Best of 2003
NOTE: This is not a finished form, but will have to do.
UPDATED 1-12-03
Best Music of the Year
1. Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance
Combine meaningful and introspective lyrics with driving guitar riffs, and you've got Thrice. These guys kick it (the bottom area). I don't really know what to say. Some bands have lyrics pages that read like they are trying to write poetry; some have lyrics that read like they are an afterthought to the music. Thrice's lyrics work and flow with the music like they were born together, but they could exist on their own; as can be seen on the painfully honest title track. I would mildy say that their lyrics are as strong as my favorite band's (Sixpence None the Richer), and I reserve such praise for few. After their last album, I was expecting more of the same hyperdynamic punk-leaning emocore with respectable lyrics. Instead they delivered emotional and strongly-crafted rock without the pitfalls (the percieved whinyness) of emo. I place this album on a shelf next to my Glassjaw album without reservation.
2. Elliott - Song in the Air
Well, an emo artist meets Sigur Ros and falls in love. Sure, the ethereal frontman has always had a penchant for the lofty, but this one just hit all the right notes. The instrumentals work, among other things (which is kinda odd for a rock album). This is one of the few albums that doesn't bore me with the longer songs (6 minutes plus). I actually enjoy them until the end. Hell, I even have to stop pink floyd some of the time, but this album is just set up so well that I don't feel the need most of the time. A good example would be Beijjing's (Too Many People) pacing, which is spot-on. This album teeters of the edge of bland and pretentious, but never falls over.
almost: Thursday - War All the Time
This album has Thursday moving from their comfortable introspective roots over to a hazy web of political concoctions. The sincerity that grounded Understanding... seems to have slightly faded. Sometimes this new sound works (the title track is strong). Overall, the lyrics aren't as strong, but the musicianship is on par with their last album. This is a step down, but not a bad album. It's just not one I can recommend very strongly, unlike their previous album.
almost: Eisley - The Laughing City (EP)
Bunch of girls... playing atmospheric indie rock... must... stop... listening...... crap. They're good. I expect the full length might be on my list next year, but the EP must be relegated to the honorable mention category; but, mostly just because it's not an LP (darn silly rules). Their songwriting skills are better than most mainstream rock bands. Add to this, vocals that float over well-orchestrated music, and you've got a combination that doesn't suck.
not nearly: Idlewild - Remote Part
I really hoped this album would have been better. It starts off well with "You Held the World in Your Arms", but then fades into a generic buzz halfway through. The lyrics bugged me several times on the album, even on the first track. Not much else to say. I just find this album quite dissappointing, seeing as 100 Broken Windows was great.
Television Notes
Ed, Wake Up
I consider last season's Captain Lucidity episode my favorite episode of Ed, so it saddens me to say that this season didn't fare as well. That episode defied its tired premise (an extended dream sequence), and ended up being a wonderfully crafted and extremely funny piece of television. But, fast forward to this season, and I'd present the second episode as an example of television at its crappiest. New Car Smell took a tired premise (college kid doing a documentary on Ed Stevens), and turned it into an extremely tiring episode. Perhaps the premise bugged me so much that I didn't give it a fair chance, but I really just thought this episode sucked. In fact, I don't want to see some of the initial episodes of this season ever again, because they depress me. Maybe I'm overreacting and delusional, but there is a strong chance that I'm not hallucinating, and this season really does suck on average. The last few episodes have been progressively better, but it'll take a while for me to take this show out of the On Life Support category.
The West Wing, sans Aaron Sorkin
Though the series did not implode without its creator, it did slightly shrink. Right now I'm worried that the show is going to degrade into another Ripped From The Headlines show. With a congressman changing parties and the government shutting down, I wonder if the writers are just lazy. Sure, they toned down the rapid-fire dialogue without destroying the show, but they also dulled the intelligence. Will this show degrade until it's another politically correct exercise in audience procurement (as opposed to an actual drama)? Time will tell. For now, it's a fairly good time waster. It exists in the aftershocks of Sorkin, so in a few months when the ripples fade, we'll know if the new showrunners can actually make interesting television.
Best Television of 2003
1. Nip/Tuck - Adelle Coffin (Season 1, Episode 10)
2. Everwood - The Last Day of Summer (Season 2, Episode 1)
Most Disappointing Movie of the Year
Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions
What can I say? It's like a funeral, watching this movie. Something died. Sure, someone actually dies, but that's not the point.. There are two parts to the suck. First, Reloaded started it off, forcing all sympathy and emotion out of the audience with its spurious and pompous monologues, and its inability to stop sputtering its epic propaganda. I wanted to like it, and I decided to hold final summary judgement until the second came out, but that didn't change much. Second, Revolutions wasn't much better. I wanted Revolutions to retrieve Reloaded from the pits, but how can I like a movie that has a character yelling "I BELIEVE IN YOU NEO" with the fury of a thousand teenage girls, and without a trace of irony; no trace of irony; not even a smirk. I can't believe he didn't smirk. This is stuff that should be saved for episodes of Power Rangers, not the Matrix. The dialogue is laughable, and the plot is only an extended excuse for the main characters to yell "ULTRAMEGAZORD" and get into their silly outfits and fight silly bad guys.
Matrix Revolutions kept spinning the tired story, and the halfhearted characters, that Matrix Reloaded reintroduced poorly. The Wachowski's Reloaded (and shot themselves), and took two steps (Revolutions) before they admitted they were dead (because they shot themselves).
Best Movies of the 2003
Honorable Mentions
-Equilibrium
-Matchstick Men
-21 Grams
-The Last Samurai
5. All the Real Girls
for now, see the full review
4. Lost in Translation
This movie had, what I would consider, the best critical word-of-mouth of the year. This caused me to believe I would be seeing my top movie of the year before I watched it. As you can tell, things changed. The movie is good; the direction is solid; the acting is outstanding; the script is good. But, the sum of all these parts didn't blow me away. Perhaps the overall effect was tempered by the subject matter. I just didn't completely sympathize with Bill Murray's character, and thus the movie lost punch. Maybe one day I'll relate more, and thus empathize more, but not this year. This year, it is relegated to the fourth spot; but, looking at the movies that beat it, this is no insult. This movie is well worth a watch for people not afraid of slower movies.
3. Return of the King
Ok, so this movie was really good. Raise your hand if you were surprised (I pause). I do have one or two minor quibbles, mostly about the endings, but they would contain spoilers, so I save them for post-movie conversations rather than my list. Needless to say, this final chapter does not betray the time invested (a significant amount of time), but picks up where The Two Towers left off and makes a rally cry for the finish. Heck, you even get to see Andy Serkis' un-Gollum'ed face. But, there's enough goodwill for this movie out there without thoroughly unremarkable thoughts about it, so I'll leave at this. It's a good movie. Period.
Though, I will say that I actually liked the score this time around. I really didn't have much love for the Fellowship score the first time I heard it; and I don't have a strong recollection of the second's score, so I won't comment on it; but the third's score is just a big payoff. Maybe the first two had to be more subdued, so as not to burn out the audience. So the main theme is overused once or twice, that is an understandable consession in such a long movie. Really, one shot of the film made me finally appreciate it. When Gandalf is riding out to meet the soldiers who are being pummeled by ring wraiths, there's a wind instrument playing a very simple melody. The camera is shaking slightly as it follows him, and the framing is slightly off-kilter. All the elements combine together in this scene and just transcend. It convinced me that there was real talent behind this score, as simplicity was respected along with epic strings. Maybe it's just me, though.
2. City of God
This movie is based around real events that occurred in Rio de Janeiro during the 1960s and 1970s. I do not know to what extent the events were modified, but if even half the things in the movie were true, it'd still be a compelling and scary history. The story revolves around a young teenager swept up in the violence of a perpetual drug war. This may seem like tread territory, but the soldiers are children, and the scale is frightening. The story is never heavy-handed, though, which allows it to keep going through all the senseless violence. Perhaps some would fault its violence as being excessive and numbing; I found it numbing but never glorifying. With a strong story and competent support on all fronts (acting, directing, cinematography), this movie transcends the events and allows a visceral commentary to emerge.
1. Lilya 4-Ever
Harrowing and haunting would be apt descriptions of this movie. This story of a 16-year-old girl struggling in a russian slum is surely a somber movie, it's somber so as to provide illumination to events that few would think much about otherwise. This is in contrast to movies like 'Dancer in the Dark' which were depressing because a series of unbelievable circumstances were concocted. Lilya 4-Ever is haunting because everything that happens seems plausible. The lead actress is one of the main reasons for this. Even though she is quite young, she grounds this story which could have turned into a melodrama. Even the expected catharsis at the end is twisted into something else. Maybe one day I'll sit down and write a full review, but for now you can read berardinelli's review. This movie is for contemplation, not simple enjoyment. As you can see by my choice of favorite movie of all time (Almost Famous), I'm not one who revels in the darker sides of life. But when a movie is this well-executed and potent, I respect it. |
