Al's Top Rated Films: 2004

Extraordinary sequel to Quentin Tarantino's action-packed crime thriller classic. I absolutely loved the first film, and I'd have to say the story, characters, and plot is even more developed, and makes this film even better than its predecessor. The story kicks off as a prequel and shows how the wedding chapel massacre from the first film took place, and answers questions about Bill and The Bride's complex relationship. The story then jumps forward and follows The Bride's relentless pursuit of revenge as she tracks down surviving Deadly Viper Assassination Squad members Budd (Bill's younger brother) and the one-eyed Elle Driver, before going after Bill once and for all. Complex acting from all the major players really sets this apart from the first film. Uma Thurman delivers a more layered and dramatic lead performance throughout the film. It's arguably her best performance of all time. It's also the best performance I've ever seen from David Carradine. Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah also deliver a couple of the best starring roles of their careers. All in all, I couldn't imagine a better sequel, especially when sequels are rarely better or equal to their predecessors. Chia-Hui Liu, Michael Bowen, Jun Kunimura, Michael Parks, James Parks, Bo Svenson, Samuel L. Jackson, Larry Bishop, Helen Kim, Perla Haney-Jardine, and others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious comedy from Adam McKay and Will Ferrell about San Diego's top-rated news anchor—Ron Burgundy. The story is set in the 1970s when men dominated broadcasting. When they hire on the station's first female anchor—Veronica Corningstone—it more than ruffles a few feathers with all the men at the station. When Ron and Veronica fall in love with each other, added conflict and competition arises when they have to compete for the lead anchor position. I love the 1970s themes and stereotypes throughout the film. Superbly written and acted. It's also easily my favorite leading performances from both Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate. Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Kathryn Hahn, Danny Trejo, Jack Black, Luke Wilson, and Ben Stiller all had great supporting roles.

Superb music biopic on the life of legendary R&B singer and musician, Ray Charles. From growing up in poor Florida household by his single-mother, struggling with the death of his brother, going blind at the age of 7, to working hard and overcoming the odds in a turbulent time for civil rights, and garnering worldwide fame and respect. Excellent story written and directed by Taylor Hackford. I became a Ray Charles fan after seeing this film. Jamie Foxx blew me away with his incredible lead performance. It's arguably his very best. Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Bokeem Woodbine, Aunjanue Ellis, Sharon Warren, C.J. Sanders, Larenz Tate, Curtis Armstrong, Terrence Howard, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent biopic from Martin Scorsese on billionaire Howard Hughes' early years as a legendary film director and aviator from the late 1920s to the mid 1940s. Much of the film is dedicated to his obsession with building experimental and ground-breaking aircraft built for speed, starting a major airline to compete with Pan Am, perfecting and completing his epic colossal-budgeted film "Hell's Angels (1930)", his relationship with Katharine Hepburn, and his struggles with germophobia and other psychological challenges. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of his all-time best performances as Howard Hughes. He was excellent throughout. Cate Blanchett was also superb as Katharine Hepburn—nailing her wit and mannerisms beautifully. John C. Reilly, Kate Beckinsale, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Jude Law, and many others had great supporting roles.

Incredible biopic from Terry George that follows a dedicated hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina. The story is set in Rwandan (East Africa) in 1994, which falls during the horrific civil war between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples, coupled with a country and government that is equally corrupt. Paul is Hutu and his wife Tatiana is Tutsi, and is very smart about running his luxurious hotel and catering to mostly wealthy white people. After an incident breaks the brief peace between the Hutu and Tutsi people, war breaks out and threatens the lives of his family, and over 1,300 Tutsi refugees that's housing in then hotel and attempting to make it a sanctuary. Very powerful and tension-filled writing and acting throughout. Don Cheadle arguably delivers his greatest lead performance of his career. Sophie Okonedo also delivered a fantastic starring role. Desmond Dube, Nick Nolte, Lebo Mashile, Ofentse Modiselle, Joaquin Phoenix, and plenty others had very nice roles among a solid supporting cast.

Fantastic crime drama/thriller from Michael Mann that follows a knowledgeable Los Angeles cab driver named Max who's been working late nights for 12 years, and dreams of starting his own deluxe limo service. His uneventful life is in for a rude awakening when a man named Vincent steps into his taxi, and insists Max accept $600 to be his personal taxi driver for the evening after seeing how well he knows the city. The business deal soon turns into a kidnapping when Max finds out Vincent is ruthless contract killer, and is now being forced to help him complete the task of stopping at 5 different places, and killing 5 different people he was paid to take out. Tom Cruise delivers one of his all-time best lead performances. His energetic and intense personality fit perfectly. Jamie Foxx's Oscar-nominated role was also fantastic, and also ranks among his very best. Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Bruce McGill, Barry Shabaka Henley, Irma P. Hall, and others also had great supporting roles.

Powerful sports drama from Clint Eastwood about a highly determined 32-year-old waitress from a poor and uncaring family that becomes one of the best professional female boxers in her class when she persuades an ill-tempered veteran boxing trainer to coach and manage her. This is definitely my favorite performance from Hilary Swank. She put on an incredible performance. Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman also deliver some of their finest lead roles. Lucia Rijker, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter, Brían F. O'Byrne, Anthony Mackie, Margo Martindale, and many others had nice supporting roles.

Fantastic sequel to Richard Linklater's beloved drama/romance classic Before Sunrise (1995) and my favorite entry in the trilogy. It's been 9 years since they said their heartbreaking goodbyes in Vienna, and Jesse has now become a New York Times best-selling author after writing a novel about their one magical night together in Vienna. The last stop on his book signing tour is in Paris. Celine hears of the news and surprises him at the book shop he's giving a talk at, which immediately takes his breath away. We quickly find out the Jesse is married with kids and Celine is also in a serious relationship. However, neither of them are actually happy, and neither have ever stopped thinking about their otherworldly night and their undeniable connection with each other. The setup to this sequel was absolutely perfect, and the film really felt like one running camera shot without any breaks. The dialogue was even better and more thought-provoking than the first. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy both arguably deliver their all-time best lead performances, and also received the writing credits they deserved this time around. The minimal supporting was also great once again.

Great crime/drama/thriller from Paul Haggis that compiles several interweaving stories of unique Los Angeles citizens over a 36-hour period. Many issues come to light; like racial profiling among car-jackers and victims, rights being violated by a crooked and racist and sexist cop, drug addiction and depression, and many other thing among a car accident that ties much of the story together. Superbly shot and very easy to follow for this style of film. Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Ludacris, Larenz Tate, Thandiwe Newton, Terrence Howard, and Michael Peña had the best performances among a super solid supporting cast.

Outstanding biopic from Joseph Sargent set in 1930 during the Great Depression in Nashville, Tennessee. The story follows the 34-year partnership between a boastful and idealistic doctor and medical researcher named Alfred Blalock, and a former carpenter and extremely skilled and intelligent lab technician named Vivien Thomas. They begin by experimenting on dogs to find a way to prevent death by shock. After much success, they start tackling a challenge concerning "blue babies", which is a deadly condition babies are born with when they don't have enough oxygen in their blood. Through hard work and perseverance, they make medical history by successfully performing the first modern heart surgery. However, it's a hard road for Vivien Thomas being a black man in the 1930s, as he faces plenty of discrimination, lack of respect, inadequate pay most of his career, and isn't recognized for his contribution until years later. It's a fantastic and beautifully done film overall. There's no wonder why it won 3 Emmy's and was nominated for several others. Alan Rickman and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) both deliver their all-time best lead performances, and were plenty worthy of winning the Emmy's they were nominated for. Gabrielle Union, Mary Stuart Masterson, Irene Ziegler, Clayton LeBouef, Kyra Sedgwick, Charles S. Dutton, Bolton Marsh, and many others also had very nice supporting roles.

Hilarious comedy and a weed-smoking classic. Great story about two spliff-smoking best friends who get some serious munchies after smoking some high grade ganja, and decide White Castle is the perfect food they need to satisfy their urge after seeing a commercial on TV. It's a long drive, and several hilarious characters, situations, and obstacles threaten to keep them from fulfilling their food dreams. Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg (Cobra Kai creators) delivered a great script. John Cho and Kal Penn deliver fantastic lead performances. One of the best buddy duos I've seen in among the genre. Neil Patrick Harris, David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Christopher Meloni, Malin Akerman, Paula Garcés, Fred Willard, Ethan Embry, Rob Tinkler, Anthony Anderson, Kate Kelton, Brooke D'Orsay, and others had great supporting roles.

Excellent history sports biopic that follows player-turned-coach Herb Brooks, who miraculously led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team against a legendary battle against the seemingly unstoppable Soviet Union team, in what could be called one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports. Awesome story with great writing and acting. Kurt Russell arguably delivers his best performance as the ruthless and dedicated Herb Brooks. Noah Emmerich, Patricia Clarkson, Sean McCann, Eddie Cahill, Patrick O'Brien Demsey, Michael Mantenuto, Kenneth Mitchell, and many others had great supporting roles. Likely my favorite hockey film of all time.

Fascinating and powerful drama/thriller about a dreadfully skinny man who hasn't slept in a year. When he's not working as a machinist, he spends his free time with his favorite prostitute and waitress at the airport cafe. When life-altering events occur, tragic details from his past are uncovered as he loses grip of his own sanity. Excellent psychological thriller with a superb plot twist near the end. Christian Bale lost 60 pounds for this role, and puts his entire self into his performance as usual—he was excellent. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian, and Michael Ironside all had nice roles among a solid supporting cast.

Hilarious and unique comedy about an Eastern European tourist who is stranded at JFK airport in New York after the collapse of government in the politically unstable country of Krakozhia, and is forced to take up temporary residence at the airport until the war settles. He makes plenty of interesting friends and encounters many comical situations along the way. Tom Hanks delivered a fantastic performance. One of his best. Stanley Tucci, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diego Luna, Chi McBride, Barry Shabaka Henley, Kumar Pallana, and Zoe Saldana also had great roles among a solid supporting cast.

Excellent and powerful drama man who return to his hometown after spending 12 years in prison for molesting little girls. While he attempts to keep to himself and live a quiet life, issues strike when he starts dating a woman from work. Old feelings start creeping back into his mind when he sees a girls from age 10–12, as he strives to live a "normal" life where he can stand close to a girl and not have those "feelings" through therapy and self-evaluation. The plot takes an interesting turn when he starts tracking a predator that's taking advantage of kids at the Elementary school he lives across the street from. Kevin Bacon delivers a very complex and realistic lead performance. It's arguably the best of his career. Kyra Sedgwick, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Shannon, Mos Def, David Alan Grier, Eve, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent action-packed crime drama from Tony Scott that follows a troubled former CIA operative and alcoholic who travels to Mexico City to visit his friend, who lands him a job as a bodyguard to protect a 9-year-old girl in an area where kidnapping is brutally rampant. While he's very depressed with his life, he and the girl form an unlikely close bond and friendship. When a group of corrupt cops and criminals kidnap the girl and nearly kill him, he plans his bloody vengeance against every person involved in the sting. Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning both delivered excellent lead performances. Christopher Walken, Radha Mitchell, Marc Anthony, Mickey Rourke, Rachel Ticotin, and others had great supporting roles.

Hilarious and unique comedy/horror flick about a couple of routine-ridden best friends named Shaun and Ed who are London electronics salesman, and encounter a zombie apocalypse. There's also a funny side story about how Shaun is trying to protect his ex-girlfriend Liz while simultaneously mending their relationship. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make a superb duo. They both deliver excellent and hysterical lead performances. Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, and plenty others have great roles among s solid supporting cast.

Excellent drama romance from Nick Cassavetes that follows an elderly man named Noah who lives in a nursing home with his wife Allie after dementia has taken control of her mind. From an old leather-bound book, he reads to her the epic and unlikely love story of their past lives. The story is set in 1940 South Carolina, and follows a simple lumber mill worker named Noah who instantly falls in love with a gorgeous and sophisticated woman named Allie. Allie comes from a wealthy family, and her mother especially disapproves of working-class "trash" like Noah. When the summer is over, she must move away, and their relationship breaks after a fight, overwhelming miscommunication, and the disapproval of her parents. Life moves on for Allie, but Noah never gets over his love for Allie, and dedicates his life to her memory until the heavenly day when they meet again. The only problem is, now she's engaged to be married to another man. Fantastic love story all around with a superb cast. Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, James Garner, and Gena Rowlands all delivered some of their best and most memorable lead performances to date. Joan Allen, Kevin Connolly, Sam Shepard, James Marsden, and many others had excellent supporting roles.

Underrated crime drama from Spike Lee set in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Hunter's Point, San Francisco, and follows a black man named K-Luv who's part of the ruthless and turf controlling V-Dub gang. It also follows a poor white family that mainly follows their son Nick Wade, who lose their home and are forced to move in next door the the V-Dub's main hangout, where they are frequently terrorized. The final story revolves around a troubled young Chinese man named Lincoln Ma, who's from Chinatown, runs deep with the Chinese Mafia, and frequently collides with the V-Dub gang. All in all, it's a troubling a bleak look at conflict between several gangs in one of the most turbulent times in San Francisco's history. If you can look past the fact that this is a TV movie, you will find all the top-notch quality of your standard Spike Lee crime drama. Great film that has his signature touches all over it. Anthony Mackie is one of my favorite actors, and I thought he delivered arguably his best lead performance. Ben Crowley and Ken Leung also delivered powerful and excellent lead roles. Omari Hardwick, Darris Love, Laura Allen, T.V. Carpio, John Savage, Kathy Baker, James Hong, and many others had great supporting roles.

The second installment in the Bourne series is just as good as the first. Great story which takes place 2 years after The Bourne Identity (2002), finding Jason Borne living in India when he is framed by a Russian assassin for stealing millions of dollars from the CIA, and is forced to continue his life as a trained assassin as he works to survive and protect his girlfriend Marie. Matt Damon delivered an excellent lead performance once again. Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, Marton Csokas, Karl Urban, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent high school comedy about an outcast teen with a hilarious amount of social short-comings decides to help his new friend Pedro (who has a personality similar to his) to win class president, as he deals with his 32-year-old brother who spends his days on internet dating chat rooms, and his bum of a moocher, Uncle Rico. The characters are all hilarious and so well developed. Very slow moving and excellent shot storyline. Jon Heder will forever be known as Napoleon Dynamite...his performance was superb. Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino, Shondrella Avery, Emily Kennard Dunn, Haylie Duff, Trevor Snarr, Diedrich Bader, and Sandy Martin all had great supporting roles.

Excellent biography on the 1974 true life events of Samuel Byck—a troubled furniture salesman who desperately wants to get back together with his wife and children who he's separated from, even though his wife has moved on. He hates his boss, and generally gets hung up on people who lie and are dishonest. After quitting his job, being denied for a loan to start a new business, stealing from his brother, and alienating himself from his family and friends, he breaks down mentally as he becomes obsessed with watching Richard Nixon on TV, and the lies he believes he's delivering to the public. And therefore desperately devises a plot to destroy the White House and everyone inside. Before he goes through with it, he records the details of his plan, and sends it to a famous musical composer he admires—Leonard Bernstein. Sean Penn delivers one of his best and most complex lead performances. Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent sci-fi drama/romance about a couple who goes through a medical procedure to erase their memories of each other when their clashing personalities become too much to bare. When they meet each other after the procedure, a new romance blossoms, and they know deep down there is a history between the two they cannot remember. Very nice story and great acting throughout. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet both deliver excellent lead performances. Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, and Tom Wilkinson had great roles among the supporting cast.

Great romance/sex-driven drama that follows the relationships of two couples, and becomes very complicated when one of the more malicious men ends up meeting and pursuing the woman of the other relationship. There are several crazy twists and turns to the story, along with plenty of shocking and filthy dialogue. Great script throughout. Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Jude Law, and Clive Owen all give fantastic and some of their most memorable lead performances. All the screen time is devoted to them, since there really isn't much of a supporting cast to speak of. Great drama throughout.

Great action-packed horror flick from Zack Snyder, and a solid remake of George A. Romero's 1978 classic of the same name. The story follows a nurse, a policeman, a young man with his very pregnant wife, and other survivors that pool together and take refuge in a Milwaukee shopping mall after the world is devastatingly attacked by a massive population of flesh-eating zombies. While George A. Romero's film had a better story and better acting, Snyder's take has excellent cinematography and fantastic action throughout. While not as a great as the original, it definitely delivers in many ways. Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Inna Korobkina, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Michael Barry, Lindy Booth, Jayne Eastwood, and many others had very nice performances.

Powerful drama that follows a white New York lawyer who travels back to her hometown of South Africa to represent member of the Parliament and political activist Alex Mpondo in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after being heavily traumatized and brutally tortured for 31 days by a corrupt police officer who has now made an application for amnesty. Meanwhile, they also try to uncover the mysterious disappearance of his friend who was also being tortured along with him. Very nice story with powerful performances all around. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Hilary Swank, and Jamie Bartlett all deliver great lead performances among a relatively unknown solid supporting cast.

Hilarious satire-infused action-packed comedy from Trey Parker & Matt Stone (the creators of South Park). When a corrupt North Korean dictator sets out to destroy the world, it's up to the international police force called "Team America" and broadway star Gary Johnston to save the world. Trey Parker and Matt Stone both deliver excellent voice performances—playing nearly all the characters in the film. Kristen Miller, Masasa Moyo, and Daran Norris all had great supporting roles.

Solid sequel to the first Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire Spider-Man film. Nice story that follows Peter Parker 2 years since the events of the first film, and he's still trying to balance his life as Spider-Man, and attempting to mend his relationship with Mary Jane. A new enemy named Doctor Otto Octavius who becomes Doc Ock after a scientific accident occurs. Tobey Maguire delivered a great lead performances as usual. Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Donna Murphy, and many others had nice supporting roles.

Very nice romantic comedy drama about a veterinarian who lives in Hawaii, and has a fear of commitment until he meets a gorgeous woman named Lucy. After hitting it off and having a great first date, she doesn't recognize him when he approaches her the next day, and he learns she's suffering from short-term memory loss, and has no memories of the previous day(s) when she wakes up in the morning. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore both have great lead performances, and great chemistry. Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd, and others had nice roles among a solid supporting cast.

Very nice Disney/Pixar action-packed adventure about a family of undercover superheroes that move to the suburbs to live a normal life after 15 years of fighting crime in Metroville when their superpowers are banned by the government. When the Dad gets word of a top-secret assignment and wants to get back into the superhero life, it turns out the whole family is needed to save the world from total annihilation. Not one of my favorite Pixar films, but it's a quality through and through. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Dominique Louis, Spencer Fox, Wallace Shawn, Sarah Vowell, Eli Fucile, and others had very nice performances.

Very nice crime thriller and a nice sequel to Ocean's Eleven (2001). After pulling off one of the biggest heists in history, Danny Ocean assembles his team to pull off three major European heists when casino owner Terry Benedict wants the $150 million they stole from him (plus interest) 3 years earlier. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, and Julia Roberts all had nice lead performances among a solid supporting cast.

Very nice comedy drama from Kevin Smith about a dedicated publicist who's wife dies during child birth and he nows live with his daughter and father in New Jersey. He's subsequently an absent father to his newborn daughter in many ways. The sadness and stress of being a widower eventually leads him to a breakdown that ends his career, which forces him to make life changes and be a real father to his daughter. Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro, George Carlin, Jennifer Lopez, Stephen Root, Mike Starr, and Jason Biggs all had nice performances among a solid supporting cast.