The year in movies: Great memories, but some films we want to forget

In a year of trilogies, pirates, superheroes and lost souls, particular movies stand out for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's simply for sheer, epic awfulness; the kind that leaves you wanting to hide your head in a popcorn bag. (If the pioneers who invented the movie camera had known their creation would eventually be used to make, say, "Dumb and Dumberer," would they have scrapped the whole thing and bought each other drinks instead?)

But more often, thankfully, it's because something in a movie touches a chord — a look in an actor's eyes that suddenly lets us read his soul; a twilight moment that turns the sky a color somewhere between pink, blue and heaven; a mood of shimmering quietness that gets ever more vivid in memory.

When you watch hundreds of movies in a year, these are the moments that linger, that help you glide through the horrid movies and celebrate the great ones. And, at year-end, this is what I think of when making my Top 10 list — not box office (though a few of these movies did very well indeed), not star power, just the movies I'll be thrilled to remember again in a year, or a decade.

So, without further ado, here are my most memorable movies of 2003, listed alphabetically (as I couldn't possibly rank one above another). I hope each of you saw 10 movies this year — or more! — that enchanted you as much as these did me.

"American Splendor." Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's wildly creative, genre-blending portrayal of an everyday superhero (comic book author Harvey Pekar, grumpily portrayed by Paul Giamatti) was the year's most unlikely heartwarmer. Watch it more than once; be dazzled.

"Capturing the Friedmans." In a year of great documentaries, Andrew Jarecki's tale of a family torn apart by accusations of sexual abuse stood out as a searing meditation on truth-telling, and as a heartbreaking portrait of a real-life family forever broken.

"Finding Nemo." This big story about a little fish was sheer magic, thanks to the technical wizardry of the Pixar gang, a screenplay that effortlessly managed to be funny, touching and appealing to all ages, and a note-perfect cast of voice actors who gave the movie its beating heart.

"The Lord of the Rings." The whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts (though those parts aren't too bad either). This trilogy, now complete, is an astonishing achievement for director Peter Jackson, who's created a dazzling world, as big as a mountain and as tiny as a hobbit's smile.

"Lost in Translation." Sofia Coppola's small-scaled poem of a movie, set in a blurry, jet-lagged Tokyo, is a haunting examination of being lost and being found. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson beautifully create the year's most offbeat love story.

"The Man on the Train." This masterful character study from French director Patrice Leconte looks at how two very different men (played by Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday, both of whom have faces that can be read like novels) can change each other in unexpected ways. Understated and beautiful.

"Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World." Peter Weir's song of the sea, led by a marvelously swaggering Russell Crowe, takes us on a journey so real we can practically feel the spray of the waves — and just underneath this manly adventure lies a quiet and pitch-perfect story of friendship and harmony.

"Mystic River." You won't quickly forget Clint Eastwood's moody, devastating drama of revenge and memory, acted to perfection by the year's strongest ensemble cast. Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Marcia Gay Harden stand out among this talented troupe, brilliantly conveying different kinds of loss.

"Rivers and Tides." It's rare to see a film devoted entirely to the making of art — and even rarer when that film becomes art itself. Thomas Riedelsheimer's documentary about Andy Goldsworthy, who crafts his exquisite art pieces from nature, quietly speaks volumes about art, beauty, and the altering power of time.

"Whale Rider." A family-friendly film from New Zealand with a heart as big as its title creature. Young Keisha Castle-Hughes, as a Maori girl determined to claim her birthright, gives a performance of great power; director Niki Caro surrounds her with lush landscapes and dreamlike atmosphere.

And that's not all

Fifteen splendid runners-up, any one of which might have made my Top Ten on a different day or in a different mood: "Bend It Like Beckham," "Cold Mountain," "In America," "In This World," "A Mighty Wind," "Raising Victor Vargas," "School of Rock," "Shattered Glass," "Spellbound," "Spider," "Swimming Pool," "Thirteen," "The Triplets of Belleville," "X2," "Winged Migration."

Ten perfectly dreadful movies I hope to never have to think about again, thanks very much: "Anything Else," "Dreamcatcher," "Dumb and Dumberer," "Duplex," "Darkness Falls," "Final Destination 2," "Kangaroo Jack," "My Little Eye," "The Real Cancun," "Timeline."

May the New Year bring us all joy, beauty, and peace — at the movies, and elsewhere.