The Year That Was: Movies

[Easy Mac]

The 2nd part of our X part series on the things that were in 2004. This thread we tackle the subject of movies. I thought it was a pretty down year for movies this year. I generally didn't really like them. I didn't see any of the blockbusters, and really don't feel wrong about it. I didn't like the first Spiderman, so I really didn't care if I missed it. I can do without seeing Brad Pitt and Colin Farrell rubbing on men, so stayed away from those. Here are the 15 (or so) movies I saw this year, with a short blurb and review.

Shrek 2 - 2 hours of me wanting to rip out my spleen. D
The Passion of the Christ - 2 Hours of me watching someone's spleen being ripped out. A powerful movie, but not an overly good one. C+
The Day After Tomorrow - A powerful storm movie, and a powerful bore. D+
50 First dates - I kept forgetting that I was watching the finishing touches to Adam Sandler's career. Was this really the same guy who used to make funny movies? D
Farenheit 9/11 - Speaking of funny movies, I laughed at this one, though I didn't find it particularly insightful. It was nice fluff. C
Dodgeball - It was nice seeing guys getting hit in the fluff. Nice random Lance Armstrong cameo. Bad movie, its like Vaughn sleepwalked through it. C-
Along Came Polly - Another horrible rom-com, with Stiller not even funny any more. D
Anchorman - Funniest movie since Old School, I won't even debate it. Good cameo's, good comedians, good sex panther. A+
The Terminal - Not bad, not great, HOT CATHERINE ZETA JONES. B-
Miracle - A good sports movie, tugs on the heart. B
Dawn of the Dead - A good zombie movie. Saw it on Easter, so it gets a + bonus. B- (instead of C+)
The Butterfly Effect - An interesting concept, a not poor job by Ashton Kutcher, unfortunately not a good movie. C-
13 Going on 30 - The Jennifer Garner is hot train was never stationed in my bed. D-
Ocean's 12 - I liked it, one of my favorites of the year. I was glad it was not a carbon copy of the 1st. Would have been A- if not for Julia Horseface. B+
Win A Date with Tad Hamilton - Topher Grace is cool... he should be the next Tom Hanks... unfortunately this wasn't the best movie. D+
Wimbledon - Not a bad rom-com, it was set in a sports backdrop. Not too shabby. B-
Super Size Me - It was what it was... I wish it were a little groser. C-

Overall, i thought it was about a C or C- year in movies. The only standouts were Anchorman and Ocean's 12. Hopefully next year will be better.

Your thought on the year in movies.

[duckman]

The Bourne Supremacy is a very good film. They did a good job with continuing the story.

[Yossarian]

i liked bourne supremacy. My gf nearly stopped us watching it after the

SPOILER


girl gets creamed. she thought it was really unfair. SHe used to also hate it when i'd randomly kill the women in GTA.

/SPOILER

[QuikSand]

I didn't see too many movies this year, but my favorite was Sidways. I suspect I'll have something to root for come Oscar night.

I also really, really liked Shrek 2.

[Yossarian]

the increadibles was great...

[oliegirl]

The Incredibles and Shrek 2 were both awesome, the child has Shrek 2 under the tree along with Spiderman 2 which was also enjoyable but I didn't like it as much as the first one. I thought Troy was good, yes - the Brad Pitt thing did help, but I liked the way the story was portrayed and it was entertaining.

I've seen most of the movies on the list Easy Mac posted and would agree with it for the most part. I thought Along came Polly had it's moments - Hank Azaria was very funny, but it was predictable and had long stretches with nothing to laugh at.

I am excited to see The Aviator and Beyond the Sea, both look really good :)

[Chief Rum]

My movies and a quick review of my take on them. Listed in order I saw them (or best I could estimate).

Miracle-- I think Kurt Russell was terrific as Herb Brooks, and although the movie was clichéed, that was okay, because the general storyline, of course, was true to what happened. :) The action on the ice was well done, and the teary, dramatic parts were taken just far enough to get maximum effect without going overboard into ridiculous melodrama. A good time (especially as a hockey fan). A-

Hidalgo-- I loved the action int he previews, and it had Aragorn in it. What's not to like? :) Seriosuly, though, while I did like the action scenes, this one just wasn't very compelling for me. I was hoping to have an adventure, but found it be too much of a character study and drawn out at times. The exotic setting, the cool horse and the action scenes raise it up, but only to average. C

Walking Tall-- Never saw the original (a running theme in this post, you will see). I think The Rock works great as an action hero type, and I enjoyed the movie he did last fall with Stiffler. This one wasn't as good as that one, unfortunately. Decent enough action, but never really felt about caring too much for the characters involved. C

Hellboy-- I knew I was going to see a clunker when I saw this, and I wasn't disappointed. The effects were pretty neat, and robot Nazi guy was bad ass, but this was mostly just a bad action film. D+

Troy-- They really screwed the pooch on relating this one to Homer's original, but I felt the fight scenes were well done and that it was well acted. Decent enough popcorn flick. C

The Day After Tomorrow-- Riddled with clichés and very predictable, acting wasn't terrific, and the obvious political message was almost painfully driven into your head. That said, I am a sucker for a decent rescue story, and I love seeing mass destruction. Oh, yeah, and that Emily Rossum is a hotty. Great effects. C

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban-- I have never read the books (I know, what a monster I am), but I know a whole bunch of people who go gaga for these things. I think, though, I actually enjoyed this one better than they did (for they know things that were left out from the book), and I felt it was better done and darker than the first two. But I have a bias against kids' movies, and this one was decidedly more adult than the first two. B+

Chronicles of Riddick-- Liked seeing Vin in my favorite role of his again, but overall this was an interesting concept of a movie that ended up being done pretty poorly. D+

Spiderman 2-- I had never seen the first one (strangely enough, as it's right up my alley), so I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a more thoughtful superhero movie (and deeper superhero) than I anticipated. The effects were very good, and I liked the villain and all the ongoing intrigue as well (some of which will continue in future Spiderman films). I have never found Dunst all that attractive, and yet she just fits in this role; I like Maguire, but not overly much and he pulls this one off well; never really heard of Franco, and found he did a terrific job, too. One of the most entertaining movies I saw this year. A-

King Arthur-- I feared for it being cheesy, given some of the previews I saw, and there were some dumb lines and cliché plot points, but I generally enjoyed this one. Entertains and that's what movies are suppoosed to do. B-

I, Robot-- I read the first book in Asimov's series to prepare for this. Shouldn't have bothered. The only things connecting the two was the title, the three laws of robotics and a few of the character names. That said, it was passable fun and a smarter scifi pic than we usually get. B-

The Manchurian Candidate-- I have never seen the original, although I knew the general concept behind this one. Denzel did his usual credible job, and plays the victim of conspiracy and mind games very well. I like conspiracy twist movies like this, and this one was an engrossing movie that had some freaky headtrip moments to it. That said, it was a little bit too ugly at times, at least if you want to believe mankind is good. Timely with the campaing deal. B

The Bourne Supremacy-- I really liked the way The Bourne Identity was done, and thought Matt Damon did a good job in the lead role. I generally thought he did a good job here, too, but the character didn't fit as well for me going from one bent on escape and whodunit to one bent on revenge. The vehicle chases could have been fantastic except they decided to do way too much camera shaking to increase the effect of the action. Mostly just made it hard to follow things, and took away from the movie overall. C+

Collateral-- A white-haired Tom Cruise as a businessman-like hitman? I can dig it. Actually, the concept of the film (five killings one night, fly out in the morning) was intriguing. It got even better when the movie showed some great, gritty shots of the LA landscape passing behind the scenes and terrific interplay between Cruise and Foxx. Both characters were well-developed, too, and I found I cared for what would happen to both of them. A-

Spartan-- Saw this on video over the summer. It came out in February and went away, so most people probably aren't aware of it. They didn't miss much. Started off like a cool thriller, but got really confusing and just didn't tie anything together the way I would have liked it to. D

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow-- The effects are very well done, and the story followed along well enough to get me involved. Loved the little comedic bit at the end. That said, it was one of those that never really quite grabs you, so I left with a "meh" feeling about it, overall. C

Shrek 2-- I have seen a lot of love for this one, and I just don't get it. I like some of the jokes in it, and Paws the cat was pretty funny, but I thought this was a good step down from the first one. C-

Team America: World Police-- Some riotous moments, but mostly I found it pretty dull. It might be one of those that gets better with repeated viewings. C

Firday Night Lights-- I am a sucker for a good sports movie, and I never read the book, so I went into this one without any preconceptions. I enjoyed it a lot, and I thought it was both thrilling in its telling of the team's season, and poignant in how it painted high school football in Texas. Very well done. A

The Incredibles-- I had been looking forward to this ever since I saw a 10-minute bit on it over a year ago. The wait was worth it, as it was a fun animated movie. I liked the concept of the superheroes getting older and moving on with their lives bit, and the action was entertaining enough, even if the story wasn't eyepopping. B

National Treasure-- I went in expecting a Dan Brownish popcorn movie, and it worked in that respect, even if it won't win too many awards for acting or originality (other than the treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence thing). The history (which, thankfully, I am not knowledgeable enough to pick holes at) was fun to hear about in the context of the search for the treasure. B

Ocean's Twelve-- I just saw this last week. While there were fun little moments that I loved about this film and reminded me of the first one (which I think is a terrific movie), I generally found this one to be a bit too confusing, and a twist or two too many. CZJ was a total babe in this, and she usually doesn't do it for me, so that was good, and I like all of the actors in this one. C+

CR

[Buccaneer]

CR, you actually said something negative about a movie??? I thought that wasn't allowed? ;)

I find three of Easy Mac's quips to be amusing: first he implied the Adam Sandler used make funny movies; second he implied the Stiller used to be funny; and third, he implied that Old School was something other than one of the most retched, stupidest movies ever made (fwiw, Road Trip was far superior).

[Router Help]

I didn't see a whole lot of movies this year, but two movies that I would give A's to would be

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Garden State

[klayman]

Shaun of the Dead - A

Clearly the best zombie movie ever made. :)

[Chief Rum]

CR, you actually said something negative about a movie??? I thought that wasn't allowed? ;)

I find three of Easy Mac's quips to be amusing: first he implied the Adam Sandler used make funny movies; second he implied the Stiller used to be funny; and third, he implied that Old School was something other than one of the most retched, stupidest movies ever made (fwiw, Road Trip was far superior).

Saying something negative--even everything negative--about a movie is okay; that's your opinion. Acting like you're some kind of superior human being because you didn't like/didn't bother to see any popular movies is pointless ego-propping and preening that rest of us don't really care about (so you're basically propping up yourself for your own benefit, but you come off rather egotistical to the rest of us, and beyond that we could care less). Note that 'you' is a general, and not a direct reference to you, Steve.

As for what you find amusing, that's the way opinion goes. I have found that Adam Sandler has been in plenty of funny movies, and Stiller has been funny as well. I generally agree with you about Old School, though.

CR

[Its Vanilla]

Let's see. What did I see this year?

The Butterfly Effect:
I liked this movie. The director's cut was much better than the theatrical version. The story could have been done better though. B-

Collateral:
Can't say anything that wasn't already said. Great movie. B+

Dawn of the Dead:
Not really much to say here. It was a horror movie and it was decent. Some of the acting left a lot to be desired. B-

The Day After Tomorrow:
I like when things get destroyed. Things got destroyed in this movie, so I guess it was alright. The story could have been better though. C+

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story:
Great movie to see with a bunch of friends. Ben Stiller was a riot. One of the top comedies of the year. A-

Elf:
I think this still counts. We got it at work(Blockbuster) in November. Anyway, not the greatest movie. It is one of those that kids and parents can watch together. C+

Envy:
So much wasted potential here. For having Ben Stiller and Jack Black I thought the movie could've been a lot better. C-

Napoleon Dynamite:
I loved it. Some didn't. The main character is just such a tool that it works. They also built some pretty good secondary characters. One of the year's top comedies. A-

Shaun of the Dead:
Great movie. Definately the best zombie movie of the year. A

Spiderman 2:
Didn't see the 1st one, but this one was pretty good. The acting was great and all I can really say is I wish I saw the 1st one. A-

The Terminal:
Based off of a great story. Tom Hanks did a really good job as Victor. I loved it the whole way through. A+

Thirteen:
This was done very well and just has that reality to it that many movies like this aim for but fall short of. B

Van Helsing:
Great movie. Great story. Great special effects. I can't say anything bad about it. A

The Village:
Wow. The TV spots made this seem like an entirely different movie than it turned out to be. It sucked horrendously. D-

Walking Tall:
The Rock is definately the new action star. This was a good movie, but it seemed very short. Plus, The Rundown was better. B-

[Buccaneer]

Ok, I am now getting caught up to 2004 for movies. I just saw (on DVD of course) Ocean's 12 and National Treasure.

Ocean's 11 is on my top 10 list but I really didn't know what to expect from Ocean's 12, apart knowing that it did have a different "style" to it. It was different, despite having all of the same cast, a lot more chaotic than the singular event/plan of O11. I suppose sequels are typically like that. Anyway, it was one of those movies that I had to think (and read) a lot about after seeing it - just trying to piece all of the clues and sequence of events together. I think I got everything and thought it all was pretty clever and definitely enjoyable to watch.

With National Treasure, well, I love American History and reading/watching about treasure hunting, so it was a fun movie - in a Scooby Do kind of way. I am glad they can make an adventure movie for the family that is popular. The one thing that I thought about while watching it was how it was like those madcap Kurt Russell/Disney movies of the 1960s. Anyone remember those?

[Schmidty]

Ok, I am now getting caught up to 2004 for movies. I just saw (on DVD of course) Ocean's 12 and National Treasure.

Ocean's 11 is on my top 10 list but I really didn't know what to expect from Ocean's 12, apart knowing that it did have a different "style" to it. It was different, despite having all of the same cast, a lot more chaotic than the singular event/plan of O11. I suppose sequels are typically like that. Anyway, it was one of those movies that I had to think (and read) a lot about after seeing it - just trying to piece all of the clues and sequence of events together. I think I got everything and thought it all was pretty clever and definitely enjoyable to watch.

With National Treasure, well, I love American History and reading/watching about treasure hunting, so it was a fun movie - in a Scooby Do kind of way. I am glad they can make an adventure movie for the family that is popular. The one thing that I thought about while watching it was how it was like those madcap Kurt Russell/Disney movies of the 1960s. Anyone remember those?

Yeah, the self-appointed "intellectual" reviewers hated National Treasure, but I thought it was an extremely entertaining way to spend an evening on the couch with the wife.

[Dutch]

With National Treasure, well, I love American History and reading/watching about treasure hunting, so it was a fun movie - in a Scooby Do kind of way. I am glad they can make an adventure movie for the family that is popular. The one thing that I thought about while watching it was how it was like those madcap Kurt Russell/Disney movies of the 1960s. Anyone remember those?

Our entire family gave National Treasure 2 thumbs up. As long as you enjoy it for what it is and not get to cranky about it, it can be a lot of fun for the entire family.

[Swaggs]

Yeah, the self-appointed "intellectual" reviewers hated National Treasure, but I thought it was an extremely entertaining way to spend an evening on the couch with the wife.

It was okay, but I can think of more entertaining ways to spend an evening on the couch with your wife.

[Schmidty]

It was okay, but I can think of more entertaining ways to spend an evening on the couch with your wife.

Me too, but I have a 1/2 inch penis. :(

[ISiddiqui]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban-- I have never read the books (I know, what a monster I am), but I know a whole bunch of people who go gaga for these things. I think, though, I actually enjoyed this one better than they did (for they know things that were left out from the book), and I felt it was better done and darker than the first two. But I have a bias against kids' movies, and this one was decidedly more adult than the first two. B+
PoA was darker and more adult than the first two, but you ain't seen nothing yet in the Potter series :).

[Flasch186]

" Anchorman - Funniest movie since Old School, I won't even debate it. Good cameo's, good comedians, good sex panther. A+"




This must be a joke.

[ice4277]

The Terminal:
Based off of a great story. Tom Hanks did a really good job as Victor. I loved it the whole way through. A+

I thought this was the most boring movie I've seen in the past five years.

[korme]

" Anchorman - Funniest movie since Old School, I won't even debate it. Good cameo's, good comedians, good sex panther. A+"




This must be a joke.
Anchorman is a movie that gets funnier with each viewing. Seriously, one of the most quotable movies out there. Re-watch it.

[Cuckoo]

I thought Ocean's 12 was horrible. What a joke of a movie. And I absolutely loved Ocean's 11; it's one of my favorites.


Edit: just to throw my worthless 2 cents in on a couple of these movies.

I agree with what has been said about National Treasure - good flick, not overly smart but occasionally clever. Good fun most of the way.

I enjoyed Anchorman okay but didn't think it was nearly as funny as Old School.

And this wasn't a movie from last year, but I just saw Meet the Fockers last night. My God, that movie is annoying. If you are not completely driven crazy by the contrived comedy and obnoxious characters in this movie, you have a completely different sense of humor than I. And once again, I enjoyed the first one.

[Anthony]

Anchorman is a movie that gets funnier with each viewing. Seriously, one of the most quotable movies out there. Re-watch it.

i killed a man....with a trident.

[Anthony]

I thought Ocean's 12 was horrible. What a joke of a movie. And I absolutely loved Ocean's 11; it's one of my favorites.


Edit: just to throw my worthless 2 cents in on a couple of these movies.

I agree with what has been said about National Treasure - good flick, not overly smart but occasionally clever. Good fun most of the way.

I enjoyed Anchorman okay but didn't think it was nearly as funny as Old School.

And this wasn't a movie from last year, but I just saw Meet the Fockers last night. My God, that movie is annoying. If you are not completely driven crazy by the contrived comedy and obnoxious characters in this movie, you have a completely different sense of humor than I. And once again, I enjoyed the first one.

i enjoyed Fockers only because it exceeded my low expectations.