The Movies I saw in 2004

Here’s a list of the movies I saw this year…  If you compare it to last year’s list, you’ll notice that I saw a few more films in the theatre this year, more than one a week on average (which isn’t surprising since I head up the Boston Sunday Night Film Club).  You might also notice that I saw fewer films on video this year…  I guess that’s what getting a job’ll do to ya…  Damn employment! :)

This year’s list should be far more accurate than last year’s, since I kept track of the movies as I watched them, as opposed to trying to reconstruct the list from memory and Netflix history like I did last year.  I might have missed a few, but overall it is pretty comprehensive.  I even decided just now to link each of the films to their IMDB page (some are linked to Amazon because IMDB has no listing), so if you are wondering what a particular film was all about, you don’t have to hunt the info down.

Obviously, if I watch a film in the next 11.5 hours I will add it to the list, but I don’t expect to…  Then again, given that on average I’ve watched a movie almost every other day, you never know… :)

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The Movies I saw in 2003

commented on how many movies I put in the previous post. I decided to try and list all of the movies I saw this year, both in the theater and on TV (dvd, hbo, etc.). I pulled this list from memory, from email archives, and by stepping through every post I made to LJ in the past year. I am going to try and keep a more accurate list for 2004. I figure if I start now I can have a pretty accurate model of what I see this year.

The theater list is pretty accurate, and I don’t think I missed much on it. The video list, however, is probably VERY incomplete.

Update (8/27/2004): I found an option at netflix to retrieve my entire rental history, so I was able to fill in some missing data.

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Movie Picks of 2003

  • Most surprising film of the year: Rivers and Tides
    • I really expected this one to be a complete snoozer, but it was so
      beautiful I watched most of it with my jaw dropped.
  • Most disappointing film: Spider
    • I was disillusioned with Cronenberg after eXistenZ, but this film was
      just ho-hum.
  • Saddest film: Lost in La Mancha
    • I love Terry Gilliam and it is so sad to see his creation squashed by
      various forces. This documentary does a great job of putting you in
      Gilliam’s head.
  • Most surprising B-movie (non-horror): Poolhall Junkies
    • Sure, it’s a cheesy mix of Rounders and The Color of Money, but
      a campy Christopher Walken performance makes the film a must-rent
  • Most surprising B-movie (horror): House of 1000 Corpses
    • Hey, I have to admit that I didn’t give Rob Zombie a fair shake. I
      expected him to pooch it and he completely delivered.
  • Best Christopher Guest Movies: A Mighty Wind and Spellbound
    • Sure, Spellbound might not have ACTUALLY been directed by Christopher Guest, and it’s not a mockumentary, but that doesn’t change the fact that it very well COULD be.
  • Best coming-of-age film: Whale Rider
    • You just gotta love those Maori!
  • Best Use of Digital Video: 28 Days Later
    • DV gave this film the immediacy of a nightly news report, and
      contributed to the overall spooky nature of this film.
  • Best Use of Johnny Depp: Pirates of the Caribbean
    • Come on, he rocked.
  • Film which made me feel guilty for not surfing: Step Into Liquid
    • I never got into Endless Summer, but Step Into Liquid is a masterpiece
      and makes a part of me wish I grew up in California.
  • Best Horror Film: Freddy vs. Jason
    • This is definitely a biased category for me, but fuck it.
  • Best use of Bill Murray in ages: Lost in Translation
    • I didn’t see Charlie’s Angels 2 because Bill Murray wasn’t in it.
  • Best Kids Movie That Adults Should See: School of Rock
    • The people behind School of Rock took a formula that has been done over
      and over and over again and turned it into something fresh.
  • Best referential homage-fest: Kill Bill Vol. 1
    • Quentin Tarantino did an amazing job of distilling his thousands of
      sources and inspiration down into a hip, fun, exciting movie. I can’t
      wait to see the second half.
  • Best Reissue: Alien: Director’s Cut
    • It was tough picking between Alien and Scarface, but really, Alien is
      the scariest movie ever made, and doesn’t feel dated one bit. Scarface
      is just as amazing, but I am simply more attached to Alien.
  • Best completion of a Trilogy: Return of the King
    • Peter Jackson has made some of my favorite films (Bad Taste, Dead Alive, Meet the Feebles…). When I heard he was going to be tackling LotR, I really didn’t think he was up to the task. He showed me.
  • Worst completition of a Trilogy: Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions
    • I liked the second film, and enjoyed the third film, but Corinna summed
      it up perfectly when she said that if they felt the need to make a
      sequel they should have combined these two films into one. I love the
      first film, but the two sequels released this year were a disappointment
      (if not still enjoyable).
  • Worst film of the year: Gerry and Friday Night (tie)
    • I just can’t pick. Both of these films are complete wastes of time.