The Best and Worst of 2004: My Humble List
Published January 03, 2005
Bottom 10 Films of the Year
- 10. Paycheck. I really wanted to like this, but John Woo falls flat, and Ben Affleck's performance doesn't help.
- 9. Alexander. A 3 hour long bore. A real shame, Stone and Farrell are both talented, but they don't take this material anywhere.
- 8. The Forgotten. A really bad X-Files episode with some horrible leaps of logic.
- 7. Eurotrip. I'm insulted.
- 6. Taxi. This was really bad, a shame to as I like both Fallon and Latifah, but they just don't have any worthwhile material.
- 5. The Exorcist: The Beginning. Was this film really necessary? Fails miserably despite a good performance from Stellan Skaarsgarde.
- 4. Darkness. This is an exception, I saw it in '05, but it deserves to be here. There's a reason why it sat on the shelf for three years.
- 3. Godsend. Enough with the creepy kid movies already!
- 2. Christmas with the Kranks. Painfully unfunny. One of the worst Christmas films ever.
- 1. Birth. Now this was a real chore to sit through. Boring, pointless, dull, stupid, you name it, this was by far the worst film I have seen all year.
Top 10 Guilty Pleasures
- 10. Napoleon Dynamite. I still am not sure what the point of this movie was, but I couldn't help but laugh. Funny movie.
- 9. Catwoman. This movie is a box of kitty litter, but it was so bad I started laughing at it, which moved it into this category.
- 8. Chronicles of Riddick. Plenty of squandered opportunity, but still a lot of fun.
- 7. The Punisher. This was fun too, decent over the top action.
- 6. Dawn of the Dead. I actively wanted to hate this, but walked out impressed with how well it turned out.
- 5. Team America: World Police. Marionettes fighting terrorists and cursing, what's not to like.
- 4. Saw. Not without it's flaws, but still one of the better horror films this year.
- 3. Blade: Trinity. Who knew that a Blade film could be so funny? An excellent third chapter.
- 2. Alien vs. Predator. Not nearly what it could have been, but still a decent romp through the combined universes of these two franchises.
- 1. Resident Evil: Apocalypse. This was a blast, completely preposterous, even for a zombie action movie. It was still a lot of fun.
Top 3 Animated Films
- 3. Team America: World Police. Musical cursing marionettes, this was a blast.
- 2. Shrek 2. One of the few sequels that lives up to the original, plus it has Puss n Boots!
- 1. The Incredibles. Amazing film, Brad Bird and Pixar deliver the goods on an animated superhero tale.
Top 3 Documentaries
- 3. Control Room. Fascinating look inside Al Jazeera. Granted, it is peddling it's own brand of propaganda, it is eye opening in it's own right.
- 2. The Corporation. A frightening look inside the roots of the corporation.
- 1. Super Size Me. Morgan Spurlock's fast food binge makes for great entertainment.
Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about entertainment when he isn't sitting in a movie theater. He is known around the office as the "Movie Guy" and is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Interests include science fiction, horror, and metal music. His writings can be found at Draven99's Musings and Draven99's Media Center. 
- The Best and Worst of 2004: My Humble List
- Published: January 03, 2005
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- Section: Video
- Writer: Chris Beaumont
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Thanks!
The 5 star film was The Passion.
As for Sideways, I haven't checked out too many other lists yet, but when I walked out of the theater, I loved how the film seemed to be filled with real world characters in a situation that was more or less realistic, it just struck a chord.
super job of boiling things down and coming to conclusions - thanks Chris!
welcome back, Eric - I guess we'll see more of you hereabouts now?
Thanks Aaman, I am deciding how interesting the many obstacles to my participation in the electronic world over the last 10 days or so would be to hte world at large - I'm sure I'll do something on it
I'm impressed with your incredibly detailed breakdown of the year in film. This list reminds me, above all others, how many fine films I manage to miss annually.
I agree that you should include your star ratings for each film. For instance, I'd like to see where the Surprises and Guilty Pleasures match up against the Best (and Worst).
Eric Berlin
Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash
http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com
Eric,
I'll do that. When I am home at my own PC. If you visit my blog, there is a link on the left side which will show you the complete list of films I have seen. I originally thought about ranking and posting the entire list, but there are so many films in the middle that could go in a variety of directions. Maybe I will post the list with a one line review each?
I think you could do a separate post listing all 100+ movies with a one-line review and your rating. That would be a great way for people to get a quick read on your take from the entire year in film. Personally, I'd like to see your 5 stars, 4.5s, 4s, etc. separated out, then alphabetized.
But that's just the opinion of one (just graduated) academic librarian...
Eric Berlin
Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash
http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com
Congratulations!
I'll be putting something up, keep your eye out!
That's a great roundup! I missed a lot of these movies, but I'll be using this list to help me decide what to try and catch while it's still playing.
Excellent list. I'm in the process of putting my own together. I know how much sweat and blood went into all those stats, man. This isn't a task to be taken lightly. And happy new year and such to you all.
I haven't gotten to start the one line review quick guide to my viewing '04, hopefully by the weekend.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/23859)
Excellent, well-detailed list. Which was the 5-star rated film in your list?
Also, seeing Sideways appear across the board reminds me of A O Scott's gripes about the film in this Sunday's NY Times - he perceives the film as being a critic's favorite because the lead character has the temperament of a critic. He is not a big fan of the film.