Mike's Review

It is time to look back at what I consider to be the top 10 movies and the bottom five movies of 2004. I wish that some of the Oscar contenders had come out a little earlier in this area, but I will save my opinions for the Academy Awards for a later column. This column is for what I have seen this year so far.

The top 10:

• 10 - “Team America: World Police” - That’s right, the puppet movie. I laughed a lot while watching this movie, so much so that there were parts where I was afraid I couldn’t catch my breath. I loved the songs, the raunchiness and the silliness of marionettes performing in what was practically a straight-up action movie.

• 9 - “The Spongebob Squarepants Movie” - I like Spongebob, but I didn’t think this would end up being one of my favorite movies of the year. It ended up on the list because of it’s wild zaniness, it’s use of traditional animation and for offering up something everyone in the family can enjoy. This was another movie where I just could not stop laughing for minutes at a time. Maybe I have a chemical imbalance.

• 8 -“Super Size Me” - I didn’t catch this documentary until it came out on DVD but I haven’t eaten at a fast food burger joint since. Morgan Spurlock’s film was engaging and thought provoking as well as very entertaining. It’s nice to have a movie that makes you think and it is also encouraging to see someone make a positive impact with a modest budget. If you really want to give up eating at places like McDonald’s, Burger King or Hardee’s, check this film out.

• 7 - “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” - This was by far the best in the series so far and it holds up in repeat viewings. The children at Hogwarts are growing up and director Alfonso Cuaron showcases the struggles by giving audiences the darkest film in the series yet. The performances are better, as is the design and the little touches that make this film infinitely more magical than the first two.

• 6 - “Spider Man 2” - Once again we have a sequel that surpasses the original. Director Sam Raimi ups the ante with a better villain (Dr. Octopus), better visual effects (there was no better scene in cinema this year than Doc Ock in the operating room), and a better inner struggle for Peter Parker/Spider Man. If you haven’t seen this one since its original release, check it out and enjoy the ride.

• 5 - “Shaun of the Dead” - The best zombie movie ever! This film cracks the top 10 because it was a brilliant combination of both a romantic comedy and a zombie thriller. The performances were spot on, the gore was used appropriately and it was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Now out on DVD, this movie deserves the large audience that missed it in theaters.

• 4 - “Fahrenheit 9/11” - I’m sure half of you are groaning that I put this on the list, but I’m guessing the groaners didn’t see this. Forget about what you think you know about this movie and take a look at it. If only a third of this movie is true (and I believe more than a third is accurate), it still raises serious questions that the American public should ponder. Let’s not forget that the film was also very well done. I did not see any other movie this year where people applauded at the end of the film. It may not change your politics but it may make you realize that it’s OK to ask questions and demand answers.

• 3 - “Before Sunset” - I was a fan of the first film, “Before Sunrise,” so I knew that I would be interested in the sequel. I wasn’t prepared for liking it as much as I did. Set nine years after Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Seline (Julie Delpy) parted ways in Vienna, “Before Sunset” discusses how people grow and change and just what those brief, but passionate encounters may mean. Plus, Delpy’s song towards the end of the film gave me goosebumps. Definitely see “Before Sunrise” first, but do not miss the most romantic film of 2004.

• 2- “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” - This mind-bending comedy focuses on both love and memory and delivers a great big “Wow” of a movie. The performances from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet were terrific, Charlie Kaufman once again writes an amazingly fantastic script and director Michel Gondry is the film’s hero with his wonderful work behind the camera. Seeing a movie like this almost makes you forget Jim Carrey made a crappy movie like “Me, Myself and Irene.”

• 1 - “Finding Neverland” - Johnny Depp proves he is perhaps the best actor in the world with a performance that is the exact opposite of his Captain Jack Sparrow in last year’s “Pirates of the Caribbean.” He plays author J.M. Barrie, seeking a winner after his last play bombs. He meets some children and their widowed mother in the park, befriends them and begins writing “Peter Pan,” based on their adventures. This movie is at times both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It should definitely be an Oscar contender and Depp could finally score the Best Actor trophy for his performance.

Near misses: “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Open Water,” “Kill Bill Vol. 2,” “The Incredibles,” and “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.”

The worst five movies of the year:

• 5 - “The Forgotten” - This movie about a woman who’s son disappears and no one seems to remember was really bad, mostly because it’s ending was really, really bad. It did not deserve to last as long as it did or to find the audience it did.

• 4 - “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” - I rented this because I liked “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls.” This wasn’t even in the same league as those movies. Lindsay Lohan overacts to an incredibly lame script in a movie about a girl who wants to be the lead in her school play. Carol Kane is frighteningly creepy as the drama teacher and the rest of the cast, with the exception of the girl who plays the best friend, should stay on the Disney sitcoms.

• 3 - “Catwoman” - Halle Berry was terrible in this terrible movie. The action sequences were lame, the script was even lamer and Benjamin Bratt shouldn’t ever be a romantic lead again. Yuck, yuck, yuck!

• 2 - “Van Helsing” - I enjoyed “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns.” They weren’t great cinema but they were fun summer movies. I thought that director Stephen Sommers would have similar success with his “Van Helsing.” I was so wrong. This over-hyped, over-done piece of garbage would have taken the top spot as worst movie of the year if it weren’t for a few neato special effects. However, note to Hollywood: Good special effects do not make a good movie. Start with a good script, get good actors and go from there.

• 1 - “The Cookout” - This was absolutely, without a doubt, the worst movie of the year. It probably ranks among the worst movies ever. “The Cookout” features horrible performances from top to bottom and a terrible script. It was a comedy and there wasn’t even one joke - unless a man being excited that he can choose from two types of hot sauce now that he’s rich is high comedy. It disgusts me that this movie survived at the dollar theater for close to two months. Show a modicum of taste, people ! There is nothing fun or redeeming in this movie.

Near misses: “Seed of Chucky,” “Alien vs. Predator,” “Broken Lizard’s Club Dread,” and “Resident Evil: Apocalypse.”