Best of the 00s, 2002 Films Edition

Only a few days left, so time to tackle the best of the 00s, Film, TV, and Music, three in each category should be sufficient.

2002 Films.

No dishonorable mentions, all the bad films are obviously bad, and most of the acclaimed films deserved their acclaim.

Honorable mentions for the pretty damn good films of 2002, Chicago, Talk to Her, Undercover Brother (no, really), We Were Soldiers, 24 Hour Party People are a diverse group of films that represent some of the best of what that year had to offer.

Now, the three most essential films of 2002 (not in order of merit)

Orange County
Jake Kasdan helms this sweet film with a great supporting cast, a sharp script, and an endearing lead performance by Colin Hanks which turns a lot of the usual high school cliches on their head.

Infernal Affairs
This brilliant Hong Kong film was turned into an inferior (though Academy Award winning) Hollywood copy by Martin Scorcese. Taut, emotionally involving, and legitimately thrilling, a perfect example of both a crime-thriller, and a Hong Kong action-drama.

Femme Fatale
Pop trash, perfection, with Brian De Palma at his ersatz-Hitchcok best. Butressed by a wonderful performance from Antonio Banderas, and a surprisingly effective Rebecca Romijn, this film is far better than it has a right to be.