Top 13 Movies of 2004

2005 is almost over, so I figured I could finally publish my list of the top 13 movies of last year. Why 13? Because 10 is played out, and 13 is my number of choice. Why now? Because in this day and age, with movie theaters filled with more ads than television, more annoying crowds than a football game, topped off by escalating ticket prices, can you blame a guy for waiting 3-4 months for DVDs to come out? So without further adieu, here’s my list of the Top 13 Movies of 2004. Can you guess what #1 is?

13. Ray
This was not a great film, but an excellent one all the same, and certainly one of the better biopics I have seen in recent times. Jamie Foxx deserved all his accolades for his performance (though he may have been better in Collateral), and Ray Charles’s music is as wonderful as ever. The movie’s a little long though, and the drawn out happy ending seems a little out of place.

12. Million Dollar Baby
I admired this movie, but didn’t love it. Clint Eastwood is an incredible director of “small” movies like this one (sparse sets, few actors), but I never really felt for these characters, despite the strong efforts of everyone involved (including a spunky Jay Baruchel). At the same time, the tone and brisk storytelling were wonderful, and this downer of a story stuck with me for a while.

11. Finding Neverland
Speaking of downers… Like the rest of the free world, I’ve always loved Peter Pan, and to see the seeds of creation was quite intriguing. For a while I thought we were heading into Shakespeare in Love territory, but this one had a lot more going for it. Johnny Depp is a convincing Barrie, and the “lost boys” were all wonderful, in particular Peter (Freddie Highmore). The whole tragedy thing seemed a bit cliché but of course this is based on true events, which is why we have clichés in the first place. Besides, Kate Winslet’s final scene is worth the price of the movie alone.

10. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Wes Anderson has made some of my favorite films of the past 6 years with Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, and here he joins his usual crew (Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Seymour Cassel). Along for the ride are some new players: Willem DaFoe going against type as the innocent Klaus, Cate Blanchett as the reporter Jane, and a fabulous Jeff Goldblum as Team Zissou rival Alistair Hennessey. The movie turned a lot of people off with its highly stylized sets, camera work and effects (stop-motion animation undersea creatures). These oddities, including a cross-section cutout of the ship set, are what made the movie so irresistable for me.

09. Sideways
Another one of my favorite auteurs nouveau is Alexander Payne, who along with writer Jim Taylor is responsible for some of my other recent favorites: Election and About Schmidt. I had high hopes for this one, and with star-making performances by Ned and Stacey’s Thomas Haden Church (take that, Debra Messing) and the always watchable Paul Giamatti. I’m not big on wine nor in my 40s, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying a road movie about friendship and midlife crisis.

08. Hotel Rwanda
With all due respect to Jamie Foxx, Don Cheadle should have won the Oscar. This was, to say the least, a powerful film whose flaws are greatly outweighed by the performances (from stars and new faces alike) and the harrowing story. Often times in movies with heartbreaking violence, I step back and imagine the filming process to distance myself from the pain. With this movie, I could not to that. It hits you hard and stays with you.

07. Maria Full of Grace
This movie should not have been as good as it was. An American director making a movie in Spanish about drug runners from Columbia. Unknowns in all roles, including the lead, Catalina Sandino Moreno. Yet everything about this movie worked. The larger story (America’s failing war on drugs) worked. The smaller story (hope, desperation and the “American Dream”) worked. It was superb, and I literally couldn’t take my eyes off Catalina. I’ve seen a ton of excellent Spanish-language movies recently, from Amores Perros to Y Tu Mamá Tambien. Maybe American studios should all start making their movies en español.

06. Before Sunset
I saw this on the heels of Before Sunrise, so my judgement may have been a bit tainted, but this was the best “small” movie I saw all year. Two actors, great scenery, even better dialogue. Written by Richard Linklater and his two stars, Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy, it’s clear from the first minutes how well these people know these characters. Much like my #1 movie, this is a story about love lost and found again. There’s a hint of melancholy throughout, but at the end of the tunnel there is a beacon of hope.

05. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Not my favorite Harry book of the first three, but up to this point it was easily my favorite Harry movie. The kids start to look a lot less like confused little children and a lot more like actors. The story gets an air of darkness and a much stronger climax than the first two books/films. Add to that continued casting excellence (David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon), an engrossing mystery and the flair of Alfonso Cuarón, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

04. The Aviator
I was very, very surprised that I enjoyed this movie so much, given the fact that I’m not at all a fan of Scorcese. His films to me are like fine art: easy to appreciate, hard to love. This was an exception to the rule though. A marvel of old-time filmmaking, this is a wildly entertaining movie which works on many levels—as a peak inside old-Hollywood, biopic of disturbed genius and a modern aviation history. Where most Scorcese movies put me to sleep, this one had me on the edge of my seat.

03. The Incredibles
You could describe this movie with one word (hint: it’s in the title), but that wouldn’t do it justice. Pixar continues its unbelievable string of hits by proving that America is willing to embrace a well-made, well-written, well-acted movie (even if it is animated). The best kind of art is the one that appeals to the masses without dumbing itself down. Brad Bird created a family movie that embraces individuality and unity, but never feels corny. In many respects, this is probably the best movie of the year, though it doesn’t quite top my list.

02. Kill Bill Vol.2
The second surprise on my list lands at number two. I enjoyed but didn’t fawn over the first Kill Bill, which was all style and no substance. This is both, and in my estimation, the world doesn’t even need Vol.1. (Though I wonder what it would have been like had the story not been split in two). This violently hilarious movie is easily Tarantino’s best since Pulp Fiction, and while it won’t have the cultural impact that one did, it may hold up better over time.

01. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I haven’t seen a story this original since… well, not since Being John Malkovich. Or Adaptation. Charlie Kaufman, in all his mind-bending weirdness, created one of the most touching love stories I’ve ever seen on film. It doesn’t hurt that this tale of love and loss is acted by some of my all-time favorite people: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson. Nor does it hurt that the most visionary director working in film (and music video) today, Michel Gondry, put his dream-like touches on the film. Not only was this far and away my favorite movie of the year, it instantly became one of my all-time favorites.