Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Question of the Day: Your Favorite Films of 2004?


As we get closer and closer to the end of the year, and all of the inevitable end-of-the-year lists, I thought that I would re-institute the Question of the Day feature by asking everyone to list some of their favorite films for the years leading up to 2009.  I'm also doing this because Ric at Film for the Soul is on sabbatical from his wonderful Counting Down the Zeroes project and the subsequent top ten lists he asked contributors to submit.  So, I thought this would be a good venue to continue doing that.  Also, make sure to check out Tony Dayoub's blog Cinema Viewfinder as he's been rolling out his top 10 lists, showcasing the best films of the decade.  He just posted his list for 2002.  Check it out.  I've already listed my selections for 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003...so that brings us to today's question: what are your favorite films of 2004?  My list comes after the jump...




20.) Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
19.) Man on Fire
18.) The Alamo
17.) Baadasssss!
16.) Spider-Man 2
15.) Vera Drake
14.) The Life Aquatic
13.) Spanglish
12.) Ocean's Twelve
11.) Intimate Strangers



10.) I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
9.) Million Dollar Baby
8.) The Aviator
7.) I Heart Huckabees
6.) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5.) Spartan
4.) Sideways
3.) Collateral
2.) Kill Bill vol. 2
1.) Undertow

13 comments

  1. Oh I'd say its Kill Bill Vol. 2

    http://thingthatdontsuck.blogspot.com/2009/12/top-ten-films-of-decade-number-8-kill.html

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  2. My top 10 for 2004 would be something like this:

    1) The Incredibles
    2) Primer
    3) Ocean's Twelve
    4) Collateral
    5) The Bourne Supremacy
    6) Shaun of the Dead
    7) Sideways
    8) The Machinist
    9) Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
    10) Team America: World Police

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  3. My favorite film of 2004 was A Very Long Engagement - and of the films you've mentioned, I especially liked Collateral, The Alamo, and Eternal Sunshine. But it was also a great year for movies that were just fun to watch: The Day After Tomorrow, Troy, Alien v. Predator, and The Village. 2009 year definitely needed fun movies like these.

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  4. Thanks for the plug, Kev. You've got at least six of my top 10 for 2004 on your list. You'll know which six in a couple of weeks.

    Kudos also for putting MAN ON FIRE up there. I was very surprised with the freshness of that film (by Tony Scott of all people).

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  5. Repeating Dan here, but 'Sideways', 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'The Bourne Supremacy' were standouts.

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  6. 1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)
    2. Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood)
    3. Big Fish (Tim Burton)
    4. Kill Bill Vol.2 (Quentin Tarantino)
    5. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater)
    6. Vera Drake (Mike Leigh)
    7. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright)
    8. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson)
    9. Spider Man 2 (Sam Raimi)
    10. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan)

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  7. EDJ:

    I've been enjoying your countdown. I think I give Undertow the nod for its rich subtext...but really it's just a coin flip between that and Kill Bill in my opinion. Thanks for providing the link to your countdown. Good stuff.

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  8. Dan:

    Great list. I loved Primer, too, and I forgot the add that to my list. I just flat-out forgot about it. D'oh! Good list. Thanks for stopping by and visiting the blog.

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  9. Hokahey:

    I really hated The Village...I think because the beginning premise had so much promise and then when it was finally revealed what the movie was all about I just rolled my eyes. I'm with ya though on the fact that it was a great year for silly, summer-type movies like The Day After Tomorrow. Also, I'm glad you're also a fan of The Alamo, an underrated film that I think has a surprising amount of power to it.

    Thanks for the comment...it's always a pleasure having you drop by here.

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  10. Tony:

    No problem on the plug. I'm glad you also recognize the good things about Man on Fire. It's a strangely appealing movie in my opinion, and the first hour took me by surprise and made the final hour of revenge resonate a little more. I hope you and your family have a great holiday! Thanks for dropping by.

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  11. Neil:

    Yup, Sideways is one of the best of the year, and will probably make it on my short list for best of the decade. Such a great movie.

    Keep up the great work on the Peckinpah essays. I've been enjoying the hell out of them. I can't really comment on any of them because I'm not much of a fan, but I've got some ideas on what to give a second chance thanks to your retrospective.

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  12. Michael:

    Great list. Thanks for joining in the discussion. I have to say that I really only disagree with one of your choices, Big Fish. I really disliked that movie, but I don't really remember why. Maybe it's time I watch it again (I haven't seen it since it was released in theaters). Thanks for dropping by.

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  13. Kevin, I must admit I am "list saturated" at this year-end juncture, as I struggle to put together my annual ten-best list for 2009 (which was complicated further by the surprise of last night-a Romanian gem titled POLICE, ADJECTIVE, seen at the IFC) and then the full decade list--both of which I must post at the end of the month. So zeroing in on 2004, is a bit of a focus issue, but I love all these choices, and I've been religiously following the action at Tony Dayoub's blog. As always, I wish you a relaxing break, and renewed vigour for the New Year, not that this post is lacking enthusiasm and energy!

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