Tuesday, January 06, 2004
THE TOP TEN FILMS I HAVE SEEN OF 2003
There are some usual suspects I have yet to see, like Cold Mountain and House of Sand and Fog. But from what I have seen, the top 10 are:
10. The Eye
What's not to love about contemporary Asian horror? An imaginative premise and spot-on execution make this an armrest-grabber.
9. Finding Nemo
Not as good as last year's Monsters, Inc., nor probably even Toy Story 2. But breathtaking animation and talented voicework lend themselves to a top-notch comedy.
8. Matchstick Men
You can see the "twist" coming miles away, but the assured touch of Ridley Scott and his cast of pros put the focus on emotion and character.
7. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Johnny Depp gives a hilarious performance that buoys a clever script that brings the best of swashbuckling and ghost stories into one cartoonish romp. Gore Verbinski proves that he's competent enough to make a good movie from a good script.
6. Better Luck Tomorrow
Smart and funny, a ripping satire of high schoolers try to get ahead in life. Director Justin Lin shows he's someone to watch.
5. Charlie's Angles: Full Throttle
The most criminally maligned film of recent memory. A delirious and hilarious send-up of the Summer Tentpole Release genre, it does everything Kill Bill does, only with a sense of fun. Shame on critics who applaud the latter only because they respect the reference points, as though 70s kung-fu cinema really is worthier than 80s TV. Neither film says anything about -- well, Charlie's Angels does critique its genre, so I guess it's Tarantino's whackfest that is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
4. Mystic River
Clint in top form, conducting a marvellous cast through an in-depth character study. Like the great Unforgiven, it explodes traditional ideas of righteous vengeance, but does so without a redemptive ending. Though not quite the film as its predecessor, it stands proud on its own terms.
3. Intolerable Cruelty
Not the commercial sell-out some feared and many critics reviewed it as. The Coens end a two-film mini-slump by deconstructing the romantic comedy, with a great assist by their two fearless leads. I literally laughed non-stop from beginning to end.
2. Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola is the best young director we have today. There I said it. She just edges out Wes Anderson and Paul Thomas Anderson in my mind. All this has going for it is a great Bill Murray performance, the first good one of Scarlet Johanssen's career, a hilarious Anna Faris, spellbinding cinematography from Lance Acord, a funny and touching story, and, well, what more could you want? Except for ...
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
A singular accomplishment. Totally unique in film history. There are too many superlatives ...
There are some usual suspects I have yet to see, like Cold Mountain and House of Sand and Fog. But from what I have seen, the top 10 are:
10. The Eye
What's not to love about contemporary Asian horror? An imaginative premise and spot-on execution make this an armrest-grabber.
9. Finding Nemo
Not as good as last year's Monsters, Inc., nor probably even Toy Story 2. But breathtaking animation and talented voicework lend themselves to a top-notch comedy.
8. Matchstick Men
You can see the "twist" coming miles away, but the assured touch of Ridley Scott and his cast of pros put the focus on emotion and character.
7. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Johnny Depp gives a hilarious performance that buoys a clever script that brings the best of swashbuckling and ghost stories into one cartoonish romp. Gore Verbinski proves that he's competent enough to make a good movie from a good script.
6. Better Luck Tomorrow
Smart and funny, a ripping satire of high schoolers try to get ahead in life. Director Justin Lin shows he's someone to watch.
5. Charlie's Angles: Full Throttle
The most criminally maligned film of recent memory. A delirious and hilarious send-up of the Summer Tentpole Release genre, it does everything Kill Bill does, only with a sense of fun. Shame on critics who applaud the latter only because they respect the reference points, as though 70s kung-fu cinema really is worthier than 80s TV. Neither film says anything about -- well, Charlie's Angels does critique its genre, so I guess it's Tarantino's whackfest that is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
4. Mystic River
Clint in top form, conducting a marvellous cast through an in-depth character study. Like the great Unforgiven, it explodes traditional ideas of righteous vengeance, but does so without a redemptive ending. Though not quite the film as its predecessor, it stands proud on its own terms.
3. Intolerable Cruelty
Not the commercial sell-out some feared and many critics reviewed it as. The Coens end a two-film mini-slump by deconstructing the romantic comedy, with a great assist by their two fearless leads. I literally laughed non-stop from beginning to end.
2. Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola is the best young director we have today. There I said it. She just edges out Wes Anderson and Paul Thomas Anderson in my mind. All this has going for it is a great Bill Murray performance, the first good one of Scarlet Johanssen's career, a hilarious Anna Faris, spellbinding cinematography from Lance Acord, a funny and touching story, and, well, what more could you want? Except for ...
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
A singular accomplishment. Totally unique in film history. There are too many superlatives ...
