Top 10 of 2003
1. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Quentin Tarantino)
2. Lost In Translation (Sofia Coppola)
3. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson)
4. 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle) / Gerry (Gus Van Sant)
5. Pirates of the Caribbean (Gore Verbinski)
6. The Triplets of Belleville (Sylain Chomet)
7. The Company (Robert Altman)
8. Bad Santa (Terry Zwigoff)
9. City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
10. The School of Rock (Richard Linklater)
Top 10 of 2002
1. Last Orders (Fred Schepisi)
One of the all-time great films about aging.
2. 25th Hour (Spike Lee)
It punched the hell out of me, and I wanted more.
3. Catch Me If You Can (Steven Spielberg)
4. Austin Powers in Goldmember (Jay Roach)
Both re-capture the magical spirit of tossed-off Hollywood comedies in the 30s, 50s, and 80s.
5. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)
6. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki)
Two movies that, before derailing in their third acts, are genuinely exhilarating, even visionary.
7. Talk To Her (Pedro Almodovar)
I can't shake the feeling that the first half shoulda been lost, and the entire film a short story -- but a helluva one.
8. Adaptation (Spike Jonze)
Dramatizes a million abstract concepts with seeming effortlessness, and is funny as hell; but often feels more like the outline of a movie than a finished product.
9. Solaris (Steven Soderbergh)
The most ambitious movie of the year; awfully evocative, but fails to pack an emotional punch.
10. Femme Fatale (Brian De Palma)
Lush, absorbing, sexy, and stupid.
11. Y Tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron)
Lots of fun, but do people *actually* think it's great? Christ.
Next Ten: One Hour Photo (Mark Romaneck), Human Nature (Michel Gondry), Monsoon Wedding (Mira Nair), Minority Report (Steven Spielberg), The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (Peter Care), Insomnia (Chris Nolan), Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones (George Lucas), Possession (Neil LaBute), Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes), Undercover Brother (Malcom D. Lee).
Worst: 8 Women, The Good Girl, About a Boy.
Most surprised to like: Attack of the Clones.
Overrated: The Pianist, Far From Heaven, Late Marriage, Spider-Man.
Movies I skipped (and I'm not sorry): Bowling For Columbine (too much hype), Standing in the Shadows of Motown (yeah, why don't you try making a movie about real soul music?), The Hours and Personal Velocity (see, there are these three women who don't know each other and yet their lives are inter-connected), and Rabbit Proof Fence (an inspiring story of the human spirit).
Top 10 of 2001
- The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)
- Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff)
- Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly)
- In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai)
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg)
- Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
- Moulin Rouge (Baz Lurhmann)
- In the Bedroom (Todd Field)
- Freddy Got Fingered (Tom Green)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
Top 10 of 2000
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel Coen)
- You Can Count on Me (Kenneth Lonergan)
- Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (Jim Jarmusch)
- The House of Mirth (Terrence Davies)
- Hamlet (Michael Almereyda)
- The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola)
- High Fidelity (Stephen Frears)
- Unbreakable (M. Night Shyamalan)
- American Psycho (Mary Harron)
- The Emperor's New Groove (Mark Dindal)
Top 10 of 1999
- Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick)
- Fight Club (David Fincher)
- American Movie (Chris Smith)
- Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton)
- The Iron Giant (Brad Bird)
- Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze)
- Titus (Julie Taymor)
- Besieged (Bernardo Bertolucci)
- Topsy-Turvy (Mike Leigh)
- The Straight Story (David Lynch)
Top 10 of 1998
- Rushmore (Wes Anderson)
- The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick)
- The Truman Show (Peter Weir)
- Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh)
- Babe: Pig in the City (George Miller)
- Gods and Monsters (Bill Condon)
- Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg)
- A Bug's Life (John Lasseter)
- The Big One (Michael Moore)
- Fireworks (Takeshi Kitano)
Top 10 of 1997
- Lost Highway (David Lynch)
- The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan)
- Kundun (Martin Scorsese)
- L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson)
- Titanic (James Cameron)
- The Game (David Fincher)
- In the Company of Men (Neil LaBute)
- Irma Vep (Oliver Assayas)
- Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant)
- The Devil's Advocate (Taylor Hackford)
