Critic's Grade: A+

Another year has passed us by, and as that year fades away, we will be thrown into a universe of new feature films that will truly amaze us and, as always, we will find some that disgust and bore us to death. But we cannot forget the past, which is why I have come back again to deliver my top 10 choices for best and worst pictures of the year 2003.

Clint Eastwood made a comeback this year with the dramatic and dark tour de force "Mystic River." Based on the novel of the same name, the cinematic styles, wonderful and driven performances by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, and a solid cast and crew of "Mystic River" was enough to allow me the privelage of naming it the Best Picture of the Year. Coming in second place was the Civil War epic, and also novel-based, "Cold Mountain," starring Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renee Zelwegger. The trio gave the best performances of their career, not to mention that the beauty that came from the direction and artistic scene also played a factor in my selection. "Cold Mountain" only made second because of it's realism, which is why I placed the fantasy-epic, yet another novel-based tale, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in third place. Peter Jackson delivers the best film in the trilogy, and it is indeed upsetting that it is the final film in the series. There can never be a film quite like "The Return of the King," considering its epic time (210 minutes), its all-star and equally talented cast (Ian McKellin, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, etc) and the remarkable effects we haven't seen since "Star Wars." And what do you suppose came in fourth? That's right... another novel-based epic. This one, though, was a rigorous battle on the sea. "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe, was well-acted and well-filmed. A true crowd pleaser and heartwarmer, "Seabiscuit," novel-based yet again, which starred Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges, came in fifth place. The all-ages adventure tale "Finding Nemo" was the best comedy of the year, hitting sixth place. The truly talented voice characteristics of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks and Willem Dafoe made this movie a true treat. Jennifer Connelly and Sir Ben Kingsley starred in "House of Sand and Fog," based on the Audrey Dubas III novel, was my choice for seventh place. Follow that by the funny, witty, wry and romantic charmer "Lost in Translation," which featured Bill Murray's greatest performance ever, and Sophia Coppola's breakthrough in direction. Ninth place was ruled by Tom Cruise's "The Last Samurai," a dramatic, artsy actioner that ranks amongst one of his best performances as well. And, rounding off the Best List this year is "In America," Jim Sheridan's semi-autobiographical tale of an Irish family struggling to make it in, well, America. Quentin Tarrantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" heads up my honorable mentions, which also include the first good horror story in years, "28 Days Later," the comical "American Splendor" and "Love Actually," and the newest sensation from one of my favorite directors, "Big Fish" by Tim Burton.

THE BEST OF 2003

1) Mystic River
2) Cold Mountain
3) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
4) Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
5) Seabiscuit
6) Finding Nemo
7) Lost in Translation
8) The Last Samurai
9) House of Sand and Fog
10) In America

*Honorable Mentions: "Kill Bill: Vol. 1," "28 Days Later," "American Splendor," "Big Fish" and "21 Grams."

Then there were the worst films of 2003. The descent from TV to movies was the worst idea in cinematic history, as producers felt that reality TV on the big screen would equal big bucks. Unfortunately, the sad excuse for an unscripted movie "The Real Cancun" flopped at the box office and takes my vote as last year's worst picture. Coming in second place was (shivers) "Gigli." "Gigli," as in really... bad movie. Third place was held by the Lisa Kudrow-Damon Wayans living disaster "Marci X," which had less acting talent than a bar of soap. "Dumb and Dumberer" made fourth, "From Justin to Kelley" made fifth, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003" cut sixth, "Darkness Falls" lit up seventh, "The House of the Dead" made eighth, "My Boss's Daughter" was ninth, while the Rob Reiner "OOPS!" of his carreer, "Alex and Emma," ended the list, which goes on and on and on, at tenth.

THE WORST OF 2003
1) The Real Cancun
2) Gigli
3) Marci X
4) Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
5) From Justin to Kelley
6) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Remake 2003)
7) Darkness Falls
8) The House of the Dead
9) My Boss's Daughter
10) Alex and Emma

*Unhonorable Mentions: "Final Destination 2," "Grind," "Underworld," "Dr. Seuss's the Cat in the Hat" and "Malibu's Most Wanted."

I'll be back in February 2004.

All Reviews by Jordan Boyd
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