Post by ZapRowsdower on Sept 3, 2004 12:06:12 GMT -5
I decided to put together a list of the movies of 2004 that I felt were well worth the price of admission. As the year goes by, I will be adding to the list. These go in order of my preference.
1. Passion of the Christ, The (February 25th, 2004)
The most powerful, moving epic ever. It gets me in tears every time I see it, and it is also my second favorite movie of all time next to Pulp Fiction. Superbly acted and directed, turning Jim Caviezel into one of my favorite actors of all time. This is one to keep an open mind about (which the critics failed at doing), because it's more than just an act of faith; it is a milestone in cinema.
2. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (April 16th, 2004)
A bit of a letdown after its predecessor, but damn if it ain't one freakin' awesome movie. Driven mostly by that cool Tarantino dialogue we all love, this one dives deeper into the psychology of the Bride, as well as the psychology of Bill. The fight scenes were nice, although I'm sure we all would have liked to see more of the final battle. But still, it's Tarantino, so of course it's freakin' awesome.
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (March 19th, 2004)
If you haven't seen this yet, you are missing out on the most mindblowing flick of the year, which I hope gets some Oscar consideration, despite its early release. Jim Carrey's performance was brilliant, and Charlie Kaufman's writing was nothing short of sheer genius. As usual. It's coming out on DVD this month; I'd suggest you buy it.
4. Jersey Girl (March 26th, 2004)
Yeah, you can totally tell a Kevin Smith fanboy when you see one, huh? Okay, it's not the most original movie of the year, but you can tell that Kevin Smith loves what he does, and you can see that he put his heart and soul into this movie. How many filmmakers can you say do that? How many filmmakers can you name are more concerned with the art of filmmaking than making a quick buck? Not many. This was different for Kevin, but it still had that trademark social commentary of his which can't be ignored.
5. Collateral (August 6th, 2004)
Michael Mann revives the Film-Noir genre. Do I really have to say more?
6. Napoleon Dynamite (June 11th, 2004)
Proof that you don't need a lot of cash to make a great movie. A movie made on a $400 budget, originally as a college project, ended up being the funniest movie of the year. The best part about it, it doesn't rely on sex jokes or anything of that sort. It's clean humor. And it's funny! When was the last time you heard a funny clean joke? Clean AND funny? You gotta love that.
7. Fahrenheit 9/11 (June 25th, 2004)
I used to hold this film in higher regard, but now my taste for it has died down a bit. I'm not a Bush supporter (I'm voting Kerry this election), but this was extremely one-sided. But that still doesn't take away the fact that it was a very entertaining film, and when it WASN'T bashing Bush, it WAS pointing out certain weaknesses of our government and the disillusionment caused by the war on Iraq, and that's really what made Fahrenheit 9/11 a great film.
8. Troy (May 14th, 2004)
When I first saw this movie, I thought "The Academy is going to remember this one." Then I read the reviews. Sheesh, the critics suck. I still hope to see Peter O'Toole receive a nomination for his performance, he deserves it.
9. Punisher, The (April 16th, 2004)
I'm aware some people didn't like this one, but I felt it was the best comic book movie of the year. Yes, even better than Spider-man 2. I enjoyed it because it was more of a grown-up comic book. The non-stop action mixed with some actual planning was really cool. Not to mention that giant Russian dude, who reminds us all that this IS in fact, a comic book.
10. Hidalgo (March 5th, 2004)
More proof that the critics have no idea what they're talking about. I honestly felt this was today's Lawrence of Arabia. The only problem with this movie would be the advertising. This was NOT a true story. But who cares when the movie's good?
1. Passion of the Christ, The (February 25th, 2004)
The most powerful, moving epic ever. It gets me in tears every time I see it, and it is also my second favorite movie of all time next to Pulp Fiction. Superbly acted and directed, turning Jim Caviezel into one of my favorite actors of all time. This is one to keep an open mind about (which the critics failed at doing), because it's more than just an act of faith; it is a milestone in cinema.
2. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (April 16th, 2004)
A bit of a letdown after its predecessor, but damn if it ain't one freakin' awesome movie. Driven mostly by that cool Tarantino dialogue we all love, this one dives deeper into the psychology of the Bride, as well as the psychology of Bill. The fight scenes were nice, although I'm sure we all would have liked to see more of the final battle. But still, it's Tarantino, so of course it's freakin' awesome.
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (March 19th, 2004)
If you haven't seen this yet, you are missing out on the most mindblowing flick of the year, which I hope gets some Oscar consideration, despite its early release. Jim Carrey's performance was brilliant, and Charlie Kaufman's writing was nothing short of sheer genius. As usual. It's coming out on DVD this month; I'd suggest you buy it.
4. Jersey Girl (March 26th, 2004)
Yeah, you can totally tell a Kevin Smith fanboy when you see one, huh? Okay, it's not the most original movie of the year, but you can tell that Kevin Smith loves what he does, and you can see that he put his heart and soul into this movie. How many filmmakers can you say do that? How many filmmakers can you name are more concerned with the art of filmmaking than making a quick buck? Not many. This was different for Kevin, but it still had that trademark social commentary of his which can't be ignored.
5. Collateral (August 6th, 2004)
Michael Mann revives the Film-Noir genre. Do I really have to say more?
6. Napoleon Dynamite (June 11th, 2004)
Proof that you don't need a lot of cash to make a great movie. A movie made on a $400 budget, originally as a college project, ended up being the funniest movie of the year. The best part about it, it doesn't rely on sex jokes or anything of that sort. It's clean humor. And it's funny! When was the last time you heard a funny clean joke? Clean AND funny? You gotta love that.
7. Fahrenheit 9/11 (June 25th, 2004)
I used to hold this film in higher regard, but now my taste for it has died down a bit. I'm not a Bush supporter (I'm voting Kerry this election), but this was extremely one-sided. But that still doesn't take away the fact that it was a very entertaining film, and when it WASN'T bashing Bush, it WAS pointing out certain weaknesses of our government and the disillusionment caused by the war on Iraq, and that's really what made Fahrenheit 9/11 a great film.
8. Troy (May 14th, 2004)
When I first saw this movie, I thought "The Academy is going to remember this one." Then I read the reviews. Sheesh, the critics suck. I still hope to see Peter O'Toole receive a nomination for his performance, he deserves it.
9. Punisher, The (April 16th, 2004)
I'm aware some people didn't like this one, but I felt it was the best comic book movie of the year. Yes, even better than Spider-man 2. I enjoyed it because it was more of a grown-up comic book. The non-stop action mixed with some actual planning was really cool. Not to mention that giant Russian dude, who reminds us all that this IS in fact, a comic book.
10. Hidalgo (March 5th, 2004)
More proof that the critics have no idea what they're talking about. I honestly felt this was today's Lawrence of Arabia. The only problem with this movie would be the advertising. This was NOT a true story. But who cares when the movie's good?
