Posted: 01/15/2003

Film 2002 as Seen by Wayne Case

by Wayne Case

The Top Ten
(In Order Of Preference)

1. Chicago

2. Road To Perdition

3. Y Tu Mama Tambien

Plus (Alphabetical)

Far From Heaven

The Hours

Insomnia

Minority Report

The Rookie

Tully

Unfaithful

Runners-Up (Alpha)

About Schmidt

The Bourne Identity

Catch Me If You Can

The Emperor’s Club

Lovely & Amazing

The Man From Elysian Fields

Murder By Numbers

Nicholas Nickleby

One Hour Photo

Red Dragon

Honorable Mention (Alpha)

Adaptation

The Count Of Monte Cristo

Crush

Enigma

Gangs Of New York

The Good Girl

Heaven

High Crimes

His Secret Life

The Pianist

Pipe Dream

Spider-Man

Guilty Pleasures (Alphabetical)

Femme Fatale

Simone

Sweet Home Alabama

Film Festival Favorites (Alphabetical)

AKA

Amores Possiveis (Possible Loves)

km0 (Kilometer Zero)

The Worst Films Of 2001
(In three categories: Bad, Badder, Baddest)

Bad (Alphabetical)

Dragonfly

Enough

The First $20 Million…

40 Days And 40 Nights

Hollywood Ending

Badder (Alphabetical)

Auto-Focus

Below

Collateral Damage

John Q

Punch-Drunk Love

Baddest (Worst First)

1) The Rules Of Attraction

2) Rollerball

3) Mr. Deeds

4) Pumpkin

5) The Sweetest Thing

6) Slackers

7) Stealing Harvard

8) Full Frontal

9) Swept Away

10) Sonny

But Not For Me
I understand others liking this film, but count me out!

Punch-Drunk Love

Outstanding Film From 2001
But Not Seen Until 2002

Lantana

Best Actor (In order of preference)

1. Jack Nicholson—About Schmidt

2. Tom Hanks—Road To Perdition

3. Dennis Quaid—The Rookie

4. Adrien Brody—The Pianist

5. Kevin Kline—The Emperor’s Club

6. Michael Caine—The Quiet American

7. Al Pacino—Insomnia

8. Daniel Day-Lewis—Gangs Of New York

9. Robin Williams—One Hour Photo

10. Matt Damon—The Bourne Identity

11. Leonardo DiCaprio—Catch Me If You Can

12. Nicolas Cage—Adaptation

Best Actress (In order of preference)

1. Diane Lane—Unfaithful

2. Nicole Kidman—The Hours

3. Julianne Moore—Far From Heaven

4. Renée Zellweger—Chicago

5. Meryl Streep—The Hours

6. Cate Blanchett—Heaven

7. Jennifer Aniston—The Good Girl

8. Catherine Keener—Lovely & Amazing

9. Maribel Verdu—Y Tu Mama Tambien

10. Salma Hayek—Frida

11. Sandra Bullock—Murder By Numbers

12. Alison Lohman—White Oleander

Best Supporting Actor
(In order of preference)

1. Paul Newman—Road To Perdition

2. Richard Gere—Chicago

3. Ed Harris—The Hours

4. Robin Williams—Insomnia

5. Jamie Bell—Nicholas Nickleby

Plus (Alphabetical)

Bob Burrus—Tully

James Coburn—The Man From Elysian Fields

Chris Cooper—Adaptation

Brian Cox—The Rookie

Ralph Fiennes—Red Dragon

Glenn Fitzgerald—Tully

Jake Gyllenhaal—The Good Girl

Ryan Gosling—Murder By Numbers

Tom Hanks for Catch Me If You Can

Cole Hauser—White Oleander

Tyler Hoechlin—Road To Perdition

Josh Lucas—Sweet Home Alabama

Edward Norton—Red Dragon

Michael Pitt—Murder By Numbers

Dennis Quaid—Far From Heaven

John C. Reilly—Chicago

Best Supporting Actress
(In order of preference)

Runners-Up

1. Julianne Moore—The Hours

2. Kathy Bates—About Schmidt

3. Catherine Zeta-Jones—Chicago

4. Bebe Neuwirth—Tadpole

5. Emily Watson—Red Dragon

Plus (Alphabetical)

Brenda Blethyn—Lovely & Amazing

Patricia Clarkson—Far From Heaven

Cameron Diaz—Gangs Of New York

Queen Latifah—Chicago

Emily Mortimer—Lovely & Amazing

Samantha Morton—Minority Report

Julianne Nicholson—Tully

Michelle Pfeiffer—White Oleander

Susan Sarandon—Igby Goes Down

Meryl Streep Adaptation

Renée Zellweger—White Oleander

Best Original Script (Alpha)

Far From Heaven

Lovely & Amazing

Y Tu Mama Tambien

Best Adapted Script (Alpha)

Chicago

Nicholas Nickleby

Road To Perdition

Best Cinematography (Alpha)

Chicago

Far From Heaven

Road To Perdition

Best Original Musical Score (Alpha)

Enigma

Far From Heaven

The Hours

Nicholas Nickleby

The Sum of All Fears

Best Original Song (Alpha)

Die Another Day from Die Another Day

I’m Not The Enemy from High Crimes

I Move On from Chicago

Lose Yourself from 8 Mile

Waiting in Vain from Changing Lanes

Special Awards
The Victor Mature Worst Actor Award: Arnold Schwarzenegger for Collateral Damage

The Michelle Phillips/Cornelia Sharpe/Angel Tompkins Worst Actress Award: Madonna for Swept Away

The Heaven’s Gate Budget Award: Not awarded this year.

The Otto Preminger “Light Touch” Award (tie): El Crimen de Padre Amaro and John Q

The Sam Peckinpah “Wretched Excess” Award (tie): Gangs of New York and Triple X

The Sidney Lumet Miscasting Award:
Female—Aaliyah for Queen of the Damned
Male—Chris Klein for Rollerball

A Star is Born Break-Thru Award:
Female—Maggie Gyllenhaal
Male—Jake Gyllenhaal

Great Expectations Award: To emerging Italian/Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek for His Secret Life

The Surgeon General’s Warning Award: Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in Die Another Day

The John Hartl Stop-Them-Before-They-Direct-Again Award: Nicolas Cage for Sonny

The Calling-Sydney-Guilaroff-for-Help-Hair-Style Award:
Female—Toni Collette in Changing Lanes
Male—Guy Pearce in The Time Machine

The Calling-Max-Factor-for-a-Makeover/Make-up-Award:
Female—Sandra Bullock in Two Weeks Notice
Male—Stuart Townsend in Queen of the Damned

The What About Bob Most Annoying Award:
Female—Asia Argento in XXX
Male (tie)—Jack Black in Orange County and Jason Schwartzman in Slackers

The Bill Lee (father of Spike Lee) Worst Musical Scoring Award:
Stewart Copeland for Deuces Wild.
(As far as I can discover, this Copeland is NOT a descendant of the Oscar winning composer Aaron Copland.)

Special Thanks:
1. As far as he can remember, Oscar winner Charlton Heston didn’t get drunk and shoot anyone during the year. The recently diagnosed Alzheimer’s victim and recovering alcoholic continues as president of the NRA, however.

2. Sylvester Stallone didn’t remake Rocky this year. Rumor has it that Rocky VI well may be a reality soon enough, however.

3. No film directed by any of the following gentlemen was released in the United States during 2002: Peter Hyams, James Foley, Edward Zwick, Richard Benjamin, Frank Oz, and Bob Clark. Be warned, however. Each man now has at least one unreleased production completed or nearing completion. Appropriately enough, the film from Bob Clark is called Unleashed.

Special Requests:
(1) About Trailers
To producers/directors/distributors: Please change current trends in coming attraction trailers. Mixmaster/machinegun editing is not always appropriate. Loud/fast music that has no connection to the movie being promoted is dishonest & inappropriate. Giving away major plot points is a VERY bad idea. On the other hand, identifying every actor that figures prominently in the trailer footage should be a must. (Though featured in the selected footage, actress Rachel Griffiths, was never identified in the trailer for The Rookie and she’s a former Oscar nominee.) Further, when a credit block is shown at the end of the trailer, leave it on the screen long enough that it would be possible to read, at least partially.

(2) A Dream Project
To studio heads: Please film Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Blvd. Since Steven Spielberg has expressed interest in doing a musical, get him to direct. Barbra Streisand was born to play Norma Desmond. British recording star/television/stage actor Michael Ball is ideal to recreate Joe Gillis on film. Musicals are back. In the wake of this year’s sensation, Chicago, the time is right for Sunset Blvd.

(3) Credits
To producers & directors: Please put major credits at the start of your feature unless there is some really good reason not to do so. For me, having them there gets me in the proper mood to best enjoy your film. After half a dozen frantic trailers and jarring ads or promotional plugs, a good opening credit presentation focuses my attention once again on why I’m in the theatre. I’m convinced that the great credits at the start of Catch Me If You Can contribute to the success that film enjoys.

The Ellen Terry Awards: Memories, Moments, Magic (Alpha)

Ben Aflleck, Changing Lanes, The Sum of All Fears
Murilo Benício, Amores Possíveis

Gael García Bernal, Y Tu Mamá También, El Crimen del Padre Amaro

Jesse Bradford, Swim Fan

Benjamin Bratt, Abandon

Edward Burns, Ash Wednesday & Life Or Something Like It

Scott Caan, Sonny

Billy Campbell, Enough

Jim Caviezel, The Count of Monte Cristo, High Crimes

Ben Chaplin, Birthday Girl

John Corbett, My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Enigma

Billy Crudup, World Traveler

Matthew Davis, Below & Blue Crush

Patrick Dempsey, The Emperor’s Club & Sweet Home Alabama

Aaron Eckhart, Possession

Ethan Embry, Sweet Home Alabama

James Franco, City By The Sea, Sonny, Spider-Man

Joel Gretsch, The Emperor’s Club

Cole Hauser, Hart’s War & White Oleander

Emile Hirsch, The Emperor’s Club & The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

Anthony Hopkins, Red Dragon

Thomas Jane, The Sweetest Thing

Thomas Kretschmann, The Pianist

Diego Luna, Y Tu Mamá También

Gabriel Mann, Abandon

Olivier Martinez, Unfaithful

Jay Mohr, Simone

Viggo Mortensen, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Anson Mount, City By The Sea, Tully

Dermot Mulroney, About Schmidt & Lovely and Amazing

Michael Vartan, One Hour Photo

Amy Adams, Catch Me If You Can

Jane Adams, Orange County

Drew Barrymore, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Kim Basinger, 8 Mile

Candice Bergen, Sweet Home Alabama

Agnes Bruckner, Murder By Numbers

Saffron Burroughs, Enigma

Kate Burton, Unfaithful

Margaret Colin, Unfaithful

Toni Collette, The Hours

Jennifer Garner, Catch Me If You Can

Beth Grant, The Rookie

Rachel Griffiths, The Rookie

Raven Goodwin, Lovely & Amazing

Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Nickleby

Allison Janney, The Hours

Patti Lupone, City By The Sea

Jena Malone, The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys

Frances McDormand, City By The Sea

Connie Nielsen, One Hour Photo

Gwyneth Paltrow, Possession

Mary-Louise Parker, Pipe Dream & Red Dragon

Amanda Peet, Changing Lanes, High Crimes, & Igby Goes Down

Winona Ryder, Simone

Lois Smith, Minority Report

Julia Stiles, The Bourne Identity

Hilary Swank, Insomnia

Tilda Swinton, Adaptation

Reese Witherspoon, Sweet Home Alabama

Wayne Case is an entertainment industry executive in Hollywood.

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