The directors cut of 'DD" was different, to the original.

More movie is about all.

But more of "Donnie....." is a good thing.

I still think that it needs to be approached through the original, but it was a way to slip it into my top movies.

As for "Heckboy", the first 10 minutes is excrutiating, but then it's just fun, fun, fun.

It had a great sense of humour to me, something lacking in all those oh so serious new angst ridden dark heros.

Well, I guess every movie on my list gets knocked down a notch. Sideways now becomes my second fav of the year.

Million Dollar Baby is the best movie of the year. My eyes haven't been glued to the silver screen in years. Eastwood/Freeman out due their cool, calm and collective selves from 92's Unforgiven and Eastwood delivers a knockout punch at the end of the movie that left me breathless...even after the music for the credits started rolling. Wow. Great, old-time story telling and the best screenplay written of the year. Should sweep like Silence of the Lambs, but it won't. Shame.

I can credibly update my list of my faves of 2004. I've still yet to see Sideways and Million Dollar Baby (which I want to like if ONLY because of the right-wing criticism of the film's message...Debbie Schlussel's rampage against the movie is laughable), nor have I seen Ray or Kinsey or The Aviator (but I'm not a fan of the biopic, so I think that's a wash), but I'm pretty happy with my list:

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Garden State
3. Shaun of the Dead
4. Dawn of the Dead
5. Harry Potter 3
6. Saved!
7. Super Size Me
8. Kill Bill 2
9. Open Water
10. Mean Girls
11. Collateral
12. Napoleon Dynamite

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philosopherEric,

quote:

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Million Dollar Baby (which I want to like if ONLY because of the right-wing criticism of the film's message...Debbie Schlussel's rampage against the movie is laughable)

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I haven't seen the movie but Debbie really makes me want to catch it as well. [QUOTE] “Million Dollar Baby” will win the Oscar because it supports killing the handicapped, literally putting their lights out... But they’ve (The Critics) been defrauded, manipulated into what appears to be “The Champ” with estrogen, but is really a promotional ad for the Netherland’s euthanasia policy.[/QUOTE] What does boxing have to do with any of that? Maybe she was high when she saw the movie, or maybe she is so doubtful of her opinions that any movie that challences them makes her despise it.

BTW, your list is fair, I would have tweaked it a bit, but overall very good.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philosopherEric,

quote:

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Million Dollar Baby” will win the Oscar because it supports killing the handicapped, literally putting their lights out... But they’ve (The Critics) been defrauded, manipulated into what appears to be “The Champ” with estrogen, but is really a promotional ad for the Netherland’s euthanasia policy.

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You have to have seen the movie to know what that means. It kind of spoils the movie though.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philosopherEric,

Mike:

I blacked out Schlussel's spoiler of the film's story, for those who were unaware...I got yelled at by someone in my ethics reading group yesterday because I let that part of the plotline slip. Oops. It was relevant to the discussion, but still...OOPS!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philosopherEric,

I don't mind PE. But I really have to ask, I have noticed "Napolean Dynamite" in a couple people's list, what makes it so good? I watched it and was basically bored the entire movie. It was:
1. Sophomoric
2. Moronic
3. Pointless
4. Plotless
5. All of the above

I'm not sure if the acting was good because I am not sure what they were supposed to be acting like. I suppose this is just one of those things that I just don't "Get."

By the way, I would probably put "Ray" at number three, that is final.

I can't remember whether I've replied to this thread yet, and I don't care to check right now, but I don't think I have.

I'm still sticking with Garden State. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is probably a close second. I might even rate Spiderman 2 in third place.

Edit: Also...

quote:

Originally posted by storm_chaser:

As for "Heckboy", the first 10 minutes is excrutiating, but then it's just fun, fun, fun.

I thought almost the opposite of Hellboy. It was fun to begin with (well, perhaps not the very first scene), but it fell apart badly towards the end. If anything, though, I was pleasantly surprised by how good most of the movie was, rather than being disappointed by the poor bits.

Poor bits? What poor bits? The first 10 minutes was necessary for setting up the movie...it doesn't have to hold your complete interest. The rest of the movie (no scene excused) was perfect for the movies style. You could call it a little formulaic, but I'm sure that a Demon superhero is enough to make up for any unoriginality it may carry.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike:
I don't mind PE. But I really have to ask, I have noticed "Napolean Dynamite" in a couple people's list, what makes it so good? I watched it and was basically bored the entire movie. It was:
1. Sophomoric
2. Moronic
3. Pointless
4. Plotless
5. All of the above

I'm not sure if the acting was good because I am not sure what they were supposed to be acting like. I suppose this is just one of those things that I just don't "Get."

By the way, I would probably put "Ray" at number three, that is final.

I know a lot of people who didn't get Napolean. I'm not sure what I liked so much about it...I think it was the general absurdity. It reminded me of the late, great "Freaks and Geeks" on FOX.

I've tried to defend it to people who hated it, and I can't. If you didn't think it was funny or clever, I can understand that.

I didn't think it was sophomoric...there were no fart jokes or poop jokes or any of the teen-sex comedy jokes. It was about being a social outcast, and the sad humor that follows from that.

As for being "plotless"...I don't mind slice-of-life movies that don't have heavy-handed plots. In fact, I prefer them...

quote:

Originally posted by Nickel-Z:
Poor bits? What poor bits? The first 10 minutes was necessary for setting up the movie...it doesn't have to hold your complete interest. The rest of the movie (no scene excused) was perfect for the movies style. You could call it a little formulaic, but I'm sure that a Demon superhero is enough to make up for any unoriginality it may carry.

Then there was the last half-hour of the movie, where things really started to fall to pieces.Big squid God comes out of nowhere! Hellboy kills it in two minutes with grenade belt! The End.
There was just no sense of a proper conclusion in the end, which is why I didn't like it. But a solid movie otherwise.

I have been impressed with many films in 2004 and in my oppinion, ranks in joint first place with 1995 as the best year for films. Oldboy, Eternal Sunshine, Dogville, Collateral, I Robot, LOTR 3, Garden State..... the list goes on.......

Eternal Sunshine, hands down. Probably best thing I've seen in a while