Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Year in Review: 2004

Posted by 2011 at 12:11

So I decided that today is the year of 2004. I was just looking at The Aviator, a really good film so I dubbed this day this. This is not my retrospective view of that year, but I actually have data. I did not have a blog then, but I used to type these things up nevertheless. I know, I was a strange child. This was the first year that I started predicting Oscars – I still remember the ceremony (Chris Rock and his theatrics).
                          
Here is my top ten of the year
  1. The Aviator (Martin Scorsese)
  2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michael Gondry)
  3. Finding Neverland (Marc Forster)
  4. Closer (Mike Nichols)
  5. Hotel Rwanda (Terry George)
  6. Mean Girls (Mark Waters)
  7. Birth (Jonathan Glazer)
  8. Vera Drake (Mike Leigh)
  9. Sideways (Alexander Payne)
  10. Being Julia (Istvan Szabo)
The top ten films are in three categories. Number one and two are in a category decidedly of their own, and then #3 and #4; then #5, #6 and #7 and then number #9 and #10. There were some films that in retrospect I would have considered entering into the ten, but I was (and still am) not enamoured with them like these ten here – Kill Bill II – I didn’t like it enough, I’ve never been a die hard fan of Tarantino; Million Dollar Baby – compared to how good Mystic River was this just paled in comparison Oscar win or not; Ray – in terms of a straight biopic Kinsey was head and shoulders above it but I didn't have space for either; Collateral – a good film, but I don’t love it.
                                                    
Best Scenes
  1. Meeting Katharine Hepburn – The Aviator
  2. Young Joel with Clementine - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  3. The Play – Being Julia
  4. Opening – Closer
  5. Meeting Her ‘Husband’ – Birth
  6. Going Crazy - The Aviator
  7. Killing Bill – Kill Bill II
  8. The Trip to Montauk –Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  9. Meeting the Plastics Mean Girls
  10. The Arrest – Vera Drake

The Directors
  1. Scorsese for The Aviator
  2. Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  3. Leigh for Vera Drake
  4. Glazer for Birth
  5. Alexander Payne for Sideways
Runners Up
  1. Nichols for Closer
  2. Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby
  3. George for Hotel Rwanda
Finalists
  1. Forster for Finding Neverland
  2. Mann for Collateral
All the things I liked about Finding Neverland and Closer (to a lesser extent) were not particularly about their direction. I still think Scorsese’s snub was a major Oscar crime

The Men
  1. Leonardo DiCaprio The Aviator
  2. Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda
  3. Jude Law Closer
  4. Jim Carrey Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  5. Johnny Depp Finding Neverland
Runner Up
  1. Paul Giamati Sideways
  2. Javier Toro The Sea Inside
Finalists
  1. Jamie Foxx Ray
  2. Liam Neeson Kinsey
Leo and Don were obviously the two best of the nominees that year, I remember this was the year where many of the contenders were playing the biopic card. I never did get into the hype for Jamie Foxx but what he had that DiCaprio, Depp and Cheadle didn’t was that his character was well known, well loved and recently died. The cards were in his favour. If they didn’t give Carey a nod for Man on the Moon or The Truman Show, I couldn’t really expect it to be forthcoming for this polarising film. It’s unfortunate that Giamati (who was getting a lot of buzz) got shafted for Eastwood – of all people. Neeson and Law were the two English men who went more or less unnoticed that season. Toro is actually a recent inclusion since I didn’t see the movie until 2006.
                                                    
The Women
  1. Annette Bening Being Julia
  2. Kate Winslet Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  3. Imelda Staunton Vera Drake
  4. Julia Roberts Closer
  5. Nicole Kidman Birth
Finalists
  1. Lindsay Lohan Mean Girls
  2. Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby
  3. Scarlet Johansson A Love Song For Bobby Long
  4. Uma Thurman Kill Bill II
The fact that Bening, Winslet or Staunton didn’t win the Oscar was criminal. I mean, of course Bening was in a class of her own for a glorious performance – but those two were great too. Roberts was undervalued for her ice cold Anna; of course I would have liked to see Blanchett in the role; but Roberts wads good. I am in love with Nicole Kidman, but still her work in Birth was outstanding. I like Lindsay and her work in Mean Girls is very underrated. Swank, to me, was only capable in Million Dollar Baby. It only highlighted her lack of range. Johansson never had a chance, the film was not exceptional, but she gave a good performance. And Uma was good as always.

Supporting Men
  1. Clive Owen Closer
  2. Thomas Haden Church Sideways
  3. Alan Alda The Aviator
  4. Freddy Highmore Finding Neverland
  5. Jamie Foxx Collateral
Runner Up
  1. Morgan Freeman Million Dollar Baby
Finalists
  1. James Garner The Notebook
  2. Peter Sarasgard Kinsey
  3. John C. Reilly The Aviator
In terms of quality of performance Owen and Haden Church were in a class of their own. No one else could touch them. I am glad Morgan finally got his comeuppance from AMPAS, but it was not deserved for this performance. Alda and Highmore were both undervalued, although the former did gain an Oscar nod and the latter did get an individual SAG nod. It was a toss up between Foxx and Freeman and it came down to the fact that we’ve seen Freeman do this role before – and better too. Garner, Sarasgard and Reilly were all good in their respective films. It would not have been the same without them, but it’s weird how Garner was the only one who picked up any traction – and that was almost non existent.
Supporting Women
  1. Cate Blanchett The Aviator
  2. Natalie Portman Closer
  3. Virginia Madsen Sideways
  4. Kate Winslet Finding Neverland
  5. Sophie Okenodo Hotel Rwanda
Finalists
  1. Sandra Oh Sideways
  2. Laura Linney Kinsey
  3. Lynn Redgrave Kinsey
This was a no contest for me, Blanchett stole the show, but this was a good category. Madsen and Portman did their best as strong supporting players – both deserved their nominations and various precursors. Winslet was beautiful as the widow with the children, a double nod would have been nice – but we know AMPAS does not like her when she looks beautiful (see Quills & Revolutionary Road), okay only sometimes (Titanic, Sense & Sensibility). Okenodo thoroughly deserved the nod she got. Oh didn’t get any love, but oh well. And the Kinsey women were both capable in different ways.

Ensemble Cast
  1. The Aviator
  2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  3. Sideways
  4. Finding Neverland
  5. Closer
  6. Hotel Rwanda
  7. Birth
  8. Kinsey
  9. Collateral
  10. Vera Drake














The top three films were all about their casts – the casting directors should give themselves a tap on the shoulder. Finding Neverland, Closer and Birth benefited from their cast, but some ideas were better than others.
                              
Original Screenplay
  1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  2. The Aviator
  3. The Incredibles
  4. Hotel Rwanda
  5. Birth

Adapted Screenplay
  1. Finding Neverland
  2. Closer
  3. Sideways
  4. Mean Girls
  5. Million Dollar Baby

Editing
  1. The Aviator
  2. Hotel Rwanda
  3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Cinematography
  1. The Aviator
  2. Finding Neverland
  3. The Passion of the Christ
Costume Design
  1. The Aviator
  2. A Very Long Engagement
  3. Finding Neverland
  4. The Merchant of Venice
  5. Being Julia
Art Direction
  1. The Aviator
  2. The Merchant of Venice
  3. Finding Neverland
  4. A Very Long Engagement
  5. The Phantom of the Opera
Score
  1. Finding Neverland


Sound Mixing
  1. The Aviator
  2. The Passion of the Christ
  3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Sound Editing
  1. The Aviator
  2. Finding Neverland
  3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  4. A Very Long Engagement
Makeup
  1. The Passion of the Christ
  2. The Aviator
  3. The Merchant of Venice
Original Song
  1. Look To Your Path Le Choristes
  2. Accidentally in Love Shrek 2
  3. Learn to Be Lonely The Phantom of the Opera
  4. Al Otro Lado Del Río The Motorcycle Diaries
Best Casted Character – Male
  1. Paul Giamati Sideways
  2. Jim Carrey Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  3. Johnny Depp Finding Neverland
  4. Jude Law Closer
  5. Leonardo DiCaprio The Aviator
Paul Giamati was the perfect man for the job, he completely nailed the almost bathos life of his character. It was genius having Carrey play such an introvert. Depp, Law and DiCaprio were each doubly important to the success of their films, although Law was ignored because he played the rather trite role to perfection.
                              
Best Casted Character – Female
  1. Annette Bening Being Julia
  2. Imelda Staunton Vera Drake
  3. Cate Blanchett The Aviator
  4. Sandra Oh Sideways
  5. Natalie Portman Closer
Could anyone else do what Bening did? Of course fifty years earlier it would have been a plum role for the likes of Hepburn, Davis or Dunne but in this day and age no one else could have come close – although Sigourney Weaver would have put up a valiant effort. It’s hard to believe the Oscar was not forthcoming. Finally, a leading role for Staunton – she was very important in Shakespeare in Love. Blanchett as Hepburn was a stroke of genius. And the undervalued Oh was outstanding. Portman nailed the role of the main character of the film from the first shot.
                                                       
                      
Here's what I saw this year Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Spiderman 2, The Incerdibles, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Troy, Shark Tale, Ocean's Twelve, I Robot, Van Helsing, Bourne Supremacy, The Polar Express, Bridget Jones' Diary: The Edge of Reason, The Village, Farenheit 9/11, The Terminal, Collateral, Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, 50 First Dates, Along Came Polly, Shall We Dance, Alexander, The Phantom of the Opera, Kill Bill Vol II, Mean Girls, Ray, The Forgotten, Finding Neverland, The Notebook, Closer, White Chicks, Sideways, The Stepford Wives, Christmans with the Kranks, 13 Going On 30, The Butterfly Effect, Secret Window, House of Flying Daggers, Catwoman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Around the World in Eighty Days, A Very Long Engagement, A Cinderella Story, Taxi, Taking Lives, After the Sunset, In Good Company, Sky Captatin & the World of Tomorrow, The Motorcycle Diaries, Cellular, Spanglish, You Got Served, Wimbledon, The Sea Inside, The Prince & Me, Jersey Girl, Alfie, Hotel Rwanda, Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen, The Girl Next Door, Laws of Attraction, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Ella Enchanted, The Whole Ten Yards, Birth, Little Black Book, Mr. 3000, Wicker Park, The Merchant of Venice, Euro Trip, Kinsey, Dogville, Before Sunset, Surviving Christmas, Being Julia, Vera Drake, Maria Full of Grace, A Very Long Engagement

 

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