In America is a film that surprised the hell out of me for the most part; I suspected that it might be a pretty good movie, but did not anticipate the precise emotional journey that the film had in store. I was very drawn into the picture right from its introduction, as it had a quiet beauty about itself that was very effective, ideally setting the mood in order to lead into the core part of the story.

When the actual story was in gear, I was hooked into every scene, feeling exactly how the characters were feeling, and gasping in sympathy when just about anything went wrong for them. Jim Sheridan, who co-wrote and directed the film, took what could have essentially just been a simple feel-good concept and wove a very believable and emotionally stirring tale around it. I did not expect to love this movie, and was already deeply attached by the end of the first act.

The film flew by for me, and it ended on a note that I didn’t think it would conclude on, but that is part of what made its profound impact. In America runs on real emotions about real people, is written very intelligently (avoiding clichés), and delivers performances that are very memorable. I had feared beforehand that its feel-good elements might go too simple-minded at times, and was genuinely surprised and grateful that the film avoided just about all my apprehensions.

This is a film that is a downer in some ways, but it is a feel-good story in a way that few feel-good stories are told; it doesn’t preach, it doesn’t get sappy, and its performances are not exaggerated to propel its lessons. The themes obtained are absorbed through the context and not what is directly fed to us; not much is fed to the viewer in a direct fashion, making the film very personal. I ended up seeing In America after a few weeks of hesitating, and after I saw it, I was blown away; though it does not reach the overall intensity of the following film, it is a film that I will not forget.

2. 21 Grams

It took me several showtimes to get admitted into this film due to heavy crowds and nightmarish parking conditions. But the payoff at the end of that long day was overly sufficient, as I had been sincerely absorbed throughout the entire film, deeply craving to see how the story resolved.

The film’s story is nowhere near as appealing to mainstream audiences as Mystic River’s is, but my appreciation for this picture is a little different. I liked 21 Grams a little more than Mystic River, but the film does not reach the heights of the epic drug picture, Traffic, which there are parallels to.

The trio of actors involved and just about every performance intertwined sells through the roof. The film is directed in a pretty intense style and grabs the viewer right from the start with a hypnotic tone, with the story itself making a tremendous impact as it unfolds out of sequence. The soundtrack also reminded me of Traffic in its very odd and depressing pitch, taking the viewer right into the emotions of the main characters.

The film is a lot more of a downer than Mystic River is, and its realistic depiction and powerful music assists in making that possible. I came out of 21 Grams feeling quite drained, which can happen with really good films that require strict attention. But most of all, it is an experience that I will not forgot anytime soon, which is a description that only a few specific films today ever meet.

1. Kill Bill: Volume 1

Watching Kill Bill, I was enthralled from its first moments and could not take my eyes off the screen the whole rest of the way, with the ending leaving me ever-so-teased to want to see the next volume right then and there. Most films aren’t worth the trouble that it was to get into this film (as it took three different theater trips due to an unexpected string of sellouts on opening night), but Kill Bill is that rare exception.

Though some people claim that Kill Bill should’ve just been one long epic, I think Quentin Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein (who insisted on two volumes) pulled a very clever move. Since film buffs galore are likely to drool their hearts out at Tarantino’s visual and stylistic achievement, it makes the next volume even more anticipated than the first among that diehard group. Had Volume 1 and 2 been combined, the overall epic impact may have been dampened slightly since fans wouldn’t have had to wait months for the remaining goods, as now they feel very pumped.

Though Kill Bill is a rather simplistic revenge tale, it ends up being pretty close to a classic one. When I had to describe to a few people why I liked this movie so much, I actually had a little trouble elaborating to a solid extent. The film is extremely cool to look at, the story makes me root for the main character right from the introduction, and the style in which we lead up to the finale is very remarkable. By the time we reach its climactic stage, the experience has played with my senses, and I am dying to see the big showdown, which few films of this genre accomplish.

In terms of meaning, Kill Bill actually doesn’t offer a whole lot, but it happens to be one of the few occasions where its epic cinematic procedure makes the film. Armed with an ultra cool and hip soundtrack, awesome cinematography, great acting all around, and Tarantino’s extremely slick storytelling and direction, Kill Bill is the ultimate experience that film buffs crave for every year but rarely get in return. And it was the only film of 2003 that I wanted to see over and over again.