2001: The Year In Preview
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Special Report By Casey McCabe
I've spent the better part of several minutes now trying to select my favorite films of 1999. I guess it's one of those salmon spawning exercises film reviewers are compelled to do this time of year. So rather than waste my time, and yours, on an ultimately pointless rehash of the past, I decided to do the only logical thing and review a few films from the future.
With no further ado, here is my list for the 5 best films of 2001.
#1: "The Sixth Sense, Part II" Some said it couldn't be done. Others said it shouldn't be done. But the rule remains: no movie can make $300 million without inviting a sequel. Bruce Willis fans are heartened to see that their spunky hero will not go quietly into the great good night as he sets out to kick some serious limbo ass. Though lacking the original's shocking climactic twist, the sequel more than makes up for it with Celine Dion's memorable theme song, "My Heart, Eyes, Liver and Kidneys Will Go On."
#2: "A Dozen Eggs, A Pound of Corn Meal" This film was the culmination of an intense bidding war for a recently discovered manuscript of Jane Austen's. Though scholars were quick to point out that it was merely a series of Ms. Austen's hand scribbled grocery lists, Hollywood adroitly chose to adapt it into a Claire Danes vehicle. Truly, it is as relevant today as it was then.
#3: "A Corpuscle's Life" In their latest animated triumph, Disney and Pixar prove that if small is cute, smaller is even cuter. This imaginative romp through the microscope pits a small but plucky contingent of white blood cells, featuring the voices of Robby Benson, Bette Midler and Ice Cube against a rapidly mutating Mad Cow virus, voiced by Christopher Walken. Though the film inspired a huge line of collectibles, including adorable push germs and bacteria, it proved something of a disaster with its tie-in to McDonald's Happy Meals.
#4: "Desperately Chasing Oscar" What could possibly be funnier — or more poignant — than the series of inexplicable events that cause Robin Williams to assume the bodies of a feisty old black woman, a deaf-mute orphan boy, and an entire band of Klezmer musicians? Wake-up Academy. He can't keep this up forever.
#5: "Sleet!" As the ads said: "Half-water. Half-ice. All Trouble." This is the film that brought big budget disaster movies back after a seemingly endless one year hiatus. Though it lacked the impact of an earthbound asteroid or the twists of a Class Five tornado, Michael Bay infused Sleet! With a slick, chilling edginess that made us squirm in our seats as we pondered the terrible inconvenience caused by this bastard child of snow and rain.
That's all for my best films of 2001. See you last year.
© 2000 - Casey McCabe - Air Date: 12/15/99
