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The
Best and Worst Films of 2004
By Marie Asner Here we go again, as film critics around the globe gleefully take to their computers. No, it isn't time to shop on-line, it is time for the annual rite, "The Best and Worst Films of the Year." At this time of the year, critics are either avidly read by their fans or have to resort to elaborate disguises to avoid confrontations. In my humble opinion, it has been a slightly below average year in Hollywood. Oh, there are the usual films (“Spider-Man 2”) that stagger box office minions, but a storyline that grabs you, actors that haunt you and anything meaningful is few and far between. . That’s where your friendly, neighborhood film critic comes in, to help spread the word about the “interesting films.” The following are my Ten Best Films of 2004, followed by the Ten Worst Films, listed in alphabetical order: A Very Long Engagement – A woman’s search for her fiancé’ who didn’t return from WWI is both a story of love and a harrowing story of war. Collateral - Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx played against type to great affect in Michael Mann's tribute to the old "Miami Vice" series. Makes you think twice about whom you share a cab with. Hotel Rwanda - Don Cheadle does wonders as the manager of a hotel swarming with refugees inside, and hostile troops outside. I Am David – Paul Fieg directs a well-chosen cast that includes Ben Tibber and Joan Plowright. The story of a boy escaping from a prison camp and trying to find his family is poignant. Million Dollar Baby – Clint Eastwood does it again in a story of a man with a past who meets a young woman with no future. Ray - This is Jamie Foxx's year as he portrays Ray Charles and does his own keyboards, too. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring - This Korean film is a lovely story of a monk who lives by a lake and the people he meets who venture his way. The Aviator – One would have thought from the title that the film could have been about Charles Lindbergh or Amelia Earhart, but it is Howard Hughes. Leonardo Di Caprio does a fine job as the man who lived life on his own terms The Incredibles - An original story of an animated family of super-heroes who have to go into hiding. For Plastic-Man fans, Elasti-Girl is a good substitute. Vera Drake – Imelda Staunton portrays a woman who helps other women at a time when medical help for poor pregnant women was practically non-existent. Also ran: “The Manchurian Candidate” gave audiences the chance to see that though Angela Lansbury had been the Mom from Hades, Meryl Streep can put her own spin on the role, too. “Beyond the Sea” is Kevin Spacey’s ode to the late Bobby Darin and Spacey did his own singing. “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera” will bring new fans to this popular stage musical with a phantom that can fling a cloak with the best of them. “Zelary” is a film from the Czech republic and shows the life of a spy in hiding. Now come my picks for The Worst Films of 2004. After the Sunset/Ocean’s Twelve –Actors who look as though they are on screen only to get a paycheck, now head for the nearest Exit. Anacondas 2: Hunt For The
Blood Orchid - let's face it, when the orchid steals the film, all is lost.
Around the World in 80 Days – It seemed as though the film went on for 80 days. Who would have thought that Jackie Chan's fight scenes would become monotonous? Birth - Nicole Kidman falling
for a kid who is supposed to be her dead husband? I think not.
I, Robot - Adaptations such as this film turn science fiction fans off, not on. I went to the film, I became roboticized. Saw - Came, saw and went. (see “I, Robot”) Team America: World Police
- Do the creators of "South Park" think they are invincible? The puppets
sent audiences back to "Pinocchio."
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