It's that time of year. When all of us decide to put together lists recapping the year gone by. I don't want to disappoint, so without further ado, onto the year that was 2004. I shall start off with the meat of my lists, theatrical films. That will be followed by less extensive listings for DVD's and CD's. If you would like to see my recap of the first 6 months of 2004, click here, or my 2003 list first, click here.

First up some stats about my viewing this year.

• Total Movies: 131
• Films seen solo: 116
• 2003 Releases Seen in 2004: 13
• Movies Eligible for Best/Worst lists: 118

Film Length:

• Shortest: 80 minutes
• Average: 105 minutes
• Longest: 175 minutes

Theater Breakdown:

• Regal(Poughkeepsie): 65
• Regal(Fishkill): 19
• Destinta: 18
• Loew's: 1
• Showtime: 4
• Silver Cinema: 6
• Upstate Films: 18

Genre Breakdown: Based on primary choice

• Action/Adventure: 14
• Animated: 6
• Comedy: 36
• Documentary: 10
• Drama: 26
• Fantasy: 4
• Foreign Language: 6
• Horror: 9
• Science Fiction: 7
• Suspense/Thriller: 11
• Various Shorts: 1

MPAA Rating Breakdown:

• G: 1
• PG: 15
• PG-13: 52
• R: 49
• NC-17: 1
• Not Rated: 10

My * Rating (Subject to change):

• *: 2
• *.5: 0
• **: 17
• **.5: 29
• ***: 51
• ***.5: 25
• ****: 6
• ****.5: 0
• *****: 1

Most common star:

• Jude Law: 3 movies
• Nicole Kidman: 3 movies

OK, enough of that. Now onto the film lists. Each list will count down from low to high.

Top 10 Films of the Year

• 10. Bad Education. A surprise, much like 21 Grams last year, this film with a labyrinth for a plot is well worth trying to figure out. The layers all start to come together later in the film, plus it features some excellent performances.
• 9. Spider-Man 2. One of the best superhero films ever made. Sam Raimi has crafted a film that has plenty of action, yet has an underlying story and well developed characters.
• 8. The Aviator. Scorsese strikes again giving us this look into the bizarre world of Howard Hughes. This is one of the better bio-pics I've yet seen. Leonardo Dicaprio proves that he is a talented actor. Also features fine supporting acts.
• 7. The Saddest Music in the World. Here is a movie which surprised me. It is one of the most bizarre films I've seen. I'm not sure I could adequately describe this great movie.
• 6. Sideways. Alexander Payne weaves a tale of real people and real situations. Great performances and dialogue highlight this comic drama.
• 5. Garden State. Who knew Scrubs' Zach Braff had this in him? He has come out as a new voice for the big screen. I look forward to what he does next. I can't recommend this enough.
• 4. Hero. Easily the most gorgeous film I've seen this year. I know this was actually released back in 2002, but it finally made it to the US screens. Jet Li stars in this martial arts epic.
• 3. Kill Bill Vol. 2. The completion of an epic revenge tale stands alone as it takes The Bride's quest to an end. Tarantino has taken many of his influences and put his own stamp on it.
• 2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This film blew me away. It's visual inventiveness and emotional resonance are second to none. There was no way to predict how this would connect with me. A definite must see for anyone who likes movies, or has known the feeling of lost love.
• 1. The Passion of the Christ. An absolutely incredible experience. Beautifully shot and acted. Please see it before making up your mind.
• Runner Ups: Closer, Kinsey, Shaun of the Dead, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, The Incredibles, Ray, I'm Not Scared, Collateral, The Terminal, Super Size Me, Finding Neverland