RANKING THE YEAR’S BEST: FROM OSCAR MOVIES TO BLOCKBUSTERS
Walk down memory lane… And let the movie nerd debate begin.
Let’s REWIND to the year 2005.
These are personal TOP 10s ranking Oscar-nominated movies right alongside popcorn-munching blockbusters, indie films, b-movies, and cult classics. You never know, you might even uncover a hidden gem or two.
2005 was the year of underrated cinema… and from all over the globe. My Top 10 for 2005 will probably look a lot different than any other. The #1 movie at the box office was HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE with $896.9 million worldwide. The honorable mentions are definitely worth watching, with the year packed with goodness like THE PROPOSITION and WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. There were also a few big budget turds like AEON FLUX, CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, DOOM, and ELEKTRA.
My TOP 10 is followed by HONORABLE MENTIONS and the Best of ART VS POPCORN.
Let’s dig in…
THE TOP 10
10. SIN CITY
FROM DUSK TILL DAWN & DESPERADO director Robert Rodriguez perfectly adapted Frank Miller’s noir comic for the cinema. Filmed entirely against green screens, the movie feels like it’s part of its own super stylish world. Stars the likes of Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Hartnett, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen, and Benicio del Toro, with a segment directed by Quentin Tarantino.
9. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Ridley Scott (GLADIATOR) stylishly directs this historical adaptation of the Crusades with ancient Christians battling Muslims. Stars Orlando Bloom as a knight and Liam Neeson as his Jedi Master Mentor. The Director’s Cut (as with other Scott films) is superior and worth tracking down.
8. SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL
This emotional documentary spotlights Romeo Dallaire, a Canadian UN operative in Rwanda during its genocide. He is haunted by what he witnessed and feels regret for not getting more attention to the tragedy. Brilliant.
7. KISS KISS BANG BANG
Shane Black (THE NICE GUYS, LETHAL WEAPON) writes and directs this neo-noir comedy starring Robert Downey Jr (before he was IRON MAN) and Val Kilmer. The dialogue crackles while the story unfolds is unexpected and chaotically delightful.
6. THE DESCENT
Neil Marshall (DOG SOLDIERS, CENTURION, GAME OF THRONES) directs this claustrophobic pulse-pounder of a horror flick. This stylish cult classic blew up with word of mouth. A group of women take a weekend adventure and explore a cave… only to discover something menacing below. Entirely exciting and incredibly intense.
5. BATMAN BEGINS
Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO) revived the BATMAN franchise by taking a Frank Miller approach (re: kept it dark). The stylish director focused on the realism of the comic book and helped create the superhero blockbuster long before Marvel arrived on the big screen.
4. HAUTE TENSION
One of the best horror films of the decade milks the ‘tension’ for every drop. Also known as SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE, this French cult classic actually has a story and multi-dimensional characters. Initially terrifying and goretastic, the film explores more psychological territory veering from guilty pleasure b-movie territory. This is not for the tame of heart. This is relentless. Super stylish with a totally rad synth score, this film loves the genre and pays homage to the American slasher in all the best ways. Truly impressive!
3. CACHE
This underrated hidden gem quietly works its way under your skin. The less you know about this taut French thriller the better. Amazing writing and astounding performances makes every moment enthralling.
2. THE SQUID & THE WHALE
Noah Baumbach writes and directs this quirky yet melancholic character study filled with eccentricities. Jeff Daniels, Jesse Eisenberg, and Laura Linney deliver fantastic performances in this honest drama about relationships.
1. BRICK
Rian Johnson (LOOPER, STAR WARS: EPISODE 8) writes and directs this high school noir starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an unlikely detective-like hero solving a murder mystery involving a seedy teenage criminal underworld. Phenomenal storytelling and firecracker dialogue masterfully compliment the cinematic compositions. Beautiful and haunting. A true hidden gem cult classic that should garner a lot more attention as Johnson becomes more of a recognized brand-name like other rising indie star Denis Villeneuve.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
listed alphabetically
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE / THE CONSTANT GARDENER / THE DEVIL’S REJECTS / GRIZZLY MAN / HUSTLE & FLOW / JARHEAD / THE MATADOR / MURDERBALL / THE PROPOSITION / TSOTSI
THE BEST OF ART VS POPCORN
listed alphabetically
THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN / ALIENS OF THE DEEP / THE ARISTOCRATS / BROKEN FLOWERS / CONSTANTINE / CRASH / DOMINO / THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE / GOOD NIGHT & GOOD LUCK / A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE / A HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY / HOSTEL / HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE / INTO THE BLUE / THE ISLAND / THE JACKET / JUST FRIENDS / KING KONG / LAST DAYS / LORDS OF DOGTOWN / MR. & MRS. SMITH / MUNICH / THE NEW WORLD / RIZE / SERENITY / STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH / SYRIANA / WAITING / WAR OF THE WORLDS / WATER / WEDDING CRASHERS / WHERE THE TRUTH LIES / WOLF CREEK / ZATHURA
MY MUST-WATCH LIST
THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED / BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN / CAPOTE / THE CAVE OF THE YELLOW DOG / CINDERELLA MAN / HITCH / MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA / PRIDE & PREJUDICE / THE PUFFY CHAIR / TRANSAMERICA / USHPIZIN / WALK THE LINE / THE WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN
What do you think?
Stay tuned for Rewind & Rank: 1995.
SLIP/THROUGH - Entertainment You Don't Want to SLIP THROUGH the Cracks 
I love The Descent. It really made me feel claustrophobic and terrified.
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A totally rad cult classic for sure. Those scenes where they gasp for breath (no spoilers) had me doing the same. Incredible. You may like another horror flick from the director. It’s more cheeky. Like Snatch/Lock Stock if they had werewolves and army dudes – DOG SOLDIERS. Check it. Also, the man has a visual eye. Big time. He does a lot of great GAME OF THRONES episodes too. Sorry, got nerdy with it. Just sayin’, if you dig on this you may dig on that 😉
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I adore Dog Soldiers, so darkly funny and outrageously thrilling. A full on blast.
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General Dallaire was absolutely put through a shit fight, it’s the fastest mass killing in the history of the planet what happened in Rwanda and it just breaks your heart. He led the UN MIssion which included Australians on two rotations. The second rotation was present at a massacre in Kibeho where they under fire saved thousands of lives. I wrote about it on my blog but it is only a small part of the killing that took place.
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Right on. His story should be shared more. It’s very powerful, although it may not be so glamorous. His heroism almost comes from defeat. Australians, like Canadians, will help even if they don’t benefit; however, if there was oil up for grabs in Rwanda I think there would have been a larger global presence to thwart the mindless genocide.
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You’re bang on there. Although the Yanks avoided Rwanda after what happened in Somalia and there was no upside to getting involved in the former Yugoslav but they did it. The Sudan, North Korea…there’s patterns here to be sure.
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Yes. Somalia made a convenient excuse to not get involved in outside conflict. I wonder why this didn’t factor into entering Afghanistan (for example).
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To be fair that was Bin Laden but now we came to Iraq and I just start getting angry about the whole thing so best I stop or I won’t shut up going off on some rant.
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Heheh fair enough. The best question to ask about war (or anything) is: Who Benefits? The Middle East just happened to have rich black oil, but Rwanda had poor dying black people. Just sayin hehehe. Propaganda propagates ideas that help the powerful exploit power from others.
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Check out the post about Kibeho, you might find it interesting known so much more about the bigger picture.
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Thanks for putting Ms Garner in despite that film going downhill after the first 10 minutes.
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Dan we need the blurb man. Tell me about your choices, especially the Top 5. So many I have to see from this year. I do remember thinking that 2005 sported two great gross out comedies in the form of The Wedding Crashers and The 40 Year Old Virgin. In particular I really love the latter. Sin City another classic. There’s favourites here to be sure in Serenity, The World’s Fastest Indian, Walk the Line, Good Night and Good Luck, The Proposition, Brokeback Mountain, Capote, A History of Violence, Crash, Mr and Mrs. Smith, Syriana, Jarhead, Murderball, The Matador but your Top 10 for the most part includes indies and foreign films who again for the most part didn’t dominate awards season. This is a unique and interesting Top 10 for you and interesting films I would like to hear your thoughts on.
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Thanks for the kind words. This year championed some small films. I will try and go back to add blurbs to each year. Stay tuned. I didn’t know if anyone actually read the articles or scrolled through. 🙂
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I’m starting to add those blurbs as per request. You can check back on 1984 for commentary… and more Supergirl 😉 I will try and add some notes to the remaining Top 10s, working my way up from 84. Thanks for commenting, Lloyd. Appreciate it!
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Thanks for the blurbs Dan, enjoying them.
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Just an FYI… Updated 1994 with blurbs 🙂
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UPDATE: 2005 has nerdy little blurbs now 🙂
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I think I would find this year hard to judge.Have seen your top picks and know I have, but cannot remember anything about them for the life of me. Instead I can remember everything about 40 Year Old Virgin for instance in their place. lol
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Hehehe. Some movies stand out more than others. That may say something about 2005, eh. But 40 Year Old Virgin? Yeah. I remember a few bits too 😉
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