So Says The Mouse In My Hair

Top 10 List

Top 10 List

My mouse just reminded me that I forgot to share with all y’all my ever so important and well researched Top 10 Movies of 2004. I can’t even remember if I came up with 10 to put in it. But along with this, I’ll be adding my running Oscar commentary because the nominees were announced this morning. So, On your mark, get set, Oscar!

10. There’s a ton of movies that I haven’t seen this year, which I should have if I was going to be qualified to write a top ten list. Those movies being, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Incredibles, Shrek 2, We Don’t Live Here Anymore, and Million Dollar Baby. I’m sure at least one of them is good enough to fill in this missing spot that I wasn’t able to fill.

9. Team America World Police
A dumb movie I am aware. But the puppet sex and puking set aside, this movie has one of the funniest monologues ever, especially in the middle of this setting. It turns out that we’ve been wrong for a long time. There are really three types of people.
Oscar Potential: nil, but it would have been so much fun if one of those songs had been nominated…

8. Finding Neverland
A movie about the creative process, and a boy that never wanted to grow up. A movie with magic and fairies and children staying children? A movie about hiding from the real world? Are we sure this movie isn’t actually about me?
Oscar Potential: it’s contenders are 10 times as strong, but in the best picture and best actor categories. But some point in the near future, Johnny should be getting himself a little statue. We’ll see what happens with Mr. Wonka.

7. Fahrenheit 911
yes, I liked it. Yes, I thought it brought up excellent points. Yes it was just propaganda to get Bush sucked out of the White House. No, it didn’t work. Somehow that didn’t bother me. You know what I like about Michael Moore? He’s not afraid to use those techniques which conservatives seem to have claimed. He’s loud and obnoxious and one sided and doesn’t play fair. He claims to stand up for the blue collar everyday American. It’s about time we liberals found someone like that. (also good reason to like Al Franken, who resorts to name calling. If you can do it, then we can to.)
Oscar Potential: Completely shut out. Likely due to the fact that it didn’t change the country and Bush was not ousted. Understandable? Not quite. I don’t care whether it wins for best documentary, but a nod would be nice. I can’t help but have my suspicions that his last Oscar acceptance speech was somehow involved, but I realize that’s not likely the case.

6. Sideways
This year’s critical darling, I did like it. I loved how the movie would go along being all intellectual and everything and then out of nowhere it would hit you on your it’s-so-random-its-funny bone. Some absolutely adorable moments, it made me feel really terrible about the way I live my life. Whatever happened to carpe diem?
Oscar potential: Not so much. I’m sure it has more than I give it credit for, in my voting, it comes in third for best picture, but Oscar loves his surprises, so you never know. However, I do think it’s enough to deserve best screenplay.

5. The Assassination of Richard Nixon
This movie really hit home with me in sort of the same way that Sideways did. It made me look at myself. What if I could become that person? It wouldn’t really take all that much would it? Also disturbing was how much of my little brother I saw there. This type of situation is not as far off the mark as it ought to be. And why is it that every time I see Naomi Watts she looks like a completely different person? I think I can only tell it’s her because there’s something metallic in her voice.
Oscar Potential: With the best Actor category so full of possibilities, I can understand why they bypassed last year’s winner. But Sean Penn was of course, fantastic. (speaking of which, isn’t he about due for something light? A children’s movie or a romantic comedy perhaps?)

4. A Home At The End Of The World
A very well done movie, I’d never really seen Colin Ferrell as much more than a crass talking playboy, but one could blame that on his recent choices in roles. He was fabulous here, I don’t know if subtle is the right word, but his character came across oh so very well, with barely a word of it spoken. Dallas Roberts and Robin Wright Penn were also at top form, and the story felt very human. There was a definite emotional attachment on my side towards the whole thing.
Oscar Potential: bypassed.

3. Kinsey
What? I liked it. It appealed to the liberal in me. Liam Neeson, Laura Linney et al, were great. I appreciate attempts by other people to change my perspectives on things (actually that might be a lie, it’s hard to tell) and while I’m just as much a sexual prude as ever, I do feel that as far as knowledge is concerned, we should not be sexually ignorant. The movie’s goal is to get us to be more comfortable with the topic, and that’s not a bad idea.
Oscar Potential: Laura Linney’s up for supporting actor. Is she going to win? Should she win? It’s hard for me to say. I just don’t know.

2. Ray
I loved it. It was fabulous and well done and powerful and full of Ray Charles music. As far as Jamie Foxx goes, everything that everyone has said about him and this role? Ditto. I don’t really have much to add on that account. But it wasn’t just him. It was everyone. All the female actors in this movie were above par. Everything was. This was the first movie that I saw this year, that I felt had it. It what? That weird it that everyone’s always talking about when they talk abut Hollywood. That it that is a complete package where you watch it and you know when you’re done that you’ve seen a quality movie. You know, that it.
Oscar Potential: Best Actor, hell yes. I’ a little afraid since Jamie’s also up for best supporting actor, that’s been known to get in the way sometimes, and with as much talent as there is in this year’s best actor category we must keep our fingers crossed. Best picture? Really close, but coming up short.

1. The Aviator
This is a big movie. In all ways except the box office it feels gigantic, larger than life, colossal. Exceptionally well made and full of dazzling eye candy, costumes, sets, characters, everything, it is old Hollywood come back to visit. Leave it to Martin Scorsese to make this movie beautiful down to the last detail. The man is a master, just look what he can do with Leonardo DiCaprio. I haven’t seen him in form this fine since What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
Oscar Potential: So what does this movie have that Ray doesn’t? Everything is bigger. The details are bigger and more beautiful and louder and overwhelming. And the character of Howard Hughes is just more intriguing to me than Ray Charles, though not by much, I promise. And please, please, please, would it kill us to give Mr. Scorsese an Oscar for best director? Just this once?

posted by Sarah Eliza @ 8:01 AM