BEST OF 2005

CRASH

The best film of the year. Funny and insightful on many levels, Paul Haggis’ Altmanesque meditation on American racism achieves what so few films like this achieve. It’s fast, tight, and paints its characters in short, precise and often devastating strokes.

BATMAN BEGINS

The one comic book movie that, in my opinion, comes closest to capturing the emotional power of the “super hero”. Christopher Nolan gets the mood and the performances just right and the script is smarter than normal for this kind of material. Better than the Spiderman films.

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

The kind of film John Ford would have made; or Eastwood in the 70’s. David Cronenberg’s little (nothing fancy here, folks) film adaptation of a mediocre graphic novel is so straight-forward, it’s like a rapier to the brain. A modern Western with bite and a whole lot of subtext.

2046

Wong Kar-Wai’s loose sequel to IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE is hypnotic, visually stunning and occasionally slow. Personally, I found this episodic appraisal of a wounded womanizer in late ‘60s Hong Kong to be consistently more interesting, if somewhat less lyrical, than the original. Beautiful film.

GRIZZLY MAN / BOB DYLAN: NO DIRECTION HOME

In an age where every goofball with a video camera is spewing his politics onto the public, these documentaries by Werner Herzog and Martin Scorcese offer fascinating glimpses into the lives of unique individuals. Both films create their palates mainly from existing footage and both films manage to achieve real art instead of just empty polemics.

BROKEN FLOWERS

Jim Jarmush is certainly not everybody’s cup of tea. His slow, extremely stylized films often seem like they don’t have a point. But they usually do and this is one of his best. Billy Murray continues his career re-invention with a quiet, subtle performance as a man looking for a future by revisiting his past. A wonderful indie picture.

SIN CITY

I’m including this only for its unique style. I’ve never seen anything like Robert Rodriguez’ visualization of Frank Miller’s pulp comics. The film is incredible from a visual perspective, but…

Not As Good As Should Have Been

SIN CITY

… it brings virtually nothing to the pathos and impact of the original material. Sure, there’s some good acting here, but overall the film just leaves you kind of empty, like cheap Chinese food or pedestrian pulp fiction. And the anthology structure didn’t benefit from the fact that all three main stories had exactly the same theme.

MUNICH

First of all: this film is good. Real good. Great look, great direction, great acting across the board. Yet, the whole thing is so intellectually light-weight, it just feels like a lost opportunity to really explore the Arab/Israeli conflict.  Instead, Steven Spielberg gives us a populist adventure in the vain of BLACK SUNDAY or RONIN with screenwriter Tony Kushner’s intermittent lofty speeches taking place of real ideas. Entertaining but frustrating film.

WALK THE LINE

Good, but not great. The two lead performances are phenomenal, but again, the film just doesn’t have the big payoff.  Not as good as RAY.

KING KONG

Memo to Peter Jackson: Editing. Try it.

Sorry, there’s not 3 hours of story here! The ape was wonderful, but the subplots. Please! Who cares about some kid on the ship?! And was it me, or did some of the FX look really lame?  And why would anybody bookend one great action sequence (the dinosaur fight) with two other (much lamer) actions sequences? Less is more, Peter. Less is more.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

How can you make a film about the Crusades and manage to say absolutely nothing about today’s world? Ask Ridley Scott; he managed it brilliantly. Orlando Bloom sleepwalks through a role that would have surely made a star of a more deserving actor. The film’s ignorance of history is laughable, but it sure looks pretty.

STAR WARS 3

Well, now we can all get some rest. Now that we know how Anakin turned Darth, life can go on as though this whole era between the end of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and the summer of 2005 never happened. Oh, the movie? It was OK. Loud. Beautiful on DVD. Would have been so much better in the hands of a better director.

LAYER CAKE / I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD

A couple of over-rated British gangster films. Layer Cake is the better of the two, but if you want the real deal, see SEXY BEAST or LOCK STOCK.

WAR OF THE WORLDS

Not a bad film, just a mediocre one. Tom Cruise runs around a lot. Lots of people get vaporized. Tom Cruise and Boston(???) survive with minor bruising.

FANTASTIC FOUR

Craptastic Four.

CHICKEN LITTLE

Craptastic Five.

BETTER THAN YOU’D THINK

CHARLEY AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Sometimes (rarely, in all honesty) Tim Burton finds perfect material. This is it. In all ways, a superior film to the fondly remembered, but frankly crappy, Gene Wilder original. Great visuals, solid laughs, and some unique musical numbers. It’ll make you crave chocolate.

MILLIONS

This Danny Boyle family film got seriously lost in the shuffle, but if you’re a fan of TRAINSPOTTING, this film is it’s kid-friendly companion piece. Inspired and inspiring.

NARNIA

Another terrific family film. Andrew Adamson brings some classic (slower) rhythms to this adaptation of a CS Lewis classic, and it all comes together wonderfully. Proving once again that suspense is better than endless and pointless action (yes, you Peter Jackson).

LORD OF WAR

OK, this isn’t the most original picture. But Andrew Niccol’s “how to” of international gun dealing is brisk, entertaining and thoughtful. Maybe I’m just a sucker for Ukrainian immigrant stories, but despite its obvious similarities to films like GOODFELLAS and BLOW, LORD OF WAR somehow manages to feel pretty fresh.  

 

THE ISLAND

OK, nobody’s going to be calling this Michael Bay sci-fi adventure  “a masterpiece” in the future, but as far as old-school (late 80s / early 90s) big budget Hollywood product goes, it’s pretty fun. Likable stars, a fairly clever – if derivative – script, and world-class production values, add up to a surprisingly entertaining escapism.

DVDs

OLDBOY

A great Korean film by Chan-Wook Park. This was one of the best video releases of ‘05 and a must-own disk for fans of cinematic crime and weirdness. An ingenious revenge thriller with shifting protagonists and images that are brilliant, brutal and unforgettable.  Rent it.

WALK ON WATER

This Israeli film by Eitan Fox may not jive with your political sensibilities, but its cool concept and razor sharp intellect will win you over. A real star-making lead by Lior Ashkenazi doesn’t hurt, either.

A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT

A great genre bender from the guy who directed AMELIE, Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Audrey Tautou is back, but this cinematic “great novel” is not sweet or overly sentimental; just a visual feast of a movie. Don’t worry about the convoluted plot, just watch the magic.

LE SAMOURAI

This classic gangster flic directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and starring Alain Delon is finally out on DVD… and it’s the quintessence of cool. Not fast, not bombastic; just smart, suspenseful, and, again, super-cool.

(With apologies to the Department of Redundancy Department) 

LONE WOLF AND CUB collection

And speaking of samurai… if you’re an action fan you’ll love this 6 part series produced in the early ‘70s. Also known as The Babycart Assassin (aka Sword Of Vengeance, aka Shogun Assassin) these films are some of the best action / martial arts films ever produced and have been unavailable in this country up until last year. Check them out; you won’t regret it.

SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGANCE

Another film from Korea’s Park. Interesting ideas that simply don’t jell. Definitely worth the rental, but OLDBOY is better.