Top Ten Films of 2005 [ Top Ten Index ]
10. Crash
A quiet little film that nobody saw. In fact, I didn't even think to see it until it came out on video. But what an impression it made. It is a thought-provoking story told by a very strong cast, and a cast you wouldn't think was up to the challenge. You wouldn't expect such passionate performances from Matt Dillion and Brendan Frasier, but I am compelled to tell you that their small chunks of screen time became indelible by the movie's conclusion. It is clearly Sandra Bullock's best performance to date.
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Despite being the weakest of the four Harry Potter movies to date, this film is still brimming with imagination and character. It's principal actors are finally outgrowing their greenness in the business and lend some real emotion to their roles. It is sadly unfaithful to the book but not to the spirit. The Tri-Wizard Tournament tasks are full of action (including a white-knuckle dragon scene) and director Mike Newell still manages to squeeze in a little screen time for the character-developing Yule Ball. Although it is a step backward in the continuity of the series, it clearly is a stepping-stone forward for a stunning Book Five. The calm before the proverbial storm.
8. The Constant Gardner
Another quiet film but one that doesn't let you leave the theatre without something to take with you. Striking performances by Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz and Bill Nighy (my personal favorite performer of late) string you along this complex journey through political underworkings and conspiracy. Aside from the thriller-romance that it has been marketed as, it's more a thought-provoking film that shockingly throws open your eyes to the inner workings of government and commerce.
7. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Clearly the strongest installment of the prequel franchise, 'Sith ties up all the loose ends superbly leading you (almost) seamlessly into the chapter that started the whole phenomenon. Hayden Christiansen and Natalie Portman have finally outgrown their whiny deliveries from the previous chapters to lay down the immortal personas that you have grown to respect from the latter three chapters of the franchise. The special effects and production design are bewitching, setting the gruesome final events against a brilliant backdrop. Although it is still lacking in the emotional resonance that the latter chapters capture, director George Lucas finally delivers a powerful portrait of the battle between good and evil that are so prevalent in later installments. He ends this effort, at last, on a good note.
6. Batman Begins
A tremendous surprise for this Tim Burton lover. As a fan of the first Batman movie, I was reluctant to get my hopes up with this new submission. But from the first frame I was sucked in. It looks like a slightly more polished version of the inception of the Dark Knight but it at least paints Bruce Wayne to be not necessarily as polished in character as one would suspect him to be from the earlier Batman films. Their are personal demons to fight in addition to the corrupt villainy of Gotham and Christian Bale portrays it perfectly. Director Christopher Nolan triumphs in giving you a grittier, more human perspective into world of Gotham and its dark defender.
5. King Kong
After the Lord of the Rings hoopla has died down and nearly a year of anticipation of director Peter Jackson's next efforts, he boldly presents us with a jaw-dropping update of the already progressive 1933 original and the pathetic 1976 remake. This time we are given a brutal version of the beast but with a much more human quality allowing you to finally sympathize with the beast as the brave actress Ann Darrow does. Jackson is a master of fantasy and appropriately transports you into an unimaginable world where only this beast could live. Naomi Watts (a stunning Fay Wray look-alike) injects powerful emotion into the film imploring you to take pity on the creature. The supporting cast is well chosen, providing a colorful cross-section of characters ranging from the dashing to the deplorable. The special effects and production are utterly breathtaking, whisking you away to a dinosaur-(and other fascinating yet-to-be-discovered creatures)laden island of primitives to the grim, art-deco metropolis of Depression-era New York. Jackson's vision has finally become a reality...well, relatively speaking.
4. Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
The Claymation extravaganza I have been waiting for since Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit's latest adventure is finally brought to us, in all its plasticene splendor, in full feature-length form. Chocked full of visual gags, purely adult references ("Look what they've done to my wife's brasicas!"), fuzzy bunnies, clay vegetables and all the cheekiness you have come to love from the treasured, Academy Award-winning Wallace and Gromit shorts of yore. Creator Nick Parks is as inventive as his creation, the perpetually inventing Wallace, never allowing one moment to sit too long. By the time you've digested one laugh, Parks immediately throws another one at you. The expression of each character (verbal or, in Gromit's case, otherwise) keeps you entertained while the mystery of the plot winds on. This is truly a brilliant comedy for kids and adults alike--my top comedy of the year.
3. Pride & Prejudice
Romance, romance and romance. How could I disregard the most romantic story of all time? And this particular version is one of the best adaptations of a Jane Austen book I've seen since Sense and Sensibility. Keira Knightley is excellent as the immortal Elizabeth Bennet and, at last, is a Lizzie who is as unstunning a younger sister to the beautiful Jane as Miss Austen writes her to be. Besides Knightley, director Joe Wright pulls together an unrivaled cast including Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench, just to name a small fraction of all the brilliant players in this film. The repulsion and then inevitable chemistry of Darcy and Lizzie is as explosive as it is in the novel. The film is one, long band of tension until at last the happy ending descends. Miss Austen would be proud.
2. Cinderella Man
Nice guys don't necessarily finish last here. They get the crap beat out of them, starve, struggle and doubt all over the place, but they don't finish last. Crowe, a master of character development, is superb as the boxer who refuses to surrender to all the discouragement thrown at him. Paul Giamatti is worthy of a nod as his never-quit manager. This film is full of heart and teaches you the ever important lesson that you don't ever let anyone keep you down. Howard's direction and Crowe's unmatchable thespian skill prove, as it did in A Beautiful Mind, to be a powerful combination.
1. Goodnight and Good Luck
Pure brilliance...though, no one knows it. Another case of a fantastic little film but no one knows it's out there. Other sleepers of yore include The Magdelene Sisters, Return to Paradise, and El Crimen de Padre Amaro and this one is no different. It includes a stellar cast, one not overshadowing another (except in David Straithairn's case) a compelling story, witty dialogue ("I've got front-row seats to the knckerbockers tonight, Ed. You interested?" to which Mr. Murrow so eloquently replies, "I'm kind of busy, sir, as I'm trying to bring down your network.") and stunning cinematography. George Clooney's direction is magnificent keeping the events contained almost entirely in the CBS studios. It makes you feel claustrophobic in this pressure-cooker of an environment. Every time the phone rings, you jump as you fear at every moment that the caller brings bad news. Strathairn disappeared into his role, his best attempt yet. You could sense his fear, his daring, and his remorse when he learns of the consequences suffered in response to his actions. His delivery is cold, but honest. In true Murrow fashion, he's not afraid to tell you how it is. I'm sure that one of the reason's why this film is considered repellent to the mainstream movie-goers is that it is shot in black and white. However, not only is it necessary so that it can accommodate the black and white McCarthy footage but also to properly transport you into the world of CBS in the 1950s. Clooney (purposefully or accidentally) evokes a feeling of the Salem Witch Trials as I'm sure McCarthy likened the hearings themselves. What is clever is that he book-ends the events with the aforementioned RTNDA dinner honoring Edward R. Murrow. Murrow gives his acceptance speech with a biting, brutal and abrasive commentary on what the networks deliver to their audience via this extraordinary medium of television. Where we could be given educational and informative content, we opt for brainless entertainment that would make our decisions for us via subliminal or suggested opinion rather than let us draw our own conclusions from the facts. The message in the film transcends the events of the 1950 McArthur hearings and strikes it home to the realism of journalistic integrity as we see it today.
