2004 MOVIE RATINGS (in order of release)

The Butterfly Effect Who knew Kutcher could actually act serious....and act well to boot! Very interesting movie that brings up alot of questions. It'll make you think, that's for sure. A-

Passion of the Christ (March 1): Extremely powerful even if you're not religious. And no it isn't anti-semetic, so if you're Jewish please don't be afraid of it. Very well done, Mr. Gibson. A

Starsky and Hutch (March 5): Either hilarious or dull, it never stays consistent. Will Ferrel was the funniest, which is bad since he only had a cameo...worth seeing, but not for . C+

Hellboy (April 1): A solid comic book film, though not overly memorable. It has a nice balance between action and comedy. It kept my attention despite some flaw. Looking forward to a sequel! B

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (April 16): Excellent, amazing, sensational, etc. While Volume 1 was very action-oriented, this continuation is far more intelligent approach. Major props to Bill and Budd's characters...they made this movie what it is (yes, Uma is still solid)! This movie is what made me watch the rest of Tarantino's films (last one left: Jackie Brown) and I've enjoyed them all thoroughly. A+

The Punisher (April 16): Brutally violent...about time someone got the Punisher right! Riddled with cliches, it still entertains and pleases. Although most critics oddly hated it. B

Van Helsing (May 7): Visually impressive, heavy on action...and little else. The opening with Mr. Hyde was excellent, then it's all downhill from there. A good popcorn flick, but quickly forgettable. Nice music score though. C

Shrek 2 (May 21): Equal to the first storywise, better in terms of the CGI. The musical ending wasn't as impressive. And if that's my only complaint I guess that means it was a really good film.  A-

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (June 4): I didn't read the books and firmly believe the first 2 films were pretty poor. But third time's the charm in a big way. Surprisingly excellent, though far from perfection. B

Super Size Me (June 4):  Morgan Spurlock has created a revealing look behind fast food, and proves just how harmful it can be. He uses facts and phyical proof, not subjective viewpoints (take that, Michael Moore!). One of the best REAL documentaries in years.

Spider-Man 2 (June 30): Fully cemented as one of my favorite movies of all-time, this comic book flick rises far above the typical summer garbage. Action, drama, comedy...it's all here and it's all so good! A+

Anchorman (July 9): A comedy destined to be classic! Really great stuff from Will Ferrel. I'm talkin' the next Dumb and Dumber here. And if you like that movie as much as I do, you know that's saying something. A

Bourne Supremacy (July 23): Awesome movie all around with very few flaws. It failed to emotionally grip the viewer, so I never really cared too much about the characters. But it was just so cool and intelligently  directed that it retains a high grade. A-

Collateral (August 6): Director Michael Mann delivers another great thriller. Solid acting by Cruise and Foxx, plus Moby's "Ready, Steady, Go" in the club scene (!!). Where Bourne Supremacy relied on looking cool, Collateral suceeded in actually being so. A-