It has been brought to my attention that I missed out on a few holiday wishes. I'd like to begin today's post by extending my holiday wishes to include Quanza, Ramadan, and the ever-popular Festivus. Merry Whatever-it-is-you're-celebrating!

Indeed, the new year is upon us. What better way to lead into the next year than by recapping a year of two of my favorite pleasures in life - movies and music. So this is the first of a two-part series, with today's focus on my movie picks of 2003. Here they are, in order of their greatness:

1. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - What can I really say about the final installment of the LoTR trilogy? It marks the end of a cinematic triumph that will not be outdone for years to come. And what a glorious end it was! I felt goosebumps rush down my arm no less than six (!) times during the course of the epic final chapter. Critics can complain about the long ending all they want, but it does not hinder Peter Jackson's masterpiece. The trilogy needed to be wrapped up appropriately, and it was nice to see a film provide that service to its fans. It was definitely better than Two Towers, and on par with Fellowship in my eyes. Look for Return of the King to sweep almost everything at the Oscars this year... including the big one.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean - This is perhaps the most fun you'll ever have watching a movie. Johnny Depp cashes in a masterful performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, altering my thought process to make his name synonymous with the word "pirate". I can watch this film over and over again and never be bored. Pirates has recaptured the Disney magic that everyone said they lost. If you haven't seen this yet: Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

3. The Last Samurai - Tom Cruise probably has more critics than fans out there. I'm not sure why, but I'm almost certain it has something to do with Vanilla Sky and Nicole Kidman. Once in awhile though, there is a film that will change a person's opinion on an actor. The Last Samurai is that film for Tom Cruise haters. At the very least, his toughest critics should see it and pretend it's not Cruise; missing this film would be a travesty. It paints a relatively accurate picture of Meiji-era Japan's internal struggles (minus the part about the American samurai). The whole movie shines with a beautiful portrayal of the samurai way of life, including the most brutal battle sequences. Kurosawa would definitely be proud of this film.

4. X-2: X-Men United - Being a huge fan of the comics, this is an obvious choice. It picked up where the first film left off, improved on the dialogue and character development, and expanded the scope of the plot. The addition of Nightcrawler to the already excellent assortment of characters only served to whip me into a further frenzy and the ending makes me froth rabidly for the inevitable sequel. This one's on par with, if not better than Spider-man as far as comic book adaptations go.

5. Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions - Say what you want - the Matrix is our generation's Star Wars. Yes, it's cool to bash the Matrix. Yes, the Architecht is a silly device to make Reloaded seem more intelligent than it was. Yes, it relies on first-year philosophy topics to drive the plot. Like Star Wars, it has cheese to the max. However, it presents us with some of the most incredible fight scenes ever seen. Also, Smith is really damn cool.

6. School of Rock - The filmmakers of School of Rock probably didn't actually have a script to go on. It seems like they just told Jack Black to do anything he wanted to and pieced all the footage together to make a movie. That's fine with me, because somehow I was treated to an hour and a half of pure rock and roll bliss. Mr. Black, you are a very, very funny man.

7. Bend it Like Beckham - At first, I thought this one was going to be a drag. Then, I thought that it might be a really cool soccer movie. Then, I started to dread the thought of sitting through a chick-flick masquerading as a sports movie. So I watched it... and it was good... really good! It's not as much about footie as you'd think, but more a glimpse into what it's like to grow up as a minority in England. Good, heart-warming stuff with a good splash of humour.

8. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - This is perhaps the weirdest movie I've seen all year. The excellent Sam Rockwell plays the part of Chuck Barris in this twisted pseudo-biographical look at the mind behind the Dating Game and the Gong Show. The first half of this movie is perhaps the worst film I've ever seen. However, the second half is so good that it lands George Clooney's directorial debut on my list. For those who enjoy black comedy, this is pure gold.

9. The Rundown - The Rock seems to really be hitting his stride on the big screen. Couple him with a villainous Christopher Walken and a bumbling Seann William Scott, and you have action-comedy gold. There are two great scenes in particular to watch for: Walken's Tooth Fairy speech, and the inevitable moment that the Rock gets his hands on a shottie. The Rundown is fun as hell. Period.

10. Old School - I experience a guilty pleasure when it comes to American college films. American Pie, Animal House, and Van Wilder have all etched their way into my mind forever. It's no surprise then that Will Ferrell has beer-funneled his way into my heart as well. Oh great, now I have a craving for late-night KFC...

Well that's all folks. Tune in during the next couple of days for a music wind-up, should you feel the urge. If you have any comments about my movie choices, you know how to get in touch.

Peace out movie-lovers!

- Colin (invincibleironman@hotmail.com)