A staggering 496 films have been released in 2003 and of the 74 I've watched, these are the top 10 of the year. Of course, as I finish watching the year's movies, this list as well as the worst list will be updated accordingly.

1. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - A triumphant end to one of the best trilogies ever made.
2. Finding Nemo - All you can ever hope for in an action adventure with the added bonus of great animation.
3. Lost in Translation - Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson masterfully show off their acting chops as they discover Japan with both hilarity and romanticism.
4. In America - The immigrant experience has never been so moving as this was.
5. Seabiscuit - Great performances from a great director document the grand horse named Seabiscuit.
6. Bend it Like Beckham - This soccer crowd-pleaser gives us both entertainment and lessons to learn in life.
7. Big Fish - Tim Burton's imagination runs wild with fantastic results.
8. Elephant - The most thought-provoking film of the year sets the stage for a discussion of how school shootings occur in the most innocent of places.
9 The Last Samurai - Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise turns in a decent performance as a Civil War soldier but Ken Watanabe's role as Katsumoto is the star of the show.
10. School of Rock - The funniest comedy of the year will have you dancing in the aisles with the music an aged rocker and school kids can make.

Of the films I have seen, these are the 10 best films of the year according to a composite ranking from 228 critics compiled by moviecitynews.com.

1. Lost in Translation
2. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
3. Mystic River
4. Finding Nemo
5. In America
6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
7. 21 Grams
8. Kill Bill: Volume 1
9. Cold Mountain
10. Elephant

Armed with the same list, these are the 5 best films I haven't seen yet, but probably will.

1. American Splendor
2. Capturing the Friedmans
3. City of God
4. The Station Agent
5. House of Sand and Fog