Dave's Top Ten of 2005 - Page 2

5. Good Night, and Good Luck

I was looking forward to George Clooney's sophmore effort ever since I heard he reversed his decision to never direct again after Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which made my top ten of 2002. Not only does he not disappoint, he fails to repeat himself. This is a tonally different film with a fundamentally different aesthetic (and I don't just mean the black and white). With Confessions, Clooney was showing off with different shooting styles and production design legerdemain (all of which served the story well, it should be noted). Here, the camera is the last thing you'll notice. Clooney is almost Altman-esque with his desire to get the camera out of the way and just let the actors be. It doesn't hurt that the story they tell is as riveting as it is relevant, though for my money its harshest indictment is of the media itself.

4. Sin City

And the black and white cavalcade continues, although here the purpose is not to put you back in time, but into another medium altogether. This is the most fully realized comic book film of all time. It uses the technology pioneered in Attack of the Clones and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to truly create a living graphic novel. By taking not only the aesthetic, but also the themes and tone of Frank Milller's classic (not to mention Frank himself, even though that co-director credit cost Rodriguez his DGA membership) and bringing them into the project, Rodriguez accomplishes more than just a technological novelty, he creates a powerfully-told story. And you can't really complain about the cast.

3. The Constant Gardener

It's rare that a film accomplishes so much on so many levels, but if anyone can do it, Fernando Meirelles can. There's the romantic aspect, which is the tragic story of a man trying to discover whether or not his wife loved him while simultaneously trying to figure out who killed her and why. There's the political aspect, whch acts as a violent older brother to The Girl in the Café, with a similar diplomat-has-a-mouthy-significant-other vibe. It's the political thriller arm of DATA. And visually, it's just as visceral and unforgiving as City of God, which put Meirelles' on this list (albeit retroactively) a few years ago.

Article Author: David Dylan Thomas

David Dylan Thomas is a Philly-based writer/filmmaker who opines voraciously about dem pictures what move on the screen at DavidDylanThomas.com.

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