Top 10 Movies of 2005

Well this was certainly an interesting year at the theater. Overall ticket sales took a big hit this year as DVD and home theater sales soared to new heights, while studio executives continued to bury their heads in the sand from an evolving industry and assume that the product simply wasn’t up to snuff. Well I’m here to present a list of ten films that pose a pretty big argument against that sentiment. Without further ado, I give to you my top 10 movies of the year.

10 Walk the Line
I’ve never really been that into Johnny Cash’s music, and biopics do not usually top my must-see list, so although I was interested to see the reportedly phenomenal performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, I did not expect to like Walk the Line as much as last year’s Ray. What the promotion didn’t tell me was that this film forgoes the usual “greatest hits” approach to biopics and is instead a love story. Few on-screen romances feel as earned as the one presented here, and I felt genuinely happy when Johnny and June finally work things out.

9 Jarhead
Despite what you may have heard, this movie is not anti-war or pro-war, and it takes no overt political stances. It’s simply one man’s account of his experiences during the first Gulf War. What you bring away from it depends entirely on what you bring with you into the theater in the first place. Myself, I saw a very eye-opening discussion on what happens when a person is trained to be a killer and how that affects them when they have nothing to kill. It’s also one hell of a beautifully shot film. Who knew there was so much to see in the middle of the desert?

8 Elizabethtown
The most critically lambasted film on my list. I’ll be the first to admit that Elizabethtown is self-indulgent and completely unrealistic, but it’s also the most honest and personal film I saw this year. This one tanked at the box office, but I’m willing to bet that anyone who watches this movie with un-jaded eyes will fall as hopelessly in love with it as director Cameron Crowe is with his record collection.

7 War of the Worlds
Somewhere in the past few months it became fashionable to trash this film even though it was widely praised by critics and scored the summer’s second highest box office take. It might not hold up quite as well outside of the visceral theater experience, and yeah the ending sucks, but this is classic Spielberg here, which even on an off day tops pretty much every other blockbuster filmmaker ever. I see this one becoming for kids today what Jurassic Park was for my generation.

6 Sin City
If you took a quick look at all the films on this list, you’ll notice that I have a predilection towards movies that are visually stimulating. If I was making the list solely on that criteria, there’s a good chance this one would top it. Put simply, this is the coolest movie I’ve seen in a long time, and while it might not have the depth of say Schindler’s List, I’ll bet you find yourself revisiting it quite a bit more. For anyone with a love of classic cinema and a strong stomach.

5 The Constant Gardener
By far the best of this year’s smart, political films, The Constant Gardener is much more than your run of the mill Oscar-baiting Hollywood “liberal porn”. It’s equal parts murder mystery, love story, and scathing criticism of the world’s military industrial complex (in this case focusing on the prescription drug industry), which if I’ve done my math right should provide something of interest for just about everyone. While other recent films mining similar material had me checking the time and fidgeting in my seat, this one kept my eyes glued to the screen the entire time and offered incentive for me to keep up with it.

4 Oldboy
The first of two cheats on my list. It opened in the US in 2005, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s eligible. This movie is a hand grenade. It goes off without warning leaving death and devastation in its wake. The less you know about it going in, the better. Just know that you are not prepared for this movie (which is what makes for such a great experience). Imagine David Fincher’s Korean counterpart directing a revenge movie that would make the Bride’s roaring rampage of revenge from Kill Bill look about as vicious as a housecat. I’ll say no more, just trust me on this one. (note: The DVD default is dubbed English audio. I highly recommend switching to Korean audio with English subtitles).

3 Batman Begins
Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a huge comic book fan. Well, in this fan’s opinion, this is about as perfect a superhero movie as you can make. First forget everything you remember from the last two Batman movies. Then forget everything you remember from the first two. This one trumps them all. I still love the operatic take on Batman from Tim Burton’s 1989 film, but Begins does a much better job of capturing the character and the world of the comic. Anyone who’s getting sick of the comic movies, but liked the Spider-man and X-Men movies should definitely put this on their list to see.

2 Layer Cake
If you like Guy Ritchie’s gangster films (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch), chances are you’ll like the directorial debut of his producer, Matthew Vaughn. What I did not see coming was how much better I’d like Layer Cake than those films. Since Reservoir Dogs, there have been more Tarantino clones than you can shake a severed ear at. Vaughn is the first follower I’ve seen who actually approaches QT’s flash and style without overtly ripping him off. Before seeing Layer Cake I was disappointed that Vaughn left the production of the third X-Men movie. After seeing it, I was downright devastated. On the bright side, my favorite movie mutants are not going to be needed to have me eagerly awaiting this young director’s next effort.

1 Corpse Bride
When I reviewed this in September, I called it the best movie I had seen all year, but to be perfectly honest I did not expect it to top this list. Admittedly Corpse Bride probably has the most narrow appeal of any film on this list, so as far as recommendations go, I’d feel more comfortable steering people towards the other movies on here. In all honesty I don’t even remember the film that well, but I do know that there was no other movie this year that I walked away from as head-over-heels in love with. After watching The Nightmare Before Christmas again this past Halloween and enjoying it every bit as much as I did the first time, I have little doubt that Tim Burton’s latest masterpiece will see the inside of my DVD player just as much. What can I say? I’m just a sucker for dead girls constructed out of clay dancing to Danny Elfman music.