Movies by year: 2003

(I love spoilers, don't you? There are some here, be warned!)

There were some big blockbusters in 2003. The Return Of The King closed out The Lord Of The Rings trilogy with a splash; we got our first look at Johnny Depp's Keith Moon/Pepe LePew amalgam in Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl; Pixar gave us the amazing Finding Nemo; The Italian Job was super slick; and X2: X-Men United brought us an explanation for Wolverine's claws. But there were a couple of smaller films that I can't decide between so we'll just talk about both:

Down With Love or Love Actually

So here's the thing: of course Down With Love is a ridiculous film. That's the point, it takes those Doris Day/Rock Hudson films and tweaks the camp factor just enough to make it even more fun. Sex jokes right there on the surface! I'm not always the biggest fan of Rene Zellweger but I do like her in this and the chemistry between her and Ewan McGregor is fantastic.

Oooh, and the wardrobe! So gorgeous. Le Chateau was responsible, and actually they had a whole line of clothes in the store at the time (I managed to snag a satin dress and clam diggers before it was all gone, wish I could find more!).

Love Actually is one of those multiple-intersecting-plot lines films that can sometimes be confusing - but not this one. This one's just delightful. Each story revolves around an aspect of love - infatuation, unrequited, misguided, adulterous - and the cast is interesting. Alan Rickman, Martin Freeman, Emma Thompson, so many more. First time I saw it I had vertigo so I actually had to pay close attention to it, so it has stuck in my head quite well. Also I don't think I had ever heard the Beach Boys song that plays over the end scene and it makes me weep every time.

So, have you seen these two? What did you think?