1. "Million Dollar Baby"(2004)
Clint Eastwood staked his claim as possibly the biggest living legend in Hollywood with the staggering one-two punch of "Mystic River" and the greatest boxing movie this side of "Rocky" and "Raging Bull". The sheer quality of the man's recent directorial output is enough to put him in rarified air, even if you erased his sizeable contributions in the previous three decades. He guided Hilary Swank to her second Best Actress Oscar(the first was for "Boys Don't Cry"), as she infused her role as unlikely pugilist Maggie Fitzgerald with believable strength and a disarming sensitivity. Morgan Freeman reached his artistic peak as Clint's crusty, gym-dwelling sidekick before he began to seemingly lend his dignified presence to any and every project put in front of him. The gut-wrenching third act, which I won't spoil for those uneducated readers that still haven't seen it(shame on you), overcame mild controversy to knock out some stiff competition at the Academy Awards for the coveted Best Picture and Director(Eastwood) trophies.
2. "The Aviator"(2004)
There's no question that Leonardo DiCaprio has benefitted immensely from his union with the incomparable Martin Scorsese, as he set out to permanently silence naysayers and make his limiting pin-up boy reputation a distant memory in the minds of moviegoers. The titanic hunk spread his acting wings as Howard Hughes, in this briskly-paced biopic that covers the aviation pioneer's life from the late 1920s to 1947. Hughes became one of the wealthiest men in the world during this period, and his brief glory included forays into movie-making and relationships with various starlets, before crippling bouts with OCD led to a reclusive and painful descent. Cate Blanchett won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and confirmed her standing as a fantastic female performer by channeling another one, Hughes' most celebrated conquest, Katharine Hepburn.
3. "The Passion of the Christ"(2004)
Nine years after his Oscar-winning triumph "Braveheart", Mel Gibson stepped back behind the camera for the ultimate umm, passion project, and the results were impossible to predict. It turned out that the martyred exploits of William Wallace were merely a warm-up, as "Christ" came to represent a seismic shift in the public's perception of Gibson. The handsome and popular star of countless hits in the '80s and '90s was now a polarizing figure, unafraid to enthusiastically discuss his faith- a topic that most celebs wisely shy away from. You don't have to share his beliefs(or condone any of his real -life lunacy) to recognize that this is an extraordinary piece of film-making. A graphically violent depiction of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus(Jim Caveziel) told in a dead Aramaic language? Christian zealots weren't the only ones swarming the theater, but only Mel could tell you if the $370 million domestic box office was worth the blowback.
This spectacular sequel is not only a high point for the Spidey series but the entire genre as well. It seems to be a rule that the second film in a superhero franchise is always the best as the filmmakers are more confident in the knowledge that the public has embraced the characters and the world that was established the first time around. Sam Raimi gets his inspiration straight from the early comics as Peter Parker realizes the heavy toll his crime-fighting duties have taken on his personal life. Can he have a relationship with Mary Jane(Kirsten Dunst) AND stop the destructive Doc Ock(Alfred Molina)? From Tobey Maguire's affecting angst to the show-stopping elevated train sequence, this remains the "Spider-Man" movie to beat.
5. "Sideways"(2004)
21st century cinema is definitely a better place thanks to the intelligence, insights and unique storytelling abilities of writer-director Alexander Payne. This bittersweet trip through California's wine country was the moment that most of us realized that we had a singular new talent on our hands. Payne's decision to cast non-stars in the lead roles was a bold move in retrospect- Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church weren't exactly marquee names, but that didn't matter one bit. They're both wonderful as middle-aged best pals with wildly dissimilar approaches to life and love, and their alternately funny and moving odyssey is certain to get better with age.
6. "Hotel Rwanda"(2004)
Don Cheadle's brave hotelier saves the lives of a thousand African refugees during a 1994 genocide that went curiously underreported despite the loss of a million lives and the presence of 24 hour news channels(I guess OJ Simpson was more interesting). The power of film turned our attention to those tragic three months in a devastating drama that earned comparisons to "Schindler's List". If director Terry George wasn't virtually unknown, "Rwanda" might have seen similar treatment during awards season(that media-made Eastwood vs. Scorsese narrative was too tempting). The world turned a blind eye to these atrocities, and I'm not proud of the fact that I barely knew it happened. You shouldn't be, either.
7. "Ray"(2004)
The emergence of Jamie Foxx as a legitimate acting talent may have been the most pleasant surprise of 2004. The same year that he was more than a match for a villainous Tom Cruise in "Collateral", Foxx was the total embodiment of the legendary Ray Charles, making the Best Actor Oscar race something of a no-brainer(sorry, Leo). His transformative mannerisms allow viewers to fully accept him in the role of the blind, piano-playing pioneer before he even embarks on his soul music career in the 1950s. Director Taylor Hackford follows the standard biopic formula with lengthy detours into drug abuse and womanizing, but the central performance is more than enough to keep the film(and the audience) humming along.
8. "Before Sunset"(2004)
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy did something remarkable when they reunited nine years after their refreshing yet largely forgotten 1995 romance "Before Sunrise". They talked. And talked. Then they talked some more. Richard Linklater's bittersweet stroll through Paris struck a nerve with hopeless romantics, and such dazzling wordplay is the real special effect in today's marketplace. Like all good sequels do, it made the original even better, and the critical groundswell meant we got to meet up with Jesse and Celine for a third time in 2013's "Before Midnight". One of modern cinema's greatest couples was officially born.
9. "Kill Bill: Volume II"(2004)
The Bride was back in the arguably superior second half of Quentin Tarantino's epic comeback/revenge flick. We really have to give credit to QT for bringing his kung-fu wet dreams to life in such memorable fashion, because this whole thing could have so easily gone the other way. We're not usually comfortable with the idea of a female creating this much carnage, but the audience's willing acceptance is a huge testament to the strength of the Tarantino brand, as Uma finally gets around to killing Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and the elusive title character himself, the late David Carradine.
10(tie). "Shrek 2"(2004)
The public may be all Shreked out, but in 2004 we just couldn't get enough of this not-so-jolly green ogre. DreamWorks Animation's greatest asset became a box office juggernaut that summer, ultimately becoming the third highest grossing film of the decade(behind "Avatar" and "The Dark Knight"). His pop culture reference-laden trip to Far, Far Away may not be as timeless as the original, but there's still some big laughs to be had, thanks to the awesome vocals of Mike Meyers and Eddie Murphy, while Puss In Boots(hilariously voiced by Antonio Banderas) is a welcome addition to the line-up. It's a shame the subsequent installments only proved that old adage about having too much of a good thing.
10(tie). "Finding Neverland"(2004)
A post-"Pirates" Johnny Depp took a break from swashbuckling to make a brief return to the kind of quiet, unassuming characterizations that endeared him to the masses in the first place, before the pull of blockbuster booty proved too difficult to resist. Depp is London playwright J.M. Barrie whose platonic relationship with a single mother(the always lovely Kate Winslet) and her five boys, inspired the creation of his classic "Peter Pan" in 1903. You're likely to be just as caught up in the whimsy as young Freddie Highmore, who was also a bright spot in Depp's next project "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
