What Lies Beneath

Movie Name: What Lies Beneath
Year of Release: 2000

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford, Katharine Towne, James Remar, Diana Scarwid, Wendy Crewson, Amber Valletta, Joe Morton

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis:

Following the success of "Contact", the year 2000 saw the release of two Robert Zemeckis films, with "What Lies Beneath" premiering first, followed by "Cast Away" a few months later. Both films were huge commercial hits, with the latter also garnering Oscar nominations. "What Lies Beneath" is a thriller which functions as a Hitchcock homage. The film follows the story of a couple, Claire and Norman Spencer. Claire, a retired concert cellist, has just sent off her daughter to college, and keeps herself busy around the house, while Norman is a research scientist at a nearby University. Claire starts witnessing strange events around the house, hearing voices, and even seeing the face of a young woman reflected in the water. Initially Claire thinks that these events may be related to their neighbors, but after starting therapy, she actually decides to make contact with the ghost. What she finds out is beyond what she expected.
"What Lies Beneath" is a smaller film in scale for Robert Zemeckis, who has continuously pushed the envelope for decades in terms of what can be shown onscreen. Among his many boundary pushing films there's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", "Forrest Gump" and more recently "The Walk". "What Lies Beneath" is best described as a ghost story, where the narrative slowly reveals the true culprit behind the ghost that is haunting the house of the central character. Sadly, the characters are never fully developed beyond the usual cliches, but Robert Zemeckis manages to create a sense of dread, and suspense that makes the film successful and watchable. It's an impeccably assembled film, with a solid central performance from Michelle Pfeiffer, and an elegant cinematography from Don Burgess. What the film lacks in novelty and depth, it compensates with style and thrills. Worth watching.

A Bigger Splash

Movie Name: A Bigger Splash
Year of Release: 2015

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Stars: Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts, Dakota Johnson, Aurore Clement, Lily McMenamy, Corrado Guzzanti

Genre: Drama, Mystery

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

Since the beautiful and well received "I Am Love", director Luca Guadagnino has kept himself busy with shorts and documentaries, with "A Bigger Splash" being his first narrative feature since then. The film is based on Jacques Deray's "La Piscine", and follows the story of Marianne Lane, a world renowned singer, who following a throat surgery, is spending a vacation in Italy with her boyfriend recovering and generally resting. Their idyllic retreat is disturbed by the arrival of the charismatic Harry Hawkes, Marianne's former lover and producer, alongside his recently discovered daughter, Penelope. This brings a new dynamic to the group with dramatic consequences.
Following a beautiful and widely acclaimed film is always a tricky matter, but director Luca Guadagnino successfully overcomes the challenge, and presents a film that though unbalanced, is still beautifully crafted. The film showcases the relationships between these characters, slowly revealing the dynamics that existed in the past, alongside the possible resentments and passions. This allows for the characters to be more than simply archetypes, and demonstrates their inner passions and turmoil. The film falters a bit towards the end, with the introduction of some dramatic elements that don't resonate with the mood and style which was built previously, but for the most part, the central relationships are captivating and magnetic. Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes create fantastic characters and make the film both charismatic and entertaining. The cinematography from Yorick Le Saux is stunning. A flawed yet interesting film worth watching.

Unbreakable

Movie Name: Unbreakable
Year of Release: 2000

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Stars: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark, Eamonn Walker, Charlayne Woodard, Leslie Stefanson, Bostin Christopher, Michael Kelly

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis:

Following the astounding success of "The 6th Sense", director M. Night Shyamalan quickly returned, with yet another great feature. The film focuses on the story of Security Guard David Dunn. At the beginning of the film we witness David miraculously surviving a catastrophic train crash outside Philadelphia. He is the sole survivor out of 132 passengers and he also appears to be completely unharmed. Following this traumatic event, David is contacted by Elijah Price, who runs a comic book art gallery and suffers from a genetic condition that makes his bones very easy to break. Elijah has been a comic book fan all his life, and he has a theory that superheroes are actually based on real people. Elijah believes David may be one of these people. He has hardly ever been injured or sick, and he has tremendous strength, plus an uncanny ability to tell if someone is about to or has done something bad. David is surprised by this notion, but suddenly a series of events put this theory to the test.
M. Night Shyamalan was at the peak of his creative powers when he created "Unbreakable". The director allows for the feature to slowly develop and bring the seemingly preposterous concept to a possible reality, giving enough space for the characters to be more than standard archetypes. It's a film that smartly introduces us to the universe of the main characters, allowing us to really create empathy for what they go through, and how suddenly Elijah's theory can throw reality upside down. The film slowly peels away the facet of every day life, revealing the actual destiny of its main characters. The director smartly weaves these relationships, and allows for the actors to create interesting characters, particularly Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, who reunite following their experience on "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (which John McTiernan directed in 1995). The cinematography from Eduardo Serra is stunning (as usual), as is the score from James Newton Howard. A very good film worth revisiting.

Traffic

Movie Name: Traffic
Year of Release: 2000

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Stars: Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta Jones, Dennis Quaid, Don Cheadle, Albert Finney, Tomas Milian, Jacob Vargas, Steven Bauer, Benjamin Bratt, James Brolin, Clifton Collins Jr., Miguel Ferrer, Amy Irving, Topher Grace, Erika Christensen, Luis Guzman, D. W. Moffett, Peter Riegert, Michael O'Neill

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9
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Synopsis:

Steven Soderbergh finished the year 2000 with a stunning feature, following his equally good "Erin Brockovich" which had premiered in March of that year. The film is an adaptation of a British tv show by the name of Traffik, and it follows the illegal drug trafficking from a series of different perspectives, namely the ones who use it, the police officers trying to dismantle the distribution scheme, the politicians and the traffickers. The film has three main storylines, with the first one focusing on the drug trade in Mexico. This storyline focuses specifically on Javier, a police officer who finds himself in a situation that slowly reveals itself to be compromising. Javier wants above all, to make life better for his neighborhood, and he sees nothing but corruption in the police force and army. The second storyline focuses on a powerful politician, Robert Wakefield, who is appointed to a high ranking position to tackle the war on drugs. Without his knowledge, his daughter has slowly descended to drug addiction, and that takes a huge toll on his family and professional life. The third storyline focuses on the DEA side of things, in the US. The long fingers of the Mexican drug cartels have made their way into the US, and when one of their puppets is caught, his pregnant wife tries to sort things out, with surprising results.
"Traffic" is a very ambitious film, tracing the impacts of drug trafficking and usage, across multiple countries and storylines, with director Steven Soderbergh (also working as a cinematographer), creating a differentiation for each segment, with different stylistic choices. The film is very successful in bringing the grittiness of the drug trade, of the violence that surrounds it and its consequences to life. It also showcases on a more individual focused case, how drugs can be destructive, and mortgage someone's future almost permanently. It's a beautifully stated work, which is the trademark of the talented Steven Soderbergh, which mixes his more experimental side, while also maintaining a straightforward approach to storytelling. The performances of the ensemble cast are all great, highlighting Benicio Del Toro, who has never been better. A very good film always worth revisiting.

Small Time Crooks

Movie Name: Small Time Crooks
Year of Release: 2000

Director: Woody Allen

Stars: Woody Allen, Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, Michael Rapaport, Elaine May, Elaine Stritch, Douglas McGrath, Tony Darrow, Jon Lovitz, George Grizzard

Genre: Comedy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis:

Following "Sweet and Lowdown", director Woody Allen returned in 2000, with a new release, this one a clear return to his more openly comedic features. The film focuses on the story of Ray, a fumbling small time criminal, who devises a plan with his partners in crime to re-open a local pizza place and dig through to the bank down the street. Since they can't cook pizza, but Ray's wife is a great baker, they decide to start selling cookies. While the drilling operation keeps going, the cookie business takes off and the team finds themselves suddenly rich business people. As their wealth increases, both Ray and his wife Frenchy become aware they are mocked for their lack of good taste in both decor and lack of culture. They hire an art dealer, David, to help them acquire a certain sophistication that will allow them to easily blend with the upper class.
"Small Time Crooks" was a return to Woody Allen's screwball comedies of the 70s (such as "Take the Money and Run" and "Bananas"), while still throwing some good incisive digs at New York's elitist and ridiculous upper class. The film uses a classic setup, with the crooks that become rich by accident, only to discover that the wealthy have no heart and that they only focus on people's bank accounts. It's a fun film, that features a great cast, with Tracey Ullman in particular creating a terrific character, but with equally solid supporting work from Hugh Grant and Elaine Stritch. The film also features the beautiful cinematography from Zhao Fei (known in particular for his great work with Zhang Yimou in "Raise the Red Lantern"). A very good comedy worth revisiting!

Requiem for a Dream

Movie Name: Requiem for a Dream
Year of Release: 2000

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Suzanne Shepherd, Janet Sarno, Mark Margolis

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis:

"Requiem for a Dream" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival of the year 2000, and ended up on several lists of the year's best films. The film follows the story of 4 characters, whose lives are all connected. Sara Goldfarb is a widow who spends all her time watching television, in particular infomercials. When she receives a call notifying her that she's been selected to be on a TV game show, she decides to go on a diet, with the aid of amphetamines. Her son Harry, alongside his girlfriend Marion and best friend Tyrone, are all addicted to heroin. They manage to do quite well in terms of getting a constant supply of drugs, until a drug-assassination takes place, which leaves Tyrone arrested. Following this event things take a turn for the worse, and all the characters start a downward spiral that threatens their lives.
Darren Aronofsky's debut feature "Pi" made an impact when it first premiered in 1998, but "Requiem for a Dream" definitely established him as a strong name to behold. The film is an adaptation of the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. (who also wrote "Last Exit to Brooklyn", itself a feature directed by Uli Edel which premiered in 1989), and it's another bleak view into the lives of four people who let their obsessions consume them to extreme points. Aronofsky manages to successfully portray the decadence and insanity that surrounds the extremes of these characters addictions. It's a stunning yet difficult film to view due to the pain, humiliation and profound misery that it depicts. The film features a great arresting performance from the fantastic Ellen Burstyn, who was justly nominated for an Academy Award. The score from Clint Mansell is beautiful as is the cinematography from Matthew Libatique. A very good film worth watching.

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Quills

Movie Name: Quills
Year of Release: 2000

Director: Philip Kaufman

Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Malahide, Amelia Warner, Stephen Moyer, Michael Jenn, Stephen Marcus, Jane Menelaus

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis:

Director Philip Kaufman is part of the Movie Brats/New Hollywood which came into prominence during the late 60s and became stalwarts during the 70s, when names such as George Lucas, Francis Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Terrence Malick, Woody Allen and Mike Nichols became the legends they are today. Kaufman has had a much more modest career, with 13 features directed as of this year. "Quills" which opened to good reviews in 2000, followed his unexpected "Rising Sun" which had premiered in 1993, to not such good reviews (and was an instantly forgettable Michael Crichton adaptation). The film is an adaptation of the play by Doug Wright, and follows the final years of the life of the Marquis de Sade in 18th Century France, when he is imprisoned at an insane asylum. While at the asylum the Marquis manages to befriend the young Abbe de Coulmier, who runs the institution, and he gets his writings to the public through a young laundress named Madeline (whom the Abbe secretly pines for). His writings however generate a tremendous amount of attention, including that of the Emperor, who orders Dr. Royer-Collard, to silence the Marquis permanently.
"Quills" is a very interesting film, that continues to showcase Philip Kaufman's fascination with literature and authors (he also directed "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", "Henry and June" and "Hemingway and Gellhorn"). The film is also a powerful statement about censorship, and how established power tries to silence dissonant and unique voices that they consider morally wrong or threaten status quo. "Quills" manages to successfully render all of these ideas, while simultaneously creating a forbidden romance between two of its main characters, which makes the film also humane, and not simply a pamphlet for freedom of speech. The actors in the lead roles are fantastic, with Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix and Michael Caine all showcasing great performances. A very good film from an underrated director.

O Brother Where Art Thou

Movie Name: O Brother Where Art Thou
Year of Release: 2000

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Stars: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Charles Durning, Michael Badaluco, Chris Thomas King, Wayne Duvall, Brian Reddy, Ed Gale

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis:

The Coen brothers followed their critically successful films from the late 90s, "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski", with another comedy that proved to be another hit. The film, loosely inspired by Homer's epic poem "Odyssey", follows the story of Ulisses Everett and his two accomplices, Pete and Delmar, all three escapees from a chain gang (the story takes place in Mississipi during the Great Depression). Everett convinces his pals he knows of a treasure, and that together they can escape their captivity and divide the profits. During their attempt to retrieve the treasure, they are put through a series of ordeals, and meet all matters of different people, including the talented Tommy, a young black man, who is a talented musician. In the end, Everett wants to win back his wife Penny, but even that ends up being a dangerous mission to accomplish.
The Coen brothers have created throughout their careers a body of work that is distinct and much their own. Their universe is a mix of the comedy of the absurd, surrealism, and inspiration from the Hollywood classics (among other themes). "O Brother Where Art Thou" mixes a lot of these themes and distills them into a comedy that is quite successful. The film captures the challenges of the Great Depression, while also shedding a light on the political and social issues of the American South. Everything is wrapped in a slapstick style which eases some of the more grotesque elements that it depicts. The film features a great cast with highlights going to the usual troupe that works with the directors, namely George Clooney, John Turturro, Holly Hunter, John Goodman and Charles Durning. The cinematography from the fantastic Roger Deakins is stunning and the score from T Bone Burnett is now a classic. A good film always worth revisiting.