decade revisited: 2000, part 1

In an effort to follow suit with every entertainment-related blog and publication know to humankind, it's about time that Journalistic Skepticism gets retrospective a bit and takes a look at the best the decade that is quickly coming to a close had to offer in entertainment. As a lovely twist to the worn-out concept, however, I'll be taking a look at the past nominees and winners of my own personal LCT Awards (the annual entertainment awards doled out by yours truly) and analyzing just how delusional I was in junior high and beyond. Prepare to be wowed by my ever-changing taste as we venture back to the movies of 2000...

The Nominees: Buoyed by my unending devotion to one Sandra Bullock, it was inevitable that a completely likable and endearing comedy such as Miss Congeniality would snag a surprise win. Luckily, I was able to recognize the genius of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon at age 13. And as for the other three, though Chocolat has lost a little of its intial appeal, Chicken Run and What Lies Beneath remain some of my personal favorites.

Revisions: Looking back, the only ones left standing would probably be Chicken Run and Crouching Tiger. I'd likely replace the others with You Can Count on Me, The Emperor's New Groove, and possibly Cast Away (although I really should re-watch that movie sometime soon), with Crouching taking the win.

The Nominees: I suppose this is where my age (and degree of sense) come into question. Laugh away, but may I first point out that Hugh Jackman's career has since taken off quite nicely (plus, there's not denying my epic nerdiness and avid reading of X-Men comic books growing up). Aside from the sort of silly choice of Wolverine for Best Actor, the remainder of the crew is at the very least a respectable lot. The most confusing part is certainly Mel Gibson's nod, since I can't seem to remember ever liking What Women Want.

Revisions: In retrospect, I believe I'd keep Hanks as the winner, since I think it very clearly could've (and probably should've) been his third Oscar win, in my opinion, but with the other four, I probably would make some off-beat replacements. Though I'd be tempted to keep Jackman for sentimentality, I'd consider adding Jamie Bell for Billy Elliot, Javier Bardem for Before Night Falls, Christian Bale for American Psycho, and (this one for certain) Mark Ruffalo for You Can Count on Me.

The Nominees: All in all, I think this is a pretty well-deserving bunch of ladies. Sure, they've all probably had superior roles elsewhere (except for arguably Julia Roberts), but they're all still in my good graces 10 years later. And if given the option to re-choose amongst these five performances alone, I'd hesitate to say I'd make the same decision. Bullock's take was one of comic gold, and I'll stand by that one for another 10 years.

Revisions: I've less to complain about in this category. Roberts, Bullock, and Michelle Pfeiffer would probably remain, but I'd nix Minnie Driver and Juliette Binoche (I've seen The English Patient; I know she's got skills she's not utilizing in Chocolat) in favor of Michelle Yeoh for Crouching Tiger and Laura Linney for You Can Count on Me. And the win for Bullock would be much more difficult to achieve this time around, with Linney's performance of her career in the running.

Coming Up Next: Supporting Actor and Actress of 2000!