Posted: 02/01/2004

Film 2003 as Seen by Wayne Case

by Wayne Case

Note: This recap is based on my personal reaction to the 156 films that I saw in full during 2003.

Best Films
(In Order of Preference)
(1) House Of Sand And Fog

(2) Love Actually

(3) Shattered Glass

(4) Cold Mountain

(5) Bend It Like Beckham

(6) Under The Tuscan Sun

(7) Holes

(8) Bad Santa

(9) Japanese Story

(10) Something’s Gotta Give

A*L*S*O… Angels In America [from HBO]

Runners-Up (Alphabetical)
21 Grams

In America

In The Cut

Intolerable Cruelty

Laurel Canyon

Monster

Mystic River

Raising Victor Vargas

Runaway Jury

Seabiscuit

Veronica Guerin

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical)
Camp

The Cooler

Hulk

I Capture The Castle

The Italian Job

The Magdalene Sisters

A Mighty Wind

Mona Lisa Smile

Open Range

Passionada

The Rundown

The Slaughter Rule

The Station Agent

Whale Rider

Guilty Pleasures (Alphabetical)
Just Married

Old School

The Bottom Ten
(In order of retchedness)
(1) Wonderland

(2) My Boss’s Daughter

(3) A Guy Thing

(4) Bringing Down The House

(5) How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

(6) Cheaper By The Dozen

(7) People I Know

(8) Le Divorce

(9) Scary Movie 3

(10) The Order

Dishonorable Mentions
Basic
Beyond Borders

Confidence

Gothika

Identity

Pieces Of April

The Shape Of Things

But Not For Me (Alphabetical)
American Splendor

Lost In Translation

Starlet Scarlett Johansson

Unendurable
Boat Trip

Best Actor (In order of preference)
(1) Ben Kingsley, House Of Sand And Fog


(2) Jude Law, Cold Mountain


(3) Sean Penn, 21 Grams


(4) Jack Nicholson, Something’s Gotta Give


(5) Billy Bob Thornton, Bad Santa


(6) Paddy Considine, In America


(7) William H. Macy, The Cooler


(8) Peter Dinklage, The Station Agent


(9) Hayden Christensen, Shattered Glass

Best Actress (In order of preference)
(1) Charlize Theron, Monster


(2) Cate Blanchett, Veronica Guerin


(3) Jennifer Connelly, House Of Sand And Fog


(4) Toni Collette, Japanese Story


(5) Diane Keaton, Something’s Gotta Give


(6) Naomi Watts, 21 Grams


(7) Meg Ryan, In The Cut


(8) Diane Lane, Under The Tuscan Sun


(9) Samantha Morton, In America


(10) Nicole Kidman, Cold Mountain


(11) Frances McDormand, Laurel Canyon


(12) Agnes Bruckner, Blue Car


(13) Jamie Lee Curtis, Freaky Friday

Best Supporting Actor
(In order of preference)
(1) Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass


(2) Bill Nighy, Love Actually


(3) Paul Bettany, Master And Commander


(4) Djimon Hounsou, In America


(5) Jonathan Ahdout, House Of Sand And Fog


(6) Benicio Del Toro, 21 Grams


(7) Alec Baldwin, The Cooler


(8) Bobby Cannavale, The Station Agent


(9) Gotaro Tsunashima, Japanese Story


(10) William H. Macy, Seabiscuit


(11) Justin Bartha, Gigli


(12) Wentworth Miller, The Human Stain

Best Supporting Actress
(In order of preference)
(1) Shohreh Aghdashloo, House Of Sand And Fog


(2) Renee Zellweger, Cold Mountain


(3) Emma Thompson, Love Actually


(4) Olympia Dukakis, The Event


(5) Maria Bello, The Cooler


(6) Patricia Clarkson, The Station Agent


(7) Marcia Gay Harden, Mystic River


(8) Jennifer Jason Leigh, In The Cut


(9) Sarah AND Emma Bolger, In America


(10) Holly Hunter, Thirteen


(11) Melissa Leo, 21 Grams


(12) Evan Rachel Wood, Thirteen

Best Original Script

(In Order Of Respect)

Love Actually

In America

21 Grams

Best Adapted Script

(Alphabetical)

Holes

House Of Sand And Fog

Mystic River

Seabiscuit

Shattered Glass

Best Original Song (Alphabetical)

“The Heart Of Every Girl” From Mona Lisa Smile

“Here’s Where I Stand” From Camp

“Holding All My Love For You” From Open Range

“It’s A Long Way To The Top” From School Of Rock

“A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow” From A Mighty Wind

“One More Day” From Veronica Guerin

“Shade And Honey” From Laurel Canyon

“Time Enough For Tears” From In America

Best Original Musical Scoring (Alpha)
Cold Mountain, Gabriel Yared

House Of Sand And Fog, James Horner

Mona Lisa Smile, Rachel Portman

Mystic River, Clint Eastwood

Shattered Glass, Mychael Danna

Veronica Guerin, Harry Gregson-Williams & Others

Special Awards
The Victor Mature Worst Performance by an Actor Award: Woody Harrelson in Anger Management


The Michelle Phillips/Cornelia Sharpe/Angel Thompkins Worst Performance by an Actress Award: None this year

The Heaven’s Gate Budget Award: Master and Commander

The Otto Preminger “Light Touch” Award: Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle


The Sam Peckinpah “Wretched Excess’ Award: Kill Bill Vol. 1

The Sidney Lumet Miscasting Award: Halle Berry as a psychiatrist in Gothika

Paul Walker in 2 Fast 2 Furious

Anthony Hopkins AND Nicole Kidman in The Human Stain


A Star Is Born Break-Thru Award: Keira Knightley in Bend It Like Beckham, Love Actually, and Pirates Of The Caribbean


Great Expectations Award: Billy Ray, Shattered Glass


David Gordon Green, All The Real Girls


The Surgeon General’s Warning Award (4-way tie): X-Men 2, Lost In Translation, Basic, and Paycheck

The John Hartl Stop-Them-Before-They-Direct-Again Award: John Cox for Wonderland


The Calling-Sydney-Guilaroff-for-Help-Hair-Style Award:


Female: Kate Hudson in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days


Male: Colin Firth in Girl With A Pearl Earring


The What About Bob Most Annoying Award: Male: Jack Black in School Of Rock


Female: Betty White in Bringing Down The House


and Paula Jai Parker in Phone Booth


RANT: As usual, trailers give away too much information and include too many punch lines and/or plot points. The title of every film should be prominent at the start of its trailer rather than buried at or near the end. Every prominent cast member shown in the trailer should be identified.

REQUEST: Once again, I ask that major credits appear at the start of the film rather than at the end while 95% of the audience races for the exit.

QUESTION: Is there no limit to the amount of money that the film fan will pay for popcorn and soft drinks?!

SPECIAL THANKS: No new theatrical films from the following gentlemen were released this year: Bob Clark, Peter Hyams, Frank Oz

The Ellen Terry Awards
Note: Awarded to those providing extra and or unexpected pleasure.
Ben Affleck in Paycheck, Daredevil

Eric Bana in Hulk

Christian Bale in Laurel Canyon

Marc Blucas in I Capture The Castle

Henry Cavill in I Capture The Castle

Tim Daly in Basic

Christian de la Fuente in Basic

Aaron Eckhart in The Core, Paycheck

Colin Farrell in The Recruit, S.W.A.T

Benno Furmann in The Order

Ashton Kutcher in Just Married, Cheaper By The Dozen

Andrew Lincoln in Love Actually

Josh Lucas in Second Hand Lions, Hulk

Malcolm McDowell in The Company

Gabriel Mann in The Life Of David Gale

Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later, Girl With A Pearl Earring

Alessandro Nivola in Laurel Canyon

Kip Pardue in Thirteen

Simon Rex in Scary Movie 3

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in Bend It Like Beckham

Mark Ruffalo in In The Cut, My Life Without Me

Rodrigo Santoro in Love Actually

Seann William Scott in The Rundown, Bulletproof Monk

Scott Speedman in Dark Blue, My Life Without Me, and Underworld

Jason Statham in The Italian Job

Chapman Russell Way in Dark Blue

Fredrick Weller in The Shape Of Things

Luke Wilson in Old School, Alex And Emma

Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights

Kate Beckinsale in Laurel Canyon, Underworld

Rose Byrne in I Capture The Castle

Veronica Cartwright in Just Married

Anna Faris in Lost In Translation

Romola Garai in I Capture The Castle

Jennifer Garner in Daredevil

Ginnifer Goodwin in Mona Lisa Smile

Rachel Griffiths in The Hard Word

Maggie Gyllenhaal in Mona Lisa Smile

Marcia Gay Harden in Mona Lisa Smile

Keira Knightley in Love Actually, Bend It Like Beckham

Laura Linney in Love Actually

Geraldine McEwan in The Magdalene Sisters

Michael Michele in Dark Blue

Bridget Moynahan in The Recruit

Parminder Nagra in Bend It Like Beckham

Nora-Jane Noone in The Magdalene Sisters

Sandra Oh in Under The Tuscan Sun

Amanda Peet in Something’s Gotta Give

Emmy Rossum in Mystic River, Passionada

Chloe Sevigny in Shattered Glass

Juliet Stevenson in Bend It Like Beckham, Mona Lisa Smile

Charlize Theron in The Italian Job

Uma Thurman in Paycheck

Eileen Walsh in The Magdalene Sisters

Sigourney Weaver in Holes

Catherine Zeta-Jones in Intolerable Cruelty

Wayne Case is an entertainment industry executive in Hollywood.

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