Fifteen Finest Films of Two Thousand and ThreeJul 31 '08 (Updated Sep 12 '11) Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Blu-ray and DVD Players
The Bottom Line Capturing the Friedmans in a Swimming Pool, Les invasions barbares is Lost in Translation by the Oldboy trying to get The Best of Youth in 21 Grams.
The year of the Matrix with the captivating, jaw-dropping second (Reloaded) and third (Revolutions) installments saw some competition in Bad Boys II for action-packed enjoyment. As for the comedy, Old School was not far behind Finding Nemo. The horror genre was blessed with the minimalist, innovative and also furiously funny 2LDK, but the top movies were as often is, compelling dramas, even if with a touch of fantasy… Documentaries were a force and 15: The Movie is almost documentary-style with a fresh and furious Singapore offering. The final four films are so extraordinarily excellent in their own rights that their order is almost irrelevant. Hats off for Canada, Korea and Italy for having more than one top-rated movies in the list. Dietary Requirements for Distinct Documentaries (see BEST one in Special Mentions below) Capturing the Friedmans Sexe de rue Tarnation The Agronomist Must See Pictures 15. 15: The Movie 14. Seabiscuit / Swimming Pool 13. Lost in Translation / La finestra di fronte (aka Facing Window) 12. Salinui chueok (aka Memories of Murder) 11. La grande séduction (aka Seducing Dr. Lewis) Top 10 Movies of 2003 10. My Life Without Me Director: Isabel Coixet Writer: Isabel Coixet The second of three Canadian pictures in the top 15, this one by Spanish writer/director, Coixet, in a co-production. Sarah Polley and the rest of the cast, including reliable Ruffalo, handle the tale of fated life and death extremely well and the picture is both very real and powerful. A welcomed reminder to enjoy life while we can and to try to accept the inevitability of our human condition. 9. La vida mancha (aka Life Marks) Director: Enrique Urbizu Writer: Michel Gaztambide A love triangle that involves two brothers and a wife. A cohesive cast that has chemistry and play well under Urbizu to create a perfectly flawed, yet heart-warming family. Human frailties and fears exposed, but kept beneath the surface where they become even more powerful. Love in all its forms and its potential failings. Madly engrossing. 8. Mystic River Director: Clint Eastwood Writer: Brian Helgeland Based on Lehane’s novel, Eastwood directs a twisted tale of loss and revenge. The star-studded cast shine under his diligent direction, lead by Sean Penn’s spectacular performance. Not to worry, we will find him again later on this short list. Not to be missed. 7. Big Fish Director: Tim Burton Writer: John August Burton masterfully mingles between fantasy and reality in one easy stroke. Big Fish? Like a strong current, just let this film take you away… 6. Politiki kouzina (aka A Touch of Spice) Director: Tassos Boulmetis Writer: Tassos Boulmetis Hailed as the best movie to come out of Greece in recent memory, this moving, yet light tale is a lyrical, metaphorical and metaphysical use of the sense of taste in a film, not unlike what Suskind did with the sense of smell in a novel. A touch of spice is timely, touching. All in the right doses. 5. Les invasions barbares (aka The Barbarian Invasions) Director: Denys Arcand Writer: Denys Arcand Canada’s first Foreign Language Film Oscar* and well deserved. This is the sequel to Arcand’s a decade and a half earlier Le déclin de l’empire américain (aka The Decline of the American Empire which was also nominated for the same. At the Academy Awards, this film not only won in Foreign Language, but was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. In fact, it was nominated for that at BAFTA and won at the Césars and at Cannes no less. Why? Everything is in this tour de force: family, friends, drugs, sickness, long distance relationships, getting old, dying and looking at the system we live in, the lives we live and the tale-tale signs that are showing us what is happening and yet what we should really focus on. *To be eligible, the film has to be in a language other than English which leaves pretty much only Quebec, although Water written for the screen in Hindu was to be nominated a couple years later. 4. Oldboy Director: Chan-wook Park Writers : Chan-wook Park, Jo-yun Hwang & Chun-hyeong Lim Cannes’ Grand Prize of the Jury winner, Oldboy is unconventional, complex, compelling and a succulent piece of storytelling. Not your standard walk in the park, Park manages to take a truly innovative screenplay and make it real with a distinct style. Min-sik Choi is a master of his art and shows many facades of his troubled character, while the editing keeps everything sharp and strong. A film experience that will challenge & possibly change you. 3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Director: Peter Jackson Writer : Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens The cumulating masterpiece of Jackson’s labour of love, the last installment of the trilogy will win over even the most jaded non-believers. An intense long-winded epic succession of drama and intense fight scenes keeps the narrative following until its satisfying climax and denouement. Stunning visuals, sounds, special effects, editing and the rest easily makes this one of the best of its kind, but Jackson’s directing is what makes it all work together so wonderfully. 2. La meglio gioventù (aka The Best of Youth) Director: Marco Tullio Giordana Writers: Sandro Petraglia & Stefano Rulli If you thought Lord of the Rings was long, just try to sit for six hours in a theatre. This thorough, thoughtful and touching family drama will however leave you wanting for more. People change and stay the same, our thoughts and emotions adjust, life moves, the world around us slowly disappears… what are we to do with all these years? 1. 21 Grams Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu Writer: Guillermo Arriaga Sean Penn delivers another incredible performance only to be surpasses by his on-screen counterpart. Watts, simply put, raises the bar for acting with her portrayal of a mourning widow and Del Toro completes the crafty acting trio. Feeding of these incredible performances, Inarittu constructs this out-of-sequence scenario with such succulent success. ================== Special Mentions ================== Best Short In Bed with My Books // Hoshi no koe (aka Voices of a Distant Star)* Best Documentary My Architect *Ex aequo ================== Related Reviews ================== In this 2000 Series Fifteen Finest Films of 2000 Fifteen Finest Films of 2001 Fifteen Finest Films of 2002 Fifteen Finest Films of 2003 Fifteen Finest Films of 2004 Fifteen Finest Films of 2005 Fifteen Finest Films of 2006 Fifteen Finest Films of 2007 For the 1990s check out : Top Ten American Films of the 1990s Top Five Foreign Films of the 1990s Other related Reviews Top 15 Sex Scenes in Film (Part 1: 15-11) Top 15 Sex Scenes in Film (Part 2: 10-1)  |
| Read all comments (1)|Write your own comment |
- Top 1000
