Well, I do recall an earlier column on the best Hindi films of 2001, but I noticed that there wasn't one for the best Hollywood/English films... so... here I am. Here were the best films of last year in my opinion (in descending order, best last):

Runner ups --> SHREK, THE CIRCLE, GOSFORD PARK, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, HANNIBAL, and MULHOLLAND DRIVE.

10. BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY --> You could write it off as a silly romance flick, but I think that this film was an example of the perfect comedy. Not lewd or too bland, but somewhere in between with a fantastic performance by Renee Zellwegger in the lead role. I spent a lot of the film convulsing with laughter in my seat.

9. MONSTERS INC --> Sure, SHREK received most of the praise and positive reviews this year, but I felt it was highly overated. I mean, a film that parodies fairy tales so openly shouldn't end so conventionally (but that's just my opinion). Anyways, I felt this film was superior in all respects (animation, voice work, plot, etc).

8. A BEAUTIFUL MIND --> Manipulative shameless tearjerker, but a very well done manipulative shameless tearjerker. Ron Howard finally got his due from the Academy this year, but I felt it was lacking beside the other nominees. Still, it's a well done moving film with good performances by Jennifer Connelly and Russell Crowe (I don't like the bratty b*****, but he's a fantastic actor).

7. AMELIE --> Dreamy and surreal, this film made me want to book a ticket to Paris as soon as I walked out of the theatre. This little gem from France understandably walked away with lavish praise from audiences and critics with good reason. It's simple, there's no denying that, but its execution and acting (especially by Audrey Tatou) made up for that in much.

6. MOULIN ROUGE --> Upon my initial viewing of the film, I thought very little of it, deeming it overrated. I watched it again on DVD and fell in love with it all of a sudden. With a completely fresh take on the musical, Baz Luhrmann created a sparkling world in which there was beauty, passion and drama present on every frame.

5. THE OTHERS --> I spent most of the film with my hands almost over my eyes, ready for the next scare. I was so terrified that I jumped several times (and I never jump). Nicole Kidman was terrific as the neurotic and disturbed mother of two sick children who live in a house that has its share of secrets. Finally, a ghost movie that finally scares unlike the crap over the years.

4. A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE --> Incredibly underrated science flick is brilliant in its implications and production. A rare example of seeing two extraordinary directors blended together, creating a contemporary masterpiece. Another Kubrick related film that divided audiences, this one completely blew me away.

3. LORD OF THE RINGS --> Visually spectacular is not the only thing this film is good for. Never have I been so caught up in a film that the world around me vanished... By the end, I was on the edge of my seat, struggling to breathe (no joke). This film deserved many more Oscars than it received, for it is undeservedly categorized as simply a special effects film. I can't wait for DVD...

2. MEMENTO --> What a mind f*** movie (something that the horrendous VANILLA SKY promised to be, but failed to deliver). Don't write this off as a revenge thriller (which the advertising promotes it as), for it is anything but. For those who haven't seen it, I won't say anything more, but I imagine this movie must have been a bitch to put together.

and...

1. IN THE BEDROOM --> Admittedly, a rather odd and frustrating choice, isn't it? Many of my friends failed to see what was so wonderful and sad about this film, but it touched me the most personally. Never have I seen a film in which the true nature of humanity is exposed in such a pessimistic light. Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei all give devastating performances as ordinary people who are lost amidst a backdrop of tragedy and unsure how to move on. Love, loss, and revenge are explored thoroughly here, and never so truthfully by director Todd Field. Moving and deep pictures don't need million dollar budgets or special effects to emit expressions of awe and wonderment. This film really affected me on so many levels, but I can understand how it wouldn't for many people ("Too long!", "Predictable...", etc, I've heard it all). But regardless of what you think in the end, whether your personal sense of justice is jolted, give this film a chance. I can't guarentee you'll love it, but even if you don't, I'm sure you'll appreciate the message it was delivering.

Discuss.... :p

Amelie was French. It was one of the most enjoyable films of 2001, definitely. Too bad Region 1 isn't getting the commentary that Region 2 got.

Memento was a good movie, but most of its appeal is in its structure rather than the plot or dialogue. I suppose it was constructed in that manner for the audience to know what Leonard was feeling, but I felt that maybe the hubbub over the film was a bit over the top.

Royal Tenenbaums was awesome. It was funny, sweet, touching. How can you not love a Wes Anderson film?

Lord of the Rings wasn't really my cup of tea. I thought it was just one fight sequence after another. Somewhat enjoyable when I saw it, but I won't be revisiting this one. Not a bad film, just not what I like.

The Others was a very well crafted suspense/horror/thriller film. Beautifully shot and acted.

I think I've posted my opinions on Moulin Rouge here before, so I won't repeat them.

I'd also like to add:

Vanilla Sky: Easily one of Tom Cruise's best performances. It's best to see this one without knowing too much about the film.

I recently watched Mulholland Drive – definitely gets the vote for one of most confusing films ever, you're sat at the end watching the credits roll thinking WFT just happened! Good movie nevertheless, definitely has the repeat value just for your sanity sake.

Ali

I admired TENENBAUMS as a film, but ultimately felt that RUSHMORE was superior. At times, the former was quite slow (although the script was very layered).

By the way, VANILLA SKY did make my list this year... as one of the worst films of the year.