Drama Movies 2004 List

With Ryan Gosling • Kevin Spacey • Michael Peña • Jena Malone • Don Cheadle • Michelle Williams • Michael Welch • Matt Malloy • Kerry Washington • Lena Olin • Martin Donovan • Sherilyn Fenn • Alec Medlock • Chris Klein • Wesley Jonathan • Ann Magnuson • Ron Canada • Ryan Malgarini • Angela Paton • Troy Winbush • Nick Kokich • Yolonda Ross • Matthew Ryan Hoge • Jonah Smith • Palmer West • Bernie Morris

This is the story of a sensitive teenager, Leland (Ryan Gosling), faced with issues of morality and hope under difficult circumstances, who is arrested and sent to juvenile hall, after he kills an autistic child out of sympathy. Once there, he meets a teacher, Mr. Pearl (Don Cheadle), who helps him figure out the reasons for why he committed the crime, as we also see the ramifications of the murder have on his community, his family, and that of the victim.

With Young-min Kim • Jong-ho Kim • Jae-kyeong Seo • Yeo-jin Ha • Yeong-su Oh • Ki-duk Kim

The exquisitely beautiful and very human drama "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring", from director Kim Ki-Duk, is entirely set on and around a tree-lined lake where a tiny Buddhist monastery floats on a raft amidst a breath-taking landscape. The film is divided into five segments with each season representing a stage in a man's life. Under the vigilant eyes of Old Monk, Child Monk learns a hard lesson about the nature of sorrow when some of his childish games turn cruel. In the intensity and lushness of summer, the monk, now a young man, experiences the power of lust, a desire that will ultimately lead him, as an adult, to dark deeds. With winter, strikingly set on the ice and snow-covered lake, the man atones for his past actions, and spring starts the cycle anew...

With Dwayne Johnson • Neal McDonough • Johnny Knoxville • Kevin Bray • Ashok Amritraj • David Hoberman • Channing Gibson • Ashley Scott • Kristen Wilson • Khleo Thomas • Lucas Foster • David Klass

In "Walking Tall", Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays Chris Vaughn, a retired soldier who returns to his hometown to make a new life for himself, only to discover his wealthy high school rival, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough), has closed the once-prosperous lumber mill and turned the town's resources towards his own criminal gains. The place Chris grew up is now overrun with crime, drugs, and violence. Enlisting the help of his old pal Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville), Chris gets elected sheriff and vows to shut down Hamilton's operations. His actions endanger his family and threaten his own life, but Chris refuses to back down until his hometown once again feels like home.

With Dennis Quaid • Patrick Wilson • Jason Patric • Rutherford Cravens • Jordi Molla • John Lee Hancock • Wes Studi • Stephen Gaghan • Mark Johnson • Matt O'Leary • Stephen Bruton • Blue Deckert • Brian Grazer • Billy Bob Thornton • Marc Blucas • W. Earl Brown • Nick Kokich • Ron Howard • Emilio Echevarria • John Sayles

The roads cross at San Antonio de Bexar at a small, ruined mission called The Alamo—a place where myth meets history and legend meets reality. In the spring of 1836 nearly 200 Texans—men of all races who believed in the future of Texas—held the fort for thirteen days under siege by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, ruler of Mexico and commander of its forces. Led by three men—the young, brash Colonel William Travis; the violent, passionate James Bowie; and the larger-than-life living legend Davy Crockett—the Texans and their deeds at the Alamo would pass into history as General Sam Houston's rallying cry for Texas independence. As well, their actions would become legend for their symbolic significance.

With Riccardo Tozzi • Giuseppe Cristiano • Francesca Marciano • Gabriele Salvatores • Marco Chimenz • Giovanni Stabilini • Aitana Sánchez-Gijón • Dino Abbrescia • Giorgio Careccia • Mattia Di Pierro • Diego Abatantuono • Maurizio Totti • Niccolò Ammaniti

Something sinister is lurking under the surface of 10-year-old Michele's (Giuseppe Cristiano) idyllic summer in 1978. While the days in his remote sourthern Italian village are filled with the familiar routines of childhood, a chance discovery leads to a shocking revelation. Now, suddenly beyond the point-of-no-return, Michele digs further to find that even his own parents may be behind what's quickly becoming the country's most nefarious crime.

With Elizabeth Schwartz • Yale Strom

A look at the resurgence of Jewish Culture in Poland, particularly Krakow, an ironic location, as this part of Europe is also one of the epicenters of the Holocaust.

With Ewan McGregor • Peter Mullan • Stuart McQuarrie • Therese Bradley • Jeremy Thomas • David MacKenzie • David McKenzie • Emily Mortimer • Tilda Swinton • Jack McElhone • Alan Cooke • Rory McCann • Ewan Stewart

"Young Adam" is David McKenzie's adaptation of Alexander Trocchi's novel, a romantic murder mystery set on a barge in the canals of Scotland. Lovely photography by Giles Nuttgens, complemented by a lonely score by David Byrne, provides a picturesque backdrop for what is otherwise a seedy story of morality gone far astray and hopelessness taking hold of everyday life, with sex as the only outlet. Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton both lend excellent performances to the film, acting out a strained relationship of carnal misgiving that is their mutual respite. Working on a barge that travels to ports between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Joe (McGregor) is a randy ol' chap. He befriends Les (Peter Mullen) as they labor hard days shoveling coal and pass their evenings over pints and darts in the local pubs. But Joe is simply positioning himself to seduce Les' wife, Ella (Swinton), who he easily and frequently beds. A steamy affair with a heavy dose of on-screen coitus eventually leads to trouble for all three. A subplot concerns Joe's past romance with a girl (Emily Mortimer) whose mysterious death is reported in local papers, with flashbacks to raunchy sexual interludes representing his fondest memories of her.

With Mark Ruffalo • Jennifer Garner • Andy Serkis • Kathy Baker • Niels Mueller • Cathy Yuspa • Judy Greer • Kiersten Warren • Samuel Ball • Gary Winick • Rita Hsiao • Mark Patrick Gleason • Gina Matthews • Susan Arnold • Donna Roth • Josh Goldsmith

Five days shy of her 13th birthday, all Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) wants is a new life. After a humiliating experience at school, Jenna makes a desperate wish ... that comes true. She's popular, successful and only five days away from her 30th birthday.

With Stanley Tucci • Richard Jenkins • Emile Hirsch • Thomas Guiry • Michael Burke

Duncan (Emile Hirsch) falls into odd behavior after his mother's death. His father can't quite understand why Duncan acts the way he does, dressing up in his mother's clothes and playing with a pet chicken. A local kid named Perry forms a bond with Duncan after initially picking on him.

With Michael Pitt • Paige Turco • Gale Harold • Matt Servitto • Jim Allodi • Aaron Woodley

Chep, a reclusive young man, gets comfort from the movies and his vivid imagination. When Fran walks into the prop house where he lives looking for unusual objects, Chep immediately develops a crush. Obsessed with her job, for which she designs movie sets, Fran insists that each prop be the real thing, even if it happens to be a pair of rhinoceros eyes or a human finger. Chep's growing love for Fran makes him willing to prowl the dark streets at night in search of items for her. As Fran's requests become more peculiar, Chep is thrown into increasingly bizarre situations. His life quickly spirals out of control. As the strange thefts escalate, Detective Phil Barbara is assigned to the case and is soon on Chep and Fran's trail.

With Jim Caviezel • Claire Forlani • Aidan Quinn • Tim Moore • Jeremy Northam • Malcom McDowell • Rowdy Herrington • John Shepherd • Kim Dawson

For some athletes, the ultimate win comes through a stroke of luck, but for Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., Bobby Jones, the only golfer in history to win the prestigious Grand Slam all in the same year—it was truly a stroke of genius. Having overcome an early childhood illness, he would later leave an indelible print in sports history. In 1930, at the age of 28, Jones won the title of Grand Slam Champion by winning the British Amateur, the British Open, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. His record remains unbroken today. Even then, Jones was still able to complete two college degrees and graduate from law school. Eventually torn between his family and the game he loved, Jones retired early to spend time with his wife and children. However, his contributions to golfing continued, as Jones went on to found the acclaimed Augusta National Golf Club and the annual professional and amateur tournament—The Masters. The biopic, itself, is not only a story about the amazing feats Bobby Jones accomplished on the golf course, but also, the way he lived his life off the course. Bobby Jones became a true American hero, not because he played for money or fame, but rather for the love of the game. Bobby Jones, whose natural skill and uncanny passion for the game earned him the title the best golfer in the world, will always be remembered as a true gentleman and gracious sportsman.

With Robert De Niro • Devon Bostick • Jake Simons • Merwin Mondesir • Mark Bomback • Nick Hamm • Marc Butan • Greg Kinnear • Cameron Bright • Rebecca Romijn-Stamos • Jenny Levine • Deborah Odell • Marcia Bennett • Elle Downs • Janet Bailey • Raoul Bhaneja • Zoie Palmer • Michael Paseornek • Cathy Schulman • Sean O'Keefe

Following the death of their eight year old son on his birthday, Jessie (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) and Paul (Greg Kinnear) are befriended by a doctor on the forefront of genetic research (Robert DeNiro) at the height of their mourning. He leads the couple in a desperate attempt to reverse the rules of nature and clone their son. The experiment is successful and under Richard's watchful eye, Adam grows into a healthy and happy young boy, until his 8th birthday. As time goes by, the Duncan's gradually start to see small, subtle differences between the new Adam and the Adam they lost. At the time of the new Adam's eighth birthday, the changes in character are more pronounced. Adam grows distant and fearful as a palpable sense of menace settles within the young boy. This Adam begins to suffer from night terrors and frightening flashbacks as a sinister personality begins to emerge. Paul and Jessie cannot escape the fact that this Adam is different. Terror settles on the couple as they try to come to terms with just what they have done, or what has been done to them.

With Harry Connick Jr. • Shawn Salinas • Hugh Wilson • Bridget Gethins • Stan Kelly • Michael A. Tessiero • Tony Perry • Tom Trigo • Sam Wells • John Grisham

A father-son drama about a recently widowed man who cheats on his IRS report and goes on the run with his 12-year-old son, Mickey. Mickey, being a very talented baseball player, ends up playing for the Little League World Series, which threatens to blow his and his father's cover in the national spotlight.