Decade pt. iv ( Top Five 00’s Movies – 2003 )

#5. KILL BILL… There are some who would call my inclusion of Tarantino’s ultra-violent opus on this film complete heresy. I’m well aware that the man stole three quarters of the ideas in this film from dozens of B films he’d watched…but he’s brought all those films so beautifully creating one badass symphony of cool. The visual style, the crackling soundtrack, and the signature dialogue – it all came together beautifully to form this first chapter of The Bride’s revenge. Now if only someone would get to work putting volume 1 and 2 together into one suped up dvd package, I’d be a happy hatter.

#4. THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE… This was the year that an animated movie about fish blew everybody away. However, for me, this was the best animated film of the year. In an age where celebrities voice most animated characters, here comes a film with about a dozen lines of spoken dialogue. Even without words, the characters in this film express their love for the simple things in life – making music, riding bicycles, and barking at cars. Adding a cherry to this cinematic sundae, is an infectious theme song that you are guaranteed to be humming for days. Of course, in true unjust Hollywood form it was denied an Oscar for Best Song…to “Into the West”…from LORD OF THE RINGS.

#3. LOST IN TRANSLATION… Really and truly, this entire movie’s brilliance rests with Bill Murray. For the one time Peter Venkman, this was the performance of a lifetime, quite often saying volumes without even opening his mouth. Of course, when he did open his mouth, he got me laughing heartily on more than one occasion (Namely “You want mystery. OK, I’ll just wonder where the hell the whiskey went.”). While I’ve never been fully sold on how much control writer/director Sofia Coppola had over this film, I’ll give her props for that absolutely amazing ending. One of the best unsolved mysteries in film history.

#2. A MIGHTY WIND… This flick could have made my five solely for the line “I suffered a lot of abuse as a child…mostly musical in nature.” Admittedly, I was late to the party when it comes to Christopher Guest. This was the first of his mockumentaries I saw in a theatre, and for my money it’s the best one. Unleashing his band of merrymakers on the sometimes absurd world of folk music, he created a movie equal parts snarky, surreal, and sweet. Perhaps the best example of this was Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy as Mitch & Mickey, whose tender song “Kiss at The End Of The Rainbow” provided for a moment of real enchantment amidst all the lunacy. Of course, in true unjust Hollywood form it was denied an Oscar for Best Song…to “Into the West”…from LORD OF THE RINGS.

#1. MYSTIC RIVER… I get a lot of arguments about this movie, but I don’t care…it’s become one of my all time favorites. It’s a grown-up movie about grown-up horrors. Surprisingly beautiful in its photography, and something of an acting clinic with its all-star performances, Clint Eastwood’s big directing comeback is one that I believe will stand the test of time.While there are many occasions in the film that a more cliched film would have its characters yelling, few characters in this movie raise their voice at all…making it all the more haunting.

Others on my shortlist for 2003 include WHALE RIDER, MASTER AND COMMANDER, ELF, 21 GRAMS, FINDING NEMO, AMERICAN SPLENDOR, LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING and BIG FISH. Check in on July 28th for the next installment, my top five films of 2004.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments with your own favorite movies from 2003, along with suggestions for the next top five.