What are your favorite movies 2003...

Finding Nemo. Best movie of the year. I couldn't care for any other movie... except for the one about the little fish looking for his son. That... that was what movies should be all about. Fantastic!

 

I'd like to add "Far From Heaven" and "Lost in Translation" to my list.

Happy New Year all!

 

There are some great movies listed here: I'll add The Last Samurai.

 

I really want to see "Lost in Translation" but it's STILL in limited release and hasn't made it's way through Wyoming yet. Waiting for the DVD I guess.

Dan C

 

Almost Schmidt & Winged Migration 2003 choice!

 

Now have to add Cold Mountain and of course LOTR: King officially to the list.

I'm seeing Tim Burton's Big Fish tonight!

 

You will not be disapointed. Bill Murray finally gets a director who lets him act. What was hinted at in the Razor's Edge, that is his ability and talent in regards to drama, is finally allowed to shine through. Scarlet J anint bad either...

 

Ooh yes, I can't wait to see Big Fish! But it's also in limited release and hasn't made it's way here yet. Should be in full distribution soon though, right?

Dan C

 

Not a huge film buff here, but I did see Razor's Edge. I think what bothered me is that I felt Murray had this constant "smirk" on his face throughout the entire picture. The story itself wasn't all that good either, but I don't know if it was Murray or the director in Razor's Edge that really deflated what it could have been. I don't know...I felt as though there was a forced effort to keep Murray in his serious mode. Could be they were afraid moviegoers would not accept a dramatic, "straight" Murray. I still think he's probably got a "cold, heartless S.O.B." character hidden inside there somewhere. Could surprise all of us with the right dramatic role.

 

And now, back to our countdown. The only "new" film I've seen this year (on DVD yet) was "Finding Nemo"...it's good, but I still like "Monsters Inc" and the two "Toy Story" movies better.

I don't visit the theater anymore, so it's DVDs or nothing. I did buy a lot of DVDs this year, all reissues of older movies. Peter Sellers' "The Party" was a laugh, although not as funny as some of his other films. The two Clint Eastwood "ape" movies ("Every Which Way But Loose" and "Any Which Way You Can") are the kind of stupid fun I like to watch every now and then. I also discovered "Irma La Douce", and still have another couple movies I haven't even watched yet, like "Experiment in Terror" and "Avanti". With the kids around, I've been watching the Spongebob first season box set, and the 4-DVD Looney Tunes set.

For the record, I do own Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones (Ep. 2), but I've tried numerous times and just can't watch it! The acting just can't hold a candle to the original three films...I get bored about 45 minutes into this movie and shut it off. Good thing I got it used. Easily one of the worst DVDs I purchased in 2003...and a good representation of why I dislike just about all movies made in the past 20-25 years.

Only film on the horizon for me this year is Thanksgiving when the Spongebob movie is released. And I might start getting into the Lord Of The Rings movies, only because I've read "fantasy" novels in the past and this would probably be right up my alley.

 

I found Paycheck to be pretty ridiculous. Full of logical holes (the main premise, actually, is highly implausable---i.e. that Ben Affleck will know how and when to use various inocuous objects he sent himself from the future).

I posted earlier on this, but have to add Seabiscuit to the list. I just saw it again, and recalled how it really takes a hold of you about half way through and doesn't let go of your emotions the rest of the way. Great old-fashioned movie-making!

 

Number One: Lord of The Rings, Return of The King
#2: Finding Nemo
#3: Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World
#4: Pirates of the Caribbean
#5: Matchstick Men
#6: School of Rock
#7: X2:X-Men United
#8: Terminartor 3: Rise of The Machines
#9: Phone Booth
#10: The Italian Job

Honorable mention: Seabisquit

Admittedly I haven't seen EVERY movie released this past year, so it's obvious that my preferences are going to be further biased by those movies I chose to see, whether I ended up liking them or not.

I don't want to do a worst 10 list although I typically see enough movies in a year's time to accomodate such a list. However, I will point out several films I did see which have received high praise in some quarters, but left me COLD for one reason or another. In all honesty, I can't understand how any of these movies could be on someone's TOP 10 list.

Movies which were baaaaad to the bone:

Mystic River - More plot holes than could possibly be filled, even if Boston required dikes and had a legion of little Dutch boys to prevent a critical flood!

Kill Bill Part I - Quenton Tarantino may be a genius, but when his pretentious side is given free reign to commit all manner of excess in order to capture his vision, the results can be so over-the-top that the audience is left more shocked than entertained. This is the kind of homage film that critics often love, but ultimatelely the movie is little more than a hodge podge of cliches` that remind one of another cliche` about chinese food and being hungry for a better film 15 minutes after the credits roll.

Cold Mountain - Okay, this one wasn't awful, but that's only because of the stellar performance put in by Renee Zellwegger, IMO. In all honesty, this ponderously pretentious melo-dramamine of a soapy movie (i.e., a movie which wears it's art-house literary asperations on it's sleeve) is that rare example of a baaaad film with an Oscar quality performance. Hats off to Renee for turning herself into a deep south sow's ear for her craft.

Cheers,
Cat

 

Winged Migration

It is awesome.