2005 was not a good year for movies. Less people are going to the theatres, mainly because of the crappy selection of movies. With the box office being filled with sequels and remakes, I can’t say I blame them. There are still some movies I have to see, but for now here is my list of my favourite movies of the year.
DOMINO
MUNICH
RED EYE
WAR OF THE WORLDS
# 10. THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN
From the opening shot of a boner to the song at the end, this is one of the funniest movies in the last little while. Steve Carrell is one of the funniest men in Hollywood right now. He is perfect as Andy, the man who has gone through his life without experiencing sex. His new found friends find out and try to help him out. Paul Rudd, Romany Malco and Seth Rogen are great as David, Jay and Cal. The raunchy comedy never stops throughout the movie and will always have you laughing. “You know how I know you’re gay because you have a bumper sticker that says I like it when balls are in my face.” I love it!
# 9. MURDERBALL
Ever since I first got into rugby a few years back, I have always wanted to see a rugby movie. Well, there has yet to be one, but there’s an awesome documentary about wheelchair rugby (better known as Murderball). I thought this was the best documentary of the year and liked it even more than Fahrenheit 9/11 and Super Size Me. The real people in this movie are truly inspirational and the game, which is explained in the film, is a great game. I loved the Canada-U.S. rivilary, especially in the Paralympics, which got pretty heated. They really hate each other, which makes for some great entertainment in my books.
# 8. JARHEAD
Sam Mendes can do no wrong. First with American Beauty, then Road to Perdition and now Jarhead. His films are gorgeously shot and he can be said to be the greatest artist in Hollywood nowadays. Jake Gyllenhaal is great as Swoff, who wants to fight, but never gets the chance. Although this movie is hyped up as a war movie, there is little actual fighting. It deals primarily with the waiting aspect of modern warfare, which I though was the best part of the movie. The football scene was great to watch and the movie had a lot of decent comedy in it as well, but the best scene would have to be when the troops are watching Apoclaypse Now and cheering at every shot fired. Just great stuff.
# 7. WEDDING CRASHERS
Easily the funniest movie of the year. Vince Vaughn has taken his game to a whole new level. He’s untouchable right now. This is his best comedic performance second only to his performance in Swingers. The stuff he does in this movie: incredible. Owen Wilson is actually good in this movie and the duo create one of the most believable friendships ever on screen. Rachel McAdams is great as the objection of Wilson’s affection. This film wonderfully mixs all kinds of comedy, a great story with a solid love story and the britherhood of the two leads. I think that this is one of the best comedies in the last little while.
# 6. HOSTEL
Now, this movie may have been released in 2006, but I saw the unrated at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, so that’s why it’s on the list. Eli Roth has made his way onto my favourite writer/director list with this great grotesque film. Essentially, you can say that this movie is an unrated version of Eurotrip mixed with Saw. It starts out with 3 buddies backpacking around Europe, looking for girls and a fun time, but it ends on a completely different note. The last half of the movie shows some of the most goriest stuff ever put on film. It put Cabin Fever to shame with its grotesqueness. Beautful work, Eli.
# 5. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
This was my first David Cronenberg experience and I loved it. The story is fairly a simple tale of a chain of violent events that happen after a man kills 2 men, who try to rob his restaurant. Throw in a case of mistaken identity and you got one great story. Now, toss in Viggo Mortenson and Mario Bello in their best performances of their careers. Add the usual brilliance of Ed Harris and William Hurt and you got yourself one of the best movies of the year. The violence, the convincing story, the direction and the performance make this movie one of my favourites of the year.
# 4. BATMAN BEGINS
I have always been a huge Batman fan since the show starring Adam West. I actually enjoyed each and every Batman movie ever made. However, Christopher Nolan put all of the previous Batmans to shame with another awesome outing on his part. It is the darkest Batman ever and I loved every minute of it. Christan Bale is easily the best Batman ever. Sorry Adam West and Michael Keaton, but it’s true. The man delivered one of the best performances in a superhero movie ever. The story of the young Batman, which is very similar to the original comics, is simply amazing. The first hour can be said to be slow, but I loved the development and training of Bruce Wayne. I thought it was one of the best things in the movie. Another highlight of this movie is Cillian Murphy, who was excellent as the Scarecrow. I think that this movie has become my all time favourite superhero movie.
# 3. CRASH
One of my favourite movies of all time is American History X and most racial movies never come close to its greatness. That is, until Crash. It is one of the best racial movies, dealing with all kinds of racism in Los Angeles and not just white people discriminating against immigrants. It deals with racism between minorities, such as the Iraqi storekeeper and the Hispanic locksmith. Paul Higgins wrote a powerful script and directed with an ease that I have not seen in a movie for awhile. But a lot of the credit has to go to the huge cast, all of whom were excellent in their roles. A surprise was Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who showed me that there are some rappers, who can actually act, which news to me, (see my worst 10 movies of 2005). I don’t like racial movies for the racism, but for the fact that they generate some very powerful stuff about real life issues that are still present in our societies even nowadays.
# 2. KING KONG
Whatever Peter Jackson wants to do, let the man do it. First, he brings The Lord of the Rings trilogy to life and now he has made one of the best remakes in the history of filmmaking. Now, I still love the 1933 version, but, let’s be realistic here, it was definitely in need of a major face lift and that’s what Mr. Jackson did. The special effects are once again brilliant and this time, Kong is given emotion, (voiced by Andy Serkis, who has come into his own league in the last few years) and has more development than in the original. Naomi Watts, who is a gorgeous and talented actress, shines in her role as Ann Darrow, the blonde that the ape falls for. They share some great scenes together, whether it is a sunset on Skull Island or a skating together on a pond in New York City. Although, the action is great and takes up a lot of the 3 hour running time, the movie is essentially a love story between a monkey and a blonde and a very convincing one at that. I look forward to seeing what Peter Jackson comes up with next.
# 1. SIN CITY
Once I saw this movie, there was no doubt in my mind that this would be my favourite movie of the year. It is just non-stop awesomeness filled with hot babes, hard tops with a decent engine, great hard-nosed characters in awesome stories, a stylish look amd tons of violence. The all star cast is headed by Mickey Rourke, (who is making his comeback to mainstream Hollywood and all I can say is it’s about time) Bruce Willis and Clive Owen (who has been rising on my list of favourite actors). All 3 shine in their roles and get great support from the likes of Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro and Nick Stahl. But almost all of the credit has to go to Frank Miller, who created the great graphic novels that the movie is based on and was a great director in his debut and Robert Rodriguez, who can do no wrong, regardless of what he does. Kudos to the both of them for creating one of the best movies of the last few years.