Has a year gone by all ready? Its difficult to believe (or maybe we're just getting old), but yes sir, it certainly has. Which can only mean that it's time for another round up review of the year! And if you agree or disagree with our choices, click here to tell us on our forums now!
FILMS OF THE YEAR
1) Donnie Darko – More refreshing than any other film released this year, Donnie Darko's a whole mix of genres, a surreal yet somehow all too realistic trip that really hits the right notes - and how.
2) The Royal Tenenbaums - Incredibly smart, witty and intelligent comedy circling around a dysfunctional family which has never really recovered from the father leaving - Gene Hackman turned in a career best performance and the soundtrack is to die for.
3) Mullholland Drive - Perhaps not Lynch's finest, but certainly one of the best of this and indeed any year...
5) Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too) - Sexy, fun, realistic yet enjoyable, and beautifully shot.
6) 28 Days Later - Stark, brutal, shocking - all the things that horror movies always should be sadly often aren't. Its a little flawed, but the denouement is superb, and there's enough blood and gore to satisfy even the most ardent fan of this genre.
7) Betty Fisher and Other Stories - Proving yet again that average books can make great films, Claude Miller has taken a dullish Ruth Rendell thriller and turned it into something truly special.
8) The Eye - Beautifully suspenseful post sixth sense thriller in which a woman who has just had her sight restored slowly realises that she can see the undead.
9) Scooby Doo - No, no I'm not kidding. It's everything a summer blockbuster should be - huge dumb fun that makes you leave the cinema broadly smiling.
10) About A Boy - Simply a great romantic comedy, and Hugh Grant finally proves that yes, he can act, too.
And those films which almost made the list: 8 Femmes , Lawless Heart, Dog Soldiers, 24 Hour Party People.
Worst of the Year: My Big Fat Greek Wedding - Possibly the most trivial, predictable and unfunny romantic comedy ever made - avoid it like you would a machine gun wielding lunatic; Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones - Lucas screws up yet again - its a little better than the Phantom Menace, but only because of that Yoda fight scene - the rest is painful, indulgent rubbish and the romantic sublplot is unforgivably badly written; Ali G Indahouse - sheesh what the hell is Martin Freeman doing in this? Really poor comedy with the occasional good gag but so many utterly painful ones too.
Alex Finch.
1) About a Boy - Good book, great movie. In a year of blockbusters, a film with proper characters, genuine wit and an endearing story really stood out.
2) Mulholland Drive - Lynch on top form + some lipstick lesbians = fantastic.
3) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Not up to the standard of its predecessor, but pretty damn fine all the same.
4) Dog Soldiers - British horror movie that compares with the greats of the Hammer Horror era.
5) Red Dragon - Hannibal Lecter on top form. Don't believe anyone that says Manhunter is better.
6) Die Another Day - Not the best Bond, but Toby Stephens is a fine villain.
7) Scooby Doo - light-hearted, funny, much better than it had any right to be.
8) Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones - A bit crap, but Christopher Lee is excellent so we'll let Lucas off this time.
9) Monsters, Inc - Not too much here for grown-ups, but generally good fun.
10) From Hell - Doesn't get anywhere near the genius of the graphic novel, but okay anyway as a Ripper movie.
As ever, there are several notable omissions due to having to pay to see movies. I couldn't be bothered with Harry Potter or Spiderman, never got round to Insomnia, 28 Days Later or Signs. I don't live anywhere near an arthouse cinema so anything French or Indy was pretty much out. Wild horses wouldn't have dragged me into Austin Powers 3.
Chris Denton.
1) Insomnia - Classy psychological thriller with Al Pacino at his edgiest. Lush cinematography too kept me on the edge of my seat for this one. Could have been accused by some as being a tad formulaic, but the classy cast helped it rise above that, not least of all Robin Williams cast against type as a murderous loner. And George Clooney produced it don't ya know.
2) Oceans Eleven. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon and for the boys Julia Roberts. What more can I say. This Steven Soderbergh remake of the fifties rat pack classic was slick and vastly entertaining. The pace was sharp, the wry humour carried off by George and Brad perfectly and it looked great!
3) The Royal Tenembaums. Mental family headed by a fantastic Gene Hackman. Plus it had Luke Wilson in it. Bonus
4) The Sum of All Fears. Normally I ain't one for these Tom Clancy adaptations. But the combination of Morgan Freeman (top character actor) and Ben Affleck (phwoar) encouraged me to go see this surprisingly intelligent thriller.
Izzy Brooks.
1) Mullholland Drive - The most powerful and mesmeric cinematic experience, not just of this year but the last five years. Masterpiece!.
2) Donnie Darko - A shoe-in for the top spot on any other year, this is be the most ambitious and original American Indie film in recent memory.
3) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - No-one could have predicted quite what Peter Jackson has managed to achieve so far in this series, Two Towers continues the adventure in spectacular fashion. Three hours of pure escapism.
4) Talk to Her - Exquisite comedy-drama from the master craftsman of Spanish cinema.
5) The Eye - Japan continues to emerge as a major force in the horror genre, atmospheric and genuinely frightening, The Eye picks up where 'Audition' and 'Ring' left off.
6) Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too) - Beautifully crafted Mexican road movie that has everything, comedy, tragedy and a lot of heart.
7) The Royal Tenenbaums - Perfectly subtle and intelligent. Character comedy at it's finest.
8) Sex and Lucia - Superb fantasy drama from another of Spain’s' leading talents.
9) Insomnia - Pacino on top form in this thoroughly enjoyable thriller from Christopher Nolan.
10) Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones - At the risk of ridicule I feel I must include Lucas' latest Star Wars installment. Despite it's all too obvious flaws and acting displays that wouldn't be out of place on the Neighbours set, this remains a hugely enjoyable experience.
Also-rans - From Hell, 28 Days Later, Dog Soldiers, Monsters Inc, In The Bedroom.
Sam Groombridge.
1) Six Feet Under - I've yet to see the second series due to recently becoming Sky-less, but the first was, after a worryingly downbeat beginning, innovative, cleverly amusing and very well acted material.
2) The Office - That all too rare thing - a second series that was even better than it's first. Sure, I'm still sulking because Tim didnt end up with Dawn, but bar that it was pretty flawless - and the Brent dance has already deservedly gone down in to comedy history.
4) Buffy - Once More With Feeling - Whilst this may have not been the best year for Miss Somers and co, Once More With Feeling (or the musical episode as most know it by) was simply outstanding. Hilarious in places, touching in others, all of the songs are worthy of learning and singing drunkenly on the walk back from the pub. We demand a Broadway version of it now!
5) Alias - A little patchy in places, but mostly this spy thriller came through with the goods. And mmmm Jennifer Garner.
6) When Louis Met...Max Clifford - Whilst many of his subjects in this series were too dull to be worthy of coverage, Clifford proved to be a fascinatingly bizarre man, and this insight in to the world of pr was a must see in a year of dodgy tv.
7) Big Brother 3 - The most mundane year yet, with everyone far too aware of the camera's, but in a very poor Summer this at least provided some entertainment.
8) I'm Alan Partridge - Its second series was far far patchier than the first, but there were just enough great moments for it to make the list. But no more now please.
9) Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment - There's just something about Gorman's childlike exuburance that makes whatever he does appealing. Not consistently funny, but its a nice idea and was well executed.
10) Rescue Me - Far far more fun than Smack The Pony, this saw Sally Phillips do the dramatic thang with aplomb and whilst not anything particuarly special, it makes the top 10 simply because there's been very little of interest on this year.
Alex Finch.
relationship in one season. The key epsiodes being the opening episode where a school bus get up-ended killing the relatives of some inmates and the subsequent rammifications; the 'Variety' episode, which had several cast members singing Todd Rundgren, Tori Amos, and a few other artists, and the final episode which closed a few storylines, opened some new ones, and put some the progression of some inmates back to square one. What has never been in question, is the standard of writing and acting. It is a great show, and the final season looks set to keep the trend going.
2) The Book Group - The under-rated success of the year. What I largely suspected was just a filler after the end of Black Books (which was in itself good but not as good as series one), to my surprise turned out to be a hybrid of variety of
styles; the opening episode was perceived to be a sit-com, but then became more of a comedy drama, then moved into a farce with dream sequences, a created some really intriguing storylines, like Janice having an affair with a writer, despite fellow Book Group member Rab having an affair with her husband Jackie, the 'who'll get Kenny' relationship between Dirka,
Fist, and Clare. The removal of Barney, and the introduction of Lachlan proved to be a twist, and the ending was quite a surprise. Hopefully a second series is on the way.
3) Auf Wiedersen, Pet - The hype does not always pay off when a show returns; last year's Only fools and Horses is a prime example, but the return of the Magnificant Seven proved to be a highlight of the past year due to some great performances
from Tim Healy, Christopher Fairbank, and notably Jimmy Nail, who provided the catalyst in the first episode, when it looked after the first 5-10 minutes like it would be slow going. Pat Roach, Kevin Whately, Timothy Spall, and newcomer Noel Clarke all gave great performances; but it was Healy, Fairbank, and Nail that were predominantly responsible for the belly-laughs, and there were plenty of those.
4) Phoenix Nights - The same here applies as with Auf Wiedersen, Pet. Peter Kay's comedy drama generated belly-laughs by the bucket load. It is not a sophisticated comedy like the Book Group, but it is funny in every sense of the word. Peter Kay and Dave Spikey's rapport was brilliant to watch at times, and the formula for the show is one of a classic Northern humour style show like Dinnerladies, but more obvious. Key moments have to be when they appeared on Crimetime, The Quiz night, and The Stars in their Eyes catastrophe. The majority of the shows were even better than the first series, and the auditioning acts continued the trend started by the hopeless juggler in series one. The most memorable auditioner was the woman who fired
balls out of, let's just say, it rhymes with fur hunt!
5) The Office - Brilliant second season to follow the Excellent first. Stars of the Show as always were Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, and Mackenzie Crook, who by a mile had the best lines of this series. As usual the jokes are close to the bone, and Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have found a medium which can explore those without anyone thinking they are too tasteless. I liked the way the season ended, and perhaps leaving it open-ended may be the best thing for it.
Craig Aston.
1) The Hound of the Baskervilles - Astonishingly well done version of the Sherlock Holmes classic.
2) Strange - British Fantasy Horror TV show? What's going on, I don't understand???
3) The Office - A duff ending, but five really good episodes before it.
4) Cruise of the Gods - Enjoyable comedy. The "Sherlock Holmes in Miami" spoof provided the best laughs.
5) Tipping the Velvet - Lipstick lesbians on the small screen. Thank you, BBC!
6) Have I Got News For You - This show was great before Angus got sacked for no reason. The guest presenters all suck. Bring back Deayton immediately.
7) Buffy & Angel. A bit like Strange, only higher budget, better acted and 44 episodes instead of 1. Does have an annoying kid called Dawn in it,though.
8) Liquid News - Survived the tragic death of its main presenter to continue as a likeably ironic celebrity roundup.
9) Phoenix Nights - Not nearly as dry as its supposed to be.
10) The Truth About Lesbian Sex - Okay, this was actually crap, but had the best title of any programme ever.
Not much of a year for the small screen, in truth, with the Beeb wiping the floor with all comers. This was mostly down to ITV being shit and Channel 4 appointing the world's biggest twat as their new boss.
Chris Denton.
1) The Office S2 and Alan Partidge. The funniest British comedy's ever? That will be controversial with Fawlty Towers fans!! But seriously it made me laugh when not much else did and Martin Freeman (Tim) should have picked up an award for his facial expressions alone. As for Alan P. Not a day goes by when I am not uttering one of his sure to become legendary exclamations! Cashback!
2) ER - Slick, glossy and compelling viewing at times. I still say the yanks do this sort of thing best. Casualty seems like drama at snails pace compared to this. Ok there were no dramatic and violent deaths of young pretty staff to make me blubber this season. But tissues were needed when Anthony Edwards (Dr Mark Greene) finally bowed out due to a rather untimely brain tumour. The end of an era? I'll say.
3)The X-Files - Bowed out of our small screens for good this year in a double parter that rather than resolving all the issues it was supposed to, left me more confused than ever. Still we did get to see Mulder and Scully finally having a proper snog and cigarette smoking man blown to smithereens. If like me you have been following it right from the very start back in the early ninties you will know that this is all we wanted to see really.
Izzy Brooks.
1) Queens of the Stone Age: Songs for the Deaf - Put simply, it was the most complete rock record of the last 5 years, let alone this year. The best concept album since OK computer. new members added pace, intensity, and cohesion. The inclusion of their first ballad 'Mosquito song' also proved to be a masterstroke, and emphasised that no genre is better than any other, there is just good music.
3) Cousteau: Sirena - The follow-up to their wonderfully sombre eponymous debut in 1998, this maintained a stance of lounge-lizard blues, but hit more positive notes in parts with the brassy "Talking to myself", "(Damn these) Hungry Times", but the best tracks were "After the Fall", "Please Don't Cry", and the beautiful "Have you seen her", which was engrossed in wonderfully evocative strings, and was the real hihglight of the album.
4) Elvis Costello: When I was Cruel - A great return to punk form here, with Elvis moving back to simpler times, and some greatly crafted lyrics in "45", "Tear off your own head", and "Tart" among others, but the title track proved to be the jewel, with its dark overtones, the sampled 'un' occasionally seeking attention, and a wonderful verse attacking journalism hacks which knocked spots of Mr. Writer's attempt.
5) Electric Soft Parade: Holes in the Wall - Not a classsic, not an album to redefine the music industry, not an original album by any means, but a consistently good brit-pop album, and gives the Brothers White plenty of scope to expand. Clear influences of Boo Radleys, early Ash and possibly the Doors, judging by the extended version of "Silent to the Dark", which at least gave guitar pop some hope after the Spice girls mercilessly killed off the Brit-pop era, and heralded the influx of well-marketed bands we see today.
Craig Aston.
2) Doves: The Last Broadcast - So much better than Lost Souls, this proved they're a fantastic band amd pme to watch.
3) The Delgado's: HATE - A little too similar to The Great Eastern maybe, but who really cares? They're one of the best bands around at the moment, and should be caught live as soon as you possibly can.
4) The Hives: Your Favourite New Band - So yeah, theyre not the most original band in the world, but these two minute slices of punk pop were just so fun that they should be played on every stereo on every New Year's Eve.
5) Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Okay, fine they maybe a little sub-Radiohead, but that isnt reason enough to write them off. With more interesting lyrics this time around, there's nothing immediately as chart friendly as Yellow, but most of the album is more than worthy of repeated listenings.
Alex Finch.
1) Haven: Between The Senses - Top notch indie rock from scowling Mancunians. Buy it instead of Oasis - it's better.
2) Leaves: Breathe - Swooping and sweeping is this lush production from the Icelandic group. Alternating between racy bouncy indie pop and meloncholy ballads, it's my album of the year.
3) McAlmont and Butler: Bring it Back - The unlikely pair do Motown but for the millenium. More catchy tunes that will make your mouth water more than a packet of Starbursts and yes Bernard Butler is one of the greatest guitarists around.
4) Doves: The Last Broadcast - From the eerie cover to the tolling bell intro, Doves second album is slick and listenable all the way through over and over again.
5) Lemon Jelly: Lost Horizons - If you like groovy artwork then buy it for the cover, if you like ambient fun tunes then by it for the content. I bought it for both.
Izzy Brooks.
1) The Flaming Lips: Do You Realize? - Simplistic beauty and oh so touching. Easily the track I've played the most this year.
2) Doves: Pounding - The finest song they've yet written.
3) The White Stripes: Fell In Love With A Girl - Simply impossible not to adore.
4) The Polyphonic Spree: Hanging Around - Maybe a little too Mercury Rev-y but since when's that been a bad thing?
6) Mull Historical Society: Watching Xandu - Their poppiest moment yet - & I cant wait for the new album this year.
7) McAlmont and Butler: Falling - Thank God they're back together and still proving that pop can be done well if you just try.
8) Ash: Envy - A real return to form. Just like they were back in the mid-nineties. Bless.
9) Super Furry Animals: It's Not The End Of The World - And if it were, well this is the tune I'd like to go out listening too.
10) Cornershop: Lessons Learned From Rocky I to Rocky III - Proving that funk's not dead, and not always a bad thing as well!
Alex Finch.
2) Leaves: Catch - Catchy!
3) McAlmont and Butler: Falling - This decades Yes.
4) Ash: Envy - Indie pop at it's best.
5) Idlewild: American English. Roddy goes mellow and tuneful.
Izzy Brooks.
2) Cornershop - Lessons Learned From Rocky I To Rocky III
3) McAlmont and Butler - Falling
4) Supergrass - Never Done Nothing LikeThat Before
5) Red Hot Chilli Peppers - The Zephyr Song.
Craig Aston.
Feel like reminiscing about 2001? Then just click here for The 2001 Review.
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