Mike's top 10 films of 2004

There are actually a couple of lists on this page.

Any comments should be addressed to Mike Weston at mike@misosoup.com.

Top 10 films I saw during 2004

...or, the “hey, what is In America doing on there?” list

I saw 69 films in theaters during 2004, plus one I rated on DVD. One of these is a 2003 film I saw in early 2004, and appeared on one of my “top 10 films of 2003” lists. Conversely, this list excludes any 2004 films that I saw for the first time after 2004 ended.

When I started the year, I aimed to reserve my highest 4 star rating for films that deserve to go on this list, and the fact that I fell short might indicate that this was not a year with very many excellent films. On the other hand, I saw very few bad films, and in fact will skip doing a bottom 10 list this year. So here is the list of the best, ranked starting with the best:

  1. Garden State (4 stars, seen 10/10/2004, 1:49, rated R)
  2. The Sea Inside (4 stars, seen 12/23/2004, 2:05, rated PG-13, in Spanish with subtitles)
  3. In America (4 stars, seen 1/7/2004, 1:43, rated PG-13)
  4. Vera Drake (4 stars, seen 11/9/2004, 2:05, rated R)
  5. The Incredibles (4 stars, seen 11/27/2004, 2:01, rated PG)
  6. Closer (4 stars, seen 12/8/2004, 1:38, rated R)
  7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (3.5 stars, seen 5/23/2004, 1:48, rated R)
  8. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (3.5 stars, seen 6/16/2004, 2:16, rated R)
  9. Super Size Me (3.5 stars, seen 5/31/2004, 1:36, unrated)
  10. Double Dare (3.5 stars, seen 3/5/2004, 1:21, unrated)

Top 10ish AMPAS films of 2004

...or, the “where's In America and Double Dare, and didn't you see Finding Neverland in 2005?” list

This section is my choice for the best films that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, the Oscar® people) define as films released during 2004. One 2003 film from the first list above didn't make this list. Double Dare has not yet been released theatrically, but might be in 2005.

Here they are, ranked starting from the best:

  1. Finding Neverland (4 stars, seen 2/17/2005, 1:46, rated PG)
  2. Garden State (4 stars, seen 10/10/2004, 1:49, rated R)
  3. The Sea Inside (4 stars, seen 12/23/2004, 2:05, rated PG-13, in Spanish with subtitles)
  4. Vera Drake (4 stars, seen 11/9/2004, 2:05, rated R)
  5. The Incredibles (4 stars, seen 11/27/2004, 2:01, rated PG)
  6. Kinsey (4 stars, seen 1/16/2005, 1:58, rated R)
  7. Million Dollar Baby (4 stars, seen 1/22/2005, 2:17, rated PG-13)
  8. Closer (4 stars, seen 12/8/2004, 1:38, rated R)
  9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (3.5 stars, seen 5/23/2004, 1:48, rated R)
  10. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (3.5 stars, seen 6/16/2004, 2:16, rated R)
  11. Super Size Me (3.5 stars, seen 5/31/2004, 1:36, unrated)

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