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I wouldn't consider 2003 to be either one of the best or worst movie years of all-time, but it wasn't a particularly memorably one, other than the fact that it was stained by dozens upon dozens of sequels, unoriginal screenplays featuring remakes, TV shows, reality crap and the like. I've made it a habit to skip watching certain movies because I have more important things to do with my time working on this site, and 2003 was the year in which I remember playing hooky on the most, so I guess that should say something. That said, all of the films mentioned below were awesome and worthy of end of the year praise.
Note: There are still a few movies that I have yet to see, which might alter this list once viewed, including AMERICAN SPLENDOR, BUBBA HO-TEP, IN AMERICA, MONSTER, WHALE RIDER...)
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21 Grams - May - My Life Without Me - The Shape of Things - Shattered Glass - Spun - Swimming Pool - XX/XY
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10.
Matchstick Men
"The film is also able to balance three subplots at the same time, starting off as a character study of a man with psychological issues, downshifting into a straightforward con flick and ultimately mixing in a little "father knows best". Great chemistry between Cage and Lohman helped concretize the latter angle, as well as the adorable factor in Lohman's case and the neurotically charming factor in Cage's."
Watch this movie and imagine Lohman's character as a young Alabama Worley from TRUE ROMANCE and have a blast. Directed by Ridley Scott to boot. |
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9.
Terminator 3
"T3 gave me everything I wanted in a summer movie...and more!! What do I mean by "more"? Well, let's start with what I would expect from a great summer flick: action, fun, exhilaration, thrills, chills, humor, explosions, big-ass fights, cool-ass chases...and heck, even a little T&A for the kids. This film packs all of that into its tight 100-minute frame and kicks everything up a notch..."
Oh and did I mention the lovely Kristanna Loken as the kickass Terminatrix kicking ass? A thoroughly entertaining movie. |
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8.
Kill Bill: Volume I
"For major movie fans like myself, especially those who appreciate a rousing barroom samurai brawl with the best of them, you really can't ask for much more than Uma Thurman, dressed in Bruce Lee yellow, brandishing a vengeful blade of steel and chopping through her Asian nemeses like Bloody Mary celery sticks....fun, inventive, exciting, ballsy, violent, entertaining, stylized and brilliant."
I'm all for girl-power and this film gives you that...and then some! If you're not looking forward to Volume II from now, you probably don't like movies... :) |
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7.
Identity
"A very cool movie with intense atmosphere, a fascinating mystery, plenty of diverse and engaging characters, creepilicious style, a couple of "what the-" moments, twists and an ending that personally...took me for a loop."
I'm disappointed not to see this great film on more "best of the year" lists, most likely because it was released so early on. The best thriller/mind-fuck of the year. |
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6.
Mystic River
"This is a leisurely paced, intense, gloomy but ultimately, fulfilling motion picture. I don't remember the last time that I got so involved in a movie and its characters. Great job by everyone involved."
This film didn't seem to have "worked" for as many people as critics, but I REALLY got into its characters, its grief, its acting, score and denouement. It completely engulfed me inside the world of its characters and riddled me, emotionally. |
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5.
Bend It Like Beckham
"Its infectious attitude, its leading stars, its peppy direction, all swept me into its culture-clash laden screenplay filled with passion, heartfelt emotion, actual developed human beings as well as a number of funny situations all around. Anyone from anywhere in the world should be able to relate to this story because it's about family, it's about pursuing your dreams and it's about love and fate."
Easily, the funnest movie of the year. There's no pretense here, this movie is not very original or insightful, but it's as fun a film as I've seen in a while, peppered with great dialogue, lots of humor, two hotties and interesting turn-abouts.
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4.
Open Range
"...it's layered, it's got depth and it tells a great story about three different people, their choices in life, their present-day questions and dissatisfaction and their strength, vulnerability and sacrifice for the greater hope. But ultimately it was the characters that drew me in, specifically Duvall and Costner's, both of whom put forth memorable characterizations, strengthened by an authentic chemistry between the two men."
This film was one of the better marketed movies of the year with a superb trailer, awesome posters and great reviews, but seems to have gotten lost in the "summer of sequels", but remains one of the best all-around motion pictures of the year. I'm not a big fan of westerns, but I STILL adored this movie. Can't wait to see it again. "Men are going to get killed here today and I'm going to kill them." Yeah!! |
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3.
X-Men 2
I've watched this movie a few times now and loved it on a number of levels including its prime reason, which is all-out entertainment. I'm also a comic book fan, so I geeked out on that, I adored its mix of characters, new and old, the action, its special effects, which many will agree, was some of the most flawless CGI of the year, and the story, which took the initial groundwork of X-MEN and added so much more to it. Big fan here.
"What I love most about comic book based movies is that they can really take you to that special place in which your every day reality becomes one with the fantasy and the supernatural and this movie is a perfect such example with an all-out character-driven adventure packed with fun, action, story and genuine believability. For such a grand project, such a big budget, such a sorted history with hundreds of stories to be told and characters to highlight, this film does a great job of capturing it all in a nutshell as well as entertaining throughout." |
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2.
The Last Samurai
I can understand why this film isn't doing as well as you might think at the box-office, since I too was one of those people who thought that it looked "boring" before I saw it, but now consider it to be my greatest surprise of the year, with entertainment, epic, emotion, action and depth written into its every frame. If you still haven't taken a shot at this film, I would recommend that you do so now before its leaves theaters, since it's also created to be seen on the big screen.
"...it took less than five minutes for me to be absolutely engulfed in the mastery that is this film with almost every single element of the movie-making process connecting on virtually every level from the acting to the action to the story, the pacing, the music, the emotional resonance, the character development, the cinematography, the beginning, the ending...the friggin' everything!" |
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1.
City of God
Much like THE LAST SAMURAI, this was a film from which I really didn't expect all that much, but after only a few minutes of character development and cultural background, was taken in completely and relieved only when the end credits started to roll, at which time, I awoke from a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience. If films like GOODFELLAS, PULP FICTION, SCARFACE, KIDS, THE WARRIORS, THE GODFATHER, SNATCH and RUN LOLA RUN are considered as part of your favorite films, make sure to rent this movie when it hits your videostores on February 17, 2004.
"If you're like me and appreciate watching a great movie filled with dozens of fascinating characters from a world about which you know very little, this film is sure to bowl you over. If violence is something to which you have an aversion, I would definitely recommend that you not see this movie though. There is enough of it in here to make up for any movies that are without it this year (although not as graphic or bloody as you would think), but as opposed to the Hollywood "blockbusters", this story is actually about something very real and deeply disturbing. Ballsy, energetic, violent, poetic, stylized, authentic and highly gripping, CITY OF GOD is a movie that I won't soon forget and one that I hope that you will try to go out of your way to see as well. Forget GANGS OF NEW YORK, this is the real deal!" |
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JOBLO'S LEAST FAVORITE 10 MOVIES OF 2003
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10. Legally Blonde 2
9. Bringing Down the House
8. View from the Top
7. Tomb Raider 2
6. My Boss' Daughter
5. Hollywood Homicide
4. House of the Dead
3. Morvern Callar
2. Dumb and Dumberer
1. Northfork |
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