The Movies of 2004
(Movies Marked with a Are Reviewed in Full)
NEW: Check the Films Marked with a for Brief, Capsule-Length Responses!
(Includes films first exhibited to commercial audiences in the U.S. between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2004.
Consequently, certain entries, especially foreign films, are indexed here despite being produced in earlier years.)
Newest Special Features: The Oscars, my Top Ten Films, and The NicksFlickPicks Honorees!

My Top Ten+ List
Click here for special commentary on this list!

  1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ² Dir. Michel Gondry. With Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst A
  2. Oasis Dir. Lee Chang-dong. Sol Kyung-gu, Moon So-ri, Ahn Nae-sang A
  3. The Corporation Dirs. Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. Documentary. Critical history of corporations A
  4. Maria Full of Grace Dir. Joshua Marston. With Catalina Sandino Moreno, Yenny Paola Vega, Guilied Lopez A
(tie) Osama Dir. Siddiq Barmak. With Marina Golbahari, Zubaida Sahar, Arif Herati A–
  5. Code 46 Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Om Puri A–
(tie) Notre musique Dir. Jean-Luc Godard. With Sarah Adler, Nade Dieu, Jean-Luc Godard A–
  6. Before Sunset Dir. Richard Linklater. With Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff A–
(tie) Since Otar Left Dir. Julie Bertucelli. With Esther Gorintin, Dinara Drukarova, Nino Khomasuridze A–
  7. I ♥ Huckabees ³ Dir. David O. Russell. With Jason Schwartzman, Lily Tomlin, Dustin Hoffman A–
  8. The Bourne Supremacy Dir. Paul Greengrass. With Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Brian Cox A–
  9. Dawn of the Dead ² Dir. Zack Snyder. With Sarah Polley, Jake Weber, Ving Rhames A–
(tie) Time of the Wolf Dir. Michael Haneke. With Isabelle Huppert, Anaïs Demoustier, Lucas Biscombe A–
10. Birth Dir. Jonathan Glazer. With Nicole Kidman, Cameron Bright, Anne Heche B+
(tie) The Return Dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev. With Ivan Dobronravov, Vladimir Garin, Konstantin Lavronenko B+

Coulda Been a Contendah...
(Had it opened in Ithaca in time for me to rank it)
  –  Blissfully Yours Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. With Min Oo, Kanokporn Tongaram, Jenjira Jansuda A–

Still Unseen from 2004:
Bright Leaves — Goodbye, Dragon Inn — Los Angeles Plays Itself — Moolaadé — Reconstruction — Red Lights

Other Releases from the Year 2004

² Seen twice in a cinema; ³ Seen three times in a cinema; * Seen four times or more in a cinema
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