Best of 2004

Here are a few lists of what I liked in 2004. Enjoy!

Best Pictures

Best Movies (released in 2004)

Books

Concerts

Best Pictures

Go to my Best Pictures of 2004 page

Best Movies (released in 2004)

 

  1. The Aviator

  2. Million Dollar Baby

  3. Fahrenheit 9/11

  4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

  5. Sideways -- Added 4/13/05

  6. Kinsey

  7. Spider-man 2

  8. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

  9. The Manchurian Candidate

  10. Kill Bill Vol. 2

  11. The Incredibles

 

Honorable Mentions

  1. Some Kind of Monster

  2. Super Size Me

  3. Maria Full of Grace

  4. Touching the Void

  5. The Forgotten

  6. The Passion of the Christ

  7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

  8. Ocean's Twelve

  9. Miracle

  10. Hellboy

  11. Ladder 49

 

Books

  1. A Short History of Nearly Everything (Audio) by Bill Bryson - If you've ever wanted to read about the history of the Earth and the science that discovered the history, this is the book for you.
     
  2. The Hunt for Zero Point : Inside the Classified World of Antigravity Technology by Nick Cook - What brought me to this book were the credentials of author Nick Cook, a writer for Jane's Defence Weekly―the "bible" of the international defense community. Nick Cook gets on the trail of anti-gravity technology, and travels around the world piecing together the story that few people know. At times I thought I was reading a work of fiction (or watching an episode of the X-Files), but Cook's high journalistic standards always grounded the story in reality. The most interesting idea I found in this book was that the Germans not only tested out anti-gravity technology, but also found their way into "torsion fields"; put another way, they were playing around with a "time-travel machine." This is the best book of its kind. To see the kind of revelations in this book, read an interview with Cook in the Atlantic Monthly Online.
     
  3. Against all Enemies  (Audio) - by Richard Clarke - If everyone in the United States had read this book, Bush wouldn't have been re-elected. The revelations go far beyond any CNN/MSNBC sound bites you may have heard. Clarke lays out how America could have prepared better for the Al-Qaeda attack, and how the Bush administration squandered the post-9/11 goodwill by insisting on attacking Iraq.
     
  4. Slack : Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency by TOM DEMARCO
     
  5. Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times by Neil Peart - "Traveling Music" is Neil Peart's best book so far. It's part memoir, part road story, part music review, and part travel log. It's the perfect kind of book to read during the summer, and even more perfect if you're a Rush fan. Whether Neil is backstage at a Rush show or drumming at an African party, the stories are all interesting, the writing is smooth and effortless. Can't wait till the next book. Read the full review of Traveling Music.
     
  6. Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot (Audio): Unleashing Your Brain's Potential by RICHARD RESTAK, MD
     
  7. The Devil in the White City : Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (Audio) by Erik Larson - A captivating book about two driven, successful men. The first, Daniel H. Burnham, the architect of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, had the impossible task of bringing the dream of "The White City" into reality in short time period. The second, H.H. Holmes, who designed and built the World's Fair Hotel, brought his nightmare into reality, leaving in his wake between 4 and 200 people dead.

Concerts

  1. Rush - Las Vegas Read my review
  2. Rush - Phoenix Read my review
  3. Rush - White River (Seattle) Read my review
  4. Sting and Annie Lennox - White River (Seattle) Read my review
  5. Rush - Vancouver (Washington) Read my review
  6. Thruster and Critters Buggin (Ballard, Washington) Read my review
  7. Van Halen - Seattle Read my review
  8. Yes - Seattle