Compiled by: Jack Foley
IT WAS supposed to have been the year of The Matrix, but while
Neo and co certainly registered strongly at the Box Office, both
Reloaded and Revolutions
failed to generate the critical acclaim many had anticipated at
the beginning of the year.
Instead, when faced with a Summer filled with umpteen sequels,
and huge body counts, audiences opted for the more traditional
fare.
Hence, Johnny Depp hoisted his Jolly Roger, in the form of Pirates
of the Caribbean, and romped away with the blockbuster season,
while the likes of Seabiscuit,
Finding Nemo and Cold
Mountain resorted to more old-fashioned storytelling techniques.
In between, were several excellent movies, such as In
America, Confessions of
a Dangerous Mind, Far From
Heaven, About Schmidt,
Adaptation, Catch
Me If You Can and Gangs of
New York - but which, if any, make it into the top ten of
the year's best for IndieLondon?
Let's start at the bottom...
10) Belleville Rendez-vous (12A)
The most popular animated film of the year may well have been
Pixar's Finding Nemo, but this French gem, from Sylvain Chomet,
presented 'a ridiculously surreal, yet hugely impressive animated
adventure that should appeal to movie buffs of all ages - especially
adults!' It also happened to boast one of the best on-screen dogs
in ages.
Review l Buy
it
9) Pirates of the Caribbean (12A)
Johnny Depp steals the show as Captain Jack Sparrow in this old-fashioned
blend of corsets, ghosts and swashbuckling adventure. Blockbuster
entertainment has seldom seemed so much fun.
Review l Buy
it
8) Igby Goes Down (15)
'Teenage rebel, Igby Slocumb, is angry at the stifling, two-faced
world of old money privilege he was born into, and
his battle to break out made for one of the most bitingly funny,
yet painfully sad, comedies of the year'. Oh, it also boasted
a terrific script, a cracking soundtrack and star turns from Kieran
Culkin, Jeff Goldblum and Amanda Peet...
Review l Buy
it
7) Punch-Drunk Love (15)
Team Adam Sandler with Paul Thomas Anderson and what do you get?
The year's best romantic comedy. It was difficult to choose between
this and Intolerable Cruelty,
but Anderson just gets the nod for keeping things so quirky, surreal,
and for coaxing a near-faultless performance from Sandler. We
wrote: "For Anderson, this is a glorious sonnet to sit alongside
the operatic likes of his earlier work, while for Sandler, the
movie is nothing short of a revelation."
Review l Buy
it
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6) The 25th Hour (15)
Spike Lee directs Edward Norton in one of the year's most heartbreaking
character studies. As drug dealer, Monty Brogan, Norton excels,
as does Barry Pepper, as his friend, while David Benioff's absorbing
screenplay offsets one man's search for some sort of redemption
against the backdrop of a post-9/11 New York, thereby creating
'an emotional intensity rarely seen in mainstream cinema'.
Review l Buy
it
5) Narc (18)
Another pulsating cop thriller, in the Training Day mould, which
pitted Jason Patric's recovering junkie against Ray Liotta's hard-as-nails
veteran in the search for the killers of the latter's partner.
Executive producer, Tom Cruise, knew a good thing when he saw
it, and ensured this got made. Audiences could only be thankful.
Unflinching and riveting.
Review l Buy
it
4) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (12A)
Peter Jackson crowns the Lord of the Rings trilogy with this towering
achievement. The Return of the King had just about everything;
it was high on spectacle, strong on emotion and one of the most
exciting pieces of cinema ever put together. A fitting finale
for what is, arguably, the best trilogy of all time.
Review l Buy it
3) Mystic River (15)
Clint Eastwood took to the director's chair for an adaptation
of Dennis Lehanes gripping novel, and coaxed first-rate
performances from one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory.
We wrote that the movie is 'a masterclass in human desperation,
which confronts issues of rage, revenge, child abuse and loss
in an unflinching and honest way'. Expect it to figure strongly
come the awards season...
Review l Buy it
2) City of God (18)
It may have been one of the first films to be released in 2003,
but it left one of the most lasting impressions. Fernando Meirelles'
blistering movie, about the street gangs of Rio de Janeiro, was
dubbed by many as 'the Brazilian Goodfellas' and it is every bit
as good as Scorsese's masterpiece. Our critic wrote, 'City of
God definitely has everything' - and it's true!
Review l Buy
it
1) Kill Bill: Volume 1 (18)
Tarantino described it as 'a straight-ahead, heart-pumping, sit
on the edge of your seat, wow-type of experience'.
We couldn't have said it better! Roll on February and Volume 2!
Review l Buy
it
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