Flipside Movie Emporium

[Danny Baldwin]

[the night watchman]

[matt header]

I posted a random list on this post before of great movies from the year I remembered off the top of my head. After going over the movies I saw this year a bit more carefully, here it is! My favorites and least favorites of the year.

The Best

1. Hero (dir. Zhang Yimou)

2. Before Sunset (dir. Richard Linklater)

3. The Five Obstructions (dirs. Lars von Trier & Jorgen Leth)

4. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (dirs. Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky)

5. Spring Summer Fall Winter...and Spring (dir. Ki-duk Kim)

6. Goodbye, Lenin! (dir. Wolfgang Becker)

7. Coffee and Cigarettes (dir. Jim Jarmusch)

8. The Saddest Music in the World (dir. Guy Maddin)

9. The Brown Bunny (dir. Vincent Gallo)

10. Kill Bill Volume 2 (dir. Quentin Tarantino)

11. Mean Creek (dir. Jacob Aaron Estes)

12. Control Room (dir. Jehane Noujaim)

13. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (dir. Michel Gondry)

14. Time of the Wolf (dir. Michael Haneke)

15. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (dir. Alfonso Cuaron)

16. The Twilight Samurai (dir. Yoji Yamada)

17. Moolade (dir. Ousmane Sembene)

18. The Manchurian Candidate (dir. Jonathan Demme)

The Worst

1. After the Sunset (dir. Brett Ratner)

2. What the Bleep Do We Know? (dirs. William Arntz, Betsy Chasse & Mark Vicente)

3. The Alamo (dir. John Lee Hancock)

4. Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie (dir. Hatsuki Tsuji)

5. The Passion of the Christ (dir. Mel Gibson)

6. Love Me If You Dare (dir. Yann Samuell)

7. Taxi (dir. Tim Story)

8. The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (dir. Takeshi Kitano)

9. The Polar Express (dir. Robert Zemeckis)

10. Enduring Love & The Mother (dir. Roger Michell)

Most Overrated: The Motorcycle Diaries & Kinsey

Most Underrated: Silver City
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"I don't like talking to people I know, but strangers I have no problem with." -- Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

[beltmann]

We definitely do share movie tastes, Matt, although I'd replace Kinsey with Goodbye, Lenin! on your overrated list. I felt bad composing my list before seeing Time of the Wolf, but it arrived from Netflix today. I'm looking forward to it.

And I understand that some academic congratulations are in order, too!
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[beltmann]

I suppose I ought to actually list mine:

1. Before Sunset

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

3. Head-On

4. The Corporation and The Yes Men (tie)

5. The Saddest Music in the World

6. Hero and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (tie)

7. Death in Gaza

8. The Five Obstructions

9. Moolade

10. Collateral

The Next Fifteen: The Aviator; Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary; The Incredibles; Touching the Void; Spider-Man 2; Sideways; Yossi & Jagger; Broken Wings; Osama; Springtime in a Small Town; Shaun of the Dead; Merci!; Tokyo Godfathers; We Don't Live Here Anymore; Kinsey.

Guilty Pleasures: I, Robot; Jersey Girl; The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra; Saved!; Secret Window.

Most Overrated: Control Room; Jap?n; Since Otar Left; The Story of the Weeping Camel; Tarnation.

The Ten Worst: Anatomy of Hell; Eurotrip; The Girl Next Door; I Heart Huckabees; The Ladykillers; Love Me If You Dare; Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow; Soul Plane; 10 on Ten; Twentynine Palms.

A few comments are posted elsewhere.

Eric
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Monkeypox]

[mfritschel]

The thing with Miracle was it just enthralled me so much the first time viewing, and I still get goosebumps and am completely sucked in, even after a repeated viewing. I remeber seeing it the same weekend as I saw City of God and just being totally sucked in by Miracle and having a real blah reaction to the other.

[matt header]

I hope you like Time of the Wolf, Mr. B. I've seen four films by Michael Haneke now and I think every one is truly fantastic; I'm convinced he's one of the most striking, important directors working today.

I have to say I had little desire to see Miracle when it first came out, but I'll have to pick it up sometime soon; I generally trust you Flipside folks more than most critics, and it's certainly gotten a warm response here on the website.

[beltmann]

[Fred C. Dobbs]

Here's a column I just finished writing for my school newspaper. Let me know what you think:

Best Films of 2004 --

It happens every year. Towards the end of December, an onslaught of critic?s top ten favorite films of the year are released. For the first time in a long while, I actually had a lot of trouble creating my top ten list for 2004. There were so many great films released in 2004, and I still have over 30 that I want to see. I?d go as far to say that 2004 is the best year in film since I?ve been born (1987). With that said I figure I will break tradition and do a top 11 list for 2004. Enjoy.

11. Collateral (Mann) ? A terrific, documentary-style crime noir from Michael Mann. Los Angeles never looked better, thanks to Mann?s beautiful soft-focus photography. Jamie Foxx steals the show, and Tom Cruise goes against type, and makes a surprisingly effective villain.

10. The Motorcycle Diaries (Salles) ? Mark my words: Gael Garcia Bernal is going to be huge. For my money, he?s the most talented young actor right now. His portrayal of Ernesto ?Che? Guevara is believable and is one of the best performances of the year. The cinematography Eric Gautier is the best I?ve seen this year. Regardless of your feelings of Guevara, this is ultimately a film about friendship and humanity, not politics.

09. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (Anderson) ? I?m not a big Wes Anderson fan. In fact, the only other Anderson film I really like is The Royal Tenenbaums, and even that film has its flaws. Combining excellent set design with a great soundtrack and fleshed-out characters (finally, Wes!) The Life Aquatic is one of the most enjoyable films of the year.

08. The Aviator (Scorsese) ? Although I don?t think Gangs of New York is nearly as bad as people say, everyone can admit Scorsese had been in a slump since Goodfellas. The Aviator is great return to form for Scorsese, and a great look at obsession and the eccentric nature of Howard Hughes. Leonardo DiCaprio proves he really has acting chops; his portrayal of Howard Hughes is damn near brilliant. Cate Blanchett is great as Kate Hepburn, as well. While the film is a tad overlong, Scorsese proves he?s still got it.

07. Fahrenheit 9/11 (Moore) ? Despite political persuasion, Moore?s documentary is one of the most entertaining, thoughtful, and exciting films of the year. A real landmark movie and one I?ll be revisiting for years to come.

06. Sideways (Payne) ? What?s to say about this film that?s already been said? It?s a wonderful, intelligent comedy about the value of friendship and love. There?s such chemistry between Thomas Hayden-Church and Paul Giamatti, it?s a shame the academy doesn?t give awards to duos.

05. Shaun of the Dead (Wright) ? A loving tribute to George Romero and the horror genre. This film is a dream come true for me, with one of the best ensemble casts of the year. It?s scary, funny, romantic, and dramatic all at the same time and it doesn?t come off as ridiculous whatsoever.

04. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry) ? Simply put, visually and thematically, this is a beautiful film. It?s a surreal look at love and memories, and one of the most unforgettable (pardon the bad pun) films of the year.

03. Ray (Hackford) ? Jamie Foxx turns in the best performance of the year. He just melts into the role of Ray Charles, you don?t even recognize him. This is truly a once in a lifetime role for Foxx. This film moved me to tears, and that hardly ever happens with me. A fitting tribute to one of the best musicians ever.

02. Kill Bill: Volume 2 (Tarantino) ? Tarantino blends great, well-developed characters with amazing action scenes. David Carradine turns in one of the best performances in any Tarantino film. Bill is a really awful person, but by the end of the film, he?s got your sympathy. That?s real filmmaking for you.

01. Baadsssss! (Van Peebles) ? Not just the best film of the year, but one of the best films I?ve ever seen. It?s a funny, soulful, lyric look at what I consider to be the second most important film ever made, Sweet Sweetback?s Baadasssss Song! (Citizen Kane is the first, by the way). Whatever you have to do to see this, do so. Oh, and thank me.

Worst: Saw & The Butterfly Effect. Rancid, inept, and ridiculous.

Films I missed, but wanted to see: 2046, Hotel Rwanda, Million Dollar Baby, Mooladde, Code 46, Haute Tension, Undertow, I?m Not Scared, I?ll Sleep When I?m Dead, Bad Education, Mean Creek, The Five Obstructions, A Very Long Engagment, Twilight Samurai.
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"Pino, fuck you, fuck your fuckin' pizza, and fuck Frank Sinatra."

[the night watchman]

Good list. I liked Baadasssss! quite a bit, but wasn't as blown away by it as mush as some were. Still, there's more than enought reasons to recommend it, especially if you're interested in the filmmaking process.

I agree with your assessment about the craftsmanship and entertainment value of Fahrenheit 9/11, and I think it soars when focuses its attention on the toll endured by the families of lost soldiers. Now, if only Moore would have included a little more substance to his conspiracy theory...

I'm looking forward to Haute Tension, too. I hope it lives up to the hype it's been getting.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

-David Cronenberg

[Fred C. Dobbs]

Revamped the list after seeing a bunch of films theatrically this weekend. Here goes...

BAADASSSSS!

KILL BILL: VOL. 2

RAY

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

HOTEL RWANDA

BAD EDUCATION

SHAUN OF THE DEAD

SIDEWAYS

FAHRENHEIT 9/11

MILLION DOLLAR BABY

THE AVIATOR

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

COLLATERAL

A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT
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"Pino, fuck you, fuck your fuckin' pizza, and fuck Frank Sinatra."

[Mark Dujsik]

I posted my list today:

Mark's 10 Best Films of 2004
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"Film lovers are sick people."

--Francois Truffaut

10 Best Films of 2006

Mark Reviews Movies

[Danny Baldwin]

See, Beltmann! Somebody else digs THE GIRL NEXT DOOR enough to put it on their list!
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Danny Baldwin

View My Reviews

[Mark Dujsik]