One critic’s best (and worst) movies of 2004

As we stroll into 2K5, let’s take a look back at the best movies of the year. By nature of the fact that we live on a small island, we missed out on a few good ones, but thankfully, we’ve got DVD. Thankfully, the ones that really needed to be seen on the big screen usually made it to our big screen. Here are my favorites:

10 . Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban—The first two movies didn’t impress me all that much, but like Empire Strikes Back to the Star Wars franchise, the Potter series benefited from a slight darkening.

9. The Terminal—Only Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg could’ve made such a gem with a movie that takes place almost entirely in an airport. The most amazing thing about this movie is that it’s loosely based on fact. To this day, “Sir Alfred” Merhan Nasseri is stuck in Charles De Gaulle airport in France, and has been there since 1988. Really.

8. The Incredibles—Adventure flicks don’t get much better than this. In my book, The Incredibles ranks right up there with Indiana Jones and Star Wars, as one of the best family adventure movies of all time. That it comes as an animated movie makes it truly one of a kind.

7. Dodgeball—This is lowbrow humor at its best. People who enjoyed Dodgeball are the same people that lined up to watch the American Pie movies and Old School. Ben Stiller is always great, but he’s particularly good in Dodgeball, playing the funniest villain since Mike Myers created Dr. Evil.

6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind—With Kaufman’s twistedly imaginative script, utter nonsense somehow becomes perfect reality. Jim Carrey is excellent and Kate Winslet is even better, in what is one of the most genuine and endearing romantic comedies I’ve ever seen.

5. I, Robot—If you expected just another Will Smith summer action movie (I did), you were wrong. I, Robot does have some great action sequences, but it is also a terrific and smart sci-fi, made for people who enjoy sci-fi. The title character, AKA “Sonny,” is the most believable and affecting CGI character to grace the big screen yet, considerably better than Gollum in Lord of the Rings. Will Smith doesn’t step out of his box, but that’s okay—he’s Will Smith, and can apparently do no wrong in the summertime. I, Robot is the best sci-fi action movie since Total Recall.

4. Sideways—My family thought I took a winter vacation in Seattle to see them. Nah—I’m here to watch movies. Sideways is too small to make it to Saipan’s theater, but it should be on the shelves of your video rental store within a few months. In Sideways, two buddies take a weeklong road-trip, as sort of an extended bachelor party. As the groom-to-be looks to score one last time, his best bud is still trying to get over his divorce, two years back.
Sideways reminds me of Swingers, in more ways than one. First of all, the basic plotlines are similar, in that they’re both really about one man’s struggle to get over his lost love. What’s even more similar is the fact that they’re both so true to life. Jim Taylor deserves to win some awards for writing Sideways; the dialogue and relationships between the two middle-aged men are authentic and absolutely hilarious. I wish I could tell you the DVD release date, but it’s not yet set; all I can say is that you simply must keep your eyes peeled.

3. Ray—I had to travel 5,000 miles to watch this movie and oh, was it ever worth it. Jamie Foxx’s performance is as good as you’ve surely already heard. He doesn’t just do an impeccable impersonation of Ray Charles—he keeps the audience enraptured for more than two and a half hours with a heartfelt and emotional performance. An Oscar nomination is a given, and he really should win the darn thing.
Wisely, director Taylor Hackford chose to use the original Ray Charles recordings for the soundtrack (although Foxx is an accomplished musician), and needless to say, the audience is treated to an aural feast for much of the film’s duration. Ray will be on DVD on Feb. 1. If you are a movie buff who also happens to really enjoy music, I wouldn’t bother renting it—just go ahead and buy it; it will be money very well spent.

2. Hero—Simply put, Hero is the most visually beautiful movie I’ve ever seen. The cinematography and set design are absolutely stunning, and it doesn’t hurt that they are complimented by some awesome kung-fu action, moving performances from the movie’s stars (save for thespian-challenged Jet Li), and a rousing soundtrack.
Yes, it’s true that Hero is bold-faced propaganda, but when it’s so beautifully packaged, I really don’t care.

1. Spiderman 2—After being blown away by Zang Yimou’s Hero, Sam Raimi’s masterpiece was temporarily #2 on my list. What was I thinking? Spiderman 2 has everything one could possibly hope for in an action movie. The humor comes often, and is well timed. The personal drama is ever-present, but never too heavy. The action is absolutely stunning. Danny Elfman’s music is a masterpiece, in its own right. The acting is superb, especially Tobey Maguire’s.
And did I mention how great the action is? The battle on top of the train is one of the best action sequences in Hollywood history, ranking alongside the climactic battle in LOTR Return of the King, and Neo’s confrontation with Mr. Smith in the original Matrix. I’m certainly not the first to say this, but I might as well say it anyway—Spiderman 2 is the best superhero movie of all time. I wish this franchise could last forever, but we can consider ourselves lucky that the entire production team is signed on for one final installment.

Honorable Mention

Garden State, Fahrenheit 9/11, Supersize Me, Mean Girls, Barbershop 2, Meet the Fockers, Kill Bill vol. 2, Dawn of the Dead, The Passion of the Christ, The Aviator.

I’ll be looking out for these ones on DVD

Luckily, I was able to watch almost all of the movies on my must-see list this year. Nevertheless, a few big ones got away. Each of these movies released in 2004 has been getting excellent reviews from virtually ALL critics.
Million Dollar Baby, costarring Hilary Swank, is Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial project. He stars as an aging boxer who trains a young woman, against his sexist inclinations. Hotel Rwanda is the true story of a hotel owner who risks his life to save thousands of refugees during the recent holocaust in Rwanda. Don Cheadle has already received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in Hotel Rwanda, and will probably be considered for an Oscar, as well. Friday Night Lights, starring Billy Bob Thornton, is also a true story, based a high school football team’s quest for a Texas state championship.
Hotel Rwanda and Million Dollar Baby are both still in theaters, and probably won’t be on DVD for at least a few more months. Friday Night Lights will be on DVD on Jan. 18.

Six movies I’m glad I’ll never have to watch again:

King Arthur, Wicker Park, Around the World in 80 Days, Alexander, Sponge Bob, and Open Water were all excruciating exercises in testing my patience. Please, god of movies, please, please don’t ever submit me to such punishment again. (Joe Weindl)

Comments? E-mail Weindl at joewatchesmovies@yahoo.com.