Must-See 2004

[ZapRowsdower]

After the Sunset (November 12th, 2004)

Unoriginal? Yes. Predictable? Sure. Fun to watch? Hell yeah. Brosnan and Hayek have great chemistry, the entire cast did an excellent job making something OK into something good. Definitely worth your time.

[ZapRowsdower]

National Treasure (November 19th, 2004)

Talk about wow. Should I be pissed off that a movie tried to teach me stuff about American history, or should I be impressed with how they did it? I'm going with the latter. This was one of the most exciting movies of the year. All the asshats who compared Van Helsing to Indiana Jones should take a look at this one. This is about as close to Indiana Jones as we're gonna get... actually, Hidalgo was about as close to Indiana Jones as we're gonna get, but still.

Nicolas Cage was awesome. Just awesome. There are a couple of people in the cast that I did not know were in the cast. I didn't even make the connection between the comic relief character in this movie and the retarded kid in Gigli (played by the same person). Sean Bean was great, too.

This wasn't one of the best movies of the year. By far, it's NOT one of the best movies of the year. But it's still great fun.

[Phoenix]

I totally agree with you Smitty about National Treasure- I went to see this last night (more like DRAGGED/FORCED to see it) and I actually really thought it was a blast to watch. It really delivered some action and had a good ending - a great family film. Much better than the previews led me to believe!

[Heineken Skywalker]

We saw RAY last night and were totally blown away! If Jamie Foxx doesn't get an Oscar nomination there is no justice! He was phenomenal. He played a blind, piano playing, womanizing, drug addict. Now, there are plenty of actors who could've played any "one" of those guys, ie: a piano player, a blind man, etc., but Foxx pulled off every part of this performance with ease. Just an overall amazing performance. I never would've expected this from the guy who started out on "In Living Colour". But then again, Jim Carrey basically started out there as well, didn't he?
Big props also to the three leading ladies in the movie. Kerry Washington as his wife, Della Bea Robinson, Regina King as his back-up singer and mistress, Margie Hendricks and finally Sharon Warren as his mother Aretha Robinson. All three deserve Oscar nominations. On a side note, I looked up the cast on IMDB and found out that this is Sharon Warren's first movie. In fact, she has no other credits listed at all. No movies, tv, commercials, voice overs, nothing. She doesn't even have a photo posted yet. She was amazing and I hope she has a long, successful career.
This is now my favorite movie so far this year. 10/10

[ZapRowsdower]

Alexander (November 24th, 2004)

Went to check this out for my birthday... well, I probably would have checked it out opening night anyway, but all the same...

Let me start by saying Troy IS better. Sorry, but Troy was the better movie. But Alexander was also very good in its own respect

The performances were all excellent, except for one major glitch: the accents. The problem with the accents is that each character seemed to have their own. Angelina Jolie had a Romanian accent, Colin Farrell had a Scottish accent, Val Kilmer had an Irish accent, and they were all in the same family. But other than that, the performances are excellent.

Oliver Stone's direction was nothing short of excellent. His usage of symbolism was just beautiful... and I appreciated the illustration that no matter how old she is made to look, Angelina Jolie would STILL be hot.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (November 12th, 2004)

Never saw the first one, but I love a good British comedy.

[Phoenix]

I saw Alexander last night and was disappointed. I agree that Troy is a better film overall.

When I was packing to move I watched the documentary on Alexander's life and it was FAR MORE facinating than this movie. Oliver Stone reduces Alexander to a crying, whiny human being and focuses on his sexuality rather than his amazing conquests. I agree with Smitty the accents are way off. I honestly think Stone has lost his originality as a director - he is just dated. There were so many silly slow-motion shots that were unnecessary.

I would say it's not a must see by any means - a very long 3 hours to sit through when you can watch a more interesting account on TV.

[Termination]

IamTheSmitty said:

Garden State (July 30th, 2004)

Let me start by saying I have looked forward to this movie ever since I saw that trippy-ass trailer that told me nothing about the movie back in February. In fact, I walked in not knowing what the movie was about... but I was reeled in by the likes of Natalie Portman and Ian Holm. Yes, this was a blind viewing for me... much like Lost in Translation.

For the first time in months, I feel as though I've seen a movie that didn't kill my brain cells. After all the vigilante Steven Seagal-type B-movies they've been shoving down our throats (Paparazzi, Cellular, Resident Evil... even though I must admit I enjoyed all three), Garden State is like a breath of fresh air. I am reminded once again what makes a great movie.

Natalie Portman has come a long way since Padmé. Her character had so much energy, so much life... her performance was absolutely beautiful. Newcomer Zach Braff, who also wrote and directed the movie, MY GOD MAN! This guy has more talent in his little finger than many of the Hollywood big-shots put together. The guy can act, the guy can write, the guy can direct. I'm keeping an eye out for this guy in the future.

There were moments of greatness in the movie, too. It toys with your emotions. Not that it brings you to tears or anything, but there are moments when even though there is music playing in the background, all you hear is silence. That's power.

Anyway, this is the longest review I've actually written on this thread, so I'm going to stop now. All I have to say is, GO SEE THIS MOVIE. Quite simply, it's one of the best movies of the year.

THE SMITTY NOT ONLY APPROVES, BUT DOWNRIGHT ORDERS YOU TO GO SEE THIS MOVIE. Yes, it's that good.

No, I didn't see this in the theater, nor seen the theatrical trailer but after reading you're review Smitty, I was damn right interested in seeing this film. So naturally I bought the dvd Blind & my god this film has to be the best blind buy I have made of a 2004 picture & also the best picture I've seen in a long time. This picture actually makes you think what is wrong with big hollywood studio productions these days. I'm a fan of independent companies & Fox Searchlight kicked every major studio in the ass with Garden State.

Thanks for your review Smitty, without it, I'd probably have missed this brilliant film. WoW!