November 2004 Movie Recap.

Welcome to my November list. This month featured the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to movies that I saw this month.

Best of the Month: The Incredibles
Worst of the Month: Alexander

1. After the Sunset. A fun, if insubstantial action/adventure. Jewel thieves on a remote island. Salma Hayek looks great, and is the most memorable part of the film. **.5
2. Alexander. Oliver Stone's goofy tale of Alexander the Great. Colin Farrell is miscast, Jolie hams it up, and everyone else is just there. Nearly three hours of boredom. *
3. Alfie. The ubiquitous Jude Law takes the Michael Caine role in this remake. A womanizer gains more than he bargained for. I thought this was rather good, fun movie. ***
4. The Incredibles. Simply put, it is incredible. Brad Bird directs a film which gives us a new look at living like a superhero. Great film on all counts. ****
5. National Treasure. Rather bland action/adventure. The story is ridiculous, and the whole exercise is rather weak. **
6. The Polar Express. Potential Christmas classic? A couple of sequences did not completely work for me, but it does not damper the wonder that is created in this world. ***
7. Ray. Carried by the wonderful performance from Jamie Foxx, we are given one of the most entertaining biopics of recent memory. Very good film. ***.5
8. Seed of Chucky. I left this one with mixed thoughts. It was fun, but all over the map. It has a decent creep factor in the new doll addition. **.5
9. Sideways. Wonderful movie, it is a believable film populated with real characters. It has some laugh out loud funny moments, but many more touching quieter times. ***.5
10. Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie. My first experience with the sponge. An oddly fun experience. Hyper type of comedy, the kids will love it if they don't already. ***
11. Tarnation. An exercise in style and an excising of personal demons. Not sure I buy into the whole thing, credibility is an issue to me. But I do admire the mixed media approach. **

I know that my 2004 top ten had a film from this month ranked higher than my pick for best of the month, but the monthly pick of The Incredibles is destined for more repeat play.

Also at Blogcritics.org.