Despite a flurry of mediocre films this go-around, filmmakers have still managed to grace audiences with a stock of some pretty darned good productions for 2000. So run a tape cleaner through the old VCR or connect your DVD player to a fine surround system and hit your local rental stores! Drum roll please ... here are my top ten picks for 2000 (as of Dec 18th):

The TOP TEN

Chicken Run
It's a dark Lifesaver blueberry night, a clay dog growls at a paper moon while one tough hen digs for her freedom with the blunt end of a stolen spoon. This is definitely not just another chick flick.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The film harnesses the beauty and grace of a Disney animated feature, while bending, like the supple green bark of bamboo, nearly into the surreal. (Chinese)

Shanghai Noon
East meets Wild West in Jackie Chan's Hollywood latest. Chan, who's as cute as a toddler in a bathtub, teams up with Owen Wilson, a Seinfeld rambler with a quick tongue and golden smile. The pairing works like a charm.

Remember the Titans

Ron Howard and his Grinch

Frequency
"Backdraft" plus "The Sixth Sense" equals "Frequency." I'd have titled it: "A Matter of Time," "Father and Sun Flares," "The Same Wavelength," "Communication Hertz" or "Serial Killer and H.A.M." Hey, stop reading and go see it!

Titan AE
Sirens roaring, your father plucks you from innocent play, boards you on a spaceship that evacuates the planet in seconds. You look back through a gleaming porthole at that warm blue marble affectionately called Earth as it explodes into huge chunks that pass up your fleeing ship and crush the moon like a powdered doughnut.

X-Men
Sounds like kids' stuff on paper, but David Hayter's script is so well adapted that I expect adults to be flocking to this film in great numbers.

The Contender
The film's slug line, "Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot," sets the stage. This political thriller is as compelling and nearly as exciting as an action piece, but without a single explosion or gunshot.

Shower
The father and younger brother operate an old fashion bathhouse in northern China complete with cricket fights, Chinese chess, and bickering old men. Unfortunately, the bathhouse is an endangered species in an ancient part of town soon to be lost to modernization. (Chinese)

The Replacements
A formulaic, root for the underdogs, football, feel good film that feels good. Late in the season the Washington Sentinels hire on "The Replacements" to fill the swelled helmets of the pro's picketing for larger bottom lines.

The Runners Up:

Crouching Director: Ang Lee

Large Format:

So tell me, what was your number one favorite film? Fav@rossanthony.com

Enjoy the movies!
Ross Anthony

(Note: this list accurate as of December 18, page may be updated by Jan 1st)