Top Ten Films of 2003 [ Top Ten Index ]

I love it when I can actually name a fun film such as this one as one of my top ten of the year. When I have a penchant for choosing more dramatic or artistic films for my list, it’s such a relief to discover that my tastes aren’t so straight-laced.  Often dubbed as the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” of the year, this film gives you the warm & fuzzy you need after plunking down ten bucks at the box office. Jess (Parminder Nagra) is the teenage daughter of Indian immigrants who are staunch in their faith and expect their daughter to follow tradition: marry their own kind and cook and care for the family. Alas, Jess has dreams of becoming a professional footballer, modeling herself after her idol: David Beckham. When given the opportunity to play on a fledgling girls’ team, she must find a way to keep it from her parents. Though this is an interracial film, it doesn’t deliver the same polar message: accepting other cultures but staying close to your own. It’s about meeting somewhere in the middle; embracing others who may not believe what you do; keeping your traditions close but leaving room for the changing times. Sure, the story is sugary and formulaic but the characters are entertaining (especially the girls’ neurotic mothers) and the comedic element drives enough energy to succeed in its formula.  This film is a delight for all ages, football fans or not.

9. Big Fish

Those who aren’t fans of Burton’s films may consider this film right in line with his previous works: twisted, bizarre, unaccessible. But they couldn’t be more wrong. Despite that I am a fan, I have to say that if you invest the time in the first two-thirds of the film, the final act will indeed pay off.  Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) is dying and recounts the amazing tale of his life as a younger lad (played by Ewan MacGregor). But his son (Billy Crudup), who has heard these stories more times than he would care to count, insists that his stories are nothing more than fabrications. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a Tim Burton film. The strange characters that couldn’t have been developed by any other, the warped art direction, and the imaginative story arc have Burton’s stamp all over it. Through his characters, he gives more emotion than you would expect given his repertoire: Beetlejuice, Batman, Sleepy Hollow and Ed Wood. And he does it with conviction here. Finney, MacGregor are great in this film but Crudup deserves the most recognition, especially for his powerful final act. Many will slam this film because it is different but its difference is what I can proudly admire in this film.

8. Love Actually

“Love, actually, is all around,” as Hugh Grant says so astutely in his narration at the beginning of this film. And love comes in many shapes, sizes and colors. Love Actually gives you a good handful of stories about love—good, bad or indifferent. We bounce back and forth between several intercut scenarios where love is being tried and tested. The Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) finds it in his tea girl on his first day running the country. Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), a raggedy, washed up pop-star finds it in his long-suffering manager. Two porn movie stand-ins (Heike Makatsch and The Office’s Martin Freeman) find it on the job. But as some find it, others lose it or don’t know how to deal with it. Laura Linney plays an office girl who has had a long-standing crush on a co-worker and just when she decides to act on it, a commitment to a family member takes precedence. So many stories make up this patchwork and Director/Writer Richard Curtis weaves in his own heart into the film superbly. Though the entire cast is outstanding, particular kudos have to be given to Grant, Emma Thompson and Colin Firth who give you something other than the gushy warm & fuzzy you would expect from a love story.

7. Girl with a Pearl Earring

To this day, no one knows who the girl was that sat for Vermeer for his famous painting. But this film gives you a beautifully subtle depiction of who she might have been. What stands out the most about this film is its ability to act like a painting. In each scene, the subjects are very still and every frame of movement inspires an emotion. In fact, with its sparse dialog and lulling soundtrack giving the visuals far more prevalence, Director Peter Webber could have even succeeded making this as a silent film. The cinematography and color palette take center stage here using the characters as props, much like a painter would. Scarlett Johansson (who is having a very good year indeed) and Colin Firth strike an amazing tension together casting their temptation aside for what is proper. But their characters manage to converge on the canvas where the rest of the world cannot suspect. Exquisitely performed and photographed, this film will no doubt be cast aside for the more explosive money-makers during this awards season.

6. 28 Days Later

…otherwise known as “The Little Digital Video That Could.” I’ll admit it: I was totally chicken shit going into this film thinking I was going to be scared sleepless for the next few weeks. Where I was relieved, others will be disappointed. This film, like so many good films this year, delves more into the relationships between the characters rather than their actions. As many will disagree with me that this was a riveting film (made for practically pennies, or pence in this case), most will be expecting horror and will not get their payoff. There are a couple of creepy moments and the premise itself is unsettling: Environmentalists attempting to do good for the world alternatively do not by setting loose encaged primates that are infected with the Rage Virus. As a result, the plague sweeps through all of Britain by attacking all of its citizens leaving to survive only a handful of people who must figure out how to escape. The scene of an entirely vacated London is absolutely chilling. Shot entirely in digital video, 28 Days Later proves marvelously that you don’t need a multi-million-dollar budget to make a thought-provoking action flick. Unless, of course, you actually want your brain to numb itself within 90 minutes.

5. Kill Bill, Volume I

If there’s one recommendation I can make before sending you out to see this film (if you haven’t yet), it is this: do your homework. Understand that this is meant as homage to the old school Kung Fu films and that there is a substantial amount of violence (even by Director Quentin Tarantino’s standards). If you don’t know that going in, you will walk out (or shut it off) within the first 10 minutes of the film. To me, the key was to not take it seriously and as a result, I found it to be hilarious and balletic. The choreography of the countless duels was fascinating to watch in that timing and position were absolutely critical. The body count and the amount of blood spilt in this film are so outrageous and over the top, that it gives the film a strong comedic underlay. However, it was the 20 minute animé sequence that clenched it for me. Done in live action, it would have been too gruesome to watch but in this form, this chapter of the story is done so exquisitely that it could indeed be considered art. What is amazing about this film is its ability to be a clashing of polar opposites. It pretends to be a deep, heavy, dark film but underneath its skin it’s the epitome of satire and gross-out comedy. To me it doesn’t differ much from the gross-out humor that you see in movies like Austin Powers in Goldmember or some scenes from a couple of Farrelly Brothers’ movies (and those had PG-13 ratings). In this case, it’s just done with more style (and with a threat of a NC-17 slap). I’m jonesin’ for Volume II.

4. Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World

I suppose I can understand the reasoning behind the distributors’ decision to market this film as an action flick: to get the bodies in the seats. However, if that is what you expect when you enter the theatre, you have no choice but to be thoroughly disappointed. Master and Commander is the antithesis of the brainless action flick and instead revels in its ability to be a strong, confident 2 ½ hours of heart-felt character development. In yet another underrated performance, Russell Crowe grabs the titular character at the helm and leads this fantastic ensemble cast into this aquatic challenge. Director Peter Weir like with most of his other masterpieces The Truman Show, Dead Poet’s Society, and Picnic at Hanging Rock, manages to act as a painter rather than a director commanding light and atmosphere to tell a good portion of the story leaving the actors to simply connect to one another. With a cast this large, it is so easy to lose so many faces as the story gets underway but I found myself identifying with each one by the film’s conclusion. Because it was released in the same year as the epic The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it will most likely get passed over for many of the awards, but I personally will still feel the effects of this voyage just as vividly for many years to come.

3. The Magdalene Sisters

Every year, there is one poorly marketed film that is astounding and resonates with you but is almost always forgotten by the powers-that-be during the obnoxiously extravagant awards season. In 2002, that film was M. Knight Shyamalan’s brilliant Signs. And 2003 was no different when it offers us The Magdalene Sisters, a powerful and truly disturbing film brimming with jarring performances—most of them by young, but powerful no-names. In the dark, grim days of 1960’s Ireland, Catholic girls were imprisoned by their faith having to remain virgins until they were married off. Should they stray from that confinement, they were sent off to the Magdalene asylum condemned for a life of slave labor and cruel punishment to repent for their sins. Girls were sent to work at the laundry under the iron fists of the nuns who think nothing of brutal torture for one toe out of line. What is the most appalling is that several of these girls were sent to Magdalene for actions that are not in their control. One girl is sent there just for having been raped by a relative at a party. Another is sent there for merely flirting innocently with a boy in the orphanage schoolyard. Another is so mentally damaged that she has no control over her actions altogether. The fact that this is a true story is alarming but the fact that these events continued to happen well into the 1990’s is infuriating. During a time when liberal views have dominated society and the freedom of equality and expression is considered the norm, these girls were still confined to sweatshops because they allegedly sinned against their faith.

2. Lost In Translation

I’m sure it goes without saying that this is Bill Murray’s best role to date. Although he mastered goofball performances in films like Meatballs, Caddy Shack, and Groundhog Day, his performance in Lost in Translation can be heralded as the anti-Murray. He’s quiet, troubled, cynical and witty—not a goofball to be found. What I admire most about the performances by both Murray and Scarlett Johansson is there ability to simply be human. There’s no glamour, no eloquent dialog, no wild action—just two human beings striking such a chord for being in the same room at the same time. Sofia Coppola has clearly displayed such a tremendous talent behind the camera that I’m extremely thankful that she is no longer in front of it. Her script is full of heart and emotion that she gives such dimension to these two characters without them having to say a word.

1. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

A brilliant conclusion to a brilliant epic. Director Peter Jackson masterfully keeps the fire going with his final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. So much so that in time it may even wipe out George Lucas’ prized Star Wars trilogy as the favorite of all time. Jackson keeps the characters, story arc, and pacing quite consistent with the other chapters—an advantage, no doubt, of filming each installment back-to-back. The art direction lives up to and in some cases exceeds its predecessors as they create a fantastic back drop to the riveting action going on in the foreground. The characters have not only grown together in camaraderie but have grown in dimension. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his fellow Hobbits begin the trilogy as innocent (bordering on goofy) halflings but conclude the epic as noble heroes. Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen should definitely get nods for their performances, with a bone thrown to Billy Boyd who transformed almost seamlessly from when the trilogy started. Mortensen has certainly proved his worth in this trilogy—this installment in particular—adding regality to fierce bravery with what seemed like little effort. Though not my favorite of the three, this episode still leaves quite an impression long after viewing. To me, that is the true test of a movie’s greatness.

The Shame on You for Missing These Films Before Declaring Your Top Ten List
(Formerly known as the Jury Still Out list)

The Last Samurai
21 Grams
In America
Monster
Pieces of April
City of God
American Splendor