The Year in Film 2002
Was this a good year for film? Let's look at it this way: Steven Spielberg made two (2) good films and neither is likely to be nominated for best picture. Imagine the following — ten years from now, you pass by side-by-side retro theaters. One is playing Spielberg's 2002 hits Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can, another is playing the two Steven Soderbergh films that were both nominated for Best Picture in 2000, Traffic and Erin Brockovich. You've got an afternoon to kill. Which theater do you go to? I don't think there's even much of a choice. Was 2002 a good year for film? Yes.
Over a month ago (December 16), the American Film Institute presented its ten best movies of 2002 list. This list blew for several reasons, the greatest of which was that eight of the films had not even come out yet. What kind of garbage is that? The following is not a stretch: the AFI nominations dictate the Golden Globe selections. The Golden Globe selections influence the Oscars. Hence, the security council of the AFI — the ten to twelve people who get advanced billing for the 2002 film scene — are essentially in charge of deciding who will win the most prestigious art awards of the year.
This is a practice that has to stop.
Anyway, if you're like me, you didn't get to everything this year and before January you certainly didn't get to The Hours, Chicago, Adaptation, About Schmidt, Antwone Fisher, or half a dozen other "great" films. However, as of now, I did get to most worth seeing this year so I present my own best and worst list of the 2002 offerings.
The best films of 2002
It's simply a matter of taste. The best are here, but there's little quality difference between #9 and #2.
9. Spider-Man
It's reckless to discount blockbusters solely because their primary target audience is under 18.
8. About a Boy
Hard not to like Hugh Grant, even when he's playing a cad. Is there a quality role for Hugh in which he does not play, essentially, an overgrown adolescent? I'm guessing no.