yes, finally someone who's seen oldboy. hopefully it'll get an oscar nod for best foreign film or something

Oldboy was released in the U.S. in 2005, so if Korea submits it as their official entry, there's a good chance it'll get a nom.

Top 25 of 2005:
(U.S. Releases)

1. Nobody Knows (Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan)
2. Turtles Can Fly (Bahman Ghobadi, Iran/Iraq)
3. Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow, China)
4. Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel, Germany)
5. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, USA)
6. Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, USA)
7. Last Days (Gus Vant, USA)
8. Pride & Prejudice (Joe Wright, UK)
9. Funny Ha Ha (Andrew Bujalski, USA)
10. Capote (Bennet Miller, USA)
11. Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)
12. Oliver Twist (Roman Polanski, UK
13. The White Diamond (Werner Herzog, Germany)
14. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, USA
15. Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, USA)
16. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, USA)
17. Old Boy (Chan-wook Park, South Korea)
18. Brothers (Susanne Bier, Denmark)
19. The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, USA)
20. Good Night and Good Luck (George Clooney, USA)
21. The Edukators (Hans Weingartner, Germany)
22. Layer Cake (Mathew Vaughn, UK)
23. Millions (Danny Boyle, UK)

Ten Best Popcorn Movies:
(Tastes Good, Less Filling)

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mike Newell, UK)
2. War of the Worlds (Steven Spielberg, USA)
3. Serenity (Joss Whedon, USA)
4. Red Eye (Wes Craven, USA)
5. Wallace and Gromit (Nick Park, UK)
6. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, USA)
7. Wedding Crashers (David Dobkin, USA)
8. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Judd Apatow, USA)

Best Documentaries
(Vérité Cinéma Vérité)

1. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, USA)
2. The White Diamond (Werner Herzog, Germany)
3. Gunner Palace (Michael Tucker, USA)
4. Beyond the Gates of Splendor (Jim Hanon, USA)

Critical Darlings that I Disliked:
(Pimps, Preachy-ness, Prurience, and Political Allegories)

Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, USA)
The Interpreter (Sydney Pollack, USA)
Kingdom of Heaven (Ridley Scott, USA)
The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, USA/UK)
My Summer of Love (Pawel Pawlikowski, UK)
Hustle and Flow (Craig Brewer, USA)

Auteur Disappointments:
(Say It Aint So!)

Melinda and Melinda (Woody Allen, USA)
Brothers Grimm (Terry Gilliam, USA)
Kingdom of Heaven (Ridley Scott, USA)
The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, USA/UK)
Fever Pitch (Farelly Brothers, USA)
Four Brothers (John Singleton, USA)
The Interpreter (Sydney Pollack, USA)
Jarhead (Sam Mendes, USA)
Elizabethtown (Cameron Crowe, USA)

Notable First Features:
(Rookies of the Year)

Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, USA)
Capote (Bennett Miller, USA)
Layer Cake (Mathew Vaughn, UK)
Funny Ha Ha (Andrew Bujalski, USA)

Auteurs On-a-Roll:

Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, USA)
Nobody Knows (Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan)
Last Days (Gus Van Sant, USA)
Oliver Twist (Roman Polanski, UK)
A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, USA)
Howl's Moving Castle (Hiyao Miyazaki, Japan)
Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow, China)
Grizzly Man/The White Diamond (Werner Herzog, USA)

Worst of the Year:
(Please Stop)

11:14 (Greg Marcks, USA)
Constantine (Francis Lawrence, USA)
The Longest Yard (Peter Segal, USA)
Stealth (Rob Cohen, USA)

Movies Released in 2005 That I Saw:

China:
Kung Fu Hustle (5)

Denmark:
Brothers (4)

France:
Look at Me (3)
Kings and Queen (4)

Germany:
The Tunnel (4)
The Edukators (4)
Downfall (5)
The White Diamond (5)

Hungary:
Kontrol (3)

Iraq/Iran:
Turtles Can Fly (5)

Japan:
Nobody Knows (5)
Howl's Moving Castle (5)

South Korea:
Old Boy (4)

Thailand:
Ong-Bak the Thai Warrior (3)

UK:
Millions (4)
Layer Cake (4)
My Summer of Love (3)
The Constant Gardener (2)
Oliver Twist (5)
Wallice and Gromit (3)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (4)
Pride & Prejudice (5)

USA:
Hitch (2)
Constantine (2)
Gunner Palace (3)
Robots (3)
A Lot Like Love (2)
Guess Who (3)
Sin City (2)
Fever Pitch (3)
Sahara (2)
The Interpreter (2)
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (3)
Funny Ha Ha (5)
11:14 (2)
Kingdom of Heaven (2)
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith (5)
Madagascar (2)
The Longest Yard (2)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2)
Batman Begins (3)
Me and You and Everyone We Know (5)
Land of the Dead (3)
War of the Worlds (4)
Fantastic Four (2)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (3)
Last Days (5)
Stealth (2)
Broken Flowers (5)
Four Brothers (2)
Grizzly Man (5)
Red Eye (3)
40 Year Old Virgin (3)
The Brothers Grimm (2)
Wedding Crashers (3)
Lord of War (2)
Corpse Bride (3)
History of Violence (5)
Serenity (4)
Into the Blue (2)
Capote (5)
The Squid and the Whale (4)
Good Night and Good Luck (4)
Elizabethtown (2)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (3)
Jarhead (2)
Roll Bounce (3)
Bad News Bears (3)
Melinda and Melinda (3)
Walk the Line (3)
In Her Shoes (3)
Proof (3)
Beyond the Gates of Splendor (3)
The Ice Harvest (2)
Rent (2)
Hustle and Flow (3)

1) Head On. Sleeper film from Germany made by a Turkish immigrant. It won the European equivalent of the Academy Award for Best Picture in '04 and popped up in art houses for about a minute. This one blew me away. Check it out on video. It is a dark film, but ultimately riveting.

2) Syriana. In limited release as I wrote and scheduled to go into wide release on Friday, this is structured just like TRAFFIC. So, if you liked TRAFFIC, you'd like this one.

3) Down to the Bone. Terrific indie film set in Upstate New York about small town/blue collar workers who struggle with drug abuse. Plays like a documentary. Terrific.


4) Layer Cake. An interesting British crime caper -- and no one makes those nasty crime capers better than the Brits -- this one stars Michael Craig, who got the nod to replace Pierce Brosnan. Brendan Gleason & Michael Gambon are good in supporting roles. Rising star Sienna Miller also pops up.

5) Secuestro Express. Possibly the only good film among those had been sitting on Miramax's shelf that were released in the waning days of the Weinstein regime in '05. Set in Venezuela it is about a kidnapping, but says a lot about the disparities in South American socities.

My favorites of the year thus far. Don't punish me for what I like!

1. Sin City
2. Oldboy
3. 2046
4. Kung Fu Hustle
5. Walk the Line
6. Dark Water
7. A Tale of Two Sisters
8. Batman Begins
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
10. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
11. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
12. The Skeleton Key
13. Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith

6 films listed I saw in the theatre, the rest on dvd- six trips to the theatre in one year is a lot for me. But I do plan to see the "Geisha" movie (I love Zhang Ziyi) and "King Kong", maybe "The Chronicles of Narnia".

First off, I hve no doubt in my mind that if the Academy has an open mind and if the film makers push it hard enough, Oldboy will get it's nods. Second, I love that somebody mentioned the film Head On. Great German Expression film. Personnally not top 10, but definetely a good flick that no one should pass on when given the chance.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Joshgot:
Top 25 of 2005:
(U.S. Releases)

1. Nobody Knows (Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan)
2. Turtles Can Fly (Bahman Ghobadi, Iran/Iraq)
3. Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow, China)
4. Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel, Germany)
5. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, USA)
6. Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, USA)
7. Last Days (Gus Vant, USA)
8. Pride & Prejudice (Joe Wright, UK)
9. Funny Ha Ha (Andrew Bujalski, USA)
10. Capote (Bennet Miller, USA)
11. Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)
12. Oliver Twist (Roman Polanski, UK
13. The White Diamond (Werner Herzog, Germany)
14. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, USA
15. Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, USA)
16. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, USA)
17. Old Boy (Chan-wook Park, South Korea)
18. Brothers (Susanne Bier, Denmark)
19. The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, USA)
20. Good Night and Good Luck (George Clooney, USA)
21. The Edukators (Hans Weingartner, Germany)
22. Layer Cake (Mathew Vaughn, UK)
23. Millions (Danny Boyle, UK)

Ten Best Popcorn Movies:
(Tastes Good, Less Filling)

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mike Newell, UK)
2. War of the Worlds (Steven Spielberg, USA)
3. Serenity (Joss Whedon, USA)
4. Red Eye (Wes Craven, USA)
5. Wallace and Gromit (Nick Park, UK)
6. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, USA)
7. Corpse Bride (Tim Burton, USA)
8. Wedding Crashers (David Dobkin, USA)
9. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Judd Apatow, USA)

Best Documentaries
(Vérité Cinéma Vérité)

1. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, USA)
2. The White Diamond (Werner Herzog, Germany)
3. Murderball (Henry Alex Rubon/Dana Adam Shapiro)
4. Mad Hot Ballroom (Marilyn Agrelo, USA)
5. Gunner Palace (Michael Tucker, USA)
6. Beyond the Gates of Splendor (Jim Hanon, USA)

Critical Darlings that I Disliked:
(Pimps, Preachy-ness, Prurience, and Political Allegories)

Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, USA)
The Interpreter (Sydney Pollack, USA)
Kingdom of Heaven (Ridley Scott, USA)
The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, USA/UK)
My Summer of Love (Pawel Pawlikowski, UK)
Hustle and Flow (Craig Brewer, USA)

Auteur Disappointments:
(Say It Aint So!)

Melinda and Melinda (Woody Allen, USA)
Brothers Grimm (Terry Gilliam, USA)
Kingdom of Heaven (Ridley Scott, USA)
The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, USA/UK)
Fever Pitch (Farelly Brothers, USA)
Four Brothers (John Singleton, USA)
The Interpreter (Sydney Pollack, USA)
Jarhead (Sam Mendes, USA)
Elizabethtown (Cameron Crowe, USA)

Notable First Features:
(Rookies of the Year)

Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, USA)
Capote (Bennett Miller, USA)
Layer Cake (Mathew Vaughn, UK)
Funny Ha Ha (Andrew Bujalski, USA)

Auteurs On-a-Roll:

Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, USA)
Nobody Knows (Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan)
Last Days (Gus Van Sant, USA)
Oliver Twist (Roman Polanski, UK)
A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, USA)
Howl's Moving Castle (Hiyao Miyazaki, Japan)
Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow, China)
Grizzly Man/The White Diamond (Werner Herzog, USA)

Worst of the Year:
(Please Stop)

11:14 (Greg Marcks, USA)
Constantine (Francis Lawrence, USA)
The Longest Yard (Peter Segal, USA)
Stealth (Rob Cohen, USA)

Movies Released in 2005 That I Saw:

China:
Kung Fu Hustle (5)

Denmark:
Brothers (4)

France:
Look at Me (3)
Kings and Queen (4)

Germany:
The Tunnel (4)
The Edukators (4)
Downfall (5)
The White Diamond (5)

Hungary:
Kontrol (3)

Iraq/Iran:
Turtles Can Fly (5)

Japan:
Nobody Knows (5)
Howl's Moving Castle (5)

South Korea:
Old Boy (4)

Thailand:
Ong-Bak the Thai Warrior (3)

UK:
Millions (4)
Layer Cake (4)
My Summer of Love (3)
The Constant Gardener (2)
Oliver Twist (5)
Wallice and Gromit (3)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (4)
Pride & Prejudice (5)

USA:
Hitch (2)
Constantine (2)
Gunner Palace (3)
Robots (3)
A Lot Like Love (2)
Guess Who (3)
Sin City (2)
Fever Pitch (3)
Sahara (2)
The Interpreter (2)
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (3)
Funny Ha Ha (5)
11:14 (2)
Kingdom of Heaven (2)
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith (5)
Madagascar (2)
The Longest Yard (2)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2)
Batman Begins (3)
Me and You and Everyone We Know (5)
Land of the Dead (3)
War of the Worlds (4)
Fantastic Four (2)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (3)
Last Days (5)
Stealth (2)
Broken Flowers (5)
Four Brothers (2)
Grizzly Man (5)
Red Eye (3)
40 Year Old Virgin (3)
The Brothers Grimm (2)
Wedding Crashers (3)
Lord of War (2)
Corpse Bride (3)
History of Violence (5)
Serenity (4)
Into the Blue (2)
Capote (5)
The Squid and the Whale (4)
Good Night and Good Luck (4)
Elizabethtown (2)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (3)
Jarhead (2)
Roll Bounce (3)
Bad News Bears (3)
Melinda and Melinda (3)
Walk the Line (3)
In Her Shoes (3)
Proof (3)
Beyond the Gates of Splendor (3)
The Ice Harvest (2)
Rent (2)
Hustle and Flow (3)
Mad Hot Ballroom (3)
Murderball (4)

i don't think this is how my list will end, with so many good movies coming out. note-i only gave three movies 4 stars.

1. batman begins
2. sin city
3. crash

Honorable Mention-History of Violence, Harry Potter, Cinderella Man, Star Wars.

biggest disappointment/worst movie i saw this year- War of the Worlds.

As of right now:

1. A History Of Violence
2. The Constant Gardener
3. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
4. Grizzly Man
5. Good Night and Good Luck

On the horizons: Brokeback Mountain, King Kong, Munich, Match Point, Syriana, New World and Cache.

The Best Films of 2005 (so far...)
1. CRASH (Paul Haggis): Brilliant "hyperlink movie" about many different characters and race relations in LA over 36 hours; a cross between Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia". Hands down, the best film I've seen this year (so far...).
2. MILLIONS (Danny Boyle): A wonderful "family film" that is as much or more so for adults than kids! Terrific film from the director of "Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later"!
3. WALK THE LINE (James Mangold): Joaquin Phoenix astonishes with his portrayal of the early, dark years in the life and career of Johnny Cash, with great music and a wonderful leading lady in Reese Witherspoon as June Carter!
4. DEAR FRANKIE (Shona Auerbach): Emily Mortimer solidifies her standing as my favorite young actress from across the pond in this Scottish tale of a deaf boy who dreams of his real father, and a mom who has to conjur up a miracle to satisfy his curiosity. Heartbreaking and so sweet!
5. ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (Miranda July): A strange, fascinating "hyperlink" film about many different strangers living in an LA apartment complex, who occupy many races, ages and both genders, and who are all looking for love. A brilliant debut from the Portland, OR performance artist who also stars in the female lead and handles some difficult material in a very honest and strange way.
6. SIN CITY (Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller): The BEST-LOOKING film of the year is this cinematic realization of the infamous Miller graphic novels set in a pop-noir world of hardtops, fedoras, cigarettes, dames and gangsters, crooked cops and child molesters, and useless old men with redemption on their minds. Brilliant stuff.
7. MYSTERIOUS SKIN (Gregg Araki): The king of indie sleeze finally cops to his real subject with a heartbreaking adaptation of the Scott Heim novel, this one starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbet as two young men who shared an odd experience as little league teammates, and who grow up with different interpretations of the implications of that experience. A disturbing and yet hauntingly beautiful study in the effects of sexual abuse on young children.
8. RORY O'SHEA WAS HERE (Damien O'Donnell): This film from Ireland features a razor-sharp James McAvoy as the title character, a bitter young man crippeled by muscular dystrophy. When Michael Connolly (an astonishing Steven Robertson) arrives at the home for the disabled where Rory resides, they become great friends. The luminescent Romola Garai is lovely as Siobhan, Rory and Michael's caretaker when they move out on their own. Moving, acidically funny, and profoundly enlightening.
9. PALINDROMES (Todd Solondz): Bad boy of the New Geek Cinema, Solondz returns with this astonishing and disturbing story of a young girl named Aviva who decides she wants to be a young mother, and at the not-too-ripe age of 13 sets out to achieve her goals in ways both legal and...not. That this character is portrayed by 8 different thespians, including an overweight black woman, a young black girl, several white girls, a young boy, AND Jennifer Jason Leigh (!) is a fact that all reviews must consider when trying to figure out Solondz's point. It's never less than absorbing.
10. THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN (Judd Apatow): Co-writer/director Apatow is adept when producing Will Farrell comedies like ANCHORMAN, or writing Jim Carrey vehicles like the remake of FUN WITH DICK & JANE, but this was a tour-de-force! Co-writer/star Steve Carell is the geeky title character, a high-end electronics store sales clerk whose buddies decide he needs to "get laid," and the film's chronicling of his efforts in that arena are hilarious and surprisingly moving when Catherine Keener enters the picture as his new love interest. This is a sweet, good-natured, raunchy and hilarious romp! Wonderful; a film that lives up to the poster!

Honorable Mentions:

HIGH TENSION: a potentially great French thriller from Alexandre Aja which falls apart when the ending gets too clever for its own good!
BATMAN BEGINS: Christopher Nolan's take on the origins of 'the Dark Knight' is an epic extravaganza on a scale the likes of which Burton and Schumacher never dreamed.
MELINDA & MELINDA: Woody Allen's latest winner is an intriguing take on the old tragedy/comedy argument and how life relates to these extremes. It's worth the asking.
LORD OF WAR: Andrew Niccol's darkly funny take on international gun running is the "GoodFellas" of the subject and Nicolas Cage is amazing as the Ukrainian immigrant antihero.
FLIGHTPLAN: Jodie Foster wows as a mom whose daughter disappears on an overnight flight and who is then subsequently berrated with accusations of insanity by her fellow passengers and the plane's crew. Tightly-wound Hitchcockian suspense.
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: Ridley Scott's Crusades epic is an astounding historical action-adventure!
OFF THE MAP: Campbell Scott's low-key journey of one young stick-in-the-mud to the New Mexico desert, and his discovery of a family of would-be hippies there is beautiful and memorable, with an odd sense of humor and a lovely performance by Joan Allen!
THE UPSIDE OF ANGER: Joan Allen's other terrific performance came as an alcoholic mom of four girls, opposite the has-been baseball star Kevin Costner in Mike Binder's cruelly funny and profoundly thought-provoking dramedy.
ROBOTS: The creators of "Ice Age" have made a wondrous invention with this computer-animated goof fest.
THE DEVIL'S REJECTS: Writer-director Rob Zombie is back with his continuation of the odyssey of the notorious Firefly clan from "House of 1,000 Corpses;" this time it's SO MUCH BETTER!
GUS VAN SANT'S LAST DAYS: The arthouse writer-director pays tribute to the late Kurt Cobain; with Michael Pitt's eerie performance as the drugged-out grunge rocker living in solitude in upstate New York.
KONTROLL: Nimrod Antal's Hungarian low-budget thriller concerns a disturbing semi-near-future revolving around the Budapest subway system. Brilliant at times, confounding at others.
OLDBOY: Chanwook Park's astonishing portrait of a man who is held prisoner for many years and let go to embark on a rampage of revenge; "KILL BILL" for the foreign film set.
LAYER CAKE: A brilliant British gangster entry from "Lock, Stock..." producer Matthew Vaughn.

The Worst Films of the Year (so far...)

SON OF THE MASK: Like having someone poke you in the eye repeatedly for an hour and a half!
DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN: THE MOVIE - Offensive to me, and I ain't even black!
CONSTANTINE: Keanu stars as the Devil's worst nightmare - and the audience's!
A LOT LIKE LOVE: Amanda Peet is the only thing to like about this lame sitcom with Ashton Kutcher.
MISS CONGENIALITY 2: ARMED & FABULOUS - A pointless and pitiful sequel for the inexplicable Sandra Bullock blockbuster.
THE PACIFIER: No sequels here, I beg thee. Vin Diesel must flee right now for fear of the critics' vengeance!
MINDHUNTERS: A dumb serial killer "mystery" with a cast of fine actors wasted in the process.
THE RING TWO: Naomi Watts' requisite bad choice as an actor is this sequel to her 2002 hit, directed this time by the original Japanese version's Hideo Nakata; writer Ehren Kruger is the one who shouldn't have signed on!
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE: 'OH MY GOD, DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT ANNOYING LITTLE BRAT ANASOPHIA ROBB!!!'

the best, so far...

1. brokeback mountain
2. the new world
3. capote
4. good night, and good luck.
5. syriana
6. the constant gardener
7. junebug
8. the squid and the whale
9. nobody knows
10. murderball

honorable mentions: batman begins, the beat that my heart skipped, cinderella man, crash, dear frankie, downfall, grizzly man, harry potter and the goblet of fire, a history of violence, jarhead, me and you and everyone we know, millions, mysterious skin, north country, off the map, oldboy, sin city, the upside of anger, yes, and yesterday.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: enferoui,

Although your list is very high-minded AND totally-legit, I get the feeling you need to lighten' up a bit.

my list isn't high-minded, just honest. how would you suggest i lighten up a bit?

01. King Kong
02. Munich
03. Cinderella Man
04. Jarhead
05. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
06. Layer Cake
07. Good Night, and Good Luck
08. Downfall
09. Oldboy
10. Crash

My top 10
In no particular order:

King Kong
Sin City
A History of Violence
Wallace and Gromit
Oldboy
Crash
Jarhead
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Chronicles of Narnia

no particular order, they're quite equally good movies I think..
1]. Kung Fu Hustle
2]. Crash
3]. 40yr. old Virgin
4]. Myth
5]. King Kong

The order is changing every day...

Top 10 of ‘05

10. Wallace & Gromit
9. Sin City
8. You and Me and Everyone We Know
7. Syriana
6. Brokeback Mountain
5. Good Night & Good Luck
4. Capote
3. The Squid & The Whale
2. Munich
1. A History of Violence

On some days Cinderella Man and King Kong can be found on this list.

... and oh, how I do hope Cache opens around here somewhere.

King Kong
Batman Begins
Crash
Cinderella Man
Wedding Crashers

My top 5 of '05

My Personal Best 10 Movies of 2005 plus One

I started out this year believing that 2005 was going to be a pretty bleak or at least a mild year for quality movies and my opinon continued until the fall. But then with the few great movies that came out early in the year and then a number of quality movies that arrived in the winter, 2005 has turned out to be a solid year for significant, memorable movies. My list is based on several criteria - emotional intimacy, social impact, compelling comedy and/or drama. My list contains some art films but also some popular mainstream films rarely considered by critics or film buffs. Hopefully I've been able to pick out a good representation of each film categories.

1. North Country (2005). This powerful, compelling, and intimately involving movie regarding a woman miner played by Charlize Theron and first sexual harrassment class action lawsuit is consistently dramatic and inspirationally awesome in its performances and script. Place in the top ten of my most favorite movies of all time for its intensity, sincerity to its subject matter, and no holds barred manner in its presentation without cute, playful overplaying or exaggerated melodrama. Hits the perfect notes of great cinema.

2. Crash (2005). A hard-hitting ensemble movie involving the constant theme of racial stereotyping and hatred and the deadly consequences and the deeply emotional revelations of human relationships. This movie resembles Traffic (2000) in its harsh, penetrating action drama approach. This is Sandra Bullock's best performance to date.

3. Munich (2005). A powerful dramatic revenge thriller directed by Spielberg of Israeli efforts to assassinate those Palestinians who murdered their Olympic athletes in Munich. This is the tense, serious, personal story of a man whose government has him go undercover to kill these men.

4. Jarhead (2005). Among the best war movies - portraying the emotional underbelly of war starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx. Like Black Hawk Down (2001) meets Lost in Translation (2003), this movie brings home the real feel of war in its most usual experience for many soldiers. An important experience for the lay public and our understanding of the life of our military overseas.

5. The Chronicles of Naria: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005). A fabulously looking, sincere, and well performed children's fantasy movie. The evil witch is one of the most memorable evil fantasy characters yet delivered on screen. The intimate characterization of the children, particularly among the brothers, the larger than life and powerful presentation of this fantasy provides both a strong subtext of intimate personal character development and conflict along with the larger political battle between armies.

6. Prime (2005). Likely the most wittiest, funniest and most sincere romantic comedies of the year. Starring Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep, has Meryl, a therapist, seeing Uma who begins a love relationship with Meryl's son in the movie. Unlike other more raunchy, sexist comedies this year, this comedy stands out for its sincerity and integrity to both humor, duel client/therapist relationships and personal family relationships.

7. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005). May be on the best young adult movies of the past several years, up their with Stand By Me (1986) and The Breakfast Club (1985). The movie has grat openness, addressing the emotional and psychological issues of growing up and are presented with sincere intensity.

8. Elektra (2005). Jennifer Garner's solo starring performance (after Daredevil) in a qualitatively superior superhero movie that offers excellent martial art scenes along with a strong, emotional, sensitive female storyline. This movie emphasizes substance and style, finesse with a strong fantasy backdrop over special effects and epic proportion, power and strength that I feel is even more potent that this year's more well-received Batman Begins.

9. Sin City (2005). A great looking live action graphic novel adaptation that brings into virtual reality the animated character drama of the imaginary fifties of male violence, strong women, and big heart only slowed down by unnecessary attempt to fill the screen with too many storylines.

10. The Weatherman (2005). A strong drama about a television weather man played by Nicolas who is going through the disruptive experience of divorce, his attempts a reconciliation, coping with challenging children, and a father played by Michael Caine who himself undergoes a life-altering experience. This movie is a Lost in Translation with substance, dramatic plot and deals sincerely and mostly honestly with its subject matter.

Honorable Mention

The History of Violence (2005). An apparently ordinary husband, father, and owner of a small town café becomes a hero that brings with it a mysterious man who threatens the man's rather ordinary but happy life. This is a graphically violent movie with strong sexual depictions that however bring to the screen a powerful issue about a person's life and connection to the past.

Other movies worthy of commendatory recognition include:

Good Night, and Good Luck, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Perfect Man, What the Bleep Do We Know?, The Ice Princess, Aeon Flux, Unleashed, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Elizabethtown

To be fair, I cannot say that I've had an opportunity or personal interest in seeing many other movies of potential award winning honors including:

Broken Flowers
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Cinderella Man
The Constant Gardener
The Corpse Bride
Howls Moving Castle
Enron
Kingdom of Heaven
Layer Cake
Millions
Murderball
The New World
Pride and Prejudice
Proof
Rent
Shopgirl
The Squid and the Whale
2046
The Upside of Anger
Wallace and Gromit