My fiesty friend Rob, spyname Goldenbrow,
has released his third annual Best Films of the Year list. (If you wanna win Sock's heart, just make a list) You cannot go wrong by following any of his recommendations, so make haste and update your Netflix queue!
And now, without further ado, Rob's Top Ten list!
1. Lost in Translation
Rated R (102 min.)
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford, Lost in
Translation makes a strong case for cinematic talent being genetic. Oscar
rumors are flying for Bill Murray, who brings his trademark physical comedy
and sadsack ennui to his role as Bob Harris, a movie star spending a week in
Tokyo to film a Suntory whiskey commercial. Feeling like an over-the-hill
sellout, Bob quietly endures his lonely days and jet-lagged nights far from
home, far from his wife and kids. But then he meets a kindred spirit in
Charlotte, played by the mesmerizing Scarlett Johansson. She's newly married
to a fashion photographer but feels she hasn't yet carved out an identity of
her own. Alone together in the dreamy strangeness of Tokyo, Bob and
Charlotte share an impossible romance that is equal parts heartbreaking and
hilarious. Lost in Translation is a smart, funny, and romantic crowd-pleaser
and the best movie of 2003.
2. City of God
Rated R (131 min.)
This astonishingly powerful debut feature from Fernando Meirseilles really
deserved a wider audience. City of God is vibrant, raw and explosive. The
slums of Rio De Janeiro circa 1960-1980 are vividly recreated as boyhood
friends Benny and Lil Ze rise from petty vandals to become powerful
ganglords. But the heart of the film is Rocket, the smart and observant kid
who decides to shoot his way out of the dead-end streets of his home with a
camera instead of a gun. Right from the start, City of God pounds with a
furious visual energy and a killer soundtrack. If you're a fan of Goodfellas
or Boogie Nights, you have got to see this unforgettable film.
3. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Rated PG-13 (201 min.)
With the third and final installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy,
director Peter Jackson has definitely saved the best for last. We pick up
the adventure as Frodo, Samwise, and Gollum make their final perilous
journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power in the lava of Mount
Doom. Meanwhile, everything hangs in the balance as forces amass for the
battle of Minas Tirith. Great armies of orcs and undead clash with our
heroes, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and especially Gandalf, who does his fair
share of ass kicking. Glorious special effects and crashing good sound
design brings the adventure fully to life. Themes of kinship, heroism, and a
life well lived will have a big ol' lump in your throat at film's end. At
almost three and a half hours, it's certainly a long movie, and it takes a
little while to wrap things up, but ultimately, the Lord of the Rings
trilogy does Tolkien's classic books very proud. The Lord of the Rings films
will be enjoyed for years to come as one of the very best adventure epics
ever to hit the big screen.
4. Master And Commander: The Far Side of the World
Rated PG-13 (139 min.)
[A picture of my master AND my commander!]
Peter Weir's Master and Commander is an astounding adventure at sea, rich
with historical detail, drama, and excitement. Based on Patrick O'Brian's
popular novels, the movie stars Russell Crowe as British naval Captain Jack
Aubrey. The year is 1805. Aubrey and his crew are on patrol in the Atlantic
when a French warship called the Acheron launches a surprise attack.
Aubrey's ship, the HMS Surprise, is crippled by the cannon fire and barely
escapes in time. The Surprise is badly outmanned, outclassed, and outgunned
by the Acheron but that doesn't stop Aubrey from rallying his men to patch
up their ship and set off in pursuit. As this cat-and-mouse struggle plays
out in the Atlantic, around a stormy Cape Horn, and into the Pacific, the
film takes time to focus on the friendship between Aubrey, the ship's
surgeon, and a thirteen-year-old midshipman. The sound-effects work is
excellent, and the team of production designers and historical advisors do
an amazing job bringing history to life. The illusion of looking back in
time is never broken for an instant. Master and Commander is gripping and
thrilling.
5. The Triplets of Belleville
Rated PG-13 (78 min.)
Mon dieu! Who would have guessed that an animated French art-house film with
no dialogue would be one of the best movies of the year? This whimsical
adventure follows doting grandmother Madame Souza and her loyal hound dog as
they set off to rescue her champion bicyclist grandson, who has been
kidnapped by the French mafia. She eventually crosses paths with the aging
triplets of Belleville, a world-famous vaudeville act who may be past their
prime but can still stomp and croon like nobody's business. And get a load
of their diet! Words just can't convey how delightful this movie is from
beginning to end. The pure visual storytelling is bolstered with wonderful
sound effects and music. There are quiet scenes that portray the rhythms of
daily life, and grand set pieces like a stormy ocean crossing and a rousing
song-and-dance number by the triplets, featuring grandma playing the bicycle
spokes. It has a light, sentimental side but it's also wickedly satirical.
The Triplets of Belleville is one of the best reviewed films of the year for
very good reason. It's a marvel.
6. American Splendor
Rated R (100 min.)
The grand prize winner at last year's Sundance film festival, American
Splendor is a unique comedy based on the life of Harvey Pekar. Who the hell
is Harvey Pekar? Well, Harvey is a regular working stiff like anybody else,
only grumpier. In 1976 Harvey started writing an offbeat comic book based on
his everyday trials and tribulations as a file clerk living in Cleveland.
His comic books covered such topics as Harvey searching for his keys,
bickering with his boss, or grocery shopping. The series was a big hit in
the niche-y world of underground comics, and eventually Harvey landed a
regular guest spot on the David Letterman show. Paul Giamatti stars as
Harvey Pekar, but the real Harvey Pekar also appears in brief
documentary-style interludes throughout the film. Same goes for the entire
cast of friends and family, who appear in both fiction and reality. (You'll
think the actor playing Harvey's friend Toby is way overdoing it until you
meet the real deal.) There's even a bit of animation thrown in to further
blur the line between Harvey's real life and his comics. Funny, inventive,
and quietly profound, American Splendor is a true original.
7. Whale Rider
Rated PG-13 (105 min.)
Here's one for the whole family. The setting is a small Maori village in New
Zealand where the locals worship Paikea, the Whale Rider. The time has come
for a new chief to be appointed, so the village boys are gathered to study
and train for this honor. But an eleven-year-old girl named Pai knows deep
down that she was destined for this honor from birth. In defiance of the
village elders and her stern grandfather who has raised her since birth, Pai
insists on proving herself against all odds and expectations. Possessing a
talent and emotional maturity well beyond her years, Keisha Castle-Hughes is
just stunning as Pai. There's a lot to like about Whale Rider, from the
exotic setting on the coast of New Zealand to the touching and mythic story
it tells. You won't soon forget it.
8. Monster
Rated R (111 min.)
All you need to know about Monster is Charlize Theron. Her portrayal of
real-life prostitute-turned-serial killer Aileen Wuornos is less performance
than bona fide possession. Wuornos was executed in Florida in 2002, but with
her bug-eyed stare, her nervous twitches, and her lumbering physical
presence, Theron has all but resurrected her in this film. She inhabits this
damaged woman so completely it's downright creepy. They can go ahead and
start engraving her Oscar now. Christina Ricci co-stars as Selby Wall, the
naive young lesbian who thinks she's in love with Aileen. After shooting a
John in self defense, Aileen starts down a path of violence against the men
she picks up. She steals their cars and their money and brings home the
bacon to Selby, who represents a reason to go on living, and to go on
killing. Writer/director Patty Jenkins finds and maintains a delicate
tension between sympathy and contempt for this deranged soul. Be warned,
this is not a film for the faint of heart. It's violent and upsetting, but
it's also kind of beautiful and true.
9. Spellbound
Rated G (95 min.)
This was a year of great documentaries, including such diverse and
compelling films as Stevie, Winged Migration, Capturing the Friedmans, and
Fog of War. But the documentary I liked best was Spellbound, a film about
eight American kids on a quest to win the National Spelling Bee. The first
half of the film introduces the kids and their parents, who hail from all
corners of the map. Ted is a loner who lives with his family in a
double-wide trailer in rural Missouri. Angela lives on a farm in Texas, the
daughter of a Mexican immigrant who can't speak a word of English. But the
kid who steals the show is Harry, a rubber-faced and spastic motormouth from
Jersey who'd make a great poster child for Ritalin. The second half of the
film follows the regional bee champs and their proud parents to the National
Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., where over 250 of the nation's best and
most socially awkward spellers gather to compete. When the spelling starts I
swear you'll be on the edge of your seat, rooting for each and every kid and
dreading the DING of the judge's bell right along with them. The suspense
builds and the words get more and more heteroclitic until there is only one
left standing. Spellbound is both charming and funny. I promise you'll find
it one of the most purely likable films of the year.
10. School of Rock
Rated PG-13 (108 min.)
The absolute funniest movie I saw in 2003 was School of Rock, in which the
inimitable Jack Black plays Dewey Finn, a struggling rock musician who poses
as a substitute teacher at a prep school to make ends meet. After witnessing
his class of fifth graders in their godawful dull music class, Dewey
realizes they need to form a rock band immediately and start studying things
that matter, like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and The Who. Dewey and the kids
struggle to keep their class project secret, all the while rehearsing for an
upcoming Battle of the Bands concert. School of Rock's plot is
by-the-numbers but the execution is where it's at. Director Richard
Linklater strikes just the right balance between indie sensibility and
mainstream appeal, never letting things get too cutesie or cloying. Jack
Black as Dewey Finn is a hyperactive riot. Any Tenacious D fan will agree,
this is the part he was born to play. And Joan Cusack also shines as Ms.
Mullens, the tight-assed prep school principal. Best of all, the cast of
fifth graders is made up of real, talented child musicians instead of real
annoying child actors, and it makes all the difference. You haven't met a
group of kids as talented and funny as these since...well, since Spellbound.
(What a great double feature that would make!) For those about to rock, I
raise my goblet and salute you.
----------------------------------------------------
And I salute you, fair Goldenbrow!
I think I would have had "Winged Migration" on my list. According to P-Bro, this gorgeous journey with our fine feathered friends is best seen on DVD, where you can hear how the filmmakers earned the trust of the birds and even saved a few lives. I also cannot BELIEVE Goldenbrow left "Finding Nemo" out! "Finding Nemo" gives me hope when all hope is lost. (And oddly enough, both "Winged Migration" and "Finding Nemo" make you HATE people. .... The only redeeming thing about people is that they made both of those movies.)
(hmmm......Perhaps in a later post, I will examine the psychology of those who love animals more than people. Not like that's my problem...)
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