erikred | Movies of 2003

According to the IMDB, there were 9,820 titles released in 2003. Fortunately, many of these were either video games, TV shows, TV series, or adult videos, and I can very honestly plead ignorance to all of these.

(Although, I've got to say: WTF?. "The Bourne Identity Crisis: An amnesiac forgets that he's gay and convinces himself that he's an assassin." Whaaaaa~?)

What follows are the movies I did see, followed by a one line yay-or-nay. That, and bear in mind that I'm currently pissed on wine, beer, and a nasty head cold. YMMV.

28 Days Later: Brilliant concept, great execution, a masterpiece in a genre not generally known for producing masterpieces.
The Animatrix: So much less disappointing than the movies. Very much worth the watching.
Bruce Almighty: Do you like Jim Carrey? If not, why the hell would you watch this?
Bulletproof Monk: They fight Nazis. Who isn't against Nazis? You'll love this film.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle: Right, you saw the first one right? Then you _know_ what to expect.
Confidence: Is it The Sting? No, but it's right up that alley. Who's being conned? Watch it.
Daredevil: I don't like Ben Affleck. I liked everyone else. And it references the comics. Nice. All right, it wasn't quite what I wanted, but it was okay. Colin Farrell shines.
Finding Nemo: Fun! Hokey, sure, but fun fun fun!
Hulk: What can I say, I like special effects, and this movie has tons. We know this because they spent more money on the the sfx than on the story. Oh, well.
Identity: A nifty little thriller that telegraphs most of the ending ahead of time. Still, old-fashioned Ten-Little-Indians fun.
The Italian Job: ...has nothing to do with the Michael Caine original, apart from the minis. This made it surprisingly enjoyable.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1: Omigod. Excellent. Bloody, violent, terrible, and... excellent. Do not see if you don't like bloody.
Last Samurai: Not _just_ a "Great White Hope saves the day" film. Ken Watanabe is the coolest thing since Kurosawa directed "The Seven Samurai."
League of Extraordinary Gentleman: Crap. I mean, come on, this wasn't even entertaining in its own right, let alone as a translation of Alan Moore's bloody brilliant comic. Bah.
LotR: RotK: Awesome. Okay, not necessarily the smoothest of the trilogy, but it features epic battles and the vanquishing of evil. Am sincerely looking forward to the Extended Version DVD, circa November 2004.
Lost in Translation: No other movie so perfectly captures the feeling of being jet-lagged and stuck in Tokyo. Amazing, funny, poignant, a MUST-SEE.
Matrix: Reloaded: Okay, cool, but so what? I liked it, but it didn't break any ground.
Matrix: Revolutions: And, once again, so what? Well, the superhero fight at the end was magnificient, and I hope that somebody at DC or Marvel picks up the baton. Otherwise, well, I'm glad that's over.
Mystic River: Intense. Brilliant. Disturbing. A tragedy of small minds. Excellent.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico: Excellent! Is Johnny Depp _really_ playing Captain Jack Sparrow in this movie? Hell if I know, but what an incredible farce Rodriguez throws in our faces!
Pirates of the Caribbean: How do you make a ride into a successful movie? Throw out the ride, and make an excellent movie. Johnny Depp excels as the aforementioned Captain Jack Sparrow.
Swimming Pool: A peculiar film, and I'm still torn on how much is fiction here. Fascinating.
Tears of the Sun: Surprisingly sensitive treatment of the genocide in Rwanda, directed here by the same guy who directed Training Day (awesome) and The Replacement Killers (incredible!). Contrary to my fears, Willis is not cast as a Great White Hope. Worth watching.
T3: Rise of the Machines: Excellent matinee filler material with an interesting twist at the end. Viewed in its entirety, the Terminator series now makes total temporal sense. Nicely done.
Underworld: It's vamps vs. werewolves. It's stylish. Whaddya mean, it doesn't make sense? It's White Wolf minus the trademarks, dammit! And it's got Kate Beckinsale in leather!
X2: Excellent! A much better movie than the first one. Great fight scenes, much more intelligent use of Halle Berry, and the introduction of my favorite X-man, Nightcrawler. Well done!

What the hell? Only 22 out of 9,820 titles for 2003? I must be slacking. Ah, well. There's plenty of time to catch up on DVD.

(Btw, I ran through the entire list of 9,820 titles while listening to repeated playings of Ozomatli's eponymous CD, which has been the best expense of $12 I've put out in a long time.)