Welcome back to yet another year of cinema and The Film Pie newsletter.
I must say that is was a disappointing holiday in terms of going to the cinema. Very few quality releases. It’s depressing to see that Meet The Fockers has made over $200m in the U.S. and is still the number 1 film in this country. Thankfully, there’s some decent looking stuff on the way with emphasis on Australia Day.
The Oscar race is still a battle of 3 films – The Aviator, Sideways and Million Dollar Baby. Over the break, critic awards were divided between these films. Sideways has won more prizes but it could be considered quirky by Academy tastes and so Million Dollar Baby is probably my tip at this stage. Things can change quickly though.
So to start the year off, here’s my annual report card looking back at 2004…
Total Films Seen & Reviewed: 205 (a record)
Best Film: Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Worst Film: Van Helsing
Best Action Film: Spider-Man 2
Worst Action Film: Van Helsing
Best Comedy: Dodgeball and Napoleon Dynamite
Worst Comedy: Eurotrip
Best Documentary: Touching The Void and The Corporation
Worst Documentary: Deep Blue
Best Drama: Elephant
Worst Drama: The Football Factory and Against The Ropes
Best Family Film: The Incredibles
Worst Family Film: Catch That Kid
Best Romantic Film: Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Worst Romantic Film: Suddenly 30
Best Thriller: I’m Not Scared
Worst Thriller: The Haunted Mansion and Paparazzi
Best Teen Film: Mean Girls
Worst Teen Film: Eurotrip
Best Foreign Language Film: The Motorcycle Diaries
Worst Foreign Language Film: Nathalie
Best Australian Film: Somersault
Worst Australian Film: Everything else
Total Documentaries Seen In 2004: 10 (a record)
Total Foreign Language Films Seen In 2004: 25 (a record)
Profit From Gambling On The 2004 Oscars: $150
Career Profit From Gambling On The Oscars: $1,875
Films Most Looking Forward To In 2005: Million Dollar Baby, Closer, The Aviator
Films Most NOT Looking Forward To In 2005: Alexander, Hitch, Miss Congeniality 2