Back to the Awards Pages Index
2001 FiLM BiTCH Awards
4th Quarter Report

For Films Released Between 10/01 & 12/31
final quarter...

(1st, 2nd & 3rd Quarter achievements also listed. Final award nominations for 2001 announced on 02/09/02)


When I first began this quarterly report I was curious about the theory that Hollywood saves all its best stuff till the end of the year. I wondered... is that really true or do we just think it's true because of short term memory? Turns out it's really quite true. To a degree. 6 of my top 10 films come from the last fourth of the year. Hollywood definitely backloads but thankfully independents and foreign films save the rest of the year.

So this then is the final quarter award/notables...next week you'll see how much of it holds up in the FiLM BiTCH nominations. The third quarter (july -sept) was actually the weakest time period this year-despite the prominent thought that the first quarter is the dumping ground for bad films. (What saves the first quarter is there's lots of good foreign films and independents. I suppose the thinking is that they can't withstand the box office turmoil of the holidays so they open shortly afterwards.)

As far as the general public goes -they gave their love, first and foremost to a certain wizard named Potter. Perhaps you've heard of him. They also loved the other wizard Gandalf. The top releases during the final gasps of 2001? 1. Harry Potter 310+ 2. Lord of the Rings 265+ 3. Monster's Inc 250+ 4. Oceans 11 175+ 5. and oddly enough, a really boring pseudo serious film by Ron Howard is not only raking in Oscar buzz but an unexpected box office bonanza as well... A Beautiful Mind 100+ (For complete top 40 chart -go here)

Just missing the top five of the holiday quarter was Vanilla Sky with 95+ which actually makes me laugh... the take is similar to Julia Roberts' America's Sweetheart. Yes, kids, these are true movie stars! This is the range of their box office intake even when noone likes the film. Both of those stars are quality and review proof. Their movies hit big regardless.

Yawn. It's more of the same every year.... 2002, we can only pray for ye.


 

Best Pictures Released in 2001's Final Quarter
yes. the final quarter was VERY good. The thing that's wierd about seeing the best of
each quarter lined up like this is that some of the runner up stuff in certain months is better
than some of the standout stuff in other times.

The Royal Tenenbaums
(dec)

In the Bedroom
(nov)

Mulholland Drive
(oct)
Gosford Park
(dec)
Lord of the Rings
(dec)
3rd Quarter Best Pictures:
The Deep End * Hedwig and the Angry Inch * L.I.E. * The Others * Together ("Tillsammans")
2nd Quarter Best Pictures:
The Center of the World * The King is Alive * Moulin Rouge * Sexy Beast * With a Friend Like Harry
1st Quarter Best Pictures:
Faithless ("Trolösa") * In the Mood for Love * Last Resort * Memento * Series 7
Oscar Speculation here

Best Director

Peter Jackson
Lord of the Rings
Wes Anderson
The Royal Tenenbaums
Ridley Scott
Black Hawk Down
Michael Mann
Ali
David Lynch
Mulholland Drive
Robert Altman
Gosford Park
3rd Quarter Best Directors:
Amenabar -The Others * McGeeHee -The Deep End * Mitchell -Hedwig * Moodyson -Together * Zwigoff -Ghost World
2nd Quarter Best Directors:
Glazer -Sexy Beast * Levring -King is Alive * Luhrmann -Moulin Rouge * Moll -With a Friend Like Harry * Ozon -Under the Sand
1st Quarter Best Directors:
Inarritu -Amores Perros * Minahan -Series 7 * Nolan -Memento * Ullman -Faithless *
Kar Wai -In the Mood for Love



Best Actress
Unlike the Oscar nods this category will not be December dominant at the
film bitch awards... only two of these ladies are going to the playoffs
...and it might not be the two you think.

Halle Berry
Monster's Ball
Stockard Channing
Business of Strangers
Judi Dench
Iris
Sissy Spacek
In the Bedroom
Naomi Watts
Mulholland Dr
3rd Quarter Best Actresses:
* Janeane Garofalo -Wet Hot American Summer * Nicole Kidman -The Others * Lisa Lindgren -Together * Tilda Swinton -The Deep End * Reese Witherspoon -Legally Blonde
2nd Quarter Best Actresses:
Kristen Dunst -crazy/beautiful * Nicole Kidman -Moulin Rouge * Franka Potente -The Princess and the Warrior * Charlotte Rampling -Under the Sand * Renée Zelwegger -Bridget Jones Diary
1st Quarter Best Actresses:
Maggie Cheung -In the Mood for Love * Lena Endre -Faithless * Dinah Korzun -Last Resort *
Julia Roberts -The Mexican * Brooke Smith -Series 7
OSCAR SPECULATION HERE


Best Actor
the fourth quarter was definitely the main battle for the men...

Gene Hackman
The Royal Tenenbaums
Mark Rylance
Intimacy
Billy Bob Thornton
The Man Who Wasn't There
Will Smith
Ali
Tom Wilkinson
In the Bedroom
3rd Quarter Best Actors:
Brian Cox -With a Friend Like Harry * Paul Franklin Dano -L.I.E. * Josh Hartnett -"O" * John Cameron Mitchell -Hedwig and the Angry Inch * Linus Roache -Sexy Beast
2nd Quarter Best Actors:
Sergi Lopez -With a Friend Like Harry * Ewan MacGregor -Moulin Rouge * Haley Joel Osment -A.I. * Peter Sarsgaard -Center of the World * Ray Winstone -Sexy Beast
1st Quarter Best Actors:
Anthony Hopkins -Hannibal * Erland Josephson -Faithless * Tony Leung -In the Mood for Love * Guy Pearce -Memento * Brad Pitt -The Mexican

SILLY OSCAR BUZZ HERE

 

Best Supporting Actress
this category (usually one of if not the very strongest)
was all but dead until the last three months of the year

Maggie Smith
Gosford Park
Helen Mirren
Gosford Park
Frances
McDormand
The Man Who Wasn't There
Marisa Tomei
In the Bedroom
Kate Winslet
Iris
4th Quarter Best Supporting Actresses:
Helena Bonham-Carter -Planet of the Apes * Scarlet Johannsen -Ghost World * Alakina Mann -The Others * Samantha Morton -Pandaemonium * Charlize Theron -Curse of the Jade Scorpion
2nd Quarter Best Supporting Actresses:
Carla Gugino -Center of the World * Jennifer Jason Leigh -The King is Alive * Gwyneth Paltrow -The Anniversary Party * Amanda Redman -Sexy Beast * Kerry Washington -Our Song
1st Quarter Best Supporting Actresses:
Kerry Washington -Save the Last Dance * Vanessa Bauche -Amores Perros * Mary Burke -Series 7 * Carrie Anne Moss -Memento * Goya Toledo -Amores Perros
Oscar Speculation Here


Best Supporting Actor
the final quarter had lots of great supporting work -I even had to cut some
strong ones to reach five... but this category was strong all year long.

Nick Stahl
In the Bedroom
Sir Ian McKellen
The Lord of the Rings
Tony Shalhoub
The Man Who Wasn't There
Owen Wilson
Zoolander / The Royal Tenenbaums
Frederick Weller
The Business of Strangers
3rd Quarter Best Supporting Actors:
James Bentley -The Others * Steve Buscemi -Ghost World *
Billy Kay
-L.I.E. * Michael Nyqvist -Together * Johnathan Tucker -The Deep End
2nd Quarter Best Supporting Actors:
Jim Broadbent -Moulin Rouge * David Calder -The King is Alive *
Hugh Grant
-Bridget Jones Diary * Ben Kingsley -Sexy Beast * Jude Law -A.I.
1st Quarter Best Supporting Actors:
Gael Garcia Bernal -Amores Perros * Emilio Echevarria -Amores Perros *
Glenn Fitzgerald
-Series 7 * James Gandolfini -The Mexican * Giancarlo Giannini -Hannibal
Oscar Speculation Here