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Catholic Film Office Announces Best Films Of 2004; Among Them: The Passion, Aviator And Shall We Dance?

WASHINGTON (December 20, 2004)—The U.S. Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting named movies ranging from Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ to The Aviator, a tale of entrepreneur Howard Hughes, and the romantic Shall We Dance? to its list of Top Ten Films of 2004.

The New York-based office also produced a list of top family films, including Shrek II and Polar Express.

A third list of worst films of the year includes National Lampoon's Golddiggers and White Chicks.

The ranking reflects the assessment of the Film and Broadcasting Office, which annually reviews all mainstream movies to assess their moral content as well as their artistic merit.

Below are the lists of movies and their moral classification by the OFB.

Top Ten Movies of 2004

The Aviator, A-III – adults
Danny Deckchair, A-III – adults
Finding Neverland, A-II – adults and adolescents
Hero, A-III – adults
Hotel Rwanda, A-III – adults
The Passion of the Christ, A-III – adults
Ray, A-III – adults
Shall We Dance? – A-III – adults
Spanglish, A-III – adults
Woman Thou Art Loosed, A-III – adults

Honorable Mention

Seducing Dr. Lewis, A-III – adults
Super Size Me, A-III – adults
Vanity Fair, A-III – adults.
The Story of the Weeping Camel, A-II – adults and adolescents.

Best Family Films

Ella Enchanted, A-II – adults and adolescents
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, A-II – adults and adolescents
I Am David, A-II – adults and adolescents
The Incredibles, A-II – adults and adolescents
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, A-II – adults and adolescents
Miracle, A-II – adults and adolescents
Polar Express, A-I – general patronage
Shrek II. A-II – adults and adolescents
The SpongeBob Square Pants Movie, A-I – general patronage
Two Brothers, A-I – general patronage


Worst Films of 2004

Conspiracy of Silence, O – morally offensive
Dreamers, O – morally offensive
Envy, A-III – adults
Eurotrip, O – morally offensive
Girl Next Door, O – morally offensive
Harold & Kumar, O – morally offensive
Head in the Clouds, O – morally offensive
National Lampoon's Golddiggers, O --– morally offensive
Seed of Chucky, O – morally offensive
White Chicks, A-III – adults


The Office for Film and Broadcasting classifications are as follows:
A-I – general patronage
A-II – adults and adolescents
A-III – adults
L – limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV
O – morally offensive
Full reviews can be found at www.usccb.org/movies/index.htm.