Several years ago (on my Myspace blog, if you’re looking for a time stamp), I started what would become a yearly tradition for me. At the beginning of every new year, I look back at movies that were released ten years prior. At first, it was a way to get nostalgic and make myself feel old. However, as time has gone on, I’ve really come to enjoy looking back at some of the more notable movies that have been around- either in the pop culture or in my head- for a full decade. Just thinking about these movies in relation to one another makes me think back fondly to who I was as a person and as a movie watcher ten years ago. Some movies that I only kind of liked have grown significantly in my head, while others that I really enjoyed have faded from my memory. I saw a good number of these films with my girlfriend, who I asked to marry me ten years ago, shortly before I graduated from college. It was ten years ago that I got a job at Blockbuster, right around the time that it made the official change from VHS to DVD and tried to implement its “No More Late Fees” policy to try to keep up with Netflix; of course, we now know how that turned out.
Indeed, 2004 was a significant year in my life and thinking back on the films that were important to me provides a nice framework with which to reflect on how far I have come in that time. I would welcome you all to do the same.
Happy New Year!
The following movies are now ten years old:
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
DAWN OF THE DEAD
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
HELLBOY
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
KILL BILL VOL. 2
MEAN GIRLS
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
DODGEBALL
FAHRENHEIT 9/11
THE NOTEBOOK
SPIDER-MAN 2
ANCHORMAN
THE BOURNE SUPREMACY
GARDEN STATE
COLLATERAL
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
SAW
I HEART HUCKABEES
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE
SIDEWAYS
FINDING NEVERLAND
RAY
THE INCREDIBLES
THE POLAR EXPRESS
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
THE AVIATOR
THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU