1994 was a magical year for films. That year, many directors dedicated their career masterpieces: "The Shawshank Redemption", "Forrest Gump", "Vulgar**", "Sunny Days"...
If you go back ten years, the global movies of 2004 are actually just as amazing. "There Are No Thieves in the World" established the status of Feng's Chinese New Year films; "Shrek 2" put animated films at the top of the global box office; "Nobody Knows" opens the cruel and gentle story of Hirokazu Kore-eda. 
It was a year when filmmakers around the world struggled to break through the constraints and innovate, and even though 20 years have passed, the classics of that year still shine. Today, let's take the time machine of light and shadow, go back to the familiar and unfamiliar year of 2004, and see what good movies have come out in which year. 
Mainland ChapterIn 2004, the Chinese-language film market presented a situation of a hundred flowers, with a total box office income of 1.5 billion yuan and 212 films released. Among them, the most eye-catching are the two blockbusters "No Thieves in the World" and "Ambush on All Sides". 
Let's talk about "No Thieves in the World" first.
As Feng Xiaogang's second Chinese New Year blockbuster after "Mobile Phone", the cast of "No Thieves in the World" is unprecedentedly luxurious. Andy Lau and Liu Ruoying played the male and female thieves, Wang Baoqiang played the "stupid root", and Feng Yuanzheng and Fan Wei cameo stupid thieves, all left a deep impression on the audience. 
In the end, the film scored 1The 200 million mainland box office has become another masterpiece of Feng Xiaogang's directorial career. And the scene of Liu Ruoying eating roast duck at the end of the film has become a lingering memory for countless audiences. 
In 2004, the national teacher Zhang Yimou continued to carry forward martial arts, and brought the freehand and romantic "Ambush on All Sides" after "Hero". Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, the two male gods, incarnated as famous arresters in the Tang Dynasty, pursued the maiko girl played by Zhang Ziyi together. The grievances and grievances between the three of them have become the audience's after-dinner conversation, 1The box office of 5.6 billion also made it the box office champion of mainland films in 2004. 
In addition to large-scale commercial films, small but beautiful literary films also shined in 2004. Young director Lu Chuan used a "Ke Ke Xili" to expose the cruel reality of the Tibetan antelope being ruthlessly hunted, and won the 42nd Golden Horse Award for Best Film in one fell swoop. "Letter from a Strange Woman" directed by Xu Jinglei told all about oriental-style secret love, and also brought the female director into front of the audience. 
In addition, Wu Shixian's "Waiting Alone" is a declaration of love boldly expressed by trendy young people, and "Jasmine Blossom" adapted from Su Tong**'s "Women's Life" tells the story of the life of the girl Mo (played by Zhang Ziyi) and the changes of the times. 
20 years ago, the domestic film market was still small, but the film genre was full of flowers and vitality. On the road of industrialization + focusing on local stories, this year's domestic films in the mainland are unforgettable. 
Hong Kong and TaiwanCompared with mainland films, Hong Kong and Taiwan films started early and developed rapidly, so in 2004, they were undoubtedly the backbone of Chinese-language films.
This year, Stephen Chow invested a lot of effort in writing, directing and acting in "Kung Fu", and the film won numerous awards, completely consolidating his identity as a director.
The "nonsensical chase" and "axe gang war dance" in the film are still vividly remembered, and Stephen Chow uses his super talent and serious narrative to interpret that the "King of Comedy" is not in vain.
In addition to Stephen Chow, the rest of the Hong Kong directors have also spared no effort and worked hard to bloom on the big screen. Wong Kar-wai used a "2046" to write a unique aesthetic again. Zhang Ziyi, Faye Wong, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau and other actresses are still graceful and moving in front of Director Wang's camera.
"Model Worker" director Johnny To used "Big Event" and "Judo Dragon and Tiger List" to once again defend the dignity of Hong Kong crime action films; Lin Chaoxian joined hands with Eason Chan and Aaron Kwok to create "Charge", and the popular style is once again highlighted; The fledgling new director Huang Jingfu brought out the four male gods Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Edison Chen, and Yue Wenle with "Jianghu", and the double-line narrative is eye-catching.
The late director Chen Musheng completely lived in the hearts of the audience with a "New Police Story", the combination of Jackie Chan + Nicholas Tse + Wu Yanzu is a proper classic no matter what era it is put in.
Of course, Hong Kong-made literary films cannot be ignored. Cecilia Cheung and Wu Yanzu's love in "Mong Kok Dark Night" is heartbreaking, and director Zhang Aijia's analysis of independent women's lives in "20 30 40" also poked our tears. Independent filmmaker Chen Guo announced his return to the field of commercial films with the thriller-themed short film "Three Watches 2: Dumplings".
Hong Kong films in 2004 are really in their prime.
Japan and South KoreaAfter chatting about domestic movies, let's look overseas. In 2004, famous Japanese and Korean directors and potential directors continued to make efforts. Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai, who now occupy half of the day, both produced masterpieces back then.
Makoto Shinkai, who was not famous at that time, brought his first feature-length animation "The Other Side of the Clouds, the Promised Place", with beautiful pictures and a story of pure love, which laid a personal style.
And Studio Ghibli, led by Hayao Miyazaki, has created "Howl's Moving Castle" (the film has been set to be released in the mainland on April 3). The film gets rid of the helplessness and compromise on reality in "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke", and interprets the hope that "human beings should live in peace and love" under the theme of "anti-war".
At the same time, the stable performance of various directors has also feasted the eyes of audiences around the world. Katsuhiro Otomo's "Steam Boy" has made audiences around the world see the charm of steampunk, and Shunji Iwai's "Flowers and Alice" has once again become the youth bible sought after by countless teenagers and girls.
Unpopular films" "University of Laughter" and "Guide Dog Little Q" each have their own highlights; Today's Oscar director is Hirokazu Kore-eda, who also became popular with "Nobody Knows", the youngest actor in history - Yumi Yanagi.
It is worth mentioning that the gradual rise of Korean filmmakers was also a major event in the film market in 2004. Kim Ki-duk's "Empty Room" won the first Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival for the Korean film industry; Kang Di-gyu's "Tai Chi Flag Flying" once again refreshed Korean audiences' views on local blockbusters, and "The Eraser in My Brain" starring Jung Woo-sung and Son Ye-jin took away countless people's tears.
Perhaps it is precisely because of the accumulation of 20 years that today's Korean and Japanese films can have world-renowned works such as "Thief Family" and "Parasite". The accumulation is also applicable in the film market. Europe and the United StatesAs the vane of world cinema, Hollywood blockbusters still maintained their "king attitude" in 2004, and the top ten of the global box office list were all single-handedly taken by him. Of course, the most beautiful has to be the animated movie "Shrek 2".
Shrek 2 continues its humorous adaptation of the fairy tale from its predecessor while covering references to American pop culture. In the end, the North American box office received 44.1 billion US dollars, with a total global box office of 9$2.8 billion, becoming the box office champion in 2004.
It's a pity that in the Oscar competition that year, "Shrek 2" lost to Pixar's "The Incredibles" and missed out on the best animated feature film. And "The Incredibles" also became the second Pixar film to win this award (the first was "Finding Nemo").
In 2004, superhero movies had not yet become mainstream, but "Spider-Man 2" showed audiences the potential of such works. The film, still directed by director Sam Raimi, tells the story of Peter Parker who will face the double crisis of Doctor Octopus and self-identity. Films worldwide 7The $8.8 billion box office and the excellent portrayal of the protagonist have had a profound impact on future superhero films.
In addition to superheroes and animation, science fiction and fantasy are still the audience's favorite film genres. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third installment in the Harry Potter film series, is still popular around the world; "I, Robot", "Butterfly Effect" and "The Day After Tomorrow" present a mature industrialization system in addition to Hollywood blockbusters from the perspective of science fiction;
Commercial blockbusters such as "Troy" and "The Passion of the Christ", as well as action blockbusters such as "National Treasure", "Spy 2" and "The Mechanic", which integrate various elements, have also impressed global audiences. 20 years ago, Hollywood commercial films were so brilliant.
At the same time, Hollywood's famous directors are also continuing to produce, with everything from commercial blockbusters to independent films. Quentin Tarantino continues to play with the aesthetic of violence in Kill Bill 2; Clint Eastwood brought the classic boxing work "Million Dollar Baby" with a female theme; Martin Scorsese and Xiao Lizi's "The Aviator" also won multiple nominations at the Oscars.
cannot be ignored, as well as a number of European and American literary films and horror films. "Crash", which tells the entanglement of race and human nature, became the best movie at the Oscars that year, and "Hotel Rwanda", which alludes to the history of cruelty, successfully ranked among the top 250 and won 8 on DoubanA good score of 9.
The two romance films "Warm and Containing Light" and "Love Notebook" present us with beautiful love, while "Shaun of Zombies" and "Murder with a Knife" reflect more possibilities of movies from the perspective of cult films. It can be said that there are too many European and American films in 2004 to count.
Nowadays, when we look at these classics again, it brings back too many memories that belong to movies. Which of these movies from 20 years ago are your favorites? You are also welcome to share your 2004 global best films in the message area.