2003 Film List - Page 13

Brook K · 11-06-2003, 12:24 PM

Interesting Jason, haven't heard of The Big Animal. Hope it comes around.

I'm super behind in the theaters but rather than see something new I caught Kill Bill again and stand by my A and #2 of the year ranking.

Hope to get to the theaters this weekend, but for now, 2 more Netflix:

Respiro is a slice-of-life movie about an Italian family whose matriarch suffers emotional and/or psychological problems like hyperactivity or uncontrollable impulses or something. Filmed on a Mediterranean island, it features beautiful scenery and an entertaining and occasionally moving narrative. Highlights are the children/teen actors and their efforts to pass the time with little "modern" entertainments, the love story of the older daughter, and the husband's loyalty to his wife and conflicted feelings towards her problems, especially after they cause damage to the village. B

Owning Mahowny stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman in a based-on-a-true-story role about a lowly banker with a gambling problem that causes him to forge accounts and commit fraud to satisfy his ever-increasing wagers and debts. Hoffman's acting is the rock-solid work we've come to expect in his portrayl of another man in crisis who has lost control of his life. Unfortunately director Richard Knietowsky fails to equal his excellent debut film, Love And Death On Long Island. He never seems to decide what he wants this film to be and fails to tie together all the elements (gambling movie, thriller, police procedural, biopic, con movie) into a satisfying whole. As someone who loves gambling as a hobby, gambling movies instantly grab me, but here, the director fails to capture the excitement and attraction of playing that would drive this man to steal millions of dollars. B-

Seth Paxton · 11-07-2003, 12:17 PM

Guess I'll go against most of the critical grain...

Matrix: Revolutions
9 of 10
I found the somber tone to be a pleasantly surprising shift. As for action, I thought it was much better here than in Reloaded which was no slouch itself. The Zion battle and the Lobby-Revisited scenes were inventive, interesting, and as dramatic as anything in the first 2 films. I really enjoyed where they took the story, though after Reloaded it was all that much of a shock to me. It was the only way it could end in my mind.

I am downgrading Reloaded to an 8.5 by comparison and reflection.

I will also go fix my list now.

Brook K · 11-07-2003, 12:42 PM

Intolerable Cruelty exemplifies the adage "a so-so (insert a fav director) movie is still better than 90% of the junk out there". And I would put IC at the end of the Coen Bros. line with its flimsy story and characters that are more the stars on the screen than developed individuals. However, what IC is, is funny, REAL funny. And bottom line, I want a comedy to make me laugh and I laughed more in IC than any other movie this year. B+ (but please create your own story next time Coen's!)

Mystic River is an interesting, at time moving, story of loss, murder, and mystery. It is finely crafted in every way, but failed to completely draw me in until one stunning scene near the end. I think there was a whole other movie here that would have been far more compelling than what was put on screen. I don't really agree with all the Sean Penn hype, I think he's done similar work before and has given stronger performances. I would also say that Tim Robbins does every bit as good a job as Penn and that Laura Linney has the best scene in the movie. B+ (really a "B" grade movie for most of the running time with an extra nudge for 1 fantastic scene and its effect on the film's final scenes)

Arman · 11-08-2003, 11:29 AM

Edwin Pereyra · 11-08-2003, 12:45 PM

Wayne Kramer's The Cooler.

Next Up: Love Actually

~Edwin

Dana Fillhart · 11-08-2003, 11:34 PM

Updated my list with Scary Movie 3 (low-brow humor, not much to expect; 75%), Holes (a fun story, 85%), The Matrix Revolutions (90%, slightly better than its predecessor), Willard (a quirky film, 80%), and Down with Love (85%, easily beating all other comedies so far this year).

Edwin Pereyra · 11-09-2003, 08:06 AM

Screenwriter turned director, Richard Curtis' Love Actually. And yes, there is no comma in the title.

Next Up: The Matrix Revolutions

~Edwin

Lowell_B · 11-09-2003, 07:28 PM

Updated with the fantastic,

American Splendor (***1/2 / ****)

Just a hilarious movie. Great acting (Paul Giamatti nailed Harvey Pekar), great script ("this will be as important as the "I have a dream" speech"), and gourmet Jelly Beans!

and what you could probably call the "poor Terry Gilliam" movie,

Lost in La Mancha (*** / ****)

I'll probably catch Matrix Revolutions at some point within the week too.

Lowell