Welcome to my recap of the first half of 2005 at the movies, this is for all films seen theatrically between 1/1/05 and 6/31/05. First up are a few facts and figures regarding those films and trips to the theater. The figures consist of all theatrical viewings, but the "Best of" lists below are culled only from the eligible films. I have discounted films released in 2004 or earlier, there are a few that are eligible based on their initial release being in the US this year.One thing I realized as I was putting this together, there have been some really good films, yet few memorable performances. I had a heck of a time to compiling the actor lists. Hopefully the second half will pick up the pace.
The rankings could change at any time, without notice.
Number of trips to the theater: 77Number of movies seen: 73Number of films eligible for the lists: 59Longest Film: Downfall at 150 minutesShortest film: Madagascar at 80 minutesAverage length: 108 minutesBy MPAA Rating:Number of R rated films: 23Number of PG-13 rated films: 36Number of PG rated films: 7Number of G rated films: 1Number of Unrated films: 10By Primary Genre (Decided by me):Action: 8Animated: 3Anime: 1Comedy: 12Documentary: 6Drama: 11Foreign: 14Horror: 10Musical: 2Science Fiction: 4Suspense/Thriller: 6Now here is the real reason you're reading this, the best of lists, sure to be controversial, just keep in mind these are merely my opinions.Top 10 Movies of the First Half:
- Sin City. I saw this twice, and am really looking forward to the DVD release. This is an absolutely phenomenal film. It is unlike anything I have seen for some time. Striking style, over the top performances, and an ensemble cast combine to make this the best I've seen this year. ****
- Crash. Not enough people have seen this strong work. Another ensemble cast that takes you to the edge, reels you back in, just to take you out again. I wasn't prepared for how good this film was. ****
- Batman Begins. They finally got the Bat right. Great cast, interesting story, and on top of that great characters, especially Christian Bale as Batman. ****
- Kung Fu Hustle. This was absolute insanity, laugh out loud funny, and insanely silly. Tex Avery come to life, with kung fu. ****
- Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. While it does bring up questions and inconsistencies within the series, but this was the prequel we were waiting for. Great action, effects, and surprisingly a couple of very good performances. ***.5
- Head On. I am sure I did not get all of the subtext, but this was an amazing film about two very, very damaged people. Very moving, and disturbing. ***.5
- Millions. Danny Boyle follows up his revisionist zombie film with a wonderful family film. A touching tale about doing the right thing. ***.5
- 3 Iron. This is a quietly surreal tale from Korea. Virtually no dialogue, yet a very strong connection is made between the two leads. ***.5
- War of the Worlds. This could easily be picked apart, but a certain viewpoint opens up the story and reveals a more personal film within the epic destruction. Plus some cool effects. ***.5
- In Good Company. This was a big surprise. A delightful comedy that isn't dumbed down, or overly shocking. It has some good acting, and is just fun to watch. ***.5
Top 5 Surprise Films:
- Hostage. I was shocked at how good this action/suspense film was. It was tightly wound, well paced, and was a perfect fit for Willis. ***
- House of Wax. Surprisingly, this was actually watchable. A throwback to the slasher films of the 1980's. **.5
- Assault on Precinct 13. Much like last year's Dawn of the Dead, a surprisingly good reimagining of a well regarded film from the 1970's. ***
- Land of the Dead. Never thought I would see another new Romero zombie movie, yet here we are. They just go well together. ***
- Mad Hot Ballroom. Absolutely delightful. This had me smiling from start to finish, a documentary about inner city kids in a ballroom dancing competition. ***.5
Bottom 5 Films: (descending order)
- The Ring Two. Very disappointing sequel, I expected more from the director of the Japanese original. *.5
- The Amityville Horror. I wasn't much of a fan of the original movie, and this wasn't much better. *.5
- A Lot Like Love. What an annoying couple of people. Poor acting, poor dialogue. But it was fun to goof on. *.5
- White Noise. A film shouldn't break it's own rules, it shouldn't cut away from every character developing moment before it develops. I feel bad for Michael Keaton, first this, then Herbie. *.5
- Alone in the Dark. Uwe Boll is awful. I knew that going in, and I still went. I am sad. *
Top 5 Actors:
- Christian Bale (Batman Begins). Bale completely inhabits this role, bringing a grounded reality to the dual personality of our hero. Great performance.
- Daniel Craig (Layer Cake). A subtle performance, crafting a portrait of a good bad guy.
- Sean Penn (The Interpreter). Another strong performance from Penn. What else can I say?
- Steven Chow (Kung Fu Hustle). A comedic gem. Kung fu loony toons brought to life, embodied in the wildly entertaining Chow.
- Russell Crowe (Cinderella Man). Seemed like a bit of an Oscar grab, but there is no denying the heart that Crowe brought to the role.
Top 5 Actresses:
- Nicole Kidman (The Interpreter). Much like Penn in the same film, another fine performance.
- Sibel Kikelli (Head On). Unapologetic and in your face, Sibel gives us a terribly fractured character searching for love.
- Aishwarya Rai (Bride & Prejudice). Strikingly beautiful, and funny, she is magnetic on the screen.
- Angelina Jolie (Mr. & Mrs. Smith). She was a lot of fun in this movie, it may not be high art, but she shows true star power.
- Sandra Bullock (Ms. Congeniality 2). A completely unnecessary film, but she is still a lot of fun in the role.
Top 5 Supporting Actors:
- Ian Mcdiarmid (Star Wars Episode III). In a film full of mediocre acting, Ian stood above them giving this layered portrayal of the most evil character in the Star Wars universe.
- Michael Caine (Batman Begins). Alfred has never made such an impact. Caine brings a great deal of weight to the role of a butler.
- Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man). It seems that he can do no wrong. Another wonderful character creation.
- Heath Ledger (Lords of Dogtown). A surprising turn, his performance as Skip was very good. I liked what he brought to the movie.
- Tie: Ewan McGregor (Star Wars Episode III) and Gary Oldman (Batman Begins). Obi-Wan or Gordon? Two excellent performances, I couldn't decide.
Top 5 Supporting Actresses:
- Hee Jae (3 Iron). Completely silent and totally mesmerizing.
- Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds). It is unbelievable how good she is, this is no exception.
- Renee Zellweger (Cinderella Man). A touching performance, amongst the Oscar grab of film, she was still very good.
- Thandie Newton (Crash). What her character goes through is amazing. She really pulls it off too.
- Scarlett Johansson (In Good Company). A small role, but a pivotal one for a few other characters in her life.
Top 5 Directors:
- Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins). Strong film, great cast, excellent story, plus character growth. This exceeded my expectations, and Nolan really holds it all together.
- Paul Haggis (Crash). Weaving an incredible web of interlocking stories, Haggis takes to the edge just to pull you back in stylish fashion.
- Robert Rodriguez (Sin City). Unlike anything you are likely to see, Rodriguez (along with Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino) deliver a film featuring a gorgeously unique vision.
- Steven Spielberg (War of the Worlds). Flawed, yet intriguing reworking of the Wells tale. An epic tale brought down to a personal level.
- Danny Boyle (Millions). Not only has he mastered the Brit-gangster and revisionist zombie films, he tackles the family film and knocks it out of the park.
Random Notables:
- Special Effects. Sin City was an effect, but seriously, Episode III has some top notch work.
- Ensemble Casts. The top two films on my list feature fine ensemble casts.
- Best Acting by a Zombie. Eugene Clark as Big Daddy in Land of the Dead.
- Impossible Ending Award. High Tension, the ending could not happen, period.
- Best movie with most mediocre cast. Episode III, bad acting, good acting, very good movie.
- Horrific Horror Movies. What is it with all of these lousy horror movies? It is tough being a fan of horror, there are so many bad ones out there.
Visit me at Draven99's Musings.
Article comments
1 - Tan The Man
I think Sin City and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith are a little too high on your list (Episode III especially). Although Sin City was a good movie.
2 - Martha My Dear
Batman Begins has been the best big-budget film of the year, by far.
3 - Blue Blooded Hound Dog
Crappy year so far. Batman Begins and Crash are my top 2.
4 - Nick Jones
Although I haven't seen many films this year, Sin City is at the top of my list. I'd give it a top score, except that I felt the Bruce Willis segments were weaker than the rest of the film.
Has anyone else noticed the the amorality of Cruise's character in The War of the Worlds? You can dismiss my contention by saying that he was only protecting his family, stealing an SUV and using a gun, but why does just stand and watch as his teenage son does the heroic thing and help his neighbor and her daughter get on the ferry? Why no emotion or regret for killing a man whose only transgression was being terrified? It makes me think the crying scene was more about self-pity than fear.
5 - luke
i totally agree about the Aishwarya Rai listing.......... can't wait to see more of her - the film sucked - but i was taken with her acting and beauty. did i mention HOT ! LD
6 - visualsimplicity
Scarlett's small role in In Good Company had me swooning a bit too. I agree with your subtle choice. However, you spelled her name wrong. :) It's Johansson.
7 - visualsimplicity
And Scarlett with 2 t's.
8 - Chris Beaumont
Thanks, fixed it. I can never remember how to spell her name!
I also stand by my Sin City and Ep III rankings. They may change over time, but at the time of compilking this, that is where they fell!
9 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
great stuff Chris. i would maybe have Downfall in the top 10, but as you say, its all about the Personal. i'm looking forward to catching 3-Iron. I still haven't seen The Isle either...
10 - Chris Beaumont
Downfall is a great film, but one that was discounted for this (2005) list as it was up for best foreign language film of 2004. Else it had a shot at making it. Oldboy sort of fell in the same boat, being released prior to 2005. KFH made it as it had a pretty big US debut this year despite it being a 2004 film.
11 - Triniman
My top 10 list so far has some commonality but more differences. In no particular order:
Hotel Rwanda
Crash
Revenge of the Sith
Sin City
Batman Begins
Million Dollar Baby
Tarnation
Bad Education
Old Boy
Cinderella Man
Disappointing / worst films that I've seen:
War of the Worlds
Fantastic Four
Hostage
The Interpreter
Land of the Dead
Guess Who
Robots
Sahara
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Elektra
Films I haven't seen that I will:
Downfall
Millions
In Good Company
12 - Chris Beaumont
Good lists, 5 of your top ten weren't eligible for mine due to their initial release being last year or earlier: Hotel Rwanda (number 5 on my 2004 final list), Million Dollar Baby (not in top 10), Tarnation (Interesting use of multimedia, but that was about it), Bad Education (number 3 on my foreign language list, Old Boy.
I'm curious to see how you would split the worst and disappointing films? They could be very different lists.
I tried to base my eligibles on Oscar eligibility.
13 - geevis
I agree with your assessmeny of movies and human resources associated with it. Aishwarya rai is indeed magnetic and all charisma in her movies. A good plot and good director brings out the best in her without skin show or anything which stops you going for a movie with your mother.
14 - Triniman
I think certain films get released later in Canada. I'm sure I saw Hotel Rwanda on opening night, like I do with most films. Ditto for Million Dollar Baby. MDB had a limited release in late 2004 and a wide release in January, 2005.
Yes, the worst and disappointing films would be two distinct lists. I just lumped them together to save time. I would put War of the Worlds on the disappointing list but not on the worst list. Sahara and Mr. and Mrs. Smith would go on the worst list. Anyways, that's all for another discussion.
15 - Chris Beaumont
Makes sense.
I loved WotW, especially after my perspective on the story changed. The Smiths was an absolute blast, popcorn cinema at it's finest. And Sahara, well I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, I thought it was a fun, but highly forgettable adventure, it was better than National Treasure, but that doesn't say much.
16 - sean
Totally agree with aishwarya rai being in the top 5 actresses. Apart from being stunningly beautifully, she is also a really good actress.
17 - Bob A. Booey
I don't know much about that Aishwarya woman and I don't think she'll make it huge in Hollywood, but I saw her 60 Minutes interview and came away so impressed by her. I know it probably boosts one's confidence to be called the world's "most beautiful woman" and to be adored as a goddess in one of the largest nations on Earth, but she was so self-possessed, intelligent, vibrant and confident that she almost had a beatific air about her. Hollywood actresses are all a bundle of neurotic self-doubt masquerading as sexual energy while this woman had a regal air about her. She's not the most physically beautiful woman I've ever seen (maybe my tastes aren't as exotic as yours), but she's pretty damn hot and she's positively magnetic. I don't know how she comes across on the screen, but watch an interview with her, and you'll be ready to join her cult like I am.
Yeah, so I think I love her.
Who else have you all been really impressed by in interviews? She was the most impressive person I've seen since Marilyn Manson in that Michael Moore movie. I don't really care for his music that much, but he's a very bright guy.
That is all.
18 - Oscar
So far this year, I'd say the following are the worst films out there:
Aviator
Miss Congeniality 2
The Dukes of Hazard
19 - Chris Beaumont
Just a note: Aviator was a 2004 film.