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# It was the best of films, it was the worst
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/it-was-the-best-of-films-it-was-the-worst/
- Published: 2004-12-31T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T05:55:19.000Z
- Author: Dan Dunn
- Tags: Opinion, Venice, #archive-import

You know what’s coming, doncha? Of course you do. You understand that newspapers are obligated by custom to end each calendar year with a barrage of lists concerning everything from fashion to politics to Ben Affleck’s girlfriends. Though I haven’t been keeping abreast of Ben’s love life, I was fortunate to have survived “Surviving Christmas.” Also wasted was two hours of semi-consciousness earlier this year enduring “13 Going on 30” with Jennifer Garner, who is rumored to be Affleck’s latest nuzzle-buddy … again, not that I care about that sort of stuff or anything.

The aforementioned clunkers are but two of many motion pictures to garner mention in the following lists — this popcorn-weary observer’s take on the year that was in cinema. There are potentially list-worthy films that have been omitted simply because I never got around to seeing them. These include “Hotel Rwanda,” “We Don’t Live Here Anymore,” “Maria Full of Grace” and “Vera Drake,” to name a few that are highly regarded. I didn’t catch “Alexander” or “Christmas with the Kranks” either, and for that, as many of my fellow critics will no doubt attest, I should be most thankful. So here’s how it went down on the big screen in 2004: FAVORITE MOVIES 1\. Finding Neverland — Peter Pan is 100 years old this month, and it’s hard to imagine a more transcendent tribute to that milestone than this profoundly moving film, which is sure to unlock even the most immured imagination. 2\. Sideways — Raise a glass (anything but merlot!) to this oenophilic triumph from the talented Alexander Payne, who may very well be America’s most provocative storyteller. 3\. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — From the fertile imagination of Charlie Kaufman comes a reality-bending bizarro dramedy in the spirit of Godard that is alternately sweet and hilarious. 4\. Spider-man 2 — The best comic book flick of all time. 5\. Million Dollar Baby — This baby’s worth every penny. 6\. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou — The ne plus ultra of whimsical cerebration from Wes Anderson. 7\. The Aviator — Ought to be on everyone’s list this holiday season; the second-best biopic Scorsese has helmed, behind the exalted “Raging Bull.” 8\. The Incredibles — Boasts the total package: Great cast, invigorating storytelling, state-of-the-art 3-D animation and, best of all, that elusive quality known as movie magic. 9\. Ray — An instant inductee into the pantheon of great biographic movies. 10\. Kill Bill, Volume 2 — Tarantino silences critics (this one included) with the conclusion of his martial arts opus. 11\. Fahrenheit 9/11 — The propaganda film that almost changed a nation. 12\. Garden State — This funny and heartfelt release was a welcome diversion from all the cacophonous noise at the multiplex last summer. 13\. Kinsey — Captivating biopic about a sexual revolutionary that feels particularly relevant in these retrogressive times. 14\. House of Flying Daggers — Chinese director Zhang Yimou bests his only other foray into the martial arts genre, “Hero.” 15\. Baadasssss! — Has the raw look and feel that marked the coolest flicks the blaxploitation era had to offer.

Honorable mention: “Before Sunset,” “Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle,” “Miracle,” “Birth,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” “Touching the Void” and “Riding Giants.”

BEST MALE PERFORMANCES 1\. Paul Giamatti, “Sideways” 2\. Johnny Depp, “Neverland” 3\. Clint Eastwood, “Million Dollar Baby” 4\. Jamie Foxx, “Ray” 5\. Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Aviator” 6\. Thomas Haden Church, “Sideways” 7\. Bill Murray, “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” 8\. Liam Neeson, “Kinsey” 9\. Jim Carrey, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” 10\. Kevin Bacon, “The Woodsman” 11\. Mario Van Peebles “Baadasssss” 12\. Clive Owen, “Closer” 13\. Tom Cruise, “Collateral” 14\. Al Pacino, “The Merchant of Venice” 15\. Tobey Maguire, “Spider-man 2”

Honorable mention: George W. Bush, “Fahrenheit 9/11;” Kurt Russell, “Miracle”

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCES 1\. Hilary Swank, “Million Dollar Baby” 2\. Kate Winslet, “Finding Neverland,”

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” 3\. Uma Thurman, “Kill Bill, Volume 2” 4\. Kerry Washington, “Ray” 5\. Virginia Madsen, “Sideways” 6\. Cate Blanchett, “The Aviator” 7\. Nicole Kidman, “Birth” 8\. Naomi Watts, “I Heart Huckabees” 9\. Bryce Dallas Howard, “The Village” 10\. Natalie Portman, “Closer” 11\. Julie Delpy, “Before Sunrise” 12\. Sandra Oh, “Sideways” 13\. Kyra Sedgwick, “The Woodsman” 14\. Lynn Collins, “The Merchant of Venice” 15\. Daryl Hannah, “Kill Bill, Volume 2”

THEY SAID IT 1\. (re: Katie Holmes’ breasts) “You know the Holocaust? Picture the exact opposite of that.” — David Krumholtz as Goldstein in “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” 2\. “I’m a killer. A murdering bastard, you know that. And there are consequences to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard.” — David Carradine as Bill in “Kill Bill, Volume 2” 3\. “No, if anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any merlot!” — Paul Giamatti as Miles Raymond in “Sideways” 4\. “Young boys should never be sent to bed. They always wake up a day older.” — Johnny Depp as J.M. Barrie in “Finding Neverland” 5\. “I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you (brandishes a golf club). Now, watch this drive.” — George W. Bush in “Fahrenheit 9/11” 6\. “Love is the answer, isn’t it? But sex raises a lot of very interesting questions.” — Liam Neeson as Alfred Kinsey in “Kinsey” 7\. “There’s magic of fighting battles beyond endurance. It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.” — Morgan Freeman as Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris in “Million Dollar Baby” 8\. (to cute girl) “I like your sleeves. They’re real big.” — Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite in “Napoleon Dynamite” 9\. (to his dog) “You’re so wise. You're like a miniature Buddha, covered with hair.” — Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy in “Anchorman” 10\. “I’m OK with being unimpressive. I sleep better.” — Peter Sarsgaard as Mark in “Garden State LEAST FAVORITE FILMS 1\. “Catwoman” 2\. “Garfield” 3\. “Surviving Christmas” 4\. “New York Minute” 5\. “Taxi” 6\. “Dogville” 7\. “White Chicks” 8\. “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” 9\. “Taking Lives” 10\. “Torque”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 31, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/123104.pdf?ref=smdp.com)