2003 was the year I started writing movie reviews on Yahoo, beginning the long ascent to FilmScope. If you want to have a laugh, read some of my earlier reviews. While that year wasn’t very strong for me in film, it did have some great moments and the top two were simply some of the best cinema this decade. Remember this is snapshot of what I thought at the time. If this were now, I might have made a few changes:

1. Finding Nemo: Pixar has finally made a masterpiece in this brilliantly emotional and visually stunning film by director Andrew Stanton. What keeps this film from being standard is practically everything. From a story that focuses more on emotional payoff than plot with some really great dialogue to some of the best voice-work since the second Golden Age of Disney. Walt Disney would have been proud of his company’s association with Pixar, and with this film in particular.
2. Kill Bill Vol. 1. Quentin Tarrentino has made one of the wildest rides in film today, turning the concepts of the martial arts film on it’s ear and creating a new monster. Uma Thurman is perfect as The Bride and her revenge so far is bloody sweet (and you have put emphasis on BOTH words). Double points for a killer soundtrack and Robert Richardson’s amazing cinematography. Can Volume 2 beat this? Who knows?
3. Big Fish: I have been waiting for this day for a long time. Director Tim Burton has finally made his masterpiece about the stories people tell and what role those stories play on both the teller and the listener. The visual look of the film is breathtaking and the acting is cheerful. Big Fish might tell one heck of a whopper, but I’m eating it all up.
4. The Last Samurai: Forgive me for being a fan of epics, especially those with a great cast, flawless production values, and an amazing director. Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai hosts two amazing performances from Tom Cruise and Ken Wantanabe, the latter deserving not just an Oscar nomination, but a win.
5. Something’s Gotta Give: Nancy Meyer’s adult comedy is just that; adult and mature and yet feisty. With lead performances from Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson, the movie hits all the right notes to play towards these characters as humans than as plot points on the road to the inevitable.
6. Lost In Translation: You have not seen Bill Murray until you have seen Lost In Translation. This is a groundbreaking dramatic performance and one that I hope changes how people see the one-time funny man. Scarlett Johannsen is also stunning as a young newlywed who befriends Murray as both are far from home and long for some human companionship in the middle of Tokyo. Sophia Coppola might actually be better than her father if she keeps this up.
7. House of Sand and Fog: This is something both endearing and yet depressing about lose/lose scenarios. What keeps this movie from being extremely uncomfortable to watch is the lead performances from Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley as they both fight for and over a unique house. This is a tragedy and director Valim Perelman creates a suffocating atmosphere and allows the fine performances to lead us to it’s climax.
8. Matchstick Men: I didn’t think Ridley Scott has this kind of movie in him, a human character drama involving con men, but not really about cons. Nicholas Cage gives a fun over-the-top performance as a con man on the verge of a breakdown faced with a young girl (Alison Lohman) claiming to be his daughter. And once again, Sam Rockwell doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his involvement.
9. Whale Rider: It’s rare when a movie so brilliantly merges realism and mythology. Whale Rider is one of them, following a young girl (Kiesha Castle-Hughes) as she vies for the spot of Chief of her native New Zealand tribe. I doubt there will be another movie that creates metaphors as easily as this film does.
10. Mona Lisa Smile: Mike Newell’s mainstream comedy is actually more subversive than you might think. This is a cast to be looking forward to doing greater things lead by the likes of Julia Roberts and Kirsten Dunst. While the movie gets bogged down in places, I loved the performances by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gennifer Goodwin so much that I found myself enthralled in this movie.