The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Fall 2003 - 10D Re CLOUS yeR IN CIN eQA 2 0 0 2 Jeff Dickerson #1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Peter Jackson and company may not have topped "The Fellowship of the Ring," but they come awfully close. I'm already working on this year's top 10 list; "Return of the King" will be the best movie of 2003. #2. Punch-Drunk Love Paul Thomas Anderson's breathtaking direction, Jon Brion's avant garde score and Adam Sandler's virtuoso performance result in the best romantic comedy ever to grace the silver screen. #3. About Schmidt Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor manage to somehow top their brilliant script "Elec- tion" with "Schmidt," a film that delicately balances comedy and tragedy. #4. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones - Whether or not you thought George Lucas' latest prequel was worthy of the holy trilogy, "Clones" is a landmark film for pushing digital video to the forefront. #5. Far From Heaven - Todd Haynes' meticulous recreation and reimagination of Douglas Sirk's "All That Heaven Allows" is a visual master- stroke. Julianne Moore proves once again why she's one of the best actresses working today. #6. Spider-Man - Who said sum- mer blockbusters had to be mindless entertainment? Director Sam Raimi faithfully brings one of comic's most beloved characters to cinematic life with his unique style and hyper-ener- getic camera work. #7. Catch Me If You Can - Steven Spielberg's first good movie since "Schindler's List" and his best since "Indiana Jones and the Last Cru- sade." DiCaprio is delightful as the young con man, but Christopher Walken steals every scene he's in. #8. Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams - Shot entirely on digital video and made on a relatively low budget, you can thank guerilla film- maker Robert Rodriguez for the best family movie of the year. #9. The Kid Stays in the Picture - The best documentary of the year follows the career of infamous film producer Robert Evans through his tumultous career. #10. Full Frontal - Hitler, a movie within a movie and a cameo from Brad Pitt. Yep, Soderbergh's a genius. Todd Weiser #1. Punch-Drunk Love If raining frogs and a 13-inch prosthetic were not enough, P.T. Anderson drops an even bigger bomb on his audience - the brilliant, slight performance of Adam Sandler the dramatic actor. P.T. crafts the most motionally realistic "romantic-comedy" ever filmed - giving this critic a lust for life equaled only post- "Singing in the Rain." #2. The Two Towers Another technical masterpiece from Peter Jackson, but, aside from the schizophrenic Gollum, missing too much of the heart and character of the already classic first installment. #3. The Pianist Roman Polanski finally tells a story similar to his own Holocaust memories, matter-of- factly presenting Wladyslaw Szpilman's unbelievable journey of survival with the gentle, understated touch of the master director he still is. #4. Adaptation - Yes, Charlie Kaufman again shows signs of his idiosyncratic genius, but don't think director Spike Jonze isn't equally responsible for the anxiety-laced action and the best ensemble perform- ance of the year. #5. Chicago - What at first seemed to unite a cast of song-and- dance amateurs turns into a dizzyingly entertaining display of unknown tal- ents, much to the thanks of Rob Mar- shall's colorful direction/choreography. #6. Y Tu Mamai Tambien - With a conventional, yet amusing and sexy, outer coat, Mexican filmmaker Alfon- so Cuar6n keeps your attention just enough for the all the wonderfully human insights lying underneath. #7. About Schmidt - Dear Ndugu, your foster father Jack beauti- fully balances humor with sadness and Payne supplies the emotional payoff. #8. The Kid Stays in the Picture - The nostalgic narration from this documentary's topic, legendary pro- ducer Robert Evans, tells a one-sided story of Hollywood fame. And it's fan- tastically entertaining. #9. Gangs of New York - While Scorsese intended to teach a lesson on America's past, he more importantly lured Daniel Day-Lewis out of retire- ment for Bill the Butcher's apron, a remarkable role of foreboding beauty. #10. Sunshine State - Indepen- dent wizard John Sayles intelligently brings the viewer into another small, intricate world of regular people, fortu- nately including two of the best actresses working today - Edie Falco and Angela Bassett. Luke Smith #1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towere. The second act of Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" epic shoved a fractured Fellowship struggling to save Middle Earth. Masterful direction, excellent acting and a classic storyline vault "The Two Tow- ers" over this year's competition. #2. About Schmidt Jack Nicholson takes an about perfeci script from Jim Taylor and Alexandel Payne, the result is one of the year's saddest and best films. #3. Punch-Drunk Love Playing outmore like a musical that movie, P.T. Anderson employs all of Adam Sandler's annoying nuances perfectly. 4 #4. Adaptation - Charlie Kauf- man's meta-script manages to beat every critic to the punch. It's solip- sistic, narcissistic and above all, a work of genius. #5. Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones -An improve- ment on the earlier prequel, Lucas' epic "Clones" (like his original films, largely panned by critics) will find recognition in posterity. #6. Catch Me If You Can - The account of Frank Abagnale told through director Steven Spielberg's camera is one of the year's surprise treats. Christopher Walken, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio all turn in fine performances. #7. Spider-Man - Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" is simply the best super- hero movie this side of "Unbreakable." Tobey Maguire's surprisingly good performance as Peter Parker is the glue holding this film - and accompany- ing franchise - together. #8. Far From Heaven - Todd Haynes' movie is held together largely by his incredible direction, with a little help from Julianne Moore and a cou- ple of guys named Dennis. #9. Full Frontal - The first of two Steven Soderbergh films this Courtesy of New Line year, a wonderful cast, highlighted by Catherine Keener, Brad Pitt and Nicky Katt is shown through a faux-docu- mentary lens. Soderbergh proves his quality without a big budget. #10. Signs - M. Night Shya- malan's film offers an intimate account of a family under alien attack. Little was funnier this year than Jaoquin Phoenix's "Vamonos children!" Ryan Lewis , #1. The Pianist Filled with undaunted realism, filmed in poetic style, directed with elegant precision, Polanski's extraordinary vision and Adrien Brody's emo- tional portrayal of Szpilman maintain an unmatched precedent as the year's best film. #2. The Two Towers Possibly better than the first installment, "Towers" is unquestionably a visual mas- terpiece that leaves you salivating in anticipation for the final chapter. #3. Gangs of New York Scorsese's dedication to the project explodes through fantastic sets, terrific act- ing and a fascinating story. #4. Road to Perdition - Extraor- dinary cinematography from Conrad Hall alone makes "Perdition" breath- taking; poignant characters anda deeply touching story make it one of the most memorable. #5. Chicago - The glitz, glam- our and great choreography of Rob Marshall's film debut will hopefully influence the reinvigoration and power that once was the Hollywood Musical genre. #6. Punch-Drunk Love - P.T. Anderson, with the help of Adam Sandler, created one of the most orig- inal, tightly crafted and simply engag- ing films since his last picture, "Magnolia." #7. Y Tu Mamia Tambien - Everyone can relate to this coming of age story. In the context of a culturally rich Mexican road-trip to a mysterious beach, it takes on a more personal, provocative tone. #8. Bowling for Columbine - The documentary that challenged the way we see ourselves. Michigan native Michael Moore took his slightly biased idea and turned it into a shock- ing, life-evaluating, must-see picture. #9. Frida - A work of art in its own right, Salma Hayek combines beauty and power in Julie Taymor's moving biopic that flourishes with life and expresses internal triumph. #10. Catch Me If You Can - From start to finish, this is the most fun and entertaining film of the year combining the powerhouse efforts of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Christopher Walken. I Ai Ryan Blay [he Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers e it is the sequel to the slightly superior ship of the Ring" should not penalize this ich was, when all was said and done, the m of the year. The Academy should not I . .1 .. LVII I. I #2. Adaptation From the mind of Charlie Kaufman comes a film that cannot be classified as either a pure comedy or pure drama. Just call it a classic satire and watch Nicolas Cage carry the movie. #3. Chicago If the only song you know from the musi cal is "All That Jazz," check out the steamy Catherine Zeta-Jones version, I-