2004 Top 10 - #6
December 25, 2004#6: Million Dollar Baby : One could make a strong argument that this is the best movie Clint Eastwood has ever been involved in, either in front of or behind the camera. Although Million Dollar Baby will be classified as a "sports movie" by many, such a pat label diminishes the power and scope of this emotionally wrenching production. If you're one of those who doesn't cry at movies, this may test the dryness of your tear ducts. Million Dollar Baby is about three characters (played by Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hilary Swank) who happen to be in the business of sports. The heart and soul of the film has little to do with what goes on in the ring (the boxing sequences tend to be perfunctory). Instead, Eastwood concentrates on how the members of this trio interact, and, ultimately, the agonizing decision that one must make out of friendship and love. With the exception of an irritating and over-the-top performance by a secondary character who gets more screen time than is warranted, this is a nearly perfect movie. I wish more English-language dramas were like this one. Of all the Hollywood-financed motion pictures to arrive in theaters this year, Million Dollar Baby is the best.
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Sequelitis Disaster
Sequels have been around for as long as movies have, but it's only in the last 30 years (or so) that they have begun to dominate the summer box office. Thus far this year, two of the top three movies are sequels. Last year, four of the top five fit...
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Puttin' Off the Ritz
Over the years, many of you have written to me to tell me about your favorite theater - often an oasis of sorts away from the impersonal, generic insides of a multiplex. For eleven years, I have had such a place. Called the Ritz 16, it was run by ...
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The 90th Academy Awards Ballot, Berardinelli Edition
Every year I present my guesses as to what will win at the Oscars. Thisis all done in fun, of course and (even though I run a contest), I do notconsider myself an expert. I have only once run the table with a perfect ballotand, most years, I ...
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