Swimming Pool

Though one gets the feeling that director François Ozon could care less, audiences have seemed to take a liking to the Frenchman’s first English-language effort, and with good reason. The film boasts fantastic performances from its two stars, Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier, and a story that will certainly leave you thinking afterwards. And hey, even if none of that sounds too appealing, Swimming Pool has more nudity than any film this side of Showgirls.

Spellbound

With more suspense than 28 Days Later, The Eye, and Freddy vs. Jason combined comes Spellbound, another Oscar-nominated documentary that tells the story of the young participants in the National Spelling Bee, an event that many people watch religiously when it is broadcast on ESPN each spring. Watching the televised version is fascinating enough, but seeing the competition from this far more personal perspective makes the event even more compelling. If nothing else, the movie will certainly provide you with enough intelligent adolescent drama to last until the 2004 Bee.

Freaky Friday

After so many recent pre-teen girl movies less substantive than your average Saved by the Bell episode, no one was expecting that this Disney remake would be anything more than something to tide its target audience over between episodes of Lizzie McGuire and TRL. Amazingly, though, Jamie Lee Curtis gave one of the best performances of her career, as she and co-star Lindsay Lohan took on the switched-body roles with enthusiasm, turning the film into a delightful experience with much more to offer than almost any other movie of its type.

Winged Migration

Although this phenomenal documentary was nominated for an Oscar this past year, it didn’t hit theaters around most of America until this summer. When it finally did, though, it created quite a stir. Featuring some of the most breathtaking nature footage ever seen on film, the movie proved that the migratory patterns of birds are fascinating beyond belief. While watching the picture, one literally feels as though they could be enthralled for hours and hours, an experience which makes Winged Migration one of the most pleasurable in recent memory.

Whale Rider

It is extraordinarily rare that a film is praised as universally as Whale Rider has been. In addition to glowing reviews from every critic with a pulse, I have yet to hear from a single person who did not feel that it was outstanding. This isn’t a film where you either love it or you hate it; it’s a film where you either love it or you adore it. With its unconventional premise and unknown cast, this is perhaps the most unassuming cinematic gem you’ll ever see.

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