Final Destination 2 (2003)

A young woman stops her car, blocking traffic, after having a vision of a catastrophic accident.

'Final Destination 2' is a worthy sequel to the first one. Respecting the mythology of that one, it expands it in an inventive way, with a more impressive budget and technology, resulting in a film that has resisted the changes of time.

Director:  David R Ellis   

With: A.J. Cook, Ali Larter, Tony Todd, Michael Landes, Lynda Boyd, Keegan Connor Tracy, Justina Machado

Rating: 8.4/10

House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Two couples travel through the USA in search of urban legends and find themselves trying out Captain Spaulding's museum and fun rides.

'House of 1000 Corpses' is a demented horror movie under the direction of the famous Rob Zombie. It uses a lot of gore and very graphic scenes, the humor is also present to some extent but poor, and somehow it does not help the audience forget the fatalistic tone and feel and the complete lack of hope and any positive element.

Director:  Rob Zombie   

With: Sid Haig, Karen Black, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig, Walton Goggins, Matthew McGrory

Rating: 5/10

Salinui chueok / Memories Of Murder (2003)

Two mediocre detectives are struggling to investigate a series of murders in a provincial town in Korea in the 1980s.

'Memories Of Murder' is an investigative thriller by the beloved Bong Joon Ho, the author of Parasite. The film is well done, the case, the context, the semi-rural environment are credibly portrayed, and the Korean society seems genuinely represented (mainly through the somewhat mocking dialogue, also seen in the Squid Game TV series). And yet what seems to hurt - the story more than anything else - is the annoyingly obvious mixture of human mediocrity with something as macabre and dark as a series of unsolved, unless just by accident, crimes.

Director:  Bong Joon Ho    

With: Kang-ho Song, Kim Sang-kyung, Roe-ha Kim, Jae-ho Song

Rating: 7/10

The Last Samurai (2003)

A jaded American soldier is captivated by the ancient Japanese culture he was hired to help destroy.

'The Last Samurai' is an epic, historical-based film that romanticizes samurai culture. Full of interesting Asian characters, the film is built around the American soldier character played by Tom Cruise (for some reason). The story is beautiful, well written and Ken Watanabe's hero - Katsumoto - is magnetic. Like any self-respecting epic film, this film is full of well-crafted, wide-framed and perfectly coordinated fight scenes for a maximised cinematic satisfaction.

Director:  Edward Zwick     

With: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Timothy Spall, Hiroyuki Sanada

Rating: 9/10