The Captain's Top 10... well, 13, of 2004
Apr 20 '05 (Updated May 11 '08)
The Bottom Line My Top Thirteen (Ten's such a limiting number...)
I know this is meant to be my Top Ten films of 2004, but I thought I'd give a mention of all the films I've reviewed so far from this year, partly because I'm an unashamed link-slut, and partly to give more of an overview of the year rather than just point out the good films.
We start off with the big disappointments of the year, which to me were (in no particular order):
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera
Chronicles of Riddick
Shrek 2
Phantom I found tedious and uninspired (from the moment I saw this one was going to be directed by Joel Schumacher, I had grave misgivings about this one) Chronicles of Riddick was an incoherent mess, and Shrek 2 had little of the humour or charm of the original. Not really a surprise that 2 of the 3 most disappointing films of the year for me were sequels, but there was one ray of sunlight in the sequels department, as you'll see later on...
Then there were the films that were perfectly watchable but nothing special:
13 Going On 30 - Alias star Jennifer Garner is okay in this one as a teenager whose wish to be 30 rather than 13 comes true. A kind of female version of Tom Hanks' Big, this one had its moments and Andy Serkis' performance was wonderful, but it just didn't have the comedic or emotional appeal to stand out as special.
50 First Dates - starring Adam Sandler and one of my favourite actresses, Drew Barrymore, this was a pleasant enough little romantic comedy but relied to much on toilet humour and could have been a lot better.
Laws of Attraction - Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore play mind games in this romantic comedy but the combination fails to sparkle. Again, it's a film that has its moments but not enough of them.
In Good Company - One of two Dennis Quaid films in this section, co-starring Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansen. A film with a solid corporate-culture bashing sentiment and a likeable enough cast, but the subject matter was dealt with without subtlety or imagination.
The Day After Tomorrow - an over-long disaster flick, Dennis Quaid looks and sounds like a second-hand Harrison Ford throughout and the supporting cast were decent enough. Some good special effects and a worthwhile eco-warning fail to save this "epic" from inducing the odd yawn.
Okay so I couldn't restrict myself to a top ten... here's my top thirteen. Enjoy.
13 - Around the World in 80 Days - Steve Coogan, Jackie Chan, and Cecile de France travel around the globe getting into all sorts of mischief. Fast and fun without being wonderful, I seemed to enjoy it more than most other reviewers on Epinions but I seldom seem to agree with the status quo!!
12 - Wimbledon - Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst get together for this romantic comedy set around the famous sporting event. Their chemistry fails to really catch fire but the film serves up a good few laughs and the tennis scenes are extremely well done. Ace. (Sorry...)
11 – The Stepford Wives - this remake of the horror classic is probably more enjoyable to those who, like me, have never seen the original. This version is very light-hearted and boasts a terrific cast including Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick (who is really excellent in this), Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, and Bette Middler is very enjoyable despite a slightly disappointing ending.
10 – The Incredibles - PIXAR's effort this year wasn't up to the standard of its previous classics such as Toy Story or Finding Nemo, but the story about the out-of-favour superheroes is still well worth watching. It's also a lot more violent than previous offerings from PIXAR so some parents will be less happy about younger children watching it. If, however, anyone but PIXAR had produced this I'd probably have received it more enthusiastically... it's their own fault though, raising my expectations with several of my favourite animated movies of all time having been created by them.
9 – Starsky & Hutch - Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller team up as the famous crime-fighting duo, and Stiller in particular is excellent. A good script and supporting cast helped this to become the best comedy cop thriller remake of the year. (Admittedly a small field, but still...) Soime of the scenes with their informant Huggy Bear (played by Snoop Dog) are truly hilarious.
8 - Thunderbirds - talking of remakes, the puppets come to life but the rather boring and heroic Tracy family get locked up in deep space for most of the film, leaving the way for more interesting characters to dominate the film. Well okay a lot of the time it's kids, but baddies The Hood (Ben Kinglsey) and Transform (Rose Byrne), along with good guys Brains (Anthony Edwards – the only one of the brothers who doesn't get trapped in space), Lady Penelope (Sophia Myles), and Parker (Ron Cook) give top notch performances that enliven proceedings. A great family film.
7 - Hotel Rwanda - Don Cheadle gives a (possibly) career-defining performance as Paul Rusesabagina, who becomes involved in saving a host of people while trying to protect his family from the ethnic warfare going on around them. This film has much more impact than normal due to being based on events that not only happened, but that happened only a decade ago.
6 - Troy - Brad Pitt and, particularly, Eric Bana are superb in this epic that may not owe a great deal to Homer but is engrossing in its own right. Bana's valiant and honourable Hector is pitted (groan...) against Pitt's tortured introspective warrior Achilles, while the slightly off-key Orlando Bloom (Paris) and the beautiful Helen (Diane Kruger) cause all the trouble. Peter O'Toole also has a memorable speech towards the end, and perhaps a sequel is on the way starring Romulus and Remus?? ...
5 – I, Robot - while Asimov may have only very loosely inspired this sci-fi action thriller, a combination of tight script, tremendous special effects, and a barnstorming performance by Will Smith keep the thrills and spills coming. Not quite Bladerunner, but still one of the most satisfying science fiction movies in recent years.
4 - Ray - Jamie Foxx's portrayal of music legend Ray Charles is nothing short of gob-smacking. He fully deserves the plaudits heaped on him for this performance, and the film itself gives a remarkably honest rendition of Charles' life. While not skipping any of his faults, it does show the most important thing - how he overcame them. Kerry Washington as Ray's wife and Curtis Armstrong as his Producer are also excellent.
3 – Spiderman 2 - this is the sequel that proves they don't always have to be bad, in my opinion this far exceeds the original. Toby Maguire is perfectly cast as Peter Parker (he's slightly less perfect as Spiderman himself), and Kirsten Dunst is a lively and happily non-Lois-Lane-like heroine. Alfred Molino has enormous fun as Doctor Octavius, chief baddie of the film, and the characters are given far more depth than you'd normally expect in a superhero film. The ending does let it down slightly but is forgiveable considering how fabulous the rest of it is.
2 – Ladies In Lavender - this very different film stars two of the best veteran actresses around – Dames Judy Dench and Maggie Smith. The story of a Polish violinist who gets washed ashore in Cornwall near the start of the second world war is dealt with with such subtlety and charm that some found this film far too slow, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dench in particular gives a terrific performance, making up for the fact that she was also in Chronicles of Riddick! This was a fine directorial debut for Charles Dance. (Sadly it doesn't seem that this film got the worldwide release it deserved.)
1 – Million Dollar Baby - if the above film had two of the best veteran actresses in it, this one certainly had two of the best veteran actors, Clint Eastwood (who also directed) and Morgan Freeman. Add in one of the most talented young actresses around, Hilary Swank (well I guess 31 doesn't count as young any more but she's only 3 years older than me, so she must be young...) and a truly compelling plot, and you have a winner.
Well, that's my list As usual, I'm sure you'll agree with some, disagree with some, and wonder just what planet I'm on for the remainder.
Other 2004 Films I want to see:
The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(because it's had such good reviews and it would be interesting to see Jim Carrey in a serious role)
The Butterfly Effect
(as above and even though I don't like Ashton Kutcher)
Catwoman
(only because I want to see if it really is that bad! - but I'm still not sure I'll be able to bring myself to watch it, especially if it means going into a store and buying / renting it!)
Before Sunset
(as it's on so many people's top ten list and at no.1 for several people)
Update 11.05.08 - I have now seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind and Before Sunset. To me the first wasn't as clever is it thought it was - the initial premise was interesting but it became too laboured in its delivery - while the second, though also interesting adn well-made, was a little too talky for my liking. I love films to have good dialogue, but if a film is entirely dialogue... well, maybe I'm just not used to that, but I didn't exactly enjoy the movie. Anyway, neither of those movies will be on my personal top ten.
CaptainD
http://www.darscom.net
My Other Movie Top Ten Lists:
Top Ten Movies of 2002
Top Ten Movies of 2003
The Top Ten Movies of All Time
Romantic Comedies
Science Fiction Films
Top Ten Star Trek Movies
Top Ten Science Fiction Series
Animated Movies
Top Ten Spoof Movies
Top Ten Musicals
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