Favorite Movies of 2005
Here’s a list of my favorite movies from the year 2005. I was surprised at how many really good ones there were.
I’ve listed seven movies here because I couldn’t widdle it down to five; I’ve also ordered them alphabetically because I couldn’t decide which I loved the most. The descriptions of the movies and the quotes come from imdb.com (except for Serenity’s because it sucked). I've also added my own comments after the summaries.
I highly recommend going to see or renting all of these movies.
1) Brokeback Mountain
IMDB Summary: The new film from Academy Award-nominated director Ang Lee. An epic love story set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, Brokeback Mountain tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.
The so-called “gay cowboy movie” is probably my favorite of the year. My favorite acting has always been the understated, expressive non-verbal communication/body language type. This movie delivers that type of acting in spades. I generally don’t enjoy love stories much because I find most to be trite and cliché, but Brokeback Mountain is more romantic and more sad then any movie I’ve seen in recent memory. The movie is so great because it connects the romantic story line with social and political ideas that still have bearing, to some extent, on our present day culture. Also, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger give Oscar caliber performances (who would have thought Ledger could deliver so well?) and it doesn’t hurt that they’re so pretty while doing it.
Quotes:
Jack Twist: Jack Twist.
Ennis Del Mar: Ennis.
Jack Twist: Your parents just stopped at Ennis?
Ennis Del Mar: Ennis Del Mar.
Jack Twist: Tell you what, we coulda had a good life together, fuckin' real good life! Had us a place of our own. But you didn't want it, Ennis! So what we got now is Brokeback Mountain! Everything's built on that, that's all we got boy, fuckin' all. So I hope you know that if you don't never know the rest! You count the damn few times we have been together in nearly twenty years and you measure the short fucking leash you keep me on, and then you ask me about Mexico and tell me you'll kill me for needing somethin' I don't hardly never get. You have no idea how bad it gets! I'm not you... I can't make it on a coupla high-altitude fucks once or twice a year! You are too much for me Ennis, son of a whoreson bitch... I wish I knew how to quit you.
Ennis Del Mar: Well why don't you? Why don't you just let me be, huh? Because of you, Jack, that I'm like this. I'm nothing... and nowhere.
2) Constant Gardener, The
IMDB Summary: In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.
The story is riveting and the acting is brilliant, that’s what makes The Constant Gardener such a good film. Rachel Weisz is very good in this movie and Ralph Fiennes is amazing (he was also quite good as Voldemort in 2005). The story really picks up as you watch what Justin goes through to uncover what really happened to his wife and how his coworkers and Western pharmaceutical companies may be involved.
Quotes:
Lorbeer: Big pharmaceuticals are right up there with the arms dealers.
Sir Bernard Pellegrin: Some very nasty things can be found under rocks, especially in foreign gardens.
3) Crash
IMDB Summary: Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters, a black police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the distracted district attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a racist veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful black Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more.
This movie has an all-star cast (Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillion, Ryan Phillippe, Ludacris, Terrance Howard, Thandie Newton, Brendon Frasier, etc.) and they all deliver great performances. There are multiple story lines working throughout the movie and you get to watch as different characters from each story line “crash” together. This film takes an interesting look at race and class in the modern day and leaves you thinking about a lot of things when it’s finished. And although the film is serious, Ludacris (the rapper), gives a lot of much needed (and surprisingly well delivered) comic relief throughout.
Quotes:
Graham: It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.
Anthony: It's just black people demeaning other black people, using that word over and over. You ever hear white people callin' each other "honky" all the time? "Hey, honky, how's work?" "Not bad, cracker, we're diversifying!"
4) Good Night, and Good Luck
IMDB Summary: In the early 1950's, the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States and exploiting those fears was Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. However, CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred Friendly decided to take a stand and challenge McCarthy and expose him for the fear monger he was. However, their actions took a great personal toll on both men, but they stood by their convictions and helped to bring down one of the most controversial senators in American history.
This movie takes an interesting look at the news media what its responsibilities are to a democratic society like America. It’s the true story of how CBS news journalist Edward R. Murrow stood up to red-scaremonger Joseph McCarthy and the triumph and fallout resulting. David Strathairn is astonishingly good as Murrow and George Clooney hangs right in there with him as Fred Friendly (yes that’s a real person’s name). This movie deeply resonates in a time like this when so many people have to receive their news from The Daily Show (not that that show doesn’t rock) and the news media refuses to challenge politicians and pundits in a thoughtful and intelligent manner.
Quotes:
Edward R. Murrow: We will not walk in fear, one of another.
Edward R. Murrow: We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
5) Munich
IMDB Summary: During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.
I’m not as enamored with Stephen Spielberg as so many people seem to be. I find too many of his movies to be too cheesy for that. Munich, though, is really a very good film. This movie works well as an action flick, with lots of scenes of terrorism and retaliatory strikes, and as a film with a political message. Controversy surrounding the film would say that Spielberg is trying to send a pro-Palestinian message or a message that says we should appease the terrorist we are currently fighting. I don’t agree that this is what the movie’s ideas represent. What I took away from the film was that the issues and feelings surrounding terrorism and terrorist are complex but that no matter the complexities, violence, in this form, will always begat more violence and that is something we need to think about.
6) Serenity
Summary: Summary: Joss Whedon-the Oscar-and Emmy-nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel-now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity.
The films centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire abroad his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family- squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.
When Mal takes on two new passengers-a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister-he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Haunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.
First, and this is obligatory, I HATE FOX for fucking with Firefly! Years later I’m still bitter that Joss Wheadon’s story of cowboys in space isn’t on the air anymore. Anyway, this movie is all kinds of fun, in fact you could say this it’s “shiny.” It’s pretty much beats the crap out of the Star Wars prequels, not that the movies are that similar, but just to compare it to other movies in the same genre. The special effects aren’t anything to write home about but the movies greatness comes from the cast and the writing. The story is good because the characters are so fun and likeable. The acting is great all around and the characterization is awesome. As with all Wheadon creations (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly) the dialogue is ridiculously witty and adds so much to the already interesting story. Go rent this movie….or better yet, rent Firefly and then watch this movie. The movie’s definitely enjoyable without the TV series but it’s more impactful if you love the characters coming in to the movie.
Quotes:
Wash: This landing is gonna get pretty interesting.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Define "interesting".
Wash: [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: [Over the ship's intercom] This is the captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight... turbulence and then explode.
7) Syriana
IMDB Summary: A political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry. From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the film's multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power. As a career CIA operative (George Clooney) begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to, an up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig). A corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies, while across the globe, a disenfranchised Pakistani teenager (Mazhar Munir) falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric. Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.
First, this movie is hard to understand. It weaves through the complexities of the West’s ties to the Middle East and the oil industry. It humanizes terrorist and others from the Middle East and in some cases demonizes Western people, hence the controversy in the media. The cast, including George Clooney and Matt Damon, are all good here. The story is interesting if frustrating because the storylines don’t really come together until the last minute or two of the film. All I know is that if George Clooney doesn’t leave this awards season with a ton of awards (for starring in and making Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck) then something is very wrong with the awards voting population.
Quotes:
Bryan Woodman: You want to know what the business world thinks of you? We think a hundred years ago you were living out here in tents in the desert chopping each others head's off, and that's exactly where you're gonna be in another hundred. So yes, on behalf of my firm, I accept your money.
I’ve listed seven movies here because I couldn’t widdle it down to five; I’ve also ordered them alphabetically because I couldn’t decide which I loved the most. The descriptions of the movies and the quotes come from imdb.com (except for Serenity’s because it sucked). I've also added my own comments after the summaries.
I highly recommend going to see or renting all of these movies.
1) Brokeback Mountain
IMDB Summary: The new film from Academy Award-nominated director Ang Lee. An epic love story set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, Brokeback Mountain tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.
The so-called “gay cowboy movie” is probably my favorite of the year. My favorite acting has always been the understated, expressive non-verbal communication/body language type. This movie delivers that type of acting in spades. I generally don’t enjoy love stories much because I find most to be trite and cliché, but Brokeback Mountain is more romantic and more sad then any movie I’ve seen in recent memory. The movie is so great because it connects the romantic story line with social and political ideas that still have bearing, to some extent, on our present day culture. Also, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger give Oscar caliber performances (who would have thought Ledger could deliver so well?) and it doesn’t hurt that they’re so pretty while doing it.
Quotes:
Jack Twist: Jack Twist.
Ennis Del Mar: Ennis.
Jack Twist: Your parents just stopped at Ennis?
Ennis Del Mar: Ennis Del Mar.
Jack Twist: Tell you what, we coulda had a good life together, fuckin' real good life! Had us a place of our own. But you didn't want it, Ennis! So what we got now is Brokeback Mountain! Everything's built on that, that's all we got boy, fuckin' all. So I hope you know that if you don't never know the rest! You count the damn few times we have been together in nearly twenty years and you measure the short fucking leash you keep me on, and then you ask me about Mexico and tell me you'll kill me for needing somethin' I don't hardly never get. You have no idea how bad it gets! I'm not you... I can't make it on a coupla high-altitude fucks once or twice a year! You are too much for me Ennis, son of a whoreson bitch... I wish I knew how to quit you.
Ennis Del Mar: Well why don't you? Why don't you just let me be, huh? Because of you, Jack, that I'm like this. I'm nothing... and nowhere.
2) Constant Gardener, The
IMDB Summary: In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.
The story is riveting and the acting is brilliant, that’s what makes The Constant Gardener such a good film. Rachel Weisz is very good in this movie and Ralph Fiennes is amazing (he was also quite good as Voldemort in 2005). The story really picks up as you watch what Justin goes through to uncover what really happened to his wife and how his coworkers and Western pharmaceutical companies may be involved.
Quotes:
Lorbeer: Big pharmaceuticals are right up there with the arms dealers.
Sir Bernard Pellegrin: Some very nasty things can be found under rocks, especially in foreign gardens.
3) Crash
IMDB Summary: Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters, a black police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the distracted district attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a racist veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful black Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more.
This movie has an all-star cast (Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillion, Ryan Phillippe, Ludacris, Terrance Howard, Thandie Newton, Brendon Frasier, etc.) and they all deliver great performances. There are multiple story lines working throughout the movie and you get to watch as different characters from each story line “crash” together. This film takes an interesting look at race and class in the modern day and leaves you thinking about a lot of things when it’s finished. And although the film is serious, Ludacris (the rapper), gives a lot of much needed (and surprisingly well delivered) comic relief throughout.
Quotes:
Graham: It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.
Anthony: It's just black people demeaning other black people, using that word over and over. You ever hear white people callin' each other "honky" all the time? "Hey, honky, how's work?" "Not bad, cracker, we're diversifying!"
4) Good Night, and Good Luck
IMDB Summary: In the early 1950's, the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States and exploiting those fears was Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. However, CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred Friendly decided to take a stand and challenge McCarthy and expose him for the fear monger he was. However, their actions took a great personal toll on both men, but they stood by their convictions and helped to bring down one of the most controversial senators in American history.
This movie takes an interesting look at the news media what its responsibilities are to a democratic society like America. It’s the true story of how CBS news journalist Edward R. Murrow stood up to red-scaremonger Joseph McCarthy and the triumph and fallout resulting. David Strathairn is astonishingly good as Murrow and George Clooney hangs right in there with him as Fred Friendly (yes that’s a real person’s name). This movie deeply resonates in a time like this when so many people have to receive their news from The Daily Show (not that that show doesn’t rock) and the news media refuses to challenge politicians and pundits in a thoughtful and intelligent manner.
Quotes:
Edward R. Murrow: We will not walk in fear, one of another.
Edward R. Murrow: We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
5) Munich
IMDB Summary: During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.
I’m not as enamored with Stephen Spielberg as so many people seem to be. I find too many of his movies to be too cheesy for that. Munich, though, is really a very good film. This movie works well as an action flick, with lots of scenes of terrorism and retaliatory strikes, and as a film with a political message. Controversy surrounding the film would say that Spielberg is trying to send a pro-Palestinian message or a message that says we should appease the terrorist we are currently fighting. I don’t agree that this is what the movie’s ideas represent. What I took away from the film was that the issues and feelings surrounding terrorism and terrorist are complex but that no matter the complexities, violence, in this form, will always begat more violence and that is something we need to think about.
6) Serenity
Summary: Summary: Joss Whedon-the Oscar-and Emmy-nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel-now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity.
The films centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire abroad his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family- squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.
When Mal takes on two new passengers-a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister-he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Haunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.
First, and this is obligatory, I HATE FOX for fucking with Firefly! Years later I’m still bitter that Joss Wheadon’s story of cowboys in space isn’t on the air anymore. Anyway, this movie is all kinds of fun, in fact you could say this it’s “shiny.” It’s pretty much beats the crap out of the Star Wars prequels, not that the movies are that similar, but just to compare it to other movies in the same genre. The special effects aren’t anything to write home about but the movies greatness comes from the cast and the writing. The story is good because the characters are so fun and likeable. The acting is great all around and the characterization is awesome. As with all Wheadon creations (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly) the dialogue is ridiculously witty and adds so much to the already interesting story. Go rent this movie….or better yet, rent Firefly and then watch this movie. The movie’s definitely enjoyable without the TV series but it’s more impactful if you love the characters coming in to the movie.
Quotes:
Wash: This landing is gonna get pretty interesting.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Define "interesting".
Wash: [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: [Over the ship's intercom] This is the captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight... turbulence and then explode.
7) Syriana
IMDB Summary: A political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry. From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the film's multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power. As a career CIA operative (George Clooney) begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to, an up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig). A corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies, while across the globe, a disenfranchised Pakistani teenager (Mazhar Munir) falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric. Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.
First, this movie is hard to understand. It weaves through the complexities of the West’s ties to the Middle East and the oil industry. It humanizes terrorist and others from the Middle East and in some cases demonizes Western people, hence the controversy in the media. The cast, including George Clooney and Matt Damon, are all good here. The story is interesting if frustrating because the storylines don’t really come together until the last minute or two of the film. All I know is that if George Clooney doesn’t leave this awards season with a ton of awards (for starring in and making Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck) then something is very wrong with the awards voting population.
Quotes:
Bryan Woodman: You want to know what the business world thinks of you? We think a hundred years ago you were living out here in tents in the desert chopping each others head's off, and that's exactly where you're gonna be in another hundred. So yes, on behalf of my firm, I accept your money.