10) Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Curse of the Black Pearl
What we said then:
…Jerry Bruckheimer's name is a guarantee of at least a watchable action movie or a fun, engrossing action film of the highest order at best.
What we say now:
This one turned out to be a lot more like the latter than the former, as the picture became one of the most talked about films of the year. Pirates of the Caribbean was the biggest of Bruckheimer’s numerous summer successes, and it also made a mainstream star out of the spotlight-shunning Johnny Depp. While many of us were looking forward to the movie, I don’t think anyone had a clue just how great it would be.
9) The League
What we said then:
Even Mr. Connery's frilly pirate shirt, proudly worn at the Oscars, could not kill our interest in this film.
What we say now:
Some of the lousiest reviews this side of Gigli sure could, though. Some of my personal favorites:
“…the movie plays like a big wind came along and blew away the script and they ran down the street after it and grabbed a few pages and shot those.” –Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“Your adolescent son will think it's all the dopest thing he has seen in, oh, weeks, especially a climactic battle between Hyde and a hilariously pumped-up villain that is pure PlayStation 1.” –Ty Burr, Boston Globe
“If you're one of those folks who thought The Hulk looked phony, wait until you get a load of Mr. Hyde.” –Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen just plain reeks." –Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
I think it’s fair to say that this one didn’t live up to our expectations.
8) Dirty Pretty Things
What we said then:
The only concern we have is how difficult it will be for [Audrey Tautou] to maintain her Audrey Hepburn-esque charm in what is sure to be one of the darkest films of the summer (and for that matter, the rest of 2003).
What we say now:
It turns out things are pretty dirty. The picture lived up to advance billing as extremely dark, which is probably what prevented Dirty Pretty Things from being as much of a breakout success as some of the season’s other smaller films. Nevertheless, it was wonderful to see the enchanting Tautou back on screen, and only helped stoke the flames of our fanatically intense anticipation of her future work in cinema.
7) 28 Days Later
What we said then:
Provided the film delivers on the gore - and advance reports indicate it does - this should be one kick-ass horror film.
What we say now:
We sure look smart for placing this one so high on the list, don’t we? 28 Days Later became the poster child for one of the summer of 2003’s biggest trends, the surprisingly widespread popularity of smaller “indie” flicks due mostly to great word-of-mouth, and is currently sitting pretty with a whopping $43.5 million box office haul. The movie delivered in every way fans could have hoped for, offering a gory injection of originality into the oftentimes stale horror genre.
6) Bruce Almighty
What we said then:
With Carrey's career being largely hit and miss, Bruce Almighty has every indication of being a big hit and when Carrey is on, he is damn good.
What we say now:
A typical conversation on the set of Friends this fall:
Lisa Kudrow: So, Jen, how was your summer? How are you and Brad doing?
Jennifer Aniston: We’re both doing great. It was so exciting to see my movie do so well! I mean, we made over a million dollars in Omaha alone!
Lisa Kudrow: That’s more than Marci X made.
Jennifer Aniston: Well, yeah, but you have to remember that Jim Carrey was in the movie too and—
Lisa Kudrow: No, you don’t understand. That’s more than Marci X made. In total.
Click here to read selections 25-21.
Click here to read selections 20-15.
Click here to read selections 15-11.
Click here to read selections 5-1.
Click here to read selections we overlooked originally.
Click here for an alphabetical list of all selections.
