Ryan McNeilBut speaking of 2004, it’s the nest year up in my Top 00’s movie lists. This was the year that even the big ticket movies brought the goods, with summer fare like THE BOURNE SUPREMACY and SPIDER-MAN 2 proving that Hollywood blockbusters could be made without being brainless (Michael Bay, take a note!).
It was also the year that the American right and American left each found a movie to rally behind, with THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST AND FAHRENHEIT 9/11 both bringing in mad amounts of crowds.
It was the year 59,000,000 Americans gave George W. Bush a second term in office (Thanks again for that btw). It was the year that LOST took over our televisions. And it was only time a World Series winning game has ever brought tears to my eyes. Take a look after the jump and find…
#5 THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES… Before he was Che, he was Fuser: an asthmatic medical student who was rebellious – not revolutionary. It’s possible that what makes this movie work so well, is that it focuses almost entirely on the boy Che Guevara was – not the man he would become. It’s a gorgeously shot coming-of-age story, features a moving score, and even throws in more than a few surprisingly funny moments. Part of me wonders if THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES is doomed to become one of this decade’s most underrated films.
#4. MILLION DOLLAR BABY… In case you’re keeping score, and I just know you are, this is the first time the year’s best picture winner has made my top five. I count myself a big admirer of Clint Eastwood’s directorial work, and this felt like the movie where it felt like everything clicked. In my five for 2003, I called MYSTIC RIVER “surprisingly beautiful in its photography”, MILLION DOLLAR BABY proves that the achievement was no fluke (as evidenced by the still shot above). Yet another film that provides a lot of humour early on, only to take that hard left on to Serious Lane in the final act.
#3. THE SEA INSIDE… Seen it? If not, move it up the “to rent” list purely to see Javier Bardem give the performance of a lifetime. He plays Ramon Sampedro, a quadrapalegic fighting for his right to die with dignity. So of course, this means that Bardem is really only working from the neck up…which is what makes his performance so spellbinding. He gives the role a wonderful amount of sorrow, patience, and humour, and he does it by putting all those emotions into his eyes and into his words.
#2. GARDEN STATE… The biggest downside of Zach Braff’s directorail debut is that he hasn’t been able to follow it up with anything of equal measure yet. Regardless, this one worked, and re-interepereted much of the sense of disillusionment from THE GRADUATE for a new generation. If this list was ranking my favorites of 2004, this would have been tops. Ranking the best however, I can’t possibly put it ahead of…
#1. THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND… Easily the best performance by Jim Carrey to date, who leaves the silliness aside this time to tap into something much more moving. Likewise Kate Winslett, who first seems to be the sort of woman you’d want to forget, only to turn around and show us why someone would fight so hard not to. This was a rare event: Charlie Kauffman’s story directed by Michel Gondry. Are you kidding me?? Getting these two visionaries to work together has to be an occasion worthy of a commerative stamp! It all starts with that wonderful concept – I mean, who amoung us hasn’t wanted to wipe the memory of someone from our mind forever? Realeased early in the year to little fanfare, it became one of those films that stuck with me over the months. And even though it was an impressive year at the movies, nothing seemed to eclipse the bittersweet symphony of Joel and Clementine.
Others on my shortlist for 2004 include THE INCREDIBLES, THE AVIATOR, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, HOTEL RWANDA, CLOSER, SPIDER-MAN 2, HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, A LIFE AQUATIC, MARIA FULL OF GRACE, SIDEWAYS, THE TERMINAL, COLLATERAL, RAY, TUPAC: RESURRECTION, I (heart) HUCKABEES, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, RAY, and HELLBOY. Check in on August 25th for the next installment, my top five films of 2005.
Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments with your own favorite movies from 2003, along with suggestions for the next top five.
Haha Hellboy's good enough to be named twice, but not good enough for the top 5? hmmm.
But great list! I'll be catching The Sea Inside once I get home.
And I'm sorry 2009 is screwing your theory.
@ Alex… Grrrr! Have I ever mentioned how much typos annoy me. Nice catch, and it's fixed now.
Enjoy THE SEAS INSIDE, can't wait to read what you think about it. Yeah, pity about '09. It's had some great stuff (HURT LOCKER, AWAY WE GO, 500 DAYS, to name a few)…but by this point in the other years I mentioned, the list of awesomeness was much longer.
Mad Hatter,
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!vy
Five good choices I would have picked them all although not in the same order as you. As I was reading I was making a mental note of all the great films you had missed out like: Closer, Sideways, Maria Full of Grace, The Bourne Supremacy then you mentioned them.
I stand alone once again, but "Ocean's Twelve" was one of the best films of 2004. I can re-explain it to anyone if they don't see why…B-)
"Before Sunset" is also in my Top 5 along with "The Incredibles", "House Of Flying Daggers" and, of course, your number 1.
Others? Kore-eda's "Nobody Knows" will likely punt out Daggers from the Top 5 one of these days – a beautiful, sad and very brilliant film. "Survive Style 5+" – still not available in Region 1, but one of the most fun and ridiculously entertaining movies I've seen. "Primer" is nowhere near as baffling as many people make it out to be and is everything a good time travel paradox film should be. A great doc from that year is "Deadline" about the last 60 days in office of an Illinois governor while he tries to decide the fate of death row prisoners. Another great doc is "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession" about not only the creator of an independent film channel in the 70s, but also the amazing movies it showed and its impact on those who saw them. And two wonderful comedies – the Spanish "Only Human" and Japan's "The Taste Of Tea" – that would make great blind rentals since they both have really terrific characters.
Hey, you asked…
I had forgotten Before Sunset, great film but not as good as the first one. It is a sequel that could have gone so wrong badly handled but it was great.
@ Bob… I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never seen BEFORE SUNRISE or BEFORE SUNSET. Guess I'll be making a run to Blockbuster this weekend. Maybe I'll even look for some of those hidden gems you mentioned!
@ Fandango… Yeah – '04 was such a good year that it was tough to keep it to five. Even once I did narrow it to five, ranking them proved painful too.
@ Bob…
have to say Hatter, i hadnt really thought of 2004 as a great movie year until you did your list – there are a lot of great movies in there. Bourne, Incredibles, Hotel Rwanda – all great. i found Garden State slight and completely overrated and im sorry, but The Life Aquatic is almost as boring and pretentious as Sideways. the first Hellboy film is a mess, vastly improved upon in the very enjoyable sequel. But all in all, thats a pretty good list youve got there, and a great choice at number 1 – a film that should have ended up as pretentious drivel but didnt.
@ Ross… To each their own, right? I'm sure there were another dozen of '04 movies that some thought were brilliant that didn't do much for me. But like I say – to get so many good films in twelve months is rare. It might even go down as my favorite cinematic year of the decade.
PS – Not sure how you happened upon my blog, but thanks for reading!