The Best of 2003
By
Joseph Tucker

2003 was a not a great, but a solid year for movies in my opinion. As always there were numerous flops like The Hulk and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, as well as big surprises like Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Elf. There were some stellar movies unleashed at different times of the year that did exceptionally well, with Finding Nemo and Bruce Almighty sweeping a sum of the summer audiences. Fall then followed with the Jack Black vehicle The School of Rock being a surprise winner, and the one true cinematic masterpiece of the year, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, divulged all in its path during the end of the year and continues into 2004.

When composing a best of the year list, I first take into account all the films that really intrigued me as an audience member. To compose my top ten list, I have gone back and looked through my writings and notes of every film that I saw this past year. I even went back and watch some of the year’s earlier films over again, such as Whale Rider, Seabiscuit, and Holes. I have not seen all of the released films this year, but most of them. The majority of missed films are due to limited releases, in which I have not seen a couple of the late blooming independent films of the year. Not included for consideration in this list are American Splendor, The Barbarian Invasions, The Cooler, Monster, In America, Sylvia, Girl with the Pearl Earring, Calendar Girls, The Station Agent, The Company, The Magdalene Sisters, and Capturing the Friedmans.

Composing this list was very difficult, but I had a good time at the movies this past year, so here is my opinion.

Honorable Mentions of 2003 (Films that could have been in the top ten list also)
The Shape of Things (Focus Features)
Elf (New Line Cinema)
Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (Miramax)
Cold Mountain (Miramax)
Holes (Walt Disney)
A Mighty Wind (Warner Brothers)

Top Ten List

10) Open Range (Touchstone)
Not the best of its kind, but with Open Range Kevin Costner revitalizes the Western film genre, which follows two cowboys’ (Costner & Robert Duvall) intentions of revenge against a group that tries to tell them where and when they can bring in their cattle. The film’s finale is composed of brilliantly orchestrated gunfights, in which the most admiration comes from the realism of the characters missing more than they hit with their shots. A well-made western film and appealing to see if this film opens the door for more of its kind.

9) Shattered Glass (Lions Gate)
A little gem of a film based on the true story of phenom journalist Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), who fabricated over two dozen stories while writing for The New Republic. As Glass’ by the book editor, Peter Sarsgaard delivers one of the year’s best performances. The film is told intriguingly by first filmmaker Billy Ray about the startling actions of Glass. There is an underlying power to this film, and every person involved in journalism should see it.

8) Love Actually (Universal)
The year’s best romance and comedy that interweaves over twenty characters all around the theme of love. The love in each context is mostly romantic love, but some of the characters also inhibit puppy love, family love and platonic love. A great ensemble cast is lead hilariously by Bill Nighy and Hugh Grant from a beautiful script by writer/director Richard Curtis. Love Actually is a fun romantic treasure that will have you laughing while getting you in the holiday mood, and leaving a warm feeling inside.

7) 21 Grams (Focus Features)
This is a gripping tale about life, death and redemption from Amores Perros director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The film revolves around three opposite characters, play incredibly by Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Naomi Watts, who are all connected by a sudden tragedy. 21 Grams is told by Inarritu out of context, with its scene structure being presented out of order from beginning to end. A very heartbreaking and absorbing film, in which the title refers to the weight a person loses when they die.

6) The Last Samurai (Warner Brothers)
A stylish epic from director Edward Zwick that contains everything that one wants in a film of its nature, intense battle scenes, sword fights, heroism, love and honor. Many other moviegoers enjoyed Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Cold Mountain far better than this film as an epic, I choose to differ. The Last Samurai is centered on humanity and culture, and those aspects are never filtered away from by too many glorious special effects or establishing shots. Zwick keeps a close handle on the film, and tells it masterfully, with them film coming nowhere close to dragging. The film also has superstar Tom Cruise in it, who is good, but watch for his co-star Ken Watanabe to gain an Oscar nomination.

5) City of God (Miramax)
Actually released as Brazil’s foreign language Oscar contender last year, City of God or Cidade de Deus was released to theaters in other countries in early 2003. The film is one of the best ever-told about gangs from director Fernando Meirelles. Based on a true story, City of God follows a group of friends between the times of the 1960s-1080s in Rio de Janeiro. There is not much hope for these kids, due to always being surrounded by the horrors of street violence, which they eventually grow into it. However, the narrator of the story, Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) chooses to be a photographer rather than a drug dealer. The brutality, violence, and power of this film drills you right in the mouth. This is not a film just comprised of shock value, it is an about one man’s story of living in an environment that no one ever wants to encounter.

4) Whale Rider (Newmarket)
A magical little film from New Zealand about culture, expectations and destiny. Told patiently by writer/director Niki Caro, Whale Rider follows the Maori people in Whangara, New Zealand. In every generation a male heir is born to the chiefs to become the people’s leader. The leader is destined to bring greatness and continuance of tradition to the Maori people. However, when the next inline leader is born as a female named Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes), the elder chief and her grandfather (Rawiri Patene) believes that all hope is lost for the village, and that he must find a male leader within the community. The fact is that the special person he is searching so hard for may be closer to him than he realizes. The title refers to legendary leader of the Maori, whom arrive to the coast on the back of a whale more than 1,000 years ago to begin the strain of leadership. This is a great film that is something all families can enjoy together.

3) Finding Nemo (Walt Disney)
Pixar just never stops unveiling hugely entertaining films, and they delivered another classic film this year with Finding Nemo, which follows a father clown fish (Albert Brooks) searching for his lost son Nemo in the oceans near Australia. Like most of the Pixar films, this underwater adventure is just visually stunning, and more than anything will just leave a smile on your face. Any person of any age will enjoy this film, which is full of exciting adventure and timely laughs.

2) Mystic River (Warner Brothers)
This is just a thoroughly exceptional piece of work by director Clint Eastwood from Dennis Lehane’s page-turning novel. The story follows three childhood friends in Boston that are reunited by the murder of one of their daughters. Sean Penn gives the performance of the year as the murdered daughter’s father, Kevin Bacon plays the lead detective on the case, and Tim Robbins is as complex as it gets as the troubled third friend who has a dark secret. The supporting cast is terrific as well in this powerful and compelling film that is told by Eastwood like a Shakespearean tragedy, with the fingerprints of his simplicity all over it.

1) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line Cinema)
This is Peter Jackson’s final triumph to the adapted trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels. The Return of the King is a piece of cinematic history, and takes its place as one of the best, if not the best blockbuster of all time. The film literally picks up where The Two Towers left off last year, following the comprised characters in their journey to destroy the One Ring that controls all. Full of emotion and jaw-dropping battle sequences, the film strives and accomplishes perfection. Nothing short of incredible or astounding from this film or the entire trilogy. Hopefully the Academy will finally give Peter Jackson his due this year.

Lastly, one cannot discuss the best films of the year, unfortunately without at least mentioning the worst films of the year. Here are a few in no order of the weakest films of 2003, which all received grades of a D+ or lower in my review archive.

Biker Boyz, Daredevil, The Life of David Gale, Anger Management, House of 1,000 Corpses, The Real Cancun, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Dumb and Dumberer, Hulk, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, The Order, Gigli, The Matrix: Revolutions, and The Cat in the Hat.