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Publication
Date: Friday, January 07, 2005
Movies that moved us
Hits and misses of 2004
Sideways |
This
year, only one film impressed all three Weekly critics: "Sideways," Alexander
Payne's funny and poignant exploration of male friendship.
Our Gang of Three -- Jeanne
Aufmuth, Tyler Hanley and Susan
Tavernetti -- all cited "Sideways" as one of the best
films of 2004, with kudos going to stars Paul Giamatti and Virginia
Madsen.
However, none of the critics listed it as the top film of the
year. That honor
went to three different films: "Million Dollar Baby" (Aufmuth), "Finding
Neverland" (Hanley) and "A Very Long Engagement" (Tavernetti).
Though it wasn't a banner year for truly outstanding films (see
Aufmuth's sidebar), all three critics still managed to come up
with 10 solid films. Several even
made multiple lists, including "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Million Dollar
Baby," "Spider-Man 2," "Vera Drake" and "Spring,
Summer, Fall, Winter ... And Spring."
Also noteworthy this year: each critic had a unique "Worst 5" list,
a testament to the abundance of mediocre films this year. Aufmuth's list is the
most controversial, citing several films -- "Passion of the Christ," "I
Heart Huckabees" and "Napoleon Dynamite" -- that some national
critics and audiences liked.
Please note that to qualify, movies had to have opened in the Bay Area by the
end of 2004. Each critic's list begins with the best movie of the year, followed
in alphabetical order by other selections. |
