Movie Minutiae - Johnny Betts' Best of 2004
By Johnny Betts, Moviegoer Advocate
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I saw a lot of movies I liked this year, so it's pretty hard to narrow my list of favorites down to just 10.
It's even harder to rank the movies in order. So the order below could change on any given day, depending on
the type of mood I'm in. What I'm gonna do is give you a list of the "10 Best." These aren't necessarily
my 10 FAVORITE movies of the year; just the ones I thought were the best. I'll follow this list with a few
movies that I may have liked better.
For example, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a better
movie than Dodgeball, but chances are if somebody was gonna give
me one of those two movies, then I'd probably take Dodgeball. Mind
trips are fun, but mindless Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler comedies are more fun for multiple viewings.
Johnny Betts' 10 Best of 2004
10. The Notebook - I'm not big on romance movies, but when a movie like this
makes Stephanie all lovey-dovey then I can handle it. I'll give 'em credit for largely staying away from the sap
and cheese that are usually associated with romances.
9. Saw - I'm a huge fan of thrillers, and this contained the most intense final
10-15 minutes of any movie I saw this year. Plus, the fact that it did everything on about a $1.2 million is
amazing.
8. Collateral - A movie with great dialogue, and some intense, shocking,
in-your-face moments. If only the ending had been better...
7. Starsky & Hutch - Great parody, and Owen Wilson rules.
At this moment I'm labeling it the comedy of the year.
6. Miracle - This is a late entry to my list. I technically watched this in 2005,
but it's from 2004 so it goes on the list! This is the true story of the American Olympic hockey team and its
stunning upset over the mighty Russians. It's an inspirational and patriotic movie that you can enjoy even if
you're not a huge hockey fan.
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - This definitely isn't for
everybody, but Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet did great jobs. Any movie that manages to be unique, original, and
intriguing is OK in my book. Plus, it gave me the chance to create a cool, new word - Esotism.
4. Spider-Man 2 - A visually impressive thrill ride.
3. The Incredibles - See Spider-Man 2
description above.
2. The Butterfly Effect - Not only is this the thriller of the year,
but it also contained one of the best, most original plots of the year. Way better than I ever expected.
1. The Passion of the Christ - My review says it all.
Some of Johnny Betts' Testosterone-Fueled Favorites of 2004 That He May Have Enjoyed More than Some of
the Above
Dodgeball - Some of the humor is a bit crude for my tastes, but it's
laugh-out-loud funny.
Walking Tall - The Rock's cool, and every red-blooded American male
has to have a good revenge flick on his year-end list.
50 First Dates - Very funny Adam Sandler movie, but it also works in
the context of a "romantic comedy," while thankfully staying more on the comedy side. Drew Barrymore is good as well.
Dawn of the Dead - This is the horror movie of the year. Intense,
fast-paced, and the creepy zombies get blown up all over the place.
Ladder 49 - A nice mix of action, drama, and humor. Plus, the acting is
impressive, despite what the lack of awards nominations indicate.
The Forgotten - A creepy thriller with some of the best jump scenes I've
seen in a long time.
Ocean's Twelve - I thought it was even more fun than
Ocean's Eleven.
Without a Paddle - Just plain fun. Silly, nostalgic fun from start
to finish.
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