The Snubby Awards: 2001 Oscars

It's that time again: The Snubby Awards!  For those of you who don't know, the Snubby Awards take a look at all of the Best Picture nominees from a given year and determine if the best film won or if another was snubbed.  If that's the case, they win the coveted Snubby Award!



This time we'll be taking a look at the 2001 Oscars, which was a strong selection of movies.  I liked all of them and this was one of the most consistent years of nominees in terms of quality.  The nominees were: Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, and Traffic with the winner being Gladiator.  Did Gladiator deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Let's find out!


#5. Chocolat



Chocolat feels very much like a fairy tale.  It's the story of a chocolatier and her daughter who move to a small, conservative village in France and shake up the lives of the villagers.  I haven't seen Wonka yet, but this feels like a subtler version of that film.  Chocolat is a nice and sweet movie that doesn't do anything overly special, but it's a solid bar of chocolate.  I can see why a lot of people really like this movie.  It's got some great performances, especially from Alfred Molina when he has a chocolate breakdown.  It's the weakest of the nominees because I think it's the safest of the films, but it's still quite enjoyable.

 8/10: Really Good 


#4. Erin Brockovich



Erin Brockovich follows a law clerk who discovers a cluster of illnesses in a small town that seems to be caused by a nearby industrial plant and she convinces her boss to take on the company.  I've seen a few movies like Erin Brockovich where good guys take on evil corporations in the courtroom and it's a subgenre of film I really like.  The 2nd act of the movie does a great job of showing us the pain the residents of the town have gone through and Julia Roberts and Albert Finney have amazing chemistry.  I think the movie takes way too long to get interesting though and the 3rd act lacks some emotional punch, but this is still an enjoyable watch that will make you angry and make you laugh.

 8/10: Really Good


#3. Traffic





Traffic is a movie about the War on Drugs and it has a very large scope.  It follows multiple storylines and characters across Mexico, San Diego, Ohio, and Washington D.C.  This is a very ambitious film that has a lot to say.  I appreciate the multiple points of view that all lead to the conclusion that the War on Drugs is an absolute failure.  The movie has great performances from a massive cast and some very exciting sequences, with the attempted assassination on Miguel Ferrer's character being the standout.  The movie isn't the most subtle with its message or the most original movie.  And I think Sicario is a similar, but stronger movie, but Traffic is still very interesting and entertaining while also managing to get its point across.

 9/10: Great


And now for the Top 2 in no particular order!


Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon



This movie is an Americanized version of Wuxia film, which is a popular form of martial arts fiction from China.  I know this movie isn't very popular in China, but I think it's a great gateway movie to the genre for audiences that might not be familiar with it.  It's a love story, but also a story about independence.  It has some amazing fight sequences, great performances, and ultimately is just a really cool movie.  The action has aged incredibly well and it still looks amazing today.

 9/10: Great


Gladiator



The Best Picture winner follows the story of a general in the Roman Empire who is betrayed by the son of the Emperor.  He ends up becoming a slave and later a gladiator who stands up against the man who betrayed him.  Gladiator is an epic-crowd pleaser.  Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix give incredible performances.  Crowe's Maximus is just so damn likable, and Phoenix's Commodus is utterly vile and despicable.  It's an easy story to get invested in.  The action is incredible with the battles in the Coliseum being an absolute blast to watch.  I couldn't believe how gory they were, but I loved it.  It may be more of a crowd-pleaser than what usually gets nominated, but that doesn't change how effective this story is.  The crowd CGI effects have aged very poorly.  Those shots look really, really bad, but that's the only flaw I have with this movie.

 9/10: Great 


And the Snubby Award goes to...!



No one!  Gladiator was completely deserving of winning Best Picture, so no Snubby Award is given out.  It was close between Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but ultimately I was more invested in the story of Gladiator and, to me, that is the most important aspect of filmmaking.




Next time we'll be looking at the 2000 Oscars.  Did American Beauty deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Stay tuned!






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