Post by Heineken Skywalker on Sept 3, 2004 15:34:44 GMT -5
Here's my take on the movies I've seen this year, including my rating on the 1-10 scale. I've listed them from favorite to least favorite and I will update as I see more movies.
Million Dollar Baby: Simply brilliant. Not what you think it's going to be and see it before someone spoils it for you. Trust me on that one. 10/10
Ray: One of the best biopics I've ever seen. Jamie Foxx is brilliant. Read my full review in "Must see 2004". 10/10
The Incredibles: Pixar rules! A great combination of humor, superhero mythology and state of the art animation. 9.5/10
Team America: Simply one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Kudos to Stone & Parker. 9/10
Troy: You want the original? Read a book. I thought this was a grand "sword and sandal" epic on a par with most of the other films of its type. People took it way too seriously. 9/10
Spider-Man 2: The best comic book movie of the year and one of the best comic book movies of all time. Maguire continues to impress in the dual role and Doctor Octopus is an even better villain than the Green Goblin in the first movie. Better effects and outrageous fight scenes that outdo everything in the first movie. Too much down time spent with Mary Jane & Aunt May, which is the only reason this movie doesn't get a 10. 8.5/10
Shaun of the Dead: Pretty damn brilliant! One minute your laughing your ass off, the next you're cringing at the onscreen disemboweling. Dead-pan humor and many in-jokes referencing other zombie movies. Smart, funny satire of the "zombifying" of people due to their jobs, relationships, etc. Add this one to the list of the few movies that can successfully mix comedy & horror. 8.5/10
Kill Bill: Vol. 2: More dialogue & less action than Vol. 1, assures me that I'm going to enjoy both volumes even more when I watch them back-to-back. Uma is great and Carradine is a revelation. A must-see! 8/10
Meet The Fockers: Robert De Niro & Ben Stiller are back, this time joined, in two of the best casting decisions of the year, by Dustin Hoffman & Barbara Streisand. This movie is a riot. I laughed almost continueously from beginning to end, as did much of the audience I saw this with. A sequel that actually works and may even be better than the original. 8/10
Finding Neverland: Another brilliant performance by Johnny Depp. The story of J.M. Barrie, and the family who influenced him to write the play, PETER PAN. Interesting visual style which allows us to see into Barrie's imagination as he comes up with his ideas. Great! 8/10
The Aviator: Scorsese scores again. Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of his best performances as Howard Hughes and Cate Blanchett steals every scene she's in as Katharine Hepburn. The story was fascinating, as I didn't know much about Hughes going in other than the basics, ie: he was rich, he loved planes, he directed a few movies and he became a paranoid recluse in later years. Good film, recommended and maybe, finally, an Oscar for Scorsese? 8/10
Friday Night Lights: Billy Bob Thornton gives a strong performance as the coach, but the story is more about the players. Derek Luke is the standout as the star running-back who gets injured. And country music star Tim McGraw gives an intense performance as the father of one of the kids on the team. 8/10
Fahrenheit 9/11: Yeah, it's one-sided and Moore's got an agenda. So what? It's his movie. If this movie doesn't get you to get out and vote, one way or the other, nothing will. 8/10
Dawn of the Dead: An action packed, faster paced version of the Romero classic. Everything I could've wanted from a zombie movie. 7.5/10
Collateral: Brilliant performances by Cruise & Foxx & the direction by Mann are the main reasons to see this one. Gets a little predictable towards the end, but it's a cool ride getting there. 7.5/10
The Polar Express: Tom Hanks lends his voice to about 5 or 6 characters in this terrific computer animated flick. Amazing visuals and a story with heart. A destined to be Christmas classic. 7.5/10
Blade-Trinity: Not sure what the critics have against this movie. Maybe it's a little worse, only cause three movies later, the formula's starting to wear a little thin. For the most part I found myself quite entertained. I thought Ryan Reynolds was a good addition and was actually pretty funny. And Jessica Biel was pretty good eye candy. Parker Posey was miscast though. I just really didn't buy her as this vampire bitch. Lots of ass kicking, some cool effects, some humor. If you liked the first two, I really don't see what's not to like about this one. 7/10
The Village: Suspenseful, atmospheric story, great direction & acting, and a star-making performance by Bryce Dallas Howard. My least favorite Shyamalan movie, but still recommended. 7/10
The Passion of the Christ: Very well made & well acted. Didn't move me the way I expected it too and the way that it obviously moved so many others. One of the most gruesome films I've ever seen. 7/10
<br>Metallica: Some Kind of Monster: Even non-fans will enjoy this documentary. An honest dissection of pop culture icons. 7/10
Cellular: Almost non-stop action drives this old fashioned B-thriller. Original yet somehow familiar. No big surprises, but pretty entertaining anyway. Good popcorn movie. 7/10
Supersize Me: Very entertaining documentary about what happens when a healthy man eats nothing but a diet of McDonalds' food for thirty days. Answer: He gains weight and gets ill. Who knew? 7/10
Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow: Starts out great, but kinda loses steam in the second half. Great visuals, so-so story. Nice homage, but STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK did it much better. 7/10
The Terminal: Great performance by Tom Hanks that pretty much carries the whole movie. Even though it's very loosely based on a true story, the movie is a Spielberg fantasy based in the real world. 7/10
The Manchurian Candidate: A little slow at times, but overall decent remake and a pretty effective thriller. Denzel Washington & Meryl Streep prove once again that they're two of our best film actors, as he runs a gamut of emotions and she steals every scene she's in. 7/10
I, Robot: More than just a "Will Smith summer movie", but not a ton of surprises either. Slick, wall-to-wall CGI, stunts, explosions, etc. A little thoughtful, but mostly just a typical popcorn movie. It is what it is. 7/10
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: I'd have to say that this was the best film in the series so far. The three young stars have definitely gotten better as actors and the effects continue to improve. 7/10
Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie: Basically, the same thing you get on tv for free, but more of it. If you're already a fan, go for it. All others, enter at your own risk. 7/10
Hero: Beautiful looking movie, some very nice choreography, costumes and set design and Jet Li gives a good performance. Storywise, not as good as CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, but nontheless, I was fairly entertained by it. 6.5/10
Along Came Polly: Ben Stiller plays another likeable shmuck & Jennifer Aniston is cute & likable as the free spirit he falls for. Some of the funniest scenes in the movie though feature the supporting actors, Alec Baldwin, Philip Seymour Hoffman and especially, Hank Azaria. Light & fluffy and nothing groundbreaking, but I laughed several times. 6.5/10
Hellboy: Ron Perlman was born to play this role. The look, personality & attitude are perfect. Great effects. Unfortunately, the story wasn't all that. 6/10
The Bourne Supremacy: The story wasn't as enthralling as the first time around. Irritating "shaky cam" direction doesn't help. 6/10
Shrek 2: Funny at times, but way overrated. A lot of boring characters for a children's movie. Puss 'n Boots (Antonio Banderas) steals the show. 5.5/10
The Punisher: Good performance by Thomas Jane is undermined by a script that seems to get more ridiculous as it goes along. Far too many eyebrow raising moments to be taken seriously, even for a "comic book movie". Should've been much darker. I've seen worse, but not in any hurry to see it again. 5/10
Alien Vs. Predator: Disappointing addition to both franchises. Both races of aliens have more personality than all of the one-dimensional human characters. Some fighting and cool effects but overall, a big "Who cares?" kind of movie. 4.5/10
Van Helsing: One of the biggest wastes of time, talent & money I've ever paid to watch on the big screen. Ridiculous situations & dialogue. Good idea gone horribly wrong. Here's hoping director Stephen Sommers never touches another classic horror monster. 3/10
Million Dollar Baby: Simply brilliant. Not what you think it's going to be and see it before someone spoils it for you. Trust me on that one. 10/10
Ray: One of the best biopics I've ever seen. Jamie Foxx is brilliant. Read my full review in "Must see 2004". 10/10
The Incredibles: Pixar rules! A great combination of humor, superhero mythology and state of the art animation. 9.5/10
Team America: Simply one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Kudos to Stone & Parker. 9/10
Troy: You want the original? Read a book. I thought this was a grand "sword and sandal" epic on a par with most of the other films of its type. People took it way too seriously. 9/10
Spider-Man 2: The best comic book movie of the year and one of the best comic book movies of all time. Maguire continues to impress in the dual role and Doctor Octopus is an even better villain than the Green Goblin in the first movie. Better effects and outrageous fight scenes that outdo everything in the first movie. Too much down time spent with Mary Jane & Aunt May, which is the only reason this movie doesn't get a 10. 8.5/10
Shaun of the Dead: Pretty damn brilliant! One minute your laughing your ass off, the next you're cringing at the onscreen disemboweling. Dead-pan humor and many in-jokes referencing other zombie movies. Smart, funny satire of the "zombifying" of people due to their jobs, relationships, etc. Add this one to the list of the few movies that can successfully mix comedy & horror. 8.5/10
Kill Bill: Vol. 2: More dialogue & less action than Vol. 1, assures me that I'm going to enjoy both volumes even more when I watch them back-to-back. Uma is great and Carradine is a revelation. A must-see! 8/10
Meet The Fockers: Robert De Niro & Ben Stiller are back, this time joined, in two of the best casting decisions of the year, by Dustin Hoffman & Barbara Streisand. This movie is a riot. I laughed almost continueously from beginning to end, as did much of the audience I saw this with. A sequel that actually works and may even be better than the original. 8/10
Finding Neverland: Another brilliant performance by Johnny Depp. The story of J.M. Barrie, and the family who influenced him to write the play, PETER PAN. Interesting visual style which allows us to see into Barrie's imagination as he comes up with his ideas. Great! 8/10
The Aviator: Scorsese scores again. Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of his best performances as Howard Hughes and Cate Blanchett steals every scene she's in as Katharine Hepburn. The story was fascinating, as I didn't know much about Hughes going in other than the basics, ie: he was rich, he loved planes, he directed a few movies and he became a paranoid recluse in later years. Good film, recommended and maybe, finally, an Oscar for Scorsese? 8/10
Friday Night Lights: Billy Bob Thornton gives a strong performance as the coach, but the story is more about the players. Derek Luke is the standout as the star running-back who gets injured. And country music star Tim McGraw gives an intense performance as the father of one of the kids on the team. 8/10
Fahrenheit 9/11: Yeah, it's one-sided and Moore's got an agenda. So what? It's his movie. If this movie doesn't get you to get out and vote, one way or the other, nothing will. 8/10
Dawn of the Dead: An action packed, faster paced version of the Romero classic. Everything I could've wanted from a zombie movie. 7.5/10
Collateral: Brilliant performances by Cruise & Foxx & the direction by Mann are the main reasons to see this one. Gets a little predictable towards the end, but it's a cool ride getting there. 7.5/10
The Polar Express: Tom Hanks lends his voice to about 5 or 6 characters in this terrific computer animated flick. Amazing visuals and a story with heart. A destined to be Christmas classic. 7.5/10
Blade-Trinity: Not sure what the critics have against this movie. Maybe it's a little worse, only cause three movies later, the formula's starting to wear a little thin. For the most part I found myself quite entertained. I thought Ryan Reynolds was a good addition and was actually pretty funny. And Jessica Biel was pretty good eye candy. Parker Posey was miscast though. I just really didn't buy her as this vampire bitch. Lots of ass kicking, some cool effects, some humor. If you liked the first two, I really don't see what's not to like about this one. 7/10
The Village: Suspenseful, atmospheric story, great direction & acting, and a star-making performance by Bryce Dallas Howard. My least favorite Shyamalan movie, but still recommended. 7/10
The Passion of the Christ: Very well made & well acted. Didn't move me the way I expected it too and the way that it obviously moved so many others. One of the most gruesome films I've ever seen. 7/10
<br>Metallica: Some Kind of Monster: Even non-fans will enjoy this documentary. An honest dissection of pop culture icons. 7/10
Cellular: Almost non-stop action drives this old fashioned B-thriller. Original yet somehow familiar. No big surprises, but pretty entertaining anyway. Good popcorn movie. 7/10
Supersize Me: Very entertaining documentary about what happens when a healthy man eats nothing but a diet of McDonalds' food for thirty days. Answer: He gains weight and gets ill. Who knew? 7/10
Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow: Starts out great, but kinda loses steam in the second half. Great visuals, so-so story. Nice homage, but STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK did it much better. 7/10
The Terminal: Great performance by Tom Hanks that pretty much carries the whole movie. Even though it's very loosely based on a true story, the movie is a Spielberg fantasy based in the real world. 7/10
The Manchurian Candidate: A little slow at times, but overall decent remake and a pretty effective thriller. Denzel Washington & Meryl Streep prove once again that they're two of our best film actors, as he runs a gamut of emotions and she steals every scene she's in. 7/10
I, Robot: More than just a "Will Smith summer movie", but not a ton of surprises either. Slick, wall-to-wall CGI, stunts, explosions, etc. A little thoughtful, but mostly just a typical popcorn movie. It is what it is. 7/10
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: I'd have to say that this was the best film in the series so far. The three young stars have definitely gotten better as actors and the effects continue to improve. 7/10
Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie: Basically, the same thing you get on tv for free, but more of it. If you're already a fan, go for it. All others, enter at your own risk. 7/10
Hero: Beautiful looking movie, some very nice choreography, costumes and set design and Jet Li gives a good performance. Storywise, not as good as CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, but nontheless, I was fairly entertained by it. 6.5/10
Along Came Polly: Ben Stiller plays another likeable shmuck & Jennifer Aniston is cute & likable as the free spirit he falls for. Some of the funniest scenes in the movie though feature the supporting actors, Alec Baldwin, Philip Seymour Hoffman and especially, Hank Azaria. Light & fluffy and nothing groundbreaking, but I laughed several times. 6.5/10
Hellboy: Ron Perlman was born to play this role. The look, personality & attitude are perfect. Great effects. Unfortunately, the story wasn't all that. 6/10
The Bourne Supremacy: The story wasn't as enthralling as the first time around. Irritating "shaky cam" direction doesn't help. 6/10
Shrek 2: Funny at times, but way overrated. A lot of boring characters for a children's movie. Puss 'n Boots (Antonio Banderas) steals the show. 5.5/10
The Punisher: Good performance by Thomas Jane is undermined by a script that seems to get more ridiculous as it goes along. Far too many eyebrow raising moments to be taken seriously, even for a "comic book movie". Should've been much darker. I've seen worse, but not in any hurry to see it again. 5/10
Alien Vs. Predator: Disappointing addition to both franchises. Both races of aliens have more personality than all of the one-dimensional human characters. Some fighting and cool effects but overall, a big "Who cares?" kind of movie. 4.5/10
Van Helsing: One of the biggest wastes of time, talent & money I've ever paid to watch on the big screen. Ridiculous situations & dialogue. Good idea gone horribly wrong. Here's hoping director Stephen Sommers never touches another classic horror monster. 3/10