Movies: Recommended
At the movies this year: Religion, politics and a few good zombies
By Chris GarciaDec. 30, 2004
Nationally at the movies, 2004 was all about controversy on both ends of the religious-ideological spectrum, with Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11."
In Austin, it was about the dismal reception for John Lee Hancock's underrated "The Alamo" and the critical hosannas tossed to Richard Linklater's "Before Sunset," Peter Berg's "Friday Night Lights" and Bryan Poyser's indie-that-could "Dear Pillow."
Zombies were resurrected at the cineplex with two undead hits, the gory remake "Dawn of the Dead" and cheeky tribute "Shaun of the Dead."
But what's really strange (although a distinct relief) about the year in film is that Woody Allen didn't release a movie.
Now the best and the rest of 2004:
THE TOP 10
 Photo from Miramax Films |
 Photo by Philippe Antonello/Newmarket Films |
 Photo from Nicolas Khayat/Abaca Press Movies that made us look (clockwise from top left): 'Hero,' 'The Passion of the Christ,' 'Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,' 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' |
 Photo from Focus Features |
2. "I Heart Huckabees" -- I have no idea what this movie is about, but I heart it. David O. Russell's spazzy philosophical farce ricochets this way and that, hurling fastball ideas and screwball gags with carpet-bomb abandon. It's exhilarating. Filmmaking this lunatic is rare, but Russell's story of existential detectives (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) hired to help Jason Schwartzman unlock a mystery is far from gimmicky. Bloated-to-bursting with theory and ideology, it is not an audience-friendly film. You either heart it or hate it, a reliable sign that you're watching something special.
3. "The Five Obstructions" -- Lars von Trier -- imp, genius, tormentor -- conducts his latest experiment on fellow filmmaker Jorgen Leth. He instructs the older man to remake his classic short "The Perfect Human" five times, with five major hurdles imposed by taskmaster von Trier. The results, alternately accepted and rejected by von Trier, poignantly strip down the nature of will, friendship and the purity of the creative spirit. Funny, too.
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• 'Eternal Sunshine |
5. "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" -- A heavy metal band comes of age, and it's not pretty. Still angry after all these years, Metallica hires a group therapist and learns the art of frank talk, spoken through clenched teeth. The cameras are there. The tantrums are there. So is the thrashing metal, which in the end may be the best therapy of all.
6. "Spider-Man 2" -- In my review, I said the blockbuster shows "a franchise that's hit its stride, with directing and writing that plunges deep into characters and choreographs action with violent precision." I droned on: "It contains not a lazy note nor breath of cynicism amid its beautifully engineered machinery, which hums and glistens." Geez. And I could have just said it's a blast.
7. "Los Angeles Plays Itself" -- Shown briefly at the Alamo Drafthouse, Thom Andersen's roving essay shows how the city's endless depiction in movies has shaped the city's mythology, for good but mostly ill. Keen commentary and miles of movie clips create a mesmerizing skeptic's history of the most filmed place on Earth.
8. "Hero" -- The prettiest film of the year is what "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" wished it was. Both are martial arts epics steeped in Chinese myth and history and aswoosh with airborne kineses. But Yimou Zhang has a better eye than Ang Lee and a better booty-kicker in the pyrotechnic Jet Li. Really, how can you lose when you have a swordswoman named Flying Snow?
9. "Collateral" -- How much of a perfectionist is director Michael Mann? He recorded six audio commentaries for the DVD of this nimble action drama and rejected them all. Too bad, because we want to know how the persnickety genius shot such an immaculate Los Angeles crime story; how he orchestrated the breathtaking nightclub shootout; how he turned Tom Cruise into a steely killer; and how, after so many superb crime thrillers, he's still so good.
10. "We Don't Live Here Anymore" -- Closer to "Closer" than "Closer" was. Or: A scathing, realistic look at two couples falling apart. As a tragic love rectangle, Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern, Peter Krause and Naomi Watts learn that indifference blooms where love dies. A tough domestic tragedy, based on stories by Andre Dubus, with the bite of Albee and Updike, and the resonance of life.
MORE DUE PRAISE (no order)
"Super Size Me"; "Sideways"; "Ten"; "Code 46"; "Fahrenheit 9/11"; "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring"; "The Aviator"; "Primer"; "Maria Full of Grace"; "Shaun of the Dead"; "Dawn of the Dead"; "Gozu"; "The Incredibles"; "Zatoichi -- The Blind Swordsman"
PAINFULLY OVERRATED
"Kinsey"; "Before Sunset"; "Closer"; "Sideways"
MOST UNPLEASANT USE OF ANIMALS
"Two Brothers" (the Abu Ghraib of tiger movies)
MOST UNPLEASANT USE OF ANIMAL NAMES
"The Brown Bunny"; "Shark Tale"; "Catwoman"
GOOIEST
"Garden State"
MISUNDERSTOOD BY ALMOST EVERYONE
"The Passion of the Christ"
cgarcia@statesman.com; 445-3649
