My personal best of 05:

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (the craziest, wittiest script of the year, by far the most fun I've had at the movies in a while)
The Upside of Anger (great performances and a gut-wrenching ending)
Me & You & Everyone We Know (sweet and touching in a quirky way)
Capote (stunning lead performance)
Millions (warm and sweet without getting syruppy)
Good Night & Good Luck (clean tight direction, not an ounce of fat)
King Kong (about 100 pounds of fat but what an epic)
Pride & Prejudice (almost made me forget the superior miniseries)
Mad Hot Ballroom (as a teacher, I was enthralled by this)
Grizzly Man (stunning take on man's isolation from nature)
Up & Down (best foreign film)
Downfall (chilling portrait of Hitler as a doddering doomed old fool)
Crash
Brothers (another good foreign film)
Star Wars Episode III (probably here only because it was so much better than episodes I & II)
Syriana (scary, but not nearly as scary as what's really happening)

Movies I couldn't see that might've made the list:
March of the Penguins
Oldboy
Munich
Junebug
Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit...
Howl's Moving Castle

Movies I think were overrated:
The Squid & the Whale
Broken Flowers
North Country

Best Comedies:
Wedding Crashers
40 year old Virgin


And my worst of 05:

Palindromes (absolute garbage, and I liked this guy's other movies)
Fantastic 4 (ruined my favorite comic book)
Fun With Dick & Jane (no fun at all)
Because of Winn Dixie (a sweet children's book spoiled)
Mindhunters (still hunting, so far only stupidity)
The Longest Yard (utterly unnecessary remake)
Rent (not as bad as I expected but still bad)

Movies that sounded so bad I couldn't bring myself to see them:
Dukes of Hazzard (and I liked the show!)
Stealth
Are We There Yet?
Deuce Bigalow European Gigolo
Doom
Saw II

quote:

Movies I couldn't see that might've made the list:
March of the Penguins
Oldboy
Munich
Junebug
Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit...
Howl's Moving Castle

The only movies from those I saw were Oldboy, A History of Violence, and Wallace and Gromit, but I would recommend them all very highly.

quote:

Best Comedies:
Wedding Crashers
40 year old Virgin

I agree, but there wasn't much competition for good comedies this year. Although, i think 40 year old virgin had a few parts that got too serious.

Subject to change...

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

still trying to catch up on a few (damn you Constant Gardener for not playing anywhere near me)

My best of 2005 is short because I haven't seen many.

1. Crash
2. Kung Fu Hustle
3. The 40 Year Old Virgin


I'm interested in seeing "Munich," "Grizzley Man," "A History of Violence," "The Constant Gardener," "Capote" and the French film "Cache." They could make my list.

Other films that I saw this year that didn't make the list:

Hitch, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Interpreter.

Of these I liked Hitch the most. The Chr. of Narnia and The Interpreter were middle of the road.

<h1>Best Music of 2005:</h1>

1. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
2. Kanye West – Late Registration
3. Fiona Apple – Extraordinary Machine
4. The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan
5. Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
6. System of a Down – Mezmerize
7. Quasimoto – The Further Adventures of Lord Quas
8. Madonna – Confessions on a Dancefloor
9. Andrew Bird – The Mysterious Production of Eggs
10. Sleater-Kinney – The Woods


<h1>Best Movies of 2005:</h1>

1. A History of Violence
2. Brokeback Mountain
3. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
4. King Kong
5. Sin City
6. Syriana
7. (tie) The 40-Year-Old Virgin / Wedding Crashers
8. Thumbsucker
9. Munich
10. The Weather Man

<h1>Best Television of 2005:</h1>

1. Lost
2. (tie) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart / Arrested Development
3. Entourage
4. Curb Your Enthusiasm
5. Prison Break
6. Weeds
7. Extras
8. South Park
9. The Colbert Report
10. Masters of Horror

One film that has surfaced once or twice on films critics' "Best Of" lists but for some inexplicable reason isn't mentioned often enough is a French Film called LOOK AT ME that was the opening night film of the '04 New York Film Festival and which received a commercial run the spring of '05.

It was very well reviewed when it debuted at the fest, but didn't seem to get much notice when it finally opened. Because of its strong reviews and because I loved director Agnes Jouie's first film, THE TASTE OF OTHERS, I was chomping at the bit to see it.

I think the distributor made a huge mistake by letting so much time go by between its debut and its commercial release. It lost the buzz it had obtained for its opening night position at the fest (always a prestige film; this year's selection was GOOD NIGHT & GOOD LUCK).

The film basically focuses on a narcissistic writer played by Jean Pierre Bacri and how it impacts family members and friends. The film really skewers the Paris intelligentsia.

My ten best movies of 2005:
#10 The 40Year Old Virgin
#9 Pride And Prejudice
#8 Sin City
#7 Good Night And, Good Luck
#6 Batman Begins
#5 Mysterious Skin
#4 Brokeback Mountain
#3 Syriana
#2 Crash
#1 Munich

My top 10 movies of the yr! Pls note, i live in Jamaica, so Oscar movies which usually come out @ the end of the year (Nov/Dec) are not released in my country till the next yr (Jan/Feb), hence, Sideways on my list-

10. The Constant Gardener (Fernanado Meirelles)

09. Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (Mike Newell)

08. The Corpse Bride (Tim Burton)

07. War of the Worlds (Steven Spielberg)

06. Sideways (Alexander Payne)

05. Cinderella Man (Ron Howard)

04. A History of Violence (David Croneberg)

03. Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino)

02. Finding Neverland (Marc Forster)

And of course, my # 1 movie of the year is

01. KING KONG (PETER JACKSON)!!!

OK. Here is my shot at a top 10 list, though there are six films released late in '05 that I haven't seen yet. Only three, I suspect, I'll like enough to consider for a "best of" list, including Woody Allen's reported "comeback" film MATCH POINT; Terence Malick's THE NEW WORLD; and Michael Haneke's CACHE with Juliette Binoche & Daniel Autieul.

Here goes:

10) MUNICH. Spielberg was on the top of his game here in directing this first-rate thriller as a team of Israeli agents get payback for the Munich Olympic massacre. Interesting cast headed by Aussie Eric Bana & Brit Daniel Craig (the new James Bond).

9) CONSTANT GARDNER. Based on a John le Carre tome, this film brilliantly captures the cynicism of the first world operting in the third world. Ralph Fiennes is terrific as the nebbish lead who turns steely to investigate the death of his wife.

8) BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. The advance word on this one was strong for both the film and Heath Ledger's breakthrough performance. A deeply moving love story that shows how society and attitudes towards gays keep two people in love from being together.

7) LAYER CAKE. Speaking of Daniel Craig, it was a good year for him getting cast in two good movies, MUNICH and LAYER CAKE, and getting the nod to play Bond. This one is one of those nasty crime capers that the Brits only seem to know how to make. Craig plays a drug dealer who wants to leave the life and, as you would suspect, has trouble extricating himself from his lifestyle.

6) SHOPGIRL. I didn't think I'd ever see anything quite like LOST IN TRANSLATION, but if not quite as good as LOST, SHOPGIRL comes close and covers the same ground. Brilliant work by Steve Martin, Clare Danes & Jason Schwartzmann.

5) OR (MY TREASURE). Unfortunately, not too many people caught this Israeli gem. I don't think this film is something the Israeli tourist board would trumpet, but this one is a brilliant story about a prostitute and her daughter and how they get through life on a day-to-day basis. If you like naturalism in films, this one is for you. The actress who played the mother would get my vote for Best Actress Academy Award. This one comes out on video this week.

4) DOWN TO THE BONE. Another real sleeper that slipped into one small theatre in Manhattan, but I was completely blown away about how good this little gem was. Set in Upstate New York, the film deals with a grocery store cashier and mother who battles drug addiction. This film had been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years before it was picked up for distribution and I am so glad it was. Just true to life; you feel like you are watching a documentary it is so true to life. Real people in real locations with plausible issues and problems they are dealing with. The lead is headed for big things as she has been cast in two big budget films, including one being helmed by Martin Scorsese.

3) LOOK AT ME. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why the studio (Sony Classics) let so much time go by between the '04 New York Film Festival and the spring of '05 when this film was released. It lost the buzz it had when it was the opening night film at the NYFF. Directed by the terrific French actress Agnes Jouie, the film skewers the solipsistic and pretensious French intelligensia, personified by sententious writer played by the formidable Jean Pierre Bacri. Just a terrific and intelligent movie.

2) HEAD ON. Another film no one saw, this one snuck into theatres early in '05 and came and went without causing much of a ripple. It won the European equivalent of the Academy Award in '04 and lived up to its advance hype. Set in Germany, the film focuses on the trials and tribulations of Turkish immigrants living in Germany. It is basically a love story between two of them and where you start in this film is not where you end up.

1) SYRIANA. I was a huge fan of TRAFFIC and SYRIANA, directed by the guy who wrote TRAFFIC (Stephen Gaghan) weaves four story lines together regarding the U.S., oil and politics. A great cast headed by George Clooney this film is very Altman-esque and left me thinking long after the move ended. Christopher Plummer is terrific in a supporting role as a smarmy lawyer.

Didn't make the cut:

INTENTIONS OF MURDER. Korean murder mystery that blew me away.

CAPOTE. If HeathLedger doesn't get the Best Actor Academy Award then Seymour Philip Hoffman essaying the eponymous title role should.

DOWNFALL. Bruno Ganz (WINGS OF ANGELS) is riveting playign Hitler during his last days in the bunker.

GRIZZLY MAN. The legendary Werner Herzog (FITZCARRALDO, AGUIRRE WRATH OF GOD) on the top of his game in helming this documentary about Timothy Treadwell and his girlfried who got a little too friendly with some grizzly bears in Alaska. Riviting.

THE EDUKATORS. Film about some German radicals who vandalize homes and get in way over their heads when they kidnap someone.

SECUESTRO EXPRESS. With Harvey & Bob Weinstein exiting Miramax, a bunch of films that had back gathering dust in the Miramax vaults were released. This one, about some Venuzualan kidnappers, was the best of those Miramax films.

FORTY SHADES OF BLUE. Rip Torn was terrific as a Memphis musician. Lot of verisimilude as director Ira Sachs surveys this scene and the relationship between Torn and his son.

SEPERATE LIES. A thing I went into with much trepidition because the Times didn't like it, but this was a tremendous film about a murder and a coverup starring Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson & Rupert Everett.

MEMORY OF A KILLER. A Danish Film I believe about a hitman who is losing his memory and the cat and mouse game between the police, who are trying to catch the killer, and the killer.

Having seen about 95% of what I've read people commenting on, my list is as follows:

Top Ten 2005
1. Me and You and Everyone We Know
2. Brokeback Mountain
3. Good Night, and Good Luck
4. Capote
5. Mysterious Skin
6. The Squid and the Whale
7. The Beat That My Heart Skipped
8. Crash
9. The Constant Gardener
10. King Kong

Close Calls
- A History of Violence
- Yes
- Walk the Line
- Shopgirl
- Broken Flowers
- Batman Begins
- Wedding Crashers
- Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
- Grizzly Man

Possible Top Tens I Haven't Screened
- Cache
- Match Point
- Head-On

Biggest Disappointments
- Cinderella Man
- War of the Worlds
- Munich

Here is my final Best of 05 Movies...

10 Batman Begins
9. Wedding Crashers
8. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
7. Syriana
6. 40 yr. old Virgin
5. Star Wars Episode III
4. Sin City
3. King Kong
2. War of the Worlds
1. Crash

I still have to see Munich though...that looks really good!

I didn't get to see as many movies as I would've liked this year, but oh well. I saw Howl's Moving Castle really early this year, but absolutely nothing else came close. That movie is just an unequivocal masterpiece. The one movie of 2005 that I REALLY was dying to see but missed was Jia Zhang-ke's "The World", which I will catch on DVD hopefully. Also about my list, 2046 is my 2nd favorite movie of 200, but I didn't see it until 2006 and on video, so it can't count.

1) Howl's Moving Castle
2) Tropical Malady
3) A History of Violence
4) Me and You and Everyone We Know
5) The Holy Girl
6) A Talking Picture
7) Last Days
8) Kings and Queen
9) Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
10) TIE - Good Night and Good Luck & Oldboy

Here's my "Best of" List:

1. Nobody Knows
2. Memoirs of a Geisha
3. Hitch
4. Murderball
5. Saving Face
6. Mysterious Skin
7. Capote
8. Pride and Prejudice
9. Millions
10. Kontroll

Looking at websites that collect other "Best of" lists, there's not too many people that I have common taste with this year.

Not a good day for Red State America nor the religious right when you look at the Golden Globe awards. Let's see BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN aka "The Gay Cowboy Movie" bags the best picture award; Phillip Seymour Hoffman bags the best actor for his portrayal of the very gay Truman Capote. And Felicity Huffman bags a best actress award for playing a Transvestite.

Unfortunately, I think the religious right wrote Hollywood off a long time ago, so I'm not sure it matters all that much. It just means we'll have to endure some of Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly yapping about how out-of-sync Hollywood is with traditional American values.

Awww. There's always The Chronicle's of Narnia.

quote:

Originally posted by NButler11:
Awww. There's always The Chronicle's of Narnia.

LOL. Yes. Chronicles is this year's Passion of the Christ for the right.

Mine are

10. A History of Violence
9. Capote
8. The Constant Gardener
7. 40 Year Old Virgin
6. Syriana
5. Lord of War
4. Cinderalla Man
3. King Kong
2. Munich
1. Crash

I hardly saw any movies this year...this is nearly a full list of movies this year I saw. I'm probably leaving some out.

Good movies I saw:
Nobody Knows
Capote
Syriana
Wallace and Gromit
Batman Begins
Brokeback Mountain
Sin City
History of Violence
Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room


Bad movies I saw:
Star Wars III

I still need to see Cache, Munich, a few others. Then there are a few movies that "I'm sure they're good, but I don't see what I'd personally get out of them", such as King Kong.

(And if anybody wants to accuse me of an anti-popcorn movie prejudice..you're absolutely right. )

From the movies I saw this year, here are my top 10.

10. Munich
9. Manderlay
8. Good Night and Good Luck
7. Syriana
6. The Constant Gardener
5. A History of Violence
4. Brokeback Mountain
3. Me You and Everyone We Know
2. Broken Flowers
1. Crash