Strayed (Andre Techine 2003) - As Greg pointed out, it's a good thing we didn't see the one-sheet until after the movie because it promises erotically charged tension or something following those lines. Strayed is in fact a sombre, slowly moving story about isolation and trust; it's not Last Tango. There's not a whole lot to say--well, it could be analyzed but not now--because it's a movie that I can admire but still wonder if there's really much point.
Bright Future (Kiyoshi Kurosawa 2003) - When I saw Cure a few years ago I thought it was one of the dozen best films of the 90s. Now that it's on DVD I need to verify that I wasn't hallucinating. Bright Future is an even more cryptic outing, as fits a film whose characters include a ghost and a jellyfish. The focus shifts so that the protagonist at the start isn't the same as the ending (indeed, the long final shot is of formerly minor characters), motivations are clouded or obvious, and elements of various genres pop in and out. Lynch is a common comparison (and his work has a Japanese analog in Miike's Gozu) but while he cultivates an air of decadence Bright Future is, if not brighter, then at least a little less seedy. So far, possibly my favorite film of the year.
Haute Tension (Alexandre Aja 2003) - This has received raves from horror fans, indicating either that they're desperate for product or that they really are quite mindless. Haute Tension is a routine, completely predictable slasher film with tick-tock film-school editing. No surprises, no tension, nothing at all of any interest until a ridiculous twist ending that's possibly the first use of that form of unreliable narrator I've seen in a movie. The problem is that it's so unreliable that there are shots and elements that the twist not only can't explain, but doesn't even try to. So let's see: dishonest, unimaginative, not scary and possibly homophobic. Deserves oblivion.
Azumi (Ryuhei Kitamura 2003) - The descriptions made this sound like a hoot but from the tedious, slackly paced opening it's clear that it wouldn't be any such thing. And it only got worse. Afterwards, I made the connection that Kitamura also directed Versus so I think he's now officially a candidate for Worst Living Director. Azumi is so pointless, so vague and undeveloped (and so darn long) that I can't imagine not only why it was made but why it was even picked up for international release. There are certainly better Japanese action films around, if that's the gap that anybody wants to plug.
Eurotrip (Jeff Schaffer 2004) - This seemed like a film I could easily live without seeing until some friends convinced me otherwise. Turns out that I was right the first time. Here the tip-off also came immediately, before film actually starts in fact when the Dreamworks logo appears. Spielberg & Geffen bankrolling what should be a somewhat sleazy comedy? Yep, there's really not much sleaze or comedy on view. The most amusing thing is how so much of the European locations appear to be faked: I'm almost certain "London" is merely a backdrop/greenscreen and a British-looking sidestreet somewhere. Admittedly there are a couple of funny bits but you can get the same amount for free from many also-dimwitted sitcoms. Road Trip actually delivered what Eurotrip should have though after the bits with the writers on the DVD reveal how clueless they are it's no surprise that there's nothing of value here. Oh and by the way, "Ca Plane Pour Moi" might be in French but it's actually a Belgian song.
Freaky Friday (Mark S. Waters 2003) - Now here's something I thought skippable--I didn't even like the first one when I was a kid--until my brother and others convinced me otherwise. Turns out that they were right. Nice mix of verbal humor and slapstick (which for once slaps the sticks very well) with top-notch acting from both leads. I was about to say it's a kids movie so it has a tidy moral but then most Hollywood films do. Hardly matters. I laughed more than probably anything else I've seen this year.