10 Best Movies of 2003

1. Mystic River

Years from now The Lord of the Rings will be praised as one of the greatest film trilogies of all time while Mystic River, at best, will be remembered as the film that won Sean Penn his first Oscar®. So why would I possibly choose Mystic River over Rings? Simply because it’s the better film. Despite costing millions of dollars less, River provides an emotional punch that could not be matched by Return of the King or any other film released in the past year. Clint Eastwood proves once again that he is just as good behind the camera as he is in front of it with his focused, mysterious direction. Meanwhile, Sean Penn gives the finest performance of his career as a father in search of vengeance on the murderer of his daughter, but it’s Tim Robbins who really makes the film work as he allows the film to reach a level of mystery that we rarely see in today’s cinema. Mystic River may not win Best Picture at this year’s Oscars® and it certainly will never receive the gigantic box office numbers of The Return of the King, but there wasn’t a film released in the past year that is more deserving of both.

#2 21 Grams

It’s not very often that an actor appears in the top two films of the year, but Sean Penn knew exactly which roles to take for 2003. He gives another fine performance, this time as a math professor awaiting a heart transplant. But 21 Grams has to be considered Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s achievement. He scrambles the story’s order into several parts, creating a film that resembles a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. Like that puzzle, the editing may seem like it is just too much at the beginning, but by the time it’s complete you see a beautiful picture and you realize you enjoyed it the whole time. And deep down you’re sad that it’s over. This film is a lot like that. And with the exception of Mystic River, there wasn’t a better acted film in 2003 than 21 Grams. Benicio Del Toro does his finest work since Traffic in the supporting role as a born-again Christian whose faith is challenged after a tragic accident. Meanwhile, Naomi Watts gives the lead actress performance of the year as a young mother who loses her family when the tragedy strikes. 21 Grams, like Memento, is one of those rare films that are told in such an exciting way, that you’ll want to go back to the theater for seconds, and maybe even thirds.

#3 House of Sand and Fog

Many films try to create intensity by adding pointless car chases and multi-million dollar special effects. The result often resembles a brainless Jerry Bruckheimer production. Smart directors, like Vadim Perelman, realize that strong performances and smart storylines are the real key to creating an intense film. In his debut film, House of Sand and Fog, Jennifer Connelly gives on of the finest performances of the year. She plays Kathly, a woman who finds herself homeless after her house is mistakenly taken away from her because of tax fraud. The house is quickly sold to Col. Massoud Amir Behrani, played by the always-great Ben Kingsley, who refuses to sell it back for anything less than four times what he paid for it. What follows is a powerful character study about greed, racism, and depression that is undoubtedly one of the most important films of the year.

#4 In America

There is something extraordinary about the opening scenes of In America. As the film opens, we see a family of Irish immigrants entering the United States with big dreams while the song “Do You Believe in Magic” blares on the radio. Meanwhile, we see little Ariel gazing out the window filled with an amount of excitement and joy that only a child can experience. America has rarely felt so wonderful. Then they find out their new home is in the roughest apartment in the city. Few films have ever had such an amazing and heartbreaking start, and the film seldom lets up after that. Director Jim Sheridan gives us a countless amount of memorable scenes that are both uplifting and heartbreaking, from Dad risking everything to win an E.T. doll for his daughter to the young girls going trick-or-treating from apartment to apartment on Halloween night. In America celebrates family in such a glorious and inspirational way that I don’t hesitate to call it the best film about family love since 1998’s Life is Beautiful

#5 The Magdalene Sisters

The best prison movies are those that have wrongfully convicted prisoners overcoming impossible obstacles just to find redemption in the end. The Shawshank Redemption is one of those pictures. The Green Mile wanted to be one of those pictures, and now The Magdalene Sisters is one of the best of the kind. The thing that makes Magdalene special, more so than The Green Mile and possibly even more than The Green Mile, is that the characters are interesting and likeable. Magdalene tells the story of four ladies: Patricia, a shy young mother with an unforgiving father; Margaret, a victim of rape; Bernadette, a flirtatious beauty; and Cripina, a mentally handicapped mother unable of raising her child. Writer-director Peter Mullan, who was the star of My Name is Joe, makes an impressive debut as a director. He doesn’t back away from honesty or cruelty, but rather stays focused on the film’s characters. Like many religious-based movies, The Magdalene Sisters had religious leaders complaining, but the film isn’t against religion. It’s against cruelty in all forms, which is something religious leaders should honor.

#6 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

What can a gifted director do when given millions of dollars to make a film? He can go on and create a film about a green monster with a bad temper like Ang Lee did, or he can go on and create something much more special, which is exactly what Peter Jackson did with his money. But just how good is Return of the King? It’s good enough to turn even the most cynical critics of the series into fans, which is exactly what Peter Jackson’s swooping adventure did for me. In a year in which a new sequel opened every week, Peter Jackson’s film was the only one that was better than its predecessor. Even those who didn’t expect much from Peter Jackson’s final installment were pleasantly surprised by the film’s quickened pace, unexpected humor and increased action. Return of the King will be remembered as one of the greatest films in the history of cinema, and rightfully so. It’s so entertaining and beautifully made that it is impossible to leave the theater without being in awe. And it’s easy to forgive the film for having numerous endings, because no one really wants it to end. Perhaps there are still some people who refuse to accept a world with hobbits and gigantic mythical creatures, but thanks to Return of the King, I believe. It’s easy to see why these films are so popular: for just seven dollars Peter Jackson takes us to the Middle Earth, and it’s a great place to be.

#7 School of Rock

Ten years ago, Richard Linklater released the high school drama Dazed and Confused. There really wasn’t anything extraordinary about the film’s screenplay, but there was something about the way that Linklater told the story that made the film very special. So it feels right that Linklater is still adding those same touches into his films today, most recently with the uplifting and often funny tale of a loser who is redeemed after starting up a band consisting of brilliant fifth grade students. Jack Black is perfectly cast, as he allows his passion for music to shine through his character. I’m sure much will be different in filmmaking ten years from now, but I hope that Linklater and Black are still doing the same old, wonderful thing.

#8 Thirteen

2003 was an amazing year for documentaries. Capturing the Friedmans uncovered deep family secrets, Spellbound captured the tension and emotions behind the national spelling bee championship, The Fog of War was hailed as one of the most important films of the year and Thirteen revealed the downfall of a junior high girl. But Thirteen just feels like a documentary, more so than any other script-written film the past year. Perhaps its genuine feeling is generated because it’s based on the real-life story of co-star Nikki Reed, who helped co-write the story when she was only thirteen years old. Evan Rachel Wood also deserves much of the credit for turning in one of the finest performances I have ever seen by a child-actress. She plays Tracy, a teenage girl who finds acceptance and popularity through the use of drugs and sex. Meanwhile, Holly Hunter is as good as always as the hurting mother with a troubled past, who wants badly to help her daughter but is unsure of how to get through to her. The film really belongs to Catherine Hardwicke, as she makes the finest directorial debut I’ve seen since Todd Field’s In the Bedroom.

#9 Elephant

Gus Van Sant has become one of the most reliable directors of our time. His Hollywood works are top-notch (Good Will Hunting and Finding Forrester) and his independent films are arguably even better. With that said, Elephant is the best independent film that Van Sant has ever made, and arguably his best overall film. The film plays out slowly and repeatedly as we follow various high school students during the day of a school shooting. Van Sant’s goal is to show that the tragic day starts off like any other day, and he succeeds thorough his patient film work. He doesn’t explain why such events happen, because there’s really no explanation, nor does he point any fingers. Rather, Elephant is exactly the kind of film it should be: a remembrance for all the victims of school shootings – and one worth remembering. Elephant is delicate, humane, uncompromising and painfully truthful.

#10 Finding Nemo

Now that we have been provided with a handful of wonderful computer animated family films, I think it is fair to say that Finding Nemo is the Cinderella of them all, the most beautiful animated film ever released. And although it may sound funny, Nemo may also be the most important film of the year. Not because of its funny, uplifting story or because of any animation breakthrough it may have provided, but rather because it comes at a time when good family films are rare. No genre needs to be reinvented more than the family film, and until it is, the greats like Nemo will be something to cherish.

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