Readers Poll Top 20 Films of 2000 - Brief Article - Polling Data

As part of last issue's year-end package, we invited you to vote for your best films of the past year(*) and pass comment on the year in general or on particular films. Here's a small selection of (edited) responses, plus the Readers Top 20. For more thoughts on the poll, turn to Letter from the Editor on page 2.

And, congratulations to Jim Faller of Flushing, NY, who won $200 in DVDs or videos from the Home Vision catalogue, to Marie Johnson of Fairbanks, AK, who won DVDs or videos up to $120 value and to runners-up Rhine Ruder of Portland, OR, and Amanda Weeden of New York, NY, who each won $60 gift prizes.

Top 20 Films of 2000 (position in FILM COMMENT critics poll in parentheses)

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (6)

2. Traffic (16)

3. Dancer in the Dark (8)

4. Almost Famous (7)

5. Yi Yi (3)

6. You Can Count on Me (9)

7. Beau travail (1)

8. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (17)

9. Requiem for a Dream (-)

10. The House of Mirth (4)

11. Wonder Boys (10)

12. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (-)

13. High Fidelity (-)

14. Croupier (15)

15. The Wind Will Carry Us (2)

16. Gladiator (-)

17. Erin Brockovich (18)

18. Chicken Run (-)

19. Time Regained (5)

20. The Virgin Suicides (-)

The wild praise for Steven Soderbergh vis-a-vis the anger generated by the work of Lars von Trier speaks volumes about the current priorities of the film press. Soderbergh's current elevation indicates a general prizing of self-effacing professionalism over raging idiosyncracy. Further evidence of this contemporary bias is the indifference and/or disdain that has greeted the recent work of Malick, Kubrick, the Coen Brothers, Spike Lee, Michael Haneke, Peter Greenaway, Leos Carax, etc. Like them or not, it seems to me that ornery "unprofessional," defiantly individualistic filmmakers have historically been the engines driving the medium forward. -- Mark Carpenter, Toronto, Canada

Sure it's rousing and epic, but I was surprised at its layers of ambiguity, its refreshing lack of interest in dogmatic narrative thrust, its sacrifice of gags and thrills to poetry. It's a film without a narrative or subjective center, and that's intriguing. -- Erick Neher, NY, NY on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Absolute genius from overture to conclusion. I'm tempted to call it "movie of the decade" and there's nine years left to go. -- Nathaniel Rogers, Brooklyn, NY on Dancer in the Dark

In my opinion, the year 2000 has been an incredibly exciting and important time for movies. Looking at my top ten list, there has been such a wide variety of films, be it commercial or independent. The critics who claim that this has been a bad year are being cynical. -- Marianne Chun Ping Seavers, San Diego, CA

If you don't live in New York (or go to Toronto, Sundance or Cannes) this was the single worst year for movies in a long time the moviegoing public did not get great opportunitues to be exposed to the cream of the crop. Although The Decalogue got some more mobility! -- Jacob Rosenberg, Los Angeles, CA

Daddy Warbucks said Fuck! And where can I get that bra? -- Mandie Chase, Vestal, NY, on Erin Brockovich

(*) Many votes were cast for Wong Karwai's In the Mood For Love, but since it was not released until this year, we disqualified it. Had it been eligible, it would have placed 18th in the poll. You can vote for it again in 2002.