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Publication Date: Friday, January 09, 2004
The Return of The List
Weekly critics select the best and worst films of 2003
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in The Lord of
the Rings: The Return of The King |
One
film lorded over others in 2003, with "The
Return of the King" making all four Top-10 lists -- the first
time in four years that such a consensus has been reached.
The last movie that stirred such unanimous sentiment was "The
Sixth Sense" in 1999.
But this year, the Weekly's Gang
of Four film critics -- Jeanne
Aufmuth, Tyler
Hanley, Susan
Tavernetti and Jim
Shelby -- all agreed that the final installment of Peter
Jackson's cinematic trilogy was one of the year' best films. Aufmuth
and Hanley even deemed it their Number 1 film of 2003.
 But two other
films came close. Both "Lost in Translation" and "Finding
Nemo" made three Top-10s. And a host of others ended up on multiple
lists, including "American Splendor," "Capturing the Friedmans," "Pieces
of April," "Spellbound" and "Whale Rider." Though many national
critics endorsed "Mystic River," it only made Hanley's list.
Generally each
list reflected the critic's unique cinematic tastes, with dark
horses running across the board. Aufmuth, for instance,
selected "Thirteen," "City of God" and "Gerry," while Hanley rhapsodized
over "Bad Santa" "Identity" and "Hulk." Tavernetti fell for foreign
films, such as "The Barbarian Invasions" (Canadian), "Dirty Pretty
Things" and "Lawless Heart" (British), "The Revolution Will Not
Be televised" (Irish) and "Man on the Train" and "Winged Migration" (French).
Shelby's list had a number of renegade choices, including "House
of Sand and Fog," "In America" and ""Master and Commander."
 For the second year in a row, one film proved so provocative that
it made both Top-10 and Worst-5 lists. This year's controversial
selection was Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol. 1," which disappointed
Tavernetti but impressed Shelby.
The worst film
of 2003? Every critic, save for Shelby, considered "Gigli" one
of the most abysmal cinematic offerings of the year.
Please note that
in order to qualify, movies had to have opened in the Bay Area by
the end of 2003. Each critic's list begins with the best movie of
the year, followed in alphabetical order by other selections.
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