Techtite Feature Article!

Techtite's First Annual 

Golden Otto Awards, 2001

(For 2000 entertainment)

Intro         Page 1         Page 2         Page 3

The "Lucky 7" BEST FILMS :

Gladiator. Simply put, the biggest Oscar Contender of the year. It may not be based on real history a la Braveheart, and yet its performances, acting, action, and special effects were all spectacular. <<Full Review>>

X-men. One of the guilty pleasures of the year for Techtite.com, this was a long time in coming (i.e., Marvel's most popular super heroes put in their own film), and to this long term fan of Marvel Comics, it was more than worth the wait. Sure, some may say putting this film next to the above Oscar contenders is a bit of a stretch. Actually, I'm still reeling over the year the Academy gave The Full Monty a Best Picture of the Year nomination, so I'd say we're about even. <<Full Review>>

Almost Famous. More than worthy of an Oscar nomination, it was snubbed for the more schmaltzy, better-publicized contenders. Perhaps the Academy felt that the same writer of Fast Times at Ridgemont High did not deserve an Oscar? Well, he did (and got it, at least, for best original screenplay). This semi-biographical look at the teen years of Cameron "Fast Times" Crowe made for one of the best comedy-dramas all year. <<Full Review>>

The "Did We See The Same Films?" Award : Roger Ebert gave a mere two stars to Gladiator, and gave three stars to Nutty Professor 2, and his highest rating --4 whole stars-- to The Cell. Admittedly, his opinions of most other films this year is slightly similar to mine, and yet for those films, I'd be forced  to differ!

Chicken Run. While hardly a shoo-in for an Oscar per se, why not? Every critic loved it --no joke; show me one that didn't-- and it certainly deserves as much kudos as Babe (which did get an Oscar nomination in its day). This amusing claymation tale of chickens trying to escape their fate at a chicken farm, made for one of the funniest and most enjoyable films all year. <<Full Review>> 

Men of Honor. Why is every sappy biography of a white guy considered a great film, yet every memorable black man's story gets the third degree? Even the fairest of critics were unfairly critical of this film, which flaws and all, was a true story that deserved to be told. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert DeNiro offer well done performances. Even if the Academy doesn't think this film is worthy of a top-5-film list, I think it's one of the top 7, at the very least. <<Full Review>>

Traffic. While many may go to this film simply because Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones star in the movie together, it is a much more elaborate film than just that. It's actually hardly a romantic comedy for the two love birds, since it's far darker and grittier than any other film in 2000; -indeed, it's arguably even darker than the slice-and-slash medieval world of Gladiator. It is also, however, well done, well acted, and one of the best films of the year.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Admittedly, I wish this film was in English. Who wouldn't? The overall epic nature of this English-dubbed foreign film is intriguing, to everyone who's seen it. It's very rare for a foreign film to get more nominations than just "Best Foreign Film." This is the rare exception. Though, darn it, I wish I could speak Chinese, and not be distracted by subtitles within such a visually intriguing film.

The "Why's THIS an 'Easter Egg' ?" Award : One of the best ways to see the film Terminator 2, on DVD, is a way many people won't be able to even see! After choosing the "Special Edition Version" of the film in the main menu, just prior to pushing the Play option, you must type in 082997. A message should appear to play an extended special edition, with two new scenes, including an alternate ending. Cool, yet it would've been cooler if it wasn't so hard to see!

The 5 MOST DISAPPOINTING Films :

Nutty Professor 2, The Klumps. Films this year often went to great lengths to build up to a joke. However, why would a woman in the middle of July wear a fur coat(?), which the dean would use as "protection" from a giant hamster (??), just to lead to a hamster sex joke that really wasn't that funny. The rest of the film was even worse. <<Full Review>>

Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas. Even the most avid Flintstones fan (myself included) will warn you of this film like it was the plague. In all honesty --no, seriously!-- I've seen almost as many warnings to not see this film, as I have for Battlefield Earth, so that's pretty bad! In case you were wondering; yes, that film's on the list as well...

Oddest movie collectibles tie-in Award: Disney's 102 Dalmatians. The stuffed toy animals was a no-brainer, though the Dalmatian-colored fur coats and hats were a bad idea! Gee, how many people want to wear faux fur that makes them look like they just skinned 102 dogs? Not many!

Battlefield Earth. A futuristic version of Snidely Whiplash tries to do something dastardly. The cad! Travolta, even months later, insists that this is a "cult" film. I sure hope not.

What Lies Beneath Near the end of this picture, Michelle Pfeiffer sees a dead body, doesn't scream, sees it gone, doesn't scream, goes to look for it, finds it, and then screams. Yes, this thriller is that poorly done, and coming from the same man that gave us Castaway, that warrants a most-disappointing-film mention. <<Full Review>>

The Little Vampire. It's bad enough that a children's film tries to make vampires into kindly folk who "just" like to drink blood. The scariest part of this film? Here's Johnnny Lipnicky, from Jerry Macguire, in a film released four years later. Though he's hardly a kindergartener anymore, he still has the same silly haircut, the same glasses, and even the same little bitty pre-school voice! EEK!

Intro         Page 1         Page 2         Page 3