|
PREV &
NEXT
2002: The Year In Movies The list of top grossing films of 2002 was released and I�m a little amazed at some of the things. You can see this list at http://www.usatoday.com/life/top-gross-table.htm, at least you can now before they move it. It surprised me that the horrible Disney fluff Snow Dogs got almost exactly the same amount of money as Blade II did. About $82 million. So, on that list, what did I see: 1. Spiderman: Saw it and intended to see it again. Actually, it was Aisai who wanted to see it again. I did, but didn�t have as strong feelings about it since it was easy to remember. $403 million. 2. Star Wars Episode II: Saw it in the theater, and also on an IMAX (badly). I own the DVD, but really don�t consider it that great a Star Wars movie, but compared to other movies, yeah, it�s pretty killer. Just get that soap opera out of my space opera. $310 million. 3. Lord o� The Rings: Giant, epic, wonderful. However, a few dwarf tossing jokes and a love intrest that showed up for 30 seconds keep me from saying it was better than the first (see, all things are relative). $261 million. 4. Harry Potter II: I liked it better than the first movie, which I considered too long. I think that right after I saw it, I still considered the first one better, but now that it�s aged on me a little, the �throwaways� like the car, are classic. $251 million. 6. Signs: M. Night always makes great stuff. Nuf Sed. $227 million. 10. Die Another Day: Not the best bond, but since I also recently watched the first half of that Duran Bond flick, View To A Kill, it�s pretty good compared to the others. Though I do own a convertible, and driving soaking wet at 90 mph on a glacier when it�s �20 out, now, that would hurt badly. Also, if I got diamonds embedded in my face, I�d have them removed. $154 million. 12. Lilo & Stitch: Definitely my favorite Disney movie lately. Though that llama movie gives it a good run for it�s money. I think it was because it was sci-fi helped. Oh, off topic, I missed Dagon on the scifi channel this weekend. $145 million (for Lilo, not Dagon.) 13. XXX: Vin Deisel is pretty cool in this cartoon parody of a James Bond flick. And no, it�s not animated, it�s just so over the top that it comes off like a cartoon to me. I liked it, much, in fact. And it had a great soundtrack. Adrenaline by Gavin Rossdale and Fuerer Fie (or whatever Fire at Will translates to in German) by Rammstein, good songs. $141 million. 15. Minority Report: Definitely my favorite Tom Cruise movie, even better than Far and Away. I consider this to be one of my top 5 movies of 2002. I�ve seen it twice, both times in the theater. Once on opening here in Huntsville and the second time down in the Muvico Magestic in Centro Ybor, definitely the nicest theater I�ve ever been in (even if it was all fakey theme parked and not actual real opulence). Stand out scenes: The computer was believable and standing behind the balloons. $132 million. 19. The Bourne Identity: TC recently came up to me and told me he saw this and that I was right, it was great. Yeah, I told you so. I consider this to be very similar to Ronin, as it�s set in that whole Europe place. And while I normally don�t like the wide headed main actor, who I can�t remember his name right now but he hangs out with Ben Affleck, he was great in this. Franka Potente was good, but underutilized. The standouts on this film are the unexpected brutality of it�s violence and the abity for them to sustain tension, oh, and good driving scenes. $121 million. 24. Panic Room: From the director who brought us Fight Club and Seven, a toned down, girly flick. Or, the closest to one he can make. Very dark and brutal. Ghost Dog guy is great, as usual. Jodie Foster is my favorite actress that an assassin was in love with (failed assassin?). She�s cool, in a Bridget Fonda type way. $95 million. 28. Blade II: Though I initially didn�t like it as much as the first movie, if ever there was a movie that didn�t need to be compared to it�s original, it�s Blade II. Totally different. It�s like XXX met the Blade world. Very good and, I think his name is Clancey Brown, gives it that Alien 4 feel that it needed. In fact, I get this and XXX�s scene�s confused. I�ll just have to remember that supervampires who get their head�s cut in half but keep living is this one, not the spy movie. $81 million. 43. Count of Monte Cristo: It�s like all the excellent supporting actors got together with a great script and great locations and made a pretty good flick. It�s not one that I�ll see any time soon, but it if came on TV in about three years I�d watch it again (as long as it wasn�t hacked to bits). I remember I really liked it at the time, but couldn�t tell you why. $54 million. 51. Reign of Fire: If you want to get a lot of geeks talking for hours, tell them to see this and then tell you what they would change. The more geeks you have together, the longer they�ll talk. It�s full of missed opportunities and overacting, though not as controversially bad as that Van Damme movie Time Cop (though you can get lots of milage out of picking that one apart, expecially if you have names for the three main ways that time travel is used in movies, as my friend Matt and I do). $43 million. 62. Resident Evil: Seen it twice. Once on the big screen and once on DVD. Classic modern zombie movie with good special effects. I�m looking forward to RE2: Nemesis which I think it going on right now. Also, being a Milla fan (when she isn�t in crap like that Joan of Arc thing) and sci-fi�whatever I was saying�that. $40 million. 63. Undercover Brother: Fresher and more funny that the last two Austin Powers movies combined. I didn�t expect this to be as good as it was. And the shark was the icing on the cake. $38 million. 86. Ghost Ship: Standard October release semi-lame horror. The first ten minutes are so well done, you�ll think it�ll be really good. Let a friend rent it and walk away after the into massacre. Well, it�s actually worth a watch, but it�s just formula horror. $29 million. 92. The Transporter: This movie rocked. It was this movie that got me over my dislike of BMWs, which I considered elitist cars. But if the action man was driving, say, a Mazda 626 rather than a 1999 BMW 535, it just wouldn�t work. They should have kept that scene that was in the trailer in the movie, the one where he deflects the missle with the tray. Though, yeah, it wouldn�t really fit the movie that well. Wait, wasn�t this the movie where he skydived onto the semi trailers? Hmm, the missile scene really couldn�t have hurt it. Only $25 million for this very fun film. And that�s it. Of the top 100 grossing movies of 2002, those are the only ones that I saw (or saw an remember.) I know 2002 was a box office record breaking year, but I thought it was kind of weak. 2001 was much better.
|