Films of the 2000s Rankdown

[*Chris]

 

 

Released in 2001, Bandits is a 2001 criminal film that is filled with drama and comedy.  It is directed by Barry Levinson and it stars Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett as the main characters who are Joe, Terry, and Kate.  As I've never seen the movie, I've watched the trailer & here is a quick summary : Two friends, Joe & Terry, are buying a motel on the coast of Mexico and they have plans of turning it into a nightclub.  But how will they pay for it ? We quickly find out that they are bank robbers and they are seen as some of the best bank robbers in the USA.  But as they do robbery, they are met with unexpected twist and turns which is to add some comedy to the plot of the movies ; This is how Kate comes into the picture, when she hits Terry with her car and he then brings her in the middle of the wood to meet Joe ; She eventually finds out who they are and she wants to help them in robbing a bank & seems to be forming a connection with Joe. 

The praise for the movie came from the cast as they make the movie more enjoyable than it should. In fact, both Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett received praises for their performance and earn nominations at the Golden Globe Awards.  Anyway, based on the trailer, it seems like a fun movie and I can certainly see why the cast was praised for their role but as I've never seen the movie, it made it easier to cut movies from Team 1 rather than Team 2.

Edited June 19, 2022 by *Chris

[*Chris]

 

Released in 2001, Birdget Jones's Diary is a romantic comedy that contributed to Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant becoming household names across the world, and not just in the UK.  As we all know, this movie is an adaption of a novel of the same name that is inspired by Pride and Prejudice. The premise of the movie is that Bridget Jones is a single woman who is not having the best of luck in that department, her mother tries to set-her up with Mark Darcy - Colin Firth's character.  Their first meet-up didn't go as plan as neither of them impressed each other but more importantly, Bridget overheard a convo between Mark and his mom which led to Bridget deciding to change her life around by having new resolutions for the coming year. And this is when she turns to her diary and keep track of her life and the changes being made. Her biggest goal is to find Mr. Right ! She starts to have a little flirtatious fling with Daniel, portrayed by Hugh Grant and they eventually starts dating - it is important to say that both Mark & Daniel do have a past friendship.  Fast forward, Daniel cheats on Bridget and she ends things with him to eventually having feelings for Mark... Filled with drama, she decide to eventually reject both of them until her mom reveals some important informaiton which lead to her admitting her feeling for Mark where he also decides to choose her. 

The movie was a success box-office wide and received plenty of success, even leading to two sequels although the original will always going to be superior.  As well, this movie was the big break for Renee who ended up received a nomination for Best Actress.  Also, the soundtrack for the movie is pretty iconic ! Overall, I do enjoy the movie but unfortunately, there were two movies in Team 2 that I would have rather have in the rankdown so I had to cut Team 1 and this movie.

[Steven_]

DEATH PROOF (2007)

 

Death Proof is a Quentin Tarantino film starring Kurt Russell as a murderous stuntman. He lures women into his car before he kills them in a car crash. His car is modified to be "death proof," so the driver survives the crashes. However, the stuntman meets his match when he tries to claim the life of a female stuntwoman. Zoë Bell plays herself in the film. She's a stuntwoman, and she worked as Uma Thurman's body double in Kill Bill. And for another bit of trivia, Tarantino apparently got the idea for this film after learning about "death proof" cars from friend Sean Penn. Anyway, as for what the critics thought, Death Proof has a 65% approval rating. The consensus reads: "Death Proof may feel somewhat minor in the context of Tarantino's larger filmography, but on its own merits, it packs just enough of a wallop to deliver sufficiently high-octane grindhouse goods."

[*Chris]

 

 

Released in 2001 (duh!), Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a Disney animated film that has a touched of science fiction to it ; I'm not the biggest fan of science fiction as a whole so I was never too big into this movie. For a quick overview of the movie : It takes place in 1914 or so, where Milo Thatch finds a sacred book that he is convinced that will guide him and his crew to the lost city of Atlantis. They eventually will get to Atlantis City and meet Pricess Kida whom will help Milo in returning Atlantis to its glory, much to her father's wishes.  Long story short, he ends up falling in love with Kida and will stay in Atlantis City after all of this.  

At the time of its released, the movie received mixed reviews mainly due to its animation and it performed poorly at the box office ; Fun fact, according to Wikipedia, Disney had planned for an underwater attraction and quietly cancelled it due to the response at the box-office.  But since its release, it is seen as a cult movie by many, I am not including in this so I am fine with cutting the movie.

[FrogLenzen]

Brick (2006)

 

This was Rian Johnson's first film. He's a director if you don't know. He's only done 5 movies but has also done a couple TV show episodes, including the Ozymandias episode of Breaking Bad which may be the best episode of television ever made so that's nice. A Neo Noir Mystery Thriller Hardboiled Detective movie. Hardboiled is a very specific genre that I didn't know about until right now. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the lead here. His ex gf turns up dead and he has to figure out the mess she was entangled in which lead to her demise. If this wasn't in the battles I'd probably consider saving it, but this round is vicious and LOTR takes priority over pretty much everything lol

[FrogLenzen]

My last two movies are Scream 3 and Scary Movie, so I'm going to wait a bit to see if Victoria wants to use her veto on either of those

[Steven_]

P.S. I LOVE YOU (2007)

 

P.S. I Love You is a romance film starring Hilary Swank. After her husband (played by Gerard Butler) dies of a brain tumor, she is too overcome with grief and doesn't want to live life without him. On her 30th birthday, she receives a letter from her late husband. To ease her into the next chapter of her life without him, he had written several letters before his death to be delivered to her over a period of time. And at the end of each letter, he wrote "P.S. I love you." The film focuses on Hilark Swank's character's journey of rediscovery. She tries new things due to the encouragement from her husband's letters, which includes traveling to his homeland Ireland. Anyway, my family rented this movie years ago, so I have seen this film before. I wasn't really much of a fan, but I can see why some people like it. It was a box office success despite poor reviews from the critics. P.S. I Love You has a 25% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Yikes, I didn't like the film much, but I didn't think it was that bad. The critical consensus reads: "Hilary Swank is miscast as the romantic lead in this clichéd film about loss and love."

[*Chris]

 

How have I not seen this movie ? It's literally is made for me ! Written by Julian Fellowes, whom I adore his work (Downton Abbey, Gilded Age). The cast is everything especially Helen Mirren & Maggie Smith ! A mystery comedy inspired by Agatha Christie ? Sign-me up !  The movie seems to be very similar as Clue, and it revolves around a group of wealthy British individuals and their servants ; A murder happened at the party and they must find out whodunit ! The movie is filmed through the guests and the servants' perspective of the events. The movie was a huge success at the box-office and received plenty of nominations at various awards show including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress for Helen Mirren & Maggie Smith, and Best Original Screenplay for which Fellowes won.  Anyway, I am sad that I am cutting this movie but I will certainly going to add it to my watch-list and watch it sooner than later.

[Alex95]

Gosford Park is amazing and right up your alley @*Chris you should definitely check it out!

[*Chris]

2 minutes ago, Alex95 said:

Gosford Park is amazing and right up your alley @*Chris you should definitely check it out!

My partner loves Julian Fellowes too so I might suggest it for a movie night !

[Steven_]

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE (2007)

 

I have seen The Simpsons before, but it had been years since I've watched an episode by the time the movie was released. I had no interest watching it, and I doubt I'll ever care enough to stream this film or watch an episode again. I don't dislike The Simpsons; I'm just completely indifferent about The Simpsons now. As for the plot of the movie, Google tells me that it's about a looming disaster that could threaten the entire world...and it's up to Homer Simpson to save the day. And he also needs Marge's forgiveness about something too. I do recall the movie was pretty well-received though. And according to Rotten Tomatoes, The Simpsons Movie has an 87% approval rating. The consensus reads: "The Simpsons Movie contains the hearty laughs, biting satire, and honest portrayal of an American family that makes the show so popular. And it boasts slicker animation and polished writing that hearkens back to the show's glory days." 

[*Chris]

 

 

Honestly, I should have had done the write-up for this movie prior to all the other movies because it's certainly not equal to the other movies that I've cut, so far, for this cycle.  In case you are unaware, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron or simply Spirit is a Dreamworks animated movie that follows Spirit, a mustang horse, who is captured but then freed to find his way back to the village.  The movie still has a rating of 69%, but personally speaking, I am very much indifferent on it - I find there's better horse movies, out there, and better animated movies.  The only thing that the Spirit universe gave us is Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version) and that's that on that.

[*Chris]

 

Inspired by the novel of the same, Tuck Everlasting is a romantic meets fantasy movie which stars Alexis Bledel who was a household name due to Gilmore Girls, Sissy Spacek, Victor Garber, and Jonathan Jackson during his pre-Nashville days.  The story takes place in 1914 where Alexis' character ends up running off in the forest after being told that she will attend a boarding school. In the forest, she meets Jonathan's character but is then kidnapped by his brother. At their place, she adapts to their lifestyle and form feelings for Jonathan's character & she finds out that his family can't age or be injured.  And then, there's a man that appears to spy on the family because of the water, and he gets murdered by Sissy's character.  Alexis' character must then find a way to free Jonathan's characters' family as their secret might be revealed if they hang his mom and she doesn't die.  Anyway, the two lead characters falls in love and before she returns home, he confess his love and how she should drink the water so they can be together forever ; In the end, she doesn't drink it as she was told being immortal was far worst than living a typical life.  The movie ends with Jonathan's character driving a motorcycle in front of a Starbucks and MacDonalds (  ) to eventually find out her headstone that she died just before 100 years old, and she was a wife and mother. 

Honestly, the movies' plot sounds messy & the trailer of the movie makes it seems like a made for television movie.  So it is fair to say that I will not be watching the movie, and I doubt that it is any of the actors' best work.

[Steven_]

SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007)

 

Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man remains my favorite of the different Spider-Man iterations, and his first two Spider-Man films are my favorite of all the several Spider-Man films released thus far. However, I admit Spider-Man 3 was not great. I remember being underwhelmed by the film, and I don't think I have ever sought out to watch this film for a second time. In this installment, Spider-Man's suit turns black after a symbiotic alien attaches itself to Peter. It enhances his powers, but it also brings out a darker side of his personality. Harry also knows about Peter's secret, and he wants to avenge his father's death. In addition, there's Venom and Sandman that Spider-Man must deal with. And there's also drama with his relationship with MJ. Overall, Spider-Man 3 sort of fell flat, especially compared to the first two. In addition, what's brought up the most often about Spider-Man 3 is the weird sequence of angsty Peter Parker dancing like this:

 

 

What is that? 

 

Anyway, as for what the critics thought, Spider-Man 3 has a 63% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus reads: "Though there are more characters and plotlines, and the action sequences still dazzle, Spider-Man 3 nonetheless isn't quite as refined as the first two."

[*Chris]

 

From the same person that brought you Pulp Fiction and American Pyscho,  The Rules of Attraction is a black-comedy drama film that was released in 2002. The movie features James Van der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth, Faye Dunaway, and Jay Baruchel before he became a household name.  The movie follows the life of three students - Sean, Lauren and Paul who are portrayed by James, Shannyn and Ian respectively.  The movie starts as what happens to each character - Lauren, a virgin, Paul, discovering his bisexuality, and Sean drinking his life away, ripping out some purple letters before making out with a blonde girl. The movie then goes backward and showcase on they got to that point ; It all started with a love triangle between Lauran, Paul and Sean - Paul has a crush on Sean and tries to make some advances, Lauren is attracted to Sean but his saving her virginity for her boyfriend, and Sean is attracted to Lauren and fantasized about the purple letters that he received, thinking they are from Lauren.. Everything come together throughout the movie and at the party at the end of the movie.

The movie received mixed reviews, and currently has a score of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes but hasn't stopped the movie from having a cult following. Personally, I wasn't blown away by the trailer and I doubt that I will be watching the movie.

[*Chris]

 

What is there to say about this movie ?  It is a movie directed by Julie Taymor. The movie is a biographical movie, also known as a biopic, about the life of well-known surreal Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. The movie follows Frida's personal and professional life, notably her love life and how she became a surreal artist.   In the biopic, she is portrayed by Selma Hayek in one of Selma's more known role - she went on to be received an Academy award nomination for her portrayal, and has received many claims.  The movie was well received but the majority of criticism came regarding the writing of the movie. Overall, if you want to know more about Frida Kahlo or you are a fan of biopic, this movie would be one to watch

[Steven_]

THIS IS ENGLAND (2007)

 

This is England is a British drama about skinheads during the 1980s. Skinheads were part of a subculture of working class young men, who usually styled themselves with shaved heads and heavy boots. The skinheads featured in this film were aggressive and involved in gangs. The story centers on a boy named Shaun who joins a gang. After the return of a racist ex-convict, there is a schism within the gang. Other members of the group don't agree with the ex-convict's racist viewpoints, but Shaun decides to stand by him. The two sides split with one holding nationalistic beliefs and the other remaining apolitical. And trouble arises afterwards, ending in a violent outcome. I haven't heard of this film before, and I'm guessing neither did the person who nominated it since the film was critically acclaimed. It has a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus reads: "A moving coming-of-age tale that captures the despair among England's working-class youth in the 1980s."

[Elliott]

2046

 

Like all of the films from my list of cuts, 2046 is a film from the year of 2004. It was written, produced and directed by Wong Kar-wai and serves as a loose sequel to his two previous films, Days of Being Wild and In the Mood for Love. 2046 follows the aftermath of Chow Mo-wan's affair with Su Li-zhen in 1960s Hong Kong. Though classified as a romantic drama film, it also includes elements of science fiction. The film is in Cantonese, but owing to its financing agreements, it serves as international co-production between Hong Kong, France, Italy, mainland China and Germany.

[Elliott]

ALFIE

 

Alfie is a film that was inspired by a 1966 film of the same name, and its sequel from 1975. It more-or-less appears to be a remake but came out in the times when studios were calling them anything but remakes to be original. According to IMDb, the film tells the story of a cockney womanizer named Alfie who learns the hard way about the dangers of his actions. Wikipedia goes more in depths about the plot of the film, and honestly, it seems like a pre-cursor to the far superior Shame. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and didn't do well at the box office.

[Elliott]

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

 

Released in 2004 (duh), The Girl Next Door is an romantic comedy film that stars the iconic Elisha Cuthbert alongside Emile Hirsch (whatever happened to him?), Timothy Olyphant, James Remar, Chris Marquette and Paul Dano. In the film, Elisha Cuthbert plays a porn star who moves into the suburbs next to Emilie Hirsch's character. The two initially form a relationship that is complicated once he learns of her past. However, because this is a movie, he learns to get over it and the two form an authentic relationship. Other shenanigans and hijacks ensue. The film wasn't particularly well received by critics when it came out, but it has since developed a cult following. I remember watching the film years ago and really enjoying it, but I have no idea how well it would hold up nowadays, lmao. Given the time frame it came out, who knows how well it holds up. However, it did serve as the inspiration for Paris Hilton's music video Nothing in This World from her critically reviewed album PARIS:

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Elliott

[Elliott]

SCOOBY-DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED

 

Scooby-Doo is the 2004 sequel to the 2001 film, Scooby-Doo, a live action version of the classic animated cartoon. Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini all reprise their roles from the first film. In the sequel, the gang of Mystery Incorporated is thrust into chaos when comments made by them are taken out of context and Coolsville begins to be terrorized by their prior villains, who have come to life as actual monsters. Zoinks! The film was once again written by James Gunn and directed by Raja Gosnell. Like the first film, it received mixed reviews critically, though this one also ended up underperforming at the box office and led to the cancellation of a third film. It's a fun film, but I definitely find the first film is far better, so it is what it is.

 

also obligatory

[FrogLenzen]

Scream 3 (2000)

 

Victoria said she prefers Scary Movie, so I'll get this write-up out of the way and leave Scary Movie hanging a bit longer in case she wants to use a veto on that. This is the third movie in the iconic and IDF-beloved Scream franchise. Unfortunately, it's often cited as the weakest of the franchise. According to Wikipedia, Columbine caused them to reduce the violence in this movie and focus more on comedy. This franchise has always had a thumb on the satire scale and the characters are all aware of horror movies and cliches, so the shift to more comedy was not a stretch. But as I said, it was not the best-received of the bunch. At the time, this movie was meant to be the final chapter of a trilogy. The franchise was later revived in 2011 with Scream 4. So if I'm reading all the years correctly, this is the only Scream movie for this decade and now it's out.

[Alex95]

Sorry I've been very busy outside of watching shitty ANTM episodes. I'll get this back and running tomorrow. I'm sure we all just hope Victoria is okay as she's been very MIA lately. I'll take over for the time being until we hear back unless someone else wants to. I'll make her decisions tomorrow morning if she does not.

[Alex95]

Okay I talked to Victoria who confirmed she's using her veto on Scary Movie, so that is now safe. I will be cutting from group one on Victoria's behalf.

[Alex95]

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

 

Hate to cut something starring my good sis Laura Linney, but it is what it is. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is about a trial of a priest who performed an exorcism on a woman who eventually denied. Half the movie is horror and half is courtroom drama which could be interesting. Tbh I find horror and religion to be such a fascinating film and tv combo most of the time (hiiiiiighly recommend Midnight Mass if you haven't checked it out) so I'd be a little bit interested in this movie. However, the reviews are mixed and there seems to be some concern that the movie is giving way too much benefit of the doubt to the priest. And I get that since there are terrible priests and religious leaders out there who will commit atrocious acts under the guise of "saving someone" to make a film defending that I can see is kinda suss. But also at the end of the day it's just a horror movie and this one seems fun enough.