Top Ten Movies of 2004

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Mine is a little small at the moment. I'm still doing some catching up. 2004 was a pretty bad year for movies, I think...

1. Closer
2. Zatoichi
3. House of Flying Daggers
4. Collateral
5. Hero
6. Eternal Sunshine
7. Napoleon Dynamite
8. Kill Bill vol.2
9. Casshern ;D
10. ...

I'd much rather do a Top 10 movies of all time but...this seems more appropriate since the worthless Academy Awards are coming soon.
 
What about Hidalgo? I enjoyed that movie...  :)

EDIT: Oh yeah, and The Passion of the Christ was very well made.

EDIT#2: And maybe Troy?
 

conan

Until next time...
Walter, your list is almost "spot on" IMO.

I'm a film critic for a local paper where I live and I'd have to agree, 2004 didn't have a lot of "great" movies...

Domestic (US films)
1) Collateral
2) Sideways- I think these two came out last year...?
3) Aviator
4) Chronicles of Riddick - had to throw that one in there :D
5) Code 46 (BBC)

Imports
1) House of Flying Daggers
2) Hero
3) Casshern
4) Zatoichi
5) Appleseed and GITS: Innocence (pure eye candy)

A few I'd also recommend that I finally picked up:
Aragami (Duel) and 2LDK. Dueling directors/writers both try to "out do" the other in a movie focused on "duels."

Araham- haven't had this much fun at a movie since Shaolin Soccer.
 
D

darkbane

Guest
Walter said:
Mine is a little small at the moment. I'm still doing some catching up. 2004 was a pretty bad year for movies, I think...

1. Closer
2. Zatoichi
3. House of Flying Daggers
4. Collateral
5. Hero
6. Eternal Sunshine
7. Napoleon Dynamite
8. Kill Bill vol.2
9. Casshern ;D
10. ...

I'd much rather do a Top 10 movies of all time but...this seems more appropriate since the worthless Academy Awards are coming soon.

I'm usually always at the movies whenever something good comes out, but I haven't seen any of these. It's a bad year, you're right. ;D

How about GitS2 - Innocence? Though personally I didn't like it, it could be counted as a major achievement this - err, last - year.
 
Collateral was released last year, ie, 2004.

Chronicles of Riddick was utter garbage.
Ditto for Hidalgo. I don't really care for the whole "OMG AMERIKKA SUX WE KILLED INDIANS" attitude throughout the film, but it was decent until the Native American ancestors popped up, that ranks up there with Van Helsing as far as beating the audience over the head.
Tritto for Kill Bill 2. Zzzz.

Eternal Sunshine was alright, but I don't really consider it among my top 10, it was just too middling. Maybe if they had gotten some decent actors instead of Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood to play the 'real-life' portion of the movie, it could've been decent. I find that whole plotline poorly conceived, though. Adaptation was Kaufmann's high point (probably because it's about him).
 
Denial said:
Collateral was released last year, ie, 2004.

Chronicles of Riddick was utter garbage.
Ditto for Hidalgo. I don't really care for the whole "OMG AMERIKKA SUX WE KILLED INDIANS" attitude throughout the film, but it was decent until the Native American ancestors popped up, that ranks up there with Van Helsing as far as beating the audience over the head.
Tritto for Kill Bill 2. Zzzz.

Eternal Sunshine was alright, but I don't really consider it among my top 10, it was just too middling. Maybe if they had gotten some decent actors instead of Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood to play the 'real-life' portion of the movie, it could've been decent. I find that whole plotline poorly conceived, though. Adaptation was Kaufmann's high point (probably because it's about him).

Well most of us did point out that 2004 sucked movie-wise (If I didnt Im pointing it out now). And I see you agree with us but I think the purpose of the thread is to point out what you consider the best of 2004. Right?

So whats your opinion? Even if you would have to say its "the best of the worst"?
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I don't think I saw 10 movies in 2004, honestly. I wanted to see Ray, but didn't. The last movie I saw in a theater was "Alien Vs. Predator," it's my fault for going, but can you blame me for not wanting to go back after that? Oh well, since I can't think of a movie I've seen this year that deserves the title, I'm voting Spike Lee's 1998 film "He Got Game", starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen, the best movie of 2004. Look at how the Sonics are playing if you don't believe me.

Anyway, I don't consider the Academy Awards worthless taken in proper context.

Kyoke said:
Well most of us did point out that 2004 sucked movie-wise (If I didnt Im pointing it out now).

Wrong. Just because we didn't see good movies doesn't mean good movies weren't out there.
 
"Griffith No More!" said:
Wrong. Just because we didn't see good movies doesn't mean good movies weren't out there.

Well considering the ones we did see, lets give it a 70% chance the movie sucked if you didnt see it...  :p

Im not saying ALL movies sucked... Im saying the mayority sucked which is why 2004 sucked movie-wise... ;D
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Ray was extremely well done and since I haven't seen The Aviator (which I believe is up for the most awards this year) I'd have to nominate Ray as the best movie I've seen this year. I also wanna see the movie Clint Eastwood directed, Million Dollar Baby, since I've liked almost all of his films. ;D
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Kyoke said:
Well considering the ones we did see, lets give it a 70% chance the movie sucked if you didnt see it... :p

Im not saying ALL movies sucked... Im saying the mayority sucked which is why 2004 sucked movie-wise... ;D

A majority of movies sucked in 2003 too, and 2002, 2001 and I'd bet every year in the past 30. The idea of bad movie years is subjectively misleading, maybe they're weren't a lot of high-profile good films, but good films were out there. Also, since were talking about something that's totally relative anyway, taste in movies, the point becomes even more erroneous and silly.

Rhombaad said:
I also wanna see the movie Clint Eastwood directed, Million Dollar Baby, since I've liked almost all of his films. ;D

Eastwood is awesome.
 

conan

Until next time...
Going to see Million Dollar Baby tomorrow night with my wife. Our 9 yr. anniversary...

Chronicles of Riddick didn't suck, it just didn't please the majority of the target market (ie- sci fi fan boys like myself). I personally thought it was awesome. Not a "great" achievement in movie making history, but entertaining as a "popcorn" movie.
Same with Van Helsing...not a good movie, but fun to see...

I enjoyed Ray as well, and if Jamie Foxx doesn't get the Oscar for best actor of 2004, the Academy should be fired and burned!

Aviator is great, but I still see leo as the "titanic" guy...can't get over that role...

Internationally, it was a great year IMO...
GITS: Innocence was an amazing movie and just stunning, Casshern...same thing...PURE EYE CANDY!!
Also, a Thai movie called ONG BAK is coming to the USA on Feb 11th and it is amazing...Tony Jaa, the main actor, is the next Bruce Lee...seriously!

Otherwise, not too many "great" movies...

Oh...Sword in the Moon was pretty good, but no where near MUSA IMO.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
"Griffith No More!" said:
Also, since were talking about something that's totally relative anyway, taste in movies, the point becomes even more erroneous and silly.
Sure, you can't get everyone to like something 100% of the time, however there's always a universal, at least relatively speaking.  For instance, I haven't met anyone who didn't enjoy Seven Samurai.  In the same light, very few people didn't enjoy Fight Club.  Dumb and Dumber, while being one of my least favorite movies in hindsight was a BLOCKBUSTER smash that's stood the test of time among the many idiots on my campus.  There are always relative universals.

EDIT: I agree, there are no doubt a lot of movies that were good this year, however it will take a year to sort them from the rest of the shit.
 
Walter said:
2004 was a pretty bad year for movies, I think...
7. Napoleon Dynamite
et tu, Walter? et tu?
A pretty bad year indeed....

Denial said:
Eternal Sunshine was alright, but I don't really consider it among my top 10, it was just too middling. Maybe if they had gotten some decent actors instead of Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood to play the 'real-life' portion of the movie, it could've been decent. I find that whole plotline poorly conceived, though. Adaptation was Kaufmann's high point (probably because it's about him).
YOU ARE IN DENIAL.
and the whole "poorly conceived plotline" thing you're going to have to explain.

I'll give it a go later, I can't remember all of them just now.
 
In no particular order

Spider-man 2
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Anchorman
Collateral
Kill Bill Vol. 2
The Incredibles
Team America: World Police
Dawn of the Dead / Shuan of the Dead - Both great movies for different reasons.
Napoleon Dynamite
Baadasssss!
Hellboy

So I have 11, and I've left off a lot, especially ones that had been around and I saw prior to their US release.
 
In no particular order:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Life Aquatic
Shaun of the Dead
Ocean's 12 (it's like, the French New Wave...IN AMERICA! ;D)
Dogville
Sideways
Before Sunset
Twilight Samurai
('02=Japan; '04=US, no biggie, right?)

more when I can think of them....
I'm really holding two places for Primer and 2046, whenever the hell I'll see them...
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
conan said:
Also, a Thai movie called ONG BAK is coming to the USA on Feb 11th and it is amazing...Tony Jaa, the main actor, is the next Bruce Lee...seriously!
Yeah, I saw the previews for that at House of Flying Daggers, it looks awesome! Being a martial artist myself I can't wait to see what Tony Jaa brings to the table. From what I gathered in the previews, he kicks serious ass.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Only movie I've seen this year in a theater was Kill Bill 2 I think... I wouldn't see Chronicles of Riddick even if I was paid to, though. So I'll choose the easy way and say my list is the same than Rane's.

conan said:
Also, a Thai movie called ONG BAK is coming to the USA on Feb 11th and it is amazing...Tony Jaa, the main actor, is the next Bruce Lee...seriously!

Ong Bak isn't a good movie. The plot is ridiculous, the acting is terrible. However, Tony Jaa kicks ass and is quite amazing to see (my favorite part is the beginning, when he trains alone at night), but that doesn't make the movie good. I wish they released a 30 minutes special edition that would just be the fight scenes without the rest.

Kyoke said:
Well considering the ones we did see, lets give it a 70% chance the movie sucked if you didnt see it... :p

Don't want to quote Griffith or anything, but that's quite pretentious of you to say so.
 

Kakkoii_Guts

海賊王になる男だ
I really didn't see many movies in 2004.

1. Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2. Kill Bill volume 2
3. Shaun of the Dead

I'm was planning on going to the theater this weekend and catching Million Dollar Baby, and Sideways, but I ended up getting sick.
 
Spider Man 2 was awesome.

Chronicles of Riddick was decent, the PG13 one that is. The unrated version on DVD totally owned the theatrical release.

Van Helsing was another entertaining movie.

I enjoyed Blade Trinity althought I found Blade 2 to be more enjoyable.

That's all I can think of at the moment.
 
Kill Bill 2
Zatoichi
and of course: Star Wars: episode III a lost hope. This parody was better than most movies last year. http://www.newgrounds.com/video/losthope.html

;D
 

conan

Until next time...
Aazealh said:
Ong Bak isn't a good movie. The plot is ridiculous, the acting is terrible. However, Tony Jaa kicks ass and is quite amazing to see (my favorite part is the beginning, when he trains alone at night), but that doesn't make the movie good. I wish they released a 30 minutes special edition that would just be the fight scenes without the rest.

Aaz is right...the movie's not a "good" movie...but Tony Jaa is one bad ass M.F.

He's a trained stunt man and only needed a break out role to get his foot in the door...this is it...

My fav part was the bar fight when everyone's flipping quarters to him...GREAT SCENE!!
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Since it's on a couple of lists here, I think now is a good time for me to ask again why "Shaun of the Dead" is, allegedly, so good? I didn't have a bad time seeing it, it was a decent parody if you're into zombie movies. But, by that same token, it really didn't have anything terribly creative or original going for it (they took every tired zombie joke and put into one movie, brilliant?), and it certainly wasn't unflawed filmmaking within itself by any means (the "funny" things that strayed from said tired zombie gags weren't all that funny). So when did it go from fun cult movie to top film of the year?
 
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