the original Top 10 Films of 2005 thread- Page 2

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 10:22pm

Since there is so much that hasn't opened yet, I'll just do my top five of the moment:

Pride and Prejudice
The Constant Gardner
Goodnight and Goodluck
Shop Girl
A History of Violence

[Kringas]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 3:44am

Actually My House in Umbria was a tv movie. From 2003.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 4:57am

It was released theatrically in the UK at least.

[RobbO]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 8:57am

i get really jealous when i see lists like these. do you think it will be okay to have a non-movie boyfriend (which i have) and a movie boyfriend (so i can actually go see movies) ?

i have no problem going alone but still...

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 11:28am

(not in order, but prob. the top 10:)

Capote
The Constant Gardener
Pride and Prejudice
Good Night, and Good Luck
Walk the Line
Shopgirl
Cinderella Man
March of the Penguins
Crash
A History of Violence

honorable mentions:
Broken Flowers
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
Proof

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 5:38pm

Walk the Line is the year's best film, for me. It was incredible, mainly thanks to Reese Witherspoon's revelatory, unspeakably phenomenal performance. If you ask me, the best performance since and possibly including Charlize Theron's groundbreaking, historic performance in Monster.

2. Crash (just a phenomenal film on every level
3. March of the Penguins (wildly entertaining and insightful)
4. Red Eye (the best thriller in years...it was campy, frightening, and Rachel McAdams was incredible)
5. Cinderella Man (Ron Howards best work...Renee and Russell were great)
6. Batman Begins (dark, scary, intelligent, and one of the best superhero movies ever made...undeniably the best of the Batman films)
7. Star Wars Episode III (the best of the Star Wars "episodes"...a great movie)
8. Wallace and Grommit (loved every second of it...the best animated movie since Finding Nemo)
9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (tried neither to be better than or to be as good as the original, but it was still a great, visually stunning movie...if it doesnt win the Oscar for Art Direction.....)
10. Fever Pitch (a great comedy...witty, smart and adorable) and In Her Shoes (MacClaine, Diaz, and Collette were all incredible in the best chick-flick in nearly a decade)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 5:39pm

Following Plum's lead, Movies I Didn't Hate:

A History of Violence
Capote
Wallace & Gromit
Constant Gardener
March of the Penguins
Mysterious Skin
Harry Potter
Jarhead
Gay Sex in the 1970s

(and add me to the list of Crash haters)

The list is subject to change depending on what I think of Brokeback Mountain, The Producers, Munich, Memoirs of A Geisha, Syriana, Match Point, Chronicles of Narnia, King Kong et al

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 9:50pm

movies I remember seeing this year, and their corresponding letter grade

The 40 Year old Virgin A- (hilarious)
Batman Begins A (Christian Bale is my GOD)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory C- (a disappointing attempt from both Johnny and Tim)
The Constant Gardener A+ (A truly heartbreaking film with enormous Oscar potential)
Crash A- (obviously I'm in the love it category. Suprising performances from Bullock and Fraser and the ever phenomenal Cheadle really make this film)
Fantastic 4 D ( pointless movie made only a means for a sequel, had potential but squandered it)
Flight Plan C+ (another movie with great potential, and great actors but a silly ending ruined all the pluses it had going for it)
Good Night and Good Luck A+ (Cinematography alone earns it a high review, then add the acting and direction and you have an A+ film)
Harry Potter and... B- (Biggest disappointment, for me, of the year. The acting was quite good, especially Daniel in the graveyard, but the cutting of so much really damaged the integrity for me, and thus, my ability to enjoy the film)
Hitchhikers Guide... B (For someone who has never read the book, the movie was quite enjoyable)
Proof C (ok, HP wasn't the biggest disappointment, this was. Gwenyth Paltrow was wrong for the role, the changing of the story was not a plus, but A's for performance to Hope, Anthony and Jake)
sin City A- (i'm a geek, and the movie was perfect, almost)
Starwars Ep. 3 B (suprisingly good movie in what had been an extremely lack luster series of prequels)
The Upside of Anger A (truly amazing performance from Joan, not that her being amazing was a shock. A somewhat sappy story, but performed and filmed in a beautiful way).
War of the Worlds B- I enjoyed it, but I am a global destruction Sci-fi geek, oh and Dakota Fanning is my lover, even though she's like half my age)

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 10:19pm

Okay, Reese was lovely in WALK THE LINE, but to say her performance was on the same level as Charlize Theron's in MONSTER is a little much. June Carter Cash is a limited role to say the least. Witherspoon played it for all it was worth, but she was hardly called upon to deliver complexities anywhere near Theron's role. She sings real purty, though, I'll give her bonus points for that.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 10:22pm

I thought Reese was incredible.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 11:39pm

I found Reese to be decent - but nowhere along the lines of Theron.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 11:46pm

Reachel Weisz' performance in Constant Gardener stands out for me as the best female performance of the year so far.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/19/05 at 11:56pm

Definitely the best supporting female performance of the year.

For me, Julianne Moore is still the best, in THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO. I also thought Gwynneth Paltrow was amazing in PROOF.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 12:31am

I second or third Rachel Weisz as best supporting performance I've seen this year.

This has been a relatively weak year for leading actresses -- but I thought Gwenyth Paltrow (PROOF), and Keira Knightly (P&P), both had a lot more to play with then Witherspoon. June Carter just wasn't that interesting a role, IMO.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 1:30am

And let's not forget Claire Danes for SHOPGIRL, Charlize Theron for NORTH COUNTRY, Ziyi Zhang for MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, Radha Mitchell in MELINDA AND MELINDA, Joan Allen in THE UPSIDE OF ANGER, and Judi Dench's upcoming MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS, which looks hysterical.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 1:31am

I hope Radha Mitchell isnt overlooked at the end of the year. She was superb in that film. Particularly in this season.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 2:00am

Whoa, I've only seen a couple of those out of everything listed! I've got some catching up to do!

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 2:27am

Gwyneth brought zero subtley to a character that is all about subtlety

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 2:30am

That character in Proof is not that subtle if you ask me.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 2:32am

I hate how behind I am on my movies... I used to see EVERYTHING.... but this year has been pretty rough.

So I've only seen far three movies that I would classify as the best of 2005:

~Crash (Grade: A: Brilliant performances and script and fine direction from Paul Haggis. I'd love to see Matt Dillon or Sandra Bullock get supporting actor recognition... or even Thandie Newton or Terrence Howard-He has been one of the year's true revelations.)
~Jarhead (Grade: A: I don't understand why this is getting so many negative reviews. First of all, Sam Mendes is, in my opinion, one of the best directors working in Hollywood today, and I pray he gets his hands on the film version of "Sweeney." The script by William Broyles Jr. was wonderfully real, and the story itself is fascinating... just the brutal training these soldiers received to make them first class killing machines... the murderous rage that developed... and the inability to release it. Truly fascinating. Critics complained that it didn't take a side politically... did it need to?? Why should it have been made into some kind of parable about the current Irag War. It was an adaption of Swofford's memoir and I damn good one. Also, the performances were all top-notch. Jake Gylenhaal has a great chance at his first Oscar nomination, as does Peter Saarsgard, who continues to impress me onscreen, and Jamie Foxx could get Oscar number 2.)
~Sin City (Grade: A-: Sure it's a big, loud action movie... but it is the most beautifully photgraphed big, loud action movie I've EVER seen. This should lockdown the cinematography Oscar in my opinion, although Roger Deakins work on Jarhead was also top-notch. It was such an original concept, translating the graohic novel to the screen to look like the graphic novel onscreen. I also think that the performances in the film have been sorely over-looked with Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke. Elijah Wood is also incredibly spine-chilling as the canniblaistic murderer, although Benicio del Toro as the crooked cop whose head becomes a prop of major importance is my favorite.)
I saw "Good Night and Good Luck," but I saw it way late at night after a long and upsetting day, so my mind was elsewhere. I'm sure after I see it again I will be able to add it to the list. "Batman Begins" was also wonderfully well-done, but not what I could call the best of the year. There are so many movies I still need to see... Cinderella Man, Broken Flowers, History of Violence, The Constant Gardener, Proof, Walk the Line, Capote, and Shopgirl. So I'll have a longer list soon.

On a side note, I just saw the "Munich" trailer for the first time yesterday... and now I'm even more excited for this. My favorite director teaming up with Tony Kushner... how could I not be looking forward to it.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 8:57am

The best female performance I have seen this year (so far) has got to be Keira Knightly in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, closely followed by Liv Ullmann in SARABAND.

Rachel Weisz and Catherine Keener are tied for best supporting female performance.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is the best male performance.

Oh, and WALK THE LINE can be added to my "best list". I saw it yesterday and absolutely adored it.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 9:30am

I have the feeling Jarhead might be getting some of its negative reviews from people who were expecting a war movie that was centered, in the traditional way, on battle scenes, rather than on the interminable wait for something to do.

Of course, it's not geting released in the UK until January, so I'll have to wait until I get back to the U.S. to talk about it. :)

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 10:41am

The reason that I didn't like JARHEAD was not because of its lack of battle scenes - I didn't like it because it's an unfocused, overlong pointless bore.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 10:46am

YES!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 10:47am

Well, I guess the tribe has spoken...

I also hated CRASH.