this link will refresh your memory http://www.imdb.com/Charts/usboxarchive 10) Confidence- Hoffman better than Cage in Matchstick Men 9) Hulk- Ang Lee captured the comic book adaptation better than X2, which was good too. he aded his special indie style of shooting that looked great. 8) Texas Chainsaw Massacre- bloody but not exploitative well shot and very scary. 7) Open Range- Costner and supporting cast were developed great. a great modern western 6) Last Samurai- a bit self indulgent and long but excellent acting/action/wardrobe/history research 5) LOTR Return of the King- not star wars because it doesn't have the same impact on TV as it does on the big screen. no great quotes. 4) matrix reloaded- too bad the 3rd installment cheapened the whole franchise. best action sequences shot to date any genre. 3) 28 days later- mans decency is paper thin, then we kill our own dads for moving like zombies. great debut performances by the actors and a great soundtrack. same director as trainspotting. 2) Finding Nemo- better than Aladdin but not Shrek, aslo from pixar. Move over Disney. Ellen as a comic foil was great. 1) Seabiscuit- Toby Maguire and the other actors were brilliant. The racing scenes are the best ever made. People actually cheered in my audience. I loved every aspect of the film.
10. Bend It Like Beckham - a bit overrated, especially on this board, but as bearable as a chick flick can get. 9. Matchstick Men - Nick Cage doing his usual spastic neurotic thing, but it worked here. 8. House of Sand and Fog - Ben Kingsley doesn't top the intensity in Sexy Beast but makes up for it with depth. 7. The Game of Their Lives (no, not that one, [url="http://www.thegameoftheirlives.com/]this one[/url]) 6. The Matrix Reloaded - the horrible Revolutions put a bit of a damper on this franchise but the freeway sequence is simply amazing. 5. Spellbound (I know, it's technically a 2002 film, but I'm pretty sure but most people didn't see it until 2003) - so some of the scenes were out of sequence and that bugs me a little, but documentaries can be entertaining too, right? 4. The Station Agent - Not exactly groundbreaking, just a little film about a (very) little guy in a little town. 3. Seabiscuit - I hate heartwarming tales of triumph against odds but I'll make exceptions. 2. Lost In Translation - Bill Murray has gotten a lot of props but Sofia Coppolla is a master of telling a story without speaking 1. 21 Grams - Easily the best film I saw this year. Wonderful acting from all three principals, the non-chronological storytelling is used perfectly, to reveal information exactly at the right moment. I still haven't seen Mystic River, Bad Santa, City of God, American Splendor or Kill Bill. I'm sure more than one of them would end up on my list. The worst film of 2003: S.W.A.T. I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't expect it to be tedious. Good lord.
Seabiscuit was incredibly overrated. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was good, but not so good as where I'd cry over it, as there were reports of grown men doing in theatres all over the country. I gave it 2 and a half stars. ROTK was far and away the best.
Sea Biscuit blew. Gimme a rerun of the Black Stallion or National Velvet. Horsey flicks are for chicks anyway.
I didn't see as many movies this year as I have in previous years, but I'm just gonna say that any top 10 list missing "City of God" and "Capturing the Friedmans" is just flat out wrong.
I bought Seabiscuit for my wife for X-Mas. May have been a mistake. She cried. We own two horses - including one retired from the track because he's ass-slow.
1) The Matrix Revolutions 2) Matrix Reloaded 3) LOTR ROTK 4) Master and Commander 5) Seabiscuit That's all the 2003 movies I saw. Seabiscuit is not last because I didn't like it - I liked it a lot. It is just below the other movies.
1. Mystic River - after it ended, I just sat there for a moment collecting myself. I have never been shaken like that at a movie 2. Return of the King - Can't say anything that hasn't been said. The whole Lord of the Rings sequence will be great for days when you are snowed in and have nothing to do for a good 13 hour period 3. Pirates of the Caribbean - Johnny Depp should at least get an Oscar nod for his role. Add in Kiera Knightly for eye candy and this is a movie for everyone. 4. Last Samurai - Much better than I thought it was going to be. The Japanese actors were great and you only saw Tom Cruise (and not his character) once or twice, which really says something about the movie. 5. X2 - A good action movie and the rare sequel that is better than the origional. Great action sequences (Nightcrawler's attack) and actual acting made for an interesting trip. 6. Kill Bill - A fun movie, would have been better if it was a whole movie, not part one of two 7. Once Upon a Time in Mexico - Its like fast food, you know its not good for you, you know there are better things out there, but damn it hit the spot. 8. Master and Commander - Also better than I thought it would be. It was a drama advertised as an action movie so I was really surprise. 9. Old School - You need a movie that will make you laugh regardless of how you are feeling and this is one of those movies. I have yet to see Big Fish, Lost in Translation, Bad Santa, and Dirty Pretty Things for many reasons, but I have a feeling those would have moved my top 9 around. Matrix Revolutions was so awful. The best special effect was Monica Bellucci's clevage and the most memorable scene was the goodbye between Trinity and Neo when somebody made a loud farting sound in the theatre. Everybody laughed, it was great.
I have yet too see lost in translation, 13, party king, 21 grams, big fish, dirty pretty things or bad santa too. Those are future rentals it looks like. revolutions is the worst piece of junk and the biggest disappointments of the year, if not all time--i actually like Episode 1 despite jarjarjinx. next time when they flash "stop piracy" on the big screen let out an eye shattering "aarrrrggg!" that happened in a friend's theatre, only a few people got the joke. -------------------------------------------------------------- the online critics submitted: OFCS nominations below (major cheers for CITY OF GOD but major jeers for THE LAST SAMURAI diss), including some very cool surprises. THE RETURN OF THE KING nabbed the most nominations with 11, followed closely by QT and his intention to KILL BILL with 10, LOST IN TRANSLATION (6), MYSTIC RIVER (5) and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (5). Winners will be announced on January 5, 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------- a friend submitted this by email: Disclaimer: ***There are many movies *I have yet to see*, but these are my favorites of 2003**** 10) Stealing Time I didn’t really like this movie, but was a good idea. Basically I have it on my list because I needed it to get ten movies. 9) Identity {wutang edit-absolute garbage} Some good acting fused with non-linear sequencing made this a good flick. 8) Matrix Reloaded This transitional installment of the much-loved Matrix trilogy scores points for adding characters to the mix and giving us more insight to Zion, but other than that it stalled out on too much CGI and comical fights between Neo and Agent Smith(s). 7) A Mighty Wind A classic movie from a classic ensemble of actors, his movie was funny as well as sincerely touching. I think this is the second best movie from this cast, slightly behind Waiting for Guffman. 6) Pirates of the Caribbean Johnny Depp proves, once again, why he is one of the premiere actors of our generation. He takes this stalled thematic movie and adds the spice of character around which the story utterly revolves. Without Depp, no one would care about the ea-going Legolas character. The special effects were commendable, but this movie soars on the capable shoulders of Depp. 5) Last Samurai In order to pull of an epic tale you need an epic actor. Cruise rarely lets his acting shine (if you doubt he is capable of such brilliance, see Magnolia, Born on the 4th, Outsiders, or Vanilla Sky) but he shoes genuine characterization in Samurai. Surrounded by a brilliant cast and the surrounding of New Zealand’s scenic wonders, this movie is a visual treat. 4) Willard A small movie with tremendous impact. Crispin Glover, who is most known as the geeky father on back to the future, shows his true brilliance and the depth of his craft. This move was poorly marketed as a horror movie (or so it seems) when in fact it a dark character study along the lines of The Cable Guy. Lee Ermey plays Willard’s boss, and is the years most lovable villain. 3) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King What can be said about this masterpiece? It was slow and many aspects were ultimately unnecessary, but it is certainly a monumental work because it shows a stellar combination of literary, directorial, and theatrical brilliance –the trifecta. I thought it lagged behind the Two Towers, however. 2) Kill Bill, vol. I. This is Tarrentino’s crowning achievement to date. Despite the presence of Uma Thurman, this movie directs you seamlessly through plot diversions and character developments along the single vein of vengeance. In the end, this movie has soul. The most artistic use of violence to date. 1) Matrix Revolutions I loved this movie and thought that it was a perfect ending. The CGI was there to draw you into the story. The story itself is rightly the center-piece in this classic retelling of the Gospel. Rather or not the Wachowski brothers intended it or not, the character parallels are perfect, making the themes of redemption, life/death, ultimate reality, and rebellion surround the work of one man who dies to save many. Sound familiar?
Top 6, and a few caveats. Six Seabiscuit Really a fine movie overall, with a great story told very well. Chris Cooper is always good but Toby Maguire and Jeff Bridges were great as well. Nice bit role by William H Macy too. An enjoyable movie. Five Big Fish Really played with me. I go into a Tim Burton movie expecting a few things and recieved very few. Looking back it was very much a Burton movie, but I get the feeling it was a Coen Brothers movie as interpreted by Tim Burton. Not really a bad thing at all. Four Master and Commander Wasn't expecting much, got a lot. Russell Crowe really held his end up and carried what probably would have been a ludicrously tedious film without an actor like him in the role. Some great specifics on naval warfare in the film but it seemed to be too narrow a focus for so long a movie. Done exceptionally well. Three Kill Bill: Volume One God love Quentin Tarantino. It's unfortunate this was split in two because I am willing to wager together it would be #1. I'm happy it wasn't cut more, and that'll be a job for the dvd to put them together again. I've never laughed so much at so much violence: comical and awe inducing all at once. And the music kicks all kinds of ass. Two Lost in Translation Far and away my top movie till a few weeks ago. This just struck some chords with me, it was very emotional. Bill Murray is really an incredible actor and his talent is fully utilised by Coppola. Little dialogue, speaking with eyes, the saddening reality of the movie, it all was incredible. One The Last Samurai I honestly can't condense my feelings about this film, in fact, for the first 10 minutes I was very skeptical about it. It takes time to draw you in, and the fact it truly uses Cruise as a supporting actor to Wantabe is the movie's strengh. Taking a Cruise many have come to expect to be the flawed, but strong and in the end, righteous all-american boy and taking that all the way to the limit only to find this guy's culture is everywhere but mostly nowhere is very interesting. Wantabe's character is possibly one of the fullest and most powerful I've seen in a movie in more than a year or two, and the battles and attention to historical detail is quite incredible. Caveats: I have not seen Pirates of the Carribean, Intolerable Cruelty, Lord of the Rings, or Mystic River.