Strat's 20 of 2005

A year of a lot of good middle-of-the-pack movies and a few really good movies. Also a good number of relationship-driven comedies. Movie-wise, it was certainly a down year if not one of the weakest years in my time doing the 20 lists. That said, there a few surprises.

20. War of the Worlds (sci-fi)

The original movie version isn't going away in my mind. The Spielberg big budget version merely augments it. At least there's a few nice updates. Good eye candy.

19. Sin City (action)

A delightfully rich comic book movie that doesn't shy away from grime and relishes it's bleak sensibilities. As a viewer, I'd wish the plot was stronger. Again, eye candy. PLUS hot girls.

18. Ring Two (horror)

This Japanese import made in the US is scarier than its sequel counterpart Ringu in Japan.

17. Good Night and Good Luck (drama)

Clooney proves he's really settling in to directing politically-charged movies. A great movie in the vein of Network about media and politics.

16. King Kong (fantasy drama)

Rather than go into exhile forever a la Kubrick or Cameron, Peter Jackson opts to keep churning them out after The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. A solid remake of the original classic with some very creative thrills to boot.

15. Walk the Line (drama)

If you weren't a fan of Johnny Cash's music at the beginning of this movie, you are by the end. Chances are, the marketing people were counting on that with this one. What's striking is how much I don't like Cash by the end of this movie and yet you really feel for him.

14. Elizabethtown (romantic comedy)

A cute story of long-distance love and onesself at home à la Garden State, but with the Cameron Crowe patented blend of cliche, sentimentality and honesty.

13. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (fantasy comedy)

If anyone is going to retell this classic, it's Tim Burton. No surprise that he caught criticism for it, but hey - it's visually stunning and Johnny Depp is giving us a good taste of some of his best delicious acting since Pirates of the Caribbean.

12. Crash (drama)

One of those stories of intersecting character threads. While essentially the movie is about clashes between people from different walks of life, it ends up being a touch less raw than I would have liked. Surprising turn for Sandra Bullock.

11. Hitch (comedy)

Before The Game hit mainstream, there was this kind of love guru. A nice take on a similar plot as Steve Martin's Roxanne.

10. March of the Penguins (documentary)

Ever watched a movie and it made you feel cold? Try watching following penguins mating habits in Antartica. Amazingly rare footage and compelling imagery and narrative make for a good blanket and a couch movie.

9. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (comedy)

Maybe I like it for Steve Carrell. Maybe I like it because of the premise. Maybe I like it because it relates on that highly inept and true geek level of failure with affairs regarding the opposite sex.

8. Jarhead (drama)

An intense and oftentimes almost existentialist view of the transformation of one man into a Marine in the first Iraq war. Full Metal Jacket meets Fight Club if you will.

7. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (action comedy)

Yes, it's confirmed. Robert Downey Jr is back and he is good. And the writer of The Last Action Hero proves that was a blip in his life he'd like to forget.

6. Wedding Crashers (comedy)

While 40 year old gives you geeks and love, this gives you frat guys and romance. Equally funny and certainly a one up for inspiring a new potential hobby for me.

5. The Island (sci-fi action)

I hate Michael Bay. I like this movie. What's wrong with this picture? Can Michael Bay make a good movie? The script and Ewan McGregor combine to make this a rewatchable movie. I just prefer to fast forward past one long overdone, chase sequence.

4. Corpse Bride (stop-motion animation, comedy)

Some have called it the sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Well, it's not. It's a tale of it's own, finely executed by Mike Johnson and co. I think the Skeleton Boy is pretty rad :)

3. Batman Begins (action drama)

I really wasn't sure what to expect. Last time we saw Batman, he had nipples and The Governator was telling him to "Chill Out." Thank goodness those days are over and Chris Nolan fresh off Memento and Insomnia relaunches one of the greatest comic book anti-heroes in a fresh new direction.

2. Babel (drama)

Too often these kind of various storyline movies never amount to much and never seem really unified. This film is proof of how connected we are in this day and age with one another all across the globe.

1. Munich (action drama)

A political thriller that does a pretty good job of showing a balanced view of the events surrounding the 1972 Olympic games. It's part The Insider, part Saving Private Ryan. Very excellent.