2004 is kind of an odd year for movies. There were a couple memorable sequels, but then you had a spiritual blockbuster like
The Passion of the Christ as well. For me,
The Passion is a really tough movie to watch (even it its newer PG-13-ish edited form, but it actually loses some of the emotional impact that way), and it's almost self-punishment whenever I do end up watching it. So, when it comes to going the entertainment route, I think I have to land on
I, Robot. It's a unique look at robotics, AI, and the future, and even just since 2021 when I first made this list, AI has only gotten more integrated into our daily lives. Between ChatGPT and Claude and the like,
I, Robot is seeming a lot less like science
fiction. Anyway,
I, Robot is a good sci-fi action film with solid performances from Will Smith, Alan Tudyk (as the robot Sonny) and Bridget Moynahan.
"Are you being funny?" -- Calvin
"...I guess not." -- Spooner
Honorable Mentions: The Passion of the Christ (it's just too brutal).
Shrek 2, which is a great sequel, and
Ocean's Twelve, which is a decent sequel, but more worth it for seeing the cast together again (and now joined by Catherine Zeta-Jones). Lastly, I watched the R-rated
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind via CleanFilms back in the day and really loved it - and could relate to it - and it has always been one of my favorite movies (in its edited form). It's a shame it couldn't have been edited a bit for a wider audience. Finally,
Anchorman, despite being too crude at times, is just so quotable.
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John DiBiase
JFH 30: John's Top 30 Movies From 1996 to 2026
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 | 2006 |
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026