2003

10- 28 Days Later
28
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 4/5
Justin’s Kudos: Directing, Cinematography, and special effects
Justin’s Criticism: A little violent for some people’s liking.

9- Les Triplettes De Belleville
(The Triplets of Belleville)

triple
Director: Sylvain Chomet
Starring: Beatrice Bonifassi
Rated: PG-13
Justin’s Rating: 4/5
Justin’s Kudos: The animation
Justin’s Criticism: Because it’s nearly a silent film, it’s definitely not for everybody

8- American Splendor
american
Director: Shari Springer Berman
Starring: Paul Giamatti
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 4/5
Justin’s Kudos: Incredibly original and captivating
Justin’s Criticism: Lacks a strong female performance

7- Life Of David Gale
life of
Director: Alan Parker
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, Kate Winslet
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 4.5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Acting, and mind blowing twist ending
Justin’s Criticism: Supporting cast is a little weak

6- Big Fish
big
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter
Rated: PG-13
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Perfect Casting
Justin’s Criticism: Requires an imagination a lot of people lack

5- Lost In Translation
lost
Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi
Rated: R
Best Picture: Nominee
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Brilliant performance by Bill Murray
Justin’s Criticism: A little slow

4- Kill Bill vol. 1
kill
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Original in every way
Justin’s Criticism: The violence is too much for some

3- 21 Grams
21
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Starring: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Danny Huston, Melissa Leo
Rated: R
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Acting
Justin’s Criticism: None

2- Mystic River
mystic
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney
Rated: R
Best Picture: Nominee
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Everything
Justin’s Criticism: None
Justin’s Favorite Movie of the Year

1- Return of the King
lotr
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Ian McKellan, Cate Blanchett
Rated: PG-13
Best Picture: Winner
Justin’s Rating: 5/5
Justin’s Kudos: Everything
Justin’s Criticism: None