Strat's 20 of 2003

2003 looked to be a down year at first. But you just had to dig a little bit more. Well. it was still a down year, but certainly better than 2002.

20. Monster (drama)

There are two things wrong with this movie. The title makes the leads seem bad and the leads look like the title. It's good. Scary good. But seriously guys, this is not the sexy Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci you were looking for. Beware.

19. Cold Mountain (drama)

You just think you might be seeing an artsy movie, but it gets better than it. There is some real honesty in the performances, esp by Renee Zelwegger. Of course, having Natalie Portman in the movie doesn't hurt.

18. Last Samurai (action drama)

Now this movie reminds me of Dances With Wolves. Foreign military man in an unknown culture that he fights as his enemy and then becomes a close ally to. Movie works for me except for the very obligatory romantic relationship between Tom Cruise and the sister of the leader of the rebel Samurai. Ed Zwick in good form.

17. Dummy (comedy)

Yes, but not a dumb movie. Adrien Brody stars with Milla Jovovich in this quirky comedy about a man who expresses himself through his puppet. Milla is great in this movie. You keep wondering - was this the same actor who is in the Resident Evil movies?? Entertaining.

16. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (action comedy)

Wow. Tarantino can do something that's not dialogue driven. Love the blend of action, 70s kitsch and good drama. Too bad Vol 2 was a complete misfire.

15. Fog of War (documentary)

A film that deals with JFK's Sec of State John McNamara. Lots of revealing info about the early cold war and insight into the politics behind the scenes at the White House in the 60's.

14. Matchstick Men (action)

Nick Cage was Awesome in this movie. It was like Ocean's 11 without feeling like a rehash. Not at all what I would normally call a Ridley Scott movie, sans Thelma and Louise. But this movie was about being slick, hip, and fun.

13. Seabiscuit (sports drama)

If you would have told me that this movie would make my top 20 before I saw it, I would've laughed at you. But this movie is like the title horse - an underdog and in the end, a winner.

12. Bend it Like Beckham (sports comedy)

Another movie which peers into a world that is definitely there, but not in the public consciousness in America - women's sports. Soccer, or football as the dwellers on the other side of the pond would call it. Not only that, but it takes a glimpse into Indian culture as well. A movie which does not fail to make me laugh or entertain. Not to mention two really cute lead actresses.

11. Intolerable Cruelty (comedy)

George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones in a classic-styled Hollywood movie with today issues. Funny and quirky in that Coen Bros kinda way.

10. Duplex (comedy)

Would you believe this would be here on my list? A forgotten Ben Stiller movie which feels like an early 90s comedy. Doesn't feel big budget, but definitely funny.

9. House of Sand and Fog (drama)

Hardly heard of it? Well check it out. A woman's home is accidentally sold to a Persian family, headed by Ben Kingsley. The two square off to supplant the other as the owner. Great drama. almost like a soap, but grounded enough so as not to come off as hokey.

8. Master and Commander (action adventure)

An epic seafaring moving. The likes not seen since Errol Flynn. Smart yet a thriller on the ocean all in one. One of Peter Weir's best.

7. Pirates of the Caribbean (action comedy)

Out of nowhere comes the best of the fun movies of the year. It has a superb performance by Johnny Depp and a score a look that is nearly timeless. Okay, that's an overstatement. But it's still good.

6. Finding Nemo (animation comedy)

Another Pixar classic. Surprised? I wasn't. But at the same time, the movie has the great animation that they're known for.

5. X2: X-Men United (action adventure)

Can a sequel be better than the original? Yes. Here's another example. Bryan Singer crafted this movie in the spirit of great sequels like Batman Returns and Star Trek 2 the Wrath of Khan (which this movie's plot is indebted to).

4. Lost in Translation (comedy)

This movie is not like anything else that came out in '03. Deadpan humor and great acting. Modern classic that cements Sophia Coppola as an auteur to watch.

3. Big Fish (fantasy)

Wow. Now this is classic Tim Burton. This is what kind of film he needs to make. This is what he's good at. Nuff said. See it.

2. Love Actually (comedy)

Where did this movie come from? It's one of the best romantic movies. It's not a great comedy. It's a romance. And I like it. Wow. It's a touching dramatic, romantic movie. Best blend of those two ingredients I've ever seen.

1. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (fantasy)

No surprise here. This movie is a superb ending to one of the greatest film epics ever. Ending on such a high note, makes this trilogy rival the original Star Wars. One for all time.You know what? The worst aren't worth writing about.

Lupe's Top 20 of 2002

20. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (animated)
This is the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen a chimp playing with a kitty.

19. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (fantasy adventure)
Not content with the eternal damnation he earned in the first movie, Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts where he resumes his studies in witchcraft, communes with the dead, and speaks to serpents in their own foul tongue.  Repent and be saved, boy!  Accept Jayazus!

18. The Four Feathers (war epic)
Dear British Empire, thank you for bequeathing something like the Mahdi to world history.  What's a little anti-Western religious fervor among Muslims?  I'm sure no lasting harm will come of it.

17. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (action adventure)
Okay, so it may not be the original trilogy, but come on, those romance scenes were pure magic.  Wait, that's backwards.  They were the worst thing in the movie.  Now we just need a Tuscan babies animated series.  That should end well.

16. Minority Report (sci-fi, action)
Do you really want to live in a future where department store billboards single you out by name and ask if you need fresh underwear with no stains?  No wonder the murder rate's through the roof.  Me, I think I'll opt for suicide before we get there.

15. The Quiet American (drama)
Well if that's how those slopes want to play it, then this means war!  I really think we can win this Vietnam thing, too.

14. The Bourne Identity (action)
Most people who lose their memory wake up with a mouthful of dried vomit and a pounding hangover.  This is way cooler.

13. Panic Room (suspense)
The original Transformers cartoon series had a character named Raoul who was a little too "friendly" with the preening, effiminate Autobot corvette, Tracks.  The point is, trust no one named Raoul.  Something Jared Leto should have learned before he found himself in this movie.

12. Gangs of New York (drama)
I'm Irish (if you go back far enough and ignore all the Scottish, English, German, Basque, Assyrian, Udmurt, and Maori).  This film makes me want to embrace my heritage and punch somebody in the face.

11. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (drama)
My own adolescence was so boring compared to this.  Nary a nun, cougar, ghost, or incest in sight.

10. Insomnia (suspense)
With Al Pacino playing an insomniac detective, this movie becomes a taut psychological suspense thriller.  I guess if he'd been a narcoleptic detective, they'd have had to play it for laughs.

9. Spider-Man (action)
Super-villains shouldn't shop at the 99 cent store for their costumes.  At least Green Goblin totally pulls off that groin wound, even if the bridge scene is contrived.

8. City of God (foreign, drama)
Who'd be crazy enough to photograph a bunch of Brazilian gangbangers with poor impulse control, just because no one else can get close enough?  Why couldn't they be reclusive and dangerous cheerleaders instead?

7. Ararat (drama)
I have this theory that if the Turks had never invaded Anatolia, World War 1 would have lasted only weeks or months and the Russian Revolution and World War 2 would never have happened.  But the western Europeans would also never have sought an alternate route to the east Indies, so the United States might not exist.  I call it the Turkish Conundrum.  Still, no Armenian Genocide, so that's a win.

6. 28 Days Later (horror)
This is how you know what a talent Danny Boyle is.  It took him a mere two words to revolutionize the horror genre: fast zombies.  And with that, brains are back on the menu.

5. Catch Me If You Can (drama)
Leonardo DiCaprio makes crime look easy and fun!  Ditto for the Louisiana state bar exam.  More watchable than it sounds.

4. Bubba Ho-Tep (horror)
Elvis Presley and a black JFK fight an ancient Egyptian mummy in their small town Texas nursing home.  That's not just any old premise for a movie, that's, like, one of the all time greatest premises ever!  Like my own idea for a war movie about Donald Duck in the Pacific theater.  It would be a musical.

3. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (dark comedy)
See if you can spot the early Michael Cera!  Despite all the murder and unraveling psyches, this is pretty funny.  Sometimes because of all the murder and unraveling psyches.  Though baby Chuck Barris in a dress is really creepy.

2. Spirited Away (animated, adventure)
Not the one with the horses, the other one.  With the monsters and the heavily veiled critique of a certain quasi-legal job opportunity for girls in modern Japanese culture.  Ha!  Now you can't NOT see it.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (fantasy epic)
Okay, so the battle of Rorke's Drift is pretty cool, but you call that a defense of Osgiliath?  They should have set up archers with flame tipped arrows to shoot the orcs in the boats before they ever reached shore.  It'd be like the beaches of Normandy!  In Middle-Earth!

Strat's 20 of 2002

Movies went international. Even if they were made in English, they had some overseas connection - whether exotic locales (Middle Earth) or shot overseas to look like America (old New York in Italy). They also went big, as 6 of the top 10 grossing movies of the year found their way onto this list. There's no clear number one. In fact, my top 5 are interchangeable.

20. Better Luck Tomorrow (drama)

A glimpse in the organized crime world of Asian-American high school honors students. What?! Yeah. Pretty interesting.

19. Signs (sci-fi)

Oh M. Night, back to your twist-ending ways. It's an alien invasion movie with very little high tech and lots of chills and a few good nervous laughs.

18. Minority Report (sci-fi)

At last we see a sci-fi movie set in the near future that feels like it really is the not-so-distant future.

17. One Hour Photo (drama)

Makes me glad that the digital camera is in full swing and I don't have to deal with this creep. Whew. Good job, Robin Williams.

16. Panic Room (thriller)

What happens when you throw Jodie Foster in the closet and say act? Just be sure to film it the way only David Fincher (Fight Club) knows how.

15. The Ring (horror)

Yes, the Japanese movie is pretty scary, but this time around in America, I actually got freaked out. Maybe I should get rid of my TV...

14. Catch Me If You Can (action comedy)

It's a movie you half don't expect Spielberg to make. He's not normally a comedy guy. This ends up being a lot of fun to watch.

13. Talk to Her (foreign drama)

Back in the soap opera-like twisted story land of Almodovar.

12. Frida (drama)

After her success with Shakespeare, Julie Taymor tackles the controversial artist with Selma Hayek delivering the the best work of her career.

11. Orange County (comedy)

Teen comedy directed by the son of writer Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and starring Tom Hanks kid? Nepotism? Maybe not. It's a classic male-driven teen movie except our main guy is actually smart and likeable yet not the classic nerd.

10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (fantasy)

I'm not a Harry Potter fan, however this one actually made me believe that this franchise might have some merit to it.

9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (comedy)

Okay, I'm Greek. I'm biased. What can I say? It reminds me of my family.

8. Insomnia (suspense drama)

Certainly overlooked, Chris Nolan takes an all-star cast to Alaska and lets them go insane.

7. About Schmidt (comedy)

This is a movie where everything happens around Jack Nicholson and he just sits there and takes it all in. And no one is better and just sitting there. And writing letters to Ndugo.

6. Spider-Man (action adventure)

One of the better launches to a super-hero movie franchise. Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi prove that you don't have to go dark to be well-liked. Just have well-drawn characters who we can relate to despite the obvious.

5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (fantasy)

Neither the beginning, nor the end, the theatrical release of this movie is much easier to follow than the first. This movie also introduces us to a CGI character known as Gollum that will forever change the landscape of visual FX.

4. Gangs of New York (drama)

After being postponed once by the studio and a second time by 9/11, Scorsese's ode to the Irish gangs makes it into the light. What we get is a captivating performance from Daniel Day Lewis and a sense that DiCaprio is finally becoming a man's actor.

3. The Kid Stays in the Picture (documentary)

This film revolutionizes the use of still photography-based documentary movies in a way that makes the Ken Burns effect look ancient. Not to mention how brutally honest Robert Evans is about himself in this autobiographical look at his life and career in showbiz.

2. 8 Mile (drama)

When I first heard the director of LA Confidential was making a movie with Eminem starring in semi-autobiographical movie, I laughed. Whoops. I would never have thought a movie starring any rapper could be anything more than ghetto glorified or a slapstick over-the-top comedy. That's what's so great about Eminem and this movie. It's more than what you expect.

1. City of God (foreign drama)

This movie is definitely not for everyone. It's violent, it laced with profanity and it's set in a world few of us will ever know. It's the way this movie lets us into the world that makes this the foreign equivalent of Goodfellas.