2000 DYLA Anniversary Awards
Recognizing the best movies that are celebrating their 20th anniversary
Think back to where you were in the year 2000. Seems like an eternity ago, right? Well, that’s the same with the movies as we turned to the 21st century. The Hollywood landscape was radically different back then. Comic book movies had not fully taken over multiplexes yet and we were not even familiar with the idea of a “streaming service.”
This was a time when sequels and franchise movies didn’t necessarily dominate the box office. Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas won the domestic box office that year, with Cast Away coming in second. Strangely, non-franchise titles like What Women Want, The Perfect Storm, and Meet the Parents finished in the box office top 10, an occurrence that would never happen these days. As for the Oscars, they rewarded epic studio dramas like Gladiator and Traffic, while A-list stars Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich) took home the lead acting awards.
Just like we did with the movies of 2010 several weeks ago, we are handing out awards to eight movies from 2000 on the year of their 20th anniversary. Let’s jog your memory by going back in time two decades. (Note: Not all of these are on streaming services, but if they are we made sure to include where you can find them.)
Best Drama
Billy: Cast Away (streaming on HBO)
Robert Zemeckis is iconic for so many things that are not Cast Away and this borderline classic is wrongfully thrown to the side. It has iconic moments, but as a whole is not thought of as a classic. Tom Hanks is given the reins to carry this movie. Attached to Zemeckis’ whimsical and heartbreaking eye we get beautiful moment after beautiful moment, leading to an endlessly rewatchable experience.
Best Action Film
Drew: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ang Lee’s martial arts epic was a bonafide sensation in the United States, grossing $128 million at the box office and winning four Oscars to go along with ten nominations. Why was it so successful? Probably because it’s so -- and sorry to use a cinema scholar term here -- badass. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon remains an awe-inspiring achievement that just about any movie lover can enjoy. There are insanely graceful action fight scenes (the one on top of a bamboo forest is a standout) and grand romantic relationships, all set against a sublime and gorgeous 18th-century China backdrop.
Best Comedy
Billy: Bring It On
Peyton Reed of Ant-Man fame created one of the most unique teen comedies of the 21st century. Mixing a PG-13 teen comedy with a classic sports movie aesthetic. Thrusting the cheerleaders into the roles that are typically reserved for the star QB is a welcome change of pace that brings some just short of iconic performances from Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union. Each are the captains of the rival cheerleading squads (teams?) and lead this film into the underrated gem that it is.
Best Animated Film
Drew: The Emperor’s New Groove (streaming on Disney Plus)
I watched The Emperor’s New Groove over and over as a kid, but what stands out upon rewatch as an adult is the fantastic voice acting. It really makes the movie. David Spade plays Emperor Kuzco, a sarcastic and selfish royal who is turned into a llama by his evil adviser, Yzma. Spade is so good in this role that this movie is able to get away with an arrogant and egocentric lead character in a children’s movie. And the kind peasant Pacha that helps Kuzco return to his palace is voiced by the great John Goodman, who also plays Sully in Monsters, Inc. As good as Spade and Goodman are, it’s a third party that gets the biggest laughs. I’m referring, of course, to Kronk, the dim-witted and loyal servant to Yzma. Patrick Warburton (Puddy in Seinfeld) is a riot voice-acting as Kronk, and he routinely steals scenes throughout the movie. Unlike a Pixar movie, the animation isn’t dazzling with The Emperor’s New Groove, but it’s good enough to keep your interest and there’s some pretty entertaining adventure sequences. Plus, it has a brisk pace at only 80 minutes, perfect for 10-year-old Drew to get in as many viewings as possible.
Best Blockbuster (over $100 million domestic box office)
Billy: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (streaming on Netflix)
For 18 years after this movie was released I refused to acknowledge how fun it is. The classic animated version is perfect and despite Jim Carrey’s presence I felt this adaptation tarnished the original. Finally, in 2019, I had friends out vote me for our Christmas movie watch. This time I enjoyed it thoroughly because of the performances, unique humor, and the way too cheesy, but still incredibly endearing heartfelt moments.
Best Low-Budget Film (under $10 million budget)
Drew: Memento
When I first saw Memento around age 14, it cracked my head open. At that point in my life, I didn’t know movies could do what Christopher Nolan’s low-budget mind-bender did. This unforgettable experience led me to all kinds of different movies that challenged me intellectually and emotionally. Fifteen or so years later, I’m still in awe of this stunning jewel of a film. Nolan (with help from his brother Jonathan) invents a whole new way of telling a noir detective story. And not only is it impressive and innovative technically, Memento is also remarkably entertaining. It’s one I don’t know if I will ever tire of rewatching. I find a new piece of the movie to marvel at every time.
Best Foreign-Language Film
Billy: In the Mood for Love (re-posted from an April 2019 newsletter)
This is a foreign film. I know I have lost a ton of you by even suggesting such a movie. In the Mood for Love is not only my favorite foreign film of all time, it is one of my all-time favorite movies. In this film we follow a man (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) and a woman (Maggie Cheung) who begin to form a relationship after moving into an apartment complex that does not have a lot of space. Therefore interactions with your neighbors are a common occurrence.
Their relationship is not romantic. It is 100% platonic. While their relationship grows they begin to realize that each of their spouses are having an affair. Most movies tend to have the revenge plot where the person being cheated on wants to give them a taste of their own medicine. This movie does the opposite. Both lead characters decide to remain faithful through all of the heartache.
That is why this film is so unique. It is not often that we have a movie that has such a strong moral stance. Mainly because that does not bring about the most exciting movies. Morality in a movie can be boring. Audiences want to see the conflict. This movie essentially has all of its conflict off screen or it has the characters talk about the conflict. That should be a recipe for an incredibly boring film, but instead, we get a beautiful tale about two people who are trying to remain faithful.
Best Overlooked Gem
Drew: Snatch
This heavily stylized, fast-paced crime caper didn’t make much money in the U.S. and it wasn’t up for many awards either, but Snatch is an adrenaline-fueled good time, particularly if you vibe with the films of Quentin Tarantino or Snatch writer-director Guy Ritchie. With a formidable cast, featuring Brad Pitt (speaking in an unintelligible accent), Jason Statham, and Benicio Del Toro, this movie is set in London’s grimy criminal underworld. Before he would go on to make the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies, Ritchie made a name for himself with this kind of quick-witted, violent gangster flick. I can guarantee you will not be bored.
Links
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