A complete year at the movies

A complete year at the movies

JAKARTA (JP): What is your favorite movie this year? Is it the
one with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton punching each other's face?
Or the one showing Mr. DiCaprio running around on the beach in
his shorts? Or is it the one which shows five extremely
attractive women shaking their stuff as waitresses in an
eccentric bar in New York City?

Audiences across the country can choose their favorites from
at least 140 titles screened at mainstream theaters which is
still monopolized by the Studio 21 chain this year.

Below are reviews of the 10 best films which received regular
screening at mainstream film theaters in the year 2000.

1. Gladiator. A grand spectacle set during Roman times which
tells the story of a great Roman general being cast away by the
emperor's villainous heir. Filled with heart-pounding battle
scenes and great drama. Russel Crowe is in top form as the great
general.

This is the best film of the year shown at theaters here.

2. Boys Don't Cry. A nail-biting, provocative film based on a
true story about a troubled Nebraskan girl with a sexual identity
crisis. The film features the Oscar-winning performance of
Hillary Swank as a girl who goes around dating other girls who
think she is a boy. In the end these relationships meet a tragic
fate.

The film will glue you to your seat even after the end credit
begins to roll.

3. Children of Heaven. Iranian filmmakers put themselves on
the world map once again with this moving yet simple story about
a 10 years old boy from a poor family who loses his little
sister's shoes and must find a way to make her able to go to
school.

This film proves that you can make a film about poverty and
still make it crowd-pleasing.

4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This is not your average
kung fu film. Directed by noted drama director Ang Lee, this
beautiful film intertwines amazing fighting scenes with moving
human drama.

While being funny and intriguing, the film also features Chow
Yun-Fat who is crowned by many as the coolest actor in the world
today.

5. The Insider. A former researcher of a giant tobacco company
goes to a TV journalist from Sixty Minutes to reveal the truth
about the company's product which is harmful to its consumers.
Executives at the television station which air the program
however do not dare to show it.

Al Pacino and Russel Crowe who play the journalist and the
insider respectively give a powerhouse acting performance in this
engaging film which is based on a true story.

6. Erin Brockovich. Julia Roberts stars as a tough single
mother with three kids to raise. Having no luck in her previous
job, she becomes a research assistant at a law firm and ends up
leading the biggest class action lawsuit ever filed in the U.S
against a giant company responsible for dumping toxic waste near
a small community.

7. Fight Club. Director David Fincher is not losing his edge.
After the highly intriguing Seven in 1995, which is the best
thriller in years and still unsurpassed today, and the darkly
enjoyable The Game, he directed this stylish, highly original
piece which could knock audiences off their seats.

Edward Norton is an ultra-bored man who meets the super-cool,
fearless man, Brad Pitt, and soon turns his life upside down. Not
everyones taste but for those seeking a different cinematic
experience they should not miss this one.

8. Three Kings. This original but underrated film tells the
story of three American soldiers who are on their own mission at
the end of the gulf war to seek gold that was stolen by Iraqi
soldiers from the Kuwaits.

George Clooney teams up with Mark Wahlberg and Ice T as
soldiers who turn out not to be as dishonorable as they first
appear to be.

9. American Beauty. Even though dysfunctional families are a
common phenomenon in any society, a film about one is always
interesting because it feels like looking into a mirror and can
make us laugh at ourselves.

This entry is supported with wonderful performances,
particularly from Kevin Spacey as a repressed husband who finally
finds his own enlightenment.

10. Run Lola Run. A brilliant cinematic exercise made in
Germany tells the story of a red punk-haired young woman who runs
and runs throughout the movie to get her boyfriend out of
trouble.

So little plot, but so much substance, great fun. (Joko EH
Anwar)