On this day in movie history - The Machinist (2004):

The Machinist

directed by Brad Anderson,

written by Scott Kosar,

was released in the United States on January 18, 2004.

Music by Roque Baños.

Cast:

Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John Sharian, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Michael Ironside, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Reg E. Cathey, Anna Massey, Matthew Romero, Robert Long, Colin Stinton, Craig Stevenson.

On this day in movie history - Garden State (2004):

Garden State

directed and written by Zach Braff,

was released in the United States on January 16, 2004.

Music by Chad Fischer.

Cast:

Zach Braff, Kenneth Graymez, George C. Wolfe, Austin Lysy, Gary Gilbert, Jill Flint, Ian Holm, Peter Sarsgaard, Alex Burns, Jackie Hoffman, Michael Weston, Christopher Carley, Amy Ferguson, Trisha LaFache, Jim Parsons, Jean Smart, Yvette Mercedes, Jayne Houdyshell, Natalie Portman, Ron Leibman, Ann Dowd.

Recommended reading - Film Noir Reader 4: The Crucial Films and Themes (2004):

Film Noir Reader 4: The Crucial Films and Themes

by Alain Silver and James Ursini.

Published by Limelight.
Published 2004.
Paperback.
ISBN-10: 0879103051
ISBN-13: 978-0879103057

Description:

The earlier Film Noir Readers, which now boast a combined sale of well over 30 000 copies, have all quite deliberately conveyed a sweeping overview of the classic period, demonstrating how broad and inclusive noir movies are. Film Noir Reader 4 moves in a different direction. Its purpose is to identify the key films and motifs of noir and to analyze in depth the prototypical pictures that, while vivid examples of certain cinematic themes, bend and break their molds to find new ways to enthrall and frighten us. Like its predecessors, Film Noir Reader 4 is generously illustrated and features essays by such respected film critics and scholars as Robin Wood, J.P. Telotte, R. Barton Palmer, and Robert Porfirio. All have as their purpose to explain why and how these classic films work; the way screenplay, direction, acting, cinematography, editing and all the other filmmaking crafts blended together to produce work that exemplifies both a particular movement in film history and the innovations that keep the noir style fresh and compelling.

Recommended reading - Film Noir Reader 3: Interviews with Filmmakers of the Classic Noir Period (2004):

Film Noir Reader 3:

Interviews with Filmmakers of the Classic Noir Period

Edited by Alain Silver, Robert Porfirio and James Ursini.

Published by Limelight.

Published 2004.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0879109610

ISBN-13: 978-0879109615

Description:

Departing from the approach of its Film Noir Reader predecessors, this third volume in the series assembles a collection of interviews with film noir directors and a cinematographer, few of whom are alive today. Interviewees include Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard), Otto Preminger (Laura), Joseph Lewis (Gun Crazy and The Big Combo), Curtis Bernhardt (Possessed and A Stolen Life), Edward Dmytryk (Murder, My Sweet and Crossfire), and Fritz Lang (Scarlet Street and The Woman in the Window).

Recommended reading - Film Noir Reader 2 (2004):

Film Noir Reader 2

Edited by Alain Silver and James Ursini

Published by Limelight

Published 2004.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0879102802

ISBN-13: 978-0879102807

Description:

Generously includes film stills and essays on crime films, The Postman Always Rings Twice, “Hitchcock's Noir Landscape” “Samuel Fuller's Tabloid Cinema” “Son of Noir” “Noir Science” “Girl Power: Female Centered Neo-Noir” and “Abstract Expressionism and Film Noir.”

On this day in movie history - Million Dollar Baby (2004):

Million Dollar Baby

directed by Clint Eastwood,

written by Paul Haggis,

based on the book Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner by F.X. Toole,

was released in the United States on December 15, 2004.
Narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Music by Clint Eastwood.

Cast:

Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter, Lucia Rijker, Brían F. O'Byrne, Anthony Mackie, Margo Martindale, Riki Lindhome, Michael Peña, Benito Martinez, Bruce MacVittie, David Powledge, Joe D'Angerio, Marcus Chait, Tom McCleister, Erica Grant, Naveen, Morgan Eastwood, Jamison Yang, Dean Familton, Louis Moret, Jon D. Schorle II, Marty Sammon, Steven M. Porter, Ray Corona, Ming Lo, Miguel Pérez, Jim Cantafio, Ted Grossman, Ned Eisenberg, Marco Rodríguez, Roy Nugent, Don Familton, Mark Thomason, Brian T. Finney, Spice Williams-Crosby, Kim Strauss, Rob Maron, Kirsten Berman, Susan Krebs, Sunshine Chantal Parkman, Kim Dannenberg, Eddie Bates, Minerva Adams, Jimmy Alioto, Nina Avetisova, Michael Bentt, Tamara Bossett, Bruce Gerard Brown Jr., John Eric Brown, Jude Ciccolella, Marc De'Antone, Daniele Doobenen, Kimberly Estrada, Christopher Gilbertson, Rosine 'Ace' Hatem, Adolfo Jimenez, Guillermo Jorge, Michael Keyes, Mimi Lesseos, Sean LoGrasso, Paul McMichael, Robert McMurrer, Arnold Montey, Sean O'Kane, Ricky Pak, Mar Party, Cynthia Prouder, Vladimir Rajcic, Bridgett Riley, Ernie Rivera, Grant Roberts, Michael Saglimbeni, Bobby Silva, Nikky Smedley, Rick Solis, Mikee Stafford, McKay Stewart, Jaerin Washington, Jason Williams, Boni Yanagisawa.

Recommended reading - Darkness Before Dawn (2004)

Darkness Before Dawn

By Ingrid Pitt.

Paperback.
Published 2004.
Published by Midnight Marquee Press.
ISBN 13: 9781887664547
ISBN 10: 1887664548
ASIN: 1887664548

Description:

At the age of five, Ingrid Pitt found herself in a concentration camp. Ingrid and her mother escaped from the guards while on a forced march and presented themselves to the partisans, unsure if they would kill them. They spent the rest of the war in the forests. Ingrid fell in love for the first time and watched in despair as British bombers flew overhead. She still cannot see the vapor trials of planes without being transported back to her childhood vigil. After the war Ingrid came to London, where she developed a career as a Hammer House of Horror movie star, but, as she proudly says, `I was always the biter, never the bitten!' She also acted in mainstream films, such as WHERE EAGLES DARE. She had a child by her first marriage and a grand passion which lead to her marrying a racing driver. They lived in Argentina for a while and were good friends of President Peron and Isabelits Peron. Ingrid even spent an evening with the embalmed body of Eva Peron. Written with great passion and warmth, this is a rare childhood memoir and the story of Hammer`s most glamorous actress. Above all, this is a story of a survivor.

On this day in music history - Heart Presents a Lovemongers' Christmas, by Heart (2004):

The album Heart Presents a Lovemongers' Christmas,

by Heart,

was released on November 16, 2004.

On this day in music history - Hidden Sky, by Jami Sieber (2004):

The album Hidden Sky,

by Jami Sieber,

was released on October 5, 2004.

On this day in music history - Handel Arias, by Renée Fleming and Harry Bicket (2004):

The album Handel Arias,

by Renée Fleming and Harry Bicket,

was released on September 14, 2004.

On this day in movie history - Dead Birds (2004):

Dead Birds

directed by Alex Turner,

written by Simon Barrett,

was released at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada on September 13, 2004.
Music by Peter C. Lopez.

Cast:

Henry Thomas, Patrick Fugit, Nicki Aycox, Michael Shannon, Muse Watson, Mark Boone Junior, Isaiah Washington, Harris Mann, Melanie Abramoff, Donna Biscoe, Brian Bremer, Russell Durham Comegys, David Dwyer, Michael Faella, Steve Green, Douglas M. Griffin, Drew Hall, Evan Hipps, Sydney Jones, Terry Jones, Danny Kamin, Mikal Kartvedt, Ted Manson, Ken McGhee, Michael Purnell, Sam Rhymes, Bret Roberts, Terrie Thompson, Sam Breslin Wright, Allan B. Holt, Robbie (the dog).

Recommended reading - The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction (2004):

The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction

By Deane Mansfield-Kelley and Lois A. Marchino.

Paperback.

Published by Pearson.

Published in 2004.

ISBN 13: 9780321195012

ISBN 10: 0321195019

Description:

A detective fiction anthology filled with award winning short stories, information on the authors who wrote them, discussion about the history and evolution of the genre, and important literary criticism.

Recommended reading - Fifty Best Mysteries (2004):

Fifty Best Mysteries

Edited by Eleanor Sullivan.

Published in 2004.

Published by Da Capo Press.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 078671347X

ISBN-13: 978-0786713479

Description:

Fifty Best Mysteries is a Who’s Who of mystery from the pages of the leading magazine in the field. Showcasing the best short fiction published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine over a range of fifty years, this book is a treasure trove for mystery lovers everywhere. As editor Eleanor Sullivan writes, “I took the task by decades and decided to go after solid and entertaining stories by regular and significant contributors, stories that reflected the time in which they were written and the best work being produced in that decade.” To this end, Sullivan has collected an astounding array of talent, from early works by John Dickson Carr, Margery Allingham, Anthony Boucher, and Ngaio Marsh in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, to later selections by Patricia Highsmith, Robert Bloch, Ruth Rendell, Donald E. Westlake, and Simon Brett that appeared over the next two decades.

Contents: The clue of the red wig / John Dickson Carr — Lost star / C. Daly King — The Bloomsbury wonder / Thomas Burke — Dressing-up / W. R. Burnett — Malice domestic / Philip MacDonald — I can find my way out / Ngaio Marsh — The fourth degree / Hugh Pentecost — Midnight adventure / Michael Arlen — A study in white / Nicholas Blake — The phantom guest / Frederick Irving Anderson — As simple as ABC / Ellery Queen — Money to burn / Margery Allingham — The gentlest of brothers / David Alexander — One-way street / Anthony Armstrong — Murder at the dog show / Mignon G. Eberhart — Always trust a cop / Octavus Roy Cohen — The withered heart / Jean Potts — The girl who married a monster / Anthony Boucher — Between eight and eight / C. S. Forester — Knowing what I know now / Barry Perowne — Change of climate / Ursula Curtiss — Life in our time / Robert Bloch — The special gift / Celia Fremlin — A neat and tidy job / George Harmon Coxe — Run—if you can / Charlotte Armstrong — Line of communication / Andrew Garve — Danger at Deerfawn / Dorothy B. Hughes — The man who understood women / A. H. Z. Carr — Revolver / Avram Davidson — The eternal chase / Anthony Gilbert — Reasons unknown / Stanley Ellin — Three ways to rob a bank / Harold R. Daniels — The perfect servant / Helen Nielsen — The marked man / David Ely — Flowers that bloom in the spring / Julian Symons — A nice place to stay / Nedra Tyre — Paul Broderick’s man / Thomas Walsh — When nothing matters / Florence V. Mayberry — This is death / Donald E. Westlake — Woodrow Wilson’s necktie / Patricia Highsmith — The jackal and the tiger / Michael Gilbert — The fix / Robert Twohy — One moment of madness / Edward D. Hoch — Loopy / Ruth Rendell — The plateau / Clark Howard — The butchers / Peter Lovesey — Burning bridges / James Powell — A good turn / Robert Barnard — Clap hands, there goes Charlie / George Baxt — Big boy, little boy / Simon Brett.

On this day in music history - Una Mattina, by Ludovico Einaudi (2004):

The album Una Mattina,

by Ludovico Einaudi,

was released on September 6, 2004.

On this day in music history - Change, by Sue Foley (2004):

The album Change,

by Sue Foley,

was released on August 24, 2004.

On this day in movie history - Collateral (2004):

Collateral,

directed by Michael Mann,

written by Stuart Beattie,

was released in the United States on August 6, 2004.
Music by James Newton Howard.

Cast:
Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Irma P. Hall, Barry Shabaka Henley, Richard T. Jones, Klea Scott, Bodhi Elfman, Debi Mazar, Javier Bardem, Emilio Rivera, Jamie McBride, Ken Waters, Charlie E. Schmidt, Michael Bentt, Ian Hannin, Robert Deamer, David Mersault, Anthony Ochoa, Edgar Sánchez, Cosme Urquiola, Thomas Rosales Jr., Wade Williams, Paul Adelstein, Jessica Ferrarone, Troy Blendell, Inmo Yuon, Howard Bachrach, Chic Daniel, Corinne Chooey, JoNell Kennedy, Steven Kozlowski, Roger Stoneburner, Rodney Sandberg, George Petrina, Donald Dean, Elliott Newman, Trevor Ware, Bobby English, Auggie Cavanagh, Ronald Muldrow, Peter McKernan, Ivor Shier, Daniel Luján, Eddie Diaz, Joey Burns, John Convertino, Josh Cruze, Martin Flores, Rick Garcia, Larry G. Goldman, Maurilio Pineda, Dan Sistos, Jacob Valenzuela, Luis Villegas, Yussi Wenger, Jason Statham, Angelo Tiffe, Ismeal Vidrio, Ron Eckert, Manuel Urrego, Jessie Bernard, Luis Moncada, Dyna Teal, Sandi Schroeder, Michael-John Wolfe, Addie Yungmee, J.D. McElroy, Megan Hiratzka, Kate Gopacco, Christy Yi, Lisa Marie Basada, Wilson Wong, Mark Stainbrook, Brandon Molale, Marianne M. Arreaga, Spike Silver, Ben Mihm, Niles Roth, Linda Asuma, Esther K. Chae, Danny Del Toro, Tara Erickson, Melissa Gomez, Annabella Gutman, Janet Linn, Gino Montesinos, Janessa Mun, Masami Okada, Janice Paik, Neil Patil, Gary Rodriguez, Erina Sako, Emily VanSonnenberg, Emily Ming-An Wang, Michael Waxman, Henry T. Yamada.