Hardest year yet to pick only ten. It has been awhile since I have done one of these, so here goes nothing!
Always changing: I am going to start adding a CAUTION section for each movie so that you will know which parts may be offensive, or at least were to me.
10. THE TRIP
LETS OF BELLEVILLE (Sylvain Chomet) - A woman's bicycling grandson is kidnapped by the mafia, and she and her dog, with the help of an old sing-and-dance trio called the Triplets of Belleville, must try and save him. Two Oscar nominations including Best Animated Feature, Best Original Song ("Belleville Rendez-Vous": Benoit Charest, Sylvain Chomet). Almost no dialogue for the 80 minutes of run-time, with the little bit that was there being mostly in French with no subtitles. While this made it drag a bit in parts, the story was so universal yet so quirky that you can't keep your eyes off the screen. The music was gorgeous (the soundtrack consisting of mainly one song), and the animation is beyond words. FAVORITE SCENE: Every time the dog is barking at passing trains and the time is slowed down to show facial contortions. Indescribably intricate animation. CAUTION: PG-13 for Overly exaggerated, animated belly dancer at beginning. While funny it may be slightly off-putting. Not for kids.9. FINDING NEMO (Andrew Stanton) - A clown fish, Marlin (Albert Brook
s), is on the search for his son, Nemo, who was taken by fishermen and placed in a tank at a dentist's office. Along the way, he meets a forgetful fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a group of sharks in FA (Fishaholics Anonymous), a surfing turtle, and many other sea creatures. Oscar win for Best Animated Feature. I am assuming most of you have already seen this movie. Very funny, stunning computer animation (as Pixar always is), classic father-son story. Seriously, go see this movie. Sam likes it. FAVORITE SCENE: The scene with Dory and Marlin looking for the human mask in the deepest parts of the sea, encountering some rather terrifying fish.8. IDENTIT
Y (James Mangold) - A group of ten very different people are stranded at a small motel in the middle of nowhere when, one-by-one, they start being killed off. By now, we have gotten tired of these kind of twist-ending thriller. (The ending in this in one, in particular, has been so over done that I can't help but think of Robot Chicken: "What a twist!".) At the time this came came out, it was shocking. It is also one of the few movies with a surprise ending that I can enjoy even after knowing the ending. John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet are all great. FAVORITE SCENE: Creepy scene in the laundry room...that's all I will say. CAUTION: R for violent and disturbing images, but tame when compared to the likes of Saw or Hostel. Also, Peet plays a prostitute. Nothing explicit, but there is talk.7. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEAR
L (Gore Verbinski) - The epic story of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he tries to capture back his now cursed ship, the Black Pearl, from Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his crew of undead. Five Oscar nominations including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Johnny Depp). Johnny Depp is brilliant. There, it's out of the way. And while Rush is just as good, if not better, than Depp, most of the other actors are wimpy and annoying (ahem...Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightley). Also, the series should've ended here; the sequels were confusing and stupid. However, this was maybe the most fun I had going to the movie's in 2003. Perfect mixture of action, adventure, comedy, and even some mild horror. FAVORITE SCENE: "You best star believing in ghost stories, Ms. Turner...YOU'RE IN ONE!" Love it! CAUTION: PG-13 for mild language (maybe), some images of zombie/ghost-like creatures, and mainly swashbuckling.6. THE STAT
ION AGENT (Thomas McCarthy) - A train-loving dwarf (Peter Dinklage) inherits an old train station and decides to live their in order to get away from society, but a hot dog vendor and a troubled woman (Patricia Clarkson) can't help themselves but befriend him. Multiple Independent Spirit Awards including Best Screenplay. It's a bummer that Dinklage can't logistically be in more roles because he is brilliant in his portrayal in this. Julie thought it was slow in parts, but she is wrong. The relationship between Joe, the hot dog guy, and Fionn, the dwarf, is so funny and so real. If you like movies that are true slices of life, check his one out. FAVORITE SCENE: Any scene where Joe is trying to get Fionn to hang out. CAUTION: R but really only for language.5. CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS (Andrew Jarecki) - The document
ary of a seemingly normal family whose life is destroyed by an accusation of child molestation on the father and one of his sons. Sundance winner under Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. Not the happiest movie on Earth; in fact, it is extremely sad and disturbing. The brilliance of the movie is how Jarecki leaves you guessing from scene to scene as to whether this father and son actually are guilty of the crime. By the end, the verdict is very clear. Forget horror movies; this is one of the few movies of recent years that gave me nightmares. Haunting. FAVORITE SCENE: Hard to call any a "favorite", but the home video footage of the family in distress during the trials is extremely captivating. CAUTION: NOT RATED but would be R, I'm sure. Language is bad, but the worst is the descriptions some of the victims gave.4. SCHOOL OF R
OCK (Richard Linklater) - Jack Black has a field day in this story about a substitute teacher who decides to scratch the curriculum and teach the the ways of Rock n Roll. Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Jack Black). As soon as I walked out of the theatre, I wanted to quit school and play wicked licks on my guitar forever. This role was written specifically for Black by his neighbor, Mike White, and it is impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Not to mention the kids are prodigies, especially the guitar player. Very funny. FAVORITE SCENE: When Jack is singing his song for the kids, explaining flourishes and stage effects while singing. CAUTION: PG-13, but barely. Some bad language, but would have been PG in the early nineties. Watch the freakin' Sandlot: they swear through the whole movie!3. A MIGHTY WIND (Christopher Guest) - Three popular, sixties folk gro
ups reunite in the new millennium to commemorate the death of their manager by putting on a publicly broadcasted concert. Oscar nomination for Best Original Song ("A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow": Michael McKean, Annette O'Toole). Another movie about music, but not a musical (they don't randomly get up and start singing about what they're doing). The last of Guest's (good) mockumentaries. Like most of his films, I didn't quite get the joke upon first viewing, but was excited to watch it again. Extremely quotable. Hilarious songs. McKean, Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, John Michael Higgins....need I say more? FAVORITE SCENE: Without question, Fred Willard's small role as a local failed-actor-turned-radio-dj has some of the best one-liners: "Hey, Wha' Happened?!"...I guess you gotta see it, and you should! CAUTION: PG-13 for language perhaps. Also, a couple sexual references and situations, but nothing real explicit. Not too bad for most.2. MY FLES
H AND BLOOD (Jonathan Karsh) - A year in the life of real-life mother Susan Tom and her 14 children, 11 of which are adopted special needs kids. Sundance Awards including the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Okay, so most of the documentaries I seem to like are somewhat depressing, but this is an exception to the rule. There are definitely parts that are very sad, but the love of this woman for her kids is inspiring. She has adopted kids with extreme burns, rare skin disorders, mental retardation, and a couple of girls with no legs. While life their is often difficult, the laughter and happiness in this house overpowers any of the disorders. FAVORITE SCENE: When one of the girls brings a boy home, who is obviously overwhelmed by the family he is meeting. CAUTION: Not Rated, but would be R. One of the kids has breathing problems, a.d.d., and is extremely bipolar, which leads him to swear and make threat towards his mom and the other kids one minute, and tell them he loves them the next. These moments are fairly intense.1. AMERICAN SPLENDOR (Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini) - A truly
unique depiction of the life of underground comic book artist Harvey Pekar (played in part by Paul Giamatti), told through his own narration, actual reproductions of his comics, and old-fashion movie story telling. Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Quite possibly the most original film I have ever seen that doesn't lose the story behind the movie making. Giamatti is perfect as the disgruntled yet relate-able Pekar, who is like a Holden Caufield for the graphic novel generation. The cutbacks between the real Pekar and his real friends and the reenactments portrayed by the actors is funny and poignant. I only got to see this once and can't wait to see it again. FAVORITE SCENE: I love the actual footage of Pekar on Letterman calling him out for using him to get better ratings. CAUTION: R purely for bad language, but it is throughout.RUNNER'S UP:
X2: X-Men United, Stevie, Chicago, The Pianist, Holes
OVERRATED:
Big Fish, The Italian Job, 28 Days Later..., OPEN RANGE (Woodrums, are you kidding me?!), Lost in Translation, Elephant
