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Trae Cadenhead

1. A.I.
2. Memento
3. Startup.com
4. Shrek
5. The Others
6. Rat Race
7. Along Came A Spider
8. Hardball
9. Rush Hour 2
10. Monsters Inc.

Top whatever movies (out of order):
1. O Brother Where Art Thou?
2. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
3. Shrek

Top whatever movies I want to see (out of order):
1. Mulholland Drive
2. Harry Potter
3. Lord of the Rings
4. Down from the Mountain
5. This Is Hip By Proxy -- A Rockumentary

It is the time of year when film critics gleefully pounce on films released in 2001 and decide which ones belong on the Best list and which ones on the Worst list.  It's also the time of the year when film critics become popular or have to go around in disguise---depending on your point of view. 

The following are my choices for Best and Worst Films of 2001, arranged in alphabetical order.  We begin with the Best Films: 

• Beautiful Mind (rated PG 13)---Russell Crow's portrayal of a mathematician with a psychological problem gives new perspective to the words troubled genius.
• Ali (rated R)---Who knew Will Smith could go the route of Robert De Niro and do a boxing film.
• Amelie (rated R)---This French import is 2000's Chocolat.  Everyone likes a quirky film that glows with friendliness.
• CharlotteGray (rated PG 13) ---Cate Blanchett shines as a woman in the French Resistance who tries to survive with death and traitors all around. 
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (rated PG)---A box office hit that is also a pretty fair movie.  A film for the entire family to enjoy again and again, even though we are muggles.
• I Am Sam (rated PG 13)---Sean Penn will give Will Smith and Russell Crowe a run at Oscar-nomination time with his portrayal of a mentally-challenged man who wants to provide a home for his child.
• In The Bedroom (rated R)---Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson show us that marriage survives even though the family unit is plunged into tragedy. 
• Liam(rated R)---This English import tells the story of a small boy growing up in 1930's Liverpool where Catholics lived on one side of the street and Protestants lived on the other side. 
• Lord of the Ring: Fellowship of the Ring (rated PG 13)---Tolkien's novels of life in Middle Earth is brought to live with riveting clarity. 
• No Man's Land (rated R)---A study of the Bosnian-Serb conflict seen through the eyes of soldiers from the opposite side trapped in a trench with a land mine.
• Monsters, Inc (rated G)---An original story done in animation that may have you looking under your bed or in the closet every night. 
• The Others (rated PG 13)---This year’s Sixth Sense with a twist around every turn.  Nicole Kidman's performance is top-notch. 
• The Road Home (rated G)---A Chinese film of love and the value of a teacher to his community.  Heart-warming and visually beautifully. (included in this list because it ran in my city in 2001) 
• The Shipping News (rated  PG 13)---A warm story of one person’s search for self-discovery revolving around  a small town newspaper. 
• The Widow of St. Pierre (rated R)---This French film shows the power of honor and love in a society that believes in sticking to the rules. 

• Bridget Jones's Diary (rated PG 13)---Renee Zellweger brought Bridget to life in this comedy of a girl concerned with weight loss, cigarettes and guys. 
• Songcatcher (rated R)---Beautifully photographed film of Appalachia about 1900 and the songs that people sing as they go through life. 
• The Dish (rated PG)---A gentle Australian movie that takes one back to the middle of the 20th century and man's first steps into space. 
• The House of Mirth (rated PG 13)---Edith Wharton's novel of a woman who values men more than money and manages to lose both.
• Under the Sand (rated R)---Charlotte Rampling gives a moving performance of a woman faced with the fact that her husband is dead. 

• Dr.Dolittle 2 (rated PG 13)---Eddie Murphy's career needs to go in a different direction after this rehash of an animal doctor who actually talks to the animals.  Maybe they have better agents. 
• Monkeybone(rated PG 13)---Do you even remember this film with Brendan Fraser and Whoopi Goldberg?  It combined live action with animation to produce the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. 
• Novocaine (rated R)---Steve Martin wrote and starred in a movie that numbs the audience into insensibility.
• Ocean's 11 (rated PG 13)---This may be known as "Clooney's Clunker." The only chemistry here was between Carl Reiner and his sweat.
• Pearl Harbor (rated PG 13)---A world-shattering event doth not a major motion picture make especially with insipid dialogue and a love story that strikes a reef. 
• Planet of the Apes (rated PG 13)---Running hither and yon in tons of make-up is not believable and Mark Wahlberg should have stayed at sea (Perfect Storm.) 
• Sexy Beast (rated R)---Ben Kingsley is so over-the-top in this film he's in another galaxy.
• The Mexican (rated R)---Julie Roberts had little screen time with Brad Pitt in this film and with George Clooney in Ocean's 11. Hey, Julia, see if Hugh Grant is available. 
• The Musketeer (rated PG 13)---A musketeer with enough martial arts skill to rival Jackie Chan and he travels around with a black coach and four black horses?
• Vanilla Sky (rated R)---no chemistry between Cruise and Cruz and this film is designed to send audiences cruising out to cruise. 

• 3000 Miles to Graceland (rated R)---Elvis is still rolling in his grave over this one.
• Glitter (rated PG 13)---Mariah, who? 
• Bones, Scary Movie 2, and the rest of the attempt at horror, humor or otherwise---give it a rest. 

Copyright 2001 Marie Asner

Dan Singleton

1. Lord of the Rings
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Lord of the Rings
4. Lord of the Rings
5. Lord of the Rings

"The Fellowship of the Ring" was so good, the rest of the year's films vanished like Bilbo.  Only "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" could rival it and, technically, that was released in 2000.

Steve Baldwin

• Favorite Film of 2001: The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring 

• A.I. - Artificial Intelligence 
• Bridget Jones' Dairy
• Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone
• Hearts in Atlantis
• The Man Who Wasn't There
• Memento
• Monsters, Inc.
• Princess Dairies
• Shrek 

Josh Spencer (the jaded critic)

I didn't see many movies this year.  I could only think of five that were
outstanding to me:

• The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring
• Moulin Rouge
• Enemy at the Gates
• The Man Who Wasn't There
• Amelie

James Stewart

• Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
• Colour of Paradise
• Harry Potter
• Requiem for a Dream
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• Shrek
• Amelie

Thomas V.  Bona

1.  Amelie
2. Memento
3. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
4. Moulin Rouge
5. Ghost World
6. The Man Who Wasn't There
7. Vanilla Sky
8. Ali
9. Shrek
10. Waking Life

Jeffrey Overstreet

1. The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Moulin Rouge
3. Waking Life
4. The Road Home
5. The Royal Tenenbaums
6. Divided We Fall
7. Amelie
8. (tie) Mulholland Drive / Memento
9. The Man Who Wasn't There 
10. the first two hours of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) 

Adam Duckworth

1. K-PAX - Wonderful.
2. Lord of the Rings - I'm not into fantasy, but this is still really good.
3. Majestic - Jim Carrey at his best.
4. A. I. - Artificial Intelligence - Amazing and thought provoking 
5. Shrek - Great animation. Great humor.
6. Planet of the Apes - No where near the original, but still a good popcorn flick.
7. Rush Hour 2 - A must for Jackie Chan fans.
8. Domestic Disturbance - Some really good suspense
9. Princess Diaries - Yes, I know it's a chick flick. Shut up. ;)
10. The Mummy Returns - Pointless, but still fun.

1. Jurassic Park III - My, how the mighty have fallen.
2. Tomb Raider - No plot, no character development, not worth watching.
3. Dr. Doolittle 2 - When we laugh at bathroom jokes involving bears, we as a nation have hit an all time low.
4. Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles - A serious let down.
5. Down to Earth - This was suppose to be funny?