4)The Matrix Reloaded-Kick ass sequel, tons of action and cool fight scenes caught IMO the "feel" of the orignal and expanded it 10 fold.
4:The Matrix Reloaded: It's on the list more or less, just for the number of "HOLY SHIT!!!" moments alone this year. The Wachowskis just let their imaginations go wild as if to say "There has to be a way to make this shit possible! Let's figure it out!" The plot is extremely cerebral as most people hate it because they do not understand it. It concerns Neo and the rebels attempt to find a way within the Matrix to stop the onsluaght of 250,000 sentinels.
3)Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl-Jonny Depp best actor today, bar none, he makes what looks and sounds like a gay Keith Richards, and makes him the kick ass hero we all love.
3:28 Days Later: Some animal right activitsts get stupid, and despite being warned (of course) release some monkeys infected with a virus that caused those infected to rage out against normal people and eat 'em! Nice, way to go. (The title), a bike messenger wakes from a coma to an almost deserted London during the day, but at night, zombies everywhere. He meets up with some survivors and plots a course to a military base. I give kudos just for the creepy atmoshpere alone and the scare factor, without really relying on gore too much.
2)28 Days Later-THIS is how you do horror, very little computer effects used and maximum make-up effects and tension and story and score make this THE best horror pic ever, much less 2003.
2:Kill Bill vol.1: Unchained by his usual dialogue, Quentin Tarantino shows he has an enormous woody for 70's chop socky films and makes a kung fu film for the ages! A former assassin known simply as "the Bride" seeks vengeance on the title rat bastard for trying to kill her along with her wedding party and unborn child. To do this, she employs a retired sword maker to fashion a weapon that could "cut god himself!" But in order to get to Bill, she must first dispatch his underlings...well two anyways in this one. But Quentin has an incredible visual feel for the genre, and employs various forms (even anime) to open the story to a creative imagination, or to keep the film from getting an NC-17, you be the judge!
1)Lord of the rings:The Retrun of the King-no words can describe this event, top to bottom this movie delivered all I asked and hit me with 10 times my expectations.
1: The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King: I remember predicting a year ago, that unless there was a major league screw up, that the final film in the trilogy would be on the top this year as well. But lets face it: the third films in trilogys (BY LAW) have a tendency to be lesser than the parts before them(star wars, godfather, matrix,etc,...) But one has to remember this: the story was already a legend....well in certain circles any way. It was written by a British Oxford professor looking to create a new mythology int he 1950's. It had hell to get on the screen for well over 40 years as no one really knew how to adapt it to film going audiences. In the 1970's, Ralph Bakshi hacked and slashed to make two two hour cartoon features, (never seen them myself) based on the trilogy. It was only until Miramax films snagged up the rights, but could not find someone with a vision, until they sold the rights to New Line whom had been convinced by a New Zealand director with a pinache for making zombie and horror films that it could be made with todays' technology. But he had a vision to make 2 films, to which the studio said why not make 3, seeing as there are 3 books? Thus history was made as the three films were made all at once (more or less) from 1999, to 2001, with minor reshoots there after for each film as required. I could tell you the plot about the effort to on a "fool's hope" that Frodo and Sam are still alive and the rest of the fellowship do what they can to focus the eye of Sauron on them as the hobbits near Mount Doom, all the while dealing with a conniving Gollum. The price to be paid: heavy, the courage: unbelievable, the emotion: powerful. Dear god, this is not only the best film of the year, but the best film trilogy ever put to film. You should be thanking God that you are alive in these times just to be able to see the films!