| Top
Ten Movies of 2004
I'm going to preface this by saying that I did
not get a chance to see Bad Education, and that
any Almodovar flick is pretty much guaranteed
to be better than anything else out there, so
don't you write me complaining that it's not in
here. However, I did see Sideways, Million Dollar
Baby, Finding Neverland, and Ray, and can assure
you that I did not forget them in the compiling
of this list. They were just massively overrated.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This movie is far better than any that the Academy
deigned worthy of a Best Picture nomination. The
script is brilliant, the acting masterful, the
cinematography gorgeous and the directing superb,
but there's something more to this film than the
sum of its parts. It's the portrayal of love both
as the total of a million little mundane moments
both perfect and painful, and something miraculous
and beyond our comprehension. There's magic in
this film, the magic that leads us to that point
where Clementine and Joel are willing to risk
everything all over again, and okay, we say, okay.
2. Before Sunset
Most likely the best sequel ever put to film,
this movie blows away the original for sheer realism
mixed with romanticism. Shot in real time, this
film creates a wonderfully intimate world where
we find it not even remotely difficult to believe
in love, fate, and magic between two very human,
flawed people. Not to mention, the most perfect,
blissful ending ever put on film.
3. A Very Long Engagement
Jean-Pierre Jeunet doesn't just create movies
and characters, he creates worlds, and in that
alone this film doesn't disappoint. But with A
Very Long Engagement, he and his muses have taken
a step forward and used that world they've created
to comment on ours. At once a role-reversal love
story and a critique of war, A Very Long Engagement
will make you cry, think, and blow you away with
sheer visual pleasure.
4. Hotel Rwanda
After seeing this film, I made the suggestion
that all studios producing crap like Are We There
Yet should have to donate matching funds to produce
works like Hotel Rwanda. This movie is painful,
and I don't think I ever want to sit through it
again, but it's painful in all the right ways.
Never exploitative, instead it delves into the
human reaction to the horror unfolding around
these people, and Don Cheadle carries this film
along with the only performance of the year to
rival Jamie Foxx's in Ray. This movie should be
required viewing for all people everywhere.
5. Tarnation
Someone commented that Jonathan Caouette has
created a new genre of film with this movie, culled
from 19 years of video, film, tape-recordings,
and photographs from his life. For the blog generation,
one increasingly leaning towards do-it-yourself
means of expression, Tarnation is a wake-up call.
Caouette puts his life on film with an unflinching
eye that calls to mind the photography of Diane
Arbus or the writings of Hunter S. Thompson, and
the result is a film you will never forget.
6. Closer
Many people have tried to write or direct a film
like Closer, and all have failed before now. A
bittersweetly nasty piece of relationship drama,
Closer is tight, hard-hitting, and wonderfully
acted, particularly by Clive Owen and Natalie
Portman. Much has been made of the foul language
in the film, but each four-letter word is a bomb
dropped in the war zone that the couples of Closer
have made. At once symbolic and utterly real,
this is a relationship film that more people should
watch.
7. The Aviator
Strange that the film I'm hoping takes home Best
Picture and Best Director honors comes in seventh
on my list, isn't it? But I can't expect Hollywood
to appreciate everything. The Aviator is proof
that Scorsese's still got it, tighter than Gangs
of New York, superbly acted, and thrilling. Leonardo
DiCaprio might have finally left Titanic talk
behind with his performance as Howard Hughes,
and Cate Blanchett brings Katherine Hepburn back
to life. The weak point is Kate Beckinsale as
Ava Gardner, whose relationship with Hughes is
left rather undeveloped and whose accent is plainly
ridiculous. But that's one little criticism of
a wonderfully engaging piece of cinema.
8. Garden State
Garden State has been referred to as the film
of its generation, and I can't argue with that
logic. Peter Sarsgaard and Natalie Portman each
gave their first great performances of the year
here (his second was in Kinsey and hers of course,
Closer), and writer-director-star Zach Braff is
impressive as the overly-medicated, contemplative
focal point of the picture. New Jersey might be
the state of the title, but anyone who's lived
in a suburb and felt lost can relate to this movie.
9. Maria Full of Grace
The biggest dark horse at the Oscars this year
is Catalina Sandino Moreno, the Colombian newcomer
who carried this little gem of a picture on her
back the way her character muled heroin into the
U.S. She wasn't the only good thing about this
movie, though--she had great material in a wonderful
script that refused to make Maria a victim, and
was well directed and beautifully shot. There
were a lot of movies that were passed over in
the Foreign Film category this year, but it's
nice to see some recognition for this one.
10. Miracle
Yep, I did it. I named a Disney movie about the
1980 U.S. hockey team to my top ten. Why? Because
it's a great sports movie. The amount of effort
put into making this movie authentic--using hockey
players who could act rather than stunt doubles,
shooting on skates, lining up plays in the game
exactly how they happened--makes it worth a mention.
But beyond that, it's a great flick. Sure, it
might be a tad jingoistic, but I long for the
days of international conflict being played out
on ice. Can't we settle all our problems that
way? Yeah, I know. Then the Canadians would rule
the world. Would that be so bad?
Honorable Mentions:
The Motorcycle Diaries--it may be a little too
adoring of revolutionary Che Guevara, but there's
not much else wrong with this film, which proves
that Gael Garcia Bernal is a force to be reckoned
with. Watch out when he starts taking English-speaking
roles.
Kinsey--In today's religio-political climate,
we really needed this movie. Peter Sarsgaard should've
gotten a Best Supporting Actor nod for it, and
was robbed.
Super Size Me--The documentary that beat McDonald's.
Fahrenheit 9/11--The documentary that couldn't
beat Bush.
And yes, go and see Ray, Finding Neverland, and
Million Dollar Baby, if only for the acting clinics
put on by Jamie Foxx, Johnny Depp, and Hilary
Swank, respectively.
Most Overrated Film of the Year, By Far: Sideways.
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