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Of course, critics do have lots of other options, but they involve foreign films, documentaries, and small, independent works, and writers are loathe to choose those for a variety of reasons. We don't want to seem elitist or out of touch with our readership, we don't have any way of processing those kind of films and, in many cases, we just haven't seen those movies. So we eliminate Dogville (too difficult and long for most readers), Story of the Weeping Camel (our readers didn't see it), Springtime in a Small Town (our readers didn't even hear of it), and Before Sunset (the marketing budget was kind of small, and isn't the main actress French?). And that just leaves us with accessible, middle-brow fare like Sideways and Million Dollar Baby, films that certainly have their strong points but whose obvious flaws should eliminate them from Top 10 lists, much less the tops of those lists.

If this sounds like an attempt to defend my obscure, difficult Top10 of 2004, you're absolutely right. It's the state of film criticism today that I would need to explain my choices this way. A pop music critic wouldn't apologize for ignoring what's on the radio, an art critic wouldn't assume that her readers need to see everything she puts on her list, and a drama critic would never judge a play by how big the theater was. But for reasons too complicated to go into here, everyone assumes that film critics should bow to majority tastes instead of helping people to see their way clear of what's advertised on television. I emphatically reject that paradigm.

So I offer (with only a minimum of apologies), the best movies I saw in 2004. As always, my list is based on films that were shown in the Chicago area and which I saw for the first time. So although Time of the Wolf opened theatrically here in Chicago last summer, I saw it at the Chicago Film Festival in 2003 and included it in last year's list.

1. The Fog of War
The best movie to open in Chicago this year, Errol Morris's spectacular documentary is a film for our time. It alternates interview footage with Robert McNamara and archival material from the middle of the 20th century to provide a sobering meditation on war and human fallibility. Philip Glass's minimalist score perfectly matches Morris's breathtaking editing, and the result is a documentary not to be missed.

2. Simon of the Desert
Doc Films presented an intriguing series last winter called "Crazy in the Desert." The most provocative part of a provocative series was this 1965 Luis Bunuel work. Much of the movie takes place in the desert as a monk attempts to stay true to his vows while being mocked and tempted by the devil. But the last reel transfers the religious antagonists to a New York nightclub for an astounding finale. If you ever have a chance to rent this, do so.

3. The Big Parade
The Gene Siskel Film Center presented its own provocative series in the fall, this one on war movies. The best of a strong bunch was a silent film set in WWI. I actually saw it without any music, but that didn't stop me from enjoying every minute of its 150-minute running time. Director King Vidor's use of space and silent film technique is absolutely brilliant.

4. Dogville 
This only played for two weeks in Chicago earlier this spring, but don't let that fool you. The film, starring Nicole Kidman, is a masterpiece, a political/theological pressure cooker that questions what is at America's core. Director Lars von Trier masterfully puts to use a stark, barren set, and his supporting cast of Lauren Bacall, Philip Baker Hall, and others is fantastic. Don't expect to feel good when you see it, but you'll be thinking about it for months.

5. Wavelength
The best thing I saw in 2004 (by far) was an experimental film program in Toronto. It featured a 30-minute landscape film by Peter Hutton and a famous "installation" work by Anthony McCall. But those don't fit my rules, so instead I'll highlight this structuralist masterpiece by Michael Snow. Shown at Northwestern's Block Cinema, it's merely a 45-minute long take in an open loft that plays with focal length, lighting, and sound. But what Snow communicates about the nature of film is nothing short of revolutionary.

6. Story of the Weeping Camel 
Part documentary, part ethnography, and part fiction, The Story of the Weeping Camel is a thoroughly compelling mix. The opening half of the movie introduces us to the way of a semi-nomadic Mongolian family. As the movie goes on, it focuses more on a mother camel and her estranged colt. The herd of camels assumes a dignity rarely given to animals on screen, and the ritual at the end is simply magical.

7. Springtime in a Small Town
A chamber piece set in 1946 China, this gorgeous little movie portrays a love triangle with such exquisite grace I guarantee you'll like it, no matter what you think of subtitles.

8. Vera Drake
Mike Leigh's beautiful, heart-breaking British drama is the pinnacle of his long, majestic career. Imelda Staunton gives a bravura performance as a middle-aged woman who wants nothing more than to help her family and those around her. But her way of doing that lands her in trouble. That might sound like a movie for the Lifetime network, but don't be fooled. Leigh is at the top of his game.

9. Blissfully Yours / Tropical Malady
These two films--the first in a week-long run at Facets in the summer, the second at the Chicago Film Festival--provided Chicagoans with an introduction to the magical world of Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. His use of lighting and ambient noise is astounding, and his exploration of the jungle (and the jungle inside) is a revelation.

10. The Big Red One
The Music Box brought in the restoration of Sam Fuller's WWII masterpiece earlier this month. For obvious reasons, it was a year for war films, and this one ranks as one of the best.

For those who want to compare my list with other critics' top10s, here are my ten best films released theatrically in 2004: 1. Dogville, 2. Goodbye, Dragon Inn (opens at the Music Box Jan. 7), 3. Time of the Wolf, 4. Story of the Weeping Camel, 5. Springtime in a Small Town, 6. Vera Drake, 7. Blissfully Yours, 8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 9. Before Sunset, 10. Badasssss!

Other highly worthy movies of 2004 include: Distant, Finding Neverland, The Five Obstructions, Hard Goodbyes, Jersey Girl, The Motorcycle Diaries, Oasis, The Return, S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, and The Saddest Music in the World.