2005? Wait aren't I about five years too late? Don't worry I'm not crazy, but if you've spent anytime perusing my site in the past you'll see that it takes me quite a while to get around to reviewing some of the newer films, and in turn to get the occasional Top 10 list out. The following list is actually a transfer from my old Rotten Tomatoes blog and its taken me this long to finally transfer it over due to the fact I've only recently completed transferring all the reviews of the films that will be on this list. So now all the films on the list have corresponding reviews for more in-depth information and insight if you so choose to read them. Now I'm starting with 2005 because that's when I began writing reviews, prior year lists are a possibility in the future, but in all reality you shouldn't hold your breath waiting for them. Now I must warn you I don't conform to the norm, meaning about 80% of my Top 10 picks might cause you to raise an eyebrow. This will not be your normal Top 10 list simply because I don't choose films based on Academy Award guidelines, entertainment is the major factor, everything else comes second.
Before Shia LaBoeuf became a precocious young Hollywood blockbuster star he was actually in a good film, and any film about golf that can actually be interesting and entertaining is a magnificent accomplishment in my book. This is one of Shia's few films that actually showcases he has some talented acting chops, now he just makes big bucks being apart of big blockbusters that scar the image of some of pop cultures greatest icons.
#9 Stay
Now if you haven't raised an eyebrow yet this pick ought to do it. More than likely you've never heard of this film because I think it only saw a limited release. I haven't watched this one since my first viewing over four years ago but it has always been locked in my mind as one of the strangest mind bending films I have ever seen. Everything symbolizes something but simply trying to grasp what's going on will preclude you from ever being able to figure out what everything means. If you like mind bending thrillers, this is a must see.
#8 The Jacket
Another mind bending thriller in the same fashion as Stay, but nowhere near as migraine inducing. Reviews of this film seem to be popping up a lot recently, in the last few months I've seen 3-4 fellow bloggers reviewing it and for the most part it's received average reviews. I think the reason I like it a little more is because I love Keira Knightley, plus it has Adrien Brody and a good supporting cast.
#7 Red Eye
Continuing the thriller theme is the movie that introduced me to Rachel McAdams. This is one of the few films I actually vividly remember where I was when I saw it, simply because McAdams emotional performance really amazed me and instantly made me a fan, plus it's a solid, non-stop, basic thriller that works.
My second Keira Knightley film on the list and my favorite of her leading roles. Never been a big fan of classical literature, and surprisingly never had to read this book in school, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying the films ambiance, the story and the performances, especially Knightley's. This was also a film she received an Oscar nomination for, so it's one of the few films on the list that some critics might actually agree with me on.
#5 Hitch
I'm a big fan of romantic comedies, and I'm the first to admit most of them now a days are complete recycles, if you've seen it once you've probably seen it about fifty times. Not so with Hitch, it's fresh, it's witty, it's charming and it genuinely has some heart. Plus it's always nice to see Will Smith in a role that has nothing to do with aliens or one of his extremely boring dramas.
Now if I was going off the Director's Cut this would be higher on the list, but instead I'm simply going by the original theatrical releases. Still Kingdom of Heaven is phenomenal and probably the most criticized and underrated film of 2005. A lot of people really don't like this film, and I don't get it. I think a lot of it simply has to do with the fact that Ridley Scott will never be able to duplicate the success and praise of Gladiator and any film he does that's a period war piece such as this or the recent Robin Hood, is always going to be compared to Gladiator... and that's just wrong.
Probably the first of two on this list that I would assume appeared on most people's Top 10 of 2005. What's there to say? Batman Begins not only reinvented the Batman franchise but also managed to set a new bar for comic book films which have forced the movie studios to churn out less comic book trash and more intelligent action films worth paying money to see.
2005 was a rare year in the sense that I gave two perfect scores (rarely happens), the final top two received perfect scores, both bio-picks and both starring two actors who were in another great film that I gave a 10. First up Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line, a role that should have won him an Academy Award but I believe he got passed by simply because they had given it to Jaime Fox the prior year for a bio-pic on Ray Charles, and were looking to give it to someone in a different role. Never been a fan of Johnny Cash, but this movie is simply incredibly well done, especially in terms of the musical numbers which were performed by the actors.
Finally, my favorite film of 2005 and currently my all-time favorite film. Cinderella Man is another underrated classic bio-pic / sports film that I completely confused as to why a lot of critics completely stunned it. Also it doesn't seem to get a whole lot of love from the public because a lot of people seem to have never seen it! The team of Crowe and Howard simply strike gold here once again, and Cinderella Man is a perfect uplifting story about defeating the odds. If you haven't seen it you're missing out.
So that's my Top 10 for 2005. Feel free to share your favorite films from 2005 and if there's something I haven't seen yet I'll consider viewing it and seeing if it's worthy of being added to the list!
STAY was very interesting but I never have the right words to describe how I feel about it. I can't say it was amazing, because I felt something missing, but it was unusual, peculiar, gripping, suggestive, effective, it leaves an impact on the audience ... Although I didn't like Naomi, Gossling and McGregor were stunning. Even though I can't really explain why, STAY is in my all time top 50 list.
ReplyDeletesaw 'stay', couldn't figure out what the heck was going on, but i enjoyed it anyway. i like ewan macgregor (yes, i do watch actors other than russell crowe!).
ReplyDeleteloved 'pride & prejudice' so much that i bought the dvd and actually read the book! then i saw the bbc version with colin firth, which is a much truer rendition of the story, but i didn't like it as much as the recent 'reader's digest' version.
couldn't get past the first half hour of 'kingdom of heaven', but maybe i'll try again sometime. i'm a fan of sir rid's work, so i probably owe him that much.
i think i saw 'batman begins', but i really can't remember it!
and you know how i feel about 'cinderella man'. i watched it again a few weeks ago and cried all the way through it, especially when he won the championship fight.
haven't seen any of the others on your list. should i?
how was your summer?
@Dezmond - yea I remember us having a rather lengthy discussion about Stay in the comment section of the review. I'm surprised that you'd put it in your Top 50 though, I didn't think you liked it that much. I will agree, it's definitely a hard film to describe and I really can't explain why I liked it as much as I did either.
ReplyDelete@becks - yep Stay will do that to you. I had to go online and read an explanation of some of the symbolization of the film, definitely made a lot of sense then, although I've forgotten it all now so probably should have watched it again after learning what everything meant.
As for Kingdom of Heaven I guess it's simply a specific taste, I'm wasn't a big fan of anyone in the film prior to seeing it so it wasn't like it was starring my favorite actor, though I really do like Ridley Scott. I just found the film very engrossing, and simply don't get the negative comments it receives. If you give it another shot try watching the Director's Cut, it's available on Netflix.
I'd absolutely recommend checking out the other films if you haven't seen them. Walk the Line is really good but it's short of depressing, and if you liked Stay you ought to enjoy The Jacket. As for my summer it was fine, took a couple weeks off work, which was long overdue, and watched a bunch of movies, although I didn't get around to reviewing half of them so I'm further behind on that! How about yourself? Nice to hear from you again by the way. :)
Cool list MVP. I would have had Batman Begins at the top but overall, I really enjoyed most of the movies on the list. Cinderella Man is such an underrated movie that I can't even say anything about it being at the top!
ReplyDeleteVery cool list. I actually haven't seen about half of these which means Netflix queue time. Just wanted to pop in here and say I totally agree with you on Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, the Director's Cut is better, but the amount of negative reactions the original cut got confounded me. Definitely engrossing even if Ridley Scott had done better films.
ReplyDelete@Ryan - Thanks, always nice to come across someone else who appreciates Kingdom of Heaven, as at least a good film.
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