TOP TEN - 2003!!!!!

[pete]

I still can't see how it's any better than any other decade.  Good movies have always been coming out and overlooked by most, this year is no exceptiion.  Just because there is a forum of people who are actively participating in "good-movie-watching" doesn't make this year any more special.  If you wanna talk about the death toll of famous people this year, that's a different story.  2003 stands out in that respect, but good movies, that's a lukewarm argument at best.  "end of story" or not.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I still can't see how it's any better than any other decade.

It's better than 80-83 and 90-93.

[Pubrick]

Just because there is a forum of people who are actively participating in "good-movie-watching" doesn't make this year any more special.

what the hell does this forum hav to do with it? in 2002 there was also a forum with ppl talking about movies and it didn't change the fact that 2002 wasn't very special. i've been saying this in real life and again, what the hell does this forum hav to do with it?

it's not that there's more good movies, but rather that the movies themselves are qualitatively better, whether there's more or less or if there's a bunch of losers talking about them is beside the point.

[Jeremy Blackman]

it's not that there's more good movies, but rather that the movies themselves are qualitatively better

Exactly. I would take Dancer in the Dark over Dances with Wolves.

[Ghostboy]

2002
punch-drunk love, road to perdition, minority report, solaris, CQ, about schmidt. adaptation, about a boy, gangs of new york, i am trying to break your heart. lord of the rings: the two towers. catch me if you can. lilo and stitch. the 25th hour, the hours, moonlight mile, chicago, the ring, spider-man, bowling for columbine, the pianist, insomnia, y tu mama tambien, harry potter & the chamber of secrets, ice age, star wars episode II: attack of the clones, confessions of a dangerous mind, panic room,  igby goes down, far from heaven, frailty, 8 mile, signs, one hour photo, the good girl

2001
the royal tenenbaums, moulin rouge, memento, amelie, donnie darko, the lord of the rings: fellowship of the ring, a.i.: artificial intelligence, mulholland drive, vanilla sky, the man who wasn't there, oceans 11, harry potter and the sorcerors stone, ghost world, the others, snatch, black hawk down, monsters inc., blow, made, wet hot american summer, from hell, zoolander, spy game

this year i can barely find a dozen movie that i really really liked.  i'm not saying all  of these are fantastic, but damn, i have trouble finding near as many movies i can even say i 'enjoyed' this year.  i am embarrased so many movies that i had problems with still ended up being as high as they did for me (finding nemo: one of my LEAST favorite pixar movies, 21 grams: didnt enjoy it nearly as much as amores perros or as much as i thought i might for that matter, return of the king: some major problems with that too, etc.)  2001 and 2002 there were tons of movies i wished could make my list of top 20 but didnt have room for. this year blew hard.

Looking at your list there, I see your point, but I also I did think higher of most of the movies this year than you did. I think, in the end, Jeremy summed it up best with his comment about the decade, which is definitely true.

I'll bet it's only going to get better, too.

[pete]

I didn't say anything about TALKING about movies, I said watching movies.  Just because more people have seen and still remember the films of 2003 doesn't make this a better decade (and Jeremy Blackman, c'mon man, 3 years is hardly a decade) or even the beginning of a better decade.
As to the point about qualitively better...I side with themodernage02 on this one.  A lot of overrated-ness, and most of that comes from a lack of better movies as a whole.

and most currently great directors weren't even in the house representin' this year.  The most high-profile directors this year were QT, Clint Eastwood, and Gus Van Sant, then I dunno, Alejandro Gonzales and Jim Sheridon.  QT would make that list in any year, and maybe Clint too,  but the rest of them consistently good directors are all still working on other projects.  And then some of them just flat-out sucked like Woody Allen and Ang Lee.
I'm not saying that only famous directors make good movies, or that first time nobodies can't be badass.  I'm saying had the good directors turned out some movies this year, and had the movies we have right now tagged along--then maybe 2003 can be an outstanding year, but right now it's no head and shoulder above nothing and never will be since that year is over.

And how can you say 2002 wasn't special when there were all those films themodernage02 mentioned ealier, on top of spirited away, hero, infernal affairs, rabbit-proof fence, talk to her and city of god?

overall, you know a year can't be that good when the most acclaimed movie of the year is an American movie that wouldn't stop taking potshots at those WHACKY  WHACKY Japanese people.

[Jeremy Blackman]

and Jeremy Blackman, c'mon man, 3 years is hardly a decade

Four years. Almost half a decade.

And why would I claim that this decade as a whole is better than the 90s as a whole, when this decade hasn't happened yet? I'm not saying that:

It's better than 80-83 and 90-93.

[cine]

this year i can barely find a dozen movie that i really really liked.

Try the arthouse.

[kotte]

I'm not sure how my list looks but Phone Booth is on there. That's for sure. People think it's stupid etc etc but I really find Stu's emotional journey interesting and...emotional. When he confesses to his wife. I love that.

[joeybdot]

In no order

Kill Bill vol.1
21 Grams
LOTR:Return of The King
Lost in Translation

[NEON MERCURY]

I'm not sure how my list looks but Phone Booth is on there. That's for sure. People think it's stupid etc etc but I really find Stu's emotional journey interesting and...emotional. When he confesses to his wife. I love that.

......if your serious about phonebooth.        i agree its goood......and i think RK really liked it also......

[The Silver Bullet]

In alphabetical order, thus far:

Cold Mountain
Dogville
Gettin' Square
Goodbye Lenin
Japanese Story
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Lost In Translation
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Love Actually
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

[Film Student]

I think people are underestimating this year...

[SHAFTR]

Here is my top 10

1.  Kill Bill Vol 1
2.  American Splendor
3.  Lost in Translation
4.  Finding Nemo
5.  The Station Agent
6.  Love Actually
7.  Mystic River
8.  Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
9.  Intolerable Cruelty
10.  Swimming Pool

[kotte]

I'm not sure how my list looks but Phone Booth is on there. That's for sure. People think it's stupid etc etc but I really find Stu's emotional journey interesting and...emotional. When he confesses to his wife. I love that.

......if your serious about phonebooth.        i agree its goood......and i think RK really liked it also......

dead serious.