Newspapers / Grimsley High School Student … / April 9, 2003, edition 1 / Page 12
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12 High Life Wednesday, April 9, 2003 Features Reel retrospective: Critic looks back on year’s best As the school year draws to an end, take a moment to appreciate the host of great films of the past year. By Max Turner Features Editor Looking back on the 2002-2003 school year, it is hard not to think of the countless snow days, the looming threat of war, the Colum bia disaster, and athletic scandals. Amid all of this, though, I cannot help but recall the numerous memo rable movie moments of the year as well. Good (“Punch Drunk Love”), bad (“Daredevil”), and obnoxious (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”), this school year had a little bit of everything, and it would be a shame to close out the term with out one last look back at what made the year in film one for the records. The following are what I believe to be the five best films that, though I missed my first chance to review them, I simply could not live with myself if I did not give them a good word. The first film on my list is a little bit of a cheat. “Y Tu Mama Tambien” actually came out at the tail end of last school year, but 1 did not get a chance to review it then, and I refuse to graduate with- Viewers should resign themselves to the outra geous fantasy [of “Spir ited Away”], and they will be transfixed and transported to a world they could never have imagined. out telling everyone I can to see this gorgeous, sensitive, intelligent road movie. The plot follows the rather simple story of two teens, whose girlfriends have gone away for the summer, and the woman they woo into coming with them on a road trip to the beach in Mexico. Along the way, writer-director Alfonso Cuaron uses the two boys, one bourgeois son of a politician and one lower-class worker, and the emotionally tattered woman after whom they lust to explOTe the deep est truths of friendship, sex, age, and even politics and social class as well. A tragic buddy film at heart, “Y Tu Mama Tambien” is, by turns, funny, fascinating, and heart- wrenching and does more for its gaire than any other film in recent memory. The Japanese animated film, “Spirited Away” deals with a youthful quest of an entirely dif ferent kind, but does so with just as much eloquence and intelligence as Cuaron’s film. “Spirited Away” is a fantastical journey in the mind ofa young girl who, having just moved to a new town, stumbles upon an aban doned (or so it seems) amusement park. The park comes to life at ni^t with creatures reminiscent of “Alice in Wonderland,” but decid edly all their own. The film is en tirely animated, and could mistak enly be dismissed as just another kids’ movie, but stop and give this one a chance. Viewers should re sign themselves to the outrageous fantasy, and they will be transfixed and transported to a world they could never have imagined. I was practically salivating non stop for three years straight in ea ger anticipation of Martin Scorsese’s latest movie, “Gangs of New York.” The film finally opened this Christmas, after a full year of postponements. No, it is not a per fect movie, and, yes, Martin Scorsese has made far better films (“Raging Bull,” “Taxi Driver,” “GoodFellas,” etc.), but “Gangs of New York” is a spectacular achievement nonetheless. Hey, “Moby Dick” is too long, “Apocalyse, Now” has third-act problems, and “Falling Water” leaks, but they are all still master pieces. “Gangs” perfectly embod ies the idea ofa flawed masterpiece. Leonardo DiCaprio is a bit off, and his character is underdeveloped, but the grand spectacle of the film, the consistent vision, and the su preme confidence of Scorsese to create art and defy convention all ring true. The result is a truly awe inspiring epic that 1 predict will, with time, gain the respect it de serves. Scorsese’s New York contem porary and fellow visionary. Spike Lee, also made an underappreciated film this year with “The 25* Hour.” Ed Norton, in one of his trademark outstand ing performances, plays a man with one day left before he is sent to prison. The entire film takes place on this one day and follows the psychological turmoil of a man about to give up a significant por tion of his life. What does it do to him, his friends, their trust, and his future after prison? Spike Lee makes an intense, captivating film almost entirely out of conversation. As always, he does not shy away from tough is sues; rather, he leaves viewers with enough intellectual fodder to last a lifetime without ever alienat ing his audience from the human element of his story. British filmmaker Stephen Daldry contributed this year the ex tremely ambitious “The Hours,” a film worlds apart from his last film “Billy Elliot,” yet even more suc cessful. The film involves three stories, one of Virginia Woolf as she writes her novel “Mrs. Dalloway,”aieofawoman in 1950s Los Angeles reading “Mrs. Dalloway” and struggling to please her family, and one which follows the plot of “Mrs. Dalloway,” but updates it to present-day New York City. The book upon which it is based won the Pulitzer Ffrize but many filmmakers quickly dismissed it as impossible to adapt to the screen. Daldry, however, accepted the challenge, and succeeded bril liantly. Aided in no small part by Phillip Glass’s mesmerizing score and Nicole Kidman’s performance, quite possibly the greatest perfor mance of the past decade. Dal dry’s film is provocative and deliberate without being heavy-handed. Ev ery single emotion rings entirely true, a feat so few films are even able to approach. Certainly, these are not the only great films 1 missed reviewing in the past year. “Talk to Her,” “The Quiet American,” “Lovely and Amazing,” and “The Pianist” all come quickly to mind, and I could come up with an entirely different list cm another day. StUl, it is unde niable that the past year in films would not be what it has beat were it not for these five incredible fea tures. Top Ten Films of 10. Adaptation 9.Talk to Her S.Spirited Away 7.The Pianist 6.The 25th Hour 5. About Schmidt 4.Gangs of New York 3.Punch Drunk Love 2.The Hours 1. Y Tu Mama Tambien And the worst... Rollerball My Big Fat Greek Wedding i V '4 t- ,■1, 4 u 'fm ’ ‘ 'f :~r4 * /y Film Comment Adrien Brody’s tragic turn as a pianist in war-tom Warsaw made “The Pianist” one of the best films of the year. The film’s Oscar and critical success may be just the remedy to bring back exiled director Roman Polnaski’s career, once plagued by personal and legal scandal. .t- ' if ■■m m- Daniel Day-Lewis gives a mesmirizing performance as Bill the Butcher in Martin Scorsese’s grand “Gangs of New York.” Short of perfection, but far above average, Scorsese’s epic is a majestic triumph of cinematic artistry. ^ Drivsr Education Owner Coach Chaiiio Brown, B.S., M.8. • Retired School Teacher • No waiting list to drive • Completion by 15th birthday • Flexible classroom schedules • Saturday and Sunday classes » One week completion • Summer and Christmas classes • Will pick up for driving Guilford Driving School, Inc. 620 S. Elm St, Suite 155 Greensboro, NC 27406 373-1808 • 38 yrs. Experience All staff are: -Certified School Teachers -Certified Driver Education -B.S. and M.S. Degrees -Licensed by N.C. DMV High Point Driving School, Inc. 329 N. Main St, Suite 115 High Point, NC 27260 382-0032
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April 9, 2003, edition 1
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