Greetings one and all to my little year end piece here among the rest of the IP movie staff. I should really let it be known that 2005 really wasn’t my year for cinema going, the past year or so I’ve just found myself being further and further distanced from that experience. Maybe it was the lack of originality this year or the fact I don’t care much for paying full admissions only to have to sit through 10-15 minutes of Sprite commercials. Or maybe it’s because it’s getting harder and harder to find a first run movie theater that actually plays new releases the week they come out around here. For the most part I relied on online DVD rentals to keep me up to date on some of the latest releases. Alas, I did manage to head out a few times to catch some must see titles this year and below are my top 10 movies of 2005.
10. Imaginary Heroes
When it comes to any top ten list finding your number ten is just as hard as finding your number one. Especially if you work your way from first to last like I did making this list, because once you reach the last spot you need to take every movie you’ve seen all year that isn’t already on your list and some how widdle them down to one last title. It was a tough decision but Imaginary Heroes was my choice. Technically released last December in limited release the film didn’t receive an actual US release until February this year (also limited). Imaginary Heroes revolves around the Travis family after the death of their eldest son slowly begins to unravel what was considered a perfect family. Writer/Director Dan Harris shows he has much talent with the story he crafted and the talent on screen by Sigourney Weaver, Emile Hirsch and Jeff Daniels are some of their best.
9. Millions
A beautiful tale of morality and making the right decisions along with thinking of others before thinking of yourself. Millions isn’t dumbed down for children or overly complicated where it tries to please parents, it a well rounded family movie everyone should see. This is a movie that all parents should have their kids watch because I honestly believe it to be one of those childhood movies that will stick with you as you grow up that you’ll always remember.
8. Murderball
Murderball doesn’t depict quadriplegics as fragile lifetime movie of the week type characters, it shows them for who they are and how they live their lives. While they may be in wheelchairs it hasn’t stopped them from doing things they love. When one door closes another one opens and Murderball shows what hard work, dedication and passion can accomplish even when you’re up against the odds. This is without a doubt the best documentary of the year and that’s saying a whole lot with the countless number of quality documentaries that were released this year.
7. Layer Cake
For the past decade it seems like the only place to catch a great crime flick is overseas, Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels for instance are good examples of quality British gangster flicks. So when a low budget British film with a lot of hype and an unknown director getting his name thrown around Hollywood named Layer Cake came out my hopes were up but I wasn’t expecting much, what I got was one of the best movies all year. Between Daniel Craig break out performance and Matthew Vaughn’s stellar work behind the cameras it’s easy to tell bigger and better things are in their futures.
6. King Kong
When taking on one of the all-time greatest films Peter Jackson set out to make his grand vision of what he imagined the movie would be if it was created by him. This was my most anticipated film of the year and while it in no way disappointed there are certain parts that are keeping it from going any higher on my list. Probably it’s largest fault is the run time, three hours and seven minutes is a long time, and that is the one thing that keeps Kong from being a classic. If it simply trimmed the fat by around 30 minutes it would be one solid film but it’s too big for its own good just like it’s leading man. CGI in the movie is breathtaking, and it’s the one thing this movie does incredibly well. Kong is CGI’s greatest achievement to date, never did I imagine I would feel how I did during the films closing moments. So kudos to Jackson for once again showing how talent he is. Still with its flaws King Kong is one of the years best hands down.
5. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Every year for the past six or so years ever since American Pie rejuvenated that “gross out” humor genre we’ve had an onslaught of comedies come out of the gate with nothing more than sex jokes, flat cliche characters and paper thin plots. Until The 40-Year-Old Virgin came out this year I was ready to give up on the idea that a good comedy would ever come out and actually receive recognition that it deserved. With a cast not filled with egos who constantly feel the need to one up each other this comedy stayed away from regurgitating the same gags or including random characters for comic relief and instead chooses to make a comedy that has a purpose.
4. Sin City
Before seeing this movie I had never heard of Sin City, to be honest most of my super hero knowledge is mainly from growing up with countless super hero action figures and after school cartoons. But man, once I saw the trailer for this movie Robert Rodriguez, Miramax, Dimension, and everyone else involved already had my money for admission. Once I walked out of the theater I couldn’t believe what I just watched, it was so beautiful in both a visual sense as well as the films dialogue, it’s just been so long since noir has been filmed so perfectly. Sin City is not only one of the best comic book movies, it’s one of the year best also.
3. Batman Begins
Batman Begins was probably the worst fun I had at the theater all year due to countless parents bringing their aged 10 and under children to see the movie and every fifteen minutes having to hear some little kid shout out “where’s Batman?”. But since it hit DVD, I’ve actually lost count of how many times I’ve sat down to watch this film. For starters the cast is bar none the best ensemble cast of the year, you’ve got Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy all being directed by Christopher Nolan. It’s been a LONG time since Warner has put out a decent DC title that does justice to the comics and Batman Begins really shows they’re ready to get back in the comic book race and not allow Marvel to reap all the benefits of the current craze.
2. Crash
Revolving around a group of individuals over the coarse of a normal day in the city of Los Angeles, Crash takes a look at people of different faiths, race, up bringing and personal views. But what we really get to see is the insecurity each has towards others that are unlike themselves, in this case it focuses on both intentional and unintentional racism. The movie is strung together by loosely connected events that intersect one another, each more enticing than the last. As all of us are taught in school every action has an equal or opposite reaction, and this movie uses that logic and applies it in a way that show how the choices we make in life can effect the lives of those around us, even people we’ll never know. Crash is a movie that after you finish watching makes you take a step back and re-evaluate parts of yourself you never imagined you would have to question.
1. Cinderella Man
For a movie as moving as Cinderella Man it should be a crime that it’s now all but forgotten in the public eye. The film was so under received that the AMC theater chain began offering a money back guaranty to patrons in hopes to help generate buzz for just how great the movie was. Sadly it was in and out of movie theaters in a blink of an eye this summer it seems. While it was merely a blip on most peoples radars there isn’t a doubt in my mind that it was the best film released all year. From top to bottom the movie shines and gives audiences that uplifting feeling that people need every once in a while. Howard, Crowe, Zellweger and Giamatti (along with the rest of the cast and crew) bring nothing but their A game with this picture.
