2001

2001

10. Waking Life (dir. Richard Linklater)
9. Millennium Actress (dir. Satoshi Kon)
8. Y Tu Mama Tambien (dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
7. In The Bedroom (dir. Todd Field)
6. The Happiness of the Katakuris (dir. Takashi Miike)

5. All About Lily Chou-Chou (dir. Shunji Iwai)
There are very few films that I would consider hypnotic. This would be one of them though. It's helped by one of the very best soundtracks ever.
4. Ghost World (dir. Terry Zwigoff)
What a treasure! If only all "teen" movies were like this. This film actually takes its characters seriously and treats their problems with care and understanding. Also it could end no other way.
3. The Royal Tenenbaums (dir. Wes Anderson)
There's something about Wes Anderson films that I just love. Even though they're about bourgeois characters that I could never ever sympathize with or recognize. Their quirks are overwhelming but mostly endearing. Great film
2. Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch)
This film is best seen as something akin to a dream. Something that doesn't entirely make sense but it flows so perfectly and works so greatly inside its own logic.
1. Spirited Away (dir. Hayao Miyazaki)
Seeing over these lists I've realized that some of my favorite films are animated. Four animated films have been #1 while 5 other films have been in the top 5's. I think it's because these films tend to be so magical that I get all swept up in their magic. Spirited Away is no exception and may even be the best.

Okay, this year is better than the last one.

Unseen Movies

What Time Is It There?
Millenium Mambo
Frailty
In Praise of Love
Time Out
The Piano Teacher
Wit
The Believer
Shaolin Soccer
Sex and Lucia
The Deep End
The Man Who Wasn't There
Intimacy
Monsoon Wedding
No Man's Land
Nowhere in Africa
The Fast Runner
Distance