Top Ten Films Of 2004

10. Aviator - Not Scorsese's best, but damn worth watching.

9. Maria Full of Grace - This story of a South American girl who gets into drug trafficking is good because its so rich in emotion. You really feel the suspense in this one.

8. Hero - The most beautifully shot movie of the year. Many viewers are turned off by the patience that the director takes in telling his story. But the pace was necessary for the unraveling of the plot.

7. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind - A real mind trip. Those guys really captured the feeling of a troubled mind. And Jim Carrey held it down. Too bad they released it so early in the year, it could've been a real Oscar contender.

6. Kill Bill Vol.2 - Action-packed. Great follow-up to Vol. 1. In a time when forced sequels are flooding the market it's great to see a true continuation (or pre-quel) of a great original.

5. Ray - The best biopic I've seen in a long time. The music alone is enough to enjoy the film. Jamie Foxx was so good as Mr. Charles that I forgot that I was watching an actor protraying the legend as opposed to seeing the singer himself. Kudos to Foxx for every award he will receive for his performance

4. Collateral - the coolest suspense thriller of the year. And Tom Cruise turns into a real bad ass. And we see another great performance from Jamie Foxx. Foxx's character could've easily been a wash out and stand in the shadow of Cruise's villain, but he brings so much humanity to the screen that you couldn't help but think that Cruise's villain would not have been able to have the impact that it had.

3. Fahrenheit 9/11 - I don't care what people have told you about this movie. If you haven't seen it, you don't know it. No movie has ever moved me like this one. I didn't give a fuck about what was happening outside of Wellington much less overseas in Iraq. And just for that everyone who had something to do with this movie should be applauded. The best documentary I've ever seen.

2. Closer - Raw. Unashamedly raw. The best movie about relationships that I've ever seen. Ever. If you I can't convince you to go to the theater, at least rent it as soon as it comes out.

1. Sideways - What a great movie. Why can't 50 of these come out every year. Any filmmaker want to learn how to make an enjoyable just watch Sideways and take some notes.


*update - I know the texts are few following the movies. The reason is that they are not meant to be reviews but merely notes. But I've added more to some of the movies.