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THE BEST AND WORST OF 2004
The author’s considered best/worst in each category are listed in bold italics with an asterisk (*). The listed links will take you to more detailed reveiews of each film.
Recurrent Themes of the Year:
Films About the Editing of Memory – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Final Cut, The Forgotten and The Manchurian Candidate
George Romero Zombie Homages – Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead
Loved Ones are Reborn – Birth and Godsend
Fantasy Worlds Overrun by References to Contemporary Brand Names – Ella Enchanted, Shark Tale and Shrek 2
Modernized Teen Versions of Cinderella – A Cinderella Story and Ella Enchanted
Critiques of US Politics – The Manchurian Candidate, Team America: World Police and a whole host of non-genre documentaries about Bush
Revivals/Homages to 1970s Horror Films – Exorcist: The Beginning and the aforementioned Romero films
Retro SF – The Incredibles, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Steamboy
Puppet Films – Strings, Team America: World Police and, if you like, Thunderbirds
The 10 Best Films
Worst Films
Best Director
Jonathan Glazer – Birth
Joseph Ruben – The Forgotten
M. Night Shyamalan – The Village
Christopher Smith – Creep
James Wan – Saw (*)
Zhang Yimou – House of Flying Daggers
Best Original Screenplay
The Butterfly Effect
D.E.B.S.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (*)
The Final Cut
Saw
Best Adapted Screenplay
Appleseed
Howl’s Moving Castle (*)
The Manchurian Candidate
Night Watch
Spider-Man 2
Best Actor
Christian Bale – The Machinist (*)
C. Thomas Howell – The Hillside Strangler
Tong Leung Chiu Wai – 2046
Sean Penn – The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Ron Perlman – Hellboy
Best Actress
Jordana Brewster– D.E.B.S.
Sara Foster – D.E.B.S.
Bryce Dallas Howard – The Village (*)
Bai Ling – Dumplings
Emmy Rossum – The Phantom of the Opera
Zhang Ziyi – House of Flying Daggers and 2046
Best Supporting Actor
Jackie Berroyer – The Ordeal
Cameron Bright – Birth
Liev Schreiber – The Manchurian Candidate
John Turturro – Secret Window (*)
Nicholas Turturro – The Hillside Strangler
Best Supporting Actress
Minnie Driver – The Phantom of the Opera
Kirsten Dunst – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (*)
Trine Dyrholm – In Your Hands
Anne Heche – Birth
Parker Posey – Blade Trinity
Best Cinematography
Ab-Normal Beauty
Birth
House of Flying Daggers (*)
The Phantom of the Opera
Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt
Best Musical Score
Birth (*)
Secret Window
Taking Lives
Team America: World Police
The Village
Best Special Effects
The Day After Tomorrow (*)
I, Robot
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Spider-Man 2
Van Helsing
Best Makeup Effects
Alien vs. Predator
Blade Trinity
Creep
Dawn of the Dead
Hellboy (*)
Seed of Chucky
Best Production Design
Casshern
The Chronicles of Riddick
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Phantom of the Opera
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (*)
Thunderbirds