He watched his dream walk across a silver screen
Best of 2003
In America - Classic. Brilliant. Lovely. Hilarious. Tragic. It's this dramatic story of intense, life-changing events but it's told through the eyes of two amazing little girls, hilarious and grave and wise in ways that only children are, so it's softer and more innocent than such a story might have been. It's just a really fantastic movie, basically about a family trying to live with what's been handed to them and make the most of what they have left.
The Last Samurai - A gorgeous looking film, first of all. The setting alone is breathtaking. Every frame was like a painting. I adored the cinematography. And more importantly, the acting was impressive. Ken Watanabe took this movie and made it completely his. I'm not saying Tom Cruise didn't hold his own, but it's no contest. Quiet, wise, fierce, honorable, unassuming, disciplined and that understated humor. A great character, played by such a worthy actor. This movie is about war and honor and destiny and redemption and a clash of cultures and it's all pulled off so elegantly. What else do you need? Oh, right. Fucking Samurai. <333
LOTR: ROTK - Duh. This trilogy is phenomenal. Epic, breath-taking, tragic, inspiring, etc, etc. You've heard it all before. And besides all of that, it was, as they all are, an incredible feast for the eyes. And a very suitable conclusion to a timeless story. I really count the three as one movie, but I have to have the one on my list for the year, because it's blasphemy any other way.
X2 - My one true love. Oh, X-Men, how I love thee. Let me count the ways. And Brian. Yeah, you. I want your babies. Really. No one could have brought this to the big screen better. If the third movie somehow surpasses this one, my body may not be able to survive the viewing. Delicious plots and character development and plot teases and fight scenes and dialogue. Almost every character is exactly as they should be. The whole thing is just .. juicy. Mmmm. To see X-Men brought to life in such an intense, vivid, brilliant, exciting way ... I love it. I could watch this movie every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. Okay, maybe not, but it would take a few years at least.
Lost in Translation - Beautiful. This is the most unassuming, beautiful movie I have ever seen. I love that it takes it's time, that we see every intimate and boring detail of these two characters lives, that it's just like picking up the threads of their lives and watching for a while. I love the simplicity of their relationship and of the way they find eachother. I love the deep connection that can come out of such a simple thing. I love that there is no lable on what they have, no expectations. I love what they learn from eachother and how they love eachother. It's just such a testament to relationships, to loneliness, to friendship, to the mundane and those that help us enjoy it. I can't say enough about this film. Scarlett Johanssen and Bill Murray were both brilliant. Sofia Coppola is a great change of pace from the usual fare, with her understated visions and gorgeous, real characters.
Master and Commander - It's the kind of movie that has no transition from the incredibly intense and action-filled scenes and the quiet, understated scenes full of character development. The most surprising thing about this movie, for me, was the fact that most of the story was told through the latter. We had the chase, through water, and the enemy boat and the enemy fire. But the heart and bulk of the story was just watching the captain and the doctor and the rest of the crew deal with living on that ship. Deal with the monotony and quiet of the sea. Deal with the unexpected rage and chaos of the sea, that always snuck up on the calmest moments. Deal with the close quarters and eachother. They dynamic between the captain (Russell Crowe) and the doctor (Paul Bettany) is fantastic. The clash of their personalities, the bond that they have despite that, their conversations, their looks, their respect for eachother despite everything, every scene with them is filled with layers and nuances and this tangibility. This movie is incredibly human and interesting and it takes it's time and I really like that about it. Plus, it has Pippin! ^_^
Kill Bill Vol. 1 - Deliciously over the top, tongue in cheek, melodramatic, action-filled, cartoonish, gritty, varied, overacted, underacted, embelished, exciting, etc, etc, etc. I really fucking love this movie. It's funny and it's bloody and it's full of revenge and women kicking butt and Bill. Oh, Bill. That first shot, wiping the blood off of her face. That song, Bang Bang. The whole soundtrack. The whole idea of this movie. I enjoyed it so much. I've never had that much fun watching a movie and watching blood fountain out of severed limbs. And the fact that Go Go's weapon didn't look completely ridiculous, as it was a completely ridiculous weapon, is astonishing to me and a testimant to Tarantino's brilliance. He knows when to ham it up, when to embelish, when to pull back, when to sneak in those quiet, tense moments and when to just let the fuck loose. I love that man. I love Uma. I love Kill Bill.
Seabiscuit - I feel bad about this description because it's been so long since I've seen this movie, the one time I saw it in the theater, that I can't actually gush about many specific scenes or things. I will say that the acting was top notch and immediatly pulled me into the movie. And the development of Tobey's character and his relationship with the horse was incredibly interesting and arresting. I didn't know the history behind the film, so I didn't know the ending, and I was utterly locked into it, rooting for the underdogs, caring far too much about them taking first place. Redeeming themselves. It was a fantastic film and I own it on DVD, so one of these days I'll get my act together and throw it in again, to really refresh my memory.
Peter Pan - Nostalgia overload. Remembering that first time I read the book. Wanting desperately to be Wendy. To meet a Peter and fly away. To meet THAT Peter. To be THAT Wendy. They couldn't have casted better people for these parts. That girl was born to play the role of Wendy Darling and to fight pretend pirates and tell stories and kiss a lost boy. This was the best adaptation of Peter Pan ever made. The lurking undertones of the film, of what Peter could have if he grew up, of the love he and Wendy share, the feelings that start to develop between them, the dynamic between Peter and Hook, Hook's obssession with Peter and desperate loneliness. The connection between Wendy's father and Hook. The things we forget about so easily when we grow up. Tink was perfect and wiley and rude and sassy. The Lost boys were charming and clueless and fearsome, in their own little boy ways. The pirates were stupid and disgusting and mean. Neverland itself was bright and mysterious and layered and constantly unfolding. Every scene between Peter and Wendy whispered of all of the delicious grown up things Peter will ultimately decide to leave, making his decision and departure in the end sad and regretful. It's a magical, tangible, sweet, hilarious, dark film that completely embraced Barrie's vision.
A Mighty Wind - Guest is brilliant. Nuff said. The music is sweet and upbeat and old fashioned. That folk music. Wonderful. The cast is fantastic, per usual. All of the Guest regulars, back again. This is my favorite Guest mockumentary because while there are certain aspects of the folk singers he does, of course, openly mock, this movie is teeming with a sort of admiration and love for them as well. It's his softest, kindest movie, and it made me fall in love with every character, with every singer, with every song. Especially Mitch and Mickey. <333
School of Rock - I usually find Jack Black hilarious, but when he's reined in just a bit and given a script that's funny and smart and bursting with music ... well, that's Jack Black at his very best. This movie makes great use of his facial expressions (those eyebrows!) and his love for music and his wacky antics. And it puts him in a classroom full of kids with his basic maturity level, which works for him as well. And these kids are not at all annoying. And what's more, these kids are really fucking talented. Of course I love this movie. It's about talented people making music and loving music and acting like a bunch of hilarious, awesome kids and sticking it to the Man. Rawk! \m/
Matchstick Men - Brilliant acting, good dialogue, hilarious mannerisms from Nic Cage, and a story that was a bit predictable but still fantastic to watch unravel.
And, because I can, here's the list of movies I saw in 2003 (I think it's complete. I might have forgotten to write down a movie or two, in my travels. Who knows):
Bad Boys II
T3
X2
Bruce Almighty
The Matrix Reloaded
Pirates of the Caribbean
Finding Nemo
Kill Bill Vol. 1
American Wedding
Anything Else
Cabin Fever
Cold Creek Manor
Freddy Vs. Jason
Seabiscuit
Secondhand Lions
Matchstick Men
Underworld
Under The Tuscan Sun
Lost in Translation
28 Days Later
Daredevil
Once Upon A Time In Mexico
Down With Love
A Mighty Wind
Dreamcatcher
Fighting Temptations
School of Rock
Freaky Friday
Gigli
How To Deal
Identity
The Italian Job
Jeepers Creepers 2
The Rundown
Tomb Raider 2
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The Life of David Gale
The Lizzie Mcguire Movie
Open Range
The Order
Uptown Girls
What A Girl Wants
S.W.A.T.
Sinbad
Bend It Like Beckham
Scary Movie 3
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Runaway Jury
Radio
Veronica Guerin
Mystic River
Master and Commander
The Matrix Revolutions
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Love Actually
Intolerable Cruelty
Elf
Gothika
Timeline
Bad Santa
Holes
Cheaper By The Dozen
Cold Mountain
The Last Samurai
LOTR: ROTK
Mona Lisa Smile
Peter Pan
Something's Gotta give
Calendar Girls
House of Sand and Fog
Paycheck
Big Fish
American splendor
Shanghai Knights
In America
People I Know
And ...
2003 Movies I've yet to see:
Stuck On You
Pieces of April
Thirteen
Bubba Ho-Tep
All The Real Girls
The Battle of Shaker Heights
Dopamine
Elephant
The Swimming Pool
Dirty Pretty Things
Party Monster
Whale Rider
I Capture The Castle
Gods and Generals
House of 1000 Corpses
The Human Stain
Levity
Old School
The Secret Lives of Dentists
The United States of Leland
Willard
Wonderland
The Recruit
The Shape of Things
In This World
Sylvia
21 Grams
Shattered Glass
Le Divorce
Dirt
Die Mommie Die
Dummy
The Station Agent
The Other Side of The Bed
Girl With A Pearl Earring
Suspended Animation
Anything But Love
Monster
The Barbarian Invasions
My Life Without Me
The Fog of War
The Event