Best of 2000
From movies to music, one reviewer picks last year’s best bets

Story by David Reese

While the media and the nation were worried about the 2000 election, most of the country was using the benefits of the good economy to boost the pockets of the entertainment companies. Even though the year in movies, music and television had minimal critical praise, the audience happily spent millions for their entertainment.

Film

In film, the year started slowly but was heightened with the top notch performance of Julia Roberts in “Erin Brockovich.” This film received high approval from critics as well as $125 million in box office receipts.

In early May, a motion picture based around ancient Rome titled “Gladiator,” starring Russell Crowe, conquered the box office. The summer of 2000 also included the highly anticipated sequel to Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible.” The biggest surprise of the summer season included a spoof film of 1990s horror films titled “Scary Movie.”

The fall season, usually known for low box office numbers, included some surprise hits, including “Meet the Parents” and “Remember the Titans.” With the end of the year in sight, although films were successful, it looked as though the year would end up with the lowest box office receipts in the past five years. This thought all changed in early December with the arrival of a hairy, mean, green grinch machine. “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” starring Jim Carrey, stole moviegoers’ hearts and pocketbooks with just over $253 million.

Although having high box office totals at the end of the year is important, they do not always equate with the best quality of films. Below are my selections of the five best films of 2000.

1 “Traffic”
“Traffic” was completely hardening. It was a raw and hard look at drug trafficking in America. The performances by the ensemble cast of Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle and Catherine Zeta-Jones were incredible, not to mention the razor-edge directing by Steven Soderbergh.

2 “Gladiator”
This film has all of the elements: action and adventure for the men, Russell Crowe for the ladies and a terrific story for all. “Gladiator” also included terrific directing by Ridley Scott who recreated ancient Rome beautifully.

3 “Almost Famous” The story of a young, wishful reporter who ventures out on tour with a rock band is every young boy’s dream. The film, written and directed by Cameron Crowe of “Jerry Maguire,” enlists some of the hottest new talents in Hollywood, including Kate Hudson and Patrick Fugit.

4 “Erin Brockovich”
One word: Julia. The film is well written and directed, but the acting by Roberts carries the film. The interaction between Roberts’ character, Brockovich, and her boss, Ed Masry, played by Albert Finney, is pure delight.

5 “Cast Away”
Tom Hanks demonstrates why he is one of the best actors of this era in a film about a man deserted on an island for four years.

Music

The year in music was a fight between the royalty of pop and a foul-mouthed white rapper from Detroit.The first quarter of the year saw ‘N Sync’s second album, “No Strings Attached,” sell 2.4 million records within the first week. Britney Spears, rumored girlfriend of ‘N Sync’s lead man Justin Timberlake, also had something to offer in the year 2000. Her sophomore effort, “Oops!...I Did It Again,” debuted at No. 1.

Spears would only hold the top spot for one week with the arrival of Slim Shady the next week. Eminem, also known as Slim Shady or Marshall Mathers, began a controversial run at No. 1 in May with the release of “The Marshall Mathers LP,” which has sold nearly 8 million copies. The record, which received harsh criticism from all types of organizations, finished the year as the second best selling album of the year. Eminem also dealt with personal scandals such as the attempted suicide, divorce and reconciliation with his wife, Kim, as well as numerous lawsuits.

The R&B group, Destiny’s Child, also had controversy of their own while still reaching the top of the charts with two singles, “Say My Name” and “Independent Women Part I.” The group, initially made up of four members, fired two of them, hired two new members, and then fired one of the new members only five months later. Does this sound confusing? It sure is, but the group is for now a trio.

The perennial favorite and ever-changing material girl, Madonna, resurfaced once again with the release of her album, “Music,” the birth of her son, Rocco, and her marriage to Guy Ritchie. The end of the year belonged to the return of the boy bands. First, the Backstreet Boys returned with “Black and Blue,” but the biggest surprise included a band that broke up nearly thirty years ago. The Beatles released a compilation in November of all of their No. 1 hit singles simply called “1.”
Much like the movies, album sales do not always mean they are the best albums. Here is the list of the five best in my own opinion in the year of 2000.

1 Madonna “Music”
In some ways I believe this selection is probably very personal since I am an avid Madonna fan, but I do believe her album is well written, produced and performed. The outstanding tracks include “Music” and “Don’t Tell Me.”

2 Eminem “The Marshall Mathers LP”
Is it vulgar? Is it demeaning towards certain groups? The answer is yes to both, but the album is lyrically different than most rap, making Eminem an incredible lyricist. The outstanding tracks include “Stan” and “The Way I Am.”

3 The Beatles “1”

The Beatles “1” brings our parents’ generation and ours together with the sound of music. The best part of this band is that they actually write and play their own music. All of the tracks are worth listening to.

4 Faith Hill “Breathe”
Much like Shania Twain three years ago, Hill introduced country music once again to the rest of the music-listening population with “Breathe.” The title track is amazing, along with the duet with Hill’s husband, Tim McGraw.

5 Britney Spears “Oops! I Did It Again”
Is it sugary sweet pop music? Yes, but it is the best kind. The songs are catchy and appealing. When you hear your mom sing “Oops! ... I Did It Again” like I did, you know Spears must be doing something right. The outstanding tracks include “Don’t Let Me be the Last to Know” and “What U See (Is What U Get).”

Television

The world of television in the year 2000 can be placed into two categories: riveting or revolting. The new television season began in October due to the Summer Olympics 2000 in Sydney, Australia. There were few new series that enticed audiences, which led to the cancellations of most of the new NBC line-up. The old favorites like “Frasier,” “Friends,” “ER” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” remained stronger than ever.

CBS, suffering from decreasing ratings in the past few years, saved themselves with a few new surprise hit shows. The most notable was a reality-based series, “Survivor,” which became the most-watched summer series of all time. The series returns for Part Two in the Australian outback after the Super Bowl on Jan. 28.