R0BTRAIN’s Top 10 Movies of 2004
by Robert Sutton, InsidePulse Movies
10: Closer–Closer is the most brutally emotional film of the year. Everything from Mike Nichols’ expert direction, to the curse-filled script, to the very openly hurtful performances are all spot on in this film. The jumping of timelines and harshness of the portrayals may turn some viewers off, but I believe it forces audience members to be an active participant in the film. All of the cast are perfectly marvelous and make you feel equally sorry for and disgusted by their actions. All in all, a wonderful achievement by all involved.
10:Shaun of the Dead–Shaun of the Dead is the comedy of the year. Everything in this film works on all levels. With the same dry humor of BBC’s The Office, Shaun’s cheerful mix of Zombies and every day life struggles makes for enjoyable combination of jolts and giggles, but thatâ??s not all. The core of the film is not the zombies and destruction; it’s the relationship between Ed, Shaun and Liz. Setting this film apart is the character play between the three that make the film not just another Romero rip-off, but a film that will endure with a passionate cult audience.
9:Passion of the Christ– Mel Gibson’s biblical opus was the only period film this year that will be of any cinematic significance. Passion of the Christ also represented the first “event” film of the year, making over $300 million at the box office. Gibson makes a powerful film here about nonviolence in the midst of persecution. Making the gore as realistic as possible and having 90% of the film be about Christ’s purging and crucifixion, the film is as harrowing as any ever filmed.
8: Fahrenheit 9/11– Presidents have been criticized on film before, but never as savagely as George W. Bush is in Michael Moore’s documentary. Bush is skewered senselessly by Moore’s attack on W’s foreign policy and Homeland security agenda. The film also packs a punch with scenes of the crowd watching the towers on 9/11and another segment featuring a mother’s struggle to cope with the loss of her son killed in combat during the Iraqi war. The film’s wry sense of humor also keeps the film rolling as many sequences like the Bonanza style Afghanistan section and scenes of Bush falling over his own lines get you laughing as Moore drives his point home with more scenes of the mishandled Conflict in Iraq.
7:The Village– Ravaged by critics upon its release, The Village is an underrated gem. Despite the disappointment of the film’s anticlimactic ending, director M. Night Shyamalan’s abilities shine in this tale of superstition and love. The film is a tour de force for Shyamalan, weaving this story in constantly changing directions. The film is also a showcase newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard and Joaquin Phoenix. Here’s hoping the next film by the director drops the twist and just includes the fantastic directing.
6:Garden State– Coming completely out of nowhere, Garden State was a huge surprise to everyone. Zach Braff’s directorial debut is a wonderful, somber film about finding one’s self. Natalie Portman also gives her most likable performance ever, giving her character a vulnerability she hadn’t really displayed on screen before. Everyone here just seems so genuine and there are some really touching and funny segments about breaking free of expectations as well as trying to find forgiveness. This film’s a wonderful bookend to last year’s Lost in Translation.
5:The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: With Royal Tennebaum and Max Fischer, Wes Anderson has created two of my favorite film characters ever with their somber tales of finding themselves. Add to that list Steve Zissou, a man with a broken marriage and a stumbling career who has also just lost his best friend to a mysterious underwater sea creature called a jaguar shark. En route to getting revenge for his friend, Steve finds redemption through a chain of events involving his son and a band of pirates. The film is also hilarious and moving in its own way. Wes Anderson is one of the original voices in film at the moment and this film keeps his string of quality films going.
4: The Incredibles– Pixar goes six for six with this exhilarating classic to be. I’m even hard-pressed to proclaim this Pixar’s best effort to date. The film brings out everything people love about comic book and Bond films, like the sense of adventure and lavish locations. The difference that puts this film ahead of most other adventure films the genuine emotion that comes from the family aspect of the characters. When Mr. Incredible tells his wife that he’s “Not strong enough to lose them,” director Brad Bird drives home the emotional core of the film.
3 :Collateral– Michael Mann is one of the best directors of crime films working today. Manhunter, Heat, The Insider, and now Collateral are some of the finest crime films I’ve ever seen. Tom Cruise pulls in a great performance as Vincent. Vincent is charming, well spoken, and well dressed and totally unremorseful about being a professional killer. Jamie Fox is a revelation as Max. Max is an honest hardworking man, who is pulled into this horrible situation by the slightest of chance. Mann’s themes of dichotomy he originally presented in Manhunter and then again in Heat he explores even further in this film. Everything in this film shows the characters as polar opposites, from the way they dress (Max in earth tones, Vincent in blacks, whites and grays) to even the glasses they wear (They both have the exact same frames, but Max’s glasses, like his conscience, are clear, Vincent’s are completely black). The film has a visceral night club shootout, but the importance of the movie rests in the interplay between the two characters.
2: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind– Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the most honest, moving film about love I have ever seen. Although the film has a science fiction premise, the film contains performances by Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey that make them seem as real to you as any ever captured on screen. I was actually going through a breakup at the time and Sunshine had a profound effect on my emotional well being at the time. The film shows how its our memories, both painful and joyous, that make us who we are. “Its better to have loved and lost…”
1: Kill Bill Volume 2– Simply the most satisfying film of the year overall. There is a saying by famed director Howard Hawks that says that a great movie has at least three great scenes and no bad ones. Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill finale churns out one great scene after another. Each storyline about the different characters yields amazing sequences of dialogue and action. David Carridine’s Bill is given a tremendous introduction worthy of Henry Fonda’s Frank in Once Upon a Time in the West. The sequence devoted to Michael Madsen’s Budd makes him to be a very sympathetic character and explores his seclusion and guilt over being an assassin. Uma Thurman’s Bride endures a training sequence that is a highly entertaining segment with a tremendous emotional payoff. The final confrontations with Darryl Hannah’s Elle and Bill are exhilarating and brutal both emotionally and physically. Exhibiting a marvelous mix of action, dialogue and deep emotion, Kill Bill Vol. 2 is a complete package all by itself.
