Top Ten of 2004

Now that I've seen pretty much everything I need to, here is my top ten/fifteen of the year 2004....

Honorable Mentions

#15. Vera Drake

A touching and pleasingly simple drama. The lighter parts are mostly the superior ones, and some of the melo-drama is irritatingly slow, but the ending makes up for any dodgy bits. Staunton, Davis and Peter Wight all give fabulous performances, and Leigh's direction is flowing and assured.

#14. Ray

Ray Charles' life is perfect material for a biopic, and thankfully Hackford makes good work of it. But the real star here is Foxx, who pulls off the intricacies of Charles' character without breaking a sweat. Hackford tries to fit a little too much in at the end, and he often seems to show Charles' life from more of a spectators view than from Charles' view, but the film never gets boring. Worth seeing just to hear Charles' music used to such great effect.

#13. The Motorcycle Diaries

Great on-screen chemistry between Bernal and De La Serna is what keeps this interesting, even during the slightly preachy conclusionary scenes. It's funny and touching in equal measure, and the change in pace in the second half doesn't destroy the rest of the film. Bernal is especially effective, and deserves much more awards recognition than he has been getting this past year.

#12. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

The best comedy of the year? Unless you count The Life Aquatic, which is hardly a straight comedy, then yes! Will Ferell and a surprisingly brilliant Applegate lead this hilarious adventure about the rise of female anchors on TV news, and one male anchor who can't accept the changes. Additional laughs come from Steve Carell, as idiotic weatherman Brick Tamland, and Paul Rudd, proving his charming turn in Friends was no fluke.

#11. Touching the Void
The best documentary of the year, criminally snubbed at the Oscars. Suceeds in showing the good as well as the bad sides of mountain climbing, and makes great use of docu-drama and talking head techniques. Despite going on a little long, it'll keep you on tenterhooks until the final moments, even though you already know how the story will be resolved.

My Top Ten of 2004

#10. Closer

As their Oscar nominations suggest, Portman and Owen are the real stars here, stealing the spotlight from Law and Roberts with ease, although I was taken by surprise at the strength of Law and Roberts' performances as well. Playwright Patrick Marber removes all the fun parts of relationships, leaving us with only the heartbreak, betrayel and 'the morning after' situations. Scene after scene comes, some minutes apart, some months apart from each-other. It's all surprisingly affective, and makes for one of those movies that starts slowly but gradually improves right up until the ending, which was easily my favorite part of the film.

#9. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Bill Murray leads a fantastic ensemble cast in Wes Anderson's latest. It's not as instantly accesible as The Royal Tennebaums, nor is it as obviously funny. Instead, Anderson delivers a fascinating but still hilarious look at love and friendship, pushing all the jokes and quirkiness into the background. Accompained by a great soundtrack, this is Murray and Anderson at their very best.

#8. Collateral

A suitably smart thriller, easily the best action movie of the year. However, it's in the less intense moments between Cruise and Foxx that Collateral shows its hidden intricacies. Mann never lets up on the pace, barely stopping to let you catch your breath before plunging into another set-piece. The cinematography is also fabulous.

#7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Up there with the best of the Charlie Kaufman offspring, Eternal Sunshine is a touching, enjoyable and very human slice of fantasy romance, lead by fabulous performances from Carrey and Winslet. Wilkinson, Ruffalo, Dunst and Wood also add their collectives talents, making for the best ensemble of the year. Perfect

#6. Million Dollar Baby

Eastwood throws another knockout punch, just over a year after the equally good Mystic River. The story is by no means original, but Eastwood, Swank and Freeman transform what could have been fairly run of the mill into something very powerful and often very funny. The final third has recieved the most attention, but it's the pleasent moments that more closely recall Eastwood's glory days.

#5. The Aviator

Not Scorcese's best, but certainly worthy of a best director prize for the amazingly overdue director. DiCaprio is fantastic as Howard Hughes, and his life makes for an intriuging and thought-provoking biopic that will draw you in within the first five minutes. Good supporting performances from John C. Reilly, Cate Blanchett and a massive ensemble of stars round off one of the best biopic of the year.

#4. Kill Bill Vol. 2

Tarantino concludes his violent tale of killers, criminals and fantastical underworlds, and boy does he do it in style. Finally the veil of mystery is lifted from the titular villain, and we're treated to a final confrontation between Beatix and Bill. It's as good a conclusion as anyone could have hoped for, and Thurman truly outdoes herself, especially in the final scenes. The action is exciting and horrific at the same time, and the script is Tarantino at his very best.

#3. Birth

A surprisingly powerful film, boasting Nicole Kidman's best performance to date and other superb performances from Cameron Bright and Anne Heche. Glazer's direction is smart and confident, and the whole atmosphere is exteremely creepy and disturbing. Fantastic.

#2. Before Sunset

Hawke and Delpy revive their strong chemistry in the best sequel of the year, mainly because it feels like more of a continuation of Jesse and Celine's story than a pointless money-maker. It's hard to describe exactly what it is that makes Sunset so powerful, but it basically comes down to the connection between Hawke and Delpy's characters, the fantastic screenplay, and one of the best endings in movie history.

#1. The Incredibles

The best Pixar creation yet. Brad Bird avoids all the boring bits of other superhero movies and
the annoying in your face 'morals' of other animated movies, instead delivering a hilarious, exhilirating, multi-layered adventure movie. As good as they come.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

About half an hour into The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, I was feeling very let down. Wes Anderson is a fantastic director, but the first half hour of his new movie at first appears quite disappointing. Luckily, it's not - in fact, it's one of the best films of the year. It just takes a while to get going.

The lead role of Steve Zissou was written with Murray in mind, and no-one could have pulled it off better than him. He manages to be hilarious, quirky and heartbreaking all at the same time, and his character is so loveable you just feel like hugging him for the duration of the film. Owen Wilson, as Zissou's might-be son, is less instantly likeable but grows on you gradually, and has some very funnny moments. The cast also includes a surprisingly funny Cate Blanchett, and a brilliant but underused Willem Dafoe. Jeff Goldblum and Anjelica Huston also show up for little more than extended cameos.


The film uses impressive animation and visual effects for creating the various aquatic creatures Zissou and his team come across, and there are moments in the film that are truly beautiful, the most beautiful scene coming near the end. The shaky camerawork is utilised well, especially in the fast-moving action scenes.

As the action of the film becomes more and more ridiculous (not that it was ever supposed to be realistic), the film only gets more and more fun. This is what entertainment is really about - action scenes so amazingly implausible, they'll have you in stiches in no time. But no matter how quirky his characters are, Anderson always manages to make them likeable, and you'll be cheering on Zissou and his team during every moment of their daring exploits. You'll also be taken by surprise at the deeply touching conclusion to the film. All in all, not a bad day out. ****1/2 out of 5.