Posted: 01/27/2005 |
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Film 2004 as Seen by Wayne Caseby Wayne Case | |
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Note: This recap is based on my personal reaction to the 147 films that I saw in full during 2004. Best Films Kinsey Million Dollar Baby The Notebook Sideways -and- Closer Collateral The Door In The Floor Friday Night Lights Spider-Man 2
Runners-Up (Alphabetically) Cellular Hotel Rwanda The Manchurian Candidate Ray Saved! Taking Lives Troy
Honorable Mentions (Alphabetically) Hidalgo Latter Days Man On Fire Mean Girls 13 Going On 30 Wimbledon The Woodsman
Best Foreign Language Films Best Animated Film Finding Neverland Best Actor (Alphabetically) Gael Garcia Bernal, Bad Education Gael Garcia Bernal, The Motorcycle Diaries Jeff Bridges, The Door in the Floor Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda Tom Cruise, Collateral Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby Jude Law, Closer Billy Bob Thornton, Friday Night Lights Best Actor—Considered & Rejected Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland Best Actor Honorable Mention Billy Crudrup, Stage Beauty Matt Damon, The Bourne Supremacy Ryan Gosling, The Notebook Kevin Kline, De-Lovely Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man 2 Denzel Washington, The Manchurian Candidate Denzel Washington, Man on Fire Best Actress Runners Up (Alphabetically) Ashley Judd, De-Lovely Laura Linney, P.S. Rachel McAdams, The Notebook Kyra Sedgwick, The Woodsman Uma Thurman, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 Best Actress—Considered & Rejected Nicole Kidman, Birth Scarlett Johansson, A Love Song For Bobby Long Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace Audrey Tautou, A Very Long Engagement Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland Best Supporting Actor (Alphabetical) Best Supporting Actress (Alphabetically) Joan Allen, The Bourne Supremacy Toni Collette, The Last Shot Sandra Oh, Sideways Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda Gena Rowlands, The Notebook Barbra Streisand, Meet The Fockers Best Original Script The Aviator Bad Education Kinsey Best Adapted Script (Alphabetically) Before Sunset Closer Mean Girls Million Dollar Baby The Notebook Sideways
Best Original Song (Alphabetical) Believe, The Polar Express Creasy Dies, Man On Fire Learn To Be Lonely, The Phantom of the Opera Million Voices, Hotel Rwanda Old Habits Die Hard, Alfie Remember, Troy Shine Your Light, Ladder 49 Best Original Musical Scoring (Alpha) The Bourne Supremacy, John Powell Man On Fire, Harry Gregson-Williams & others Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood The Notebook, Aaron Zigman Sideways, Rolfe Kent Best Cinematography Bad Education, Jose Luis Alcaine Closer, Stephen Goldblatt Collateral, Dion Bebee & Paul Cameron Friday Night Lights, Tobias A. Schliessler Man On Fire, Paul Cameron & Cesar Cameron The Motorcycle Diaries, Eric Gautier The Notebook, Robert Fraisse Taking Lives, Amir M. Mokri Troy, Roger Pratt Special Awards The Michelle Phillips/Cornelia Sharpe/Angel Thompkins Worst Performance by an Actress Award: Halle Berry in CATWOMAN The Heaven’s Gate Budget Award: ALEXANDER The Otto Preminger “Light Touch” Award: VAN HELSING The Sam Peckinpah “Wretched Excess” Award: Mel Gibson’s THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (The first faith-based splatter film!) The Sidney Lumet Miscasting Award: Stuart Townsend in HEAD IN THE CLOUDS A Star Is Born Break-Thru Award: Female - Rachel McAdams in MEAN GIRLS & THE NOTEBOOK A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD The John Hartl Stop-Them-Before-They-Direct-Again Award: Rawson Marshall Thurber for DODGEBALL The Calling-Sydney-Guilaroff-for-Help-Hair-Style Award: Female: Jamie Lee Curtis in CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS Colin Farrell for ALEXANDER & A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD Will Ferrell in ANCHORMAN Christopher Young for THE GRUDGE (1) Another Bob Clark directorial project went into United States theatrical release in 2004. Named SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2, it received a 1.6 grade (out of a possible 10) from the Internet Movie Data Base website membership. This is lowest rating they have ever given any film in English and is the second lowest rating ever given to a film in any language. For perspective, the wretched John Travolta 2000 clunker, BATTLEFIELD EARTH, received a 2.4. As far as I can determine, no future projects have been announced by or for director Clark. Since I disparage him annually, my sense of fair play dictates that I confess here that I love his 1982 high school boy fantasy/comedy, PORKY’S. (2) I am grateful that Ed Zwick has not directed a film since THE LAST SAMURAI which reached US screens in 2003. Another project has been announced for him but release isn’t even threatened before 2006. I did like his little seen LEAVING NORMAL (1992), but squirmed/cringed throughout both GLORY (1989) & COURAGE UNDER FIRE (1996). Further, while many will disagree, I found LEGENDS OF THE FALL (1994) over-blown, over-produced, over-acted and interminable. (3) Peter Hyams may well be a nice man. In fact, a former and respected co-worker of mine told me that he enjoys playing golf with him. Personally, I wish Mr. Hyams would devote himself to golf and give up directing films. From his oeuvre, consider the following as evidence as to why: BUSTING (1974), PEEPER (1975), 2010 (1984), THE RELIC (1997) and THE MUSKETEER (2001) which is his most recent as of January 2005. A SOUND OF THUNDER was scheduled for March 11, 2005 openings but that date has been pulled. I can wait…indefinitely. (4) I love Miss Piggy. I love Yoda. Frank Oz voices them, along with many other favorites. And then there’s his other career as a feature film director. While LITTLE SHOP OF HORORS (1986) & BOWFINGER (1999) are excellent, he’s also responsible for the lame/limp IN & OUT (1997), the labored/listless HOUSESITTER (1992), the deeply flawed/wildly uneven STEPFORD WIVES (2004) and the most annoying film I’ve ever endured, WHAT ABOUT BOB? (1991). If rumors of major problems on the set of THE STEPFORD WIVES are true, maybe he won’t even want to direct again. At present, I find no future directing assignments announced for him. The Ellen Terry Awards Justin Bartha, National Treasure Jamie Bell, Undertow Paul Bettany, Wimbledon Lucas Black, Friday Night Lights Marc Blucas, First Daughter Jon Collin, In Good Company Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Wimbledon Josh Duhamel, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton Will Ferrell, Starsky & Hutch Vincent Gallo, The Brown Bunny Cole Hauser, Paparazzi Emile Hirsch, The Girl Next Door Gabriel Macht, A Love Song For Bobby Long Olivier Martinez, Taking Lives Alessandro Nivola, The Clearing Michael Pitt, The Dreamers Owen Wilson, Starsky & Hutch and The Big Bounce Patrick Wilson, The Phantom of the Opera
Joan Allen, The Notebook Eva Amurri, Saved! Kate Bosworth, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton Elisha Cuthbert, The Girl Next Door Minnie Driver, The Phantom of the Opera Edna, The Incredibles Dakota Fanning, Man On Fire Jennifer Garner, 13 Going On 30 Katie Holmes, First Daughter Angelina Jolie, Taking Lives Diane Kruger, National Treasure Rachel McAdams, Mean Girls Radha Mitchell, Man On Fire Mandy Moore, Saved! Julia Roberts, Oceans 12 Emmy Rossum, The Phantom Of The Opera Jada Pinkett Smith, Collateral
ELLEN TERRY HALL OF FAME: Ben Affleck (10) & Luke Wilson (11) Most Anticipated Films of 2005 ALL THE KING’S MEN Wayne Case is an entertainment industry executive in Hollywood. Got a problem? E-mail us at filmmonthly@gmail.com |