Howard Korder (Boys' Life, Search and Destroy) may be America's most underrated playwright. His latest play, which had a short-lived off-Broadway run, revolves around a psychologist and his wife who have moved to the Western desert to escape personal troubles that come back to haunt them. Korder's dialogue is as piercing and cryptic as Mamet's, but he also knows how to build a story with just the right mix of melodrama and mystery.
Come fly with us, and Leo, through the best (and worst) of 2004. Tops in the cinema this year include Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator. Elsewhere, Deadwood was good TV, and a Strange tale fascinated readers.