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Michael Scrutchin
Studio President
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 832
Location: Pearland, TX
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 Posted: 01.15.2004 5:36 am Post subject: Best Movies of 2003 (What're your picks?) |
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Finally, the Flipside lists (with commentary) are in: Best Movies of 2003.
They're up and open to your admiration or ridicule.
Here's my top 10 list:
- All the Real Girls
- Lost in Translation
- Friday Night
- Bubba Ho-tep
- American Splendor
- The Return of the King
- The Shape of Things
- Down with Love
- In America
- Owning Mahowny
Please tell me I'm not the only one who liked Down with Love. 
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Michael Scrutchin
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Aragorn Exley
Grip
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Posts: 6
Location: Manhattan, NYC
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| Posted: 01.15.2004 6:36 am Post subject: |
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Mine, not including City of God, To Be and To Have, or Spider since I have them as 2002:
01. The Return of the King
02. Dogville
03. Kill Bill: Volume 1
04. Elephant
05. Monster
06. All the Real Girls
07. The Fog of War
08. 21 Grams
09. Lost in Translation
10. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
JUST missed, and could enter: The Triplets of Belleville |
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Danny Baldwin
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 1354
Location: San Diego, CA
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| Posted: 01.15.2004 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not even going to comment until the end of the month. That's when I'd say I've seen enough movies to be qualified to make one.
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juhsstin
Camera Operator
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 87
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| Posted: 01.15.2004 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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ooh! i saw monster on monday. it was in fact good!
just had to chime in my agreement.
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beltmann
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 2341
Location: West Bend, WI
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 12:40 am Post subject: |
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| Danny Baldwin wrote: | | I'm not even going to comment until the end of the month. That's when I'd say I've seen enough movies to be qualified to make one. |
I used to try to keep par with the NY-LA release schedule, but it's a hopeless endeavor. A lot of late arrivals wind up here in Milwaukee in January, but so many arrive months later, or worse, never get here. I finally gave up trying to keep even with the critics on the coast--as far as I'm concerned, my movie year is what's available to me, not them. If distributors want us talking about their movies when the national critics are, then they should let us see them when the national critics do. This is why I had no reservations about including Tully on my list for 2003. It was first made available to me in 2003, so it counts.
Sometimes I'll bend a tiny bit--I counted Big Fish as 2003 even though it first opened here Jan 6--but otherwise I stick to the calendar. The most important thing to me is that my list represents my real year at the movies, not the year publicists, flacks, and distributors would like me to pretend I had.
I know I sound bitter. That's because I am.
I must admit, though, that there's a massive loophole in my system. I saw The Pianist, Talk to Her, and The Quiet American in 2003, but disqualified them all from my year-end list (the first two would have made it otherwise). Why? For no other reason than they seemed so last year. And after all the Oscar hoopla surrounding them, I preferred to give slots to lesser-known, equally deserving work. I realize that's utterly unfair to all three, but such are the vagaries of the North American distribution model. And besides, it's my list I can do what I want! 
Eric |
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beltmann
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 2341
Location: West Bend, WI
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 1:10 am Post subject: |
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Here are my favorites:
1. The Son (Dardenne Brothers, Belgium)
2. Ararat (Egoyan, Canada)
3. The Magdalene Sisters (Mullan, UK)
4. Capturing the Friedmans (Jarecki, US)
5. American Splendor (Berman and Pulcini, US)
6. Lost in Translation (Coppola, US)
7. Ali Zaoua, Prince of the Streets (Ayouch, Morocco)
8. Crimson Gold (Panahi, Iran)
9. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (Tarantino, US)
10. (tie) Raising Victor Vargas (Peter Sollett, US) and Tully (Birmingham, US)
Near-misses: Millennium Actress, Master and Commander, Whale Rider, Shattered Glass, Lilya 4-ever. All of them were on the list at one time or another--Actress got the boot right before I zipped the final piece off to Michael.
I'd say that the US is overrepresented on my list; I don't really believe that a single nation is responsible for 50% of the best movies made in a year. But again, such are the vagaries of NA distribution: Since I'm not given the opportunity to see many of the best movies being made around the globe, my list must naturally reflect that provincialism.
Danny, I know how much you love Magdalene Sisters and suspect it will place it very high on your list. I concur entirely. Matt Header, I know how blah you felt about Ararat, and while I know that most critics share your feelings, I can't for the life of me understand it: It's easily my favorite Egoyan, and the only one of his that I felt utterly immersed in, both intellectually and emotionally. I actually shed tears. And I've been talking about it since last summer, when I first saw it.
At first I thought Kill Bill was too inconsequential for my list, but then I re-considered: Such profound command over a medium can never be inconsequential. Critics spend an awful lot of time justifying popcorn (their love of forgettable junk cinema really gets me down), but I don't think Tarantino's film fits into that category. Kill Bill exposes most popcorn films for the mediocre cheats they really are.
Michael, I really liked Down With Love, mostly as a funny parody of Day-Hudson films (which I admit I fondly admire) and as a cross-eyed examination of how our mores have changed over the years. It also seems a fascinating document about how we remember the past via media representations--especially when the media get it wrong right along with our memories: What happens to history when it's caught in that black hole?
As you know, Michael, I really admired All the Real Girls, and I'm a little disappointed I didn't like it quite enough for inclusion. Good choice, though. I really wanted to find room for The Shape of Things, which I felt had some interesting things to say--the best of La Bute's career so far--but I just saw too many other things I liked more. I've already extended my Honorable Mention to 25, which is probably too many by half. It's just so tough to whittle down: I saw more than 240 releases in 2003, and liked most of 'em.
Gabe, I'm dying to see Dogville. Von Trier drives me up a wall, but I'm always fascinated by his stuff, and I adored Dancer in the Dark. I'm also anxious to see The Five Obstructions. Any word on that one?
Eric |
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Michael Scrutchin
Studio President
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 832
Location: Pearland, TX
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 1:48 am Post subject: |
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| beltmann wrote: | | Gabe, I'm dying to see Dogville. |
You know, HKFlix has the official Korean DVD in stock. It has optional English subtitles and will play in all regions and on NTSC players. Yeah, it's $30, but for a film that hasn't even been released here yet...
I'm tempted to buy it.
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Michael Scrutchin
Flipside Movie Emporium
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Michael Scrutchin
Studio President
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 832
Location: Pearland, TX
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 1:53 am Post subject: |
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Eric, have you seen Friday Night? It's available at Netflix if you haven't, and, of course, I'd highly recommend it. I was surprised by how much I loved it, since I hated Claire Denis' Trouble Every Day.
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Michael Scrutchin
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beltmann
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 2341
Location: West Bend, WI
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 2:32 am Post subject: |
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| Michael B. Scrutchin wrote: | | Eric, have you seen Friday Night? It's available at Netflix if you haven't, and, of course, I'd highly recommend it. I was surprised by how much I loved it, since I hated Claire Denis' Trouble Every Day. |
Thanks for the tip, Michael. I didn't realize it was already available--I was planning to see it at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a couple of weeks! It's scheduled to play at the Student Union on a Wednesday, but getting there on a weeknight is pretty tough. DVD's been added to my queue.
I've only seen 2 Denis films--Beau Travail and Chocolat. I admired both far more than I enjoyed them.
Eric |
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Danny Baldwin
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 1354
Location: San Diego, CA
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 4:18 am Post subject: |
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| beltmann wrote: |
I must admit, though, that there's a massive loophole in my system. I saw The Pianist, Talk to Her, and The Quiet American in 2003, but disqualified them all from my year-end list (the first two would have made it otherwise). Why? For no other reason than they seemed so last year. And after all the Oscar hoopla surrounding them, I preferred to give slots to lesser-known, equally deserving work. I realize that's utterly unfair to all three, but such are the vagaries of the North American distribution model. And besides, it's my list I can do what I want! |
The Pianist was here in early January, and was my favorite of 2002. I didn't get to Talk to Her till February even though it was here on Christmas day, but it wouldn't have made my list anyway. I've included The Quiet American on this years list.
However, this year it's more DVDs I have to see than expanding releases. I just finished watching Swimming Pool and it's a near miss. Netflix ought to be sending a lot of movies in the next few weeks. I'm most excited for Thirteen, Capturing the Friedmans, and And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen. Looks like I'd better place Ararat up at the top of my queue. If finals week wasn't in three days, I'd go for 8 rentals at a time, but it wouldn't work out. On The Magdalene Sisters note--it's number two so far. I bet you can guess #1 if you try real hard.
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Danny Baldwin
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beltmann
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 2341
Location: West Bend, WI
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 4:35 am Post subject: |
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I used to do the 8 rentals during summers, but it never really paid off. Even then I couldn't really keep up (I teach summer school and also have a second fulltime summer job), so I didn't bother the last 2 summers. During the school year I keep it at 4, but 2 is probably more feasible--it's really tough to find time, especially weeknights. Somehow I still manage to see a lot of pictures. I'm always astonished at the end of the year, because it seems like I just spent 12 months trying to see more.
Eric |
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Danny Baldwin
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 1354
Location: San Diego, CA
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 4:58 am Post subject: |
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I have 3 right now, and do 5 during the summer. However, 1 space always seems to go towards a TV show, so I use Pay-Per-View, HBO, and IFC quite a bit.
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Danny Baldwin
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matt header
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 623
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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| Posted: 01.16.2004 8:26 am Post subject: |
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Oh, how many movies I missed!!! Mystic River, The Triplets of Belleville, The Fog of War, Man on the Train, In America...my list is horrifically incomplete.
That said, here is my top ten (as of right now):
1. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Weir, US)
2. Lost in Translation (Coppola, US)
3. Whale Rider (Caro, New Zealand)
4. Elephant (Van Sant, US)
5. Capturing the Friedmans (Jarecki, US)
6. All the Real Girls (Green, US)
7. Winged Migration (Perrin, France)
8. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Tarantino, US)
9. Raising Victor Vargas (Sollett, US)
10. The Flower of Evil (Chabrol, France)
Runners-up: Dirty Pretty Things; Distant; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; A Mighty Wind; The Station Agent
Indeed, I wasn't a huge fan of "Ararat" - intellectually it's intriguing, but its elaborate intelligence sort of diluted the emotion to me, turning a tragic historic event into something of a dull head-trip exercise. I can admire it, but I can't quite love it. To me, my favorite Egoyan film is still "The Sweet Hereafter."
Eric, I also think we differed on "The Flower of Evil" - you weren't a big fan, I know, while it narrowly squeaked onto my top ten list. I found it completely delicious - hilarious, elegant, and dark.
To this moment, I still wonder if "Master and Commander" deserves the top spot; and then I remember the awe, amazement, passion, and respect I felt for that movie while watching it and I realize, yes, indeed it does. |
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the night watchman
Studio Exec
Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Dark, run-down shack by the graveyard.
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| Posted: 01.17.2004 12:21 am Post subject: |
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Because I live in a podunk little dustbowl, I rarely get to see anything but big-budget American blockbusters, so keep that in mind while reading the list below. Note, too, I have not seen: Mystic River, Lost in Translation, Master and Commander, Elephant, American Splendor, In America, Winged Migration or The Triplets of Belleville.
Alien: Director?s Cut (Yeah, so sue me.)
Whale Rider
Open Range
May
Holes
Kill Bill Vol. 1
28 Day Later
Pirates of the Caribbean
Identity
The School of Rock
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."
-David Cronenberg |
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mfritschel
Cinematographer
Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Posts: 143
Location: Port Washington, WI
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| Posted: 01.18.2004 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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Here we go:
1. Elephant (Van Sant)
2. Lost in Translation (Coppola)
3. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Jackson)
4. The Man on the Train (Leconte)
5. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Tarantino)
6. 21 Grams (Inarritu)
7. The Shape of Things (LaBute
8. All the Real Girls (Green)
9. Mystic River (Eastwood)
10. Whale Rider (Caro)
Other notables: 28 Days Later, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, [i]Down with Love, Big Fish |
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