Reader's Choice Results
Mutants, Mutant Enemy, and other nominees for the best of 2000.

The more things change, the more they, well, kinda suck. The thousands of readers who voted in this year's 11th Hour Reader's Choice Awards found little to choose from -- except, of course, in the Worst Movie and Worst Series category. In a year where Battlefield Earth actually had legitimate competition for the worst picture of the year, you know we've got some problems.

However, there were a few bright spots in 2000, as seen from your selections -- both the choices made and the way you made them. As always, 11th Hour readers revealed their fine taste in movies, television and men (and, okay, women too), and did so with wit, style and a wrath so strong, we'd love to sic the lot of you on John Travolta. And Chris Carter. And, as a reward, James Marsters. The pickings may be slim, the surprises may be few, but we've got to say -- our readership rules. See you guys next year, where hopefully, mercifully, we'll be basking in Harry Potter, A.I., and Lord of the Rings while waiting in line for Episode 2. Cross your fingers, and keep in touch.

Genre Movies

Not to be confused with that other guy you may have heard of... James Marsden in 11th Hour fave The X-Men.

Best Picture: THE X-MEN

The year's most highly anticipated genre project also turned out to be its best, at least according to our readers. The much-discussed, much-debated, and much-drooled over Bryan Singer adaptation of the legendary comic swept this category, leaving runners up Pitch Black, Unbreakable, and Frequency (yes, apparently someone did see Frequency) lost in the mutant invasion.

Best Actor: HUGH JACKMAN

Mmmm... adamantium. That's what many a reader had to say about Australian hottie -- such a redundant term -- Hugh Jackman. Others thought the man otherwise known as Wolverine was simply a marvelous actor, although Pitch Black's Vin Diesel crept mighty close with roughly 30% of the vote to Jackman's 40%. Other contenders: Christian Bale, Bruce Willis, and Ian McKellen.

Best Actress: RADHA MITCHELL

She fights aliens! She pilots a starship! She's standing right next to Vin Diesel! It was hard for 11th Hour readers not to notice Pitch Black's Radha Mitchell; in a year of severe genre chick shortage (many readers left this category blank), Mitchell's Fry was a welcome exception. Also of note: Michelle Pfeiffer in What Lies Beneath, and X-Men's Anna Paquin.

Hugh Jackman earns high honors this year... or maybe he just threatened voters with those claws.

Breakthrough Performance: HUGH JACKMAN

As Wolverine, Jackman gave a truly breakthrough performance -- as in we want to break through that sweet leather outfit! That said, the X-Men star absolutely swept this awards category, making him 2000's answer to Haley Joel Osment, only, you know, old and hot and stuff.

Best Director: BRYAN SINGER

For proving that a comic book movie can be done right. For creating a stylish, smart and faithful adaptation despite the protests of belligerent studios and nit-picking fans. For preserving The X-Men's themes of loyalty, loneliness and heroism while losing the yellow tights. For bequeathing unto us the mortal god that is Hugh Jackman. And for hopefully inspiring other great filmmakers taking on comic adaptations -- Sam Raimi and Ang Lee come to mind -- to do the same.

Best Screenplay: THE X-MEN

See above. And for providing that rarest of breeds -- a hot genre screenwriter -- in the form of yummy co-writer Tom DeSanto. Showing that the breed is perhaps not so rare is the encouragingly cute M. Night Shyamalan, in second place for Unbreakable.

Best Soundtrack: THE X-MEN

Blind you are surely not, but deaf, mayhap. How Michel Kamen's tinny compilation of Nintendo crescendo won this category we don't know, but it probably has something to do with the blah competition: other mentions included Final Destination, What Lies Beneath and American Psycho (post Huey Lewis-freakout, we assume.) Now get out of the habit of writing "The X-Men" repeatedly, people!

Radha Mitchell and Pitch Black took some honors this year as ass-kicking scifi.

Best Makeup/FX: THE X-MEN

Oh, you never listen, do you -- although this time, you're undoubtedly right. Eight different companies were called upon to create said X-Men, but you'd never know it by the sophisticated, innovative and all around bad-ass look of these award-winning superheroes. Distant runner-up: The Cell.

Most Influential: PITCH BLACK

Last year's winner, The Blair Witch Project, seems to have lived up to its title in at least one respect -- costing only roughly $20 million, Pitch Black proved that less can often be more (especially on leading man Vin Diesel.)

Most Sequel-Worthy: THE X-MEN

Well... yeah.

Most Kick-Ass Death Sene: CAPTAIN CRUNCHED IN PITCH BLACK

For the benefit of those who haven't seen the film, we won't go into too much detail. Except that it was really cool. And gross. And original, and shocking, and shocking because it actually was original. Also of note: the Final Destinations of a certain teen flick garnered much praise.

Coolest Omnipotent Being: PROFESSOR X, THE X-MEN

Destined to live immortal in the heart of the genre geek, Patrick Stewart broadened his appeal to the comic book set with his classy turn as mutant leader Professor X. At any rate, he surely stood above his competition: Riddick (so not omnipotent, people! Then again, neither's Professor X...), Godzilla, and, oh help us all, Liz Hurley in Bedazzled.

Battlefield Mirth: Readers found much to mock about this most Travolt-ing development.

Most Unnecessary Sequel: BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2

If "omnipotent" is a seeming 11th Hour synonym for "impressive", "unnecessary" may well take on the cadences of "atrocious", "vile", "horrid", and other adjectives helpfully supplied by our opinionated readership. While competition was wide and terrible in this category (Scream 3, Urban Legends and sequel-ish Scary Movie), voters came out overwhelmingly in disfavor for this tasteless Wicca-on-crack charade.

Most Suitable Punishment for John Travolta:

The best thing about 11th Hour readers is how creative you guys are. While many recommended simply for this Scifientologist to "watch his own movie, over and over" and some opted for the physical harm of "solitary confinement", being "drawn and quartered" or "caning", others supplied the following suggestions: "Welcome back again, Kotter", "Keep on wearing that outfit -- wouldn't Lucky Numbers be so much better with that on?", "a good kick in the cod piece", "Staying Alive 2", "Forced to convert to Pentecostal Baptist", "Run over by the Pope", and, oh yes, "Make him drink from his own 'cup.'"

This Year's Jar Jar Binks: MARS

Mission to Mars. Red Planet. Ghost of Mars. Okay, that last one's next year, but we're pretty sure it's going to suck, and judging from your repeated dissing of the fourth rock from the sun, you guys think so too. Other contenders on the level of our least favorite Gungan: John Travolta, The Grinch, The Hollow Man, Halle Berry, and the Empress from Dungeons and Dragons. Of course, in a year like last year, it's hard to be choosy: "What's that line from Highlander?" griped one reader. "There can only be one."

Will we ever tire of showing this picture? Not likely.

Hottest Actor: VIN DIESEL

Some Vin-dication for the Pitch Black hunk, cruelly snubbed in the best actor category. While the ubiquitous Hugh Jackman placed second in this category, it was Diesel that stole 11th Hour readers' hearts; trailing behind were American Psycho's Christian Bale, Final Destination's Kerr Smith, X-Men's James Marsden and... Bruce Willis?

Hottest Actress: JENNIFER LOPEZ

If she had your love and you gave her all your trust, would she strap on that body-hugging suit and enter your trippy psychedelic dreams? So wondered the 11th Hour readers who overwhelmingly named The Cell's Lopez their drug of choice; also in line were Carrie-Anne Moss and the unavoidable Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.

Most Kick-Ass Chick: CARRIE-ANNE MOSS

"What kick-ass chick?" grumbled more than a few 11th Hour readers, which is how last year's winner swept yet again, despite having appeared in Red Planet. Carrie-Anne Moss, the Linda Hamilton of the new generation, reigns supreme at 11th Hour, seemingly regardless of quality of picture. Nods also went to Pitch Black's Radha Mitchell and Claudia Black.

Worst Picture: BATTLEFIELD EARTH

You'd think in a year that produced Dungeons and Dragons, Bless the Child, Blair Witch 2, Scary Movie, Urban Legends, the Mars movies, Scream 3, Supernova and about a dozen more craptacular flicks (and nominees for this category), it would be hard to reach a firm consensus. Thankfully, we have John Travolta's inept, ugly, deranged ode to dreadlocks, cult religions and how to best accessorize your cod piece -- summed up nicely as Battlefield Earth -- to clear things up.

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