Top 10 Films of 2003

by Brian Eggert
11/14/2007

My “Retro” Top 10 Lists feature a summation of great movies from past years. It’s unavoidable that when compiling such a list, I might struggle to find ten four-star pictures worth mentioning, and while I made my quota when comprising this Top 10 Films of 2003 list, I only just made it. Studio productions in 2003 were particularly lax and unoriginal, with stinkers like Bruce Almighty and The Hulk, whereas artistic disappointments ranged from Anthony Minghella’s Cold Mountain to the Coen Brothers’ Intolerable Cruelty, giving us good reason to stay home.

Arguably, the best picture of the year was Ridley Scott’s Director’s Cut of Alien (1979). I didn’t include it in the top ten, only because it was a reworking of a previously released motion picture. It is, however, a masterful recut of an already brilliant classic. I never thought Alien could be better, but, with the addition of new brief scenes and some slight cuts (the running time on the Director's Cut is actually shorter), Scott again proves his revisions are less about selling DVDs and more about artistic alteration. (Incidentally, both versions of Alien are available on Fox’s 2-disc special edition DVD.)

10. Elf

An instant Christmas classic, right up there with A Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life, John Favreau’s Elf stars Will Ferrell at his most childishly brilliant. Ferrell’s Buddy, raised by elves, is like the demented mental patient no one ever wanted; even worse, he turns out to be James Caan’s kid. Between frolicking through the Candy Cane Forest and eating chewed-gum off guard rails in New York City, Ferrell’s big dope Buddy never ceases in his absolute innocence or joy—however frustrating it might be. Only Ferrell could pull off such a Baby Huey-type role, one where mixing spaghetti, maple syrup,and Pop Tarts seems normal for the character. This movie has become a staple for Christmastime in my home, and in many households, partly because this is a guilt-free stupid comedy. Favreau directs with an impressive eye for detail, particularly in his North Pole art conception, while the story features an appropriate level of holiday hokey—the perfect combination of adult humor and Christmas cheer, tugging at our funnybones and heartstrings simultaneously.

9. City of God

Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener) tells the story of Cidade de Deus, a low-class neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro wrought with drug use and violence. Over the course of a decade, we follow Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), a young boy who grows apart from his childhood friend Benny (Phellipe Haagensen) in a true Angels with Dirty Faces style: Rocket becomes a photographer, while Benny attains the status of drug lord. Aside from the now-typical shattered youth storyline, Meirelles’ direction is like a manic train breathlessly shaking on its rails. He plays with camera placement, film speed, extended takes, and fluid spaces, accomplished by virtuoso cinematographer César Charlone. Visually and thematically, City of God is a bucket of cold water tossed into our faces, shocking us into submission of its excited pace.

8. Whale Rider

Based on New Zealand Maori author Witi Tame Ihimaera’s 1987 novel, the story follows a 12-year-old girl Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) who is in line to become her tribe’s chief. As legend tells it, long ago Paikea rode atop a whale from Hawaii to the tribe’s current island; chiefs should be blood descendents of Paikea, as well as male. Pai’s sex clearly poses a problem, but isn’t that a problem? Pai takes on the tribe’s grueling chief training, persevering regardless of reinforcement from few in the community. Director Niki Caro (Memory and Desire, North Country) delivers a wonderfully moving picture, and despite what the MPAA might think (they gave the movie a PG-13 rating for one minor marijuana reference) it’s perfect family viewing. Without being a message film, Whale Rider offers an insightful note on teaching young women not to feel somehow crutched by their sex, rather to cradle their strengths and build from there.

7. American Splendor

Paul Giamatti solidifies here what was merely suggested in his earlier, numerous supporting roles: that he is indeed one of the best character actors working today. He plays Harvey Pekar, realist comic book author and all around Mr. Crabby-Pants. Pekar’s series of comics focus on his own droll daily life in Cleveland. Like Robert Crumb, Pekar’s observational humor deals with the commonplace, as does this movie. Scenes taken right out of Pekar’s comics are brought to life, sometimes uniquely animated, other times live-action. Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (The Nanny Diaries), Pekar’s portrayal is an angry and funny biography. It cuddles Pekar as a celebrity/oddity, but Pekar’s aversion to such a status is also acknowledged (underlined when Pekar walked off “Late Night with David Letterman” after being called a “jerk” by the show’s host). Giamatti’s performance deserves most of this film’s credit, as only he could make Pekar into a lovable character.

6. X2: X-Men United

Bryan Singer’s follow-up to his previous X-Men film is easily one of the best superhero movies ever made. Forget that there’s no Gambit or Danger Room; forget that it’s not exactly like the comics; it’s a wonderfully realized movie. The story involves itself in mutant politics, rather than a basic hero vs. villain setup, serving up the Marvel Comic’s great allegory to present-day prejudices. This perfectly-cast yarn weaves Magneto and Professor X’s mutant freedom fighters the X-Men together, fighting Willaim Stryker (Brian Cox), an influential human with a hatred for all mutants. After showing bits and pieces of Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) past, Singer allows him to go berserk on a group of Stryker’s soldiers; as in the comics, moments like these are the most exciting in the film. Alan Cumming joins the cast as Nightcrawler, a mutant with teleportation abilities who in the film’s opening scene attacks the Oval Office—an expertly-conceived sequence utilizing the best CGI work around. Singer’s respect for this material elevates his film, even when he’s juggling X2’s massive collection of characters.

5. Mystic River

Clint Eastwood crafts Dennis Lehane’s Boston character study with all the temperance of an old master—clearly what Eastwood’s blossomed into. Stricken with a quiet emotionalism, the film circles around three childhood friends now grown up after choosing varying paths. Kevin Bacon’s character has become a cop; Sean Penn’s a well-respected figure of local crime; and Tim Robbins is into a man accused of a killing a young girl. Robbins’ character was kidnapped as a boy, right in front of his two best friends, and then taken and raped by his captors. Eastwood describes the suspicions and justifications of those around Robbins’ character with brooding clarity, how they assume his crimes because of his past. And as the picture takes tragic turns, we realize how deep rooted each character’s problems are, their real intentions, and thus how well Eastwood manages conveying it all with such absolute control.

4. Finding Nemo

Pixar’s massive box-office hit Finding Nemo succeeds at being perfect entertainment for kids and adults alike. Visually enthralling through every frame, you see wonders beyond anything you’d expect from an animated movie. Even with Pixar’s already impressive filmography with Monsters Inc. and A Bug’s Life, they outdid themselves here. The voice talents of Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres underscore the intelligent script, which is filled with sarcasm and heart. It’s as though a Discovery Channel undersea documentary came to personified life, complete with incomparable colors and unbelievable sights (such as sharks that assert “Fish are friends. Not food.”) The triumphal beauty of this film speaks volumes over live-action cinema, and attests to the underestimated effect of great animation.

3. Kill Bill Vol. 1

With unequaled innovative style, Quentin Tarantino continues his homage-centric filmmaking to include samurai films of the 1960s and 1970s, Americanizing them in ways only he can. Written for Uma Thurman, the role of The Bride is handled with intentional iconic admiration—she’s already a grand movie hero after just surviving the prologue scene at her bloody wedding. We follow her ex-assassin character recovering as she strengthens herself after awakening from a coma years later, hell-bent on revenge against her former ally assassins. Her group is a realization of Pulp Fiction’s “Fox Force Five”, each member adorned with a specialty. Here we see The Bride (who remains nameless, thus more mysterious and believable in her unstoppable-killing-machine ways) takes on hitwoman-turned-homemaker Vivica A. Fox and Yakuza gangleader Lucy Liu. Tarantino’s comic book hugs violent simplicity, employing a brief, very red anime interlude and a massive duel between The Bride and eighty-eight martial-arts-laden bodyguards, always bound to impress visually or incite frequent awes of cool.

2. Oldboy

I was awestruck by what lengths this picture went to complete its story. South Korean director Park Chan-Wook’s revenge tale haunts me like few contemporary films can. This audacious, graphic portrait of vengeance subjects both the viewer and characters in the film to awful tortures. Choi Min-sik plays Oh Dae-su, a man kidnapped and held in a hotel room, drugged daily, and left with only a television and shadow boxing to keep his company. When he finally escapes after more than a decade of lonely torture, his brain is near mush and driven by a singular desire: revenge. What follows is a horrific tale, but not like anything you’ve ever seen. Teeth are pulled, dozens of goons get it with a hammer, and I’m positive one octopus died during filming. This isn’t torture porn like Saw or Hostel, rather a profound and dramatic look at a person incomparably damaged; his psychological afflictions transcend any physical harm he incurs (of which there is much) and dishes out (even more). We’re so drawn in that we’re less viewing the movie as we are experiencing it—one of the many great joys of fine cinema.

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

It’s hard to believe that little more than a decade ago, Peter Jackson was making Dead Alive (aka Braindead), often called the goriest movie ever made. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy seems directed by someone else entirely; his growth from well-directed zombie horror to patient, expert filmmaking mirrors Sam Raimi’s own maturation from the low-budget The Evil Dead series to A Simple Plan, The Gift, or Spider-Man. Jackson’s anticipated cap on the thus-far superb trilogy peaks with extraordinary highs: the battle at Minas Tirith; Frodo and Sam’s scenes with Shelob the spider; Frodo finally inside Mordor with the ring; Aragorn crowned as King. Fans have scoffed at the finale, claiming there’re too many endings; this reaction confuses me. How can Jackson embrace Tolkien’s “There and Back Again” archetype without spending ample time on the “Back Again”? Certainly the time travelling back from Mordor (taking viewers something like 11-hours to reach if watching the DVD “Extended Editions”, which you should) offers something significant for these characters, specifically Frodo and Sam, whose world has changed. Jackson ’s greatest achievement is capturing the Tolkien spirit and bringing it to, perhaps, a broader audience than the books.

 

Honorable mentions:
Big Fish, The Last Samurai, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Matchstick Men, A Mighty Wind, Monster, Open Range, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pear, School of Rock, Shattered Glass