Publication Date: Friday, January 07, 2004

TAVERNETTI'S BEST MOVIE OF 2004: A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT Jean-Pierre Jeunet reunites with "Amelie" gamine Audrey Tatou in this haunting and hauntingly gorgeous film. Jeunet transforms Sebastien Japrisot's best-selling novel into a fanciful love story, compelling mystery and strong anti-war statement. From casting endearing oddballs to capturing indelible images, the French auteur offers a unique voice and enough visual style to fill a wing of the Louvre. As the indefatigable, tuba-playing Mathilde, Tatou hits all the right notes.

Fahrenheit 9/11 Love him or hate him, no one can accuse Michael Moore of beating around the Bush. The scruffy rabble-rouser refused to adhere to a silence-is-golden policy, constructing a passionate polemic against the Bush administration and its post-9/11 policies. A man-on-a-mission, Moore became the poster boy for activist filmmaking and - surprisingly -- broke documentary box-office records doing so. This controversial Bushwhacker is one for the film history books -- perhaps sharing a shelf with "My Pet Goat."

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara Errol Morris' Academy-Award winning doc would have been my best film of 2003, if it had opened in the Bay Area before January. The idiosyncratic director combines stunning archival footage with the 85-year-old former defense secretary's startling reflections on the 1945 firebombing of Japan, the 1962 Cuban missile crisis and the escalation of the Vietnam War. Those who don't learn from history. . . .

Good Bye, Lenin! Touching and comic, Wolfgang Becker's inventive take on German reunification deftly satirizes both communism and capitalism. By filtering history through the lives of an East German family and their friends, Becker provides a fresh perspective on culture and politics at the fall of the Berlin Wall.

House of Flying Daggers One of the reigning masters of world cinema, Zhang Yimou crafts cinematic poetry. Spectacle meets Shakespearean drama in a Tang dynasty setting. Unlike his equally sumptuous "Hero," this martial arts masterpiece has subversive underpinnings as high-kicking, dagger-throwing rebels fight government power. Ziyi Zhang's show-stopping sleeve dance must be seen to be believed.

Sideways Alexander Payne's funny and poignant meditation on male midlife drift is perfectly balanced. If Paul Giamatti's performance as a whining oenophile had faltered for a second, the entire film might have turned to vinegar. Although a vintage male-buddy movie, "Sideways" features Virginia Madsen uttering the most intoxicating musings about wine and life.

Spider-Man 2 Sam Raimi's sequel constitutes "The Godfather: Part II" of superhero action flicks -- darker and deeper than the original. Life is tough for Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker, an underdog who spins webs of angst within his head but is capable of exhilarating swinging stunts as Spider-Man.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... And Spring A Zen koan in film form, Kim Ki-Duk's serene study shows rather than explains. Cycling through the seasons and their corresponding stages of life, the South Korean director presents a monk interacting with his young disciple. The exquisitely beautiful Buddhist drama functions as a catalyst for awakening and guidance.

The Woodsman Kevin Bacon struggles to keep six degrees of separation between his character -- a convicted pedophile -- and little girls as he re-enters society. Nicole Kassell's unsettling and uncompromised character study marks an assured feature debut, and Bacon brings humanity to a man who has committed monstrous acts.

Vera Drake As secrets and lies surface in 1950s London, Brit director Mike Leigh makes complex issues about abortion accessible. Imelda Staunton's caring cleaning lady puts the kettle on to warm the soul and sterilize the tools she needs to help women with unwanted pregnancies. The seemingly simple narrative gains power as moral and legal matters play out in a personal, heartrending drama.

Susan Tavernetti's Pans.

A Slipping-Down Life Tome raider Toni Kalem eviscerated Anne Tyler's novel, removing the cultural context and surprise twist at the end. Do you think good actors can make a bad script work? Watch Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce prove you wrong.

First Daughter In this throwback to pre-feminist consciousness, the U.S. President's college-bound daughter must put her dreams on hold and be a "good girl" so he can get re-elected. The reward: satin ball gowns, sparkling tiaras and shopping jaunts courtesy of Air Force One.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse Alexander Witt's horror flick stumbles along with the undead.

Surviving Christmas Ho ho ho? No no no!

Van Helsing Director Stephen Sommers has created a big-budget monster that sucks more than Dracula.

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