Yesterday Ebert & Roeper had a special episode. They recapped the best and worst films so far this year. Thought I would share the lists and compare notes. First up, worst of the year:
The Whole Ten Yards
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Connie and Carla
New York Minute
White Chicks
That list goes from bad to worse as the listed them. I guess I could say that I am lucky to have only seen 1 of those, Scooby Doo 2. Problem is, I liked it. It's not a great movie by any stretch, but I did find it very enjoyable, cartoony fun. As for the others, The Whole Ten Yards didn't look all that amusing, the original (The Whole Nine Yards) was decent though, no need for a sequel. Connie and Carla looked annoying from the start, Nia Vardalos' 15 minutes of fame are up. I remember commenting on the trailer, "I've seen this before, it was called Some Like it Hot." The first was much better with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. New York Minute, didn't look awful, but more of a marketing ploy announcing the growing up of the Olsen twins. Lastly, their pick for worst of the year, White Chicks, looked awful, it looked annoying and seeing how bad the makeup is, not sure I would be able to suspend disbelief. I was surprised not to see any of my picks for worst on their list, especially Paycheck.
Now on to their picks for best of the year. I fared a little bit better here.
Spider-Man 2
Fahrenheit 9/11
The Passion of the Christ
Baadassss
Kill Bill Volume 2
Again the list goes from good to best. They both agreed that Kill Bill Vol. 2 was the best film so far. I agree that it was one of the best, but it is currently number 2 on my list behind The Passion. Kill Bill Vol 2 is a great film, combined with Vol 1, it goes to another level, although that first part isn't needed to enjoy Vol 2. Volume 2 is a complete fully realized story that stands on it's own with fully realized characters and great performances. Spider-Man 2 is currently on my top 10 list, but it missed the cutoff for the first half of the year, since I saw it in July. It is a great film that you should make a point of seeing. Next, the controversial Fahrenheit 9/11, this also is on my top 10, excellent, thought provoking film, if somewhat skewed. It is great to be somewhere where we are allowed to have dissenting opinions. The Passion of the Christ, my choice for best of the year, the biggest gamble of Gibson's career paid off. Like Fahrenheit, this is also a conroversial film considering the source material, but after seeing the movie, there is a lot there that transcends the religious subject, there is enough for people of all religions and backgrounds to identify with, without going so far as to believing what Christians do. Finally we have Baadassss, a pseudo documentary from Mario Van Peebles about his father, Melvin, making Sweet Sweetback in 1970's. This has not come to my area yet, so I can't really comment on it, other than that I hope to get the chance to see it.
There you have it, Ebert & Roeper's recap of 2004 so far. I think their lists are good and in line with mine. I don't always agree with their choices, but Roger Ebert is my favorite working critic, he seems to remember what it is like to be a fan, and that a movie can be entertaining for entertainments sake.
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