PERCEPTIONS: Movies, movies, movies: The year in cinema, 2004

PERCEPTIONS By Steve Feitl From talking toys to divers stranded in the middle of the ocean, Steve Feitl breaks down the top five rent-worthy films of 2004.

   The top movie of the year revolved around an animated ogre. The No. 2 movie this year featured a web-slinging crime-fighter. The third highest-grossing film of 2004 starred Jesus.
   Yes, it was a strange year at the box office, but among the global warming disaster flicks and politically charged documentaries were some real gems.
   I’d like to look back at the five films I most enjoyed at movie theaters this past year and offer them as recommendations for home viewing in the new year. Three of my top five were released on DVD just this Tuesday, one’s been in stores for months and the other is still in theaters.
   My favorite family film of 2004 was "The Incredibles," which took theaters by storm this November. Pixar, the animation group behind "Toy Story," "Toy Story 2," "A Bug’s Life," "Monsters Inc.," and "Finding Nemo," continued its perfect record with this fast-paced superhero saga. Stylistically, it broke new ground for Pixar and also was more attractive to the young male demographic. But the story had heart — a trait consistent with all Pixar’s previous efforts and something that guarantees future Pixar films will have strong standing in the marketplace, even if the group follows through on its plans to split from its distributor, The Walt Disney Co.
   Of the wealth of the pure action movies this year, all of them had slight flaws which prevent me from solidly recommending them. So instead, I will choose two from the horror and suspense category. My first choice is "Open Water." This understated Lions Gate film, which claims to be based on real events, plays off the same fears that "Jaws" did nearly 20 years ago, but does so with such simplicity that it can’t be ignored. It’s high concept: two divers abandoned in the middle of the ocean. That’s it. You get short glimpses of the sea life that surrounds them, but almost the entire film revolves around the couple’s interaction as impending doom sets in. The situation created by writer/director Chris Kentis leaves the viewer admittedly uneasy, but also entranced.
   If "Open Water" is a fine example of an eerie suspense movie, then "Dawn of the Dead" is the best representative of the fun horror movie. This remake of the 1978 George Romero zombie film doesn’t waste time with backstory. Within the first five minutes, you discover there’s zombies; in fact, quite a few of them. The rest of the movie features people running from them. There’s comedy interspersed, but what powers this motion picture is the new breed of zombies (also found in 2003’s "28 Days Later") that are no longer lumbering oafs that a tortoise could outrun, but rather highly charged killers whose thirst for blood will directly compete with human’s desire for life.
   On the comedy front, "Shrek 2" now holds the crown of top-grossing comedy of all-time, but I know I laughed a lot harder at "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy." It stars Will Ferrell, who has firmly latched onto the throne previously held by the likes of Steve Martin and Bill Murray as "Funniest Man Alive." The "Saturday Night Live" alum likely ad-libbed his way through this movie, but still managed to produce a highly quotable, irreverent comedy.
   Finally, I hesitate to call "Garden State" the best drama of the year, only because I’m not sure it’s a drama. The Fox Searchlight film is centered on journey of a character named Andrew Largeman— only it’s within himself; his abandoned home state of New Jersey is merely the setting for his period of discovery. Writer/director Zach Braff plays the Largeman character with incredible personal care, but Natalie Portman’s performance cannot be overshadowed. I really feel like I know her enigmatic character Sam. Parts of this film will lead you to laugh; others will lead you to think. And that leads me to call it a great film — even if I can’t classify it otherwise.
Steve Feitl is the managing editor of The Lawrence Ledger, a Packet publication. He can be reached at [email protected].