At the end of every year comes a need to sit back and reflect on what happened in the past 11 months. The film industry is no exception.

While the Academy Awards are generally the vehicle for such reflection, those aren’t until February and only show the really good ones.

Listed below are some of the most pleasant surprises of 2004.

*”Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

With a genius screenwriter (Charlie Kaufman) who can do nothing but bedazzle any audience, two strong leads (Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet), and very impressive supporting roles (Elijah Wood and Mark Ruffalo), this film was destined to be among the most entertaining of the year.

One of the more accessible Kaufman scripts, the film involves a man going through surgery to erase all the memories of his ex-girlfriend after he discovers that she has already gone through the same procedure. Watching the relationship fall apart is absolutely heartbreaking, and Carrey and Winslet carry the emotions with immense skill. This should have been the film for either of them to win an Oscar with, although it probably won’t happen.

*”Spider-Man 2″

While sequels are not particularly enjoyable experiences, this is one that is arguably better than the original. With all the hokey superhero introduction out of the way, director Sam Raimi delivers a story that is action-packed, intriguing and well-crafted in its emotional impact. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) must deal with the reality of being a clandestine superhero as he goes through college and enters into relationships, eventually quitting because he cannot deal with the pressure. The true highlight of this film, however, is with the villain, Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), whose monstrous transformation is vastly more appealing than the Green Goblin’s in the first one. And the fight scenes are absolutely spectacular, especially when Doc Ock is first introduced as the villain, which was one of the coolest parts of cinema this year.

*”Collateral”

Director Michael Mann turns the thriller genre on its head with a film that is extremely conventional yet wildly innovative. In his second great performance of the year, Jamie Foxx does wonders as innocent cab driver Max, who must escort evil hitman Vincent around town on an all-night killing spree. Tom Cruise goes outside of his acting range entirely and delivers a powerfully evil role, wild in his actions and heartless in his intentions. While not very successful at the box office, this film was more suspenseful and intriguing than any other action thriller that came out this year.

*”Team America: World Police”

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of the magnificent TV series “South Park,” delivered the most brilliant, courageous, and hilarious satire this entire year. While the idea of an R-rated puppet movie may not sound like much, the amazing spectacle of these irreverent anarchists was completely lost on this nation in the wake of the election buzz. The film details Team America, a government agency whose sole purpose is to defend the world against terrorism. As they battle suicide bombers and Korean dictators, they inevitably destroy more than any terrorist can even imagine. The film, while successful as a political satire, is even deadlier as a spoof on every horrible Bruckheimer extravaganza ever created, mocking the big budget action-adventure conventions, but also the smugness and pretensions of the entire Hollywood industry, and rightfully so.

*”Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”

Not a great film by any means, but this little comedy produced more giddying moments than any others involving big-name stars. More fun than “Anchorman,” more silly than “Harold and Kumar,” and containing a great cameo by Lance Armstrong – doing more for his cause than any gold bracelet. Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) must raise money in order to save his gym, and enlists the help of his goofball pals as they form a team to compete in a national dodgeball tournament. Ben Stiller plays the egotistical villain intent on buying the gym from him. Amid all the other big-name Hollywood films that came out this summer, this film proved to be the true underdog by being more entertaining than any sword and sandal epic or sci-fi shoot ’em up.

Jason Bolte can be reached at [email protected].