenth century gentleman wooing Meg Ryan's 21st century career woman doesn't scream originality, but their charm and charisma provides for one of most engaging on-screen romances of the year. It's an ideal feel-good date movie.

8. 'Monsters, Inc.'

Disney/Pixar studios keeps its batting average at 1.000 with "Monsters, Inc." another joyfully wondrous computer-animated tale, this time revealing to the kid in all of us that those monsters in the closet aren't as scary as they seem. Great voice work by John Goodman and Billy Crystal punctuate an already clever script.

7. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'

For once, a film lives up to its advanced hype. Based on the first of J.K. Rowling mega-successful books about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there are no cheap tricks in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," folks, just plain old-fashioned movie fun.

6. 'Vanilla Sky'

Sure, filmmaker Cameron Crowe's foray into science fiction was bashed by many critics, but who cares? Why should each movie be delivered in a neat and tidy package? Sure, Tom Cruise gets top billing, but it's Crowe who's the true star of this masterfully directed mindbender.

5. 'Memento'

Although the film is told in reverse, Christopher Nolan's cleverly conceived script about a man with short-term memory loss (Guy Pierce) trying to solve a brutal murder is anything but backwards. It's one of the earlier releases of 2001 that showed staying power throughout the year. For the lack of a better word, it is unforgettable.

4. 'A Beautiful Mind'

Ron Howard's subtle, engaging look at the true-life look at Nobel Prize winning mathematician John Nash Jr. and his struggle with schizophrenia is for the lack of better words, hauntingly beautiful. Crowe is brilliant as Nash, a 180 degree turn away from his powerful turn in "Gladiator." Of course, he's proved he can conquer quiet, conflicted characters before, with 1999's "The Insider."

3. 'Moulin Rouge'

Baz Luhrmann's wildly imaginative modern-tune musical set in 1890s Paris is a visual stunner, tipping the scale in terms of sheer, over-the-top entertainment. Plus, what? We get to see actors sing on screen? Could it be the resurgence of the musical? Let's hope so. In this instance, stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor have the pipes to pull it off. It's just a lot of fun to watch -- and listen to.

2. 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'

Filmmaker Peter Jackson prevented legions of J.R.R. Tolkien fans from "ringing" his neck with a faithful adaptation of the first of three "Lord of the Rings" books. It's a stunning cinematic achievement, from its breathtaking cinematography, makeup, sets, visual effects and emotionally charged portrayals from the likes of Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen. Of course, it's all rooted in a great narrative.

1. 'Shrek'

As if the computer-animation wasn't already enough to make your jaw drop and shatter on the floor, this fractured fairy tale wonderfully voiced by Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow and show-stealer Eddie Murphy provides enough laughs and wit to break even the hardest of funny bones and make "Shrek" the most entertaining movie of the year. Appealing to everyone, it's amazing how animators once again have created something out of nothing, achieving something that their live-action counterparts rarely can -- real emotion.

DVDs Of The Year: The power of DVD has become obvious to the video divisions of the studios, which explains the onslaught of mega-programming featured on several discs over the past year. It has made it impossible to single out one as "the best," since several are great for several different reasons.

My pick for movie of the year was also easily one of the top DVDs of the year, as Dreamworks' "Shrek" boasted several cool interactive features, including a "revoice studio," where you could voice over your favorite character's lines from the film, character interviews, and a hilarious karaoke dance party, where Shrek and company rock the house with several popular tunes.

The "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" debut on DVD also featured several cool interactive features for kids, and it also smartly included a nostalgic look at the film with several vignettes featuring Disney film luminaries throughout the years. Universal Home Video's "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" also earns high marks for its family-friendly approach with several game sections, and interesting behind-the-scenes features that show us how Jim Carrey's Grinch came to life.

For the adult crowd, Artisan Entertainment packed an ice-pick shaped pen into its "Basic Instinct" special edition release, but the musing didn't end there. The disc featured a hilarious section that compared scenes from the uncut film to the television version of the movie, with voice dubs over the foul language so breathtakingly stupid (not only did the words and mouths not match up, it was obvious that substitute actors were used) that it bordered high camp. It's great when filmmakers like Paul Verhoeven take the opportunity to poke fun at their own movies.

Cameron Crowe gets this year's best director commentary kudos for the "Almost Famous" bootleg cut, but not for his words, necessarily; His mom, Alice, whom the Frances McDormand's character was based, joined her son for the session, and it's undoubtedly the most insightful commentary track of the year.

"Moulin Rouge" double-disc from Fox Home Video was among the top discs in terms of attractive packaging, plus it featured the cool incorporation of multi-angle scene studies so viewers could see the movie from a different perspective (Fox did the same with its jam-packed "Planet of the Apes" double-disc).

MGM Home Video satisfied my appetite for "Hannibal," with the release of both that film and the original "Silence of the Lambs" on DVD. Deleted scenes are normally not that big of a deal, but with these films, it's fascinating to see what was cut out. Plus, on the "Silence" DVD, Anthony Hopkins leaves a hilarious phone message. It doesn't get any better than this, folks.

Finally, Paramount home video found a permanent spot in my DVD family with the release of "The Godfather" films on DVD. The films would have merely been enough, but Frances Ford Coppola waxes poetic with commentaries for each chapter, plus a bonus disc makes for a fascinating look at the making of the saga. It truly is an offer you can't refuse.

Movie Toy of the Year: Ah, what a competitive year for the mavens of movie merchandising! As a huge movie toy fan, I had plenty of fun with my toy research this year, from the Toy Biz action figures from "The Lord of the Rings" to the superbly crafted statues and helmets from the film by Sideshow-Weta Collectibles.

Also, the mega-successful "Shrek" deservedly got an amazing action figure and playset line out of McFarlane Toys, making it look like its characters literally stepped of the screen and onto the toy shelves; X-Plus U.S.A. delivered some cool collectibles featuring several classic stop-motion characters based on the work of Ray Harryhausen; and even Hasbro, now reduced to re-doing many of its characters from the original "Star Wars" trilogy (they've pretty much made up every notable character from the films), managed to make its best Darth Vader figure yet -- the embattled Sith Lord who suffers the wrath of Emperor Palpatine at the climax of "Return of the Jedi."

But in the end, I was once again drawn in by the powerful forces of the artisans at Sideshow Toy: Their craftsmanship breathed life into many classic movie characters again, with such 12-inch dolls as Bela Lugosi as Dracula, to the knights of Monty Python and the Holy Grail: But I was most knocked out by the late, great Marty Feldman, immortalized in glorious black and white as Igor from the "Young Frankenstein" line. His eyes were the windows to the lighter side of our souls, and Sideshow captures his look perfectly as the movie toy of the year.