Top 10 Movies of 2005

This is probably the last top 10 of 2005 to be posted. After watching virtually no films for the first 2/3 of the year, I have made a semi-furious attempt to watch as many 05 films as I could before the Oscars. I didn't succeed to the extent I wanted (never did get to Saraband, A History of Violence, or Me and You and Everyone We Know) but I did what I could and here's my list. The order should be taken with a grain of salt because if I did this list tomorrow, it would probably be different.

1. Brokeback Mountain. I can't really say anything that hasn't already been said. I would recommend the article in the recent New York Review of Books which argues that, unlike what well-meaning critics are saying, it is in fact a profoundly homosexual story, a sentiment I agree with. Unfortunately, I can't remember who wrote the article but it was quite good. What wonderful emotionally powerful performances. It is one of the 3 best films of the decade so far, along with In The Mood For Love and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and is no doubt one of 4 that will make my decade Top 10 list (add Yi-Yi to the previous 3).

2. 2046. This is a great movie. It may even be as good as In The Mood For Love, its prequel, and that is really saying something. It's hard for me to describe movies about relationships without making them all sound the same. But this is just amazing on many levels--acting, cinematography, story, script. Some have complained the ending is too abrupt but it makes perfect sense to me. This is so good, it almost beat Brokeback and I wonder in 10 years which I will cherish more. Just a great film. Wong Kar Wai is perhaps the best director working today.

3. Tony Takitani. This is a film that almost no one has seen. One of the few advantages to Santa Fe is screenings of films like this. The Jun Ichikawa adaptation of a Haruki Murakami story is nearly flawless. It's a heartbreaking portrait of loneliness. Not a whole lot happens, but what does is absolutely devastating. Probably not for those who need killing or sex to be interested in a film, but definitely for those who like exploring human emotions. Incidentally, like Annie Proulx's Brokeback story, this Murakami piece was originally published in The New Yorker. They sure do publish some great fiction.

4. The Squid and the Whale. This film was completely robbed at the Oscars. Not only should it have won best original screenplay, but it should have been nominated for Best Picture (over Crash and Munich definitely) and for Best Actor (Jeff Daniels). The opening scene is one of the best in recent film. Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Honestly, it was hard to watch at times because of recent events in my own life but that only amplifies the excellence of this film.

5. Downfall. If the Oscars had any integrity at all, Bruno Ganz would have won Best Actor for his performace as Adolf Hitler. That's a hard role to play and Ganz does it so well, you almost care a tiny bit for him. Ganz is one of the world's finest actors (see also Wings of Desire and Eternity and a Day among others) and he brings it all here. The movie is about 15-20 minutes too long and is profoundly depressing, but it is a very solid piece of work.

6. Capote. A very good though not great film. Worth an Academy Award nomination. I honestly don't care about Truman Capote very much but Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener both do excellent work here. I'm glad Hoffman won Best Actor though I wonder if anyone will care about this movie in 5 years.

7. Good Night and Good Luck. Perhaps I'm ranking this a bit high. But I love David Strathairn (see Matewan for reason #1) and I am very glad to see him get some publicity. The movie is straight forward about its goals and accomplishes them without a false step. This is the mark of the solid movie. Most movies can't reach this solidity. They are not great movies but they provide quality entertainment and you leave the theater pleased with your investment of time and money. There's something pleasing, almost in an Old Hollywood sort of way, about a film that delivers exactly what it intends to, nothing more, nothing less. Also, I somehow think Fred Friendly was as charismatic as George Clooney, but what can be done?

8. Junebug. A movie that makes you still appreciate a few independent films. I have a long-standing loathing for independent films as a genre--most are absolute trash. But when they deliver, they are fun. This one delivers quite well. I always like Embeth Davidtz. Amy Adams deserves the accolades she got, if for no reason than she took me back to memories of Tennessee. A little of that character goes a long way for me. I don't understand why Alessandro Nivoli's character was so little used. Not that he's a great actor but you'd think something less than 1/2 of his scenes would be him sleeping. Maybe he's really good at it. We all have to play to our strengths.

9. Caché. Again, a movie that delivers just what it promises. Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche are both solid as always. A good psychological thriller that never goes over the top, never steps over the line. What do you think this movie would look like in an American remake? Can you stomach the thought?

10 (tie) Paradise Now. This is not a great film. And to be honest, I had been drinking too much beforehand so the first half is a little shaky. Was it one of the best 5 foreign films of the year? Of course not. Hell, it's only #3 on this list. But nonetheless, it is a nice look at what drives a suicide bomber and the hopelessness of living in Palestine. Though, and maybe this was the alcohol talking, while Palestine was clearly poorer than Israel, it didn't look that awful. Anyway, well acted, well directed, points well made.

10 (tie) The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. I enjoyed this film a great deal. It's far from flawless, beginning with the fact that Barry Pepper is way too old to play his role. He is 35 years old and his character is supposed to be about 20. It's not as bad as Jimmy Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but it's not far off. But Tommy Lee Jones should direct more westerns. He's a good actor who doesn't get a lot of good roles these days. He has a pretty good touch as a director. This is the best border film since Traffic. He holds the rights to direct Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. I hope he can get the funding to do it.

Honorable mention goes to Match Point and Be Here To Love Me. As for more widely acclaimed films, Crash, Munich, Walk the Line, and Syriana are all bad films to one degree or another. It's hard to imagine anyone watching any of them in 5 years.