The Return of The Blog.

yeessss! i got my blog back. the strangest thing... it went missing for about a week or so. kinda frustrating now that i've started blogging again. think it's something to do with blogger's server. everything is restored now except the fact that my archives still don't work and my yaccs comment is a little funky. despite generous messages left in the comment box, the numbers don't compute on the link. weird...

well, the biggest movie buffs have done it and newspapers have done it. so it's about time, this film fanatic got around to doing it also. after numerous internal debates with the several voices in my head, here's the top 10 list of the best movies i caught in 2003.

1. Kill Bill: Vol. 1- this film encompasses a lot of things that fascinate me: post-modernism, post-feminism, heck even post-ethnic representation if there is such a thing. despite the fact that i don't like tarantino a whole lot, he's able to prove that he could run for king of subversion. this homage to samurai films is packed with intertextual references, trivia and some amazing camera work. a lot of fun for fans to break down and ponder about. can't wait for vol. 2.

2. 11'9''01, September 11- i consider myself fortunate for having able to catch this. it's probably one of my most memorable film experiences in 2003. a close fight with kill bill. this is THE piece which caused all that hype, applause and outrage at the 2002 venice film fest. 11 of the world's best film makers come together to offer 11 short films, each 11 minutes and 9 seconds long and shot in a single frame (hence the dimensions- 11, 9, 1) which portray their perspectives on the events of september 11. it deviates from the conventional view point which consequently earned it an unfair reputation of being anti-american. what the film's naysayers need to realise is this is how the rest of the world sees it... and it is just as valid.

3. Chicago- musical, subversive characteristics, the almost seamless intertwining between the artifice of stage and film, great performances, a visual feast... how can it not be on my list?

4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King- the fangirl in me was outraged. she wants it to be tops this year but i shut her up. anyway, it's a great conclusion to peter jackson's trilogy and despite certain plot liberties, it pretty much holds true to the tolkien spirit. now i'm anxiously waiting for the extended edition dvd on which there's been word that it's gonna be 5 hours long! hehehe.

5. City of God- the only few significant things that this film is similar to pulp fiction is the non-linear narrative and its preoccupation with violence. other than that i don't see it as a brazillian version of the said movie. it has a more sensetive portrayal of the dehumanizing effects of violence and how crime traps, not only its victims but its perpetraitors, in a sad and uselessly vicious cycle.

6. Spider- i'm quite the fan of films by david cronenberg. he's made some of the most fascinating psychological thrillers in contemporary cinema. the first cronenberg movie i ever watched was videodrome as a child and i had nightmares for a week! a very cool director who doesn't fear working with unconventional material. Spider chronicles the psychological journey of a man who regains traumatic childhood memories and is torn between reality and what he thinks is real.

7. The Pianist- hands down one of my favourite sequences ever shot was when wladyslaw and his family watched, in horror, the cruelty of nazi soldiers through the window of their apartment. no close-ups, the sequence was a single shot without any editing and the effect is priceless, frighteningly realistic account of the events leading to the holocaust. kudos to roman polanski, an oscar well-earned.

8. Goodbye, Lenin!- quirky and humourous representation of the sweeping winds of change and how the people affected deal with it. eastern europe was fast being enveloped by west european culture after the collapse of the berlin wall. a touching and funny story about how a filial son tries to shelter his patriotic and sensitive mother from the brutal truth that her world as she knows it is endangered.

9. Swimming Pool- francois ozon!!! if u ever read this, i so want to have your children!!! i luv, luv, luv his movies... intrigue, suspense, msyery.. common elements of his films. and swimming pool is no exception.

10. Igby Goes Down- one of the best things i love about this film is the script's crisp, witty dialogue. and that comes very rarely these days. one the few films that manage to escape cliches, perhaps not completely, but relatively unscathed. this is why kieran culkin makes it in this industry and macaulay doesn't.


so that's the few i've been wrecking my brain over... there're plenty of honourable mentions, the few at the top of my head being Russian Ark, Talk to Her and Finding Nemo. all in all, quite a good film year... am hoping 2004 works out to just as great if not even better.