MY TOP 11 MOVIES OF 2004 (with commentary)

11. The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra - If you haven't seen this yet, you need to do so as quickly as possible. Well, actually, some of you probably wouldn't enjoy it, but MST3K fans would probably enjoy it.
10. The Punisher - I know there was a lot wrong with this movie (like it being set in Florida and primarily in the daytime!?!), but Thomas Jane WAS Frank Castle. I mean, nailed. He was perfect. That allows me to overlook some of the other problems.
9. Miracle - I like hockey. I like Kurt Russell. I like triumphant true stories. I like when people are able to achieve something greater than themselves. I like well made movies. This flick had all of the above.
8. Cold Mountain - It was a great movie. I don't know if I'd have liked it as much if Jude Law hadn't been in it, but I'm pretty sure I would have still liked it.
7. Kill Bill Vol. 2 - I'm sure anything that needs to be said about this movie has already been said a million times by people far wittier and/or more eloquent than I.
6. Anchorman/Starsky and Hutch/Dodgeball - I'm just going to consider these all one big movie where Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell and Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn got to goof around and have fun making themselves laugh.. which then makes all of us laugh.
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - See my commentary for KBV2.
4. Shaun of the Dead - One of us zombie fans really made good. I mean, Romero loved it for crying out loud. Found the perfect balance between comedy and horror and the comedy of horror. If you ask me, this flick did everything right in a way the Scary Movie series never will. In fact, I wish I hadn't even mentioned that series while I was talking about this fantastic film. Laugh out loud funny. Quotable funny. Spectacular zombies. Real emotion. Three ASH songs. What else do you need?
3. Spider-Man 2 - Left the original flick standing in the dust. It really should have been called The Amazing Spider-Man (as was originally planned) instead of just throwing a 2 at the end. Better performances all around. Much better in some cases. A seemingly better understanding of what makes Peter Parker who he is, as well as a better understanding of why he does what he does. A far better villain. Classic Sam Raimi flourishes. And, perhaps most importantly, more Spider-Man.
2. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - I know most of you probably didn't even see this movie. That makes me very sad. It's coming out on DVD in a week or two. If you've ever thought I was right about anything go out and buy this DVD or at least rent it. I'm serious. If you like Indiana Jones or classic 1950s sci-fi or action movies that are safe to watch with your kids or parents or grandparents or beautiful people (Law, Paltrow, Jolie) or great special effects or late 1930s fashion or just good movies this is it.
1. The Incredibles - My favorite Pixar movie of all time. Arguably their best movie to date. Arguably the best superhero movie of all time. In my All Time Top 10 Movies list.