1001: A FILM ODYSSEY: FAHRENHEIT 9/11 (2004), A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (2004, FRANCE)

2004

George W. Bush exudes confidence

in Fahrenheit 9/11

In the divisive age of Trump, it almost seems quaint going back and watching Michael Moore's documentary about the political aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, but there you have it. I like Moore, though he has a lot of detractors on both sides of the political spectrum. He was an early critic of the Iraq invasion and turned out to be right about that one. He talks here about the complicity of the media of being more of a cheerleader for the invasion as opposed to being skeptical critics. This still seems to be true of corporate media no matter who is president. Bush comes across as a bit of a dolt who seems to be oblivious to things going around him while his administration runs roughshod over the constitution (The Patriot Act) and illegally enhances their own business ties and relations with foreign countries (Saudi Arabia). I'm so glad things have changed since! (That was sarcasm). Fahrenheit 9/11 became the biggest box office documentary in history, but didn't prevent W. form serving another four years. I guess we will get fooled again.

Audrey Tautou searches for her fiancee

in A Very Long Engagement

Trying to recount the plot of A Very Long Engagement is very simple-A woman engaged to a missing in action World War I soldier tries to find out if he is alive or dead against all odds. However, this film is anything but simple. Based on a book by Sebastien Japrisot, the viewer is presented with a plot rich and very detail oriented. We also have an innovative filmmaker (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) who puts you right in the middle of the war, as well as the world outside the war for the duration of the film. It is a beautiful to look at and always keeps moving. And how many movies can boast of having Jodie Foster in a bit part speaking French? This one would make my book.

Here are some movies I've seen from 2004 that have never made the 1001 movie list:

13 Going on 30

30 year old woman goes back to when she was 13 in 1987 and listens to music that was popular in 1983. That timeline discrepancy really bugged me.

If they had called it 13 Going on 33 and just

went back to 1983, there would have been no problem

50 First Dates

A pretty good Adam Sandler movie. That isn't something I say often.

Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler on

one of their 50 First Dates

Alien vs. Predator

Actually not a bad idea to put these two against each other. Spoiler: Predator is a baby face now, but Alien is still a heel.

AVP
Guess I have to be on team Predator now

Christmas with the Kranks

Critically panned movie based on the John Grisham book that I found amusing enough. I especially liked Dan Aykroyd as the irritating neighbor.

Christmas with the Kranks

Dan Aykroyd on accordion backed by

Cheech Marin and Tom Poston? Cool!

The Day After Tomorrow
What I remember as a pretty far-fetched disaster movie I suppose could be looked at as a climate change metaphor.

The library is closed until...

The Day After Tomorrow

Dodge Ball

So-so comedy does at least have Rip Torn in it. And I always played Dodge Ball in a circle, so tht fact that they played in a straight line bugged me. (I guess a lot is bugging me today)

/Torn! Dodge Ball!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Very original film from the creative if not spotless mind of Charlie Kaufman

Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey explore the

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The Forgotten

Forgotten is a good word for my recollection of this movie experience. I seem to remember a lot of plot holes involving aliens and wallpaper...

I think Julianne Moore is trying to remember

something long ago Forgotten

Friday Night Lights
I've never seen the popular television series, but I do like the original movie about Texas high school football.

Billy Bob offers coaching advice in

Friday Night Lights

Garfield
My son was a big Garfield fan so I had to take him to see this one. I do like Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield (channeling Lorenzo Music a bit?)

Garfield with Odie

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The third in the line of Harry Potter films...or was it the fourth? It couldn't have been the fifth?? I know it was the one with Sirius Black. I guess the eternal sunshine of my spotless mind is not functioning at peak capacity right now.

Gary Oldman and the Harry Potter crew in

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Hidalgo
Spotless mind not functioning again. Was this a Western or a Lawrence of Arabia kind of adventure? A bit of both?

Sandstorm! Sandstorm!

Hidalgo

A Home at the End of the World
I remember showing this one at the library and liking it, but I'm still trying to get my spotless mind repaired at the moment, so foggy on the details.

Colin Farrell finds

A Home at the End of the World

The Incredibles
I do remember liking this Disney film about a superhero family. I saw the trailer for the sequel recently in which they seem to mostly apologize for not having a sequel sooner. I didn't realize I was waiting for a sequel, but okay!

The Incredibles family

Kinsey
The T. C. Boyle novel The Inner Circle is a great reading companion piece to Kinsey, the film about sex researcher Alfred Kinsey.

Liam Neeson is Kinsey

The Ladykillers
I seem to be the only one who doesn't think this is the Coen Brothers worst film. It is strange to see Tom Hanks as a roguish villain, I do admit.

The LadyKillers

I know he's Tom Hanks,

but you still can't trust him!!

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Originally told story of Peter Sellers with a wonderful Geoffrey Rush as Sellers.

Rush as Sellers as Chance the Gardner in

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Fun with Bill Murray as a Jacques Cousteaulike adventurer in this Wes Anderson comedy

Bill Murray (need I say more?)

in The Life Aquatic

Meet the Fockers
More focking going on and it is fun to see Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Striesand as Ben Stiller's parents.

Some funny Fockers in

Meet the Fockers

The Merchant of Venice

http://1001afilmodyssey.blogspot.com/2010/02/merchant-of-vencie-2004.html

Al Pacino is

The Merchant of Venice

Napoleon Dynamite
Really hard not to like this goofy teen movie. Don't forget to vote for Pedro!

Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro

formulating an election strategy

The Polar Express
A computer generated Tom Hanks in The Polar Express was even stranger than the wicked Tom Hanks in The Ladykillers.

Tom Hanks (I think) in The Polar Express

Saw
Effective and gross, though I never felt compelled to see any of the many Saw sequels.

Saw: Cary Elwes realizes he's not in a

Princess Bride sequel

Secret Window
I guess some liked this Stephen King adaptation, though I thought it was mostly a pastiche of older and better King movies and stories.

Johnny Depp battles writers block in

The Secret Window

Shrek 2
I didn't see where Shrek story had to go after the first movie...but then they brought in the in-laws and that cat and ended up making a really good sequel!

The Shreks in Shrek 2

Spiderman 2
Yes, the one with Dr. Octopus was my favorite in this series.

Alred Molina offers a hand or two

in Spiderman 2

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
2003/2004 was the era to watch Spongebob. For the record, Squidward was always my favorite character.

The residents of Bikini Bottom in

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie

The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives 1975 played it straight. The Stepford Wives 2004 never let you forget they were in on the joke. I'm with The Stepford Wives 1975.

Nicole Kidman in

The Stepford Wives 2004

Supersize Me
Morgan Spurlock's noted documentary about eating at McDonald's for every meal for a month and it almost kills him. Certainly made me hesitant about ever ordering a Big Mac again.

Cheers! Spurlock about to inhale dinner

in Supersize Me.

Team America: World Police
I admit I love Trey Parker and Matt Stone's marionette movie. I also admit to catching myself singing Pearl Harbor Sucked and I'm so Lonely to myself on occasion.

Team America ready to save freedom even if they have

to destroy it in the process

The Terminal
Okay. We've had the roguish Tom Hanks in Ladykillers, the computer generated Tom Hanks in The Polar Express and now we have him as kind of variation of Andy Kaufman's Latka from Taxi character in Steven Spielberg's The Terminal. An interesting year for the always likable Mr. Hanks.