# Best movie you've seen this year?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 19, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047 "2004-09-19T21:47:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/1 "2004-09-19T21:47:02Z")
After reading this thread – “Worst movie you’ve seen this year?” – [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=276555](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=276555) – I think we need some balance. Bashing the bad is fun, but we also need to get happy sometimes! What’s the **best** movie you’ve seen this year? And what makes it so great?
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### Author:  [@BytopianDream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BytopianDream)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/2 "2004-09-19T22:12:52Z")
_cue wolves_
Arrrrroooooooooo…
_cue crickets_
Chirp chirp, chirp chirp…
_wind rustles a pile of leaves_
Uhhhhh…
Hero? I really thought it was beautiful.
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/3 "2004-09-19T22:16:30Z")
_Garden State_, by far. It’s the only movie I’ve ever seen mutliple times in a theatre and I intend to watch it even more if the second run theatre in Salem picks it up after its initial run.
As for why it’s so good, I would have to say it … just _is_. The storyline is a tad bit on the pedestrian side (finding yourself) but the writing and production by Braff in addition to the ethereal soundtrack and the acting by Braff, Portman, Sarsgard, and Holm made the film a hundred times what it might have otherwise been.
I seriously love this movie, consider it my favorite movie of all time, and will own it the instant it becomes available on DVD… hell, it’ll probably be why I finally get a DVD player after not owning one for the past year.
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/4 "2004-09-19T22:30:20Z")
Still a toss-up between **Spider-Man 2** and **Fahrenheit 9/11** for me. I’d pick a clear winnah, but between the freaky hospital scene in **SM2** and the freaky Bush Administration scenes in **F911,** I still can’t choose.
Of course, this will all change by mid-November, when I fully expect **The Incredibles** to show up and blow them both off my list. Pixar _and_ Brad Bird – Woo hoo! 😃
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### Author:  [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/5 "2004-09-19T22:41:06Z")
My favorite movie was _Garden State_ as well. I have seen it three times this summer. It is three on my top ten but that was after my first time seeing it and it has moved up after the second and third viewing.
Honorable Mention for the new _The Merchant of Venice_ which I just saw at the Toronto International Film Festival, and loved, and _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_.
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### Author:  [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/6 "2004-09-19T22:42:30Z")
This is a tough one. I’ve seen a lot of movies this year.
For movies that didn’t come out this year, but I saw for the first time this year, I’d say either **Stranger than Paradise** or **The Long Goodbye**. Both were entertaining and had a huge effect on me.
As for movies that came out this year, that’s harder because I don’t remember them as well. **Garden State** was pretty good. **Hero** was probably my favorite of the ones I’ve seen recently. I just wish I could remember the movies I saw earlier in the year. Is there a list of movies that came out this year somewhere?
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### Author:  [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/7 "2004-09-19T22:52:12Z")
Definitely _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_, with _Garden State_ as a not-too-distant second.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/8 "2004-09-19T22:59:52Z")
I’m afraid I’ve missed most of the movies mention so far in this thread. And no I have a nice shopping list for the next time I’m at the video store! 🙂
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### Author:  [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/9 "2004-09-20T00:43:37Z")
> [@HoldenCaulfield](#):
>
> I just wish I could remember the movies I saw earlier in the year. Is there a list of movies that came out this year somewhere?
Ask and you shall receive:
[http://www.the-movie-times.com/thrsdir/moviesofyear.mv?moviesof2004+ByDate](http://www.the-movie-times.com/thrsdir/moviesofyear.mv?moviesof2004+ByDate)
(through last week)
And as a special bonus, you can see not only the release date, but how much money each made, the maximum number of theaters each played in at a single time and what studio released them.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/10 "2004-09-20T00:50:23Z")
Counting films that were released recently, and not old ones, my choices (you know I can’t just name one) are:
**Love Actually
Big Fish
Shrek II
Mean Girls
The Triplets of Belleville
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Spider-Man 2
Fahrenheit 9/11**
If I were to pick one, it’d be **Big Fish**.
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### Author:  [@EsotericEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EsotericEnigma)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/11 "2004-09-20T00:55:01Z")
Absolute tie between **Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind** and **Garden State**. Since I missed the other thread, the worst I’ve seen this year was by far, **Hero**.
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### Author:  [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/12 "2004-09-20T00:57:48Z")
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Garden State are both great.
I’m not Scared is another great movie.
These three are really equal in my mind.
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### Author:  [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/13 "2004-09-20T01:00:16Z")
Hmm, again assuming that we’re only talking about movies released this year, my favorite was _Dodgeball_. Yes, _Dodgeball_. I loved it.
Honorable mention goes to _Spider-man 2_.
Now, I’m expecting that to change soon, as there are plenty of movies I’m really looking forward to: _The Life Aquatic_, _I Heart Huckabees_, _Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow_, and _The Incredibles_.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/14 "2004-09-20T01:14:21Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#):
>
> Hmm, again assuming that we’re only talking about movies released this year, my favorite was _Dodgeball_. Yes, _Dodgeball_. I loved it.
That’s the first one I’ve seen mentioned on this thread that also was cited on the “Worst movies” thread. Different strokes, I guess.
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### Author:  [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/15 "2004-09-20T01:22:25Z")
**Miracle** and **I, Robot** , though I also predict **The Incredibles** to top this list.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/16 "2004-09-20T17:02:37Z")
> [@Duderdude2](#):
>
> **Miracle** and **I, Robot** , though I also predict **The Incredibles** to top this list.
_I, Robot?_ You’re joking, right?
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### Author:  [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/17 "2004-09-20T17:22:59Z")
> [@rjung](#):
>
> Still a toss-up between **Spider-Man 2** and **Fahrenheit 9/11** for me.
Of those two, I’d have to pick Spider-Man 2…it was more believable.
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### Author:  [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/18 "2004-09-20T17:25:01Z")
ROTK: LOTR III
The Passion of the Christ
Big Fish
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/19 "2004-09-20T17:33:57Z")
1. **Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind**
2. **Trilogy: After the Life**
3. **Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring**
4. **The Five Obstructions**
5. **Control Room**
6. **Los Angeles Plays Itself**
7. **Collateral**
8. **Oasis**
9. **Broadway: The Golden Age**
10. **Kill Bill, Vol. 2**
10 Honorable Mentions: _Baadasssss!; Coffee and Cigarettes; Fahrenheit 9/11; Good Bye, Lenin!; Intermission; Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow; Spartan; Spider-Man 2; Trilogy: On the Run; What the Eye Doesn’t See_
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-youve-seen-this-year/265047/20 "2004-09-20T17:36:47Z")
It’s so obvious. **Napoleon Dynamite**.
You guys are retarded! Gosh!
(With **Garden State** a close second).
Happy
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