@ The Movies: Top 10 In 2004

So here we are again: Another year, another round of making tough decisions. Putting it simply, there were plenty of great movies in 2004. It was hard to boil it all down, but here are my top 10 picks of the year -- and beyond. See you @ The Movies in 2005!

10. 'Sideways' -- Wine drinker or not, there are plenty of laughs to consume and sobering thoughts to absorb in this quirky road-trip/wine tasting comedy by writer-director Alexander Payne. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church give winning performances, respectively, as a struggling divorcee and groom on the prowl on the last week before his wedding.

9. 'Super Size Me' -- Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock serves up a funny but informative indictment of McDonald's, the fast-food industry and the sorry state of some school lunch programs in his rightfully deemed documentary of "epic proportions." Spurlock eats and drinks nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days straight, and the results are shocking.

8. 'The Aviator' -- Martin Scorsese's epic Howard Hughes biopic screams out of the gate like a rocket, loses it's way for a while, but finishes strong. Faults aside, there's too much greatness in this film - from a gaggle of great performances from Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes and a Cate Blanchett as Kate Hepburn -- to breathtaking flying (and crashing scenes) to deny it the attention it so richly deserves.

7. 'Kill Bill Vol. 2' -- Backed by another killer performance by Uma Thurman, the second part of Quentin Tarantino's revenge opus is as original as the first, thanks to a decidedly different approach in tone. Those expecting another bloodbath are in for a huge surprise.

6. 'Shrek 2' -- A sequel that's every bit as good as its inspired original, "Shrek 2," for the lack of better words, is a twisted fairy tale dream come true. Julie Andrews, John Cleese and Antonio Banderas (who is a scream as Puss in Boots) are great additions to an already brilliant voice cast, including the venerable Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers.

5. 'The Phantom of The Opera' -- Joel Schumacher's lavish adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's mega stage musical is a bedazzling spectacle from start to finish. The sets, cinematography and costumes are beguiling, the atmosphere is hauntingly beautiful, and the singing by Emmy Rossum (Christine), Gerard Butler (The Phantom) and Patrick Wilson sends chills.

4. 'Million Dollar Baby' -- Clint Eastwood's drama about a female boxer (Hilary Swank) packs a powerful emotional punch, punctuated by a hard left hook you won't see coming. Not only do Swank, Eastwood and Morgan Freeman prove themselves as strong contenders for acting Oscars, Eastwood solidifies his place as one of America's greatest filmmakers.

3. 'The Incredibles' -- Finally, filmmaker Brad Bird is vindicated for his classic animated film "The Iron Giant" with this enormously funny and original computer-animated tale of a family of superheroes forced into retirement. Studio Pixar continues to amaze -- I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

2. 'Spider-Man 2' -- Director Sam Raimi already created a classic with the first Spidey film, one of my top picks for 2002. But thanks to another soulful performance by Tobey Maguire and an emotionally complex villain in Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), the added character depth makes "Spider-Man 2" even better. Hopefully this spin on the comic book character will give the comic book movie genre the respect it deserves.

1. 'Finding Neverland' -- Thanks to another brilliant performance by Johnny Depp and magical direction by Marc Forster, this fascinating fictional take on the events that inspired J.M. Barrie (Depp) to write "Peter Pan" soars from the very first frame and never loses altitude. Its impressive line of supporting talent is endless, from Kate Winslet and Dustin Hoffman, to Julie Christie and Radha Mitchell. But the true find here is Freddie Highmore, the bright young actor that brings Barrie's inspiration, Peter Lwellyn-Davies, to life.

Honorable mentions: Several films deserve mentions for their inspiring originality: "Kinsey" delves into the controversial world of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey and features wonderfully subtle performances by Liam Neeson, Laura Linney and Peter Sarsgaard; "Garden State," Zach Braff's impressive filmmaking debut (co-starring the "Scrubs" actor and energetic performance by Natalie Portman); "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," where rookie writer-director Kerry Conran enlists the likes of Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie to shoot the sci-fi adventure epic entirely in front a blue screen; and "The Polar Express," where writer-director Robert Zemeckis collaborates once again with Tom Hanks to pioneer the Performance Capture technique to bring Chris Van Allsburg's Christmas classic to the big screen.

Meanwhile, putting a fresh new spin on some familiar themes are "Team America: World Police," Trey Parker and Matt Stone's "Thunderbirds"-style puppet satire that aims to offend everyone in every imaginable way; "Friday Night Lights," an unflinching look at the brutal pressures of high school football in Texas; "Mean Girls," Mark Waters' brutally funny departure from the teen comedy genre starring Lindsay Lohan; "Spanglish," a cross-cultural comedy-drama that proves Adam Sandler is well-capable of playing subtle; "The Notebook," a beautifully shot romantic drama from Nick Cassavettes, featuring heartbreaking performances by James Garner and Gena Rowlands: and "Ray," where Jamie Foxx becomes Ray Charles to tell the life story, warts and all, of the late musical genius.

Lastly, Mel Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ" and Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" should be commended for, if anything, weathering multiple storms of controversy to see their visions come to pass. Agree or disagree with the filmmakers, they sure got the movie world buzzing in 2004.