Zach Braff managed to not only write an incredibly smart script, but get career best performances out of Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard which helped make the movie an incredibly enjoyable experience. The movie was smart, funny, and incredibly original. Definitely one of the best I've seen this year. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a long career for Braff and will keep him around long after Scrubs is gone.
August 2004
The Village 
I walked into The Village for some reason expecting to hate it. Can't put my finger on why. Turns out, I didn't hate it. The end twist is kind of a groaner at first, but sort of ends up working for me by the end. My biggest problem with the movie is that for most of it, it just lays there. I never really got swept up in it. I'd probably rank M. Night Shyamalan's movies Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense, The Village, and then Signs.
July 2004
The Bourne Supremacy 
The sequel to The Bourne Identity turned out to be just as good as I hoped it would be. The story (and Damon's performance) is a bit darker this go around, but aviods the pitfalls of becoming a sterotypical revenge movie. Director Paul Greengrass gets a bit carried away with the shaky camera trick, but it didn't spoil the movie. It did add to what was one of the best car chase sequences I've ever seen.
King Arthur 
Jerry Bruckheimer movies have ranged from very good (Black Hawk Down) to very bad (Pearl Harbor) but have until now, never been dull. King Arthur was dull. Dreadfully, dreadfully dull. Clive Owen tries his best but just has nothing to work with. I can't remember the last time I was so detached from a movie I was watching. Director Antoine Fuqua falls flat on his face after the surprisingly good Training Day.
June 2004
The Terminal 
Although funny and charming at times, it was amazing to me that this many talented people came together to produce such a mediocre movie. The rediculous sub plots of the friends he makes in the airport really drag the movie down. I also did my best to suspend logic and disbelief but sometimes it just screamed "There's a direct flight from this country to New York and he's the only one this is happening to?"
April 2004
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Tarrantino's Kill Bill saga came to a very satisfying conclusion. A very different film than the first part, it turned the dialogue up and the carnage down. A showdown between Uma Thurman and Darryl Hannah in a cramped trailer is worth the price of admission. David Carradine's Bill steps out of the shadows and avoids becoming a 2-Dimensional villain. Put together, the total film is a great piece of work.
Hellboy 
Hellboy was a fun comic book movie that scored points by not taking itself seriously. Good laughs and interesting characters helped balance out some questionable CGI and a story that didn't entirely make sense. Recommended if you're tired of all the angst that follows around Spider-Man's Peter Parker and would like to just watch someone kick some bad guy butt because it's something to do on a Friday night. Definitely a good popcorn movie.
March 2004
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 
After not seeing what all the Charlie Kauffman hype was about (see my Adaptation review in 2003), I'm finally on board. Eternal Sunshine was a masterpiece of a film. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslett both turn in their best performances. The side plot with Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Kirsten Dunst is also entertaining and give the movie some depth. Overall it's a brilliant film that fits together perfectly and never disapoints.
Secret Window
Not in recent memory has a movie taken as big a nose dive as Secret Window. Johnny Depp gave a really fun performance that kept the movie enjoyable and had me pretty interested. Unfortunately, the final 30 minutes sent the movie into a freefall and ruined it for me. On top of that, the "twist" at the end had been done already recently (and done much better too). I guess not every Stephen King short story can be a winner on the screen.
February 2004
The Passion of the Christ
Not being into organized religion, I was still very moved by The Passion of the Christ. Mel Gibson made a very powerful film and I'm glad I saw it. It really did breathe new life into the story that has been told so many times, it's lost it's effect. Only criticism is a rocky start as it takes adjusting to the fact you're only seeing the end of a much longer movie. Also a little over use of the slow motion technique.
50 First Dates
In one of the biggest surprises in recent memory, I walked out of an Adam Sandler movie not thinking it sucked. Sandler turns out his best production in years by toning down his idiot friends that can't act (see Mr. Deeds) and renewing his chemistry with Drew Barrymore. Not as good as The Wedding Singer but I did laugh a lot more than I expected to. Now if he would just give Rob Schneider a bit less screen time next movie we'd be getting somewhere.
January 2004
The Cooler
The Cooler was an the first leading man role for William H. Macy, and an acting showcase for Alec Baldwin. Both pulled it off without a hitch, and made a really entertaining Vegas movie. Baldwin, in particular, deserves all the credit he's been getting for his work in this movie. Also, nice to see Ron Livingston get a good role as a kid gunning for Baldwin's job. Also a breakout performance by Maria Bello.
Big Fish
Tim Burton's take on the relationship between father and son was a very enjoyable experience. Throughout the middle of the movie, I found the editing to be a bit choppy. The movie didn't flow as well as it could have. But, the final 20 minutes really brought it all together and made it quite possibly his best film (naaah... it's still Pee Wee). After suffering through Planet of the Apes, it was nice to see Burton back on top.
