2005 Calvins: Best Picture
By Kim Hollis
February 18, 2005
An eclectic blend of films makes up our list of favorites from 2004. From the smaller, more introspective indie flicks to some of the year's biggest blockbusters, our staffers were most impacted by movies about superheroes, zombies, romance and George W. Bush reading a book about a Pet Goat.
Our favorite film of 2004 was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the idiosyncratic romance from director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. The film is simultaneously fascinating, warm and heartbreaking, with strikingly memorable performances from a top-notch cast. Primary amongst them, of course, are Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, who play Eternal Sunshine's romantic leads. It's a resonant reflection on the evolution of a relationship, highlighting both the positive aspects and the lowest points. The end result is a melancholy but hopeful intimation on love.
Coming in a close second was The Incredibles, the latest awe-inspiring creation from Pixar. Directed by Brad Bird, who previously gave us the delightful Iron Giant, The Incredibles told the superhero story from a slightly different point of view. Rather than center on a single hero and villain (or set of villains), The Incredibles was as much a depiction of an American family as it was a study of the hero genre. All of the characters in the film were fully fleshed out, from Mr. Incredible and his family to the villainous Syndrome. Throw in numerous smart pop-culture references (I still chortle whenever I hear Mr. Incredible mistakenly refer to Buddy as Brodie) and you've got yourself a real winner.
Zach Braff's debut directorial effort, Garden State, is next on our list. Along with helming the film, Braff both wrote the screenplay and starred in the central role. The story is semi-autobiographical, which frequently brought me to wonder how he was able to perform as the idealistic, pratfalling J.D. on Scrubs on a regular basis. The film is a very real depiction of a young man contending with a lifetime of depression and the people with whom he chooses to surround himself. Garden State is both visually and aurally impacting, and the performances from Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Ian Holm are truly stellar.
Next up is Sideways, which is a movie that seems to either strongly impact its viewers or stubbornly turn them away. Fortunately for me as I write this, I fall into the former camp, as I found the adult road trip and its all-too-real characters to be a powerful emotional experience. Much of this is because the characters throughout the film strongly resemble people I've known in real life, so I was constantly identifying with what was happening throughout the story. Much of the credit goes to the outstanding screenplay from Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, who took a novel that amounted to little more than "dick lit" in my eyes and turned it into something truly special.
Regardless of whether it ultimately had a real impact on the 2004 elections, it's difficult to argue that Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 was not an event film. On opening night, lines were crowded outside the theaters, with audience members openly expressing their political beliefs via buttons, T-shirts, and booths for voter registration. As the movie played, viewers laughed at the funny stuff, and cried with Lila Lipscomb as her story unfolded. Whether one agrees with Moore's politics or not (and it's important to keep in mind that he's eviscerated liberals in past documentaries as well), it's an important film and one that did at least create a dialogue as the real political season heated up.
An unlikely contender shows up in sixth place, as the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg collaboration Shaun of the Dead finds itself solidly in our top ten. This gem of a movie from the creators of the British comedy Spaced takes the zombie horror genre and turns it straight on its oozing noggin. Setting their zombie spoof against the backdrop of being a romantic comedy makes for plenty of hilarity, providing some of the year's most memorable scenes. Watching Shaun make his way through the neighborhood - all the while never realizing that zombies are all around him - is one of the great sight gags you'll ever see. It's destined to go down as a frequently re-watched and oft-quoted staple.
Another superhero film pulls up in seventh place; this time it's Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. While the first film in the series was primarily a place-setter, Spider-Man 2 allowed some deep character study and the inclusion of a sympathetic, powerful adversary for our hero. In this follow-up, we see Peter Parker turning introspective and growing from teenager to man, and dealing with all of the questions and problems that come from such self-reflection. Giving Parker the opportunity to match wits with a brilliant mind like Doc Octopus is just the icing on the cake.
Michael Mann's stylish Collateral is our eighth place finisher. The film signaled to the world that Jamie Foxx might be more than just a goofy former In Living Color performer and showed that he could more than hold his own as a co-star alongside such a big player as Tom Cruise. As for Cruise, he played the iniquitous Vincent with aplomb. It's a smart, edgy movie that keeps the viewer consistently captivated.
After Kill Bill Vol. 1 finished last year's voting for Best Picture in sixth place, Quentin Tarantino's follow-up to the bloody martial arts fest takes our nine spot. While the first film was centered on violence and drew heavily from such sources as the Shaw Brothers and other samurai flicks, Vol. 2 changes gears to center more closely on the spaghetti western. A substantially more talky film than the first, Kill Bill Vol. 2 is much more in line with what is generally perceived as a traditional Tarantino picture.
Hanging in for a final spot in the top ten is Clint Eastwood's atmospheric Million Dollar Baby. A film that has suddenly become quite controversial on its road as an Oscar hopeful, it is in its essence a movie about three people and the ways with which they connect. The film is full of depth and is punctuated by three note-perfect performances from Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman.
Below, you'll find our selections for the top 25 films of 2004.
|
Top 25
|
| Position |
Film |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind |
103 |
| 2 |
The Incredibles |
97 |
| 3 |
Garden State |
63 |
| 4 |
Sideways |
58 |
| 5 |
Fahrenheit 9/11 |
56 |
| 6 |
Shaun of the Dead |
49 |
| 7 |
Spider-Man 2 |
46 |
| 8 |
Collateral |
44 |
| 9 |
Kill Bill Vol. 2 |
43 |
| 10 |
Million Dollar Baby |
40 |
| 11 |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
39 |
| 12 |
The Life Acquatic with Steve Zissou |
37 |
| 13 (tie) |
Finding Neverland |
33 |
| 13 (tie) |
The Aviator |
33 |
| 15 |
Before Sunset |
32 |
| 16 |
The Bourne Supremacy |
29 |
| 17 |
House of Flying Daggers |
23 |
| 18 |
Maria Full of Grace |
22 |
| 19 |
A Very Long Engagement |
20 |
| 20 |
Miracle |
17 |
| 21 |
Shrek 2 |
16 |
| 22 (tie) |
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring |
15 |
| 22 (tie) |
Closer |
15 |
| 24 (tie) |
Saved! |
14 |
| 24 (tie) |
The Motorcycle Diaries |
14 |
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