2005 Films

I watched Brokeback Mountain last night, so, even though there's still plenty I haven't seen, I feel like I can do a tentative list of my favorite films of last year. Emphasis on favorite--not necessarily the "best" films (what does that even mean?), but the ones I enjoyed the most. Or at least some combination of the two.

1. Oldboy - One of the best movies of the 21st century so far.
2. Kung Fu Hustle - The greatest Kung Fu flick of all time.
3. Cigarrette Burns - As nice as it is to have Romero back, it's even better having John Carpenter back, which he most certainly is on this. Working from a great script full of dread, gore and general geekiness from first-time (I think) screenwriters Drew "Moriarty" McWeeney and Scott Swan, Carpenter does his best work since In the Mouth of Madness. At least.
4. Hustle and Flow - Everyone likes this movie, but I think they underestimate how great it is, because it's so enjoyable, and has the seemingly corny theme of following your dreams. Everything about this movie is great: the performances, the songs, the blues-y incidental music, the sense of place. I would say this is a better Rocky than Rocky, but maybe that's because I have more interest in hip hop than boxing.
5. A History of Violence - An absolutely perfect noir drama (with occasional kickass action sequences) from David Cronenberg.
6. The Aristocrats - Brilliant examination of the art of comedy.
7. Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Slightly less great than The Wrong Trousers, but that's a pretty high standard.
8. Grizzly Man - Funny, touching, scary, true.
9. Where the Truth Lies - Twisted noir centered around Rat Pack entertainers, with lots of wild sex (including a lesbian scene with a girl dressed as Alice in Wonderland). In other words, made for me!
10. Land of the Dead - Not my favorite of the Dead series, but a pretty kickass examination of class issues in Bush's America. Hard to believe this was made BEFORE Katrina.
11. Rize - Not the best-made documentary, but contains some of my favorite images of the year.
12. Brokeback Mountain
13. The Squid and the Whale - Two good dramas that I don't have much to say about.
14. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - Enthralling examination of corporate America, and of soulless people that honestly believe that money is the only thing that matters. There is seriously something wrong with these people, these dead souls. I should probably do a post just about this movie.
15. Batman Begins - I liked Kong OK, but if I had to pick a blockbuster from this year, I go with this one.

Also liked: Good Night and Good Luck, The Constant Gardener, The 40 Year Old Virgin, King Kong, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, My Summer of Love.

Haven't Seen: Munich, Matchpoint, Syriana, Capote, Tsotsi (I'll probably count that as 2006), Hostel, March of the Penguins.

The Fucking Worst: Revenge of the Sith - I think this may be my least favorite movie of all time. I mean, there are some good things about the movie--in fact, I'd say there's only about 20 to 30 minutes of bad stuff. Unfortunately, those 20 minutes include the reveal of the Emperor, the death of Mace Windu, the turn of Anakin to the dark side, the Anakin/Obi Wan duel, the birth of the twins, the death of Padme, and the reveal of Darth Vader. In other words, every important plot point in the entire prequel trilogy. But the rest of the movie is fine. And now that I finally have that off my chest, I am never going to mention the ill-conceived prequel trilogy again. I promise.

No, really...