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January 23, 2004 > Arts & Entertainment > Top Ten Movies of 2003: Pirate ships, sword-wielding assassins and stories of grief dominate cinema

Top Ten Movies of 2003: Pirate ships, sword-wielding assassins and stories of grief dominate cinema

The Best

  1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

When you think about it, this film offers as much exciting action and good humor as any other typical Hollywood blockbuster. So what made it special? Johnny Depp. As a pirate captain, Depp has never been more enjoyable to watch. He elevates this film above its summer peers and made it especially fun to watch.

  1. Laurel Canyon

This light dramedy from High Art director Lisa Cholodenko explores the complex relationship between straight-laced doctor Sam (Christian Bale) and his pot-smoking, free-loving, record-producing mom (played with ferocious energy by Frances McDormand). Throw in Sam’s prim fiancé (Kate Beckinsale) to the mix and it’s a recipe for sharp dialogue, witty repartee and memorable performances.

  1. American Splendor

It is almost impossible to produce a film biography without being boring, morose or overly sentimental (for a film that provides all of these dreadful elements, check out Gwyneth Paltrow’s Sylvia). Here, filmmakers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini chronicle the life of cartoonist Harvey Pekar with great skill and originality. Paul Giamatti is wonderful as the tormented artist, while Hope Davis and Judah Friedlander provide ample support.

  1. The Station Agent

Another example of great character-driven fare, this story of a lonely dwarf and the friends he makes in rural New Jersey is a cheerful indie that explores the dark corners of relationships — without ever being too dark. The film displays great work from Peter Dinklage and Patricia Clarkson, who has become one of the most consistent and enjoyable character actress in Hollywood today.

  1. The Missing

Perhaps the year’s most underrated and misunderstood film, this revitalization of the Western genre from director Ron Howard is a classically structured thriller that boasts memorable performances. As an independent frontierswoman, Cate Blanchett again re-invents herself and proves to be one of cinema’s best talents.

  1. Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Talk about fun — this was the year’s most energetic and stylish movie. The plot is a story only Quentin Tarantino could concoct — a member of an elite group of assassins is gunned down by her associates on her wedding day, only to wake up four years later seeking revenge. “The Bride,” as she is called, embodied perfectly by Uma Thurman, slices, dices, beheads and engages in some mean swordplay.

  1. Mystic River

Clint Eastwood’s tragedy leaps into an emotional space similar to that of 21 Grams, but while 21 Grams director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu toys with sequence, the storytelling here is conventional Hollywood. This traditional approach is not a bad thing — Eastwood has constructed a deeply felt, sorrowful film that recalls the best of American cinema. A great script from L.A. Confidential scribe Brian Helgeland and Oscar-worthy performances from Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Marcia Gay Harden bring this story of a man seeking vengeance for his daughter’s murder to a level of near-unparalleled greatness.

  1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Certainly the year’s most satisfying studio film, this one is certainly a crowd pleaser. As the culminating chapter of the most successful cinema trilogy ever made (yes, I believe as a whole the quality of these three films surpasses that of Star Wars and Indiana Jones), this film blends the strong character development of The Fellowship of the Ring and the heart-stopping action sequences of The Two Towers to become the series’ strongest installment.

  1. Lost in Translation

During a year in which the best films were well-written, character-driven fare, this one emerges as a close second. Sofia Coppola does the year’s best directing job (please folks, let her be the first woman to take home the Best Director Oscar) with this atmospheric, lyrical tale of two lonely Americans lost among the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Bill Murray has never been better as a famous actor slumming it by doing bourbon commercials, and Scarlett Johansson is this year’s real “find” as a disenchanted married woman. Heartfelt, melancholy and bittersweet, this one will be remembered for years.

  1. 21 Grams

This film from Amores Perros director Inarritu is a somber, heavy and at many times depressing tale of redemption, love, grief and revenge. It is the year’s best — and most emotionally wrought — drama. Penn and Benicio del Toro are excellent as two very different men joined by tragedy, but the best performance belongs to Naomi Watts in a career-defining role as a mourning widow. The fierceness of Watts’ performance can be best likened to Halle Berry’s in Monster’s Ball.

The Overrated

Instead of naming one film to be the year’s worst, I have decided to list the year’s three most overrated titles. While this year did offer some truly terrible movies (Identity, Gigli) there are far more bad films that have garnered unjust praise.

  1. Cold Mountain

This may be the most overrated of them all. I cannot explain my shock when the raves came in. The New Yorker. Time. Newsweek. Who knew? Maybe I am wrong about this one, but I found Anthony Minghella’s adaptation of the Charles Frazier novel to be disjointed, poorly paced and unengaging. While Jude Law emerges unscathed, the women fare less well. Nicole Kidman offers a flailing, modernized portrait of the 19th-century Southern belle (and don’t even get me started on that accent). And then there’s Renee Zellweger, who seems to have walked in from a touring company of Annie Get Your Gun. Scenery chewing at its most desperate and pathetic.

  1. Elephant

A hit at the Cannes Film Festival, this pretentious chronicle of a Columbine-esque school shooting won the prestigious Palme D’or and earned director Gus Van Sant the Best Director prize. This one’s nothing more than a masturbatory, vacuous examination of violence and youth.

  1. Swimming Pool

Supporters of this film — which also somehow received near-universal praise from audiences at the Cannes — claimed it was an intriguing and thrilling mystery. Instead, the tale of a mystery writer played by Charlotte Rampling, who engages in conflict with the young and sumptuous Ludivine Sagnier, is filled with more snores than thrills. While Sagnier is an engaging presence, Rampling is stale and should, frankly, keep her clothes on for a change.

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