Page 1 of Your Top 10 of 2005...

So, what were your Top 10 films of 2005? Had to be released this year for the first time (in this country, UK).

I don`t want this to be what you thought were the best films, but the films that entertained you and offered something that will make you want to see them again and again.

Feel free to rank them in whatever way you see fit, or just list the 10 films you most liked.

Ok, so I`ve checked some of these over and they were indeed released in the UK in 2005 for the first time:

Edit: Here are the ones that never quite made it: Closer, Stander, Team America, Downfall, A Very Long Engagement, War of the Worlds, Sideways, Kingdom of Heaven, 40 Year Old Virgin, Lord of War, March of the Penquins. Probably others too, just can`t think of them.


10. Mean Creek - A disturbing film that is expertly directed to showcase these young actors strengths and hide their weaknesses. Can linger in the mind for a long time and is well worth a watch if you like Stand By Me.

9. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Hilarious. Smart. Empty. Yes, it`s the very meaning of superficial, but that don`t matter. Downey Jr and Kilmer are brilliant and this is one film that underperformed but deserved to do so much better.

8. King Kong - A film so big that even if the problems are numerous, the good far out weighs the bad. Skull Island is a film on it`s own, and for that reason alone it`s worth going to see in the cinema.

7. The Machinist - Reminded me of Memento, and definitely has scatterings of surrealism about it, and Bale`s performance is his best in his career to date. And christ, he looks horrible.

6. Primer - Shows that you can make great sci-fi with the same amount of money that Robert Rodriguez had to make El Mariachi. A film that takes 2 viewings just to think you understand it all. A great film, one to admire.

5. A History of Violence - Viggo Mortensen is being ignored unjustly. His performance here deserves recognition. And Cronenberg has made probably one of his best films here, at least to me. It appears so conventional that the real surprise comes a month after you`ve seen it, and you`re still thinking about it.

4. The Life Aquatic - Wes Anderson. Bill Murray. Nuff said. Tis a work of genius and one of the funniest and oddly touching films of the year.

3. Serenity - A big surprise that I could fall in love with another bunch of characters and a well defined universe so short a time after Star Wars was finished. Serenity takes off where Firefly was cancelled, and I indeed look forward to seeing those DVD sales sky-rocket in an attempt to get a sequel. Brilliant stuff.

2. Batman Begins - I wasn`t even excited by this, because the trailers did not do anything to stir me up. How much of a surprise was I in for? A BIG ONE. Simply a brilliant, exciting, haunting and extremely well made and acted film.

1. Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Simply put, this film filled expectations. I loved AOTC and TPM, but probably more because they were Star Wars rather than what they added to Star Wars. Sith is it`s own beast and is surprisingly self-contained (you could quite easily watch the Saga 3-4-5-6). I saw it 7 times in the cinema, and I`ve seen it a few more on DVD. It works for me, and is quite easily the third best of them all (behind Empire and A New Hope). Is it the best film of the year? No, no way. But it`s the one I`ll get the most enjoyment out of in the long term.


Ok, so there are no real surprises there, but what did you expect? ;)

This item was edited on Friday, 23rd December 2005, 20:58

10. Legend Of Zorro - Might get shot down for this but I had an absolute blast with the Zorro sequel! It had well crafted action scenes and swashbuckling carnage, a suitably hammy villain in Rufus Sewell and it re-affirmed my faith in Martin Campbell as a director... actually quite looking forward to Casino Royale now.

9. Batman Begins - Wasn`t really looking forward to it thanks to the naff marketing campaign (except the ultra-cool posters) and it completely knocked me for six. Intelligent, engaging and full of heart - perfect casting award of the year goes to Michael Caine as Alfred, an inspired choice if ever there was one!

8. A History Of Violence - Seen it three times now and each time I get more and more hooked. Having not seen a great deal of Cronenberg before, I can safely say I`ll be checking out his back catalogue now. Has the best ending of all the films this year, IMO.

7. War Of The Worlds - Spielberg back doing sci-fi with one of the better films of the summer, even if it is little more than a string of thrilling set-pieces. The intersection scene is perfect in every way!

6. The Life Aquatic - The Royal Tenenbaums is Wes Anderson`s masterpiece, but this is definitely a worthy follow-up. Another great soundtrack and plently of laughs, all tinged with his unique blend of humour. The Ping-Island attack set-piece is hilarious!

5. Million Dollar Baby - Probably didn`t deserve all its Oscars, but still a great boxing movie. Clint Eastwood shows he can still act, direct and write score music. Best plot twist of the year, too.

4. Sin City - Pure style, no substance, and all the better for it. The only time that full digital backgrounds has looked good and actually benefitted the movie, and the sound design is sphincter-looseningly good. Getting the recut DVD for Christmas and greatly looking forward to it!

3. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit - As expected Nick Park`s Aardman animation team delivered the funniest film of the year. Oddly branded a flop in the states despite making $177million :/ Nun-Wresting still cracks me up :D

2. King Kong - Is it perfect? No... length/pacing problems and some not-so-great blue screen work aside though, and King Kong is just about as great as it could have been. My only wish is that James Newton-Howard had been on-board from the start, but that said his score is still one of the year`s best. Roll on the extended DVD! :D

1. Hotel Rwanda - Absolutely gutwrenching true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsis refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda. Excellent performances all round (especially Jean Reno in his tiny role), an excellent score from Rupert Gregson-Williams & Andrea Guerra and Terry George`s masterful direction all combine for a truly astonishing movie.

Dammit, forgot about Crash.

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This item was edited on Saturday, 24th December 2005, 19:48

10. Kung Fu Hustle - This is only at #10 because I had seen it on DVD several times prior to its theatrical release in the UK but I still had a brilliant time and left with a huge grin on my face - Stephen Chow is a fantastic talent.

9. Crash - A superbly crafted film which is as thought provoking as it is entertaining thanks to Paul Haggis' script, assured direction on debut and the stellar cast; this is probably the second best film of the year but I didn't have as 'entertaining' a time as with those below.

8. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - It's almost impossible not to laugh when Bill Murray's deadpan visage appears on the screen and this is a close second to The Royal Tenenbaums as Wes Anderson's best film.

7. Batman Begins - Chris Nolan is a fantastic director and his depiction of the Dark Knight (aided by David Goyer and a brilliant performance by Christian Bale) is how the franchise (no offence to Burton) should have begun.

6. Serenity - Firefly is a great TV show with a terrific script and a cast that does it proud; Serenity surprised me with the ease that Joss Whedon was able to transfer the 40 minute TV show into a fully rounded and hugely enjoyable feature film.

5. Sin City - It may be shallow but Sin City is visually stunning and so rewatchable that I 'double dipped' this year alone and am currently working my way through the brilliant new DVD release.

4. Sideways - I'm no wine connoisseur but this road movie was a funny and intelligent look at friendships and relationships with some fantastic moments and Paul Giamatti at his very best.

3. Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - After the shallow and soulless Madagascar and Robots, it was brilliant to see a stop motion animated film restore my faith in animation and the in jokes were quite brilliant.

2. A History of Violence - Arguably the best film of the year, I saw this twice at the cinema and will buy it on DVD as soon as I can.

1. The Descent - The best British horror film of recent years and one which improves with repeated viewings.

I had trouble narrowing it down to twenty so honourable mentions to Downfall, The Aviator, Vera Drake, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Nanny McPhee, Closer, Team America, Hotel Rwanda and, for sheer insanity and all out fun, SpongeBob Squarepants.



My Top 20 Horror Movies ---- My DVD Collection
Who`s going to believe a talking head? Get a job in a sideshow.

Quote:
I had trouble narrowing it down

Oh you cheat :o :p

I`ll need to go back and list the ones I was thinking about adding... ;)

I did this at work the other day. Some-one was looking at top 10 movies of the year, www.metacritic.com I think, so I decided to do mine, only films I saw at the cinema, I went 17 times this year, normally only go every other month or so, rather than every few weeks!

I`ve included my imdb rating `cos I`ve just copied and pasted this from my list I emailed a colleague.



10. Land of the Dead (2005) 8
9. Kingdom of Heaven (2005) 8
8. Un long dimanche de fiançailles ( A very long engagement) (2004) 8
7. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) 8
6. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) 8
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 9
4. Sin City (2005) 9
3. Hauru no ugoku shiro (Howl`s Moving Castle)(2004) 10
2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) 10
1. Batman Begins (2005) 10

honourable mentions:
2 films that would probably have made it any other year (they scored 8s also)
12 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) 8
11 A History of Violence (2005) 8

A very long engagement was the 1st film of the year, and I remember saying to my gf as we left the cinema, "That`s a great film to start the year with!", and it certainly was!

Just thought the order may change after seeing King Kong

Al
www.admars.co.uk

This item was edited on Saturday, 24th December 2005, 08:07

Quote:
I had trouble narrowing it down :o Well unlike you guys, I hardly watch any "new" films. I won`t be able to make a Top 10, as some movies I`ve seen this year just aren`t worth it ("Boogeyman", for example!). So here`s my Top 6 - as Chewie said, these are ranked in order of how much I personally enjoyed them:

1. Batman Begins - WOW, one of the greatest super-hero movies of all-time. Nuff said.

2. The Fantastic Four - not one of the greatest super-hero movies of all-time, lol! But heck, the fanboy in me still really enjoyed it. I`ve loved these characters for over 20 years, and seeing them up on the big screen was a huge buzz. And after the serious comic-book movies of recent years, it was nice just to see a fun, light-hearted action flick.

3. Star Wars Ep 3: ROTS - I`m still in two minds about this: as a stand alone film, I really like it - but as a Star Wars one, I can`t help but be a bit disappointed - it just doesn`t fit. Very dark and humourless - I`m sort of left with a "....was that it?" feeling. Probably my least favourite Star Wars film - but still very enjoyable. And the last few scenes are outstanding.

4. Chronicles Of Narnia: TLTWATW - I still prefer the animated version, but this was a very good, very faithful adaptation. The children were all perfectly cast - not a "Dakota Fanning" in sight! Looking forward to the other books been made - I think they`re in safe hands.

5. King Kong - Well, I`ve just written what I thought on the Kong thread - basically, an excellent remake, but too long on the island. Kong himself is just fantastic!

6. War Of The Worlds - although set in modern day America, and featuring Tom Cruise and (gulp!) Dakota Fanning, this is actually a hugely enjoyable movie. The alien attacks and the terrifying sound they make are just awesome! This actually could be tied with Narnia and Kong - I can`t really seperate them.

:D

This item was edited on Saturday, 24th December 2005, 08:48

1. Mean Creek
2. March of the Penguins
3. Serenity
4. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
5. A History of Violence
6. Marathon
7. King Kong
8. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
9. The Descent
10. Crash

Wait! We can`t stop here! This is bat country!

1. Batman Begins
2. Serenity
3. King Kong
4. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
5. Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
6. March of the Penguins
7. Wedding Crashers
8. Kung Fu Hustle
9. Crash
10. Sideways

with Broken Flowers just missing out

1. King Kong - Phenomenal
2. Batman Begins - An excellent revamp of Burtons vision
3. 40 Year Old Virgin - Hillarious
4. Land of the Dead - the uncut version is far better.
5. Kung Fu Hustle - The best mix of Kung Fu, slap stick comedy spoof ever!!!
6. Mr. and Mrs Smith - Great chemistry, and excellent action.
7. Sin City - The extended edition is far better
8. Stealth - A real fun movie
9. War of the Worlds - mix bag but the martian attack scene was very original and impressive.
10. Transporter 2 - Silly OTT but brain dead fun.

floyd


SALE/TRADE HERE!!!

Floyd you surprise me. I thought Revenge Of The Sith would of made your top 5 at least.
But then again, your taste looks pretty poor ;)