Best films of 2003

[Homesick Alien]

Okay, so Hi-Fidelity exposed the inherent nerdiness in fascinations with lists like these, but I'm guessing most people on this board feel an uncomfortable resemblance to the comicbook store clerk from the Simspons anyway (including me), so here goes -- anybody wish to share their favourite films of 2003?

My list:

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (dir. Peter Jackson)

Natch. My favourite film of the trilogy. Special effects were great and it packed a powerful emotional wallop.

28 Days Later (dir. Danny Boyle)

Far and away the best horror film made in a long time. Kudos to Danny Boyle and team for going back to low-budget basics to make this awesome film.

Lost in Translation (dir. Sofia Coppola)

A beautiful comic-drama, starring the most underrated actor in Hollywood today - Bill Murray. Oh, and how hot is Scarlett Johansson?

Mystic River (dir. Clint Eastwood)

Serious, heavy drama, guaranteed to leave an impression on anybody.

Kill Bill, volume 1

This film was a lot of fun. Sure, Tarintino is in a feedback loop, just remaking his favourite movies, but he has a charm all of his own.

Donnie Darko (dir. Richard Kelly)

Another beautiful, affecting film. Probably ranks with Lost in Translation as my favourite for 2003. A sci-fi film that craps all over the Matrix movies.

Adaptation (dir. Spike Jonze)

Another crazy, surreal film from Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman. I would actually classify this film as a fantasy.

Spirited Away (dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

I'm actually not a huge fan of Anime, but I'm not sure this fits comfortably in that genre. There's no giant robots fighting in a Pokemon blur, but this is a subtle and beautiful fantasy story, rich in detail and exiquisitely animated.

I haven't had an opportunity to see American Splendour, In the Cut or Peter Pan yet, but I can't wait until I do.

[Kanin]

These are in no order. Merely some favs from the year.

The Last Samurai

X2

Return of the King (My least favorite of the three. But still better than most films that came out in 2003)

28 Days Later

American Wedding

Confidence

Dark Blue

The Italian Job

Terminator 3

[kahnovitch]

Moved to the relevant forum.

My fave film of 2003,
Equilibrium (http://www.advsys.co.uk/loganandglitz/reviews/g-equilibrium.htm) without a doubt.

28 Days Later was a change from the usual cannon-fodder, snails-pace zombies we're used to. I'd like to see Milla Jovovich try to kung-fu her way through a pack of those guys :p

Can't think of any others that really stood out at the moment.

[Ickle Lulu]

Pirates of the Caribbean
and
Return of the King

:)

[Iskaral Pust]

Umm... Donnie Darko, that's it for the brilliant films of this year IMO.

[Dawnstorm]

My list'd be remarkably similar to Homsick Alien's.

Return of the King, Adaption, Spirited Away.

Haven't seen Lost in Translation, yet; but it's only just started in Austria and is currently number one priority.

Missed 28 Days Later. :( Might have been a candidate.

Not interested in Kill Bill.

Saw Mystic River in a sneak preview, was profoundly bored. The drama was overdone, IMO. But the acting was great.

Never heard of Donnie Darko.

===

I'll add Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Carribean. (And that from me. :eek: I oppose Disney almost on principle)...

[Oorag]

Umm..

Donnie Darko (2001)

Spirited Away (2001)

Equilibrium (2002)

My list would include Lost in Translation, Pirates, and Return of the King, among others that I'm forgetting.

[Bear]

Have you read the novel "Mystic River," Homesick? If not, you should. Even though it's probably my least favorite Lehane novel, it was excellent. Check him out if you're interested.

My list includes:

Return of the King (Jackson did a wonderful job with the trilogy).
American Splendor (I loved this movie. Brilliantly done).
Lost in Translation (Bill Murray was awesome. His best acting--right up there with Rushmore).
Adaptation. (Spike Jonze is a genius, and Kaufmann is nuts. They make a great team. But I enjoyed Being John Malkovich more, but hey).
Kill Bill. (Fun and stylish).
Finding Nemo (beautiful animation, great humor, good story--well done on all fronts).

Those are the tops. It was a good year for film.

[Bond]

The Matrix Reloaded
Terminator 3
The Return of the King

from among the few I've seen this year

[kahnovitch]

Just seen "The Last Samurai". Straight to the top of my list.