The Year in Review- 2003

   It was the year a pair of dark dramas stood tall out a sea of sunny escapism. Frodo took his final bow, Pixar maintained their animated brilliance, and Captain Jack made Johnny Depp the most popular man on Earth. Tobey Maguire played a jockey, Bill Murray spent time in Tokyo, and Quentin Tarantino made a comeback. Here are the ten best films in order for 2003.

1. "Mystic River"(2003)
Just when you thought a 72 year old Clint Eastwood was ready to ride off into the cinematic sunset, he stepped behind the camera for this devastating drama. A never-more-intense Sean Penn picked up his first Best Actor Oscar as a volatile ex-con dealing with the senseless murder of his 19 year daughter(Emmy Rossum). This sudden, shocking event is the catalyst that brings buried emotions and psychological damage to light among his circle of family and friends in Charlestown, Boston. Penn leads a terrific cast that includes Best Supporting Actor winner Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Laura Linney, and Marcia Gay Harden. With a great script adapted by Brian Helgeland("L.A. Confidential") from Dennis Lehane's 2001 novel, they all assist Eastwood in creating a moody masterpiece that he can put proudly next to his previous benchmark "Unforgiven".

2. "Monster"(2003)
Charlize Theron traded her leading lady looks for the role of a lifetime in this chilling fact-based indie drama. The word 'transformation' is overused, but it certainly applies here- she's unrecognizable underneath a 30 pound weight gain, prosthetic teeth, and ugly clothes/make-up as a homeless prostitute-turned-serial killer. Aileen Wuornos was given the death penalty in Florida after gunning down six potential customers in 1990. An all-around tragedy, Theron fearlessly tackled this condemned woman's unspeakably sad life to turn in one of the best performances I've ever seen. Christina Ricci deserves to share in the praise as her lonely lesbian lover, and it's through their heartbreaking union that writer-director Patty Jenkins humanizes a character that would have been all too easy to demonize.

3. "The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King"(2003)
Peter Jackson's epic-in-every-sense-of-the-word trilogy had a lock on the title of most beloved 21st century film saga, until the Marvel Cinematic Universe came to collect all of our expendable incomes. The third installment is a grand, glorious achievement at three hours and 21 minutes, and won all eleven of the Academy Awards for which it was nominated. Best Picture had never been presented to a fantasy film or a sequel that isn't "The Godfather Part II" before March 2004. The LOTR team took the stage at the Kodak theater for every one of this supposedly final chapter's false endings. Yes, Jackson turned "The Hobbit" into a divisive prequel trilogy, but for three years this country was united and emotionally invested in Frodo's perilous journey to Mount Doom and J.R.R. Tolkien's fifty-year old text. That's incredible.

4. "Finding Nemo"(2003) The fifth film released by Pixar Studios was the summer of '03's must-see, surpassing "The Lion King" as the highest-grossing cartoon feature. Record-setting DVD sales would ultimately lead to John Lasseter's ambitious company fully integrating with Disney. An underwater setting was an ideal showcase for some truly stunning animation, as the capabilities of writer-director Andrew Stanton and his Emeryville, California crew seemingly grew by leaps and bounds since they first changed the game in 1995. Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres are both delightful on a journey from the Great Barrier Reef to Sydney, Australia, upholding the tradition of colorful characters being every bit as important as visual splendor. Ellen's memory loss would make her the lead in "Finding Dory", an even larger success in 2016.

5. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"(2003) A funny thing happened to Johnny Depp in 2003. The moody hunk, who never cared much for conventional stardom or mainstream acceptance, became a huge box office draw. It was an ironic fate considering the idiosyncratic and little-seen projects that populate the first half of his filmography. Who knew that drunken pirate Captain Jack Sparrow would become the '00s answer to Indiana Jones? Certainly not me. Perhaps, even more surprisingly, crtics were just as enamored with Depp's oddball antihero as summertime audiences(he landed a Best Actor nod). But a greedy Disney couldn't resist turning Gore Verbinski's crowd-pleasing swashbuckler into a bloated LOTR-style affair in four sequels that Johnny's tipsy charm barely kept afloat.

6. "Lost in Translation"(2003)
There's a reason Bill Murray is the most respected member of the vast SNL alumni. Writer-director Sofia Coppola's celebrated sophomore effort represented a shift for the legendarily sardonic comic who would only lend his talents to distinguished filmmakers in serious projects from this moment forth("Garfield" voice work and "Ghostbusters" revivals aside) in response to his unexpected Best Actor nomination. A wonderfully weathered Bill turns nonchalance into an art form as a washed-up American actor in Tokyo that finds a kindred spirit in a neglected young newlywed(Scarlett Johansson in her breakout role). Coppola has a keen eye on the gorgeous locales and unique culture that surrounds this unlikely pair whose interactions are subtle, surprising, and decidedly un-Hollywood-like.

7. "Seabiscuit"(2003)
It may be difficult for millennials to believe that a horse could become a media sensation and the number one newsmaker of the year. Well, that's precisely what happened in 1938. The racing exploits of this undersized and overlooked thoroughbred that lifted spirits during the Great Depression got a handsome big screen treatment that was probably long overdue. Tobey Maguire parlayed his "Spider-Man" popularity into the role of Seabiscuit's down-and-out jockey, while Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper provide classy support. This is, simply put, a great story that easily translated into a wholly agreeable film that's ideal for family viewing.

8. "School of Rock"(2003)
Jack Black's best movie(not that there's a lot of competition for that title) is undoubtedly director Richard Linklater's thoroughly charming, near-classic musical comedy. Black's energy is so infectious as a wannabe rocker posing as a music teacher, that one could be forgiven for thinking he had a lucrative career as an unconventional leading man ahead of him. It has to be noted that none of Black's subsequent vehicles go down nearly as well, but if nothing else, his admirers will always have one of the most satisfying comedic offerings of the 2000s to sing about.

9. "Kill Bill: Volume 1"(2003)
In 2003, moviegoers were missing Quentin Tarantino. The groundbreaking auteur took six long years off after the disappointing performance of "Jackie Brown" in '97, but the warm welcome given to his two-part martial arts saga confirmed that his mythical appeal was still firmly in place. Uma Thurman has QT to thank for kick-starting her movie career AND resuscitating it, because there aren't many more bad-ass female roles in the annals of cinema than Beatrix 'The Bride' Kiddo. You're not likely to forget her blood-splattering encounters with Viviva Fox, the Crazy 88s, or a kimono-clad Lucy Liu. Quentin's rabidly loyal fan-base consider him God's gift to cinema. Whether you agree or disagree, the multiplex is way more fun when he's around.

10(tie). "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"(2003)
Depp wasn't the only A-lister to set sail in 2003. A post-"Gladiator" Russell Crowe remained in fine form as a high seas adventurer during the Napoleonic Wars thanks to director Peter Weir, who has a habit of presenting his superstar leading men in the best possible light. Weir spared viewers the requisite CGI to craft an old-fashioned epic that is more interested in character(like Paul Bettany's ship surgeon) than explosive action set pieces. His commitment to authenticity and rich period detail deserves acknowledgment even if the film falls short of being the 'classic' that everyone clearly intended to make.

10(tie). "Anything Else"(2003)
If there are any unenlightened youngsters out there in need of an accessible introduction to Woody Allen's wonderful world of relationship angst and pseudo-intellectualism, look no further than Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci in his unsung update of "Annie Hall". The mismatched pair bring a youthful energy to the NYC-set proceedings(it's another love letter to Allen's beleaguered hometown), with Ricci's flighty neurotic likely to leave you feeling better about being single. "Else" is the most enjoyable film released during Woody's relative dry spell(1996-2004). He had to steal, so he stole from the best.

Honorable Mentions- "Tears of the Sun"(2003) Bruce Willis is a Navy Seal in Nigeria. "The Matrix Reloaded"(2003) Keanu Reeves returns in the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. "X2: X-Men United"(2003) Is Bryan Singer's sequel better than the first? "Down with Love"(2003) I'm down with Renee Zellweger. "Bruce Almighty"(2003) Jim Carrey is God. "Hulk"(2003) Ang Lee directs Eric Bana as the big, green guy. "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas"(2003) DreamWorks animation with the voices of Brad Pitt and Michelle Pfeiffer.

"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"(2003) Arnold Schwarzenegger always said he'd be back. "Thirteen"(2003) Holly Hunter raises Evan Rachel Wood. "Girl with a Pearl Earring"(2003) is played by Scarlett Johansson in the 1665 Dutch Republic. "Freaky Friday"(2003) Jamis Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in an amiable remake of the 1976 comedy. "Open Range"(2003) Kevin Costner is back in the saddle as director and star. "The Rundown"(2003) Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson runs around the jungle with Sean William Scott. "Matchstick Men"(2003) Nick Cage is a con man with OCD. "Veronica Guerin"(2003) Cate Blanchett is a doomed investigative reporter in Dublin. "Intolerable Cruelty"(2003) Catherine-Zeta Jones fascinates George Clooney. "Big Fish"(2003) Ewan McGregor stars in this Tim Burton fable. "The Matrix Revolutions"(2003) The Wachowskis make it a trilogy. "The Missing"(2003) Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones star in this Ron Howard Western. "Radio"(2003) Cuba Gooding Jr. goes full retard. "The Cooler"(2003) Bill Macy vs. Alec Baldwin in this Vegas-set indie drama.

"Elf"(2003) Will Ferrell and Jon Favreau's holiday hit. "Love Actually"(2003) This Richard Curtis romcom has a large ensemble and a cult following. "21 Grams"(2003) Alejandro Inarritu's Greek tragedy boasts Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio Del Toro. "Bad Santa"(2003) Billy Bob Thornton in the nastiest Christmas movie ever. "Timeline"(2003) Paul Walker and Gerard Butler go back in time for Richard Donner. "Runaway Jury"(2003) Gene Hackman vs. Dustin Hoffman. "Tupac: Resurrection"(2003) This doc recalls the tumultuous life of the rap legend. "Something's Gotta Give"(2003) Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson light up this Nancy Meyers romcom. "Mona Lisa Smile"(2003) Inspirational teacher drama with Julia Roberts. "The Last Samurai"(2003) Ed Zwick Oscar bait with a bearded Tom Cruise in Japan. "Cold Mountain"(2003) Anthony Minghella Oscar bait with Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Renee Zellweger. "House of Sand and Fog"(2003) Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly were both nominated.