I see lots of love for Million Dollar Baby here. For those who have seen it, how does it compare to boxing classics like Rocky (the first) and Raging Bull?

It's very different from both of them. It's just as good.

Better than Mystic River, though?

I thought so, and I thought Mystic River was brilliant.

Yeah, its a character driven movie masked as a boxing flick.

Ya the above post is correvt.
It is not a "boxing" movie. It's a character piece much like Mystic River is and you'll see it in the last half hour or so of the film.

As far as comparing the two Eastwood films. Funny how I have never yet compared them and I seriously can't decide which was better.

not counting Return if the King, I placed Mystic River #2 on my list (otherwise #3 with ROTK undoubtedly counted with its predecessors) and Million Dollar Baby is #5 on my list this year. But this year was a stronger year.

I'm inclined to say Baby and I think it's because there are less cjaracters and contrary to River, you care for these characters. With fewer pawns to deal with, there is more time and space for each to fully develop and take you in.

Actually, now that I think of it, River and Baby are two completely different films.

I have grown to dislike Mystic River, although I would give it super high marks for acting. It had story problems that irk me to no end, but Million Dollar Baby doesn't have those problems.

If you had to find the closest match for this film it would be a small film called Girlfight but MDB is still almost 100% different.

Favorites of '04:
1. Hotel Rwanda
2. The Motorcycle Diaries
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. Garden State
5. Shaun of the Dead
6. Kill Bill Vol. 2
7. Fahrenheit 9/11
8. The Incredibles
9. Maria Full of Grace
10. Mean Girls

I have a feeling, from the reviews and the look o' the film, "In Good Company" will make my Top 5, as will "Million Dollar Baby".

Best Acting Performance - Male: Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda OR Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
Best Acting Performance - Female: Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake OR Uma Thurman, Kill Bill Vol. 2
Best Supporting Role - Male: Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland
Best Supporting Role - Female: Natalie Portman, Closer and Garden State
Best CGI: Spider-Man 2

Well, I finally decided to do it.
After long thoghts I am going to change my #1 Best movie of the year.
Here is my updated Top 10.


10. Bad Education and Closer
The only tie I have because they are both just too good and I have given them both A-, while my #11 is borderline B+/A-

9. Ray
The only reason why this isn't switched with two obviously deeper and more complicated movies is that it really is a beauty. It's more than just a biopic, it is a great movie. Clocking in at 2.5 hours, I can safely say I sat in the most uncomfortable seat of the year, but was thoroughly engaged in the film and for two and a half hours it didn't bother me. Well paced, well acted, well plotted and edited.

8. Fahrenheit 9/11
You just don't see this everyday, or every year for that matter.

7. The Aviator
thsi too is a biopic like Ray, but they have more to deal with because Hughes lived an exponentially bigger life and they have masterfully incorporated so many of the key events of his life in this masterfully acted film.

6. Sideways
As one reviewer had said, a celebration of film and of life. I liked it better a month after I saw it than when I first viewed it. Very poetic and full of heart.

5. Million Dollar
A true gem. Eastwood hits another high note. Flawlessly acted and sharply written.

4. The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the film-maker at its highest and most artistic potential.

3. Dogville
A beautifully imagined film which I take as a critique on human nature and not on Americans (I agree with his expression, not his subtle purposeful aim)

2. Kill Bill
Yes, since it came out it has been #1 on my list and I have finally dethroned it. I may change my midn again, but I think it unlikely. This is just a masterpiece of modern and pop cinema.

1. Before Sunset
This film is THAT powerful. Julie Delpy deserves an Oscar, not just a nomination and the most underrated and underappreciated actor of the year, Ethan Hawke deserves his due for an equally mesmorizing performance as that of Delpy's. I mean this is just a perfect, BEAUTIFUL movie.

Here are my current picks for the "Best" awards for the year:

BEST PICTURE: Sideways (runner-up: Million Dollar Baby)
BEST DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby (runner-up: Alexander Payne, Sideways)
BEST ACTOR: Jamie Foxx, Ray (runner-up: Paul Giamatti, Sideways)
BEST ACTRESS: Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby (runner-up: Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Clive Owen, Closer (runner-up: Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator (runner-up: Virginia Madsen, Sideways)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (runner-up: Garden State)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Sideways (runner-up: Mean Girls)
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: Closer (runner-up: Sideways)

My Top 10: (Subject to change)

1) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2) Closer
3) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4) The Incredibles
5) The Passion of the Christ
6) Spider-Man 2
7) Shrek 2
8) Kill Bill: Vol. 2
9) Ocean's 12
10) Sideways

I think Million Dollar Baby will probably make my final Top 10...not sure if anything else will. And I'm shaky on Shrek 2...even though I liked it, I can see it skipping down out of the Top 10 instead of Kill Bill, Ocean's 12 or Sideways.

Best Movie:
1. Before Sunset
2. The Phantom of the Opera
3. Closer
4. Sideways
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Saw
7. Hero
8. Stage Beauty
9. The Dreamers
10. The Incredibles


Best Director:
1. Richard Linklater, Before Sunset
2. Alexander Payne, Sideways
3. James Wan, Saw
4. Zhang Yimou, Hero
5. Martin Scorcese, The Aviator


Best Actor:
1. Ethan Hawke, Before Sunset
2. Jamie Foxx, Ray
3. Billy Crudup, Stage Beauty
4. Liam Neeson, Kinsey
5. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator


Best Actress:
1. Nicole Kidman, Birth
2. Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera
3. Julie Delpy, Before Sunset
4. Eva Green, The Dreamers
5. Audrey Tautou, A Very Long Engagement


Best Supporting Actor:
1. David Carradine, Kill Bill Vol. 2
2. Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
3. Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland
4. George Carlin, Jersey Girl
5. Alan Alda, The Aviator


Best Supporting Actress:
1. Natalie Portman, Closer
2. Laura Linney, Kinsey
3. Jodie Foster, A Very Long Engagement
4. Radha Mitchell, Finding Neverland
5. Natalie Portman, Garden State


Best Original Screenplay:
1. Saw
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. The Incredibles
4. Napolean Dynamite
5. In Good Company


Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. Before Sunset
2. Closer
3. Stage Beauty
4. The Phantom of the Opera
5. Sideways


Best Ensemble Cast:
1. 2046
2. Closer
3. The Aviator
4. Sideways
5. Collateral

still need to see: Maria Full of Grace, Hotel Rwanda, Million Dollar Baby

My list has changed from the other thread.
Out of **** stars

1.The Passion Of The Christ:****
2.The Aviator:****
3.Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind:****
4.Spiderman 2:****
5.Infernal Affairs:***1/2(i know its a 2003 film but it came out in 2004 here)
6.Hero:***1/2(same as above)
7.The Incredibles:***1/2
8.The Terminal:***1/2
9.Touching the void:***1/2
10.Sideways:***1/2

I have yet to see other films.

Updated:

Best Actor:
1. Kevin Bacon, The Woodsman
2. Ethan Hawke, Before Sunset
3. Jamie Foxx, Ray
4. Billy Crudup, Stage Beauty
5. Liam Neeson, Kinsey

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Natalie Portman, Closer
2. Laura Linney, Kinsey
3. Jodie Foster, A Very Long Engagement
4. Kyra Sedgwick, The Woodsman
5. Radha Mitchell, Finding Neverland

Updated:

Best Movie:
1. Before Sunset
2. Closer
3. The Phantom of the Opera
4. The Motorcycle Diaries
5. Million Dollar Baby
6. Sideways
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
8. Stage Beauty
9. Hero
10. Saw


Best Director:
1. Richard Linklater, Before Sunset
2. Walter Salles, The Motorcycle Diaries
3. Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
4. Alexander Payne, Sideways
5. James Wan, Saw


Best Actor:
1. Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
2. Kevin Bacon, The Woodsman
3. Ethan Hawke, Before Sunset
4. Jamie Foxx, Ray
5. Sean Penn, The Assassination of Richard Nixon


Best Actress:
1. Nicole Kidman, Birth
2. Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera
3. Julie Delpy, Before Sunset
4. Eva Green, The Dreamers
5. Audrey Tautou, A Very Long Engagement


Best Supporting Actor:
1. David Carradine, Kill Bill Vol. 2
2. Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
3. Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland
4. George Carlin, Jersey Girl
5. Alan Alda, The Aviator


Best Supporting Actress:
1. Natalie Portman, Closer
2. Laura Linney, Kinsey
3. Kyra Sedgwick, The Woodsman
4. Jodie Foster, A Very Long Engagement
5. Naomi Watts, The Assassination of Richard Nixon


Best Original Screenplay:
1. The Assassination of Richard Nixon
2. Saw
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. The Incredibles
5. The Woodsman


Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. Before Sunset
2. Closer
3. Stage Beauty
4. Million Dollar Baby
5. The Motorcycle Diaries


Best Ensemble Cast:
1. 2046
2. Closer
3. The Assassination of Richard Nixon
4. Million Dollar Baby
5. The Aviator

still need to see: Maria Full of Grace, Hotel Rwanda, The Sea Inside, Vera Drake

O man I do want to see the Woodsman and it's been playing near me for 3 weeks running, i just don't have time..
I'm catchin up on all the foreign movies now... just saw House of fLying Daggers and Very Long Engagment the past 2 days.

I'm glad u like Million Dollar Baby Alex, and I finally have someone who not only thinks Before sunset was the best of the year, but also that Ethan Hawke gave one of the best performances of the year.

there is onyl one thing that just doesn't make sense on your list and sorry to critisize but Emmy Rossum??? You had some great picks, probably one my favorites out of all the posters but TPOTO its picks in my opinion are a little off... but then again, what kind of world would it be if everyone held the same opinion? A very boring one!!

The Woodsman delivered in a way that 2003's Monster tried to do but couldn't. Kevin Bacon's performance is even better than Charlize Theron's last year. I hope you manage to catch it before it leaves theaters, Raffaki.

I agree, Before Sunset was the best of the year. It is so good that I think it will stand the test of time and remain one of my favorite movies of all time. And Ethan Hawke was absolutely spectacular in Before Sunset. The subtlety of his facial expressions and body language added a layer of depth to his already engaging and powerful delivery of the dialogue. Ethan Hawke definitely deserved more accolades while Julie Delpy was getting all the critics' attention.

I was completely immersed by Emmy Rossum in The Phantom of the Opera. Sorry that you weren't captivated by her or the movie, but I wasn't blown away by F/911 so it all balances out.

Just saw Million Dollar Baby, and it is the second film in 2004 that I give a A. Fantastic story-telling and performances. What a character piece.

BTW, Raffiki, I have had Before Sunset at the top of my list for quite some time as well.

Updated Top 10:

1. Before Sunset (A)
2. Million Dollar Baby (A)
3. The Aviator (A-)
4. Collateral (A-)
5. The Incredibles (A-)
6. Closer (A-)
7. House of Flying Daggers (A-)
8. Finding Neverland (A-)
9. Fahrenheit 9/11 (A-)
10. Hotel Rwanda (B+)

Just missed: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Mean Creak, Mean Girls

Haven't seen: Sideways, Maria Full of Grace, The Motorcycle Diaries, Ray, and many others

part bump, part post...

Top Ten

1. Million Dollar Baby
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Garden State
4. The Motorcycle Diaries
5. Sideways
6. Before Sunset
7. Closer
8. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring
9. Hotel Rwanda
10. A Very Long Engagement

Next Ten (Honorable Mentions)

• House of Flying Daggers
• Maria, Full of Grace
• Mean Creek
• Spider-Man 2
• Twilight Samurai
• In Good Company
• Dogville
• Kill Bill: Volume 2
• The Aviator
• The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

All l have left to see is Finding Neverland, Ray, Machinist, Primer and a few smaller ones (well...probably more than a few) like Coffee and Cigarettes, Intimate Strangers, Broken Wings, Kitchen Stories. For the most part l think l'm done with 2004, though. So you can add me, or whatever it is you're doing with this thread...

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Before Sunset
3. The Incredibles
4. Finding Neverland
5. Million Dollar Baby
6. Dawn of the Dead
7. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
8. Napolean Dynamite
9. Garden State
10. Shaun of the Dead

Mine is in my sig, but I'll post it just in case I change it.

1. Kill Bill Volume 2
2. Million Dollar Baby
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. Garden State
5. Closer
6. The Phantom of the Opera
7. House of Flying Daggers
8. Ray
9. The Village
10. Before Sunset

Just missed the list (honorable mentions) - Mean Girls, The Incredibles, Maria Full of Grace, Hero
I might see Sideways and Hotel Rwanda tomorrow (I still need to see Finding Neverland, The Aviator and a few more...).

And my picks for the "best of 2004" main categories...

Best Picture - Kill Bill (Runner up, Million Dollar Baby)
Best Director - Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill (Runner up, Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby)
Best Actress - Uma Thurman, Kill Bill (Runner up, Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby)
Best Actor - Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby (Runner up, Jamie Foxx - Ray)
Best Supporting Actor - Clive Owen, Closer (Runner up, David Carradine - Kill Bill)
Best Supporting Actress - Natalie Portman, Closer (Runner up, Natalie Portman - Garden State :razz: )

I'm glad someone brought this back up.

I have actually changed around my top 10 after alot fo thinking and in the near future watching a few movies over again.

1. Before Sunset (=)
2. Kill Bill (=)
3. Million Dollar Baby (+2)
4. The Aviator (+2)
5. The PAssion of the Christ (-1)
6. Dogville (-3)
7. Sideways (=)
8. Fahrenheit 9/11 (=)
9. Ray (=)
10. Bad Education and Closer (tie, =)

revised top ten:

1. Before Sunset
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. The Phantom of the Opera
4. Closer
5. Million Dollar Baby
6. The Assassination of Richard Nixon
7. The Motorcycle Diaries
8. Sideways
9. Stage Beauty
10. Hero

1) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2) Closer
3) Million Dollar Baby
4) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5) The Incredibles
6) The Passion of the Christ
7) Spider-Man 2
8) Kill Bill: Vol. 2
9) Ocean's 12
10) Sideways

Although my Top 5 are so close together it's not even funny. I've been debating for awhile wheter my #1 was Closer, HP3 or Eternal Sunshine, but I think this is my final list for those movies. (I might see a movie that will beat them, but I'm skeptical since I've seen almost all the one's I want to see and that I think look good.)

You haven't seen Catwoman, though! [-(