My Favourite Movies of 2004

1. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, USA) - Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke encounter each other in Paris 9 years later. The dialogue is smart and realistic, the last line in the film just perfect. A big smile.

2. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, USA) - Hey, Jim Carrey can act! and there's the vivacious Kate Winslett with some wildly coloured hair, and some reality shifting to boot! And Mark Ruffalo in a nice secondary role.

3. Festival Express (Bob Smeaton, Britain/Canada/Netherlands) - A time machine back to 1970, when music was made with real instruments, there were no corporate logos or brands in sight, and some crazy people thought there might be something wrong with capitalism. Best scene: a drunken Rick Danko sings "Ain't No More Cain." The antidote to Eminem.

4. Fahrenheit 9/11 (Michael Moore, USA) - A good attempt to beat back the Bush juggernaut. It almost worked. Most unnerving fact: a cigar-chomping Saudi prince visits the White House after 9/11.

5. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, Britain) - A deconstruction of the zombie movie whose humour sneaks up on you. Watch for Dylan Moran of Black's Books  in a supporting part. Living in a ghost town indeed.

6. Garden State (Zach Braff, USA) - A moody indy-looking picture of a down-and-out actor's life. It has a Nick Drake song in it and no hip hop or techno, what can I say? Natalie Portman as a wacky free spirit.

7. Team America: World Police (Trey Parker, USA) - An updating of the Thunderbirds for the global war on terror. Best scene: the accidental destruction of the Eiffel Tower. There are three types of people in the world, by the way...

8. Closer (Mike Nichols, USA) - A grim look at modern romance. At the same time an acting contest between Clive Owen and Jude Law.

9. Spider-man 2 (Sam Raimi, USA) - A pretty good attempt at an existential super-hero movie. Handicapped by Kirsten Dunst as a lame Mary-Jane, though Tobey Maguire is the webslinger.

10. Super Size Me (Morgan Spurlock, USA) - A man makes too many visits to McDonalds and pays the price. Not as good as Fahrenheit, though nominated for an Oscar.