December 31, 2001 — As the curtain falls on the brutal, spaced-out odyssey known as the year 2001, it's time for cultural critics 'round the world to do what they do best – no, not scheme new ways to get more free stuff, but decide who did what best and in which order. Here then are my picks for the best and the rest of a not so very good year. But, hey, at least we're still here to bitch about it and look ma, no Harry Potter!

1. Enemy at the Gates
2. Planet of the Apes
3. Spy Game
4. Hannibal
5. Diamond Men
6. Moulin Rouge
7. K-Pax
8. Startup.com
9. The Fast and the Furious
10. The Dish

The real shame, since no film came close to it, is that Gladiator can't win best picture again. And while Enemy at the Gates didn't exactly storm the box office, its true tale of how one man's heroics inspired the people of Russia to turn back the Third Reich during World War II is eerily as timely now as when the Battle of Stalingrad was fought in 1942.
— Spyder Darling