Favorites of 2004

So 2005 wasn't really the greatest year for the silver screen, but 2004 more than made up for it! I really had a hard time picking my favorites for this year, with some of my favorite "classic" films fighting for a spot against some that I have just gotten around to seeing. So, HERE YA GO!

10. THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird) - Pixar creates a family of superheroes who, after trying to lead a "normal" suburban life and having a couple of kids (with their own powers), are forced back into action when arch-nemesis Syndrome (Jason Lee) tries to take over the world. Two Oscar wins, including Best Animated Feature Film of the Year. Until a recent surge of great movies this past summer starring people with extra abilities, this was possibly my favorite superhero movie of all time. Despite the absolutely beautiful animation, Pixar once again does not let the story get lost while making a visually stunning piece of work. Think Alan Moore's classic graphic novel Watchmen mixed with the fresh humor of a Christopher Guest mocumentary. BEST SCENE: The opening sequence with the different superheroes, including Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), giving interviews during their hay-day. Hilarious!

9. VERA DRAKE (Mike Leigh) - A loving mother/wife (Imelda Staunton) is sent to prison in 1950's England for illegally assisting young women in home-spun abortions. Nominated for 3 Oscars, including Best Achievement in Directing, Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role (Staunton), Best Original Screenplay. Everyone has their own opinions on abortion rights, but I don't think anyone loves the act in and of itself. This film brilliantly portrays the intricate and divisive issue as it effects a small family directly. Staunton is perfect for the role, along with the rest of the cast, who lead their lives in such a quaint and loving way that makes the ending that much more heartbreaking. BEST SCENE: The family's awkward Christmas party right before Vera's final judgement.

8. I HEART HUCKABEES (David O. Russell) - Environmental activist Albert (Jason Schwartzman) seeks professional help from two existentialist detectives (Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin) who help Albert figure out why his life isn't perfect and how he can learn to except it...by laying in a body bag. The cast, which also includes such top-billing names as Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, and Jude Law, doesn't quite scream quirky, philosophically challenging comedy. While the plot is sometimes hard to follow, especially on first viewing, the trippy hallucinations and abnormal methods of psychology are hysterical. My favorite Schwartzman role to date. BEST SCENE: Albert and Tommy (Wahlberg) hitting each other in the face with a giant red ball in order to reach tranquility.

7. SAW (James Wan) - Two men are put through a series of horrific tests by a crazy man, and in order to save themselves, their loved ones, and their own sanity, they must play by his rules. Hahaha, oh man! I can't wait to hear the backlash from this one! This movie makes my list, and makes it this far up the list, because it has the most shocking ending I have ever seen. If any of you that naysayers tell me you saw it coming, I know for a fact that you are lying. Shame, shame. Don't let the long, unending line of sequels lead you to think this is mindless schlock. Very gory, somewhat demented, totally terrifying. BEST SCENE: THE ENDING! Oh man, I wish I could just say it...but it's too good to ruin!

6. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Jared Hess) - Napoleon (Jon Heder) is a dork, his uncle (Jon Gries) is a jerk, his brother is a nerd, his best-friend is an outsider, and his love interest (Tina Majorino) is adoringly clueless....and they just want get through the next few months. Two Independent Spirit Awards, including Best First Feature, Best Supporting Male (Gries). If you don't relate to these people at all, then you and I have very little to talk about. While this was extremely over-quoted for a while ("Tina, come eat some ham!" "A freakin' twelve-gauge, what do ya think?!"), to the point that I actually couldn't watch it for a while, I can't help but love the awkward pauses and the uproarious performances (especially Gries and Heder) that carry this modern-cult-classic-turned-cultural-phenomenon. BEST SCENE: Uncle Rico throwing his steak at Napoleon, making him crash his bike.

5. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (Alfonso Cuaron) - In the series first truly dark turn, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and co. are trying to keep Harry safe from convicted murderer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has escaped from Azkaban prison to find the boy who put him there. Two Oscar Nominations, including Best Original Score, Best Achievement in Visual Effects. Cuaron's vision for the boy wizard is my personal favorite, although the new director has picked it up again with Order of the Phoenix after the disappointing Goblet of Fire. Oldman gives the series the class and sophistication it needed to push it through to the darker final chapters. BEST SCENE: The time-space continuum theories that hold the final scenes of the movie in tension are much more refined than would be expected from a children's series.

4. HERO (Yimou Zhang) - An encounter between a nameless warrior (Jet Li) and a conquering king (Daoming Chen) of pre-unified China unravels a series of events that leads the two men to their ultimate battle between each other. Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film (China). When I was 14, I saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the movie that kick started martial arts back into the movies. It bored me to tears. This, however, was basically flawless. The star of the film is the fight scenes, most of which play more like choreographed dance scenes than action sequences. Mixing unnoticeable special effects with pure unbiased talent, Hero is tragic, thrilling, and purely gorgeous. BEST SCENE: It's hard to choose between the different fight scenes, but the one between Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Moon (Ziyi Zhang) is breathtaking.

3. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry) - When Joel Barish finds out his ex-girlfriend has gone through a procedure to erase him from her memory, he decides to do the same thing, but during the process, he changes his mind and tries to hide her within in his own memories. Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay (Charlie Kaufman). Not as complicated as it sounds, just a pure and perfect love story. Jim Carrey should have won the Academy Award for such a subtle and heartfelt performance. Kaufman's script is brilliant, Gondry's vision is different and inviting (much better than the disappointing Science of Sleep and Be Kind, Rewind)...just go rent the movie, sit with a loved one, and enjoy! BEST SCENE: Actually, it's one of my favorite love story lines in all of cinema because its simply perfect: "Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention?"

2. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (Edgar Wright) - Instead of writing my own description, I will just tell you the tagline on the poster which, I think, pretty much sums it up: "A Romantic Comedy. With Zombies." (Almost) the funniest movie of the year, and the best zombie movie since George Romero's pivotal Night of the Living Dead. More than purely a spoof, this is a loving, comedic embrace of the zombie genre. It's truly as scary as it is hilarious. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, as "flat-mates" Shaun and Ed, create one of Hollywood's funniest and most unlikely of comic duos. BEST SCENE: The final battle between the living and the dead in the local pub, which is soundtracked to Queen's classic "Don't Stop Me Now" playing on the jukebox.

1. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY (Adam McKay) - Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and the Channel 4 News Team (Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner) are thrown a curve ball when the world's first woman anchor (Christina Applegate) is brought into their mix. Okay, so it's by no means the most thought-provoking movie of the year, or even of Mr. Ferrell's career. But it will, or at least should, go down in cinematic history as the critical comedy of the first decade of the 2000's. This was before Ferrell became obsessed with sports and when he searched out more innovative fields to parody. Carell, Rudd, and Koechner all got their real boost to fame here, and well-deserved. Now, BRING ON THE INSULTS! I am sure some of you are perturbed by this choice, so have it! BEST SCENE: Oh, how can one pick! It's like choosing between your kids. I guess it would have to be when Ron and the new girl are making fun of each other while the credits role at the end of a news report.

RUNNER'S UP:

Finding Neverland, Friday Night Lights, The Bourne Supremacy, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, I Robot

OVERRATED:

Hellboy, Man On Fire, Shrek 2, Garden State (gasp!), Saved!

Favorites of 2005

You know the drill. Read this and then leave me a comment with what you think I got right and, more importantly, what I got wrong.

I am going to add something new at the bottom after the "Runner's Up" list called the "Overrated" list. This will give you a better idea of some of the movies that didn't make my yearly list that you might think should have made it.

2005 was a pretty terrible year for movies. Don't get me wrong; a couple of really amazing films came out in 2005, but some of the movie's on this list are simply on it from a lack of truly brilliant choices. Having said that, I still thought these were the best of the year, but I also think some of these choices will surprise some people.

10. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (Mike Newell) - Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is selected to be the first underage participant in the Triwizard Tournament which pits students from three different schools against one another in complex and extremely dangerous events; meanwhile, Harry's dreams lead him to believe that his connections with Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) may be stronger than he imagined. Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Art Direction (Stuart Craig, Stephanie McMillan). This is the first proof that 2005 was a crap year on the silver screen. Not that this wasn't a decent movie, but it is by far the worst Potter film to date. Newell as the new director seemed as if he couldn't decide to make it dark like Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban or more child-friendly like Colombus's first two films. Still, the rise of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, portrayed brilliantly by Fiennes, and the death of a key character does give the series the push it needed for the outstanding Order of the Phoenix to be as great as it was. FAVORITE SCENE: Potter and Voldemort finally meeting and having their wands crossed in an epic battle for good over evil.

9. SAW II (Darren Lynn Bousman) - A group of people locked in an abandoned and dangerous house are put through some tortuous tests in order to secure their freedom. Exhibit b as to why this wasn't a great year in movies. I am sure some of you are looking at my list of "Overrated" films and thinking that I should just stop talking about movies altogether for put this piece of disgusting, shock horror on my favorites instead of some of those, but too bad! Write your own blog if you care so much! Anyways, despite some questionable acting performances, this sequel to the mind-boggling original is actually pretty good. And it has an ending that has surprised me both times I saw it. So... whatever to the naysayers. Horror films can be good too! FAVORITE SCENE: The officers on the case for the missing people opening a safe to discover something that changes their whole perspective on what - and who - they are searching for...

8. CINDERELLA MAN (Ron Howard) - The true story of boxing legend James Braddock (Russell Crowe) as he goes from being a boxing world champion to the unlikely underdog, all the while trying to survive the depression of the 1930's. Oscar nominations for Best Achievement in Editing, Best Achievement in Makeup, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Paul Giamatti). Ok, so it was no Rocky, but this completely uplifting story has some of the finest performances of the year, including Renee Zellweger as Mrs. Braddock. But the man who steals the show is Giamatti as Joe Gould, Braddock's manager and coach. Howard truly captures the heartache and the triumph of a determined athlete to inspire a nation of troubled people. FAVORITE SCENE: Mrs. Braddock going to Gould's house to complain about her family's finances just to see that he is struggling just as much as they are.

7. THE COMEDIANS OF COMEDY (Michael Blieden) - A documentary of four somewhat popular "alternative" comedians (Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford, Zach Galifianakis) as they tour the States. Like The Original Kings of Comedy for nerdy white kids. Some of the stand-up isn't hilarious, but it is worth seeing just to watch Galifianakis in his natural habitat ("I don't mean to be gross, but the only time it's ok to say, 'I have diarrhea,' is when you're playing Scrabble....... because it's worth a $&%*load of points.") Also, it's fun to see struggling comedians tour like an indie band in the backs of vans and staying in sketchy hotel rooms. FAVORITE SCENE: Oswalt and Posehn flaunting their fat, naked bodies at the end. Innapropriate, but for a guy who wonders whether he will ever grow out of thinking the male body is funny, it works.

6. ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (Miranda July) - A newly single dad (John Hawkes) must learn to balance parenthood, work, and social-life, while his kids, his new love interest (July), and everyone else around him tries to simply do the right thing in their consistently flawed human forms. Multiple independent film award wins and nominations, including a win at Sundance for Special Jury Prize - Dramatic. Like Napoleon Dynamite on Prozac...but for adults. So quirky and funny that the awkward moments are almost forgettable. July's script is right on point for what life honestly feels like at times, where nothing goes quite how you thought it would, and you don't always understand why you do the things you do. FAVORITE SCENE: The opening scene where Hawkes' character, in a last ditch effort of trying to impress his kids in front of his ex-wife to show he is a good dad, lights his hand on fire.

5. BATMAN BEGINS (Christopher Nolan) - The account of millionaire-entrepeneur-orphan Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) rise to become Gotham City's terrifying masked-savior: Batman. Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Cinematography (Wally Pfister). Anyone who is a fan of the true, classic Batman knows that this is how he was meant to be: dark, frustrated, imperfect, and deep-voiced. Ok, Bale's Batman voice is slightly off-putting at first, but that is one of the few qualms of this superhero masterpiece. Not to mention that it leads into what is probably the best superhero movie, if not action movie in general, of the past twenty or thirty years starring possibly the greatest villain of all time....But I will talk more about that at the end of this year. FAVORITE SCENE: I love the juxtaposition of a noble Batman against Bruce Wayne as an almost unlikeable playboy in Gotham City's elite, shown by his swim in a hotel pond with two young women in the middle of a fancy dinner.

4. THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (Scott Derrickson) - A priest (Tom Wilkinson) and his agnostic lawyer (Laura Linney) are vainly fighting for his freedom as he is being prosecuted for the death of Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter), a young girl who died while he was performing exorcisms on her. The scariest part of this movie is the fact that it is a true story. This young woman, according to a letter signed by Emily herself and the account of her priest, gave up her life in order to spread a message of hope to the world. Now, whether you believe in possession or deliverance thereof, this is still a terrifying film. The flashbacks of the exorcisms and Emily's life up to her death are not only scary, but cautionary in our pursuit of worldly and other-worldly comfort. FAVORITE SCENE: Emily's first exorcism in which she ends up in a barn speaking in seven different voices at the same time. In the scene, she speaks in Aramaic and Hebrew, neither of which she actually knew how to speak.

3. WALK THE LINE (James Mangold) - A biopic of the legendary Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), chronicling his tough childhood, his unlikely rise to fame, his eventual descent into drug-abuse, and the woman, June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), who stayed with him until the end. Oscar win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Witherspoon). First of all, the music is incredible! I was only a casual fan of Cash before the movie, and since then I can't get enough of it. Phoenix is amazing as the man in black, capturing the moodiness and the sadness perfectly. And Witherspoon is not only a perfect love interest for Phoenix's Cash, but her singing voice is outstanding, arguably a better singer than June Carter herself. FAVORITE SCENE: The musicians on tour, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley, all shooting off fireworks in the back of their motel.

2. WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (Steve Box, Nick Park) - The man and dog dynamic duo have a pest-control company that has met its match during the annual giant vegetable contest when an otherworldly, overgrown bunny threatens to destroy all of their towns crops. Oscar win for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year. I did not grow up watching the TV show or videos of Wallace and Gromit, but this was still the funniest movie of all 2005. The clay-animation was gorgeous, and the rabbits throughout the movie are cute and absolutely hilarious. Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter both lend their voices to great effect, reading Park and Bob Baker's fantastic script with the greatest of comic-ease. And of course the chemistry of Wallace and Gromit is so endearing that you just wanna grab some Play-Doh and hug it!....or something. FAVORITE SCENE: Wallace is having a conversation with Carter's character, while in the background a multitude of bunnies are gently being sucked into their rabbit holes to enventually end up in a giant glass ball.

1. HOTEL RWANDA (Terry George) - The amazing true story of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a hotel owner in Rwanda who houses thousands of Tutsi refugees to keep them safe of the Hutu militia. 3 Oscar nominations, including Best Actor (Don Cheadle), Best Supporting Actress (Spohie Okonedo), Best Original Screenplay. Why this movie didn't win more awards, I don't know. It could be that it was almost too similar a story to Spielberg's masterpiece Schindler's List, but that shouldn't matter. If you don't know much about the genocide that is going on in places like Darfur, watch this film. If you have become numb to the idea of second and third world countries killing each other, watch this film. If you just wanna see brilliant acting and a simultaneously sad and enriching movie, watch this film. Cheadle is a revelation and should be slapped for being so good. FAVORITE SCENE: Paul having to make the tough decision to leave with his family to safety or stay behind to help keep the hotel and it's residents up and running.

RUNNER'S UP:

The Aristocrats, Good Night, and Good Luck, The Batman Vs. Dracula: The Animated Movie, The Squid and the Whale, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

OVERRATED:

Sideways, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, The Constant Gardener, Corpse Bride