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2004 Bellview Awards--The Mid-Year Edition!

6/30/04

Folks--

55 films made it in under the radar, including films reviewed this week.  Let’s hit it!!

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Best Flick--"Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring"

No clear cut winner this time around, but of the top of the heap, this import slips by due to great pacing and a beautiful print.

2. "Super Size Me"

3. "Miracle"

4. "Dogville"

5. "Dawn of the Dead"

Best Actress--Mandy Moore, "Saved!"

She really was fantastic in this film as the over-the-top Christ-lover.

2. Lindsay Lohan, "Mean Girls."  I might actually go to see more Lohan films after this...what's happening to me???

3. Kate Winslet, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

4. Uma Thurman, "Kill Bill Vol. II."  I got angrier as this film went on--and man, that ending!--but Thurman was solid once again in this role

5. Drew Barrymore, "50 First Dates."  Yep, the movie was dogshit, but you can't deny the chemistry she brings to the film

Best Actor--Jon Heder, "Napoleon Dynamite"

Just an incredible creation of a nerd, right down to the last tater tot

2. Jim Carrey, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."  Maybe his best mix of comedy and drama in any of his roles

3. Kurt Russell, "Miracle."  Even if he wasn't exactly like the real-life US Hockey coach from 1980, he just played a great coach that registers with anyone that played sports as a kid

4. Jim Caviezel, "The Passion of the Christ."  Even if he spent the last hour of the film getting beaten, even in those scenes, he acts his heart out

5. Jonathan Silverman, "The Hebrew Hammer."  Had me rolling all film long, at least when he was onscreen

Best Supporting Actress--Tina Fey, "Mean Girls"

Just like her script, Fey is hilarious in her bit part in the surprise of the year

2. Patricia Clarkson, "Dogville."  Continues to get all the good parts; she was great in "Miracle", too

3. Eva Amurri, "Saved!"  Her relationship with Mac in this comedy worked in every scene

4. Gabrielle Union, "Breakin' All the Rules."  Too bad nobody went to see this funny relationship flick...

5. Five?  Are you kidding me?  There were that many good female parts?  Wait, I didn't mention Monet Mazur, for "Torque"...uh, right

Best Supporting Actor--Antonio Banderas, "Shrek 2"

Genius casting led to this, a voice performance by Ban Badass that picks the film up whenever his Puss-n-Boots is onscreen

2. Daniel Franzese, "Mean Girls."  As the gay best friend, this guy lights it up all movie long

3. J.K. Simmons, "Spider-Man 2."  Had me howling throughout; barely more funny than he was in "The Ladykillers"

4. Jong-ho Kim, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring."  The 10-year-old iteration of our lead is maybe the best actor in the film

5. John Travolta, "The Punisher."  I have to admit, even though he's done this role 50 times, deft writing makes this character a hoot throughout an otherwise average experience

Biggest Fucking Piece of Shit--"Kill Bill, Vol. II"

Given how excited I was after "Kill Bill, Vol. I", I was very upset with how the sequel turned out...and, this has to be the worst ending of the year

Eleven Great Scenes of the First Half of 2004 (not necessarily in order, and it will be changed before the end of the year!):

1. "Napoleon Dynamite"--The dance scene, with Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat" in the background

2. "The Passion of the Christ"--The crucifixion

3. "50 First Dates"--Old Asian Guy:  "Excuse me?  Could I borrow that, so I could wipe my ass?"

4. "Touching the Void"--The scene where Joe has to climb down from the mountain with a dislocated knee

5. "Man on Fire"--When Creasy jokingly explains to Pita that he wasn't smiling

6. "Fahrenheit 9/11":  The voiceover sounds of 9/11 happening around us as the screen stays black

7. "Breakin' All the Rules":  The old guy:  "Hold my dick!"

8. "Troy":  The Hector/Achilles fight scene

9. "The Day After Tomorrow":  The sequence where the Mexican Border Patrol is trying to keep Americans out of Mexico

10. "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story":  The intro sequence for "ESPN8: The Ocho", featuring midgets, people kicking a ball of fire and knife fighting

11. "Mean Girls":  "Oh my God...it's Danny DeVito!"

Click here to see all of the films of 2004 reviewed and rated.  Have a good one...

 

Comments?  Drop me a line at justin@bellviewmovies.com.