i saw a film today, oh boy...

Talk of top-ten lists for the 2003 movie-going year has already begun, and we still have a whole month to go. Indeed, the National Board of Review has named Mystic River the best movie of the year. If you've read my review of Mystic River, you know that I did not much care for it. I thought it was the most emotionally obnoxious movie of the year. And I'm sticking to that. But as I predicted in my review, it will win the awards (perhaps the Oscar, even) because it followed all the rules.

Here is the complete top-10 list of the National Board of Review, which is made up of teachers, writers, actors and movie production workers:

1. Mystic River
2. The Last Samurai
3. The Station Agent
4. 21 Grams
5. House of Sand and Fog
6. Lost in Translation
7. Cold Mountain
8. In America
9. Seabiscuit
10. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

What of my top-ten list? Well it's coming. But before I publish it, I still have to see, at the very least, the following movies: The Station Agent, In My Skin, In America, The Last Samurai, Big Fish, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Cold Mountain, House of Sand and Fog, Mona Lisa Smile, The Fog of War, and Monster. All of these movies have either already been released, or will be released shortly (before January 1st). I must say, however, that making a top-10 list for this year will be tough. I've seen a lot of good movies. In the meantime, you can check out my top-ten lists for previous years here.