Best of 2004
2004 marked an interesting year in film. There
were no huge epic blockbusters,
no Lord of the Ring films or Mystic Rivers. The movies the academy will be
nominating this year are a poor lot of films. I enjoyed sideways but it is
not
a best picture candidate. So what did 2004 give us? 2004 gave us the best
year ever for movie comedies. It also gave us some nice sequels. I haven't
seen
everything but I see a lot, renting over 300 titles, mostly foreign. What
a poor
year for foreign films. Unlike last year there were not many good ones.
Some of the Best of 2004
Spider Man 2
Top Films of 2004
Napoleon Dynamite
Out of nowhere this small film becomes an instant cult
classic. First of all it's one of those films
that has many quotable lines. "It's a sledgehammer." "I caught you a sweet
bass." People will be
quoting the film for a long time. This will probably end up the biggest cult
film since Office
Space. Not everyone will appreciate the humor here and yes some of the jokes do
not work well, but
in general this is tough to beat.
Unbelievable eccentrics populate what seems to be an alternate-reality small
town. Everyone is kinda
off. I could not place the year and I think that was done on purpose. I died
laughing when they
showed the legendary tater tots. Perhaps you need to be around my age to
appreciate the pure comic
genius of bringing back tater tots. "Napolean, gimme some of your tater tots."
Now to be fair this movie was blasted by critics and most online reviews. All I
know id that everyone
I know who has seen it loves it.
In The Mood for Love (2001)
One of the few Foreign films I enjoyed this year, In the Mood
for Love tells the story of two couples.
This is one of the most beautiful films I have seen. It's very far from the main
stream Hollywood
productions. There nothing is 'in your face' violence or nudity, but timeless
beauty and subtle
sexiness. The tension and desire between the characters is tangible. Costumes
are fantastic, in
fact the best of the year. Music is also brilliant, perhaps the best of the year
as well.
I feel the sorrow of the characters yet understand why they cannot be together.
After I watched this
film I had to take some time to reflect on it. That in itself is an
accomplishment. The other
is of course making such a brilliant rated PG love story that I include it in my
top films of the year.
He remembers those vanished years as though looking through a dusty window pane.
The past is something he could see but not touch and everything was blurred and
indistinct.
Sensuality in a PG movie and a great ending. Years pass as they keep missing
each other tragically.
They never left their wives/husbands yet were alone at the end. Brilliant.
The Incredibles
Brad Bird, whose last film was the phenomenal Iron Giant,
delivered a fast, funny and unique CG
film that took us into the world of the family life of a superhero. The writing
is smart and
funny and there are multiple moments that children and adults will love.
Everything in the
film is beautifully stylized and thought through. This is definitely one for the
DVD collection when it is released. The best animated film since Toy Story 2.
Team America
In the best year of comedy I can remember this movie was
probably the funniest. I saw it twice and
enjoyed it more the second time. The movie does not let up and remains
consistent throughout.
The fact that puppets are used is icing on the cake. Every set shows great
detail. Finally, no CGI,
just good old fashioned models. The work that went into this film must have been
intensive. The
soundtrack is also great, very catchy. I can't say enough about this film. I
guess as a warning I
would say don't bring the little ones and for that matter no one who is easily
offended. Matt Damon!
Shaun of the Dead
I waited many months for this movie to hit the states. When
opening night came I was not disappointed.
I was not completely blown away either, but this movie has many classic scenes.
In the vain of movies
like Dawn of the Dead (also an excellent 2004 film) Shaun takes the classic
zombie formula and adds humor.
If you're a fan of dry British humor, and shows like 'The Office,' you should
give Shaun a try. Not just
another zombie flick, the writers (one of whom is "Shaun" himself) have loaded
the film with lots of wit
and background gags that give it repeat viewing value.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
What a twisted yet utterly original film. I have a hard time
explaining this film as it is so confusing.
Hopefully the Academy sees the brilliance of this movie, not to mention the risk
of making a film this
strange. I am sure having Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey can't hurt. It looks like
Kate may get nominated
twice this year for this and Neverland. Jim Carrey should also get a nod but the
academy does not seem
to be his biggest fan.
Avoid this film if: 1. you like your narrative linear; 2. you only like
characters you
think are cooler or quirkier or funnier or smarter or more free-spirited than
you; 3. you are
expecting a rom com, or a comedy; 4. you prefer to watch, rather than engage
with, a film. Most of
these things are dependent on mood, but it might save someone from wasting two
hours. Because after
all the hallucinatory editing and cinematography, the quirky performances and
the ballsy jumps in
time, what Kaufman's really offering here is a story about people. Real ones,
with horrible flaws
(like real people), and a desire to make love work (like real people), and a
wish to avoid pain
(like real people). It's a story about the persistence of memory, or maybe more
correctly, the
persistence of character. That is, the flaws or gifts that cause a certain
behavior don't
disappear because the memory of it disappears. That was the unifying element of
the intertwined
stories: Dunst's character remained drawn to the Doctor; Clementine and Joel
remained attracted
to one another, even after the memories were gone. It seems to be a love-hate
movie, but I, for
one, loved it. Kaufman's most human script yet.
I also enjoyed bringing Grimmay to see this film as he was expecting a Jim
Carrey comedy. It was
only playing in one theatre in Maine as many good movies often do, so we had to
make quite a trip.
Kill Bill 2
Give David Carradine an Oscar! Seriously, he owns this film in
a way you only see a couple of times
a year. I loved the surprise ending, loved the fact that this movie is very
different than Kill Bill
Volume 1 (but not as good). This is a great picture. Also, Michael Madsen gives
his best role and
Uma is very solid. Tarantino continues to make films with story first, brilliant
dialogue and just
plain cool to watch. It is always character first. Rumor has it Tarantino filmed
scenes for an
eventual third film set years later. Lets hope so.
Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Volume 2" is a celebration of moviemaking,
working as irony, working as satire, working as
drama, working as pure action.
I Robot
What a brilliant movie. This is the movie of the Summer with
only Troy being in the same league.
The writing and visual style are among the best in years. The action was pretty
good, a little
CGI heavy which I never like, but it was very limited. This is really not much
of an action
film but more of a thinking man's/woman's movie. Will Smith once again brings
his unique style
to this movie. He continues to be the perfect action/comedy hybrid character.
This is his best
performance since Six degrees of Separation.
Alex Proyas has a great visual style here. The settings, the atmosphere and
general mood of the
film come off very well. From the 2004 converse shoes to the futuristic sets,
this movie breathes
with a sense of style and originality rarely seen. Proyas was also successful
with Dark City and
the Crow so his skills at establishing a believable sci-fi environment are
apparent.
Sonny was a great character. There is a sadness to him, a pre death row type
attitude that works
well. he is nowhere near as good as Gollum but he's effective and much more
entertaining than
Bridget Moynahan's lack of emotion or Chi McBride who plays the senior cop that
looks like he's
chewing a cigar and constantly talking down to the hero. Of course as usual the
hero's badge is
taken away and he must buck the system and stay on the case no matter what.
I was really thinking they were going to have a huge old vs. new robot battle at
the end of the
movie. I like how when Will Smith is being chased you occasionally see an older
robot trying
to save him as they are programmed to help humans. They are so old and obviously
weak that
it is kind of funny to watch them. You think for a second that all the older
robots are going
to save the humans but instead they are brutally defeated in an almost funny
way. The best
is when you see half of an older robot crawling towards Will Smith using his
arms as he has
no legs left. He just shouts "you are in danger, run!"
I am definately going to read some of Asimov'e books and have been meaning to
for awhile.
This is a brilliant story and not even considered one of his best. The moral,
spiritual
and theoretic aspects of this film are great. The fact that no human can explain
why the
older outdated robots group together or how how their laws are eventually
interpreted that
they must protect humans yet humans kill each other all the time so the robots
must take
over the world to be able to protect the humans better is good stuff.
Troy
This is a difficult movie to make. Everyone has read the
Iliad. Everyone has opinions of
how this film should feel and be played out. This book is filled with characters
everyone knows.
I have had some buddies give some good reasons why this movie did not work. The
gods were cut
out, Achilles' plays too large a role, Tactum is slain too early, Patroklos
looks like a Hanson
brother, Agamemnon is too evil, Aeneas, a central Trojan and eventual founder of
Rome just has
a brief cameo.
I liked the book but love the fact that Troy does not show many of the gods,
just a few demi
gods. In fact, I think as a movie, Troy is an excellent film. The action is
great, the
battle between Achilles and Hector is brilliant, and the pacing is perfect.
Orlando Bloom is just wimpy enough for Paris while Bana plays a great Hector.
Tae Guk Gi
The second Korean film that makes this list. Tae Guk Gi is an
epic, the largest grossing movie
ever in Korea. The second you start watching this film you instantly see they do
not hide
the fact that they are ripping off Saving Private Ryan. I don't mind. I learned
a bit about
the Korean War. This film is brutal, potentially more so than Private Ryan. The
story is
a bit better, more personal. The action is superb and not too corny which kills
most Asian movies.
If you’re that person that screamed in agony when SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE beat
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN –find this movie and realize just how much better TAE GUK
GI:
BROTHERHOOD OF WAR is than just about every war film ever made. A story of two
brothers
during the Korean War. The movie is spectacle larger than any film made this
year, but as
intimate as a tale of brothers could ever be.
Dodgeball
This movie was a riot. I know the concept is silly but it's one of those movies
that just works.
Ben Stiller plays a great role that is complemented by a classic comic cast:
Jason Bateman, Vince
Vaughn, Milton from Office Space, Rip Torn, a pirate guy, are all classic.
I saw this film with a large group of people and we all loved it even tho it was
a bit silly.
The fact that I played in a dodgeball league this year makes it even more funny
to watch.
