Top 10 Movies of 2005
Well here it is, my top 10 of 2005. I saw 51 movies that were released this year, and this is the best of the bunch in my opinion. If I see any other movies in 2006 that were released this past year, I'll alter the list accordingly and post my edits here. Feel free to debate my choices.
Honorable Mention (Goes to movies that received a 7/10 and didn't quite make the top 10)
- A History of Violence
- Constantine (Something about this movie didn't quite click all the way, but it was still an engaging meld of action and horror)
- Dominion: The Prequel To The Exorcist (NOT to be confused with Exorcist: The Beginning, though both are treatments of the same script, just with vasty different approaches. This was more subtle and thought-provoking, though, in my opinion, somewhat overhyped).
- Jiminy Glick In Lalawood (Critically panned, but I think the Glick character is utterly hilarious, so I ate this up, even when it got too out-there for it's own good)
- March of the Penguins
- Sin City (was originally in my top 10, but I bumped it out after seeing a movie today that snuck in at #10...)
- Star Wars Episode III: Return Of The Sith (Never saw Eps. 1 & 2 cause I'm not big into Sci-Fi or Star Wars, but I thought this was a good movie I could easily follow, with good action and an interesting story...cheesy dialogue aside)
Now, the top 10:
10.) Wolf Creek - Independent horror film from Australia. Good performances and a brutal, believable killer made this movie. Also, the landscape of the Australian Outback was beautifully shot and captured the utter desolation that the three leads felt. Not necessarily scary, but probably the most intense movie I saw in theatres this year.
9.) The Exorcism Of Emily Rose - Not really sure why this wasn't received better by critics. A mix between "The Exorcist" and a courtroom movie, it brought up a lot of very interesting "science vs. faith" arguments, had some legitamitely eerie scenes and a number of good performances. It was a little long, but lately there have not been many horror movies for people who like to use their brains. So I thank Emily Rose's saga for giving me that.
8.) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Fun, humorous and visualy stunning, Sure, the oompa-loompas and the songs weren't as good as the old one, but this was a different approach to the material and I was sucked right into the world it presented. As escapist entertainment, this hit my sweet tooth (sorry, I had to).
7.) Batman Begins - A realistic, gritty take on Batman. An incredible cast and a compelling story helped make this movie. It's main strength came from the ability to create a "real world" Batman, rather than requiring the audience to completely suspend disbelief and indulge in the laws & rules of a less believable setting. Held up well on a second viewing too.
6.) Cinderella Man - This honestly surprised me. Sure it followed a formula, and was cloying. But y'know what, it hit me emotionally at all the right places, and Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti turned in spectacular performances (especially Giamatti). Considering I didn't even want to see this that badly, and was sort of dragged to it, the fact that I enjoyed it so much and was so absorbed in the story, well, it made it a "knockout" (2 for 2!)
5.) Land of the Dead - Zombie escapism at it's finest. And this is coming from someone who hasn't seen the first 3 "...of the Dead" movies and thinks that zombie movies, as a whole, are overrated. So yeah, good job George Romero, this is a job well-done. This movie seriously flew by too, I don't think I looked at my watch once when watching in theatres.
4.) Wedding Crashers - Really. Fucking. Funny. What else can I say, really. Movies like this only work if the jokes are great. If they are tepid, you pay more attention to the paint-by-numbers story. If they suck, you just want it to end. But this movie just fired on all cylinders, and actually gained momentum as it went along. How many comedies get better the longer they go on? Not many. So bravo Wedding Crashers.
3.) A Tale of Two Sisters - My obligatory random movie. A Korean ghost story that had a week-long release stateside in January. But what a movie. It's a beautifully shot mindfuck that moves at a languid pace and throws its big twist at you at the halfway mark. Then you watch, wondering if you missed something, and it throws big twist #2 at you in the last 5 minutes that ties it all together and leaves you thinking about what actually happened long after the movie, and suddenly you can't wait to see again to piece it all together. And it's a complex series of revelations, none of the shit that passes for the "big twist" in a lot of Hollywood movies lately (end pretentious rant).
2.) In Good Company - Marketed as a romantic comedy, so I skipped it in theatres. What I ended up seeing was a great movie about getting older, as well as the relationships we forge in life with family and friends, why they are important, and what happens when we get so caught up in our work we neglect them. This movie certainly had it's dramatic elements, but it was also funny in an endearingly natural sort of way. Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace both give great performances, and it's a shame this got buried in February, because I honestly could see it as sleeper Oscar bait in the performance categories. This movie flew under-the-radar, but it really deserves a close look.
1.) The 40-Year-Old Virgin - Strange choice for #1 I know, but it was really the best choice the more I thought about it. The more I see this movie (3 times now), the harder I laugh. It combines the insane humor of Wedding Crashers with a certain pathos usually neglected by movies like this. Steve Carrell's character isn't just a buffoon and a caraciature, he is a fleshed out and sympathetic person who, even if the audience can't exact relate with, they can root for him. The best comedic performance of the year, and ultimately, the best movie of the year.
Honorable Mention (Goes to movies that received a 7/10 and didn't quite make the top 10)
- A History of Violence
- Constantine (Something about this movie didn't quite click all the way, but it was still an engaging meld of action and horror)
- Dominion: The Prequel To The Exorcist (NOT to be confused with Exorcist: The Beginning, though both are treatments of the same script, just with vasty different approaches. This was more subtle and thought-provoking, though, in my opinion, somewhat overhyped).
- Jiminy Glick In Lalawood (Critically panned, but I think the Glick character is utterly hilarious, so I ate this up, even when it got too out-there for it's own good)
- March of the Penguins
- Sin City (was originally in my top 10, but I bumped it out after seeing a movie today that snuck in at #10...)
- Star Wars Episode III: Return Of The Sith (Never saw Eps. 1 & 2 cause I'm not big into Sci-Fi or Star Wars, but I thought this was a good movie I could easily follow, with good action and an interesting story...cheesy dialogue aside)
Now, the top 10:
10.) Wolf Creek - Independent horror film from Australia. Good performances and a brutal, believable killer made this movie. Also, the landscape of the Australian Outback was beautifully shot and captured the utter desolation that the three leads felt. Not necessarily scary, but probably the most intense movie I saw in theatres this year.
9.) The Exorcism Of Emily Rose - Not really sure why this wasn't received better by critics. A mix between "The Exorcist" and a courtroom movie, it brought up a lot of very interesting "science vs. faith" arguments, had some legitamitely eerie scenes and a number of good performances. It was a little long, but lately there have not been many horror movies for people who like to use their brains. So I thank Emily Rose's saga for giving me that.
8.) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Fun, humorous and visualy stunning, Sure, the oompa-loompas and the songs weren't as good as the old one, but this was a different approach to the material and I was sucked right into the world it presented. As escapist entertainment, this hit my sweet tooth (sorry, I had to).
7.) Batman Begins - A realistic, gritty take on Batman. An incredible cast and a compelling story helped make this movie. It's main strength came from the ability to create a "real world" Batman, rather than requiring the audience to completely suspend disbelief and indulge in the laws & rules of a less believable setting. Held up well on a second viewing too.
6.) Cinderella Man - This honestly surprised me. Sure it followed a formula, and was cloying. But y'know what, it hit me emotionally at all the right places, and Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti turned in spectacular performances (especially Giamatti). Considering I didn't even want to see this that badly, and was sort of dragged to it, the fact that I enjoyed it so much and was so absorbed in the story, well, it made it a "knockout" (2 for 2!)
5.) Land of the Dead - Zombie escapism at it's finest. And this is coming from someone who hasn't seen the first 3 "...of the Dead" movies and thinks that zombie movies, as a whole, are overrated. So yeah, good job George Romero, this is a job well-done. This movie seriously flew by too, I don't think I looked at my watch once when watching in theatres.
4.) Wedding Crashers - Really. Fucking. Funny. What else can I say, really. Movies like this only work if the jokes are great. If they are tepid, you pay more attention to the paint-by-numbers story. If they suck, you just want it to end. But this movie just fired on all cylinders, and actually gained momentum as it went along. How many comedies get better the longer they go on? Not many. So bravo Wedding Crashers.
3.) A Tale of Two Sisters - My obligatory random movie. A Korean ghost story that had a week-long release stateside in January. But what a movie. It's a beautifully shot mindfuck that moves at a languid pace and throws its big twist at you at the halfway mark. Then you watch, wondering if you missed something, and it throws big twist #2 at you in the last 5 minutes that ties it all together and leaves you thinking about what actually happened long after the movie, and suddenly you can't wait to see again to piece it all together. And it's a complex series of revelations, none of the shit that passes for the "big twist" in a lot of Hollywood movies lately (end pretentious rant).
2.) In Good Company - Marketed as a romantic comedy, so I skipped it in theatres. What I ended up seeing was a great movie about getting older, as well as the relationships we forge in life with family and friends, why they are important, and what happens when we get so caught up in our work we neglect them. This movie certainly had it's dramatic elements, but it was also funny in an endearingly natural sort of way. Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace both give great performances, and it's a shame this got buried in February, because I honestly could see it as sleeper Oscar bait in the performance categories. This movie flew under-the-radar, but it really deserves a close look.
1.) The 40-Year-Old Virgin - Strange choice for #1 I know, but it was really the best choice the more I thought about it. The more I see this movie (3 times now), the harder I laugh. It combines the insane humor of Wedding Crashers with a certain pathos usually neglected by movies like this. Steve Carrell's character isn't just a buffoon and a caraciature, he is a fleshed out and sympathetic person who, even if the audience can't exact relate with, they can root for him. The best comedic performance of the year, and ultimately, the best movie of the year.