My Top 12 for 2004

Let me begin by saying that 2004 was not a great year for the movies – at least not like 2003. However, some of the 88 films I saw this year (out of 250 top earning movies released in the US) do rise to the top.

 

My criteria for the top 12 are

 

-         excellence in filmmaking

-         how well the film tells a story

-         transcendence

-         or the ability of the film to launch conversations about things that matter, beginning with human dignity

-         how well the film entertains

 

 

These criteria do not mean that I endorse the POV of the film per se; my top 12 selections reflect mostly how much it got my attention and made me think – or smile. In no particular order, my dozen are:

 

Spider-Man 2

Fahrenheit 9/11

The Corporation

Maria Full of Grace

Garden State

Napoleon Dynamite

Spanglish

Finding Neverland

Hero

Vera Drake

Million Dollar Baby

The Passion of the Christ

 

(My reviews are all available in this blog.)