In the supposedly last installment of the Jay and Silent Bob series, we meet Jay and Silent bob, two invalids who hang outside a convenience store doing basically nothing. When a hit comic “Bluntman and Chronic” based on their exploits is being made into a Hollywood movie, they’re not going to see a cent of royalties, so they decide to go to Hollywood to stop the film from being made. This is directed by famed cult comic book writer Kevin Smith who has based practically his entire Hollywood career on these two characters alone.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Steven Soderbergh directs an all-star cast in this stylish and dazzling remake of the “Rat Pack” cult fav. In the movie, George Clooney takes over for Frank Sinatra and plays Daniel Ocean, an ex-con who just got out of the slammer; he reunites with his old friend Rusty, a card shark. Now, they attempting a huge casino robbery at the risk of being busted by Casino mob boss/guru Terry Benedict. Danny will assemble eleven of the most skillful and greatest criminals and corrupt the biggest casino and robbery in history. This is an excellent and (dare I say) superior remake to the classic movie of same name. We’ll start with Soderbergh’s directing style. Soderbergh has proven he is a film maker of many flavors in his directing power when directing movies.
Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Jedi’s, and Sith’s, and Clones, oh my! In this chapter, we meet Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and his young apprentice Anakin (Hayden Christensen) once again on a mission. There is a conspiracy in the republic; Someone is trying to kill the now Senator Amidala. They suspect a traitor within the force and they do not know who it is. Now, the republic assigns Obi-Wan and his defiant padawan Anakin to investigate. Unfortunately, Anakin and Amidala are falling in love, something that is strictly forbidden in the Jedi order. Ewan McGregor once again gives great merit to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi by showing great humility in his role and giving Obi-Wan a warrior-esque look. Natalie Portman returns to the role of Amidala or Padme with more life to her role. Where as “Episode one” lacked life and structure, this one improves on it supremely.
Max Keeble’s Big Move (2001)
In this far-fetched “kids movie,” Alex D. Linz plays Max Keeble, a local paperboy who goes about his business delivering papers and is in constant battle with the evil “Ice Cream Man” played aptly by Jamie Kennedy. He now enters a new phase in his life: Junior High School. Now he has a crush on the local neighborhood girl, is constantly terrorized by the school bullies and the crooked school principal played by Larry Miller. But a new event has developed. His father who works for an advertising company is now being relocated to Chicago to start a new campaign. Now Keeble wants to leave the town in style with the help of his two best friends.
The Others (2001)
Alejandro Amenábar’s “The Others” is a surprise in a year filled with tepid, tripe we get over-hyped force-fed at the box-office. “The Others” is a very sophisticated anecdote of complex and well paced horror in a time where horror has plodded. The atmosphere and Gothic aesthetic feels like classic supernatural horror in the vein of Robert Wise’s “The Haunting,” with reliance on old school horror devices and unique elements of mystery and ambiguity rather than full CGI.
Spider-Man (2002)
“With Great power, comes great responsibility.” – Uncle Ben
Superhero and American icon, Spider-man is born finally in the new box-office smash movie directed by acclaimed and cult director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead). In case you don’t know the famous story, Peter Parker, a geeky photographer at his school who is constantly bullied and has eyes for the neighborhood good girl Mary Jane, is bitten by a hybrid radioactive spider on a field trip to a science lab. The next day, the effects make him a superhuman giving him all sorts of spider powers. Meanwhile, a new evil is born. Multi-millionaire, Norman Osborne, while trying to explore a new experiment, gets hit with a split personality and becomes insane with power. Now Spider-man must stop this new menace before the Green Goblin hurts the people Peter holds so dear.
A Walk to Remember (2001)
In a less predictable, commercial and more intelligent feature-film debut, pop-star Mandy Moore stars as Jamie Sullivan, the local preacher’s daughter and an impish reclusive bookworm who is constantly ostracized by her classmates. Shane West plays Landon Carter, the local ne’er do well (yes, I use that word, so I’m un-cool) who constantly gets into trouble with his friends. One night after nearly killing a friend, he is forced to star in the school play alongside Jamie. Soon, the two become friends and they fall deeply in love with one another despite the resistance of her father.