10) I, Robot
Will Smith stars in a movie based on the books of famous author Isaac Asimov. In the future, man depends heavily on robots for much of the menial work in society. Will Smith plays Del Spooner, a police detective who is incredibly suspicious of robots, and of course this makes him crazy in the eyes of society. Bridget Moynahan plays Susan Calvin, a doctor in robot psychology and the only person who remotely believes in Spooners suspicions of the robots. The main plot is a detective story of why the creator of the robots would kill himself, and then goes deeper and into many different directions, quite well I might add. In fact, the plot and actors make this a really fun film that people can easily get into and stay into. The special effects are also fantastic, and are another big part of this film. Unfortunately, some silly action sequences – (He escapes a building being destroyed – by SURFING ON THE FRONT DOOR) – and slight logic gaps keep this film from being the awesome sci-fi experience it should be, and higher on this list. However, Will Smith is unfairly criticized with his work here. He does a hell of a job with what he’s given and makes his role believable. He also proves he can do other things besides comedy, and do them well. His work, combined with the fact they (More or less) didn’t bastard-ize the novels, gets this film the number ten spot.
9) The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Identity was a great action/thriller/mystery/whatever else movie. It’s sequel, Supremacy, is an even better action/thriller/mystery/whatever movie. This film shows how a sequel should be done. Jason Bourne is back two years after the first film, hiding out and living happy in India. Of course, all is not well and soon enough, after some unexpected tragedy, Bourne is back in the game, hunting and being hunted by the CIA. The plot is excellent, as no one but the real players know what is going on, and the viewer has no idea until near the end. Bourne is a spy, but he is no James Bond, and that’s what makes his character great. He’s this uber ass-kicker who uses his head and his hands to get out of the trouble he is in. The movie keeps the tension high and the viewer on the edge of his seat throughout, and this can be attributed to the rock solid script and the excellent acting by Matt Damon. Damon is Bourne, and he has given birth to a (potentially) amazing series of modern day spy movies. This is a sequel that may be better than the original, and rises the anticipation for a third – it doesn’t get much better.
8) Collateral
Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a bad-ass hitman who uses street-smart, cab-driving Max (Played by Jamie Foxx) to cart him around from hit to hit. But things don’t go the way Vincent plans and Max quickly realizes what’s going on. He spends the rest of the night trying to figure a way out of his seemingly hopeless situation, while helplessly driving Vincent around and watching people die. Sound like a great plot? Well, it is. It’s simple and effective, but the real selling point of this film is the actors. Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox have to be experienced to be believed. They are just awesome with each other, and this is Foxx’s movie, no question. Forget any and all silly comedy Foxx has done; he is an incredibly talented actor when given the right material. Michael Mann directs here, and this is another great work of his. If you just sit back, don’t think too hard about the script/logic holes (I get hung up on those – but what professional hitman walks around in public like this guy?) and let it take you away, you’ll be a lot of things, but you won’t be disappointed.
7) Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
Will Ferrell plays Ron Burgandy, a famous anchorman in San Diego in the 1970’s. He and his colleagues have led very comfortable lives, but that all changes when Veronica Corningstone (Played by Christina Applegate) becomes his co-anchor. That’s about it for the plot in this one. The rest of the movie follows Burgandy on his quest for understanding, knowledge, and acceptance, I think. The details are a bit shady, but it doesn’t really matter. This is a character actor film, and it works. It is actually quite hilarious from start to finish, with few, if any, slow points. It is not the funniest film of the year, not by a long shot, and if you’re not a Will Ferrell fan by now odds are you never will be. But I am, and I laughed a lot at what was done with this film. It does its job and it does it well enough to be number seven on this list.
6) 50 First Dates
If you want to see Adam Sandler’s second best movie to date (Sorry, Spanglish is his best work), check out 50 First Dates. Sandler plays a commitment impaired man named Henry Roth who finds the love of his life in Lucy Whitmore (Played by Drew Barrymore). He finally manages to score a date with Lucy only to discover she suffers from a rare brain problem and that when Lucy goes to sleep, she wakes up with no memory of the previous day. Of course, this results in hilarious situations, as Henry is constantly trying to get Lucy to remember him, refusing to believe that, now that he has finally fallen in love, he can’t have the girl he wants. But comedy, while great in this film, also works well with the romance and the charm. The actors, reunited for the first time since The Wedding Singer, play off each other as great as they did then (And I am not a Barrymore fan). The supporting cast (Samwise!) is incredibly solid, and the ending is incredibly bittersweet, and one that no one will see coming. No one. Sandler has definitely hit his stride in 2004, and hopefully he can keep his momentum going into ’05.
5) Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
A film can be crushed under the hype machine. Often times it will never live up to the great expectations that it has generated for itself. Or, rarely, the hype machine can backfire, and a film can be a total disaster at the box office. Sky Captain is this kind of film. Hyped with a crazy amount of advertising, this film did terrible, not grossing much and not nearly recouping its budget. This is unfortunate, because this film is down right amazing. Shot entirely on blue screen, the story follows Joe “Sky Captain” Sullivan as he defends New York City from massive robots, while trying to figure out where they came from. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Polly Perkins, a reporter who is most definitely the Lois Lane to Sullivan’s Superman. Meeting up early on, both spend the entire film playing off of each other while trying to figure out what the hell is going on in the world, and eventually saving it. Jude Law was everywhere this year, but none of his roles were the same, and Sky Captain is the most radical of the bunch. This movie is damn beautiful, and more importantly, it is fun to watch. This movie made me think that hey, this is why I watch movies. It is a shame that more people didn’t give it a chance. Granted, the design and whatnot are incredibly radical, but the fact that it works so well is a testament to the actors and the crew behind the scenes. Yes, the movie is flawed – some of the dialogue is campy and the plot cliched – but these flaws are so minor or so far apart that one hardly notices. Sky Captain is a hell of a ride, and hopefully it’ll find its crowd on the DVD scene.
4) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
If you want to watch one of the best movies of 2004, and one of the most unfairly overlooked, than pick up Eternal Sunshine. This movie is almost flawless. Jim Carrey gives one of the best performances of his career, and the cast is stacked and amazing. Carrey plays Joel Barish, who has found out the (ex)love of his life, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has erased him from her memory with a revolutionary scientific procedure. Unable to handle the pain, Joel also decides to have his memories of Clementine erased. Something goes wrong during his procedure, however, and Joel realizes the erasing process is going on. He tries desperately to hold onto his memories, while his world and love is being ripped away from him. This summary does not do any justice at all to the amazing plot of this movie. The movie is not told chronologically, instead jumping back and forth through time, both real time and the time in Carrey’s head. This kind of story-telling could kill a film dead if not done right, but here it is perfect. Carrey and Winslet are just amazing, and they really bring this heart-breaking tale to life. The supporting cast (Kristen Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood to name a few) is fantastic and help the movie move along in the real world. The ending is brilliant and really addresses the question of what would happen to you without such a vital piece of your mind where it should be. Brilliant, amazing film.
3) Spiderman 2
Well, heres where the list gets tricky. A lot of people will be upset that Spiderman didn’t make number one, or even two, but I have my reasons. Of course, Spiderman 2 is a great film. It’s arguably the best sequel ever made, and damn if it isn’t one of the best comic book movies ever made. Tobey Maguire is back as Peter Parker/Spiderman, and Kristen Dunst is back as love-interest Mary Jane Watson. Mary Jane is not a successful model and small stage actress, while Parker is out busting his hump as Spidey and getting frustrated doing so. People don’t care about him, he’s failing school, and Mary Jane is sick of waiting for him. Joy. So, Petey hangs up the tights and lives a normal life. Unfortunately, brilliant scientist turned evil mastermind Doc Ock is out to destroy the city, and only Spiderman can stop him. So Peter, after finding himself, dons the tights again and must fight to save the city and everyone he loves. It might sound cliche, but this movie is so awesome you won’t even realize it’s cliched until you sit down and write about it in a year end review five months later. It’s that good. Some of it is a tiny bit hard to swallow, upon further reflection. I can kind of get why Parker would drop the gig, and I’m sure it happened in the comics. But I had a hard time buying the why. Unlike others, however, I did not have a hard time with Aunt May’s speech that gets Pete back in the ‘swing of things’. Ha-ha. Sometimes it doesn’t take much for someone to clear their head. In the end none of this matters though, because Spiderman 2 is so good, that the next time you watch it, you forget anything is remotely wrong with it at all.
2) Shaun of the Dead
A romantic comedy. With zombies. Does it get any better? Okay, yes, it gets better obviously, but only a little. This little British film has the best of so many worlds. It is gory, it is funny, it is scary. It has drama, tension, happiness, sadness. It goes out on a limb, takes a risk, and returns with incredible rewards for the viewer. Simon Peg stars as Shaun, the protagonist of the film. Shaun is best friends with Ed (Nick Frost), is dating Liz (Kate Ashfield), and is not liked by Liz’s friends Dianne and David (Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran). He also loves his mum Barbara (Penelope Wilton) and hates his step-dad Philip (Bill Nighy). Life is usually good, but today Liz decides he’s going no where and dumps him, breaking his heart and throwing his life upside down. On top of THAT, blood-thirsty zombies have over-run London. Shaun must save his friends, family, and re-kindle his love by the day’s end. That’s the plot in a nut-shell, and it definitely takes its fair share of turns and develops key points with perfection. The pacing is perfect, the acting is top notch, everything is great. Do you know what the best part of this movie is? Do you? The zombies. Why? Because they’re zombies! No running, jumping, shrieking, or any of that junk. No, these are zombies, and regardless of the comedy tagline, they will rip you apart, chew you up and spit you out. Literally. The fact that the horror aspect of the film blends so well with the comedy is a testament to the writing and acting power of everyone involved her. The fact a film will scare you, make you laugh, scare you, and make you laugh some more is a true sign of excellence. The only reason this is number two is not because this film has flaws, but because there is something better than it. And it is a close race.
1) The Incredibles
What can you say about the best movie of 2004? That it’s great, or perfect, or amazing, or fantastic? Maybe you can use the title of it and call it incredible. This movie is a brilliant, flawless piece of work that should be forever appreciated for what it has done to and for animated film, not to mention overall films. Plus, this is the best superhero movie ever made. Ever.
The plot begins with Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and a typical night for him. He beats on the bad guys, flirts with the girl, and save the innocent. Well, sort of. Turns out a guy he saved falling from a building didn’t want to be saved, and sued Mr. Incredible. This sparks tons of lawsuits against superheroes, costing the government a lot of money and forcing them to hide in witness protection programs, where they lead normal lives with their secret identities. The movie then shifts to the life of Bob Parr, his wife Helen (Holly Hunter), and his kids Dash (Spencer Fox), Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Jack Jack (Maeve Andrews). All of them still have super powers, but they’re never allowed to use them outside the house. This isn’t enough for the former Mr. Incredible or his friend Lucius/Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) and they sneak out at night and fight crime and all that jazz. One day, Mr. Incredible gets an invitation to do some good on a remote island somewhere, and this gets him back in the game. All is not as it seems, however, as Mr. Incredible and family soon find out.
There’s a lot more to the plot than my description does justice. This is a family film about superheroes. The family dynamic of sibling rivalry, parental strife and frustration, combined with super power, results in some original and hillarious situations. All the characters are very believable, and the main villain (voiced perfectly by Jason Lee) is incredibly awesome. He is awesome because of his back-story and personality – this is the kind of guy you expect to be a ‘super’ villain. The kids are great, along with all of the characters, really. The animation is amazing and totally mind-blowing. This is the best looking animated film in years, not just 2004. On top of all of that, the script, the direction, the performances, everything is incredible. This is so much more than a movie. It is a masterpiece of cinema and the best film in 2004.
