Following are the 226 theatrical releases for 2004 I ranked on the fly during the year. The ranking is now final, and any 2004 releases that I might catch in the future will not be ranked. The ranking includes only theatrical releases — made-for-cable and made-for-TV movies are not ranked, nor are older films I saw in 2004. Links go to my review. Numbers after each entry are Date First Viewed/NYC Release Date. Year is 2004 unless otherwise noted.
other yearly rankings:
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2003
The 10 Best Films of 2004
why these?
1. Dogville (03.10/03.26)
2. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (12.06/12.10)
3. Hotel Rwanda (11.16/12.22)
4. House of Flying Daggers (11.04/12.03)
5. Spider-Man 2 (06.24/06.30)
6. Code 46 (07.15/08.06)
7. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… And Spring (05.17/04.02)
8. Vera Drake (09.30/10.10)
9. Collateral (07.29/08.06)
10. The Incredibles (10.30/11.05)
The Rest
Sideways (10.11/10.22)
Finding Neverland (10.21/11.12)
Garden State (08.02/07.28)
Million Dollar Baby (12.09/12.15)
The Aviator (12.01/12.17)
Hero (08.24/08.27)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (05.26/06.04)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (03.11/03.19)
Before Sunset (06.23/07.02)
The Sea Inside (12.26/12.17)
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (07.26/07.09)
Shaun of the Dead (09.08/09.24)
Beyond the Sea (12.01/12.17)
A Very Long Engagement (11.22/11.26)
Napoleon Dynamite (06.02/06.11)
Shrek 2 (05.13/05.19)
The Intended (12.27/06.25)
Ray (10.25/10.29)
In Good Company (12.09/12.29)
Maria Full of Grace (07.13/07.16)
The Woodsman (12.09/12.24)
Kinsey (10.19/11.12)
Stage Beauty (10.04/10.08)
In the Realms of the Unreal: The Mysterious Life and Art of Henry Darger (12.02/12.22)
A Love Song for Bobby Long (11.30/12.29)
Being Julia (09.30/10.15)
Flight of the Phoenix (12.13/12.17)
The Motorcycle Diaries (11.13/09.24)
Around the Bend (09.21/10.08)
The Door in the Floor (07.08/07.14)
Open Water (08.02/08.06)
I Heart Huckabees (10.05/10.01)
Infernal Affairs (09.13/09.24)
Bright Leaves (11.11/08.25)
A Tale of Two Sisters (12.08/12.17)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (11.13/11.19)
The Machinist (10.11/10.22)
Ladder 49 (09.27/10.01)
p.s. (10.12/10.15)
Troy (05.06/05.14)
Team America: World Police (10.12/10.15)
Silver City (09.13/09.17)
Vanity Fair (08.25/09.01)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (06.22/06.23)
The Corporation (06.02/06.30)
Coffee and Cigarettes (04.07/05.14)
Touching the Void (01.13/01.23)
Super Size Me (04.07/05.07)
Dawn of the Dead (03.16/03.19)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (06.07/06.18)
Young Adam (04.12/04.16)
I Am David (11.21/12.03)
Kitchen Stories (02.09/02.20)
Mean Creek (08.10/08.20)
De-Lovely (06.09/07.02)
Bon Voyage (03.04/03.19)
Osama (01.10/02.06)
Stander (07.07/08.06)
Born into Brothels (12.08/12.08)
Control Room (04.19/05.21)
Primer (10.05/10.08)
The Yes Men (08.10/09.24)
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (11.04/12.29)
The Bourne Supremacy (07.20/07.23)
The Story of the Weeping Camel (06.01/06.04)
The Saddest Music in the World (12.18/04.30)
Two Brothers (06.17/06.25)
Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (03.08/03.12)
Spartan (03.05/03.12)
Deserted Station (11.15/12.03)
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (12.11/12.17)
Hidalgo (03.01/03.05)
Happy Hour (12.12/10.22)
Ocean’s Twelve (12.06/12.10)
Undertow (10.14/10.22)
Nicotina (08.16/08.20)
Conspiracy of Silence (10.13/12.03)
Ned Kelly (03.18/03.26)
Uncovered: The War on Iraq (08.11/08.20)
Cellular (09.07/09.10)
The Last Shot (09.25/09.24)
Tokyo Godfathers (06.04/01.16)
American Reunion (06.08/05.28)
Saved! (05.19/05.28)
The Reckoning (02.19/03.05)
Eulogy (09.30/10.15)
Rick (09.23/09.24)
Gypsy 83 (06.09/04.16)
The Girl Next Door (02.26/04.09)
Secret Window (03.09/03.12)
Lost Boys of Sudan (02.05/02.18)
Close Your Eyes (03.31/04.16)
Broken Wings (03.08/03.12)
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (01.15/02.06)
Hellboy (03.30/04.02)
Criminal (08.11/09.10)
I’m Not Scared (03.03/04.09)
Crimson Gold (01.12/01.16)
Zhou Yu’s Train (07.06/07.16)
Overnight (10.13/11.10)
The Manchurian Candidate (07.27/07.30)
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (09.09/09.17)
The Day After Tomorrow (05.24/05.28)
The Terminal (06.10/06.18)
Miracle (02.03/02.06)
Ju-on: The Grudge (10.14/07.23)
Made-Up (01.22/01.23)
Thunderbirds (07.25/07.30)
King Arthur (07.01/07.07)
Seeing Other People (05.03/05.07)
Bear Cub (11.18/11.05)
A Day Without a Mexican (12.19/05.14)
Zelary (12.05/09.17)
Teacher’s Pet (01.18/01.16)
Wimbledon (09.14/09.17)
Alfie (11.01/11.05)
The Clearing (06.11/07.02)
Noel (11.08/11.12)
Starsky & Hutch (02.21/03.05)
The Grudge (10.18/10.22)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (09.13/09.17)
The Alamo (04.06/04.09)
The Dreamers (01.30/02.06)
My Mother Likes Women (05.23/05.21)
Suspect Zero (08.23/08.27)
After the Sunset (11.03/11.12)
The United States of Leland (03.03/04.02)
The Big Bounce (01.26/01.30)
The Ladykillers (03.23/03.26)
A Slipping-Down Life (05.10/05.14)
Saw (10.21/10.29)
Seed of Chucky (11.13/11.12)
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (09.07/08.27)
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (02.04/02.06)
Catch That Kid (01.31/02.06)
The Prince and Me (08.21/04.02)
Walking Tall (03.29/04.02)
Woman, Thou Art Loosed (09.21/10.01)
National Treasure (11.17/11.19)
Friday Night Lights (10.04/10.08)
I, Robot (07.13/07.16)
The Village (07.29/07.30)
13 Going on 30 (04.10/04.23)
Laws of Attraction (04.20/04.30)
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (04.30/04.30)
America’s Heart & Soul (06.23/07.02)
Against the Ropes (02.17/02.20)
Chasing Liberty (01.09/01.09)
Raise Your Voice (10.04/10.08)
The Perfect Score (01.27/01.30)
The Notebook (06.21/06.25)
Breakin’ All the Rules (05.11/05.14)
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (07.22/07.30)
Home on the Range (04.02/04.02)
Welcome to Mooseport (02.17/02.20)
Raising Helen (11.15/05.28)
Godsend (04.27/04.30)
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (08.09/08.11)
Rhinoceros Eyes (04.28/04.23)
Jersey Girl (03.22/03.26)
New York Minute (04.30/05.07)
Love Me If You Dare (06.01/05.21)
Broken Lizard’s Club Dread (05.06/02.27)
Catwoman (07.19/07.23)
Never Die Alone (03.12/03.26)
Twisted (02.25/02.27)
Man on Fire (04.21/04.21)
Taking Lives (03.11/03.19)
Blade: Trinity (12.03/12.08)
The Stepford Wives (06.08/06.11)
The Whole Ten Yards (04.05/04.09)
Envy (04.28/04.30)
The Butterfly Effect (01.21/01.23)
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (01.20/01.23)
Eurotrip (02.18/02.20)
Along Came Polly (01.12/01.16)
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (02.24/02.27)
Alexander (11.22/11.24)
Shall We Dance? (09.25/10.15)
The Assassination of Richard Nixon (11.30/12.29)
Around the World in 80 Days (06.14/06.16)
Wicker Park (09.01/09.03)
Christmas with the Kranks (11.20/11.24)
Alien vs. Predator (08.13/08.13)
Paparazzi (09.07/09.03)
Without a Paddle (08.12/08.18)
Sleepover (07.07/07.09)
Soul Plane (05.25/05.28)
Stateside (05.12/05.21)
Surviving Christmas (10.18/10.22)
National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers (09.18/09.17)
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie (08.09/08.13)
Connie and Carla (04.16/04.16)
Shark Tale (09.23/10.01)
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (11.11/11.12)
The Polar Express (11.01/11.10)
Taxi (10.05/10.06)
Darkness (12.26/12.25)
My Baby’s Daddy (01.09/01.09)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (06.15/06.18)
Intermission (02.09/03.19)
The Punisher (04.16/04.16)
Closer (11.29/12.03)
Van Helsing (05.04/05.07)
The Forgotten (09.22/09.24)
Fat Albert (12.20/12.25)
The 10 Worst Films of 2004
why these?
10. White Chicks (06.21/06.23)
9. Ella Enchanted (02.05/04.09)
8. The Chronicles of Riddick (06.07/06.11)
7. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (12.07/12.22)
6. Kill Bill: Volume 2 (04.13/04.16)
5. Little Black Book (08.02/08.06)
4. SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (08.28/08.27)
3. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (07.06/07.09)
2. Birth (10.27/10.29)
1. The Passion of the Christ (02.25/02.25)
