2003 in Review

  1. Return of the King, A, a fitting finish for this epic series
  2. Finding Nemo, A, warm, funny, exciting, and fun
  3. The Italian Job, A, well executed caper movie
  4. Mystic River, A-, good story, strong performances
  5. Big Fish, A-, enjoyable group of stories that tell a bigger one
  6. American Splendor, A-, unusual, entertaining look at a comic book writer
  7. Love Actually, A, cruder than some Hugh Grant movies but it delivers
  8. Freaky Friday, A-, well-made remake updates the story for the 00's
  9. Seabiscuit, A-, at times hammy, but a triumphant story nonetheless
  10. Holes, A-, good for kids with outsized villains and legends
  11. The Station Agent, A-, indie film shows characters that need one another
  12. In America, B+, well done movie about growing up Irish in New York
  13. Lost in Translation, B+, nice setup and characters, but not much happens
  14. The Last Samurai, B+, an epic western, I mean samurai movie
  15. Underworld, B+, lots of action, lots of Kate Beckinsale
  16. Once Upon a Time in Mexico, B+, Robert Rodriguez' sizzling El Mariachi sequel
  17. Elf, B+, Will Farrell is great as goof ball and nice guy
  18. Pirates of the Caribbean, B, a fun pirate movie, but kind of mechanical
  19. Kill Bill, Vol. 1, B, martial arts movie, Tarantino style
  20. Identity, B, whodunit that loses its way in the supernatural
  21. Matchstick Men, B, dark comedy about an offbeat con artist
  22. Terminator 3, B, couldn't possibly match its predecessors
  23. The Matrix: Reloaded, B, doesn't measure up the first movie; not bad
  24. The Matrix: Revolutions, B, doesn't measure up the first movie; not bad
  25. Tears of the Sun, B-, torn between tragedy and the Dirty Dozen
  26. The Missing, B, pretty modern Western but lacks a compelling story
  27. Intolerable Cruelty, B-, characters and plot points make little sense
  28. School of Rock, B-, well-intentioned but trite and hammy
  29. Raising Victor Vargas, B-, boring character study of Latino teens in New York
  30. Fog of War, C+, fails to capture Robert McNamara's genius
  31. The Cooler, C+, thin plot about luck is stretched even thinner
  32. How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, C+, half-hearted and tired, but at times cute
  33. Winged Migration, C, flapping bird: flapping, flapping, flapping
  34. Secondhand Lions, C, family movie with bad writing, acting, directing
  35. Bruce Almighty, D, terrible writing with Jim Carrey at his worst
  36. The Triplets of Belleville, D-, plodding movie tortures its characters and viewers