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For the first few months of 2004, I worked at a movie theater. That means I saw a lot of movies for free, but also I have a solid idea of what films came out that year, at least early on. Then, the theater shut down, and that was that. I know the movie I saw the day the theater closed, but what about the rest of 2004? What was happening in film 20 years ago? Here’s the story of a year of film before the rise of constant sequels and a glut of superhero movies.
Well, five of the films that topped the worldwide box office are sequels, and two of them are superhero movies, so I guess maybe things weren’t as different as I imagined. You can get a good sense of what I am talking about in the top four: Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Spider-Man 2, and The Incredibles. Sure, The Incredibles is an original film, but it is still built around superheroes, and also it is a Pixar film, which meant something at that point.
In fifth, we have an unusual success story, but one that feels more unpalatable by the year. That would be The Passion of the Christ. I worked at the theater when that came out. Church groups galore would go see it together. I’ve seen the film. It’s banal as a movie, mostly built around showing Jesus being brutalized, as befits Mel Gibson’s deranged world view. In hindsight, we now know the abhorrent politics of Gibson, and also Jim Caviezel, making the whole thing feel weird. Oh, and it’s pretty anti-Semitic too.
When it comes to the Oscars, I was pulling for Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, which I saw in theaters, but I paid for that one. I saw it on a quasi-date with somebody who did not know Howard Hughes was a real person, which I suppose is fair when you are talking about teenagers. Why did I know who Ava Gardner is, you know? Anyway, it didn’t win. Cate Blanchett won Best Supporting Actress, but Clint Eastwood’s miserablist Million Dollar Baby was the big winner. It took home Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture.
As to the rest of the year, there are some quality films. The film I saw the last day that theater was open was Kill Bill Vol. II, a solid movie, if not quite as good as the action-heavy first volume. I think everybody that didn’t see Vol. II went to see The Punisher. We won. Also, speaking to the weirdness of being a teenager and working at a movie theater, I saw Starsky & Hutch three times. Although, it is the best Todd Phillips movie.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou came out, and I saw that one like five times in theaters. And I paid each time! It’s still one of my favorite movies ever. Eternal Sunshine also came out, which was a favorite of mine then, but now I think it is merely good. That just scrapes the surface. 2004 is, all in all, a really good year for movies. After all, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! came out.
