I turned 17 years old this year, and at this point in my life, perhaps now more than ever, I have found myself to be extremely passionate about filmmaking and film criticism. So, I have decided to write a series of articles spanning my favourite films to be released within the 17 years of my life, including both the films that influenced my cinematic passion and the films that made my childhood what it was. I will be discussing why I love these films and why I think they are just so damn brilliant, choosing five films for each year to talk about. And remember, this is purely my personal opinion, possibly even more this time than it has ever been before, so please refrain from getting all upset.
Introduction
In 2002 I turned 2 years old. Old enough to walk and talk, but maybe too young to quite understand the films I have chosen today. But what films came out in 2002? Well, a couple that I am quite sad to leave off my list today are Alexander Payne's About Schmidt and George Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, two wildly different but equally engaging films that are really the highlights of 2002 for me. But the one I am the saddest to leave off would have to be Pedro Almodvar's Talk to Her, a film that manages to be in equal parts beautiful, moving and oddly surreal, and a film that I literally just missed off my top five. Other critically and commercially successful films include Catch Me If You Can and Minority Report (two actually quite entertaining and well made Spielberg films), Gangs of New York (one of the less good Scorcese films), Spider Man (a not great, but enjoyable and unique comic book film), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (two sequels; one I can rewatch and one I just can't), Insomnia (Nolan at his most grounded and under-appreciated) and The Bourne Identity (the thrilling first instalment in the Bourne franchise). Anyway, enough of that, let's get on with the films I have chosen, starting with.....
Adaptation (Dir. Spike Jonze)
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Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is, arguably, one of the most interesting screenwriters around, and Adaptation is him at his most explorative and insightful. It's a perfect display of when the screenwriter becomes the star of the film, but quite literally in this case as the film's protagonist is Kaufman himself, played remarkably by Nicolas Cage, who actually doubles up and plays Kaufman's twin brother as well as Kaufman himself. He seems to perfectly capture the close similarities yet vast differences between the two characters, managing to make both of them feel distinctly different to each other. But in this Kaufman gets more meta and personal than ever before, revealing his insecurities and self consciousness to the audience, whilst also deeply exploring his desires to make films unlike anyone has seen before, and why he ultimately struggles to achieve this. And somehow the genius of it lies in the fact that the commentary on hollywood gets deeper and more abstract as the film descends further into surrealism. It's self aware, but outstandingly honest and compelling in it's self awareness, and I would suggest that if you're a fan of film and haven't seen this, go and watch it as soon as you can.
City of God (Dir. Fernando Meirelles, Ktia Lund)
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Harrowing and truly captivating, City of God tells the harsh, but true stories of the corrupted youth of the Brazilian slums, all seen through the eyes of a teenager named Rocket. I actually only watched this for the first time a few weeks ago, and I have to say it has instantly become one of my all time favourite foreign films. It manages to be both flashy and interesting in it's editing and incredibly realistic in it's performances and camerawork, with the direction of Meirelles and Lund being truly outstanding in how it creates and immerses you in the claustrophobic and gritty world of the City of God. The film works on the basis that you are able to believe in the city and it's inhabitants, and through this it is packed with depth and weight, showing you the brutal reality of these characters that it makes you care so much about. And it really is a rough watch at times. The shot of a small boy innocently grinning after he has shot and murdered a person; haunting.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Dir. Peter Jackson)
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I've never been a particularly big fan of the Lord of the Rings series, but I've always considered The Two Towers to be my favourite. It doesn't take too long to start like The Fellowship of the Ring and it doesn't take too long to end like The Return of the King, but is instead a wholly exciting action adventure fantasy film from start to finish. What's perhaps most impressive though is how it manages to balance it's multitude of characters as well as it does. You gain an understanding of all the characters and what drives them and effects their journeys, which is actually really difficult for a film with this many characters to do. And from this we can find a deep investment in the film's story and indeed action, which is quite spectacular here. The spectacle and scale of the film is immense and gloriously cinematic, with battle sequences that employ some masterful filmmaking, made all the more exciting by the fact that we can genuinely root for the characters involved. You've probably seen this so I can't really recommend it, but go and watch it again, because hell, why not?
The Pianist (Dir. Roman Polanski)
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I've always admired the work of Roman Polanski, and The Pianist has to be up there as one of his best. Although it's not the taut, suspenseful thriller of a Rosemary's Baby or Chinatown, it is still an extremely impactful and devastating true story about a man who continuously faces the tortures of a Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust. As war get's worse, his life get's harder, and it is truly shocking what this man went through. Directed beautifully by Polanski, it manages to feel both convincing and disorientating, putting you fully in the place of it's main character, who is played phenomenally by Adrien Brody. He gives full commitment and naturalism in the role, managing to arrestingly capture the descent to desperation of the film's main character. By the end of it, you feel both emotionally destroyed and, to a certain extent, inspired, and that's why it just has to be here.
Y Tu Mam Tambin (Dir. Alfonso Cuarn)
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This stunningly honest journey through youth and self discovery was so good it got the director, Alfonso Cuarn, a job on the next Harry Potter film. It tells the story of two boys named Tenoch and Julio, who leave home to go on a road trip with a woman named Luisa. During this trip they make discoveries about their own humanity and the humanity of others, learning the meanings of friendship, sex, love and more. It wonderfully captures the confusion and guiltlessness of youth, full of messages about life and spirituality, and never failing to feel intimate and open. Alfonso and Carlos Cuarn deliver a script that is both fresh and thought-provoking, and Alfonso's direction brings it to life in a way that is gorgeously authentic. It boasts fantastically believable performances from Gael Garca Bernal and Diego Luna, as well as their cohort Maribel Verd as Luisa. If you haven't seen Y Tu Mam Tambin, you should definitely watch it, as it's a real gem of a coming of age movie.
So that just about rounds out the films I have chosen for 2002. I know I was a little later than promised in the last instalment of the series, but I will try and be on time next week when I talk about the films of 2003. Apart from that, make sure you comment down below whether you agree or disagree with my choices and what your general opinions are on the films I've selected, and if you liked this article and want to see more like it go to creators.co/@garwoodreviews for more. See you next week, but until then, bye bye.
