Al's Top Rated Films: 2000

Spectacular tripped-out drug-infested psychological drama from Darren Aronofsky set in New York, and follows a few tragedy-stricken storylines. The first is a retired widow and lonely TV addict named Sara Goldfarb who struggles with depression, weight-loss medication abuse, psychologically unrealistic dreams of appearing on television, and hopelessly making a connection with her junkie drug-dealing son Harry. Meanwhile, Harry falls deeply in love with his drug-dependent girlfriend and fashion designer Marion, and has aspirations of making it big in the heroin game with his best friend and business partner Tyrone. The film happily starts out in the summer with Harry and Tyrone cashing in big on their heroin plans, while Harry and Marion make plans for a happy future. Sara gets a phone call with information that she’s been chosen to appear on her favorite TV game show, and subsequently goes on a dangerously restrictive diet that involves the misuse of diet pills. When winter approaches, all of their dreams, hopes, and aspirations come crashing down in the most disastrously fashion. Outstandingly powerful story with extraordinary cinematography, production design, editing, sound/visual effects, and direction throughout. The dialogue was superb, and the entire cast delivered the goods. The soundtrack/score from Clint Mansell was also perfectly fitting. Ellen Burstyn delivered the most memorable and powerful Oscar-nominated lead performance of her career, and delivered one of the greatest characters in the history of cinema as Sara Goldfarb. Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, and Jennifer Connelly also arguably deliver the best starring roles of their careers, and all had excellent interaction together. Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Keith David, Suzanne Shepherd, Mark Margolis, Sean Gullette, Peter Maloney, and others also have excellent supporting roles.

Outstanding and masterfully done survival adventure from Robert Zemeckis set in December 1995, and follows a dedicated and skilled FedEx systems analyst named Chuck Noland who’s urgently sent to Malaysia to resolve a problem over the Christmas season. While flying over the Pacific Ocean during a brutal storm, the cargo plane crashes near an unknown deserted island and leaves him as the only surviver. He sorrowfully and fearfully works to make shelter, build a fire, and do everything he must do to survive as he quickly begins to realize a rescue vessel may never arrive, seeing how we later find out the estimated search area for his whereabouts is 500,000 square miles. The only thing keeping him alive is the memory and thoughts of his loving girlfriend Kelly Frears and a volleyball he speaks too and has conversations with. After 4 years of lonely survival pass, he decides he must escape the island to reunite with Kelly even if it means his own death. Fantastic and powerfully done story all around with gorgeous cinematography and production design. Tom Hanks arguably delivers his all-time best Oscar-nominated lead performance of his career, and drove the movie beautifully while taking up almost all of the screen time. Helen Hunt also delivered one of her best emotion-filled starring roles. Nick Searcy, Michael Forest, Viveka Davis, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Hysterical and brilliantly crafted comedy/mockumentary from Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, that follows several extremely eccentric dog owners, dog trainers, and their favorite furry friends as they all simultaneously travel to attend and enter their dogs into the heralded Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Shot in documentary fashion, the story digs deep into the unconventional minds of folks that are completely obsessed with their dogs, and others that are crazed with winning the coveted blue ribbon and reaching fame through their perfectly bred dogs. Aside from the dog owners and trainers themselves, every character and profession involved with getting the show organized is presented in perfect comedic fashion. This is easily the best film I’ve ever seen of its kind. Not only is it my favorite mockumentary I’ve ever seen, it’s also my favorite dog movie of all time. The writing and comedy is absolutely brilliantly crafted, and they absolutely nailed the style of satire they are shooting for. The casting is unbelievably perfect. Every actor seems to identify perfectly with each of their eccentrically unique characters, and everyone brings their A-game to the table (small roles included). Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael Hitchcock, Parker Posey, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, and Jennifer Coolidge all deliver fantastic starring roles. They are all so good, that I’m tempted to say they are my career-favorite roles from every star in the cast. Fred Willard, Jim Piddock, Ed Begley Jr., Bob Balaban, Don Lake, Larry Miller, Linda Kash, Will Sasso, Patrick Cranshaw, Malcolm Stewart, Steven M. Porter, and others also had excellent supporting roles.

Severely underrated and hysterical comedy from Bobby & Peter Farrelly (The Farrelly Brothers). The story follows a wholesomely dedicated Rhode Island state trooper named Charlie Baileygates who has three extremely intelligent black sons that he accepts and loves after his wife clearly cheated on him with their black limo driver on the day of their wedding. Since they live in a small town, all the townspeople talk about Charlie behind his back and have no respect for him. When his wife leaves him and the kids and runs off with the limo driver, Charlie’s immediately struck with a psychological disorder over the pain it causes, and is eventually diagnosed with multiple personalities after wreaking havoc on some local townspeople. As the disorder takes hold, sometimes “Charlie” is in charge, and sometimes "Hank" is in charge; which proves to be a hysterical challenge when he's tasked to protect a wrongly-accused prisoner named Irene, who's on the run from her criminal ex-boyfriend, his associates, and crooked cops. This is one of Jim Carey’s most underrated lead performances, and ranks as one of my personal favorites. Renée Zellweger also delivered a fantastic starring role, and shared great chemistry with Carey. Anthony Anderson, Mongo Brownlee, and Jerod Mixon were all absolutely hilarious as the kids. Robert Forster was great as Colonel Partington. Tony Cox had a short, but hilarious cameo. Chris Cooper and Richard Jenkins played great antagonists. Traylor Howard, Michael Bowman, Steve Sweeney, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent sports drama and biography set in the summer of 1971, and follows newly appointed African-American head coach Herman Boone of the newly desegregated T. C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, Virginia. Since most schools in Virginia were segregated at the time, having a mix of black and white players/coaches on a single team was very controversial, and causes turmoil among intolerant folks. Boone faces a great challenge to lead the team to victory as the school board is looking for any reason to replace him with their past white veteran head coach Bill Yoast, and too also to bring pride to the black community. This is one of the very best football films I’ve ever seen. The story was excellent, along with the action, drama, and casting. While most Disney sports films are similarly templated, this is one of the best, and changes up the formula just enough to make it more interesting. Denzel Washington delivered an excellent lead performance, and Will Patton also had a great starring role. But at the end of the day, it's all the young actors that really brings this film full circle. Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Faison, Ethan Suplee, Ryan Gosling, Kip Pardue, Hayden Panettiere, Nicole Ari Parker, Earl Poitier, Burgess Jenkins, and others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious crime comedy from Guy Ritchie set in the London criminal underworld, and follows an unlicensed boxing promoter named Turkish and his friend Tommy who become involved in a the world of fixed fights under the umbrella of a notorious crime boss named Brick Top. They come across a bare-knuckle boxing champion named Mickey O'Neil who knocks out their fighter Gorgeous George, and then try to convince Mickey to fight for them and take falls if they need him too. Meanwhile, an 86-carat diamond going missing after a gang of thieves steals them in Antwerp, which follows gang leader Franky Four-Fingers on his way to sell the diamonds. But other plans are made to steal the diamond from Franky, which inventively blends the two correlating stories into a crazed plot-twist of an ending. Excellent story with superb direction to match, with lots of great comedy, action, and a ton of twists and turns that pays off nicely in the end. The unique personalities of each character/actor is really the highlight of the film. I'd recommend watching this film with captions on considering the regional Irish and European accents are difficult to understand (if that's a problem for you). It makes it much easier to follow, and I caught a ton of jokes I would not have normally picked up on. Jason Statham, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, and Rade Serbedzija all had excellent lead performances. Stephen Graham, Alan Ford, Robbie Gee, Sam Douglas, Jason Flemyng, Ewen Bremner, Lennie James, Mike Reid, Ade, Adam Fogerty, Goldie, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent dark comedy/psychological crime drama/horror/thriller from Mary Harron set in 1987, and follows a narcissistic 27-year-old New York City investment banking executive named Patrick Bateman who seemingly has a great life—good looks, intelligence, great career, and lots of money. However, something much more serious is happening behind the scenes as he delves deeper into an uncontrollable fantasy of horrifically violent murder. His fantasy soon becomes reality when he viciously murders a colleague he detests named Paul Allen. That single-handedly sets off a chain of crazed and murderous events as he psychologically breaks down from the horror he creates in himself. Super entertaining and cleverly crafted story all around, with hilarious dark comedy that plays nicely with the impact of the horror. It’s also great satire concerning the superficiality of 1980s Wall Street society. Christian Bale undoubtedly delivers one of his finest lead performances, and is hilariously terrifying as his egomaniacal personality unfolds. Reese Witherspoon, Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Cara Seymour, Matt Ross, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, and Krista Sutton all had nice roles among a great supporting cast.

Fantastic legal drama and biography from Steven Soderbergh set in the small California town of Hinkley in 1993, and follows the life of an unemployed single mother of three children named Erin Brockovich, who falls on hard times after getting in a car accident and losing a court-case to compensate her injuries. Since her lawyer Ed Masry let her down, she finagles her way into a job as a legal assistant at his law office when he takes pity on her unfortunate circumstances. She’s quickly given a task involving a real estate case concerning Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and starts to dig deep into an investigation that links their company to water pollution that’s poisoning local residents the area, while they simultaneously work to keep it a secret from the public. Fantastic Oscar-nominated screenplay from Susannah Grant and matching Oscar-nominated direction from Steven Soderbergh. Julia Roberts arguably delivers her all-time best Oscar-winning lead performance, and plays the strong single mother turned activist role to perfection. Albert Finney also delivered an excellent Oscar-nominated starring role. Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger, Conchata Ferrell, T.J. Thyne, Veanne Cox, Peter Coyote, Jamie Harrold, Michael Harney, Cherry Jones, Tracey Walter, Gina Gallego, Pat Skipper, Scotty Leavenworth, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent mystery/thriller from M. Night Shyamalan that follows a security guard named David Dunn who’s traveling back home to Philadelphia after going to a job interview in New York. After feeling a fearful premonition about the train unsafely speeding up, he wakes up in a hospital several hours later and learns that the train horrifically crashed and killed all 131 passengers on board, while he was left completely unharmed. David is bewildered by the events along with his curious son and dispirited wife, and things get even more puzzling when a mysterious disabled man named Elijah Price has mind-bending insight into David’s gift of defying death and seeing people’s past lives. Great story all around with fantastic cinematography and use of inventive angles, reflections, and plenty of effectively done long takes. It also really pays off with a great ending as well. Bruce Willis delivers one of his best lead performances, and Samuel L. Jackson also had a fantastic starring role. Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard, Eamonn Walker, Johnny Hiram Jamison, Chance Kelly, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent crime drama/thriller from Ben Younger set in New York City, and follows a clever and ambitious 19-year-old college dropout named Seth Davis who makes a good living by running an illegal casino out of his apartment. While he has a seemingly good life, he can’t get over the fact that he’s a disappointment to his father who doesn’t approve of the way he’s gone on to live life. With ambitions to make serious money and make his father proud, he takes a legitimate opportunity as a trainee stock broker at a small time brokerage firm named J. T. Marlin. As he dives deeper into the world of cut-throat high pressure stock sales and becomes exceedingly excellent at his job, he realizes the company is taking illegitimate, illegal, and deceitful avenues in the way they practice business, which places Seth’s future at serious risk and further complicates his faltering relationship with his father. Excellent story all around with a great writing/dialogue and an excellent cast. Giovanni Ribisi arguably delivers his all-time best lead performance, and is my personal favorite role of his. Nia Long, Vin Diesel, Nicky Katt, Scott Caan, Tom Everett Scott, Ron Rifkin, Ben Affleck, Jamie Kennedy, Taylor Nichols, Bill Sage, Peter Maloney, and many others also had very nice supporting roles.

Fantastic political drama/thriller from Rod Lurie that follows Democratic U.S. President Jackson Evans during his second term in office, who must choose a new Vice President after the untimely death of his current Vice President. The beloved Virginia Governor Jack Hathaway is the most likely pick for the position, but Evans wants to change history and elect a woman, and has his sights set on the beautiful and progressive Ohio Senator Laine Hanson. However, conservative Republican Congressman Shelly Runyon doesn't like Hanson, and initiates a private investigation that creates a smear campaign against her for participating in wild sexual endeavors when she was in college at the age of 19. The pressure builds to a boiling point that threatens Hanson's personal life, career, and the entire presidential administration she represents. Thrilling and very entertaining legal drama all around with great dialogue and a superb cast. Joan Allen arguably delivers her all-time best Oscar-nominated lead performance, which ranks as my personal favorite in her filmography. Jeff Bridges (also Oscar-nominated for best supporting role) and Gary Oldman also had fantastic starring roles. Sam Elliott, Christian Slater, William Petersen, Saul Rubinek, Philip Baker Hall, Mike Binder, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent and epic action-packed adventure from Ridley Scott set in 180 A.D. Rome, and follows a beloved Roman general named Maximus Decimus Meridius who demands vengeance against a deceitful emperor named Commodus after he murders his family and forces him to fight in deadly gladiator battles as a slave until the day that he dies. He’s broken down by the pain of loss and physical torture, but his burning vengeance against Commodus keeps him fighting to be the best gladiator in the bunch as his popularity among the public spikes and places more tension on his oppressors. Great historical adventure with an awe-inspiring award winning production in every respect. It’s unsurprising that it won 5 Oscars (including best picture of the year) and was nominated for 7 others, with how grand a well-done every element is presented. Russell Crowe delivered one of his best and most iconic Oscar-winning lead performances of his career as Maximus, and Joaquin Phoenix matched his excellent with a fantastic Oscar-nominated starring role of his own as Commodus. Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris, Tomas Arana, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Spencer Treat Clark, Ralf Moeller, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, David Hemmings, Tommy Flanagan, and others also had great supporting roles.

Exceptional coming-of-age music-inspired comedy drama/adventure from Cameron Crowe set in 1973, and follows a San Diego based 15-year-old high school student, social outcast, and aspiring music journalist named William Miller. His love for music ends up landing him a job interviewing a talented new band named Stillwater. Leaving a worried mother behind, William hits the road and heads out on tour with the band and their excitable bunch of beautiful and fun-loving groupies, and witnesses the behind-the-scenes excitement and downfalls that the rock 'n' roll life has to offer. There is plenty of drama along the way, which stands as the most eye-opening experience of young William’s life. Excellent Oscar-winning screenplay and matching direction from Cameron Crowe, and a great production overall. Patrick Fugit delivered an excellent performance as the young reporter, William Miller. Kate Hudson (Oscar-nominated), Billy Crudup, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Frances McDormand (Oscar-nominated), Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Angarano, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent war drama from Joel Schumacher set in 1971 when the United States was losing the Vietnam War, and follows Texas-native Private Roland Bozz being sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for 8 weeks of intense training before they are thrusted into horrifying battle. Bozz is very opposed to the war, disrespects authority, and makes enemies (and allies) with others in his unit. He ends up befriending a dedicated soldier named Jim Paxton, which mentally helps them both along the way as they fight through the horrors of their training. This is one of the best Vietnam films I have ever seen. The bleakly gray earth toned color pallet, intense camera work, dialogue, and fantastic casting really makes this one shine. It really exemplifies the horrors of the Vietnam War. Colin Farrell delivers a fantastic lead performance. Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins Jr., and Shea Whigham also had great starring roles. Tom Guiry, Russell Richardson, Nick Searcy, James MacDonald, Michael Shannon, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious, powerful, and highly controversial Spike Lee joint that follows an eccentric black television writer named Pierre Delacroix, who can't stand his racist boss who's pressing him and all the other writers to create a controversial and offensive new program to up their ratings, which are the lowest they've ever been. Pierre gets the idea to pitch an extremely offensive and racist modern day blackface minstrel show in hopes that it will fail, he'll be fired, and legally be released from his contract. However, his boss loves the idea, and with the help with a couple of easily manipulated tap dancing street entertainers, the show becomes a nationwide hit, and praised for its artistic value. But sooner or later they will have to face the horrifying shockwave of consequences that come with their reckless actions. The film raises several social messages as it entertains viewers on its way to a powerful and dramatic conclusion. It's arguably Spike Lee's most unapologetically controversial film. Damon Wayans and Jada Pinkett Smith both delivered excellent lead performances. Savion Glover, Tommy Davidson, and Michael Rapaport also had great starring roles. Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Paul Mooney, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), and many others also had great supporting roles.

Very nice mystery/thriller from Christopher Nolan that follows a man who's no longer able to build new memories after injuring his head when intervening with his wife's murder. And now he's on a mission to track down the murderer. The forward moving story is cleverly intertwined with the same story moving backwards in time, which keeps it mysterious throughout. Nolan's films aren't can be challenging to follow and dissect, but it is very well done throughout. Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, and several others have great performances.

Powerful political drama/thriller from Stephen Frears and Martin Pasetta set in the 1960s during the Cold War, at a time when when computers could have more complex power than humans could control. Great story about how a technical communication malfunction occurs, and sends irreversible orders to American pilots to drop nuclear bombs over Moscow. This is a remake of Sidney Lumet's classic 1964 film of the same name, but takes a vastly different approach than the original. It was the first live feature-length program to be broadcast live on CBs in 40 years. Knowing that, the film is extremely well done and acted superbly throughout. And it's no surprise to won two Primetime Emmys for the production design. The fantastic cast is what really drew me to this film, and none of them disappoint. Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Dennehy, and Harvey Keitel all delivered excellent starring roles. Noah Wyle, Sam Elliott, James Cromwell, John Diehl, Hank Azaria, Norman Lloyd, Bill Smitrovich, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, and others had also had great supporting roles.

Excellent and thrilling adventure from Clint Eastwood that follows four U.S. Air Force veterans and aspiring astronauts who worked together in 1958. Pilots Frank Corvin and the fearless William "Hawk" Hawkins have butted heads for years, while designer Jerry O'Neill and navigator "Tank" Sullivan help keep their team in check. However, they never did get their chance to go into space. Now the year is 2000, and NASA is working with the Russian government to rescue a Russian satellite called IKON that's deteriorating in space and could cause a catastrophe if it crash lands on earth. This old team of has-beens have special knowledge of the satellite's outdated communications system, and they all insist they are the only ones that can do the job. Great story, great comedy, and great acting from a star-studded cast. Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner all delivered excellent lead performances. James Cromwell also had a great starring role. Marcia Gay Harden, William Devane, Courtney B. Vance, Loren Dean, Barbara Babcock, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent and very cleverly done satirical comedy drama from David Mamet that follows a Hollywood movie crew led by strict and egotistical film director named Walt Price, that's tasked with making a movie in the tiny Vermont town of Waterford after disaster struck in the previous New Hampshire town the movie was supposed to be filmed in. First-time screenwriter Joseph Turner White is stuck making demanding changes to the script while striking up an inspiring romance with a beautiful local book store owner, while the film's star Bob Barrenger puts the entire project in jeopardy when his love for young women catches results in a crazed media frenzy. Great story all around with excellent dialogue and a great cast. William H. Macy and Philip Seymour Hoffman both deliver excellent lead performances. Rebecca Pidgeon, Alec Baldwin, Clark Gregg, and David Paymer also had great starring roles. Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Stiles, Charles Durning, Patti LuPone, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent supernatural horror mystery from Sam Raimi, set in Brixton, Georgia. The story follows a fortune-teller and widowed mother of three named Annie Wilson, who frequently performs psychic readings for the local townspeople to make ends meet with the donations she takes in. Among her customers is a woman named Valerie Barksdale who is constantly being beat up by her husband Donnie, and a severely troubled auto mechanic and friend named Buddy Cole. After Donnie threatens Annie and her kids after interfering with Valerie and their marriage, a mysterious murder occurs surrounding Donnie, Buddy, and others, which sets Annie’s visions into a chaotic spin as she attempts to unravel the truth behind the horror. Excellent story all around with a nice blend of psychological thrills and mystery. The film’s eerie music score from Christopher Young also gave the production an excellent dark and gritty feel. Cate Blanchett delivered an excellent lead performance, and Giovanni Ribisi stole every scene he was in. Keanu Reeves, Greg Kinnear, Hilary Swank, J.K. Simmons, Chelcie Ross, Gary Cole, Katie Holmes, Michael Jeter, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent holiday comedy drama/romance from Brett Ratner set on Christmas Eve 1987, and follows an ambitious college graduate named Jack Campbell who’s about to board a plane for a career-building one-year internship in London. As he’s having a heartfelt goodbye with his loving girlfriend Kate, she begs him not to board the plane and requests that he stay in New York and build a happy life and family with her. He reassures her that the internship won’t affect their relationship, boards the plane, and leaves Kate heartbroken. We then fast-forward 13 years to Christmas Eve in 2000, where we find Jack living a financially successful playboy bachelor life, and is about to make the deal of a lifetime with the firm he works at. After Jack intervenes in a incident in an attempt to defuse a deadly situation with young man and a gun in a convenience store, he wakes up the next morning in bed with Kate after 13 years of marriage he never lived, along with two kids, a dog, and a modest career as a tire salesman. He soon finds out he’s seeing a “glimpse” of what life would have been like had he stayed with Kate and became a ‘family man’. Plenty of comedic and dramatic events occur as he reevaluates what’s really important in life. Underrated story with a great production, a great cast, and a very enjoyable ending. Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni both delivered excellent lead performances. Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, Saul Rubinek, Josef Sommer, Makenzie Vega, Harve Presnell, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent horror/mystery/thriller from Robert Zemeckis that follows a troubled wife named Claire Spencer, who is emotionally distressed after seeing her daughter/best friend off to college, and is also still mysteriously troubled by a near-fatal car accident she was in a year earlier. Soon after her daughter leaves for school, Claire starts to hear voices and see visions that make her believe their Vermont lakeside home is haunted. She initially thinks she sees visions of her neighbor Mary, who she believes was murdered by her husband Warren (similar to Alfred Hitchcok’s “Rear Window”). However, she later finds out she’s seeing visions of a girl who disappeared about a year ago, which correlates with psychological trauma she encountered over her dreadful car accident at the same time, and finds that her husband was mysteriously involved with the girl’s disappearance. Great mystery all around with excellent thrills and direction from Robert Zemeckis. The production was fantastic throughout, and really drove the superb suspense. Michelle Pfeiffer delivers one of her all-time best lead performances, and Harrison Ford also delivered an excellent starring role. Victoria Bidewell, Katharine Towne, Miranda Otto, James Remar, Joe Morton, Wendy Crewson, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent drama from Robert Townsend that follows a caring and loving gay black man named Holiday Heart who makes a living as an apartment complex owner and late-night drag queen singer at a popular Chicago night club. One night a young girl named Niki Dean begs Holiday to help her mother Wanda, who is being beaten up by her drug-dealing boyfriend in a nearby apartment. After getting them out of that bind, he decides to set them up in one of his apartments and give them the help they need to get back on their feet. A beautiful and complex relationship builds between the three of them, but trouble ensues when Wanda gets sucked back into a life of drugs and abusive men, while Holiday becomes the parental figure and support Niki truly needs in her life. The story is refreshing and unique in many ways, and the acting is excellent throughout. I bought the DVD because Ving Rhames and Alfre Woodard are two of my favorite actors, and they both delivered a couple of their best lead performances. Jesika Reynolds was also fantastic as Niki. Mykelti Williamson, Johnathan Wesley Wallace, Blu Mankuma, Ron Selmour, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious and underrated horror comedy/parody from the Wayans Brothers, which brilliantly spoofs popular horror thrillers “Scream” (1996) and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997). The story is set on Halloween night, and follows teen Drew Decker being attacked by a killer dressed as Ghostface (the crazed serial killer from the film “Scream”), and is killed in a bizarrely hilarious series of events. We then mainly follow high-schooler Cindy Campbell, who meets up with her half-baked friends and classmates after receiving an anonymous note that says "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST HALLOWEEN”, which refers to a man they accidentally killed one year earlier, and dumped him in a river to hide the evidence. Now they must pay for their crimes at the hands of the horrifying knife-wielding Ghostface killer, who begins to murder each of them one by one. This film is still hilarious today, and I absolutely like it more than the films they are spoofing. The comedy was excellently crafted, the story was well constructed, and all the characters are great. Anna Faris delivered a fantastic lead performance. Dave Sheridan, Jon Abrahams, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Shannon Elizabeth, and Lochlyn Munro also delivered excellent starring roles. Cheri Oteri, Rick Ducommun, Carmen Electra, Kurt Fuller, Andrea Nemeth, and Jayne Trcka had great performances among an excellent supporting cast.

Nice coming-of-age comedy drama set in Mississippi during the 1940s, and follows a introverted young boy who was gifted an incredible Jack Russell Terrier puppy on his 9th birthday, which helps him make friends, gain confidence, and move forward in life. Frankie Muniz puts on a great lead performance. Luke Wilson, Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane, Susan Carol Davis, Cody Linley, Caitlin Wachs, and others had nice roles among a solid supporting cast.