So to kick off the new millennium here is my no.1 pick for they year 2000...
2000
BATTLE ROYALE
BEST OF THE REST
PITCH BLACK
A Dark adult sci-fi thriller that introduced us to A) Vin Diesel as a mainstream actor and B) the character of Riddick, the ultimate universal badass.
UNBREAKABLE
for me this is M.Night Shyamalan's best film, brilliant direction, fantastic plot and some great performances.
WORST FILMS OF 2000
BATTLEFIELD EARTH: A SAGA OF THE YEAR 3000
John Travolta's vanity project that sounded promising, then came the final film, an embarrassing excuse for a film with dodgy special F/X and some truly bad acting for Mr Travolta. But it does have it's own cheesy charm. Still a Crap film though.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST OF 2000
The Next Best Thing, Ready 2 Rumble and Supernova
2001
BEST FILM OF 2001
MY SASSY GIRL
The Film was remade in America, and that version while not being as good as this one is still one of the better remakes of Asian films..
BEST OF THE REST
BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF
A fantastic martial arts, fantasy period monster movie from director Christoph Gans (Silent Hill) with a rather acclaimed role for action actor Marc Dacascos and another great performance from French legend
Vincent Cassel.
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
A bizarre mix of drag queen comedy, punk rock musical and gay culture that has definitely earned its place in the cult films hall of fame. Hedwig is a great little film with some brilliant musical numbers and a very odd plot.
WORST FILMS OF 2001
SOUL SURVIVORS
A mess of a teen horror with a great cast that are given absolutely nothing to do that includes Eliza Dushku and Casey Affleck. It's not big, it's not clever and it certainly wasn't scary. Avoid at all costs...
PEARL HARBOUR
Michael Bay's ego lands in this epic portrayal of the Japanese attack on pearl harbour on Dec 7 1941, is at best a well staged film, at worst it is a cheesy, badly acted film by all involved, especially Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale. But it's till not as bad as Titanic.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST OF 2001
Freddy Got Fingered, Knock-Around Guys, Oceans Eleven and The Wash.
2002
BEST FILM OF 2002
DOG SOLDIERS
BEST OF THE REST
BLADE 2
Guillermo Del Toro's follow up to the 1998 vampire hit is more action packed, not as dark but a hell of a lot more entertaining, with some great special FX and a very dry sense of humour. The Blood pack are pretty cool but look like rejects from an S+M party but when one of them is Donny Yen, all is forgiven.
ROAD TO PERDITION
Another Film based on a graphic novel, Road To Perdition is a fantastic gangster film with Tom Hanks playing very much against type as an enforcer for Paul Newman's ageing gangster who is set up and goes on the run with his sun with a demented hired killer in the form of Jude Law on his trail. A very different film for Director Sam Mendes after his Oscar winning American Beauty. Daniel Craig also Stars.
WORST FILMS OF 2002
THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH
from the director of one of my all time favourite films, Tremors, comes this embarrassing sci-fi comedy with Eddie Murphy on his downward trail. How the man can one minute be telling the joke and the next minute be the joke it's self is crazy to me. Avoid this film as it is shit.
THE TUXEDO
poor old Jackie Chan, when he's at home in Hong Kong his films are fantastic but when he travels west, something happens. 99.9% of his U.S films are rubbish, this is no exception as it is his worst film to date. He plays a chauffeur who takes the place of a master spy buy donning a gadget laden Tuxedo that allows him to do the stunts and action the role requires. Throw into the mix a very miscast Jennifer Love Hewitt and you have the makings of a bad film. Sorry Jackie but this is one of yours to avoid...
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST FILMS OF 2002
Collateral Damage and Extreme Ops.
2003
BEST FILM OF 2003
OLDBOY
BEST OF THE REST
KILL BILL VOL.1
Quentin Tarantino returns after am 8 year absence with a film that is absolutely crazy. A mix of samurai, Kung fu, Western and revenge genres all moulded in a very Tarantino way and as usual it is very violent. A top notch film that is great fun to watch and a great drinking game can be played while watching it.
FINDING NEMO
This is the film that made Pixar the dominating presence in the animation category. A Sweet, beautifully animated film that is very funny and has some brilliant voice acting.
WORST FILMS OF 2003
CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE
So bad Bill Murry wouldn't even return. Just avoid this trash.
DREAMCATCHER
Films based on Stephen King books usually translate well to the screen, but for some reason Dreamcatcher just seemed rushed and confusing, Not to mention the 'shit weasels'. Just a mess of a film for me and one i wish i hadn't paid money to see in the cinema.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST FILMS OF 2003
Gothika, In The Cut and National Security.
2004
BEST OF 2004
SWING GIRLS
2004 was a very hard year for me to choose the best film as there were some great releases that year, but i had to choose the one i have enjoyed the most and one that makes me smile everytime i see it. That is why i have chosen Swing Girls, the film has great comedy, great performances and some truly brilliant musical numbers and it just makes me happy everytime i watch it. again a very highly recommended film from me.
BEST OF THE REST
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
From the team behind C4's Spaced, Shaun of The Dead is a great laugh out loud zombie comedy that i had trouble choosing between as this would have been my favourite film of 2004. Just a great comedy with some pretty good Gore too.
DAWN OF THE DEAD (remake)
Another Zombie film, this one more serious and it's a remake. Probably the best of remakes of 70s horror films this is fast, visceral and brutal and gave us the talented Zack Snyder. Check it out, you won't be dissapointed..
NEARLY MADE IT
Man On Fire
Hellboy
WORST FILM OF 2004
TORQUE
A film that is so dumb and crap that i felt dumber coming out of the cinema. A film a bout bikers who are all unlikable and all way to pretty. Just a waste of time.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST OF 2004
Thunderbirds, Taxi (remake) and Home On The Range
2005
BEST OF 2005
SERENITY
The untimely demise of Joss Whedon's space western show, Firefly, had fans around the world gasping for more, so when news broke that there would be a feature length film to tie up the series, nobody imagined it would become one of the most acclaimed films of 2005 and not only that, but it would not go straight to dvd or be a TV movie but a fully fledged $40,000,000 budgeted sci-fi epic. Best Ensemble space opera since Star Trek:First Contact. Highly Recommend this film.
BEST OF THE REST
BATMAN BEGINS
A re-invention of Batman from Momento director Christopher Nolan became a huge box office hit and cemented Nolan's reputation as a work hard visual director who followed up this Batman film with it's sequel, The Dark Knight. Very good film.
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
Horror Maestro David Cronenberg made a radical departure from the genre that made him famous with this adaptation of the graphic novel, a sort of gangster film/revenge film with three brilliant performances from Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris and William Hurt.
NEARLY MADE IT
Mindhunters
The Devil's Rejects
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
WORST FILMS OF 2005
ALONE IN THE DARK
German Shit Merchant Uwe Boll brought us this video game adaptation of the long running Game franchise, and decided cast Christian Slater and Stephen Dorf. That's not too bad but he also cast Tara Reid as The Curator of a museum, Just because you put glasses on someone doesn't mean they're going to be intelligent. With some Truly atrocious Dialogue and some shonky CGI F/X, Alone In The Dark is a Turd of the highest order and I paid 15 quid for this on R1 dvd....d'oh!!!!!!!
THE FOG
Why do studios always remake good films, The Fog (John Carpenter Version) is a haunting eerie chiller, the remake is bland, CGI overloaded and just plain boring, lacking in atmosphere and tarnishing the good name of the original. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST FILMS OF 2005
Roll Bounce and Elektra
2006
BEST OF 2006
ROCKY BALBOA
Like 2004, 2006 is a difficult year to choose a film from, but as a life long Rocky fan i had to choose this one, the sixth and final part of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Franchise. Staying away from the cheese of 4 and 5, Balboa is much like it's originator, a drama about a boxer. This one is about Rocky as he attempts to stage a comeback at the age of 60 and the troubles he comes up against in the world of modern boxing, all while trying to repair his relationship with is estranged son. It's a brilliant film and Sly gets to show off the acting skills he showed in Rocky and Copland where he once again proves he has what it takes, That he is a Contender. Rocky Balboa is a film that i had waited 17 years for and I was rewarded with this fantastic film. For that i thank you Mr Stallone...
BEST OF THE REST
THE DEPARTED
Martin Scorcese's remake of the Hong Kong Thriller, Infernal Affairs, is a very different Kettle of Fish but a good one and the film that showed that Leonardo DeCaprio had Grown Up as an actor. This was The film that Finally coughed up an Oscar for Marty....Recommended.
ACCEPTED
This is an odd film to add to the list because it wasn't exactly a box office smash but it's a clever, sweet Teen Comedy that to be perfectly honest is my number 5 favourite film of all time. The Film Follows a slacker who doesn't get into collage so along with his friends creates a fake one to fool his parents but after an internet mishap, hundreds of students in the same boat turn up for enrolment. A very clever film with Justin Long, Jonah Hill and Columbus Short. Highly Recommend the comedy...
NEARLY MADE IT
Hills Have Eyes (remake)
The Girl Who Lept Through Time (anime)
Clerks 2
Crank
WORST FILMS OF 2006
THE WICKERMAN
what the hell was that? one of the worst films of all time is a remake of one of the best horror films of all time and it shown absolutely no respect. Nic Cage overacts to a level which i never thought existed.
AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!
BLACK CHRISTMAS
Another remake of a classic horror film, This film falls flat at every turn and it was toned down and aimed at teenagers which takes away all of the atmosphere and aims for cheeps scares. Just Bad!
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST FILMS OF 2006
Bloodrayne, Miami Vice, Last Holiday and Deck The Halls
2007
BEST OF 2007
THE MIST
Unlike 2003's Dream Catcher, The Mist shows how to do Stephen King right and not only is The Mist my pick for best film of 2007 but i would pick it as one of the best horror films of the last 10 years. Director/Screenwriter Frank Darabont shot this on a low budget and gave us one of the most brutal and sad endings ever to grace a Hollywood movie and gave Lead Thomas Jane a good platform to show his acting skills. Sure there are some low-tech CGI F/X but it's all about the tension and rivalry between two groups of people holed up in a Maine supermarket. The star of the film for me though was Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs Carmody, the Religious nut who proclaims that she is a vessel for god and turns one half against the other half. This is an absolute must watch for Horror Fans and Non Horror fans.
BEST OF THE REST
DEATH SENTENCE
from The director of SAW comes a film that is not only one of the most brutal Revenge thrillers i have ever seen but possibly Kevin Bacon's best performance. Highly Recommended.
KNOCKED UP
A very funny comedy about the unfortunate after effects of a one night stand that shows Katherine Heigel's great comic timing and give comedian Seth Rogan a great laugh out loud starring role as a jobless bum and expectant dad. Very much A recommendation from Pedro...
NEARLY MADE IT
Zodiac
The Look-out
Rescue Dawn
WORST FILMS OF 2007
EPIC MOVIE
epic fail!
NORBIT
again with the decline in Eddie Murphy's career, this unfunny 'comedy' just left me cold and sad that a man once on top of his game during the 80s and early to mid 90s, keeps churning out turd after turd. I suggest you watch Bowfinger and ignore anything Murphy has made since (not including Shrek though).
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST FILMS FOR 2007
Next, War, The Brothers Soloman and Fred Claus
2008
BEST OF 2008
THE DARK KNIGHT
The Dark Knight is like T2 to Terminator or What Godfather 2 is to The Godfather, a superior sequel that pushes the boundaries and The Dark Knight does just that, from large scale action sequences to an unbelievable performance from the late Heath Legder, the film is, in my opinion far far superior to Batman Begins and became one of the highest grossing films of all time allowing Christopher Nolan to pretty much make what ever he wants to. You Could even Remove the batman element and be left with an all together epic crime thriller on the level of Heat (Michael Mann 1995). But it's Heath Ledger's Demented portrayal of the Joker that Gives the Dark Knight it's edge over all the other films of 2008.
BEST OF THE REST
REDBELT
David Mamet wrote and directed this tale of a martial arts instructor hired by an action star to train him for a movie that unfortunately draws him into a world of Prize fighting which he refuses to participate in until circumstances change all that. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars along side Tim Allen and Emily Mortimer. Redbelt is a very cool film and unfortunately didn't get the recognition it deserved. Please check this film out.
RAMBO 4
Stallone returns to the Rambo Franchise 20 years after his 3rd outing and joins a group of mercs as they enter the Burmese jungle to rescue a group of Christian Aid Workers. Rambo Comes to the rescue when it all goes south and what follows is a very realistic series of gunfights and some astonishingly brutal gore. For action fans mainly....great fun too...
NEARLY MADE IT
Blindness
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
WORST FILMS OF 2008
MAX PAYNE
This long awaited video game adaptation was a missed opportunity and ended up being just dull...
When you think the games have very good Noir-ish plots, it makes you wonder why and how they could have cocked this up. Mark Wahlberg stars as Max the detective and his performance is dull, wooden and life less, but slightly better than The Happening.
JUMPER
A very cool Premise that was another missed opportunity, a film about people who have the ability to teleport and a group of tracker out to stop them was way too kiddy friendly and should have been much darker, with the exception of Samuel L Jackson and Jamie Bell, the cast of jumper are shockingly bad and Doug Liman's direction was lifeless also. Not a good film at all...
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST FILMS OF 2008
10,000 BC, Disaster Movie and Bangkok Dangerous.
2009
BEST OF 2009
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
After the disappointment of DeathProof, people (critics and fans) were wondering if Quentin Tarantino had lost it, then came news that he had finally finished the script for his WW2 epic that he had been talking about since Jackie Brown, and the expectations were low, then came casting rumours and expectations went even lower, then came the trailer and expectations were raised. Finally the film had it's release and People flocked to it in droves, it tore critics who either loved it or hated it, but most proclaimed it to be his best, most mature piece of work, and they were right, Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino's best film and for me the best film of 2009...
BEST OF THE REST
MOON
how can a science fiction film staring one actor become such a hit? because that one person is Sam Rockwell and his performance in Moon is Phenomenal. Director Duncan Jones uses miniatures instead of CGI and bases 90% of the film inside a lunar station and the production designs are fantastic. The only other presence in the film is the voice of Kevin Spacey as the computer that acts as a sort of variation on HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Duncan Jones is a director to watch and is also the son of David Bowie....Cool!
DISTRICT 9
one of the most original sci fi films to come out in a very long time, brought to us by South African director Neill Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson. It starts out as a sort of Documentary then becomes a sci-fi action thriller. Absolutely stunning Visuals to. Very highly recommended
NEARLY MADE IT
Taken
Coraline
Knowing
Carrier
ZombieLand
WORST FILMS OF 2009
THE FOURTH KIND
basically an extended episode of the X-files that relies on a heavy dose of bullshit to coerce the audience into thinking that some of the footage was real. I for one found the real footage to be obviously staged as the acting was very bad. Just a waste of 90 minutes. For a Real alien abduction film check out Fire In The Sky instead...
2012
Independence day i loved, Day after Tomorrow i enjoy, Godzilla is Dumb Fun, 10,000 BC was Meh.....Roland Emmerich's out put has been a bit of a quilty pleasure for me because he seems to take joy in destroying the world, which is fine but when a film that is near enough 3 hours in length that follows the exact plot almost of TDAT with weak visual FX and a WTF? cast that includes John Cusack Clearly init for the cash and really not putting much effort into his role and sheer idiocy of building Ark Lauchers high up in the mountains as though they missed the fact that when the flood water does come they won't get affected by it....There's mountains in the way...Absolute Garbage film making and Emmerich should be ashamed of him self.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST FILMS OF 2009
Bride Wars, Dragonball Evolution, Observer and Report, I Love You Beth Cooper, The Final Destination, Ninja Assassin and Blood The Last Vampire.
2010
BEST OF 2010
SHUTTER ISLAND
I've taken a lot of criticism for placing this at No.1 but this film really grabbed me and sucked me into its ever twisting plot and blew me away at the end. For me this was Martin Scorcese's best film since Goodfellas and with its intricate plot and outstanding lead performance from Leonardo DeCaprio i was pulled head first into this mind fuck of a movie. No Other film has done this to me this year so that is why Shutter Island is my top pick of 2010
BEST OF THE REST
A SERBIAN FILM
this very controversial film has been the talk of the Experiment podcast since it's conception and having seen the film twice now, I find it a brilliantly crafted and expertly acted film that draws no comparison what so ever to the snuff films or exploitation films it has been compared to. To Read my full review please click this link...A SEBIAN FILM REVIEW
BLACK DYNAMITE
Simply put the best comedy of the year and the best spoof since Airplane. A spot on spoof of the blaxploitation genre, co-written and staring action actor Michael Jai White....
Can you see where Im coming from you Jive MuthafuckAAAAAAAAA!!!
NEARLY MADE IT
Machete
Toy Story 3
Ponyo
Inception
Red
The Blind Side
Book Of Eli
WORST FILMS OF 2010
SHANK
a film so devoid of any redeeming features that i found myself insulted.
Read my review here... SHANK REVIEW
THE BOUNTY HUNTER
this is one of the most unoriginal films i have ever seen, almost the entire plot is lifted from the Robert DeNiro film Midnight Run, Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler have zero chemistry and the film was just unfunny. Avoid this and watch Midnight Run instead...
HONOURABLE MENTIONS FOR WORST FILMS OF 2010
Antichrist (made in 2009 saw it in 2010), Monsters, Human Centipede and Cop Out.
So there we have it, 10 years 10 films, hope you've enjoyed reading my list and hopefully you either agree or disagree. Please leave comments and thanks for your time....Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year
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