2004

1. Before Sunset














Before Sunset is one of the best films of my life and our generation. Though by technical merits not the tops of 2004 (but how can you beat a perfect film like Million Dollar Baby?), it is emotionally and intellectually the best. The story picks up 10 or so years after its interesting but unremarkable predecessor, Before Sunrise. Our favourite deep thinkers are reunited for a brief time while he is on a book signing tour in the city where she lives. They only have the opportunity to spend a few short hours together, but they make the most of this time by exploring the streets of Paris, and, among other things, how their lives have turned out and what would have happened had things been different. At the start, they both smile and explain how happy they are, but this facade falls victim to the truth which, for reasons of fate or providence, they cannot hide from each other.

It is this development, the way they reveal more and more as the sun drops, that drives the story and prevents it from ever becoming boring like the first may have. In Before Sunrise you knew they were going to hook up, but here the end is a bit more questionable. Even more importantly, the characters have both grown up.

Before Sunrise suffered from typical twenty-something bullshit, but Before Sunset takes a much more grounded look at the world. These people are messed up, too. They have problems and can be borderline unlikeable sometimes, which ironically, makes me like them even more. The film is frank and real, and the characters certainly not idealized.

When the sun is very low in the sky, the film of course ends. And - I'm going to say it - this is one of the best endings ever. I was very sad, not necessarily because the ending was sad (I'll let you find that out for yourself), but because I so desperately wanted more. I would have watched them walk around Europe for another 24 hours. If that doesn't make it the best film of 2004, I don't know what does.


2. Million Dollar Baby

This is not only the best movie of 2004, but it is a completely perfect one at that. Confused as to why it sits at only #2 on my list? Yeah, me too. Let's put it up to "reviewer's tilt." Anyways, I challenge you to criticize it because I think it's just not possible. If I had complete editing ability I would not change a single line, sound, or action. The characters are likeable and real and viewed through a lense of complete truth and clarity. This helps create so much emotional content that it could easily have been overwhelming. Eastwood's direction ensures that it avoids reaching mediocre sentimentality. Don't be put-off by the fact that it's a boxing movie, because that's not really what it's about at all.


3. Sideways

Sideways is simple and sweet, probably like some kind of Pinot, but definitely like a kind of great movie that doesn't come along very often. There is not really a message or remarkable character growth (Jack, at least, is certainly not a reformed man by the end)... I think if there were Sideways would be worse off for it. There is a wonderful, subtle script that is matched with equally endearing acting (not exactly expected casting) and perfect dialogue shown best by the wine discussion scene between Miles and Mia. Miles is incredibly flawed for a main character, but by the end is so likeable that he reaches hero status when he saves Jack's wallet in another great scene. This is just a really great example of what movie making should be about.


4. Kill Bill: Vol 2

Very few movie-lovers would deny the talent of Quentin Tarantino. These few, more often than not, are quite full of themselves. But everyone is entitled to their opinion, so I digress.

The Kill Bill series is classic Tarantino, and Volume 2 is its heart and soul.
It is much more than just a continuance of the bloody mayhem begun in Volume 1; it contains the major story arcs and plot drivers. Characters are fleshed out, background is filled in, and the Bride’s vengeance goes forward.

The movie is divided into phases that each exist and flourish in their own world while still contributing to the overall story --- somewhat like TV episodes making up a greater season. From Pai Mei, to Elle Driver and Budd we have quite the cast of characters. One of the greatest things about Kill Bill is that it is all so fantasy driven yet manages to never feel like it. The final meeting of the Bride and Bill himself is perhaps the best single scene in any 2004 film.

One way to recognize Volume 2’s distinction is to think back upon Volume 1. Does it not only make a hell of a lot more sense, but somehow seem infinitely more important? If yes, then you and I would agree that Volume 2 and the Kill Bill series is quite the masterpiece.


5. Bad Education

Pedro Aldomovar is one of the best foreign film makers in recent memory. All About My Mother and Talk to Her were both amazing. Bad Education isn’t quite up to those standards. It’s more complicated and less meaningful, but still contains the essential Aldomovar traits: exists entirely in its own world, explores the darker side of life and sex with a humorous flair, and is chock full of melodrama. It works because the individual moments work (even if the audience does not understand their connections until the end, or perhaps not even then). There’s lots of gay and straight sex in this movie, not to mention the transvestites and other various sexual perversions – and who doesn’t love that, let’s be honest.


6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I spent much of 2004 tearing this movie apart; criticizing everything I thought was even slightly amiss. Everyone else was so gung-ho about it, and I just wanted to emphasize that it was not a perfect movie. But it is a unique experiment, like all of Kaufman’s so far, and it is far more rewarding because this time you care about the characters. Sure the girl can be a jerk sometimes, but she’s still really lovely in all her insecurity. Jim Carey is for once bearable as an actor (and I suspect he never will be again). The script is great – full of nuances and twists, character depth, insight into relationships and life, etc. It definitely feels like a bit of a whirlwind sometimes, and gets lost a bit in the middle, but never loses focus of its essence – the reality of love – until the pitch-perfect ending (almost as good as the finish of my #1 film of the year). So Eternal Sunshine is definitely not perfect…. maybe that’s the point?


7. Spider-Man 2

Sequels are usually bad. (Although, they have been making somewhat of a comeback. For every 5 bad ones, there’s 1 good one!), and superhero movies are worse, but this is just a great film. It has lots of action and adventure, a great villain who isn’t completely evil, and some pretty good romance. However, what Spidey-2 has that not many other action films do is insight. The plot doesn’t have much to do with Dr. Octopus --- it’s really about the trials and tribulations of being a hero. Peter Parker has to cope with every day life, and the burdens of his responsibility. This movie is great because it focuses on the people – not the super powers, not the special effects, and not the pending world apocalypse. That’s something it has in common with Buffy (the greatest TV show ever made), and any movie with similarities to Buffy is good enough to make this list! Just kidding – Spider-Man 2 is hands down the best superhero movie ever made, and that’s why it’s here at #7.


8. Closer

If you have a good memory, you may remember that I have reviewed this movie already. It was early January, and I gave it a respectable 3 stars (out of 4). But wait, 75% isn’t good enough for a top 10 list you might say! To be honest, I really had no intentions of putting Closer on this list after seeing it. I was highly annoyed at its unrealistic and pretentious tone, and was very happy when it ended. But a curious thing happened. Without realizing it, I’ve spent the last 2 months thinking about this movie. I’m not sure if it was the experimental nature of the project, the lucidity of the characters, or simply the haunting final shot of Natalie Portman walking down the streets of New York, but any movie that can force its way into my subconscious to that extent is certainly well-deserving of a spot on this list.


9. Moolaade

Moolaade is an ancient African right to protection. It’s like invoking double jeopardy, or putting someone under citizen’s arrest. It’s just a word, but it has a lot of power. An Africa woman named Colle must invoke moolaade to protect the girls in her home. Why must she do that? Because the girls have fled their purification ritual that aimed to cut off parts of their genitals so they would be numb and “pure” for sex. Being that Moolaade is about female circumcision, it’s obviously a heavy movie. The subject matter is handled delicately, but also with the intensity that it deserves. The acting is great, and the direction from the 81-year-old “father of African cinema,” is also superb; this is a visually beautiful film. However, the best part is that despite the harsh subject matter, the movie is not dour or even depressing – it’s remarkably full of life.


10. Garden State

I saw this movie for the second time recently and it dropped a few notches on my list. It seemed a bit less important, not because I knew what was going to happen – it just lost a bit of its magic. However, I can still recall how impressed and even moved I was the first time I saw it in theaters. I love movies that “transcend reality.” That is, the characters and plot are not contrived (they seem entirely true to human motivations), but they bring a certain intelligence and depth that is sometimes hard to come by in real-life. Certain moments in Garden State are a bit over-done (Andrew Largeman living in a white room, taking all the drugs), and there is too much focus on the romance, which, although lovely, takes the focus away from Andrew’s transformation and revelations. But considering how much glossy teenage fare is produced per year, Garden State was a welcomed relief.