The Mad Doc's 10 Favorite Movies of 2005
Apr 14 '06 (Updated May 16 '08)
The Bottom Line Well, that was a shambles, as per usual
2005 was a very bizarre year for me. Because of all of the changes (and 3 hurricanes), I didn't get a chance to catch as many movies as I normally like to. Therefor, this is not a comprehensive list of everything released that year. Rather, it is a list of my 10 favorites of the ones I have seen so far. Because of this, the list will be fluid and changing as I endeavor to catch up with the ones I've missed.
For instance, I fully expect Hitchhiker's Guide to take the top spot once I can finally catch it. There are others I'm dying to see which may or may not effect updates too. We shall see....
So, for now, here ya go... in no particular order:
The Skeleton Key ~ Many movies claim to be thrillers and lead you to believe that they will give you a wonderful case of the heebie-jeebies, but fail to follow through on those promises. Skeleton Key is an exception. It had all the elements, and then some. I was truly surprised to find that I had not anticipated the ending. Kate Hudson and Peter Sarsgaard turn in outstanding performances in this creep-fest dealing with creepiness and magic down New Orleans way...
He is my husband and I am his wife I will do whatever I want to him.
Kingdom of Heaven ~ Was it historically acurate? Probably not. But guess what. I don't care. I judge movies mostly on entertainment value, and I've now bought the DVD and watched it twice so far. What's that tell ya? Tis the story of how a young blacksmith deals with losing his wife to suicide and finding out his father is a big wig Duke or something, all set during the end of the Crusades. Awesome costuming, and I loved Orlando Bloom in this.
I put no stock in religion. By the word 'religion' I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of god.
Dreamer ~ Dakota Fanning is quite possibly the best actress of the past 20 years. She is one of the few kids who go beyond being dubbed a child actor and make it into my list of over-all favorites. Here she stars in the story of a race horse who breaks her leg and is saved from being put to sleep by Dakota's father, played by Kurt Russell. Together with his dad, played by Kris Kristofferson, they attempt to save the leg (and the horse.) This is a wonderfully inspiring story. What I liked best of all about it though is that the adults do not condescend to the kid. They give her a chance to dream, and to either fail or succeed. They do not make the mistake of over-protecting her like so many parents tend to do these days. For that very reason I think every last adult on the planet should watch this one. Children will find much to like about it too.
Ben Crane: This is a pipe dream.
Lily: Remember dreams, Ben? This one's Cale's. Let her live it.
Ben Crane: I want to, Lil. I do. I'm just saying that this isn't gonna happen. That's all, hunny.
Lily: So what? So what? Just let it take her as far as it can.
Monster-in-Law ~ Jane Fonda pulls out all the histrionic stops in this one, trying to drive Jennifer Lopez out of her son's life... Lopez has a few moves of her own though. Much to my surprise, I laughed so hard at some parts that my sides ached. Lopez and Fonda worked wonderfully well off each other, with Wanda Sykes thrown into the mix as Fonda's assistant to toss out some excellently timed one-liners which just put the icing on the cake.
I think you dislocated my vagina
Brothers Grimm ~ The Brothers Grimm are best known for having traveled around gathering fairy tales and having then compiled them into a book for all to adore. These are usually dark tales which are sure to cause nightmares. I, of course, adore them for it.
This movie is not about that, though. Not really. This one takes Jake and Will and sets them up as bumbling (yet lovable) con men traveling about Germany and setting up things to look like fairy tales horrors have come to life. Then they, of course, come to the rescue of the townsfolk and save them from the various boogey men in a shower of elaborate special effects... until they come face to face with a really real evil queen trapped in a tower. Brothers Grimm has been panned to hell and back by critics coast-to-coast. This, of course, meant I had to buy the DVD. As I suspected, I fell in love with the tale.
Will Grimm: You killed my friends!
Delatombe: I only wish you had more!
In Her Shoes ~ If there is such a thing as a perfect movie, this is it. It is funny, though-provoking, deep, insightful, perfectly acted, and the script rawks hard. Here we have Cameron Diaz as the proverbial bLoNdE, Toni Collette as her career-driven plain sister, and Shirley MacLaine as the long lost Grandmother of the two. Diaz screws the sister's boyfriend and all hell breaks loose. I plan to buy this on DVD so I can watch it over and over...
Simon Stein: Does this mean I'm your bitch?
The Upside of Anger ~ I'm one who can find something wrong with generally every performance if I'm in that kind of mood... but I think this broke that general rule. The entire cast knew what they were about and the puzzle fell into place so neatly that I just cannot find flaw with any of it, or any of them. Amazing, that. Joan Allen and Kevin Costner come together while she's dealing with the perceived betrayal of her husband. Excellent chemistry, excellent ending.
I dial your number ten times a day and hang up
The Wedding Date ~ Sometimes predictable is a good thing. Sometimes we need for life (and movies) to turn out how we want them to. This is one of those times. Here we have Debra Messing playing a chick who has to go to her sister's wedding in England. The problem is that her scurilous ex-fiancee is to be the Best Man in the wedding, and Kat (Messing's character) hasn't got a date. Dermot Mulroney is a sexy-as-hell date-for-hire stud-muffin who Kat pays $6k plus a plane ticket to escort her to this wedding in the hopes of making the ex jealous. The chemistry between Messing and Mulroney was wonderful, and the English setting was gorgeous.
Can you believe Kat gets to shag this guy? No, really, you should send God a bottle of wine or a quiche or something.
Chronicles of Narnia ~ I hadn't read the books, but I knew alot about them. Enough to know that I had to see the movie. Well, while I would not call it the best movie of all time, I did come away from it having been glad that I bought the DVD. Tis the tale of 4 siblings who discover a magical kingdom in the back of an old wardrobe. The scenery is remarkably beautiful, the tale is wonderful and great for both kids & adults, and the kids did a fine job of acting... especially young Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie. She is one to keep an eye on. I was very happy to see she is slated to reprise this role in 2007s sequel: Prince Caspian.
Professor Kirke: Logic? What are they teaching at schools these days?
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire ~ Ok. Look. I'm beginning to lose interest in this franchise. It is just too far between each book, and each episode of the movie. Still, when I did finally relent and see this one in spite of my irritation at it, I was enthralled as always. I really hate it when I want to be angry at something and then it manages to suck me in. Damn them. Damn them all. So here it is in spite of itself, on my Top Ten list. Urgh. Now, many have begun to dis Daniel Radcliffe & Co.. but these folk's main gripe usually centers around the young cast aging. That boggles my mind. See, these stories are a year apart and sequencial. I would have issues if the young kids working their way through Wizardry School at Hogwarts did not, in fact, age. So, at any rate, once again exceptional acting, astounding special effects, and a wonderfully imaginative story line. Perhaps I can hate the next episode...
It's not like I *try* to blow things up, exactly, it just sorta happens.
~~~~ What I have Yet To See ~~~~
Cinderella Man, Batman Begins, Rent, Good Night And Good Luck, King Kong, Crash, Sin City, Munich, Elizabethtown, The Island, Serenity, Fun With Dick And Jane, Sahara, Pride and Prejudice, A History of Violence, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Capote, The Constant Gardener, Must Love Dogs, The Longest Yard, Transporter 2, Four Brothers, Corpse Bride, Memoirs of a Geisha, Aeon Flux
~~~~ Honorable Mentions ~~~~
Casanova
Bewitched
Walk The Line
Brokeback Mountain
Elektra
Robots
Napoleon Dynamite
Hitch
North Country
The Ring Two
White Noise
Hide and Seek
Stars Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
~~~~ Personal Aside ~~~~
War of the Worlds seriously sucked... and so did Constantine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Mad Doc's Fave Movies of 2004
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