58 - Top 10 of 2005 (and other awards)

You might ask yourself why I am posting my top 10 list for 2005 now, five months into 2006. There are several reasons, but it mostly comes down to the fact that Cedar Falls/Waterloo doesn't get many of the important films, so I had to wait until I could see most of them before making a list I could be satisfied with. I still haven't seen everything, but I'll make updates to the list as necessary.

It should also be noted that I am not addressing every single film I saw in this list.

Top 10 Films

1. King Kong – A fabulous, awe-inspiring blockbuster about a the most taboo of topics, love between a beautiful woman and a gigantic gorilla. Three hours long but not a second wasted, the intense spectacle only heightens the surprisingly heart breaking story. If a better remake exists, I’d like to hear about it.

2. Capote – A low-key drama about the notorious author and gossip machine, Phillip Seymour Hoffman won a well-deserved Oscar for his performance. Truman Capote’s tortured relationship with a ruthless killer is the core of this haunting film.

3. Munich – Spielberg’s much hyped dissection of Israeli-Palestinian violence failed to score any Oscar wins, but will be remembered long after Crash. Alternating between thrilling and horrifying, Munich successfully raises questions about the nature of revenge.

4. Match Point – Woody Allen’s melancholy thriller methodically follows a sociopath’s ascension into a wealthy family and his near fall due to a torrid affair. Well acted and criminally interesting.

5. The Squid and the Whale – The film covers the divorce between two vain, intellectual novelists and the impact on their family. Very funny, with a sad core.

6. Grizzly Man – Werner Herzog’s documentary about a former addict turned compulsive bear hugger. Herzog coolly shows the folly of treating animals as if they are people.

7. The Constant Gardener – A British diplomat struggles to uncover the reasons behind the murder of his wife. Along the way, the film skillfully peels away the layers of their marriage, culminating with some surprising answers.

8. Brokeback Mountain – The year’s most controversial film needed not to be, as the amount of explicit gay acts was approximately zero. What the film should be remembered for was an extremely moving story of desire unfulfilled. If you could watch the ending and not feel touched, then you might as well stop watching movies.

9. The Great Raid – Inexplicably ignored by theatergoers and critics, this old-fashioned war film concerns a bold mission to rescue American POWs behind Japanese lines. The film’s attention to historical details (including portraying the Japanese as they really were, vicious and cruel beyond comprehension) and positive message are a welcome change from the gloomy nature of the year’s other good films.

10. Serenity – The year’s best space opera (sorry Star Wars) is also one of the most fun films. Sharp writing and plenty of action make it an easy watch you don’t have to feel guilty about liking.

Special Mention

- Broken Flowers – Bill Murrary turns in another performance as a depressed middle aged man. Vastly superior to Lost in Translation, but we’ve seen it before.

- Cinderella Man – Some of the best boxing scenes ever filmed, great performances, and a good message aren’t enough to save the film from the historical liberties it takes with its story.

- Crash – The year’s best picture winner is far too manipulative and transparent at times to truly deserve a spot at the top.

- A History of Violence – While the film does a fine job of exploring the darkness that lurks within all of us, director David Cronenberg has the directorial skills of a twelve year old, and Mario Bello couldn’t act her way out of a wet paper bag.

Nine Lives – Beautifully directed and acted film, though the lack of screen time for each character curses the film with a crucial lack of emotional resonance.

Shopgirl – Good examination of love with conditions suffers from an extremely slow start and meandering finish.

Walk the Line – A good biopic of Johnny Cash, but nothing too special. The film is creepy in its willingness to portray Cash’s first wife as a bitch in order to justify the scandalous nature of his romance with June Carter.

Recommended

Fever Pitch – Jimmy Fallon can go to work at a Burger King now, because his one good role has been used up.

Four Brothers – Quick 70’s style action movie contains good mix of humor, drama, and violence.

Hustle and Flow – Surprisingly good, but suffers from ultimately unsympathetic protagonist.

The Island – It may be a typical overblown Michael Bay mess, but this box office disaster was entertaining, with the kind of moral you don’t see often in Hollywood films.

Mindhunters – Surprisingly fun and twisted action/horror film. The main character is the first in the film to die, setting a really tense atmosphere throughout.

Red Eye- Swift thriller does what it needs to do and gets out the door. Nice lack of 180 twists.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – Not the complete train wreck it could have been. Contains a brilliant fight sequence at the end, but still vastly inferior to originals.

Unleashed – Great martial arts flick, but nothing to make a top 10 list.


Disappointing

Assault on Precinct 13 – Remake that doesn’t even come close to the original. Some decent shootouts but worthless characters.

Batman Begins – Needlessly ponderous, repetitive, and convoluted. Non-action sequences consist of quick cuts of Batman running towards someone and his target screaming. At least the previous films had heart; this one is as sterile as a surgeon’s knife.

Hostage – Thriller stupid enough for my little cousin to be able to dissect its flaws. Seems like a lot more was shot but cut for running time, as it only makes half sense.

The Upside of Anger – Kevin Costner’s ego is dwarfed only by George Clooney’s. Film tries to be quirky but only succeeds at stupid.

Worst Films of the Year

Wedding Crashers – This film is to American culture as an exploding nuclear warhead is to an ocean. Witless and vile, it relies completely on the audience being willing to forego every fiber of intelligence and taste they possess to enjoy it. Never before has a film inspired me to feel such vitriolic feelings, and I’ve seen The Contender twice. Easily the worst film of the year.

Good Night, and Good Luck – Here the staggeringly smarmy college dropout that is George Clooney tells us how stupid we are. Clooney portrays Senator Joe McCarthy as worse than Hitler, and gleefully extols the concept that journalists are the bravest, smartest human begins to ever grace the earth. Laughable at best if my fellow film critics weren’t 99.9% liberal Democrats.

Doom – This boring waste of time might be at the top of my list if it wasn’t the cinematic equivalent of a rice cake.


Best Action Sequence: King Kong versus three T-Rex’s while juggling Naomi Watts.

Runners Up:
- Serenity’s hero versus villain ending confrontation, where a lack of nerve plays a key role (that’s a pun).

Star Wars' vivid final lightsaber battle, with the fate of the entire galaxy resting in the swords of four beings.

Best Line of the Year :

"There is not a word or a sentence or a concept that you can illuminate for me." – Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote, re a convict’s attempt to impress him with a difficult word.

"I made burgers that time you had pneumonia. " – Jeff Daniels in The Squid and the Whale, re his wife’s accusation that he never cooked dinner during their marriage.

"Now we know his weakness: bullets." – LL Cool J in Mindhunters, re the bad guy who kills based on the personal weakness of his victims. The bad guy himself proved not to be bulletproof.


In all honesty, I have yet to see: 2046, Cache, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Oldboy, and Syriana.