By Special to the Daily Press
Legendary screen tough guy Dirty Harry famously quipped that opinions are like derrieres in that everyone has one. What separates professional pundits from casual critics, however, is that the former get paid to expose their observations in a public forum — no matter how posterior-esque those opinions might sometimes be. Over the past 12 months I’ve passed judgment on a great many motion pictures, and it’s a safe bet that there were times along the way when Daily Press readers were certain my head was stuck somewhere in the vicinity of my derriere. But you gotta call ‘em like you see ‘em in this line of work, and that’s precisely what I did. Though I didn’t watch every film released this year — noteworthy omissions include “Mystic River, “28 Days Later” and “Swimming Pool” — I caught enough to know that 2003 was a pretty good year for cinema. The following films made the biggest impression on me: 1) “The Return Of The King” The third installment in director Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy is not only the best of the series, but hands-down my favorite movie of the year. 2) “In America”
Jim Sheridan’s tale of Irish immigrants who come to the United States seeking refuge from a tragic past is inescapably moving. “In America” features some of the year’s best performances, courtesy of Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton and young sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger, making remarkable film debuts. 3) “School of Rock” One of those singular films that combines mainstream appeal and indie credibility, “School of Rock” is a high-spirited triumph from director Richard Linklater and scribe Mike White. Combustible comic Jack Black is nothing short of brilliant as Dewey Finn, a down-and-out musician who takes a job as a substitute teacher, dispensing rock-and-roll “lessons” to a group of prematurely ripened grade schoolers. 4) “Thirteen” First-time director Catherine Hardwicke’s unflinching portrait of adolescence in this cold new millennium takes us to a place where girls play at being women, only the game is all too real and incomprehensibly dangerous. It’s an emotionally charged onslaught of a film that leaves no injurious stone untossed until the glass house in which it all plays out comes crashing down. 5) “Finding Nemo” Pixar delivers again. Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres are wonderful in this instant animated classic. 6) “Shattered Glass” Based on the true story of New Republic writer Stephen Glass’ incredible fall from grace, writer-director Billy Ray has fashioned a compelling cautionary tale about the dangers inherent to a cult of personality and how the pressure to perform in the modern workplace can exact a catastrophic toll. Hayden Christensen and Peter Sarsgaard deliver award-caliber performances. 7) “Bad Santa” Shocking in its irreverence, this film is populated with an assortment of lowlifes that could make the seediest of Washington lobbyists cringe. And I don’t think I laughed harder all year. 8) “The Magdalene Sisters” Based on actual events and set inside the forbidding walls of a Magdalene asylum in sexually repressed, 1960s Ireland, this is a film designed to leave audiences feeling emotionally devastated and angry. 9) “American Splendor” Based on the cult-classic comic book series of the same name, “American Splendor” takes us inside the very real life of a curmudgeonly workaday anti-hero from Cleveland named Harvey Pekar. It’s funny and sad and disheveled and, most of all, it’s us. In his first go as a leading man, perennial wingman Paul Giamatti just flat-out nails it, as he imbues the prickly and obsessive Harvey with a likeability that isn’t readily apparent in the original article. 10) “Big Fish” Director Tim Burton fuses his flair for the fantastic with a very real, very accessible story of an adult son’s desire to reconnect with his estranged, dying father. 11) “Old School” If being outrageous, jejune and utterly hilarious is wrong, then “Old School” just doesn’t want to be right. This is a film so devoid of any profundity, it makes “Animal House” look like “Citizen Kane.” Yet, like its universally loved, university-based, depth-deficient ancestor (“Animal House,” not “Citizen Kane”), “Old School” scores high marks where it counts most in a comedy— laughter. 12) “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl”
Without a doubt the best Big Screen adaptation of a theme-park ride ever.
HONORABLE MENTION: “The Barbarian Invasions,” “Step Into Liquid,” “Elf,” “Buffalo Soldiers,” and “Lost In Translation.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 31, 2003. Read the original PDF.