There were a few readers who could not get the Best of Film 2004 Shockwave file to work. So I'm posting the contents in standard format. Tonight, I'm posting the list of films I considered for the top ten but were pushed out. Consider them my honorable mentions.
Note: I was unable to see The Sea Inside or The Motorcycle Diaries. I feel those films could have been contenders too.
Collateral -- Michael Mann. A taxi cab driver is held hostage and forced to drive an assassin around the streets of L.A. Exceptional performances by Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.
Closer -- Mike Nichols. Four people. Two couples. An affair. A tale of how vain, selfish, and terrible people can be towards one another. The acting is superb!
Dogville -- Lars Von Trier. A small town changes when a drifter walks into town seeking refuge.
Fahrenheit 9/11 -- Michael Moore. The controversial documentary on 9/11, Bush's ties relations with the Royal Saudi Family, and the Iraq war.
Garden State -- Zach Braff. An extraordinary debut from Braff about a young man who returns home to attend his mother's funeral and faces past mistakes in order to reclaim his sense of identity, an appreciation for life, the ability to feel, and most importantly, the ability to fall in love.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (UK) -- Alfonso Cuaron. Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban Prison and Harry Potter seems to be his next target.
Kill Bill Volume 2 -- Quentin Tarantino. The Bride finishes off the assassins who gunned down her entire wedding party.
Kinsey -- Bill Condon. A science professor takes on the role of sexual education and completes a study on male and female sexual habits that became the backbone of what we know about sexual behavior.
Maria Full of Grace (Columbia) -- Joshua Marston. A young woman risks her life in order to flee from her dead-end life and poverty in Columbia to be a human container for drugs transported from Columbia to the U.S.
Napoleon Dynamite -- Jared Hess. The sleeper comedy of the year! A high school nerd by the name of Napoleon just wants to have friends, get a date to the prom, play tetherball, learn to dance, and help his friend Pedro become school president.
Shaun of the Dead -- Edgar Wright. Comedy. Spoof. Love story. Zombies. One of the most clever scripts of the year.
Shrek 2 -- Andrew Adamson. Fiona and Shrek go to Far Far And Away to meet her parents. But a Fairy Godmother is plotting Shrek's demise and her son's chances at becoming Prince.
Spartan -- David Mamet. A spy thriller about an undercover operation to rescue the presiden'ts daughter.
SpiderMan 2 -- Sam Raimi. One of the best superhero films yet.
The Incredibles -- Brad Bird. A retired superhero goes back to work, gets in trouble, and his family (also superheros) have to come bail him out.
The Life Aquatic -- Wes Anderson. A quirky comedy, drama, tragedy that really comes together nicely in a kathartic ending in the depths of the ocean.
The Mother (UK) -- Roger Michell. A widowed mother falls in love with her daughter's boyfriend.
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