Home Theater Forum - View Single Post - Our Top 10's of 2003: Time To Throw Down!

Stephen R · 12-26-2003, 09:13 PM

Top Ten of 2003

1. KILL BILL, VOL. 1

2. GERRY and ELEPHANT

3. ALL THE REAL GIRLS

4. IRREVERSIBLE
5. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
6. DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY
7. RAISING VICTOR VARGAS
8. OPEN RANGE
9. DOWN WITH LOVE
10. BAD SANTA

Three Undistributed Films Of Note

1. Harmful Insect (Japan, d. Akihiko Shiota) - A spare and nuanced film, Shiota's acute visuals and brilliant ellipses would be enough alone to carry the opaque narrative, but it's elevated to another plane entirely by the nearly wordless performance of Aoi Miyazaki, who, in one transcendental moment of acting, encapsulates the strange comfort afforded by a stranger in a time of need with an unexpected smile that haunts the remainder of the film. A kind of continental and stylistic antithesis to Catherine Hardwicke's decent Thirteen, this movie is the rare teenage film that views that period of flux with neither sentimental nor melodramatic eyes but rather an icy, fatalistic stare that's downright harrowing. It's shameful that this doesn't have an American distributor.

2. Dogville (Denmark, d. Lars von Trier) - Lars von Trier distills his already distilled aesthetic to its very minimum and the effect is astonishing -- one wonders, though, where he could possibly venture next. Will get its American release next year, but cut or uncut? Let's hope the latter.

3. Turning Gate (South Korea, d. Hong Sang-soo) - Divided in half, like a mirror that reflects the main character of the story, the structure is the most immediately attention-grabbing characteristic about this languorous gem. But as the characters deepen and the story begins to move towards its strangely therapeutic end, one realizes that there's much more here to admire than mere gimmick. Amazing performances, both by the male lead in the center and the two female leads on either side of the center, and a great sense of natural conversation are just two of its other virtues.

Top Ten Older Films Seen

1. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943, d. Maya Deren)
2. The Shop Around the Corner (1940, d. Ernst Lubitsch)
3. F for Fake (1975, d. Orson Welles)
4. The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964, d. Pier Paolo Pasolini)
5. Barton Fink (1991, d. Joel Coen)
6. Lessons of Darkness (1992, d. Werner Herzog)
7. Manhattan (1979, d. Woody Allen)
8. A Woman Under the Influence (1974, d. John Cassavetes)
9. Nanook of the North (1922, d. Robert J. Flaherty)
10. Sátántangó (1994, d. Béla Tarr)

Just testin' right now. Full list with comments should be up sometime tomorrow...

12-26-2003, 09:13 PM	#3 of 210
Stephen R Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Local Time: 06:35 PM Local Date: 10-12-2008 Posts: 237	Top Ten of 2003 1. KILL BILL, VOL. 1 2. GERRY and ELEPHANT 3. ALL THE REAL GIRLS 4. IRREVERSIBLE 5. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING 6. DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY 7. RAISING VICTOR VARGAS 8. OPEN RANGE 9. DOWN WITH LOVE 10. BAD SANTA Three Undistributed Films Of Note 1. Harmful Insect (Japan, d. Akihiko Shiota) - A spare and nuanced film, Shiota's acute visuals and brilliant ellipses would be enough alone to carry the opaque narrative, but it's elevated to another plane entirely by the nearly wordless performance of Aoi Miyazaki, who, in one transcendental moment of acting, encapsulates the strange comfort afforded by a stranger in a time of need with an unexpected smile that haunts the remainder of the film. A kind of continental and stylistic antithesis to Catherine Hardwicke's decent Thirteen, this movie is the rare teenage film that views that period of flux with neither sentimental nor melodramatic eyes but rather an icy, fatalistic stare that's downright harrowing. It's shameful that this doesn't have an American distributor. 2. Dogville (Denmark, d. Lars von Trier) - Lars von Trier distills his already distilled aesthetic to its very minimum and the effect is astonishing -- one wonders, though, where he could possibly venture next. Will get its American release next year, but cut or uncut? Let's hope the latter. 3. Turning Gate (South Korea, d. Hong Sang-soo) - Divided in half, like a mirror that reflects the main character of the story, the structure is the most immediately attention-grabbing characteristic about this languorous gem. But as the characters deepen and the story begins to move towards its strangely therapeutic end, one realizes that there's much more here to admire than mere gimmick. Amazing performances, both by the male lead in the center and the two female leads on either side of the center, and a great sense of natural conversation are just two of its other virtues. Top Ten Older Films Seen 1. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943, d. Maya Deren) 2. The Shop Around the Corner (1940, d. Ernst Lubitsch) 3. F for Fake (1975, d. Orson Welles) 4. The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964, d. Pier Paolo Pasolini) 5. Barton Fink (1991, d. Joel Coen) 6. Lessons of Darkness (1992, d. Werner Herzog) 7. Manhattan (1979, d. Woody Allen) 8. A Woman Under the Influence (1974, d. John Cassavetes) 9. Nanook of the North (1922, d. Robert J. Flaherty) 10. Sátántangó (1994, d. Béla Tarr) Just testin' right now. Full list with comments should be up sometime tomorrow...