Lost in Translation:
you just have to buy into the mood of the movie, and I did
American Splendor:
it has its flaws, but it’s funny, creative, and original
Shattered Glass:
starts out slick and lightweight (albeit enjoyably so), but lands a
sneakily
strong emotional punch by the end
Owning Mahowny:
perfect performances in a low-key, offbeat drama with Canadian humor
The Lord of the Rings: The
Return of the King: gets onto this list almost entirely
thanks
to its dazzling battle scenes and pure scope and ambition (and my sense
that this will be one of the few 2003 movies remembered in a year or
two)
– hovers on the border between this list and the also-rans thanks to
its
horridly managed ending
I also enjoyed these movies but don’t feel that they rise to truly outstanding status:
The Man on the Train:
wonderful performances from Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday
The Man Without a Past:
a sweet, droll little film
The Secret Lives of
Dentists:
too many flaws to be a “best of the year,” but it’s one of the few I’ve
remembered long after seeing it
Lost in La Mancha:
the critics seem to be raving about every documentary this year except
this one, but it’s the one I liked the best
Sweet Sixteen:
terminally depressing fare from Ken Loach, but nobody does it better
X2: X-Men United:
tremendously entertaining and uncommonly smart for a franchise
blockbuster
Willard:
creepy, funny, unabashedly bizarre – what’s not to love? Oh,
right,
the masses of squirming rats…
Kill Bill, Vol. 1:
based solely on my in-theater enjoyment – it doesn’t stand up to much
post-viewing
scrutiny in my book
Incidentally, David Edelstein of Slate
varies from me quite strikingly – he declares it such a good year for
movies
that he names 34 best
movies of the year!
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