SPOTLIGHT: MOVIES 2004

Yeah, I suppose I'm something of a traditionalist. I've always had the soul of a crochety old man. Oh, and I didn't see many current movies this year. Look, I'm from Israel. I'm sure Ray, Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, and Kinsey are all quite respectable. Maybe I'll even see them. So here are the five movies I felt were worth mentioning.

#1: House of Flying Daggers
#2: Sideways
#3: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
#4: A Tale of Two Sisters
#5: The Incredibles

Flawed Gem Honorable Mention: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, for keeping my eyes popping and my ass glued to the chair, despite the performance of a robot that looks just like Ms. Gwyneth Paltrow. A script would have been nice, too.

Disappointing:
I Heart Huckabees. Okay, okay, you're clever! Uncle! Uncle! (I'm sorry, Cory. I love you. Please don't hurt me.)

Finding Neverland: Sure, I cried a little, but seriously -- orphans, fatal diseases, and a cantankerous grandmother just waiting for the spirit of make-believe to be awakened? Fuck that, yo.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Good enough, but the version I had in my head before I saw it was way better.

Yeah, so I hardly saw any new movies. But I saw a lot of old ones! Like The Manchurian Candidate, which was incredible, and -- hey! Where are you going?! Come back! Oh, look, Fatal Attraction is on TV again. Mmm, rabbit.