Top 10 Movies of 2005 by Chris Morin

    Another year, another round of movie going. Good flicks this year, lots of different styles and genres. I wish I had seen more foreign films this year but for whatever reason it just didn't happen.
    Was it me or was 2005 a rude year? I mean, I know I go to the movies more than the average guy but why was it that every time I went this past year I could hear people talking while the movie was playing? How difficult is it for people to keep quiet? Why can't people realize that when they go OUT to the movies that they aren't at home in their living room? I didn't fork out my hard earned money to listen to you people talk! I paid to watch and LISTEN to the movie!
    There was this elderly couple sitting behind me and my wife during a movie. I kid you not, the gentlemen could neither hear nor see the film! At one point in the movie he turned to his partner and said, and I quote, "What did he say? I couldn't see to read his lips." Now I'm not against elderly people going to the movies. My in-laws are getting up there in age and my father in-law is in the early stages of alzheimer's at the age of 85. But when you cannot see and/or hear and have neither a hearing aid that works, nor glass frames with prescription lenses, you may want to think about staying home, assuming you can remember where you're living at the time.
    The movie that I liked the most in 2005 was Crash. It was both incredibly original and extremely riviting. Matt Dillon, Sandra Bulloch and Terrence Howard had great performances. A couple of lesser known movies The Story Of The Weeping Camel and The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill were also big standouts for me. And who do you think would win in a fight the Parrot guy or the guy from Grizzley Man? Oh, that's right, the Grizzly Man is dead. Big thanks go to Mr. Choclate for putting that guy out of his misery.
    And how can I go a year without mentioning at least one or two great animated features. Wallace and Gromit and Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle were great! It's hard not to fall in love with either movie although I cannot wait to see Howl's without the annoying English dialogue.
    Many will balk at me for including The Excorcism Of Emily Rose on this list. That's okay. I got to see this movie in an empty movie theater all by myself while I was out of state on a business trip. Never in all my life has a movie scared me so much that I had to literally move my seat to the last row of the theater so that no one could sneak up on me from behind. I believe in demons and Excorcisms and this one creeped me out beyond repair. I left the light on in my hotel room that night. I didn't get much sleep but at least I was safe.
    Making a "Best Of" movie list is very difficult because many studios release potentially Oscar worthy films very late in the year in hope that the Academy and its short attention span might remember only the most recent movie releases. I have dealt with this problem the same way as I did last year. First there's my Best Of 2005 list. It is a top ten list of movies that were released in 2005 that I actually got a chance to see in the calendar year. The second list is called Honorable Mention. This is a list of movies that were either not released in 2005, movies that were either leftovers from the previous year or movies that I got to see for the first time despite the movie's release year. Then there's the ever popular Worst Piece Of Junk Award. I think you can figure out what that's all about.
    So have a look at my lists and remember, when you go to the movies, turn your cell phone off and SHUT THE HELL UP! Others may be trying to enjoy the film. Thank you.

Best Of 2005:

1. Crash - Great all around film. Excellent acting, directing and script.
2. Syriana - Another good film. George Clooney and Matt Damon are excellent.
3. Capote - Philip Seymore Hoffman - Oscar time baby! If he doesn't win, it will be a shocker.
4. Wallace and Gromit - How can you not love these guys? Make as many W&G films as possible! I'd see 'em all. Oh, and I bought my wife the action figures for Christmas!
5. History Of Violence - Uh William Hurt, nice job.
6. Howl's Moving Castle - Miyazaki's done it again! It doesn't have the greatness of Laputa or even Spirited Away but it's still going to be a Studio Ghibli classic.
7. Excorcism Of Emily Rose - Creepy. 'nuf said.
8. Batman Begins - Make another one in the same style using the same actors and director! What the other Batman movies could only dream of being. The Scarecrow rocks!
9. Sin City - Visually stunning. Can't say I've seen a more violent movie. Oh wait, I saw I Spit On Your Grave. Never mind.
10. Munich - Spielberg's great. Too bad this movie wasn't better. The scene with the telephone and the young girl was a classic.

Honorable Mention:

1. The Story Of The Weeping Camel - It's quirky but a whole lot of fun if you love foreign films and like animals.
2. The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill - Great, fun movie.
3. Cinderella Man - Kept wanting to cheer Maximus! Maximus!
4. War Of The Worlds - The sound in this movie was wicked awesome! Loved the scene with the window crawling sandwich and the scene shot through the broken window.
5. Four Brothers - Marky Mark and his Funky Bunch Band of Brothers! See it man!
6. North Country - Okay, so she didn't look as good as she can but boy, Ms. Theron is a total babe.
7. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Not a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr. but I do like Val Kilmer. Great teaming of this very odd couple.
8. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Saw it for the first time. What was I thinking not seeing this classic sooner?
9.  Dear Frankie - Sweet story.
10. Millions - Two kids, lots of cash. What could possibly go wrong?

Best Players:

1. Philip Seymore Hoffman - Another classic talker in the theater. Obviously a woman who didn't get out much says to her husband/boyfriend/poolboy/whatever, "I didn't know Capote was a queer." Yes, you read that correctly.
2. Terrence Howard - He was everywhere in 2005. I guess it's hard out there for a...
3. Stephen Spielberg - Busy year for the master! Get to Indy 4 will ya!
4. George Clooney - He was doing a bit of everything in 2005. Great work in Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck.
5. Don Cheadle - More great performance by this overlooked actor.
6. Christopher Nolan - Loved Insomnia and Memento and he has another hit with Batman Begins.
7. Charlize Theron - I didn't see Aon Flux but I'm sure her performance in North Country will make up for it.
8. Ziyi Zhang - Is she on my list every year? Seems like it.
9. Hayao Miyazaki - Please, please, please do not retire.
10. Rachel McAdams - In every movie but who cares? She's good to look at.

Worst Piece Of Junk Award:

TIE!!! Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy and Land of The Dead. I couldn't wait to see another Dead movie and I waited this long for this load of crap? Do yourself a favor and rent Shaun of the Dead. I didn't even want to see Hitchhiker's. Got dragged to that one. Can I have my money back? I was praying for talkers in both of these films. It would have made them both much more interesting.

The Movies I Saw In 2005:

5 - Excellent
4 - Good
3 - Fair
2- Poor
1 - Terrible
0 - What In God's Name Were They Thinking? - (No longer used. Created and used in 2001 only for A.I.)

Hotel Rwanda - 2004 - 5
Dirty War - 2004 - 4
White Noise - 2005 - 3
50 First Dates - 2004 - 3
Along Came Polly - 2004 - 3
Repulsion - 1965 - 3
Bridge On The River Kwai - 1957 - 5
Dr. Strangelove - 1964 - 3
Million Dollar Baby - 2004 - 5
Twilight Samurai - 2002 - 4
Napolean Dynamite - 2004 - 3
Ray - 2004 - 3
Being Julia - 2004 - 3
Vera Drake - 2004 - 3
Shark Tale - 2004 - 3
Kinsey - 2004 - 3
Paparazzi - 2004 - 3
Shaun Of The Dead - 2004 - 4
The Sea Inside - 2004 - 4
De-Lovely - 2004 - 3
Garden State - 2004 - 3
The Girl With The Pearl Earring - 2003 - 3
The Door In The Floor - 2004 - 3
Maria Full Of Grace - 2004 - 4
Constantine - 2005 - 2
Veronica Gueren - 2003 - 4
The Story Of The Weeping Camel - 2003 - 4
Wicker Park - 2004 - 3
Soho Square - 2000 - 3
The Cat Returns - 2002 - 4
Jackie Chan Is The Prisoner - 1990 - 2
Cradle 2 The Grave - 2003 - 3
Hostage - 2005 - 3
Robots - 2005 - 3
Hellraiser - 1987 - 2
The Motorcycle Diaries - 2004 - 4
The Ring 2 - 2005 - 2
Hellraiser 2 - 1988 - 2
Sin City - 2005 - 4
Niagara - 1986 - 3
Fever Pitch - 2005 - 3
Upside Of Anger - 2005 - 4
The Interpreter - 2005 - 4
Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy - 2005 - 2
Crash - 2004 - 5
Revenge Of The Sith - 2005 - 4
Starsky and Hutch - 2004 - 3
The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill - 2003 - 5
Empire Falls - 2005 - 3
Madagascar - 2005 - 3
Goodfellas - 1990 - 3
Cinderella Man - 2005 - 4
Oil Storm - 2005 - 3
Howl's Moving Castle - 2004 - 5
Mr. and Mrs. Smith - 2005 - 3
Batman Begins - 2005 - 4
Land Of The Dead - 2005 - 2
War Of The Worlds - 2005 - 4
Flight Of The Phoenix - 1965 - 4
Dark Water - 2005 - 3
The Island - 2005 - 4
Charlie and the Choclate Factory - 2005 - 3
Four Brothers - 2005 - 4
Skeleton Key - 2005 - 3
Red Eye - 2005 - 4
Corpse Bride - 2005 - 4
Excorcism Of Emily Rose - 2005 - 5
Wallace and Gromit - 2005 - 5
History Of Violence - 2005 - 4
North Country - 2005 - 4
Fail Safe - 1964 - 4
Saw II - 2005 - 4
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - 2005 - 4
The Girl Next Door - 2004 - 3
Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire - 2005 - 4
Meet The Fockers - 2004 - 2
Capote - 2005 - 4
Walk The Line - 2005 - 4
Excorcist: The Beginning - 2004 - 3
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - 1966 - 4
Dear Frankie - 2004 - 4
Millions - 2004 - 4
Munich - 2005 - 4
Syriana - 2005 - 5

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