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Our Top 10 Lists of 2005 - "Time to throw down!" - Page 2

post #31 of 138
12/31/05 at 9:06pm
Placeholder.

Folks, I have had one very tumultuous year, and my moviegoing has suffered quite a bit. I've also been doing a tremendous amount of fiction-writing, lately with the intent on getting something published in print (I already have one book on my own website). I've only seen about 25 films in theaters this year, compared to around 60 in years past.

I hope that'll change and I'll be able to get back in the swing of things, movie-wise. That includes doing the tabulations I've done for HTF. They were always exhausting, but *always* a lot of fun. As more folks post their lists here I'll evaluate if it's worth it - if we get a lot more as we go into February, I'll likely do it. I still want to see how we stack up against the Oscars - which, by the way, I've not seen a single potential candidate (except King Kong).

Meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing what everybody else thinks are the best picks of the year.

As Ah-nuld would say, "I'll be bahhhhhk!"

PS, I'm a guy not a girl.
("And a fine husband she'll make some lucky woman." -bastardization of a Brothers Grimm quote)
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post #32 of 138
12/31/05 at 10:25pm
Best films of 2005: 'Broken Flowers' and 'The Death of Mr Lazarescu'. Everything else sucked.

N
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post #33 of 138
12/31/05 at 10:36pm
I haven't seen some of the top ten mentioned (the ones with pics). I only watch OAR.
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post #34 of 138
12/31/05 at 11:03pm
John Bryant's 2005 Top 10 List
Rankings as of 03/16/2008
Removed A History of Violence upon second viewing, added kiss kiss bang bang


01.

02.

03.

04.

05.

06.

07.

08.

09.

10.
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post #35 of 138
12/31/05 at 11:59pm
Quote:
Everything else sucked.

Was that really necessary? Couldn't you have taken your "Everything else" to the Worst Movies thread?

Would it be asking too much to have ONE thread where people actually celebrate movies they thought were good and don't have to put up with others farting and stinking the place up? Is that too much to ask?

Sometimes I hate the Internet, because I can't go anywhere without someone wanting to inject negativity and cynicism.

Happy freaking New Years.

Placeholder, for after I've seen Match-Point, Mrs. Henderson Presents, and The New World, which haven't opened in Chicago yet, at which point I'll delete the above, but I had to get it off my chest.
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post #36 of 138
1/1/06 at 2:37am
To date (2/4/2006), I have seen 80 films released in 2005. It was actually a pretty good year. Here, in my opinion, are the ten best films of 2005:
  1. The Constant Gardener
  2. Capote
  3. The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada
  4. Good Night & Good Luck
  5. Munich
  6. Crash
  7. Sin City
  8. Cinderella Man
  9. Brokeback Mountain
  10. Pride & Prejudice

Special 11th Place "Jury Prize":

Batman Begins
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire
King Kong
Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge Of The Sith
Serenity
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit
War Of The Worlds

Sequels. Prequels. Franchises. Remakes. TV adaptations. All dirty words to most serious critics. The 8 films above fit into one or more of these categories. In addition, they're all "genre films", that catch-all used to describe fantasy, SF, horror, comic book, etc. movies. And of course, every one of these was designed to be an audience-pleasing blockbuster, a "tentpole" for a studio's moneymaking plans. In other words, these are considered by many to be not worthy of serious consideration on any "best of the year" list.

But a funny thing happened this year. Hollywood put out an unusually high number of top-notch genre blockbusters. Films that were made with passion, with heart, with intelligence. Films that also managed to entertain millions of moviegoers. Most of them cost a lot of money, and every cent showed up on screen. They had stories that worked, and special effects that served those stories.

I see many Top Tens here filled with these titles. All these came close to my own Top Ten at one time or another. In the end, although all fell just short, I felt it important to highlight these 8 films to point out what a damn good year it was for films of the imagination.

The Best of The Rest:

The 40-Year Old Virgin
The Family Stone
The Great Raid
Howl's Moving Castle
Jarhead
The Lord Of War
Match Point
Millions
Mrs. Henderson Presents
The New World
Oldboy
Shopgirl
Syriana
The Upside Of Anger
Walk The Line
The Weather Man
The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill
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post #37 of 138
1/1/06 at 5:32am


Edited by Jake Yenor - 2/2/10 at 1:01pm
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post #38 of 138
1/1/06 at 6:16am
Quote:
Everything else sucked.


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post #39 of 138
1/1/06 at 8:26am
Top Ten of 2005

1. Oldboy


2. The Squid and the Whale


3. The 40-Year-Old-Virgin


4. Syriana


5. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang


6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


7. Capote


8. Serenity


9. Grizzly Man


10. Downfall (Der Untergang)


Honorable Mentions (in order of ranking): Hustle & Flow, Sin City, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Caché (Hidden), Murderball, Good Night and Good Luck, Junebug, Thumbsucker, Broken Flowers
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post #40 of 138
1/1/06 at 11:34am
Top Ten Films of 2005

1. Munich
2. The Constant Gardener
3. Jarhead
4. Batman Begins
Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith
(Begins and Episode III are tied for my FAVORITE FILM OF 2005 not necessarily the BEST.)
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
7. Spielberg's War of the Worlds
8. Walk the Line
9. The Family Stone
10.The Upside of Anger

Honorable Mentions of 2005

Frank Miller's Sin City
Brokeback Mountain
Syriana
Lord of War
An Unfinished Life
Kingdom of Heaven(although depending on how the Director's Cut turns out, could elevate to the Top Ten.)

That's it. That's the list!
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post #41 of 138
1/1/06 at 12:05pm
I just didn't see enough movies to list a Top 10 this year, but I have to mention that I think that three of the best fantasy genre pictures of the last twenty five years were released in 2005: BATMAN BEGINS , REVENGE OF THE SITH and KING KONG. On the basis of those three films alone, I think that 2005 was a very good year for fans of cinema of the fantastic.
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post #42 of 138
1/1/06 at 4:49pm
where are folks getting their screencaps from, those look great!
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post #43 of 138
1/1/06 at 6:40pm
Quote:
where are folks getting their screencaps from, those look great!


I right clicked on the first three of Jake Yenor's post and they are from Yahoo's Movie section.
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post #44 of 138
1/1/06 at 6:56pm
My 2005 Top 10


1. Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge Of The Sith


2. Serenity

3. Munich


4.Cinderella Man


5. Batman Begins


6. The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe


7. Pride & Prejudice


8. Tie The New World


The Weather Man


9. Mr. & Mrs. Smith


10. Walk The Line



*Edit* Revisions made 8-20-06

Honorable Mentions: More really good films from 2005...

Fever Pitch

Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire

Just Like Heaven


It was a great year for movies.
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post #45 of 138
1/1/06 at 11:39pm
Top Ten Films of 2005
Since I cannot claim to have been privy to a definitive sample of the 2005's best films, the following list represents the ten films I saw in 2005, originally release in that year, which I hold in the highest regard as a complete work. I compiled a list of all of the films which met the two aforementioned criteria and kept slotting films in between others films already on the list. Upon completion, these were the ones at the top, in order of quality from absolute best on down.


More than any other film in 2005, Batman Begins flawlessly summed up everything that filmmaking is about from the most epic to the most intimate.
An effortless balance of action, story, character, plot, and emotion that never falters from beginning to end. A magnificent achievement, certain to become a classic in years to come.


An astounding and towering achievement of cinematic magic, Mike Newell's entry in the Harry Potter series is the best yet.
Goblet of Fire takes the familiar cast and characters and integrates them into a living breathing world full of danger, whimsy and wonder.


A fantasy film that is as earnest and old-fashioned as Goblet of Fire is brash and modern, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is fairy tale storytelling masterfully executed.
This movie has more sincere heart than any other this year; it is a film full completely to the brim with love and sorrow.


The only think surprising about this compelling sci-fi western is that it isn't placed even higher.
Transitioning the cast of unknowns from my favourite failed TV series, Serenity fires along a mile a minute with action, humour, and gut-wrenching plot twists the best movie of its type since the original Star Wars.


A total surprise, Bee Season is almost a dissertation on religion in our daily lives and a profound, awe-inspiring window into the greater truth behind them.
Part family drama, part radically abstract visual storytelling, it was for me one of the most unconventional and stirring experiences of the year film-related or otherwise.


A visual masterpiece, Sin City is perhaps more notable for gritty noir storytelling that really, really works.
The nearly constant narration put me inside the heads of the characters like I thought only a novel could, and the characters themselves were flawed, compelling, and even likable at times.


Who would of thought that a movie so squarely aimed at the preteen girl demographic could be so weighty, so well-realized, or so true?
It is a lighter, less ambitious counterpoint to Rodrigo García's Nine Lives yet looking back I remember it as the more natural of the two and the more potent.


The only truly serious fare on this list, it rose to the top by marrying poetic visuals with rhythmical storytelling.
The cynical political thriller elements are contrasted with an intimate personal story that I found quite optimistic and even uplifting.


Despite one of the worst first halves in cinema year, the final hour of Revenge of the Sith is so powerful that it raises the whole easily into top ten status.
That it would be tragic and emotional was pretty much certain; that it was so often surprising is really quite astounding.


Some of the changes were awkward and it took a while to get rolling, but once it did I was emotionally affected deeply and completely I would recommend keeping a box of tissues nearby for the entire final arc.
It is loud, it is bold, it is fearless, it is tragic, and above all it is alive. In other words, it is Rent.

Middleweights
11. The Family Stone
12. Upside of Anger
13. 40 Year-Old Virgin
14. Corpse Bride
15. Nine Lives
16. War of the Worlds
17. The Island
18. Good Night, and Good Luck.
19. Four Brothers
20. Wedding Crashers
21. Jarhead
22. Saw II
23. The Brothers Grimm
24. The Ringer
25. Kicking and Screaming
26. The Longest Yard
27. A History of Violence

Worst Films of 2005

Robert DeNiro is a legend and Dakota Fanning is perhaps the sharpest up-and-comer there is. So how is it that this half-baked horror film could fizzle this much?
Blame utterly pedestrian direction match with what just might be the laziest and most poorly written screenplay of the year.


It's one the great setups for character-based comedy: the domestic life of a mortal man and his spell-casting witch of a wife. Unfortunately, that's not this film.
Kidman and Ferrell have surprising chemistry in a film that utterly fails to live up to a speck of the promise that might entail.


Top notch cast, with an articulately written and plotted screenplay. I think it's these elements that make me despise this film all the more.
Almost certainly the most depressing film of the year, it is a dark comedy about shallow people that left me out in the cold.


Far and away the worst movie of the year, it runs neck in neck with Ron Howard's Grinch update as the most empty and soulless movie I've ever seen.
I laughed constantly but I didn't feel good leaving the theatre. I saw the film for free and I still feel like it cost me too much.
- ADAM LENHARDT
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post #46 of 138
1/3/06 at 1:23am
I have many left to see as I usually get to around 120-130 releases for a year before I stop counting so this list should change.

Total Seen: 106

1. Grizzly Man
2. Caché
3. Saraband
4. The Best of Youth
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
6. The New World
7. The Devil's Rejects
8. Howl's Moving Castle

9. A History of Violence
10. Hustle & Flow

Honorable Mentions: The White Diamond, Brokeback Mountain, Broken Flowers, Downfall, Nobody Knows, Look At Me, Lila Says, Mad Hot Ballroom, Wallace & Gromit, Good Night & Good Luck, Kings & Queen, The Girl From Monday, The Upside of Anger, Capote, Murderball, Oldboy, Cinderella Man
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post #47 of 138
1/3/06 at 4:28am
  1. A History of Violence
  2. Batman Begins
  3. Star Wars Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith
  4. Millions
  5. King Kong
  6. Munich
  7. Oldboy
  8. Downfall
  9. The Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
  10. Melinda and Melinda

Runners up..
Mad Hot Ballroom
Corpse Bride
In Her Shoes
Look At Me
Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Crash
Dominion
Serenity
Murderball

Expect frequent updates to this list, as the 2005 contenders pour through the UK. To read my 2005 list of UK Releases, click here.

I must also make a special note of The Descent - look out for it when it gets US distribution!
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post #48 of 138
1/3/06 at 7:01am

1. The New World


2. Munich


3. Cinderella Man


4. Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith


5. Batman Begins


6. The Constant Gardener


7. Syriana


8. Good Night and Good Luck


9. Kingdom of Heaven


10. Downfall
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post #49 of 138
1/3/06 at 12:38pm
Placeholder for now.

Rob
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post #50 of 138
1/3/06 at 12:46pm
1. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
2. The New World
3. Munich
4. Cinderella Man
5. Crash
6. Batman Begins
7. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
8. Walk the Line
9. North Country
10. Good Night, and Good Luck

Honorable Mentions: The Island, Capote, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Memoirs of a Geisha, War of the Worlds, The Constant Gardner, Mr. and Mrs. Smith
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post #51 of 138
1/5/06 at 4:38pm
There are a number of films I have yet to see, so this list will probably be heavily edited over the next month or so.

Top Ten of 2005
1. Batman Begins
2. Munich
3. The Matador
4. King Kong
5. Crash
6. Hustle and Flow
7. Syriana
8. Walk the Line
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
10. Hitch

Bottom Five
5. Lords of Dogtown
4. Must Love Dogs
3. Roll Bounce
2. Fantastic Four
1. Be Cool
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post #52 of 138
1/6/06 at 12:51am
There's still plenty I haven't seen yet, though Munich and Brokeback Mountain are finally here tomorrow, so I know I'll probably see those soon.

My Top 10 of 2005
1. Grizzly Man
2. Broken Flowers
3. King Kong
4. Cinderella Man
5. Walk the Line
6. Serenity
7. Sin City
8. Batman Begins
9. The Constant Gardener
10. Murderball
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post #53 of 138
1/6/06 at 7:19am
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post #54 of 138
1/9/06 at 10:29am
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Pride & Prejudice
3. Munich
4. Junebug
5. Batman Begins
6. Walk The Line
7. Match Point
8. The Upside of Anger
9. Wallace & Gromitt: Curse of the Ware-Rabbit
10.The Constant Gardener
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post #55 of 138
1/9/06 at 1:25pm
BEST (this is a favorites list of films I saw this past year with the usual caveat: despite my best efforts, I failed to see the vast majority of films released in the past year!)

Tropical Malady
Caché
Yes
Junebug
Rois et Reine
A History of Violence
Saraband
2046
The Squid and the Whale
The Best of Youth


HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Dumplings (full-length version)
Grizzly Man
King Kong
Munich
War of the Worlds
The World


WORST (like my best list, the usual caveat applies: these are not necessarily the worst films released, just the worst ones I saw!)

Rent
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
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post #56 of 138
1/9/06 at 2:52pm
Criteria: First non-festival release in the US in 2005.


1. Crash

2. Nobody Knows (Dare mo Shiranai)

3. Downfall (Der Untergang)

4. Capote

5. Jarhead

6. Kontroll

7. Match Point

8. Hustle & Flow

9. Brokeback Mountain

10. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Honorable mentions: Serenity, Walk on Water, Millions, The New World, Brothers

Notable films I have not seen yet:

Good Night and Good Luck
Syriana
Grizzly Man
Cache
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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post #57 of 138
1/9/06 at 10:46pm
placeholder

I'll put together a list as soon as I see both Caché and The New World. Both are scheduled to play here in the next couple of weeks.

Films mentioned in other lists I have yet to see:
Bee Season
The Best of Youth
Bride and Prejudice
Brothers
Cache
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Devil's Rejects
Dukes of Hazzard
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Fever Pitch
The Great Raid
Grizzly Man
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Hitch
Howl's Moving Castle
Hustle & Flow
In Her Shoes
Jarhead
Kingdom of Heaven
Land of the Dead
Look at Me
Lord of War
Mad Hot Ballroom
March of the Peguins
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Memory of a Killer
Millions
Mrs. Henderson Presents
The New World
Nobody Knows
North Country
Proof
Rent
Rory O'Shea Was Here
Saraband
Saw II
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Sky High
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wedding Crashers
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post #58 of 138
1/11/06 at 9:00pm
Updated my top ten: Removed LORD OF WAR, added SERENITY.
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post #59 of 138
1/12/06 at 1:54pm
Updated: Added Saraband and Broken Flowers

Dropped: Nobody Knows & Downfall
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post #60 of 138
1/14/06 at 8:31pm
updated my top ten to include "The White Countess"
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