The Best and Worst of 2004: My Humble List

It's that time of year. When all of us decide to put together lists recapping the year gone by. I don't want to disappoint, so without further ado, onto the year that was 2004. I shall start off with the meat of my lists, theatrical films. That will be followed by less extensive listings for DVD's and CD's. If you would like to see my recap of the first 6 months of 2004, click here, or my 2003 list first, click here.

First up some stats about my viewing this year.

• Total Movies: 131
• Films seen solo: 116
• 2003 Releases Seen in 2004: 13
• Movies Eligible for Best/Worst lists: 118

Film Length:

• Shortest: 80 minutes
• Average: 105 minutes
• Longest: 175 minutes

Theater Breakdown:

• Regal(Poughkeepsie): 65
• Regal(Fishkill): 19
• Destinta: 18
• Loew's: 1
• Showtime: 4
• Silver Cinema: 6
• Upstate Films: 18

Genre Breakdown: Based on primary choice

• Action/Adventure: 14
• Animated: 6
• Comedy: 36
• Documentary: 10
• Drama: 26
• Fantasy: 4
• Foreign Language: 6
• Horror: 9
• Science Fiction: 7
• Suspense/Thriller: 11
• Various Shorts: 1

MPAA Rating Breakdown:

• G: 1
• PG: 15
• PG-13: 52
• R: 49
• NC-17: 1
• Not Rated: 10

My * Rating (Subject to change):

• *: 2
• *.5: 0
• **: 17
• **.5: 29
• ***: 51
• ***.5: 25
• ****: 6
• ****.5: 0
• *****: 1

Most common star:

• Jude Law: 3 movies
• Nicole Kidman: 3 movies

OK, enough of that. Now onto the film lists. Each list will count down from low to high.

Top 10 Films of the Year

• 10. Bad Education. A surprise, much like 21 Grams last year, this film with a labyrinth for a plot is well worth trying to figure out. The layers all start to come together later in the film, plus it features some excellent performances.
• 9. Spider-Man 2. One of the best superhero films ever made. Sam Raimi has crafted a film that has plenty of action, yet has an underlying story and well developed characters.
• 8. The Aviator. Scorsese strikes again giving us this look into the bizarre world of Howard Hughes. This is one of the better bio-pics I've yet seen. Leonardo Dicaprio proves that he is a talented actor. Also features fine supporting acts.
• 7. The Saddest Music in the World. Here is a movie which surprised me. It is one of the most bizarre films I've seen. I'm not sure I could adequately describe this great movie.
• 6. Sideways. Alexander Payne weaves a tale of real people and real situations. Great performances and dialogue highlight this comic drama.
• 5. Garden State. Who knew Scrubs' Zach Braff had this in him? He has come out as a new voice for the big screen. I look forward to what he does next. I can't recommend this enough.
• 4. Hero. Easily the most gorgeous film I've seen this year. I know this was actually released back in 2002, but it finally made it to the US screens. Jet Li stars in this martial arts epic.
• 3. Kill Bill Vol. 2. The completion of an epic revenge tale stands alone as it takes The Bride's quest to an end. Tarantino has taken many of his influences and put his own stamp on it.
• 2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This film blew me away. It's visual inventiveness and emotional resonance are second to none. There was no way to predict how this would connect with me. A definite must see for anyone who likes movies, or has known the feeling of lost love.
• 1. The Passion of the Christ. An absolutely incredible experience. Beautifully shot and acted. Please see it before making up your mind.
• Runner Ups: Closer, Kinsey, Shaun of the Dead, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, The Incredibles, Ray, I'm Not Scared, Collateral, The Terminal, Super Size Me, Finding Neverland

Bottom 10 Films of the Year

• 10. Paycheck. I really wanted to like this, but John Woo falls flat, and Ben Affleck's performance doesn't help.
• 9. Alexander. A 3 hour long bore. A real shame, Stone and Farrell are both talented, but they don't take this material anywhere.
• 8. The Forgotten. A really bad X-Files episode with some horrible leaps of logic.
• 7. Eurotrip. I'm insulted.
• 6. Taxi. This was really bad, a shame to as I like both Fallon and Latifah, but they just don't have any worthwhile material.
• 5. The Exorcist: The Beginning. Was this film really necessary? Fails miserably despite a good performance from Stellan Skaarsgarde.
• 4. Darkness. This is an exception, I saw it in '05, but it deserves to be here. There's a reason why it sat on the shelf for three years.
• 3. Godsend. Enough with the creepy kid movies already!
• 2. Christmas with the Kranks. Painfully unfunny. One of the worst Christmas films ever.
• 1. Birth. Now this was a real chore to sit through. Boring, pointless, dull, stupid, you name it, this was by far the worst film I have seen all year.

Top 10 Guilty Pleasures

• 10. Napoleon Dynamite. I still am not sure what the point of this movie was, but I couldn't help but laugh. Funny movie.
• 9. Catwoman. This movie is a box of kitty litter, but it was so bad I started laughing at it, which moved it into this category.
• 8. Chronicles of Riddick. Plenty of squandered opportunity, but still a lot of fun.
• 7. The Punisher. This was fun too, decent over the top action.
• 6. Dawn of the Dead. I actively wanted to hate this, but walked out impressed with how well it turned out.
• 5. Team America: World Police. Marionettes fighting terrorists and cursing, what's not to like.
• 4. Saw. Not without it's flaws, but still one of the better horror films this year.
• 3. Blade: Trinity. Who knew that a Blade film could be so funny? An excellent third chapter.
• 2. Alien vs. Predator. Not nearly what it could have been, but still a decent romp through the combined universes of these two franchises.
• 1. Resident Evil: Apocalypse. This was a blast, completely preposterous, even for a zombie action movie. It was still a lot of fun.

Top 3 Animated Films

• 3. Team America: World Police. Musical cursing marionettes, this was a blast.
• 2. Shrek 2. One of the few sequels that lives up to the original, plus it has Puss n Boots!
• 1. The Incredibles. Amazing film, Brad Bird and Pixar deliver the goods on an animated superhero tale.

Top 3 Documentaries

• 3. Control Room. Fascinating look inside Al Jazeera. Granted, it is peddling it's own brand of propaganda, it is eye opening in it's own right.
• 2. The Corporation. A frightening look inside the roots of the corporation.
• 1. Super Size Me. Morgan Spurlock's fast food binge makes for great entertainment.

Top 3 Foreign Language Films

• 3. I'm Not Scared. Here is an impressive film about a young boy who discovers his family is involved in a kidnapping plot.
• 2. Bad Education. A film you have to work at to decipher, but it's worth it.
• 1. Hero. Simply gorgeous.

Top 5 Disappointing Films

• 5. I, Robot. Here was an opportunity for an intelligent science fiction film, what we get is a one-liner filled chase film.
• 4. Van Helsing. I liked the Mummy films, but this one has no gas behind it. A great looking set couldn't save it.
• 3.(Tie) The Life Aquatic and I Heart Huckabees. I really wanted to like these, but despite the quirkiness, they were rather shallow and empty.
• 2. Alexander. Usually you can't go wrong with Stone, but this one is an overlong dreadful bore.
• The Village. I have loved each of Shyamalan's films, except this, which is a shame because there is so much to like.

Top 5 Surprising Films

• 5. Friday Night Lights. I'm not much of a football fan, so I was surprised by how entertaining this movie was. Probably one of the better sports films I've seen.
• 4. Spartan. Wonderful dialogue and a great performance from Val Kilmer combine to make an exciting thriller.
• 3. Napoleon Dynamite. Again, don't know the point of this, but it is surprisingly good.
• 2. Dawn of the Dead. Wanting to hate this didn't work, turned out to be an entertaining reimagining of the zombie tale.
• 1. Wicker Park. This was the biggest surprise this year, the commercials didn't look all that spectacular, but the film was surprisingly good.

Top 5 Actors

• 5. Tom Hanks for The Terminal. Hanks puts on a clinic here, an absolutely mesmerizing performance, that reminds me of Cast Away.
• 4. Zach Braff for Garden State. A fantastic understated performance, not what you'd expect from JD on Scrubs.
• 3. Paul Giamatti for Sideways. Following up last year's American Splendor comes an even better performance as a wine connoisseur who is also at a crossroads.
• 2. Johnny Depp for Finding Neverland. Another wonderful performance filled with a childlike innocence.
• 1. Jim Carrey for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A great subtle performance in a very moving film.
• Honorable Mention: Val Kilmer for Spartan, Giuseppe Cristiano for I'm Not Scared, and Jim Caviziel in The Passion of the Christ

Top 5 Actresses

• 5. Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I am not a very big fan of her, but her job her goes far in turning me, it's a good performance.
• 4. Natalie Portman for Closer. A beautiful showing for an ugly character.
• 3. Maia Morgenstern for The Passion of the Christ. A beautiful near silent performance.
• 2. Uma Thurman for Kill Bill Vol. 2. Physically and mentally exhausting tour de force of revenge.
• 1. Bryce Dallas Howard for The Village. An incredible performance in a terribly disappointing film.
• Honorable Mention: Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria Full of Grace and Virginia Madsen for Sideways.

Top 5 Supporting Actors

• 5. Jamie Foxx for Collateral. What a performance! I had no idea this talent that Foxx had, this is a truly eye-opening performance.
• 4. Tony Leung for Hero. I love Leung's performance emotional and powerful at the same time.
• 3. Willem Dafoe for The Clearing. A great performance of a desperate man in an ultimately mediocre film.
• 2. Thomas Haden Church for Sideways. Just one of a great ensemble performance.
• 1. David Carradine for Kill Bill Vol. 2. Hands down best supporting performance of the year.
• Honorable Mention: David Arquette for Never Die Alone, Ben Kingsley for Suspect Zero

Top 5 Supporting Actresses

• 5. Dakota Fanning for Man on Fire. She is a wonderful young talent, it will be interesting to watch her grow up into other roles.
• 4. Isabella Rossellini for The Saddest Music in the World. A fun, legless performance.
• 3. Natalie Portman for Garden State. A character you feel for, yet never really know.
• 2. Cloris Leachman for Spanglish. Ahhh, the advice given from a drunk. Hilarious.
• 1. Cate Blanchett for The Aviator. The second coming of Katharine Hepburn.
• Honorable Mention: Laura Linney for Kinsey, Maggie Cheung for Hero, and Monica Bellucci for The Passion of the Christ

Top 5 Directors

• 5. Pedro Almodovar for Bad Education. It takes a skilled director to be able to hold this labyrinth together.
• 4. Martin Scorsese for The Aviator. Worlds above Gangs of New York. Scorsese's knowledge of film history is but to great use.
• 3. Alexander Payne for Sideways. Combining laugh out loud comedy and heart wrenching drama is no easy task.
• 2. Quentin Tarantino for Kill Bill Vol. 2. What can I say? His work here is genius. Can't wait for what's next.
• 1. Michel Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Comedy, drama, science fiction, all blended into the best film of the year.
• Honorable Mention: Zhang Yimou for Hero, Guy Maddin for The Saddest Music in the World, and Mel Gibson for The Passion of the Christ
  

Some Favorite DVD's of 2004. There are others, but these are a few that have stuck in my mind.

• Seinfeld Seasons 1,2 and 3. It took a long time, but they are finally here, packed with lots of extras!
• Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: Extended Edition: Gift Set. Can never get to much of this series.
• Star Wars Trilogy. Granted they are not the same versions as they were originally, or even the Special Editions from the 90's, but I am still ecstatic to have them.
• Daredevil: Director's Cut. It is great to see this get revisited.
• Shaun of the Dead. What a wonderful movie, and it comes with some nice extras too.
• WWE: The Rise and Fall of ECW. An even handed documentary with a nice selection of matches.
• Gone with the Wind: Special Edition. A four disk set restoring this classic.
• Marx Brothers Film Sets. There have been two sets of their feature films released, and I am happy to get to see them all.
• Dawn of the Dead Ultimate Edition. Featuring the three cuts of the film and a host of extras, this is a great set.
• Clerks: Tenth Anniversary. Who doesn't like Kevin Smith? Wait, don't answer that.

Top 10 CD Releases of the Year

• Fear Factory: Cyberwaste. I love these guys, and this is a fantastic comeback.
• Killswitch Engage: The End of Heartache. I can't believe I just started listening to these guys.
• Velvet Revolver: Contraband. The first supergroup of the new millennium.
• A Tribute to Warren Zevon: Enjoy Every Sandwich. A great selection of songs written by Zevon and performed by his friends.
• Kill Bill 2 Soundtrack. Tarantino always makes great use of music in his films.
• Slipknot: Vol. 3 (Subliminal Verses). Finally starting to gel, this is the best album they have released.
• Damageplan: New Found Power. The breakup of Pantera led to the formation of this up and coming act, unfortunately this will be all following the murder of Dimebag Darrell.
• Eminem: Encore. I admit, I never thought he would last this long, but he keeps putting out good material.
• Insane Clown Posse: Hell's Pit. Even after they drop the last Joker's Card, they still put out the wicked sh!t.
• CD + DVD. I am really enjoying this trend of including DVD's of videos or live performances with their CD's. Examples would be Rob Zombie's Past, Present, and Future, Pantera's Far Beyond the Cowboys Vulgar Hits, and Korn's Greatest Hits Vol. 1.

That's it! I hope you made it all the way through. Let me know what you think.