Yes, I think I have it complete by now. I have chosen the ten movies to fill out my list. And it was really hard to place the order of the movies, so what the order is now is pretty interchangeable.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
This task was appointed to you, Frodo of the Shire. If you do not find a way, no one will.

The last movie of the trilogy and winner of the Best Picture Oscar. It's funny because this movie didn't really need to win an Oscar, it will forever be a classic, but the Oscar is just the icing on the cake. Even though it wasn't my favorite movie in the trilogy, I guess I feel obliged to put it as #1 since TTT was my #1 of '02 and FOTR was my #1 of '01. I'm kinda sad that the whole triology is over. But perhaps in twenty years, we'll have a re-release.

2. Mystic River
We bury our sins here, Dave. We wash them clean.

A great actor's movie with a wonderful ensemble. The story catches you from the beginning and holds you till the end. I did not see the twist coming and so this will make me watch it was a different perspective my second time. I bought the book, which I plan to read when I actually have some free time on my hands. I'm sure there were a lot of little details the movie left out.

3. Elf
Buddy the Elf! What's your favorite color?

This movie was so hilarious that I saw it twice. Will Farrell is my hero. Had anyone else played Buddy, this movie wouldn't have been the same. It's charming, but not overly (and please excuse the pun) syrupy sweet. It's funny without any stupid toilet humour. It's just a good time at the movies. Plus, I learned a lot about elfs! Thanks to this movie, I now know that the basic four food groups of an elf are candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup!

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Welcome to the Caribbean, love.

Who knew a movie based on a Disney ride could be so much fun? Hell, the movie is more fun than the ride! And who knew that it would garner Johnny Depp's first Oscar nomination? This movie has everything: adventure, romance, comedy, and a fun plot. It's the epitome of a summer blockbuster.

5. Finding Nemo
You know for a clown fish, he's not that funny.

Pixar has done it again. The animation is absolutely stunning and the characters are full of personality - thanks to great voiceovers such as the hilarious Ellen DeGeneres. A kids movie that adults can enjoy too. Plus Nemo is the cutest thing ever!

6. Kill Bill: Volume 1
Silly rabbit.....Trix are for kids.

I didn't see this movie until it came out on DVD. I was a little wary of seeing it because of all the violence and blood, but after seeing The Passion, I felt I could handle anything. And even thought it was quite bloody, the slicing of limbs didn't bother me because it was done in such a cartoonish way. (Hell, I even laughed when Lucy Liu decapitated that one poor shmuck). The fight between The Bride and the Crazy 88's was one of my favorite scenes of '03. A week after I saw this, I saw Volume 2 which I think I liked a little better than the first one. Plus...the music? It rocked!

7. Love, Actually
American girls would seriously dig me with my cute British accent.

Those Brits sure know how to make a romantic comedy. I loved all the different storylines, although I think they could have done without the porn couple and the guys who goes to the States. My favorite story lines were the ones with Colin Firth and the Portugese woman and Liam Neeson and his step-son who had the crush on the girl at school. I was bawling at the end, but they were happy tears. A feel-good Christmas movie.

8. School of Rock
We'll call it Rock Band.

Hilarious! Jack Black is the man! And these kids were quite talented. Great music and hilariously funny. Finally, a kids movie that isn't sappily cute.

9. In America
It's not "José, can you see", it's "Oh say, can you see".

A little movie that I loved. The Bolger sisters are positively adorable. I love the scene when they arrive in NYC. Another movie that made me shed a tear or two (or more).

10. Identity
Whores don't get a second chance!

I have to admit this movie totally freaked me out and I had trouble sleeping that night because we were also staying at a hotel just like the people in the movie. (Of course, we were at the Hilton in Alexandria, while they were at some crummy middle of nowhere hotel). But I liked the movie because I wasn't expecting the twist at all. And you can't beat a movie with John Cusack and Ray Liotta.

Honorable mentions:
Cold Mountain
Big Fish
Monster
Thirteen
Whale Rider
The Last Samurai

Well, we're only hours away until 2004. 2003 was pretty mediocre -nothing great or memorable happened for me. But here is a list of all the movies I saw, the books I read, and the CDs and DVDs I bought. Let's see how good my memory is!

Movies I saw in the theater (I kept a list of them):
Jan 5th - Chicago
Jan 5th - The Two Towers (This was also, sadly, my fourth time seeing it)
Jan 8th - About Schmidt
Jan 9th - Gangs of New York
Jan 19th - Antwone Fisher
Jan 21st - The Hours
Jan 23rd - Adaptation
Feb 16th - The Hours
Feb 21st - Old School
March 18th - Bringing Down the House
March 23rd - Chicago
April 5th - Spirited Away
April 13th - Phone Booth
April 20th - How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
April 26th - Bend it Like Beckham
May 16th - Identity
May 26th - X Men 2
May 29th - Bruce Almighty
June 2nd - Finding Nemo
June 4th - The Italian Job
June 30th - Charlie's Angels 2
July 4th - Legally Blonde 2
July 5th - Nowhere in Africa
July 11th - Pirates of the Carribean
July 14th - Pirates of the Carrbiean
July 30th - Whale Rider
August 7th - Seabiscuit
August 18th - Uptown Girls
Sept 5th - The Order
Sept 26th - Secondhand Lions
Oct 20th - Lost in Translation
Nov 8th - Elf
Nov 8th - Love Actually
Nov 28th - Elf (God, I LOVED this movie!)
Nov 29th - Master and Commander (God, I HATED this movie!)
Dec 22nd - The Last Samurai
Dec 23rd - Something's Gotta Give
Dec 25th - Return of the King
Dec 28th - 21 Grams
Dec 29th - Mona Lisa Smile
Dec 30th - Stuck On You
Dec 31st - In America

Movies I rented (in no particular order):
Abandon
Best in Show
Nicholas Nickleby
The Life of David Gale
Hearts in Atlantis
The Emperor's Club
Punch Drunk Love
Shanghai Knights
Boogie Nights
Shine
8 Mile
Crossroads (Please don't shoot me)
Just Married
Unfaithful
S.W.A.T.
The Recruit
Winged Migration
Bowling for Columbine
Out of Sight
Freaky Friday
Tombraider 2
A Guy Thing
Gremlins
Old School (Rented it for the commentary and ITAS spoof!)
The Core
Holes
What a Girl Wants
The In-Laws
The Lizzie Maguire Movie
The Matrix
The Hot Chick
Analyze That
Die Another Day
The Good Girl
About a Boy
Center Stage

Books I read (* means it was required reading):
Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
Return of the King
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Nanny Diaries
The Lovely Bones
The Hours
Their Eyes Were Watching God (*)
The Joy Luck Club (*)
Brain Storm (*)
Cold Mountain
About a Boy

CDs I bought/got as a gift:
Return of the King soundtrack
Dixie Chicks - Top of the World Tour Live
The Very Best of Sheryl Crowe
Center Stage soundtrack
Mandy Moore - Coverage
The Pretenders Greatest Hits
Mariah Carey's Greatest Hits
Phil Collin's Greatest Hits
Cher's Greatest Hits
Bruce Springsteen's Greatest Hits
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Bend it Like Beckham soundtrack
The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack
Ten Things I Hate About You soundtrack
A Knight's Tale soundtrack
Faith Hill's Greatest Hits
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
Shania Twain - Up!
Charlie's Angels 2 soundtrack
Chicago soundtrack
Christina Aguliera - Stripped
Martina McBride - White Christmas
A Very Special Christmas Vol. 1
Celine Dion - One Heart

DVDs I bought/got as a gift (in other words, DVD I added along to my sole collection of The Patriot):
Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
Chicago
South Park
Finding Nemo
Pirates of the Carribean (thanks sis!)
The Mummy Returns (again, thanks sis!)
The Lion King
Battle Royale
Moulin Rouge!
A Knight's Tale
Center Stage (I still have yet to get the last three, but they still count since I ordered them in '03).