The Best Movies Of 2005.
Jan 17 '07
The Bottom Line I recommend you see these movies.
Psssttt…. You don’t have time to read this now. Wait until you get home.
Seriously. It’s pretty long.
Dude. Really. You’re Boss I Coming! Alt-Tab! Alt-Tab!
2005 was quite simply one of the worst movies for films I have experienced. In any given year, putting together a list of the year’s best is a difficult task for me, and one which frequently takes long enough for me that no one is interested anymore in any case. I normally find myself with about 25 movies that I at least like pretty well, or want to mention for some reason or other, and I am usually left with a Top 5 that gives me trouble insofar as making sense out of ordering them further.
2005, even a year later, found me with 8 movies in serious contention and beyond that a lot of cricket noises.
Oddly, or perfectly normally depending on how well you know me, a lot of other people consider 2005 a pretty good year. Good or bad, it is a year which renders few Top 10 lists necessary as they all look the same, and keep in mind that this is a beast with this feature built-in to such a degree that it is generally not worth mentioning. That said, the list you are about to read is not populated totally by items you will not find on other lists, but rare is the list that will look much like this. And, in the interest of full disclosure, one item on this list should, probably, technically count as a movie of 2004. It is a movie, however, that only received limited release in the U.S. by the very end of 2004, and only counts as a movie of 2004 in the event that the U.S., France, Russia, and Canada are all that matters, because the rest of the world had to wait for 2005. It is also number 1.
I feel I should dispense with some films that are not on this list which are on many, if not most, other such lists, or are noteworthy for other reasons… such as, oh let’s say, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture.
2005 was, if nothing else, a year of having something to say. It was, in fact, so much a year of having something to say, that the Academy got surprisingly caught up in the idea and voted for a movie that just really had something to say. Better still, thought those Academy voters, this one sort of has two things to say. The fact that it was doing little beyond taking two oft said things and putting them together didn’t matter much. Reese’s works, what are you going to do? And, in a year like 2005, who really cares what wins? The day after the Oscars had all the buzz and excitement of the day after Arbor Day. (I like trees as much as the next guy. They burn fabulously. No Arborist mail please.)
This is not to say that ‘Crash’ is all that bad. It’s certainly worth watching, but it had little about it that came close to pushing it to the front of even this lowly of years.
Other films on a great many lists that have really wonderful things to say include: ‘Syriana’, ‘Munich’, and ‘The Constant Gardener’. Let’s cut right to the subjectivity chase. I might say that there is no real way to make these films such that I will love them, or perhaps be incredibly interested in them, or perhaps put them in my top 10. I might say one of those things. I might, on a different day, say something very politic. But, the truth of the matter is that there is no way to make any of these films such that I will even care in the slightest that you made them. You had me at hello, basically, but in the negative.
Now, three other movies are on a lot of lists, and I have it on great and varied authority that they are quite good. I even have it on some bits of authority that I rather respect and take seriously. Somehow, they just don’t fit me enough, or work for me enough, or something, but I wouldn’t suggest anyone shy away from them. They are: ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’, ‘Capote’, and ‘Brokeback Mountain’.
Also, ‘King Kong’ is not on this list. I’m not going to explain it.
Here we go----
Honorable Mentions
‘Robots’ - I would really like to have a review here, but can’t find it. The movie that is, on this site.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory *Guest Review*
I wanted this one to make it to the top 10, but I hemmed and hawed a lot, and finally decided that there is only so much of that you can do before the thing obviously isn’t making it to your list. I didn’t quite love it, but it was a nice effort, and a worthwhile remake. In the end, the Oompa Loompas all being the same guy really got on my nerves.
Sin City *Guest Review*
It was awfully cool, but it just fell a little short. A bit too sizzle, though I find it extremely difficult to say that this movie could fall flat. It’s not that it isn’t true, I just find it difficult to say. How could you say that about this movie?
10. The Libertine *Guest Review*
A professor once told me that about every movie, and I mean every movie, there is something interesting to say. The most interesting thing I can imagine to say about ‘The Libertine’ is that I don’t think it would be possible for me to get you to make a truly informed decision to watch it. I might say that about many movies, but together with the fact that I have to say that I really loved it is something interesting.
I could probably say that I really loved it, and Johnny Depp is in it, and based on that alone some number of people will…, well, start watching it; but if I go on to tell you about the movie all bets are off.
Johnny Depp plays the Earl of Rochester, the man that King Charles II wanted to become “his Shakespeare.” The desire springs from Charles’ keen insight into the fact that, beyond (as has been said before) having merely the ability to string together a bunch of sayings everyone already knew and pander to whomever was in power at the moment, the Earl of Rochester was, supposedly, (and in contrast then) actually a genius.
On the Earl’s negative side, he was a drunken, whorish misanthrope who couldn’t stay out of trouble for five minutes if he was locked alone in a closet.
The movie has a lot of things to say, but the Earl’s main point seems to revolve around the interest people find in themselves. That is, the varied levels and modes of finding oneself interesting. The reasons people do find themselves interesting, and in the case of a woman he tries to turn into a popular actress, the reasons they don’t. As just one example, the apparent interest people find in themselves by pretending they don’t, or don’t even want to, have sex. The sort of societal standard of rising above the status of mere “creature of nature” by, apparently, decision. Though not actually stated in the film, there is one scene in which we can “see” the Earl thinking to himself --- Let’s see, no one has sex or wants to, but, ummm… there are people all over the place. Odd.
The film opens with a fairly long, discomforting soliloquy in which the Earl declares, “You won’t like me.” It isn’t interesting so much in the sense that at the end of the film we might be able to off-handedly respond in the affirmative; but whether or not you manage to elude disliking the Earl of Rochester, no small trick, I think a person ought to have a serious conversation with themselves once in a while about why they feel whatever it is they feel about the Earl of Rochester.
9. Madagascar *Guest Review*
I almost don’t know what to say about this one. There are so many ways in which this movie should not be mentioned on this list, should not even manage mild like by me, and frankly should have me scoffing at it; but there are several moments where I actually laughed uncontrollably. (And once in a while I can’t help looking around and saying, “Does anyone else here have the hibbidyjibbies? No. Okay. So, shut up.) Put that together with the fact that my son loves this, and so I have to watch it far too many times, and manage not to hate it intensely, and things look pretty good.
Seriously though, while I do have some distinct reservations about putting this on my list, considering it for what it is, the movie stands up to some fairly real scrutiny.
8. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Soon to be revisited, due to wordcount demands on initial review.
7. V For Vendetta *Guest Review*
Alan Moore and I have a love/hate relationship when it comes to the film adaptations of his work. He keeps disowning them, and I keep loving them. I’m not sure where exactly we lose the ability to see eye-to-eye. In this case the film is not quite brilliant (like From Hell ), nor is quite the sort of thing that I can love unashamedly despite all detractors for its absolutely perfect horribleness (like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), but I still… well, like it quite a bit.
This is one case where I will just have to profess loads of subjectivity and call it a day. I’m not sure if the Matrix brothers had so ruined me with their ruining of their own movie to such a degree that I had very low expectations, or if there is just something in Alan Moore’s work that defies adaptation loss for me, or what, but I thought the film worked on many levels.
My own review soon.
6. The Squid and the Whale *Guest Review*
In the “It’s Who You Know” category, Noah Baumbach is not impressing anyone with his struggle to overcome adversity and long odds to direct his films. Son of Georgia Brown, longtime friend of Eric Stoltz, and married to Jennifer Jason Leigh, Baumbach knows one or two people.
You may not know the name. Actually, he doesn’t have that many credits. His chief claim to fame, in the right circles, is that from 1995 to 1997 he made a very serious, three-movie attempt to become Whit Stilman. This is prior to the release of ‘The Last Days of Disco’ mind you, so that 1997 has the curious feature of being the year that there was a three-movie wannabe Whit Stilman while there was only a two-movie Whit Stilman. For the curious, those films, all unashamedly including Chris Eigeman are: ‘Kicking and Screaming’, ‘Highball’, and ‘Mr. Jealousy’. None of them are too bad really, and none of them are all that great.
After a hiatus only interrupted by co-writing ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’, Baumbach rockets into glory with his first attempt at not being Whit Stilman. And, listen, if you want to think in terms of uniqueness, absolutely no one else can say that.
I’ll leave the guest review to convince you of its merits, with my own to follow somewhere in the future. But, even if there were no other reason to love it, and there are many, I greatly appreciate the fact that the title itself is pretty well the equivalent of looking box office square in the eye and flipping it off.
5. Broken Flowers *Guest Review*
I am so soon to finally review this (that is, I’ve been working on the review for a few days now) that I’m hard-pressed to talk about it much at the moment. It fits nicely (or somewhat poorly) coming right after ‘The Squid and the Whale’, and perhaps that will tell you much about it.
4. Shopgirl
Speaking of knowing people, Anand Tucker knows someone. I’m not sure who, but a bit of television work, some producing credits, ‘Hilary and Jackie’, and the almost unveiled attempt at ruining ‘Shopgirl’ does not get you inked into ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’. Actually, it probably does, what do I know?
‘Shopgirl’ swam a stormy sea of raves and pans for a while, but when the dust settled few people had much positive feeling for it. That’s as sad as it is predictable, of the norm, but also frankly a bit understandable. There is almost nothing I would not wish changed from a directorial point of view. Framings are weird and random. The pace jumps, jerks, rushes forward, inches along, and several times comes to a dead stop, and all with no purpose. Shots are fairly long and/or very short, either way without any effective meshing with the scene or story. It’s all very much like if Christopher Columbus finally bought a book on filming techniques, but then applied them at random understanding neither the techniques themselves nor the story he was filming. The scene of the closing conversation between the two main players outside an art gallery is, by way of example, textually wonderful, and performed with amazing subtlety and grace, but could not have been put together worse.
Nevertheless, ‘Shopgirl’ is one of those movies that manage to be better even than they are. I actually like it far more now (having not seen it again) than just after seeing it, and I suppose that is because my memory is more forgiving, and does not include little bubbles saying things like, “Why on Earth would he have this shot framed like this?”
The performances are quite good, and in the case of Steve Martin, that’s a special sort of quite good. Not exactly an ‘even better’ quite good, but a special one. Much as Bill Murray perfected that very specific, wealthy, older, sad story; Steve Martin perfects this one.
3. Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School
There is very little point to saying anything here at all. I can’t imagine anyone would agree not only with having this on a top 10 of the year list, but even with having it so high on this particular list considering what I have said about the lower-ranked members. Even those involved with the film would look at me askance. There it is though. What can you do? Some people like certain movies, and want to mention them in their lists. Some people will stand around and say, “Erhmm… Yes… ‘Crash’… Oh… Hrrmhermm… Yes… Yes...,” whether they’ve seen the bloody thing or not. Or, if not that then they will mention something about the U.S. using a lot of oil, or the historical factoid of a bunch of people who really died, as though the PC bandwagony subject of a film alone makes it one of the year’s best. Then again, some people will use the word “askance” with a blatant disregard for their audience’s desire that they not do so. Whatever. I thought it was wonderful, and it made me buy Blow Dry online almost instantly.
2. Batman Begins
Finally, a movie that most definitely would be on the top 10 list no matter what year it was. I realize that I spout the praises of others, which makes that an odd statement.
When I reviewed ‘X2’, I called it the best comic book movie ever. That title has shifted. That is not exactly the highest praise one can give a film, and in this case that is irrelevant, because it is the least praise to be given. The movie is masterful, and directed, performed, written, and edited nearly to perfection. Like another Christian Bale film, Equilibrium, our film here delves into the psyche by way of character representation, and does it wonderfully; while nevertheless remaining a fun, action romp. I am told there is something more to want, but I’m never told what that is.
1. A Very Long Engagement
As I said, here I sort of cheat. Limited release in the U.S. was in mid-December 2004, but most of the world (and much of the U.S. that got it at all) had to wait until 2005. Whatever. It’s my list. Plus, with a year like this sometimes you have to cheat.
This movie climbs the charts on my All-Time list (much like ‘The Prestige’), not merely every time I see it, but every time I think about it. So much is done so well, though there is a little much this or that, but it’s really just how the whole thing comes together.
And that’s it.
Go home.
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Member: Marc Eastman
Location: Bangor,ME
Reviews written: 330
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About Me:
Evangeline Sylvan Betty Eastman. AKA "Cricket" 9/12/06
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