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ERIC'S BEST AND WORST OF 2003
TOP 10 BEST OF 2003
1) Lost in Translation—Almost four months later, and I'm still nearly speechless. Sofia Coppola wrote and directed this beautifully subtle and perceptive ode to loneliness and isolation that left me wanting to sob without really knowing why. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are flawless as they expertly create fully-realized and human characters that I invested such emotion into, it hurt. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. 2) American Splendor—Possibly the most bizarrely structured film of the year, as well as a showcase for the long underappreciated talents of character actor Paul Giamatti, who plays comic writer Harvey Pekar uncannily convincingly, especially considering that the two men don't particularly look alike and the fact that they actually stand side by side at some points in the film. American Splendor jumps from actors to animation to real life to old television footage to direct addresses to the audience and back again. But more than just an example of freedom of form, American Splendor presents us with an unapologetically negative, inherently unlovable loser who becomes a sort of hero in his very pessimistic ordinariness. 3) Cold Mountain—I had high hopes for this film all year, and I was not disappointed. In this Civil War epic that actually feels epic, Jude Law plays a wounded deserter trying to find his way back to a woman he loves but barely knows (Nicole Kidman) back in the town of Cold Mountain. While filming in Transylvania, the cast and crew lived in conditions not so different from those the main characters live in -- and the result is a sense of time and place that permeates every frame of Cold Mountain. It's a war movie, but it's mostly about the damaged lives of those left off the battlefield. It's a love story, but we are reminded again and again throughout the film that Inman and Ada barely know each other. It's about the way Inman and Ada use the idea of each other to survive their hardships as much as it is a true love story. 4) Matchstick Men—A great performance from Nicolas Cage as an obsessive-compulsive con man is matched by Alison Lohman, playing the teenage daughter he never knew he had. It sounds like a premise for an awful show on FOX, but this Ridley Scott-directed caper/drama/comedy does everything right, with a surplus of style that renders the whole package as eccentric and delicious as an Elmore Leonard novel.
6) Mystic River—This must have been an actor's dream. The movie is the acting. Of course there is a plot, but it's not the point as much as the characters themselves, and the performances, of which there isn't an unworthy one in the bunch. Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Marcia Gay Harden in particular inhabit characters that live in worlds of such pain that I would be frightened to see the movie a second time. 7) Kill Bill: Vol. 1.—Some have cried, "Style over substance!" I cry, "So what?" It's Quentin Tarantino. If you haven't come to grips with the fact that style is every bit as important to him as substance, you should have seen something else. Better to bask in every moment of his stunningly violent homage to old kung-fu flicks, which weaves in and out of visual styles and mediums faster than you can say, "Hey, what the hell is Vivica A. Fox doing in a good movie?" It's telling that the first installment of Kill Bill doesn't leave you begging to find out what happens next: of course we already know. It leaves us begging to see how Tarantino will show us what happens. 8) Big Fish—Thank god Planet of the Apes wasn't a sign of things to come. Tim Burton has once again made a film completely different from anything he's done before, but this time it's a good thing. Billy Crudup is a son visiting his dying father, demanding to know who his father really is after being raised on nothing but exaggerations and tall tales. We get to see these tall tales as the film moves between fantasy and reality, and they gain heartbreaking weight as we learn some of the truths behind them. Big Fish strikes just the right note of fantasy, with its wayward logic and striking images, but never neglects the human side of this story about storytelling. 9) Thirteen—If there's one thing that makes me happy, it's young actors who are clearly in the movie business because they are interested in the art, taking on challenging projects and not just pandering to the lowest common denominator. (It's the difference between Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Duff.) In Thirteen, Evan Rachel Wood unleashes a performance of wrenching intensity as a 13-year-old girl whose life spirals into excess and drug abuse after making friends with a popular girl from school. Wood fearlessly lets herself go and we, terrified but unable to look away, must go with her. 10) Love Actually—Laugh all you want. I always say that you have to judge a movie within the context of what it was trying to be, and if Love Actually was out to be "the ultimate romantic comedy," it doesn't get much closer to perfection than this. I just loved every minute of it. All the cliches are there, but the witty script, quality performances from the entire ensemble cast (especially Emma Thompson and Laura Linney), and economical direction make it all ring with a certain kind of truth that left me delirious with joy.
TOP 5 WORST OF 2003
2) The Core—Regardless of the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie, it's still terrible. Lordy, is it terrible. It was one Leslie Nielsen cameo away from being a parody. People, a character has to cut a peach in half in order to illustrate the concept of the Earth's core to a board of scientists. I don't even know how to respond to that. 3) Honey—I think I've covered this one. In case you forgot, let's review: Jessica Alba sucks at everything and steals dance moves from little girls jumping rope in the ghetto. Her acting is so bad it's a threat to national security. 4) Le Divorce—This movie was so amazingly not interesting, I didn't even know where to look. For two hours, my eyes frantically searched for something that wasn't boring, but the best I could do was keep track of the appalling lack of continuity in Kate Hudson's hairstyles. In this alleged "comedy of manners," Naomi Watts keeps getting lines like, "You mean to tell me that the French do _______ differently than Americans?" I kept expecting her to look into the camera and shake her head in cartoon astonishment. And then apologize for being in this movie. 5) From Justin to Kelly. Isn't it kind of funny that this was all set up to become the biggest bomb of the year, and it was, and then Gigli came along and stole its thunder, and now it's not even famous for that? Shit, I think I just admitted that I saw this movie. MOVE ALONG, PEOPLE! NOTHING TO SEE HERE!
2003 ERIC AWARDSMost chilling image of the year: Dead clown being dragged around by merry-go-round in The Core Funniest sinister line of the year: "HOOKERS DON'T GET SECOND CHANCES!" (Identity) Most discouraging for an aspiring filmmaker: Lost in La Mancha
Thirteen, co-written by 14-year-old Nikki Reed You can wrap the suck in red leather but it still ain't nothing but suck: Ben Affleck in Daredevil The "I had to watch you seven times on an airplane to Europe and thus hate you even more than I already did before" mention: Kangaroo Jack The "recovering alcoholic hitting the bottle" mention: Adam Sandler's return to idiot comedy in Anger Management after last year's wonderful Punch-Drunk Love Movie title I'm tired of explaining to everyone: Bend it Like Beckham Line so bad it's good: "BITCH, HOW YOU GONNA PLAY ME LIKE THAT?" (White-bread video director after getting rejected by Honey Daniels in Honey) Line so bad it's...well, terrible: "You've been playing games with me, but you know what, Kelly? Game over." (Justin telling off Kelly in From Justin to Kelly) Funniest line of the year: "You sit on a throne of lies!" (Will Ferrell to a department store Santa in Elf) Best example of an actor "being" their character: Bruce Campbell as Elvis Presley in Bubba Ho-Tep
Jessica Alba talking faux-"street" in Honey
Best dramatic portrayal of mental illness: Andy Serkis playing Gollum with multiple personalities in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best comedic portrayal of mental illness (as crass as that sounds): Ellen DeGeneres playing Dory with short-term memory loss in Finding Nemo Weirdest combination of "Awww!", "Ewww!", and "Bow-chicka-bow bow!": The hobbit orgy at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Summer blockbuster that tried being intelligent and was smacked down for it: The Hulk Second most nauseating night at the movies: 28 Days Later Single most nauseating night at the movies: 14-year-old Jeremy Sumpter as half-naked and sexualized as Britney Spears in Peter Pan Most resourceful character of the year: Johnny Depp allegedly making rope out of his back hair in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Magdalene Sisters The "this year's Chicago" mention for obsessive repeat viewings: Seeing Love Actually three times in two weeks last month Truly the biggest plot hole of the year: The discontinuity of Kate Hudson's various hair colors, lengths, and styles in Le Divorce Movies whose stars made me hate them even though they're supposed to be good: Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World Most fascinating career death throes of the year: Cuba Gooding, Jr. in Boat Trip, The Fighting Temptations, and Radio 11th place mentions: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Colonmania!: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Eric | Frank | Linda | Tim | Tom | Vickie Home
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5) Chaos—This brutal, cathartic, but barely-seen movie won an audience award at SIFF and a standing ovation at my screening. When a prostitute, badly beaten and pursued by heavies, approaches the car of a wealthy middle-aged couple and begs for help, they lock their doors while the woman is dragged away and all but killed right outside their window. The wife becomes wracked with guilt and visits the comatose woman in the hospital, caring for her until her recovery while forming a strange bond with her. Chaos is a shockingly painful but hugely satisfying film.
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Most encouraging for an aspiring filmmaker:
Worst attempt by an actor to "be" their character:
Nuns are fucking scary, dude:
