The best movie of 2004 and possibly the most under-appreciated movie in the past 15 years

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2005)

I just wrote about how Sideways could possibly be deemed a masterpiece (a rare element in American movies since the 70's) and for a lot of critics Sideways was the best movie of the year. I feel though, it falls second to Before Sunset. The difference between the two and what makes Before Sunset superior is the vehicle that drives the film. In Sideways, it is comedy. In Before Sunset, it is emotion-heartbreak, arrogance, hopelessness, and love. These by innate nature make it more powerful and haunting than the escapades of Payne's great film. Linklater, a great director that makes a Texan proud to be Texan again, directs like a great conductor letting a world-famous soloist take the vehicle where it needs to go but just keeping the headlights on. These two performances are deeply earnest. You can see the heartbreak coming from their own lives inch out of their mouths and glow from the building tears in their eyes. Whether or not they are bringing experiences from their own life is irrelevant. They are channeling what they know these characters need to feel into the sublime script. I hope and feel this will be remembered along with Sideways, Colllateral, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Closer as redeeming qualities making 2004 a movie year worth remembering.