Our Top 10 Lists of 2005 - "Time to throw down!" - Page 3

Updated my Top 17 to include:

Hustle and Flow at #12 and Brokeback Mountain at #4.

I will put up my list by Friday, at least one which should require only a max of 5-6 edits. I have 5-6 films on tap for early this week, all of which are top 10 contenders it appears.

updated my list with Munich and bumped family stone up to number 3

#1: Munich
#2: The 40-Year-Old Virgin
#3: Sin City
#4: Star Wars: Episode III - The Phantom Menace
#5: Walk The Line
#6: War of the Worlds
#7: Land of the Dead
#8: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
#9: Batman Begins
#10: The Corpse Bride

Updated:

Added Batman Begins to my #5 spot.

1. The New World
2. Grizzly Man
3. Match Point
4. Broken Flowers
5. Me and You and Everyone We Know
6. Nobody Knows
7. Capote
8. Batman Begins
9. The Constant Gardener
10. Wallace and Gromit


~T

Added my list (on page 1) with a 5000+ word post with detailed comments on many films.

New World
Munich
A History of Violence
2046
Constant Gardener
Batman Begins
Domino
Syriana
Good NIght...
Kingdom of Heaven

and comments other films of varying quality- Interpreter, Hustle and Flow, Island, Sin City, Cinderella Man, Jacket, Constantine, Lord of War, XXX: State of the Union, Capote, Memoirs, and Ballad of Jack and Rose.

I'll make it a 3 straight posts with The New World as #1 but unlike Thi Them and Nathan (love your posts in TNW thread), 2046 is my #2. Munich is 2005's "masterpiece" that is not going to win the Oscars. Thank God! It is all right but in the end (for me), it will be like Clint's overrated Million Dollar Baby, I will not put it up anywhere near my Top 40 of 2005. I'm so pleasantly surprised to see though that my favorite mainstream theater is screening Munich, Brokeback Mountain and The New World simultaneously.

Brokeback Mountain is my #3, very very close to my #1 & #2! I have no problem if this one wins the Academy's Best Picture. But come on members of the Academy, how about a mind-blowing nomination for The New World? Oh well, I'm just thankful that it did'nt take me years to finally watch another newly-realeased great epic masterpiece helmed by once in a blue moon visionary filmmaker.

1. Munich
2. Good Night and Good Luck
3. Capote
4. Syriana
5. Batman Begins
6. The Constant Gardner
7. A History Of Violence
8. Everything Is Illuminated
9. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbitt
10. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith


I would have included "Downfall" at number four, but since it was released in Europe in 2004, I will keep it off the list. If you haven't seen it yet, definitely check it out.

1. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
2. The New World
3. Sin City
4. Capote
5. Brokeback Mountain
6. The 40 Year Old Virgin
7. Batman Begins
8. 2046
9. The Constant Gardner
10. A History of Violence

Ok, I go through this every year:

Even though a film is actually made the previous year, would it qualify as a this year release since this is when it was released here and available for us to see?

Would Downfall and Layer Cake qualify for a this years top 10 list?

depends on how the individual views it.

Some folks care only about the truly initial release whether its in the US or China.

Others go by USA theatrical release as counting towards 2005.

There's no hard and fast rule, it's whatever you prefer, US or international.

US is easier for me.

updating my list with Brokeback Mountain, incredible film.

Ok, here are my top ten favorites of 2005...

1. Revenge of the Sith
2. Batman Begins
3. Cinderella Man
4. Good Night, and Good Luck
5. The Family Stone
6. Harry Potter
7. Kingdom of Heaven
8. King Kong
9. War of the Worlds
10. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Updated my top 10 list:

After a viewing of the theatrical cut, The New World jumps from #2 to #1 on the list.

Also added Good Night and Good Luck and Downfall to the list.

Nearly impossible to pick between #1 & 2

1. Downfall
2. The New World
3. Munich
4. Syriana
5. Batman Begins
6. Broken Flowers
7. Layer Cake
8. The Squid&The Whale
9. Kingdom Of Heaven
10.Star Wars Revenge Of The Sith

Updated my top 10 to insert Munich at #2. I thought Spielberg did a great job, and this is probably his best film since Saving Private Ryan.

Thanks to my local Blockbuster, I've seen 2 more great films today, Grizzly Man and The Beat That My Heart Skipped. And here's my Top 7 before watching them (Saraband is up next - hopefully a copy would be available once I return those 2):
1. The New World
2. 2046
3. Brokeback Mountain
4. Downfall
5. Look at Me
6. The Edukators
7. Batman Begins


I would put Grizzly Man just below Downfall but oh boy, it's a tougher decision as to where I would place The Beat That My Heart Skipped (#1? or #2? or #3 or #4?) . It is not only the best French film I've seen for '05 but it is as mesmerizingly unforgettable as Audiard's 2001 masterpiece thriller, Read My Lips (which is one of my best films of '01). Hopefully after Saraband tonight, I would have a complete Top 10.

Hmm, I liked Look At Me and Kings & Queen more than Beat That My Heart Skipped. Didn't think Beat was in a class with Read My Lips.

I wasn't planning on seeing The Edukators; maybe I should go ahead and add it to my list.

Updated to add The New World at #3 or #4. It has some definite problems, especially the last third, but also has probably the single best scene of any film I've seen in '05.

Now up to 75 total 2005 releases with 23 or so more currently in the top 25 of my Netflix queue and Brokeback, Match Point, and a few others still to see at the theater.

The New World
The Squid and the Whale
A History of Violence
Kingdom of Heaven
Junebug
2046
Good Night, and Good Luck
Me & You and Everyone We Know
King Kong

...at I haven't seen most of the films I want to before calling the list complete. Still... there are at least three masterpieces so far this year. Great year!

Here's my list...keep in mind I have not seen Munich, Syriana or The New World yet, so the list may change...

1. Brokeback Mountain - Hands down the best movie I saw all year. I loved it so much, the incredible performances, the beautiful story...it's so much more than just "that gay cowboy movie."

2. Chronicles of Narnia - This film blew me away. Just blew me away. I loved every minute of it. Epic filmmaking at it's best, ranks up there with Lord of the Rings for me.

3. Jarhead - Seriously impressed by this film, My brother served during the second Gulf War as a Marine, and according to him, they got it exactly right.

4. Wedding Crashers - I don't think I saw a funnier film all year. I loved every minute of it, and Vince Vaughn completely stole the show.

5. Rent - Having never seen the show, I went into the theatre not knowing what to expect. I wound up loving it, picking up the soundtrack on my way home.

6. Elizabethtown - I'm a huge Cameron Crowe fan, so I'm probably a little biased here, but I really, truely loved this film.

7. Crash - Such a powerful, moving and impressive film about race in this country was a big surprise for me.

8. King Kong - Great filmmaking. Entertainment at it's purest, with incredible performances. I felt it was a little long in places, but it's still quite impressive. A remake that may finally be better than the original...maybe.

9. Kingdom of Heaven - This film had way more depth than I expected. Can't wait to see the director's cut, which is supposed to be even better!

10. War of the Worlds - This movie scared the ever loving crap out of me. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, even when I knew how it would turn out.

Honorable mention:

The Family Stone - Really, really dug this film. Advertised like a Meet the Parents re-tread, but had much more depth than that. I really found myself touched by the film, maybe because Diane Keaton's character reminded me so much of my own mom.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Another top notch entry in the series. Works great, even though much of the book was dropped.

Millions - Such a charming and woderful film, showing the softer, gentler side of Danny Boyle.

Batman Begins - By god, I think they finally got it right!

Sin City - Visually stunning, original piece of work, it's as if the graphic novel just sprang to life.

My "placeholder" now contains my Top 10 (Post #9).

Still need to see The New World which could very well wind up in my Top 10 as I love the works of Terrance Malick.

Curious if The Matador doesn't count as a 2005 release, or if no one liked it much?

If I could drop a copy of one '04/'05 film in DVD in the mailbox of every citizen of the world, that would be Nobody Knows.

Here's my new (but temporary) Top 10:
1. Nobody Knows
1. The New World
3. Saraband
3. 2046
3. The Beat That My Heart Skipped
3. Brokeback Mountain
7. Downfall
8. Grizzly Man
9. Look at Me
10. 5x2

Honorable Mention:
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Edukators
Batman Begins
Pride & Prejudice
Millions
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Capote
Crash
Saint Ralph
King Kong

Here is my "update", which is my first top 10 list. I'll keep my list in the original placeholder though which is back on page 1.

Need to See - Match Point, Constant Gardner, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Jarhead, In Her Shoes, The New World, Pride and Predjudice, North Country, Breakfast on Pluto, Junebug, and Oldboy

57 seen, 28 theatrically

1. Capote
2. Cinderella Man
3. Batman Begins
4. The Squid and the Whale
5. Brokeback Mountain

6. Crash
7. Munich
8. Grizzly Man
9. Walk the Line
10. Good Night, and Good Luck


11-15
Syriana, Sin City, Hustle and Flow, War of the Worlds, Harry Potter

16-20
Inside Deep Throat, Wallace and Gromit, Murderball, March of the Penguins, A History of Violence

It is a 2005 release. I suspect it's not appearing on anyone's list since it just opened. According to BOM, it opened on December 30th in 4 theaters and expanded this weekend to 885 theaters. Maybe as time goes by or if it expands more, some people here will put it on their Top 10.

Alright, I've been circling this thread a while. I still would like to seeSyriana, Good Night and Good Luck, and Capote (and the list goes on), but I have a big enough sampling to make my picks. I can always modify it a little later. But I think the top few are pretty safe.

1. The New World Review
2. Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut Review
3. King Kong Review
4. Batman Begins Review
5. The Constant Gardener Review
6. Brokeback Mountain Review
7. Munich Review
8. A History of Violence Review
9. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Review
10. Sin City Review

Walk the Line got the boot.

3-5 were a bit of a bitch to rank (for lack of a better word). I can flip those around and around and be fairly satisfied. While I think The Constant Gardener is a better film than BB or KK, I "liked" those films more, and subsequently put them higher. Batman Begins was the biggest surprise for me, in terms of quality and emotional resonance. And BBM can occasionally creep into that mix when I think about it. My top four all surprised me, in some form or another. Each were better than I suspected they would (or could) be. Of these films, King Kong had the most flaws, but made up for it rather easily with Kong himself (and Naomi). My number #1 would have been my #1 in most years.

I overpraised some films upon initial viewing, and underpraised others. I get caught up in the excitement of films, and sometimes introspection makes them more or less than I originally thought. But this was a good year, and I like my list.

EDIT: Film I most wanted to see in theaters, but failed to do so, is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I'll be blind buying it day of release. There is probably a great top ten list of films I *didn't* see, but I did what I could.

EDIT 2: Added KoH. My list is genre heavy...but I like genre, and I like it when genre films are well-crafted and meaningful.

None of my review links work (except KoH) I'll fix that next week.

My list is further rounding into shape. I could slot in Brokeback or Lila Says at #10, but since I assume my 10 spot is going to get bumped before all is said and done anyway, I'll just leave Look At Me in there.

Cache and Matchpoint are the only remaining "must see's" at the theater, though I intend to eventually see Mrs. Henderson, Breakfast on Pluto, Walk the Line, Transamerica and a few others. Still have 20+ '05 movies on my Netflix list with Tropical Malady and The White Diamond being perhaps the most likely candidates for cracking my top 10.