Back
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Top 10 Films of 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home Back |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind- Michel Gondry's quirky and touching film about the value of memories and human emotions. Gondry has the confidence to let the audience figure out what's going on, but is smart enough to keep his characters in perspective. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet give tasty performances that add breath to the quiet opening moments as well as the as the rest of the films' stunning visual treatment. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9. The Village- M. Night Shymalan's thriller is not about the scare effect, but about perfect execution and an ending that is as hard to see coming as Shymalan's earlier film "The Sixth Sense". In the way of Hitchcock, Shymalan takes everything you know about movies and throws it in the trash, leaving you breathless. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8. Finding Neverland- Ranking in as one of the very vest biopics of the year, and there have been a lot of them. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslett are both squeaky clean in their performances as one would expect. This is exceptional from beginning to end. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- By far the best of the "Harry Potter" franchise to date. Alfonso Cuaron takes his young actors to higher heights than Chris Columbus ever did - and succeeds in doing so. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint are obviously more acquainted with filmmaking and lead the cast with more confidence. Although the film leaves out much of the book, the snippings are wisely contemplated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6. Spider-Man 2- This is the finest, most entertaining, most story-oriented superhero film ever made. Lacks nothing except unnecessary subterfuge, and still keeps sight of its true concept. Tobey McGuire and Kirsten Dunst are simplistic to the point of brilliance and believable in every aspect. Sam Raimi's visual style is also quite impressive. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5. Collateral- When it comes to making the audience feel ambiguity toward a main character, no one is better than Michael Mann. Mann’s style is dark, and yet realistic. He demands his actors to go to places that they’ve never been before, and he demands it for the good of the film. Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx are on fire here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4. The Aviator- Martin Scorsese’s glorious biopic of Howard Hughes is large and sweeping; a study not only of Hughes, but also of the culture in the 1920s. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Hughes, and although he doesn’t necessarily look like him, he establishes a character that embodies Hughes. Scorsese’s direction is nothing less than splendid, taking full advantage of steady-cam shots that last minutes at a time without cutting, and pushing performances to new levels. This is DiCaprio’s best work since “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, and Scorsese’s best work since “GoodFellas”. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. Kill Bill, Volume 2- Quentin Tarantino's greatest film since "Pulp Fiction"; a celebration of the art of filmmaking. This is pure stylistic entertainment meant to be laughed at, and marveled at, and watched with pure awe at his transcending skills. We have the completion to "Vol. 1", but this is even better - working as action, working as satire, working as sequel...and a better sequel at that. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. Million Dollar Baby- Clint Eastwood has given us a present - his best film. It surpasses the power of "Mystic River" from last year and garners perhaps the best ensemble performances of this decade. Every minute of it is more than necessary, demanding every inch of our thought and our attention. This is classic filmmaking done right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. The Passion of the Christ- Mel Gibson's sincere look at the last hours of Jesus' life - and a close, graphic look at his crucifixion. This is the most accurate, most realistic, most heartbreaking film ever made about Christ. Gibson has the guts (no pun intended, jerks) to make the film entirely in Aramaic and Latin. Jim Caveizel gives the most no-holds-barred performance of the year. The movie’s stunning visuals and photography by Caleb Deschanel is accompanied by an equally awing score by John Debney. And while the movie before this flapped its wings by receiving death, this one, ironically, promotes life – and life to the fullest. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||