Movies I have seen in 2003:
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
4 Stars

HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
4.5 Stars

COLD MOUNTAIN
3 Stars

LOST IN TRANSLATION
2 Stars

THE COOLER
4 Stars

THE LAST SAMURAI
3.5 Stars

FINDING NEMO
3.5 Stars

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
4 Stars

MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
2 Stars

SEABISCUIT
3.5 Stars

A MIGHTY WIND
3.5 Stars

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
4 Stars

WINGED MIGRATION
5 Stars

SWIMMING POOL
3 Stars

MONA LISA SMILE
3 Stars

RUNAWAY JURY
2.5 Stars

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN
2.5 Stars

Kill Bill Vol. 1
1.0 Stars

Movies I still want to see from 2003:
Elf
The Station Agent
Bad Santa
School of Rock
MYSTIC RIVER
21 GRAMS
IN AMERICA
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
AMERICAN SPLENDOR
CITY OF GOD
THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS
WHALE RIDER
MONSTER
THE FOG OF WAR
2002 Movies:

Nine Queens
3 Stars. This movie was billed as a multi-plot action movie much like Snatch or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, but was in fact more of a slow paced con film. The plot slowly weaves through hills and valleys, and at the end I was wondering whether I'd just seen a good movie or not. Overall I liked it, but it was not what I expected, which is sometimes a disappointment in and of itself.

8 Mile
4 Stars. I was sweaty by the end of this movie. Eminem was great in the movie, but wasn't forced to carry the movie with dialogue. He had his usual disrespected attitude, and was fantastic in all of the musical/lyrical scenes. I really enjoyed the movie, although one scene near the end made the movie.

Punch Drunk Love
2 Stars. This movie had great cinematography, a good plot, and many original scenes that made feel the frustration of the main character. Unfortunately, the movie as a whole did not leave me satisfied. Sandler was great in the toned down version of himself, but the movie did not give me enough insight into the characters to draw me into the story.

Barber Shop
4 Stars. This movie is filled with great actors. There was plenty of comedy, and enough of a storyline to keep the movie going. Every single barber in the shop was stealing scenes, but there was enough to go around. This is definitely a great movie to see in theaters or on video.

Brown Sugar
3 Stars. This movie was a great date movie, and was pretty good overall. The music was good throughout the movie, and there was enough comedy to offset the somewhat cheesy plot. When did I fall in love with hip hop? "Girls that girls that love me, I'm the overweight lover Heavy D"

Trading Lanes
2 Stars. This movie just wasn't that great. I'd see it if someone else rented it or if it was on TNT, but its nothing to get excited about.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding
5 Stars. This movie was fantastic throughout, making me laugh almost every five minutes. I really enjoyed the parts that juxtaposed the cultures of the two main characters.

Spiderman
3 Stars. I liked this movie for what it was. I enjoyed the plot and Toby McGuire as Spiderman. The movie built up momentum from the start and carried it through to the end.

XXX
2 Stars. This was a good action movie, but a little ridiculous at times. The main female character was great in her role.

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
3 stars. Much better than the phantom menace, but there was still not the macho-ness of the original star wars. I thought Samuel Jackson needed some cooler scenes.

Signs
4 Stars. I really enjoyed this movie. I thought the whole spiritual part of the movie was not too conclusive. I also loved the ridiculosity of a few of the scenes and the comedy and suspense mixed together.

Austin Powers: Goldmember
No rating. I like Austin Powers movies because its fun to imitate them afterwards. I don't presume to rate the movie, because you know what you're getting into. I loved the first 30 minutes but thought it fell off after that.

The Good Girl
2 Stars. This movie was a little too monotonous for me. I thought the movie needed some more emotion, and the way characters just let important events just slide off their shoulders left me very unsatisfied. On the other hand, I enjoyed the movie throughout until the end, when I was left with a bitter unresolved taste in my mouth.

Road to Perdition
3 Stars. This was a good movie, but overhyped. It depended a lot on the visual stuff, which is not what I go for. I think a movie should stand on its own without needing great cinematography. This movie is in the same genre as the Professional, which was much better.

Enigma
4 Stars. As I am a math graduate student, I like movies about math people. This movie was great. It was good to see some history of the British code-breakers, and I loved seeing the private lives of the code-breakers in a time of war.

Monster's Inc
3 Stars. I saw this on the airplane and found it amusing. The characters were compelling, as you would expect from a children's movie, and the scariness of the plot served its duty. A great movie for kids, and enjoyable for adults as well.

Unsure if I want to see:
PIECES OF APRIL
THIRTEEN
BROTHER BEAR
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE
BALSEROS
CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS
MY ARCHITECT
THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND
ASYLUM
CHERNOBYL HEART
FERRY TALES
EVIL
THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI
TWIN SISTERS
ZELARY
BIG FISH
BOUNDIN'
DESTINO
GONE NUTTY
HARVIE KRUMPET
NIBBLES
DIE ROTE JACKE (The Red Jacket)
MOST (The Bridge)
SQUASH
(A) TORZIJA ([A] Torsion)
TWO SOLDIERS
Movies I still want to see (2002):
Martin Lawrence Live: runteldat
Bowling for Columbine
The Bourne Identity


Entertaining older movies:
Office Space
Waking Ned Divine (great soundtrack)
Galaxy Quest
My Blue Heaven


Good older movies:
Being John Malkovich
Usual Suspects


Not bad movies you might not have seen:
The Tao of Steve
Billy Elliot
Sliding Doors
Dick


Movies I don't really like:
American Beauty
2001: A Space Odyssey
Thin Red Line


Back to The Official Ben Cooke Homepage