Some years were easy to determine which film I’d write about, other years I’d quickly narrow the list down to a few candidates and then let them duke it out in my head whilst I ruminated on it. Other years finding a film was a bit more difficult (writing about them was a different kettle of fish entirely as inevitably real life took over).
And then there was 2004.
As much as I’ve tried (and I expect that as soon as I’ve hit the publish button on this I’ll think of a film) I simply cannot find a film from 2004 that I’d genuinely like to write about. I’ve gone through lists of the films released that year, I’ve looked back through my collection but nothing emerges. Looking back the years seems to have been dominated by large budget sequels, with no smaller interesting films to speak of. Even looking outside of America seems to have produced nothing, was 2004 really a wasteland of creativity in film? Or was it simply that all of the good films received such a small release that it wasn’t possible to find them?
The truth is probably not, but it’s interesting that nothing is so apparent in its quality as to make even a short list easy. Most years (once I’ve figured out a base point of reference for that year) it’s easy to think of three or four outstanding films, but none at all? Films are a bit like buses, you wait an age for a good one to come along and then three show up at once (on a similar note, when Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen broke the run of good films it ushered in a period of absolute cinematic dross as far as I was concerned). For a year to be devoid of anything worth talking about then nothing must have made an impression, which is a sad state of affairs.
So, 2004 – the year that good film apparently forgot. Hopefully 2005 would prove better.
Midland Film Monkey 