Before the Towers fell on September 11^th, 2001 was a strange year for me and one that changed my life. Along with those changes were some incredible movies that helped me through the hard times and made me confident as I made big changes and liberated myself.

I will write more about my relationship to the movies in an essay later this week, but here are the ten best films of 2001 Keep in mind that this was originally written on the last day of December, 2001:

1. Moulin Rouge!: Baz Luhrmann’s razzle-dazzle pop-punk musical celebration is one of those spectacles that make me thankful for the movies. Very few films make me want to jump and dance in my seat, to sing along and join the fun. This one not only did that, but it also featured some of the most incredible performances in Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo, Richard Roxburgh and the uncanny Jim Broadbent, who should have gotten an Oscar for his performance. And while the use of pop songs might seem trite, they are given weight and gravitas by solid acting and writing.
2. Shrek: Animated films are usually too cute for their own good. Shrek takes them down a peg and tells a fractured fairy tale that really makes you appreciate the most unlikely characters. With a combination of rapid-fire comedy and amazing animation, Shrek creates a world we can both believe in and yet goes beyond our imagination.
3. Memento: There will never be another Memento for as long as there is cinema. Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece of memory and rage breaks all the rules of storytelling and puts them back together with sheer will. Guy Pierce is intense and captivating as a man whose short-term memory is destroyed and whose resolve to find and punish his wife’s killer is infinite. While the story is told backwards, showing the ending and working our way to the beginning, you could have done it the other way around and it still be just as impressive.
4. Mulholland Drive: I will never figure this movie out. And I don’t think David Lynch knows what really happened himself. But I love looking over the pieces and seeing the different patterns each time I watch it. Naomi Watts and Laura Herring are absolutely spellbinding. But the real star is Lynch who has found his stride in a career of missteps.
5. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Peter ersonName w:st="on">JackersonName>son’s grand epic starts off with such majesty that one could be excused of drooling over the production details and immense storytelling. David Lean eat your heart out as J.R.R. Tolkien’s first chapter only sets up for more excitement to come in the next two entries of this beloved trilogy. Give Ian McKellan the Oscar, already!
6. In The Bedroom: Speaking of Oscars, what about Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Specek? How they alone elevate this compelling film about loss and revenge to a new level. Todd Field knows how to allow actors to open their characters up with time and understanding. Some might consider this film slow. It’s more like a frog in a pot of water, slowing letting the heat turn up.
7. Monster’s Ball: Normally I couldn’t see someone like Halle Berry with a guy like Billy Bob Thornton. And yet Monster’s Ball made us believe their characters need each other when senseless deaths bring them together. In any lesser film, the contrivance would be laughable. But in this context, with these actors, I can understand their motives and how they come to be.
8. A Beautiful Mind: I thought I had this movie figured out until Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman sucker-punched me when I wasn’t looking. Add into the fray amazing performances from Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, and Ed Harris.
9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: I’m a sucker for Potter, the wizarding world, and Chris Columbus’ magical adaptation of the first novel. Might it be lightweight? Definitely, but actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson prove to be resilient and capable of being charming and yet strong. And that was a pretty darn fun game of Quidditch.
10. Monsters Inc.: Pixar is at it again with Monsters, Inc. This delightfully sweet and funny film really tugs at the imagination. The voice-acting is above par with Billy Crystal and John Goodman leading the band. But the real hero is Pete Docter whose beautiful visualization almost gives Shrek a run for it’s money. Almost.