Dawn Taylor's 10 Best from 2004


Dawn Taylor is the movie reviewer for the Portland Tribune. Dawn writes:

 This was, to put it as politely as possible, a pretty awful year for movies.

 To put it another way: When you’ve seen well over 100 films during the
year and have trouble coming up with 10 that qualify as “best,” you know
that the field was littered with dreck.

There were a few bright spots amid the detritus, however. Here, in
alphabetical order, are the 10 films this reviewer enjoyed the most in
2004:
 





 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
   Not just notable because Jim Carrey isn’t irritating — a mesmerizing,
deeply touching, hilarious and technically awe-inspiring meditation of the
power of love by oddball screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation).
 
 The Five Obstructions
  One director (Lars Von Trier) challenges another director (Jorgen Leth)
to remake one of his films five different ways according to five
different, punishing rules. The result is a fascinating examination of the
men’s relationship and of the process of filmmaking itself.
 
The Incredibles
Part superhero origin epic, part James Bond adventure thriller and all
giddy excitement. This is Pixar’s best film yet and arguably the best
movie of the year — tightly plotted, deftly acted and animated with
jaw-dropping perfection.
 
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Even better than the first half, a spectacular fanboy homage to Shaw
Brothers chop-socky films, spaghetti Westerns and film noir thrillers. A
delirious cartoon of a movie and one heck of a lot of fun.
 
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Sad, funny and quirky, Life Aquatic occasionally threatens to capsize
under the weight of its own self-conscious irony, but still offers
intermittent brilliance. Bill Murray’s dry performance is one of his best,
despite being repeatedly upstaged by a hilarious Willem Dafoe.
 
Napoleon Dynamite
A surprising, deadpan depiction of high school dorkiness, this is the
rare teencentric comedy that doesn’t go for easy, crude or stupid laughs.
A laugh-filled little film that loves its geeky heroes and delights with
its weird charm.
 
The Saddest Music in the World
This high-concept, obsessively strange art film by director Guy Maddin
was the year’s most challenging and absurd film. Starring ex-Kid in the
Hall Mark McKinney as a fast-talking huckster and Isabella Rossellini as a
legless beer baroness, it’s haunting, amusing, confusing and surreal —
Maddin’s films may not be to everyone’s taste, but they’re refreshingly
unique.
 
Shaun of the Dead
BBC’s The Office meets George Romero in this wonderfully original
horror-comedy. A ripping good zombie flick, Shaun manages the
nigh-impossible by being both scary and sidesplittingly funny, often at
the same time.
 
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
By doing everything right in front of a green-screen that George Lucas
did wrong, first-time director Kerry Conran blew the Star Wars prequels
out of the water with his energetic take on Saturday afternoon sci-fi
serials. A simply gorgeous cliffhanger pastiche that deserves a second —
and third — viewing.
 
Stage Beauty
In this lushly cinematic ode to British theater, Billy Crudup plays a
circa-1600’s actor who’s devoted his life to playing women on the stage.
When the king proclaims that only the fairer sex will play those roles,
Crudup finds that not just his livelihood but his very identity are
threatened. A witty, bawdy and surprisingly touching period piece with
Crudup’s amazing performance at its center.


Posted: Sat - January 15, 2005 at 12:13 AM          

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