Coming off of "Mystic River" in 2003, Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" marked two straight years of Best Picture nominations -- this time, however, he went home with the big prize, plus a trophy for Best Director.

In this episode, Mike and Brian analyze the movie's best moments, talk faith and sacrifice (which leads to an extended conversation about "The Passion of the Christ" [also 2004]), and decide if "Million Dollar Baby" really was the best film of the year.

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And for 15 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.

Fresh off the heels of "Gangs of New York," Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio continued their collaboration in 2004, this time with a biopic on capitalist hero/film director/aircraft tycoon Howard Hughes.

In this episode, Mike and Brian dig into DiCaprio's performance and moviestar persona, Scorsese's directoral style and whether or not "The Aviator" deserves a spot on the top-five list of 2004.

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And for 15 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.

Breakups are hard. But don't worry! Lacuna, the memory-erasing company from "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," is here to help.

In this episode, Mike and Brian take a trip down memory lane as they dive into this non-Best Picture nominee of 2004, directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman. IThey debate the movie's message, examine its lead performances from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, and decide whether to keep it or kick it from the year's top five. 

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And for 15 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.

Director Marc Forster's follow-up to "Monster's Ball," "Finding Neverland" earned seven Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture, in 2004. But how does this biopic about J.M. Barrie, the creator of "Peter Pan," hold up 17 years later?

In this episode, Mike and Brian debate what qualities make tearjerkers cross over into feeling manipulative, they talk trivia, best moments and then decide whether to keep or kick this film from their top fives for 2004. 

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Grab a drink (not Merlot) and meet us in wine country. It's SIDEWAYS day!

In this episode, Mike and Brian revisit director Alexander Payne's grape juice-stained Best Picture nominee, starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. They explore the big power of small moments of characterization in screenwriting, question why we root for unlikable characters, talk trivia and decide whether to keep or kick this film from the top five of 2004. 

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And for 15 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.

Happy Halloween! With spooky season now in full swing, Mike and Brian throw out the usual format to dig into three of the big horror releases of 2004:

• director James Wan's SAW
• M. Night Shyamalan's THE VILLAGE
• and shark-thriller OPEN WATER, directed by Chris Kentis.

They talk genre rules, the power of twist endings and which of these three scary movies holds up best after nearly 20 years. 

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And for 15 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.

Horror movie month is in full swing!

To celebrate, we look back at zombie-comedy "Shaun of the Dead" (2004), directed by Edgar Wright, whose new film, "Last Night in Soho," releases Oct. 29.

In this episode, Mike and Brian explore the impact "Shaun" made on the horror genre, dig into its best moments and discuss its chances of contending for a top-five spot at year's end.

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And for 15 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.

Strike up the band, because we're kicking off a brand new miniserieis -- this time on the films of 2004!

In this episode, Mike and Brian reevaluate director Taylor Hackford's Best Picture-nominated musical biopic, "Ray," which landed Jamie Foxx a Best Actor Oscar. They debate the importance of staying true to the facts in movies about historical figures, dissect Foxx's breakout role as Ray Charles, talk trivia and -- the big reveal -- decide whether to keep or kick this film from their top fives for 2004. 

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And for 15 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.

What was the best movie of 2003?

In this miniseries finale episode, Mike and Brian recap the year that was, rank the Academy's picks for Best Picture, kick the ones that don't belong and discuss their personal top 5s. Plus, trivia, Golden Takes and more.

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The final installment in director Peter Jackson's epic fantasy trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" proved to be the one film of 2003 to rule them all, sweeping the Oscars and blurring the lines separating "geek" movie from prestige picture. But how does it hold up nearly two decades later?

In this episode, Mike and Brian talk genre, endings, trivia and whether or not this Academy Award winner truly was the best film of the year.

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Want to choose an movie for a future episode? BECOME A PATRON.

Agree or disagree with our takes? EMAIL [email protected]

And for 15 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.