The Year was 2004.
Motorola released the Razr flip phone, The Facebook launched at Harvard to rave reviews and everyone was rocking a yellow LIVESTRONG bracelet. Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings finale was cleaning up at the Academy Awards, Green Day made a major commercial comeback and you couldn’t turn a corner without seeing a World of Warcraft billboard.
I watched 119 films for 2004, ranging from the best, to the worst to the absolute mediocre. Here, I rank my personal Top 10, my least favorite and a few honorable mentions of the year. So, grab your iPOD mini, put on your VOTE FOR PEDRO t-shirt and write all this down in your Burn Book. This…is 2004!
Author’s Note: These are just my opinions. Friendly and respectable discourse is always welcome. Also, minor spoilers, of course.
Full List on Letterboxd.
Song to Blast: Mr. Brightside by The Killers
10. Dawn of the Dead
Starring: Ving Rhames, Sarah Polley, Ty Burrell, Jake Weber, Mehki Phifer,
Directed by: Zack Snyder (written by James Gunn)
Where to Watch: Most Rental Platforms
George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead is a masterpiece of horror cinema. Remakes are a dime a dozen and less likely to be as good. However, the 2004 Dawn of the Dead is a different beast. It’s fast-paced, action packed and filled with so many twists and turns, you swear you’re getting whiplash. The opening sequence is an all-timer and it doesn’t let up from there. Plus, we get an epic cover of “Down with the Sickness” by Richard Cheese. I’m not a huge Snyder fan, but he knocked it out of the park here. Good luck surviving!
9. Miracle
Starring: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich
Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Where to Watch: Disney+ (Sub.), Most Rental Platforms
Anyone who knows me knows that ice hockey is my favorite sport. Every aspect of the game intrigues me. I became a hockey fan because of The Mighty Ducks as a child but Miracle is far and away the greatest hockey film, if not one of the greatest sports films, of all time. The Miracle on Ice is legendary, as everyone knew the Soviet team was taking gold. The US had something to say about it and this film chronicles the genesis of the team, each and every practice and each player who had a role in winning Gold in 1980. Kurt Russell gives an epic performance (he is also my favorite actor) and unleashes a fury that is rarely seen from his cool demeanor. The hockey action is top notch. This film FEELS like a hockey game, it FEELS like 1980. This movie is guaranteed to make anyone on the fence a fan of the game.
8. The Aviator
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Ian Holm, Danny Huston, Gwen Stefani, Adam Scott, Willem Dafoe, Brent Spiner.
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Where to Watch: Most Rental Platforms
Filmmaking. Aviation. War. These three ideas make up a very good, very long Scorsese flick about Howard Hughes. Capturing his life of 20 years (from 1927-1947), The Aviator delves into almost every aspect of Hughes life. Like every Scorsese picture, this film looks amazing, it feels amazing. DiCaprio gives a very insane portrayal of Hughes, smart, devious, maniacal. Cate Blanchett kills it as Katharine Hepburn, which your mileage may vary on depending on how annoying you find Hepburn. What works best about The Aviator, however, is how it tells a story of this man without trying to make him a wonderful person (looking at you, modern biopics). He’s flawed but it’s hard not to appreciate his brilliance through the flaws.
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
Where to Watch: Most Rental Platforms, MAX.
My favorite Harry Potter book makes the list as my favorite Harry Potter movie. While The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets are both very good, very faithful adaptations of the source material, Prisoner takes the series to a whole new level. Bringing in a new director and slightly changing the source material to better fit a more cinematic experience was an excellent idea. Alfonso Cuarón was able to bring out the best in Radcliffe, Grint and Watson, while further expanding on established veterans such as Smith, Rickman and Coltrane. The addition of Gary Oldman as well as Michael Gambon taking over for the late, great Richard Harris paid off in spades. This film is dark, grizzly and intense, a well made flick from beginning to end.
6. Shaun of the Dead
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Bill Nighy
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Where to Watch: Most Rental Platforms, Peacock
Come on, you knew this was going to be on the list. The best zombie movie of 2004 (sorry Dawn), Shaun of the Dead is a perfect horror comedy, mixing the laughs with the blood perfectly. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost offer a ton of laugh out loud moments as the slackers Shaun and Ed. Their antics mixed with a zombie apocalypse make you believe any old idiot can survive in a time like this. This is a classic, with every known viewer wanting to have a pint at The Winchester or bash some brains in during a Queen song. Insanely quotable, over the top violence and a lot of heart are all reasons why Shaun is here.
5. Collateral
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Mark Ruffalo, Jada Pinkett Smith, Javier Bardem, Jason Statham
Directed by: Michael Mann
Where to Watch: Paramount+ (Sub.), Most Rental Platforms
Let your bias for Tom Cruise go and watch this damn movie! The number of people I have heard say they refuse to watch any of his films (which is silly, because a ton are bangers) because he’s a bad actor blows my mind, none more so than Collateral, one most people, sadly, haven’t even heard of. This is an epic thriller about a cab driver (Fox) forced to take a hitman (Cruise) on a joyride as he works out his contracts. The moment Cruise enters Fox’s cab, he puts on the charm and the film never lets up on the gas pedal. You wonder every second IF Fox will survive, how he’ll get out of this and if the citizens of L.A. will be casualties in this war. This film is smart, crafty and violent, easily keeping your attention with each twist and turn.
4. Before Sunset
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Where to Watch: Hoopla (Library Card), Most Rental Platforms
If you read my 2013 list, you’d see that I absolutely adored the third film in this trilogy, Before Midnight. It took the number two spot, after all. Before Sunset might actually be my favorite film in this series. Nine years after they first met, Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpe) meet again whilst Jesse is on a book tour. The rest of the film follows them in real time, as they talk about how their lives have gone, all while Jesse needs to make it to the airport in an hour. Much like its successor (and predecessor), Sunset is all dialogue, all substance, as we get to further know these two characters who fell in love all those years ago. We fall in love with them all over again, while also being upset they have lives that don’t revolve around each other. The Before series is a constant reminder that love is never easy, and we must fight for it everyday. You bet your ass the first film in this trilogy will be appearing next year on my 1995 list (spoilers, i know)!
3. Spider-Man 2
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Where to Watch: Disney+ (Sub.), Most Rental Platforms
In 2024, it’s very rare to hear a ton of love for a superhero movie. The market has been saturated to the point that it causes annoyance among both casual moviegoers and cinephiles. In 2004, however, you were hard pressed to find anyone who wasn’t enjoying Spider-Man 2 in the cinema. A true masterclass of filmmaking, marketing and familiarity with the first film, Spider-Man 2 takes The Dark Knight approach of improving upon each and every aspect of its predecessor (and it did it four years earlier)! Whether it be the effects, the badass train fight sequence, the storyline developments of heartbreak and betrayal, Spider-Man 2 is awesome from beginning to end, shattering any illusion that the first was just a fluke. Tobey Maguire is the best he’s ever been and the nods to certain comic book moments make for a wonderful flick for hardcore comic fans and casuals alike.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Where to Watch: Most Rental Platforms
You will not find a more heartbreaking film on this list. You might not find a more heartbreaking film ever. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will change you upon first viewing. The film feels you with so many different emotions, changing your psyche throughout its entire runtime. It’s a choose your own adventure of sorts once those end credits roll. I have never had a flick make me so happy and so sad at the same damn time. Whether it be the earnestness of Jim Carrey, the aloofness of Kate Winslet or the dark whimsy of the script, Eternal Sunshine speaks columns in every aspect of its filmmaking. You laugh. You cry. You get angry. All of these are okay and writer Charlie Kaufman knows how to manipulate them out of you. It’s a SHAME this flick was only nominated for TWO Academy Awards.
1. The Incredibles
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by: Brad Bird
Where to Watch: Disney+ (Sub.), Most Rental Platforms
I don’t think this is a controversial opinion, but it is always fun to say: The Incredibles is the best Fantastic Four film we’ve ever gotten. Pixar truly knocked it out of the park here, creating a superhero family so cool, so beloved, it has lived on for over 20 years near, if not the top, of most Pixar lists. With great vocal performances from everyone involved, stunning visuals and an, ahem, incredible story, The Incredibles is the type of family film that every age group can latch onto and find something to love. The characters are wonderful, the comedy is perfect and the last impact speaks for itself. While I tinker with a lot of my rankings for these lists, I knew exactly what would be number one when I started 2004. I would say to watch this if you haven’t seen it yet, but I don’t think anyone hasn’t!
Honorable Mentions
Ray, Shrek 2, Mean Girls, The Notebook, Napoleon Dynamite, Finding Neverland, Saw, Saved!, Hellboy, Club Dread
Documentary Spotlight
Fahrenheit 9/11, dir. Michael Moore
A takedown of the post 9/11 war and the George W. Bush administration.
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, dir. By Kevin Burns
A comprehensive look at the Original Star Wars trilogy.
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, dir. Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger
A peak behind the scenes of Metallica, as they create their new album, which sucks.
Super Size Me, dir. Morgan Spurlock
RIP. A look into McDonald’s and its effects on the human body and psyche. RIP Morgan Spurlock
Not Listed
Crash (released wide 2005), Howl’s Moving Castle (released wide 2005), Kung Fu Hustle (released wide 2005), Layer Cake (released wide 2005)
Worst Film of Year
The Passion of the Christ
Starring: Jim Caviezel
Directed by: Mel Gibson
Where to Watch: Most Rental Platforms
Freedom of Religion is one of the country’s greatest ideals, but dude…this movie is torture for more than the titular character. I don’t subscribe to Catholicism anymore, but when I did go to Catholic school, we were taught to love and respect Jesus. This is far worse for the psyche and mind’s of children, yet people took their kids to see this snuff film in DROVES. It drives me nuts that slasher films and the like (such as Saw, released the same year) were lauded as damaging to people, but this got a pass. Watch the South Park episode on the subject for better clarity and stay away from this monstrosity.
Honorable Mentions
Home on the Range, Catwoman, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, Garfield, Taxi, Species III
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