It’s that time of the New Year again when I give you a list and short review of the movies I saw in 2005. As like last year, this is a list of movies that I saw in 2005, whether or not they were released in 2005 or before. And like last year, this movie list is ranked in an unscientific manner on whether I believe the movie accomplished what it set out to accomplish, whether my levels of excitement or intellectual stimulation were heightened, and whether or not it’d be something worth recommending to someone else. Numbers in parentheses dictate how many times I saw said movie in the theaters.


1. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (4)

What can I say? This was my favorite movie of the year. I didn’t fully anticipate this, but Episode III completely changed the way I look at the older trilogy. I think this movie is so good, it opens an honest debate on whether “Return of the Jedi” or “The Empire Strikes Back” is the best SW movie.

Part of the reason why I love Episode III so much is that, like in the older movies, it uses the music to propel the story forward. If you ever want to know what critics mean when they label the SW movies “space operas,” watch the second half of “Revenge of the Sith.”

2. Hotel Rwanda

Wonderful acting, wonderful direction, wonderful script, and a wonderful social message. When you think that there isn’t much you can do in the face of adversity, this movie forces you to “work with what you got.” Do what you can and you can change the world.

3. Sideways

I LOVED this movie. I don’t think there was a better written movie all year. I usually hate it when movies try and draw a parallel between an inanimate object and life, but this movie did a wonderful job at showing how the wine you enjoy says something about you as a person. This is also the movie that proved that Alexander Payne is probably the best comedic director working in movies right now. His movies are intensely funny, but they also pack a dramatic punch.

4. King Kong (2)

King Kong is why I go to movies. It was fun, adventurous, and ultimately very moving. I’ve seen the movie twice now, both of which brought tears to my eyes. I initially had this movie ranked a couple spots lower than it is, but after watching the movie a second time, I realized how brilliantly directed this movie is. If you know the original movie at all, you know that Peter Jackson put all kinds of subtle nods in the movie that hearken back to the original. Peter Jackson is a brilliant filmmaker, whose works are starting to rival those of Spielberg’s.

5. Batman Begins (2)

The best Batman movie of all-time. Christian Bale totally nailed the Bruce Wayne/Batman duality in ways that had never been done before. Unlike Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan should be applauded for making a Batman movie which showcased that Batman/Bruce Wayne himself is just as messed up as the villains he’s fighting. Like “X2,” I predict the sequel to “Batman Begins” to take this franchise to a whole new level.

6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Any movie that can make me smile throughout the entirety of the movie is going to rank pretty high on my list. Of all the recent Tim Burton movies, this is the one that comes closest to cashing in on the potential put forward with “Edward Scissorhands.” Danny Elfman did a wonderful job crafting music around lyrics Dahl had written in the book. And of course, Johnny Depp gave another brilliant performance.

7. Good Night, and Good Luck

An overall great movie, though it sometimes felt more like a civics lesson than a narrative piece of storytelling. Not that I’m complaining. The topic of government witch hunts and the press stepping up to the plate are topics that are probably more important now than they were in 1955. George Clooney is really becoming quite the movie director.

8. Capote

Great acting can be found within. Easily the best acted movie of the year. Philip Seymour Hoffman gave the best performance of the past few years. The direction and script were on point as well. “Capote” showed how far down into the pits Truman Capote was willing to go for his art.

9. Syriana

A great movie that could have been better. It’s a rather complicated movie where everyone in the movie is connected through first-through-third degrees of separation. I thought it was a pretty faithful depiction of how the oil business affects everyone from top level CEO’s to young alienated Muslim men. Good stuff. George Clooney gave probably his best performance in this movie.

10. Corpse Bride

Tim Burton, clay animation, Johnny Depp, and Danny Elfman. Need I say anymore. Movies like this take me away to another place.

11. The Aviator

The best movie that Scorsese has done since “Goodfellas.” Leonardo DiCaprio’s best movie ever. If you have any doubt whatsoever as to whether Leo can act, you have to see this movie. The cinematography really stole the show though. Robert Richardson really brought his a-game to this movie.

12. Million Dollar Baby

A good movie, yes, but not Best Picture worthy. Although it was a pretty predictable movie, it still packs a pretty emotional punch. (pun intended). Hillary Swank was brilliant, as always, as was Morgan Freeman. I also thought it was a brave movie in how it dealt with the subject of taking someone off of life support. When faced with a controversial subject, Clint pulled no punches. (oh this pun thing is getting too easy)

13. Mr. and Mrs. Smith

This was one of the most fun movies of the year. I rank this movie right alongside Soderberg’s “Ocean’s 11” in the fun per square frame of film ratio. The chemistry between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie was palpable. I’d go so far to say that I’ve rarely seen on-screen chemistry this potent before. When you put the two most gorgeous creatures on the planet into a movie with a good script and director, this is what you get.

14. Walk the Line

Overall a pretty good movie, though it was a tad bit cliché. Quite honestly, I could watch 2 hours of nothing but Johnny Cash music and think it was a worth while time. Joaquin and Reese both gave Oscar nominated worthy performances, though I think Reese has a better shot at winning.

15. Lord of War

Methinks if you played this right after “Three Kings,” you’d have yourself a nice little night of political commentary via the movies. Both movies used stylized methods and a pretty good script to get their messages across. Since the subject matter is so sleazy and corrupt, I feel a tad bit guilty for liking this movie so much.

16. March of the Penguins

Overall, it was a pretty good movie. Going into the theater, I thought that it was going to be too heavy on the cutesy stuff, but was glad that they also showed the darker sides of being a Penguin. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it was a pretty honest documentary. The filmmakers didn’t jazz anything up. Well, maybe just a tad considering Morgan Freeman narrated. Anytime you bring Morgan to the table, you instantly bring gravitas to your film, whether you intend to or not.

17. Kinsey

“Kinsey” and “Capote” can duke it out for the best biopic of the year. I rank “Capote” a lot higher because I think the overall performance of the actors and the film itself were better in “Capote,” but “Kinsey” had its fair share of good performances as well. This was one of the few biopics that covered a person’s entire life, without resorting to cliché. Overall a really good movie, and one that is ultimately relevant in today’s political climate.

18. Bad Education

A brilliantly made movie with brilliant performances. This movie would have ranked higher but some of the scenes seemed a bit static. The story was really good for the first half of the movie, but then it started to become this weird kind of mystery or something. It’s one of those movies that I can intellectualize its achievements, but it didn’t ultimately move me all that much.

19. North Country

My complaints about this film have been documented before, so I won’t repeat them here. All I’ll reiterate is that I felt as if the movie pulled some of its punches. I also thought that the court scenes were poorly written. That’s a shame because the rest of the movie is so damn good. Charlize Theron and the rest of the cast were brilliant. I particularly thought Sissy Spacek did a wonderful job in her supporting performance.

20. War of the Worlds

“War of the Worlds” is brilliant at times, but really cheesy the rest of the time. My favorite scenes of the movie were the ones when you got to see the damage humans did to one another, the van stealing scene in particular. Tom Cruise brought so much baggage into this movie that it definitely took away from my enjoyment of the movie itself. This movie would have ranked a lot higher had it not been for the cheeseball ending. Can Spielberg just once push that sentimental gene down and make an out and out dark movie? I’m still waiting…

21. Sin City

If you ever have a chance to read the comic books, you’ll appreciate this movie all the more. It’s perhaps the greatest comic book adaptation that has even been made, but that could also be a problem. The story seems to tap the well dry at parts. And not all the style in the world can make up for a static story. Though the stylizations were bad-friggin-ass.

22. The 40 Year Old Virgin

Truth be told, I’d watch anything with Judd Apatow, Steve Carrell, and Paul Rudd involved. It’s one of those movies that you probably shouldn’t watch if you hate watching movies where someone is in an awkward situation the entire movie. I loved the last musical number. Dare I say that the movie reminded me of a few people that I know…

23. Unleashed

Not that this is saying all that much, but this is Jet Li’s best American made film. I thought this was one of the cooler action movies I’ve seen all year. It had a pretty good story too.

24. Friday Night Lights

A good movie that was almost great. The movie stayed relatively close to the book, but felt that it pulled its punches one too many times. If it had stuck to the book a little more closely, this easily would have been one of the greatest films of the year. The movie did a disservice by leaving out some of the more cult like behavior of Odessa-Permian fans. But it’s by far the greatest film about high school football that I’ve ever seen.

25. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I read the book a few days before seeing the movie, so I had the book fresh in my mind. I thought it was a pretty close adaptation to the book. I also liked how the movie used costumes for the aliens instead of the now go-to CGI hookup. If you want a good companion for this movie, watch it before or after “The Fifth Element.” That’d make for a fine evening methinks.

26. The Aristocrats

Easily the funniest movie of the year. But this movie is literally just the same joke told about a hundred different ways, so it started to get old towards the end of the movie. But pound for pound, I don’t think you’ll find a funnier movie this year. But it’s definitely not for the easily offended or the squeamish. You have been warned.

27. The Weather Man

This is a movie that I feel like I should love, but really can’t stand. I thought that parts of it were really well done, but ultimately, I thought the movie felt really flat and uninspired. Nic Cage and Michael Caine gave good performances, but they were so thinly written, I could never really get into what they were doing all that much. This movie felt as flat, and sometimes as boring, as a weatherman himself.

28. Crash

I thought this movie was alright, but I can’t honestly see what all the hype was about. I thought it force fed its message in the worst possible way. Anyone who’s taken a Sociology class could have written this movie, because it’s basically just a series of clichéd racial situations tied together in supposed clever ways. The only part of the movie that didn’t seem ultimately predictable was the part with the “magic jacket” that stops bullets. It’s too obvious a movie for me to place any higher than 28th place.

29. Aeon Flux

Kinda cool, but also very flat. There were a couple inspired moments in the movie, but ultimately, it felt like I’d seen everything in this movie before, only done better. Charlize was perfectly cast, but the rest of the people in the movie seemed grossly out of place. Ultimately, this proves that Aeon Flux is better left animated.

30. Kung Fu Hustle

The action scenes were brilliantly filmed, but the comedy seemed very forced. That’s a shame because its predecessor (Shaolin Soccer) was one of the funniest movies of 2004. The fight scene with the guitar playing Kung Fu masters was inspired and worth the price of admission.

31. The Island

The premise was great, but the execution ranged anywhere from piss-poor to acceptable. But you see, I’m a big fan of action spectacle, so the movie was enjoyable for me if for nothing else than that. The freeway chase scene is pretty rocking. The performances were pretty flat though.

32. The Interpreter

If there’s one word that describes movies in 2005, it’s “flat.” “The Interpreter” was very ho-hum. Well acted, kinda well written, kinda suspenseful, kinda interesting, blah blah blah.

33. Wedding Crashers

The most overrated movie of the year. Everyone had this movie billed as the second coming of the raunchy comedy, though I haven’t noticed this supposed lack of raunchy comedies coming out of Hollywood. This movie got maybe one full on laugh from me the entire time, the rest was very “been there, seen it.”

34. Kingdom of Heaven

COME ON!!! Orlando Bloom is so NOT a bad ass. The script was alright, but I never really got Orlando as a knight, so this movie was doomed to fail for me. I also saw it suffering from epic fatigue, so this movie’s so-so inspired epic fight scenes were very “been there, seen it.”

35. The Upside of Anger

Good movie, though I felt about 25 years too young to fully enjoy it.

36. Robots

Cool as hell visuals, but not enough of a story to keep me engaged. The kiddos will love it, but truth be told, the only reason why I saw it was because the Ep. III trailer was attached to it.

37. The Exorcism of Emily Rose

I thought it was cool to see an exorcist movie told from both a religious and scientific point of view. So conceptually, the movie works. But it feels very much like a Movie-of-the-Week that would come on ABC or Lifetime. There are a couple scary moments, but those were too few and far between.

38. A History of Violence

This is the head scratching movie of the year. Not because it’s so brilliant that I don’t know what it means, but more because a lot of top critics are billing this as the second coming of “great movies.” This movie, in all honesty, sucked. It’s an okay concept, but it’s not directed very well. I said “The Aristocrats” was the funniest movie of the year, when I should have said this movie was the funniest of the year. The movie is also so illogical, that I don’t even know where to begin with it.

39. The Amityville Horror

Better than the original, but that’s not saying much. There were a couple creepy moments (the babysitter trapped in the closet), but ultimately felt like a very unnecessary movie.

40. Rumor Has It

Rob Reiner pulled off the impossible. He made a movie that is basically an essay on “The Graduate,” yet didn’t say anything new or interesting about said movie. Some people wonder what happened to Steve Martin, I wonder what happened to Rob Reiner. How does the man that made such intellectually stimulating faire as “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand by Me,” and “When Harry Met Sally” manage to make such a bland and boring picture. And the message of the movie??? Don’t even get me started.

41. The Jacket

Kind of a cool concept, but also very boring and flat. Adrien Brody did a manageable job. I think this movie would be better as a short story than an actual feature length film.

42. Two For the Money

This movie’s worth seeing if you enjoy watching Pacino ham it up and Matthew Mac beef it up. Other than that, it’s a very unnecessary movie.

43. The Dukes of Hazzard

Had some good car chases.

…

What? You expected more? Fine! Jessica Simpson is a horrible actress.

44. The Life Aquatic

This movie was very off to me. I’m a huge fan of Wes Anderson, so the fact that movie ranks as low as it does surprises me. But this movie felt very much like I was watching a movie made by someone who’s believing his own hype. I may need to see it again, but…what the hell is wrong with this picture? Anyone want to chime in???

45. Melinda and Melinda

I think you can pretty much cut and paste the above review into this space, only change Wes Anderson for Woody Allen. This movie felt very cheesy.

46. Fantastic Four

The Human Torch and The Thing were perfectly cast, but the rest of the cast seemed like they kids playing dress up in mommy and daddy’s clothes. In this day and age of fantastic comic book movies (X-Men, Spiderman), I have a hard time comprehending how Marvel let this movie come out in all it’s turdiness glory. The kiddos should like it though.

47. Dark Water

Shit. One or two semi-creepy moments, but just total shit. Ooh, look, it’s dark water. How creepy??? Wha???? My brother told me that he did the sarcastic clap after he saw it. I would have paid to have been there.

48. Fun With Dick and Jane

The country’s sense of humor has totally shifted away from Jim Carrey’s schtick, so it’s almost painful to see him grasping for his glory days. Get this man into more Michel Gondry films, STAT! This movie proves that Jim Carrey is quite the narcissist, but we all had our doubts when we saw “Bruce Almighty.”

49. Ice Princess

Saw this with my mom, Anya, and my niece, in case you’re wondering. Surprisingly, there were a few decent moments in the movie. But the movie felt like I was watching Teen Disney or something. But hey, as long as my niece liked it, it’s okay for me.

50. Hostage

One of those cool concepts totally butchered by an inept director, script, and acting. Pretty much a waste of time.

51. House of Wax
All the cool gore aside, this movie was ass. Waxy, waxy ass.

52. Be Cool

Did the people who made this movie even realize what the title was? This movie was about as uncool a movie as I’ve seen in some time. It’s weird, the first 3 minutes are actually kinda decent, but then the movie just quits on itself and becomes really, really, REALLY bad. Congratulations “Be Cool”: You managed to make a movie that’s worse than a Paris Hilton wax movie, a teenage centered Disney film, and a movie about water that looks like Coca Cola.

100 Greatest Kills

This wasn’t really a movie that I saw, but more of an event. It was a Halloween centered film of the 100 greatest kill scenes ever filmed for movies. It was a pretty good time. Lots of gross out zombie stuff, but also a lot of humorous moments.

Til next year's reviews...

matt out