I finished out middle school and headed to high school. My taste started to grow up a little, and I think it shows in the movies that come in the rest of the decade.
A Walk To Remember
My friends and I went into this movie with every intention of mocking it. After all, Mandy Moore could dye her hair brown but that didn't make her an actress! We left weeping, and stayed that way for hours. I'm not a huge fan of the way Nicholas Sparks's stories tug on the heartstrings, but Walk is the exception. It's just so lovely.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My father is one of six. My mother is one of five. I have many cousins who are all up in each other's bussiness. We're Irish, not Greek. But still. I relate to this movie. Anyone with a big family does.
Divine Secrets of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Another movie that I took to, purely out of relatability. I grew up with three best friends. Get it? Also Ashley Judd and Maggie Smith rock hard!
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Mike Meyers remains one of the most influential people when it comes to my taste in comedy. The first two Austin Powers movies were brilliant. This one was fun. I saw it like 3 times in the theaters. For volume alone it warrants a place on this list.
The Importance of Being Earnest
The summer before high school I went to theater camp. We did a scene from The Importance of Being Earnest. I fell in love comedy of manners. I continue that love today. Also, Oscar Wilde was amazing.
Sweet Home Alabama
This was the first social outing of my high school life. The first Friday of high school, the girls I had been eating lunch with and I went to go see this. I really liked it because I love anytime people get to use their real accents.
8 Mile
I love Eminem. I know! This comes as a shock to many people. 8 Mile is a big part of the reason why I love him. I admire hip hop in general for the way they lay everything out on the table, but Marshall really did it in this movie, which is inspired by his life as a poor kid in Detroit. Rabbit, Em's character is tortured and sad, he fights the only way he can, with his words. The movie's theme "Lose Yourself" was the first hip hop song to win an Oscar. Though two years later "It's Hard out Here for a pimp" would get more recognition, I still maintain that Em gets boxed out by the hip hop community because of his whiteness, and his refusal to play the game.
Gangs Of New York
Scorcese's epic tale of the birth of New York street gangs during the Civil War is violent, dirty and unbelievable. 30 years in the making, every detail is exquisite. Plus it revealed Leonardo DiCaprio as a man, and started a partnership between him and Scorcese that would define both artists for the decade.
Chicago
Moulin Rouge! was the birth pains and the baby cries for the new era of musical films but Chicago was it's first steps. A high profile cast of incredible talent, a large budget and an incredible new voice in director Rob Marshall gave this movie everything it needed. The idea of having the musical take place inside of Roxie's head as a real movie happened on the outside was beautiful and made the whole thing more accessible to modern audiences. A well deserved Best Picture.
Drumline
Another movie that makes the list because of the sheer number of times I saw it. My middle school friends, who went to our public high school, while as I went to a neighboring town's Catholic, were all in marching band. So they loved this movie. I like it a lot. I like Nick Cannon.
2003's list includes: Pirates of The Caribbean, School of Rock and Finding Nemo!
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