As the last of CB's staff writers to get their top ten in I suspect mine is the most obligatory of the group. I'm not very good at pulling together these types of lists. I'm a numbers kind of guy and prefer to bring you the sorts of top tens that deal with box office sales. Still, as a reviewer I have an opinion and in my not-sufficiently -humble opinion these were some of the best movies put out this year and the ten that I enjoyed the most.
There were a lot of really great movies produced this year but a whole bunch of garbage was foisted on us as well. I don't think that's the reason the box office took a huge hit. No, I blame that on ridiculously high ticket prices (if you don't believe me, check out DVD sales). Still, as long as Hollywood is cranking out the films there will always be bad movies. If you're looking for a list of films you may have missed this year and want some guidance for your next trip to the rental story, I offer these recommendations with my highest regard.
1. Crash
Director: Paul Haggis Writer: Paul Haggis, Robert Moresco Starring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Dashon Howard, Ludacris, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe, Tony Danza
Each year (if I'm lucky) there's one movie that actually moves me to tears and leaves me feeling like I've been punched in the gut. Crash not only achieved that, it got me thinking about all sorts of issues, problems and relationships in a completely new light. Paul Haggis' writing and directing are rivaled only by the incredible performance of the best ensemble cast this year. Too bad there's not a category for that in the Academy Awards. There are no holds barred here. Political correctness is set aside in favor of complete honesty, and not in a smarmy, one sided, "better than thou" Bill Maher sort of way. The characters, mostly strangers, whose lives are symbolically and inescapably linked, sometimes by the thinnest threads, are confronted with racism, drug abuse, family relationships and social issues. How they handle them is eye opening and painfully sincere and moving. In the same way that no movie came close to topping Star Wars for box office cash, no movie came close to topping this for being the best movie of the year.
2. Pride and Prejudice
Director: Joe Wright Writer: Deborah Moggach Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland
Jane Austen purists may hate it because it's not a line for line retelling of the story on film, but to me that's a big part of what made the interminable BBC version hard for a lot of people to get into. As an adaptation it holds to the spirit of the story and created one of the best Jane Austen films to date. Not only is the wit and intelligence of the dialogue on the forefront, the depth of the characters and the complexities of their interactions are preserved perfectly from the book. To boot, the directing and acting are spot on and the cinematography is stunning. To dismiss it because you don't think it's worthy of Austen or the novel is terribly short sighted. If that statement doesn't get me in trouble, this one probably will: while I loved Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy, I like Matthew Macfadyen's even more. Have I rocked the boat enough? I don't mind. I'm all too happy to defend the movie's greatness.
3. Oliver Twist
Director: Roman Polanski Writer: Charles Dickens, Ronald Harwood Starring: Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark, Leanne Rowe, Jamie Foreman, Harry Eden, Mark Strong, Edward Hardwick
Yeah, yeah, there's been dozens of versions of this story made into movies already but this is arguably one of the best. It could be that I'm excited about it simply because it was one of the few movies made in the last couple of years that didn't insult Ben Kingsley as an actor, but there's more to the movie than just giving Kingsley a chance to show off his artisitc brilliance. It's brilliantly acted, beautifully designed and reasonably faithful to the original story. If there's one movie on this list that I had to say was my most snobbish selection, it would be this. It's hardly the kind of movie that the average Joe would probably enjoy (unlike Pride and Prejudice which anyone could love). If you need a rapid pace, tons of action, sarcastic humor and lots of explosions to get through a movie (or have a general hatred for all things Roman Polanski) then you would consider this one of the best sleeping aids of 2005. If you can enjoy a well crafted movie for it's subtleties or revel in wonderful period sets, costumes and acting styles then you'll agree this belongs among the top ten for the year.
4. Cinderella Man
Director: Ron Howard Writer: Cliff Hollingsworth, Charlie Mitchell, Akiva Goldsman Starring: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Connor Price, and Craig Bierko.
I'm not ashamed to say this was the biggest surprise for me this year. I really didn't think I was going to like it. I'm usually not a big fan of depression era films and even less of a fan for boxing flicks. Russell Crowe was overdue for a boring role and every preview I saw for the movie got me about as a excited as a kid who just found out he was having liver and onions for dinner. Turns out this is not only one of my all time favorite depression era films it also turned out to be less a boxing film and more a drama about the fight a man leads to keep his family together. Throw in the increasingly amazing Paul Giamatti, a really cool way to represent what it's like to be a fighter in the ring, and you've got me left hooked and down for the count.
5. Elizabethtown
Director: Cameron Crowe Writer: Cameron Crowe Starring: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin, Bruce McGill, Judy Greer, Jessica Biel, Paul Schneider
Who knew Orlando Bloom knew how to do something more than look pretty, swing a sword and memorize lines in Elvish. A lot of people I talked to found the movie really boring and too stream of consciousness. I'll give them that. To me though, Cameron Crowe's look at family and figuring out life struck close to home. I grew up fairly isolated from my loving extended family, most of whom live in West Virginia, and their odd local culturalisms but tight knit family bonds remind me a lot of what Bloom's character's family was like. I love a good road trip, especially when it's just a CD and I've even had a complete emotional breakdown on the highway, screaming into the steering wheel at 75 mph. OK, maybe I've been a little too honest, but I imagine most people can find something familiar and nostalgic about the movie's story. If not, I suspect you're not looking deep enough or at the very least not letting yourself revel in the joy of watching someone else discover some of the most important things about love and life.
6. March of the Penguins
Director: Luc Jacquet Writer: Luc Jacquet, Michel Fessler; narration written by Jordan Roberts Starring: Assorted penguins, Morgan Freeman (narrator)
I completely missed this in theaters and now I really regret it. What I saw on DVD must have looked really breath taking on the big screen. Penguins are really cute, but that's only the tip of the iceberg with the movie. Despite the fact that some of the story applies a little too much human emotion onto the little guys, it's still a beautifully crafted film about some of the most amazing animals on the planet. The score and cinematography are some of the best this year and the poetry with which with story of the penguins is told moved me. I firmly believe there's a lot we can learn by watching nature, and though this kind of movie gives a very filtered perspective, it's still a rare chance to observe a part of our world most of us will never have the opportunity to see in person. While it made some impressive amounts of money at the box office, second highest all time sales for a documentary, I just wish it could have earned more. There would have been something very satisfying about seeing Michael Moore dethroned by a nature flick.
7. Stay
Director: Marc Forster Writer: David Benioff Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Naomi Watts, Bob Hoskins, Kate Burton, Elizabeth Reaser, Janeane Garofalo, B.D. Wong
Originality. I love it. Remakes, gratuitous sequels and TV show adaptations are among my biggest pet peeves. When a movie throws caution to the wind in favor of realizing a really unique idea, I'm in. Stay not only had the kind of mysterious marketing that I think makes for a more enjoyable cinema experience, it blew me away with the bold and fearless treatment it gave to its rather original plotline. I suppose what I loved the most was the way it kept me guessing. I'm usually pretty good at predicting where a movie is going, especially these days since Hollywood doesn't make it terribly hard to do. With this film I would formulate what I thought was going on, only to be completely wrong and utterly unable to figure out where it was headed next. I enjoyed that sensation and appreciate the lengths director Marc Forster went to create it.
8. Madagascar
Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath Writer: Mark Burton, Billy Frolick Starring: VOICE - Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Christopher Knights, Andy Richter
My two year old nephew and I don't have a lot in common when it comes to the movies we enjoy (I confess I've never really gotten into Bob the Builder) but the fact that both of us love Madagascar makes me smile. Of course, we like it for completely different reasons. I appreciate the more subtle humor while he loves the fact that there's a zebra and a lion who are best friends. We both love the lemurs though, and it's nice to know there's a movie we can watch together any time. As theater experiences go this one has a special place in my heart. A good friend of mine went to see this on a lark one early afternoon and found ourselves in a theater full of parents and kids under the age of five. In a silly way it was a lot of fun to be the only ones laughing when that crocodile snaps up the sweet little duckling in an almost ballet-like way or when the king lemur replies "who wipes?" without missing a beat.
9. Casanova
Director: Lasse Hallström Writer: Jeffrey Hatcher, Kimberly Simi, Michael Cristofer Starring: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Oliver Platt, Lena Olin, Omid Djalili
It's smart, funny, irreverently witty, has some entertaining (albeit often completely unrealistic) sword play and features some of the most incredible sets and costumes of any film this year. A lot of people are annoyed at the levity and fictionalization that went into telling the story of a man who really lived, but after seeing the end of the movie I think it's a smart way to get around being too historically inaccurate. OK, that sounds a bit enigmatic, but if you see the movie you'll know exactly what I mean. At the very least I was grateful to see that Heath Ledger wasn't returning to his Knight's Tale roots but instead was continuing to expand his palette of roles. I was also grateful to see him passionately pursuing a member of the opposite sex, but that's a matter of personal preference I suppose.
10. Hostage
Director: Florent Emilio Siri Writer: Doug Richardson Starring: Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Jimmy Bennett, Michelle Horn, Ben Foster, Jonathan Tucker, Marshall Allman, Serena Scott Thomas, Rumer Willis
This is my "intangible" selection for the year. I really don't understand why I like this movie, but I just know I enjoy it so much that it deserves to be on my top ten for the year. Occasionally a movie comes along that I find myself able to watch over and over again without getting tired of it. Hostage is one of those films. Maybe it's seeing Bruce Willis in the kind of role he was born to play. Perhaps it's the perfect pacing or the way the thriller/dramatic elements blend together. I imagine it could be the excellent and eerie performance from Ben Foster or the really cool architecture of the house or the odd yet inspired sound track. No matter what it is about this movie that I can't quite put my finger on that makes it one of my top ten, I'm unapologetic about it being there.
Great Stuff that just missed the cut:
Millions
King Kong
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
The Family Stone
Fantastic Four
The Island
Just in case you were wondering:
The Pacifier may not be the year's most terrible movie on a technical level but it was the most painful one in my book. I'm convinced the filmmakers were out to create a disaster, a task they themselves found entertaining and humorous. If you don't believe me, just listen to their commentary on the DVD.
