Clint Eastwood again delievers a well-acted, well-written story with depth, all under the guise of a commerical film. I would call it his best since Unforgiven (although, Mystic River was close).
Not my favorite Almadovar film, but stylish complex storytelling which constantly suprises. Obviously, this is a melodrama, but it won me over due to the sheer imagination of its storytelling. This is a constantly surprising story that is not trying to slide by on a "shock" ending the way of many such movies these days (ie- M. Night Shyamalan)
This is an unfairly neglected French documentary which consists of only one courtroom and the people who pass through. What we get is a funny, sad, and fascinating sociological study of people trying to get out of the problems they are in by downplaying their involvement, seeming to admit to a crime without actually admitteding anything, and (in one sad case) trying to prove one knows more about the law than the judge (he doesn't).
Catalina Sandino Moreno deserves her Oscar nomination for her portrayl of the title character. The film has been criticized for being too low key in its portrayl of drug smugglers, but that is exactly what I like. The film is foremost about its characters and the (mostly bad) decisions they make.
My favorite documentary of the year. It's funny and revealing, not just because the guy gets fat on McDonald's but because of the way the film dissects American eating habits. The most shocking section deals with the hijacking of school lunch programs by giant food corporations.
Wong Kar-Wai has made better movies (Ashes of Time, Happy Together, Days of Being Wild), but the largely dismissed 2046 has all of the traits that I love about his cinema: a lush visual style, a 1960s French Cinema ambiance, beautiful women (Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung, and Carina Lau), and a story about adrift characters and their inability to give or receive love. I think it iss better than his much critically praised last film, In the Mood for Love.
The 1979 original is my all time favorite horror film and the idea of a remake was blasphemous to me. After watching the remake, I must confess: lots of fun and clearly directed made by fellow zombie movie fans. The film boasts the best credit sequences of the year and shows once and for all why one should never run a chainsaw in a moving vehicle.
Much like Wong Kar-Wai's 2046 and Pedro Almodovar's Bad Education, Martin Scorsese has made better films, but The Aviator is a very good biopick which feels far less than its 165 minute running time would suggest. The film also has many praise worthy elements: superb direction, DiCaprio's best performance to date, and Jude Law in a hysterical cameo as Errol Flynn.
Fascinating science fiction of ideas slash home movie, Primer proves the most amibitious film debut of the year, for writer/director Shane Carruth. Not having money for special effects, Carruth had to rely on his talent. Primer is all the better for it. This is not a perfect film but a highly ambitious one with the most complex final act I've seen in many years (I'm still not sure I understood all of it, but I know I liked it).
This is a reunion movie in the best sense of the phrase. For those of us who loved these characters in Before Sunrise, this is a perfect coda, whatever happened to, that while not ending the story, at least builds on and expands on it. Before Sunset shows how time changes (and doesn't change) these characters. Obviously, if one found the first film schmaltzy and dull, said viewers will find more of the same here. But, I was moved.
Well, those are my top ten. I would also like to give a little plug for Spartan, Control Room, The Saddest Music in the World, Spider-Man 2, and Club Dread (because every film needs one champion), my five runners up. All in all, 2004 was not a great year. I usually have at least one 4-star film in the bunch, but not this year.
John Dodd