2004:A Year To Remember

Sunday night's entertainment was Johnny Depp's 2004 film Finding Neverland. It had been quite a while since I had watched Finding Neverland, and my enjoyment of the film reminded me once again how impressive a movie year 2004 was. The sheer number of excellent films from 2004 makes it in my opinion the best year for movies during this last decade (with 2009 coming in a very close second). While making my Top 10 list for this post, I had a difficult time trying to decide which movies would make the cut and which wouldn't, especially at the #10 spot. But after some deliberating, I decided that Anchorman was deserving of inclusion, and would catch the last spot on my list just beating out Life Aquatic.

2004 Top 10 Movies:

1. Before Sunset-The sequel to Before Sunrise (1995). Before Sunset is an almost perfect film. The chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy leaps right off the screen & the script is spot on with amazing back and forth dialogue; an extremely intimate movie.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-Easily Jim Carrey's finest performance. Eternal Sunshine has grown in popularity and critical acclaim over the years. A magical mind-trip about the enduring survival of love.
3. Sideways-an amusing, comical movie about two old college buddies who take a week long road trip up to California wine country before an impending wedding. Paul Giamatti is excellent as Miles, the buddy who has to clean up the many messes that Jack, Thomas Haden Church's character, creates.
4. Garden State-The writing & directorial debut of Scrubs star Zach Braff, a sweet, delightful and poignant look at main character, Andrew Largeman's trip home to New Jersey for his mother's funeral, and the unlikely encounters that follow. Natalie Portman is a scene stealer, bringing irrepressible humor to even the most mundane moments.
5. Kill Bill Vol. 2-Part two of Quentin Tarantino's homage to his favorite martial arts & spaghetti western films of the past, this is a revenge flick like no other. Uma Thurman shines, as she continues on her killing rampage, leading to an inevitable showdown with former lover & martial arts Master, Bill.
6. Million Dollar Baby-The 2004 Best Picture winner, an inspiring and somber story about ambition and striving for your dreams even in face of adversity.
7. Finding Neverland-A magical and original re-telling of the Peter Pan story. Johnny Depp is charming & charismatic and Kate Winslet proves once again why she just might be the best actress of the last 20 years.
8. Closer-An erotic and intimate story of love, lust and betrayal. Natalie Portman's performance won her a Supporting Actress Golden Globe, capping off what was definitely a great year for her professionally.
9. Hotel Rwanda-A frightening, enraging and heroic look at one man's efforts to save his friends, family and neighbors from sure death at the hands of Hutu extremists. Based on the true stories of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Don Cheadle's performance is career defining.
10. Anchorman-Originally written off as just another Will Ferrell comedy, time has been very kind to Anchorman. Full of memorable quotes and one-liners, this comedy is one that gets funnier with each viewing. Bravo Mr. Burgundy!

Honorable Mentions: The Aviator; Bourne Supremacy; Collateral; Friday Night Lights; Hellboy; In Good Company; Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; Man on Fire; Ray; Spanglish;