In the first Special of Dan's Movie Digest (DMD) I'll take a
retrospective look at the films of 2002 that stuck most in my memory. Of
course, I can't cover every film released (so sorry if your favourite is
missing from this list), but most of the generally popular films should
be included.
A rare year when the Brits succeeded at the box-office (Bend It Like
Beckham, About A Boy, 24 Hour Party People,
28 Days Later,
Bridget Jones' Diary, The Guru, Ali G,
Dog Soldiers)
and war films crashed-and-burned
(Hart's War,
We Were Soldiers,
Windtalkers).
A year when the strange hit a nerve
(Mulholland Drive,
Donnie Darko,
The Ring) and sequels actually lived up to, or improved on, their
progenitors (Star Wars Episode II, Two Towers, Die Another Day, Stuart
Little 2,
Jason X,
Blade II).
So what didn't 2002 do? Make us laugh. Beyond Goldmember we had to make
do with dismal Mr Deeds, workmanlike MIB II and the average My Big Fat
Greek Wedding). Robin Williams was too busy being serious and Jim Carrey
too busy filming releases for 2003...
2002 also didn't produce many obvious Oscar contenders for next year.
Road To Perdition is about the only major (popular) release tipped for a
Best Picture and/or Best Director award. Two Towers is unlikely to enjoy
the same success as Fellowship due to its status as a sequel.
A film sadly overlooked in the UK, 24 Hour Party People was Michael
Winterbottom's nifty portrayal of the 'Madchester' music scene of the
mid-80s to early-90s, starring comedian Steve Coogan. UK audiences
couldn't see beyond Coogan's
Alan Partridge
TV persona, so in a rare twist it was the Yanks who began applauding
Winterbottom's entertaining and energetic film. Definitely one to get on DVD
and curse yourself for not taking the cinema plunge.
Trainspotting director Danny Boyle's latest movie triumphed at the UK
box-office. Boyle, smarting after the disappointing The Beach, made a
low-budget yet impressively executive digital-video zombie film called
28 Days Later. Even the stigma and conventions of the zombie genre
didn't detract Boyle from managing to craft a genuinely involving
extrapolation of modern British society through horror-induced satire.
Oh, the blood and rats had something to do with it, too.
We have a lot to thank Hugh Grant for. Four Weddings... and Notting Hill
are amongst this country's biggest global money-makers, so don't knock
Hugh's career. Especially now he's begun to distance himself from his
bumbling screen shtick. About A Boy adapted the Nick Hornby novel and
retained the British setting (for once!) to give us an enjoyable treat
for fans of easy-going humour. Grant's was as affably charming as ever –
but now capitalizing on his roguish demeanour he found for Bridget
Jones' Diary. Solid laughs – from the directors of Yank sex-farce
American Pie, no less! Maybe the British Are Coming thing was too
premature.
Ali G Indahouse proved that TV show translations can be adequately
tweaked for the movie world, although there's no denying it's best
suited to video rental. Sacha Baron Cohen unleashed his British
piss-take of American black gangster culture with great aplomb, cramming
loads of rude-crude gags into its short running time. The result was
predictably formulaic, yet still a very funny piece of low-brow
entertainment with a UK vibe. But now, surely, the joke has truly worn
out?
The summer saw snaggle-toothed 60's spy Austin Powers dance his way back
into filmgoers affections with Austin Powers In Goldmember. People
flocked back for more spy-spoofery, helping the film smash The Spy Who
Shagged Me's record-breaking takings. Yes, so the plot was looser than
ever, the gags mainly clones from previous adventures, but the
overriding sense of wacky fun and some deliciously funny moments made
Goldmember a deserved worldwide smash.
Ridley Scott continued his comeback run following Gladiator and Hannibal
with Black Hawk Down – a pulsating, violent, gritty war drama depicting
the US missions disaster in Somalia during the early-90's. Full of
visual genius and sonic menace, yet almost devoid of characterization
and plot – it still became the most effective depiction of war in film
since Saving Private Ryan.
One superhero franchise cruelly overlooked by the general public in
recent years has been Blade. Wesley Snipes returned as the
sword-wielding vampire-slaying vigilante in Guillermo Del Toro's Blade
II – which became the second-best superhero film of the year behind
Spider-Man. Del Toro literally soaked his film in blood, pumped up the
soundtrack, cranked up the CGI-enhanced fights and set the enjoyment
factor to overload. The outcome was extreme, riotous, action-packed fun
from start-to-finish. Want to see a vampire Dirty Dozen staking
Predator-esque Nosferatu's? Look no further.
Matt Damon confounded expectation by becoming a decent-enough action
hero in The Bourne Identity. He starred as an amnesiac chased around
Europe by secret agents, hooking up with German film star Frank Portente
(Run, Lola, Run!) in the interim. Some great stunts, an intriguing
storyline, strong performances, and refreshingly Euro-themed. Good
entertainment.
Satirist Michael Moore caused the world's eyes that little but wider
with his magnificent docu-film Bowling For Columbine. He sought to
uncover the cynicism and deep-rooted madness behind America's gun
control laws. The film contained some funnily poignant stunts and truly
memorable interviews. Perhaps best suited to TV or video, but without
question one of 2002's most commendable releases.
Renee Zellweger was embraced by the British public in Bridget Jones'
Diary as the titular weight-obsessed London working girl. Zellweger may
be more American than momma's apple pie, but her physical
transformation, together with a near-perfect English accent, won even
the sternest critics over. The film is funny in that affectionately
British way pioneered by 1994's Four Weddings... and gave Colin Firth
and Hugh Grant their meatiest roles in years. Hard not to like on some
level.
The French made everyone sit up in 2003 with Asterix & Obelisk... er, I
mean Brotherhood Of The Wolf. Riding the wave set in motion by Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this Gaelic
art-house/martial-arts/fantasy/horror/period drama had everyone talking.
Some found it extremely entertaining and unique – others found it flat
and unbalanced. Whatever your opinion, there's no denying it made
British efforts look dated.
Moulin Rouge! proved there's life in the musical yet by reinventing the
genre as a glitzy mix of old and new. But in Chicago, a belated film
adaptation of the successful stage musical, the project returns to its
roots – with satisfying results. Renee Zellweger is fantastic as Roxie,
Catherine Zeta Jones shines as vampish Velma, while even Richard Gere
impresses. Not as much fun as you may hope, but the period detail and
engrossing storyline make up for that.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
