BEST FILMS OF 2005

The BEST of 2005

It's been another interesting year at the movies! While "truly great" films were few and far between, there were some excellent offerings in both the mainstream and art house circuits! Take a look at my choices for the Top Ten films of 2005, and feel free to comment! I love hearing from you.

Here they are, in descending order...

10. Millions

A whimsical, heartfelt fantasy about two brothers who discover a bag of stolen money. One believes it is a gift from God to be used to help those less fortunate. The other wants to spend and invest. Rarely have such serious themes as grief, greed, loss, philanthropy, and faith been presented with such child-like delight and conviction. Superb use of camera and effects with a low budget also help. The closing scene is one of rapturous joy and unadulterated hope.

9. Saint Ralph

This quirky Canadian offering features a stunning breakthrough performance by Adam Butcher as a 15-year-old prep school student who shifts his focus from girls and lust to "creating" a miracle by training to run (and win) the Boston Marathon. His motivation? A comatose mother and the potential of becoming an orphan. Butcher's unflagging charisma and perseverance are heartwarming, the script is peppered with thoughtful concepts and challenging insights, and there's a spectalur, heart-wrenching scene near the conclusion that lays out Ralph's fate to the tune of Leonard Cohen's marvelous "Hallelujah."

8. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe

The much-anticipated film version of C.S. Lewis' classic children's novel is, thankfully, a worthy adaptation. Gorgeously rendered, Narnia follows the four Pevensie children as they journey from their war-torn existence in WWII London to a magical land of witches, neverending winters, and one very cool lion. Liam Neeson is perfect as the regal Aslan, and Georgie Henley is the embodiment of "wonder" as a wide-eyed, adorable, and recklessly faithful Lucy. Some powerful scenes really bring out Lewis' spiritual allegory of sin, forgiveness, atonement, and the ultimate victory of good over evil. An epic for all ages.

7. Capote

Philip Seymour Hoffman, always excellent, outdoes himself as self-absorbed egotist Truman Capote, whose obsessive, unsettling, manipulative relationship with the convicted killer of a midwestern family proves to be his undoing. Never has the spiritual axiom "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul?" been conveyed with a greater sense of urgency and truth. Catherine Keener provides impeccable support as Capote's faithful friend Harper Lee. Raw, spare photography, music, and direction help to create a film that grips from start to finish.

6. Walk the Line

Director James Mangold coaxes two marvelous performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as self-destructive music legend Johnny Cash and his friend and eventual partner June Carter, respectively. The early years of Cash's troubled family life, tragic first marriage, rise to fame, drug addiction, and ultimate redemption are powerfully and truthfully presented in this far-above-average musical biopic. Phoenix and Witherspoon do all their own singing... amazing.

5. Stay

Almost completely unseen by audiences, and largely panned by critics, Stay might seem an unlikely choice for one of the best films of the year. Alas, director Marc Forster surprises and wows with a trippy, disturbing, visually astounding fever dream that offers some profound meditations on death, guilt, and redemption, while consistently entertaining with ground-breaking cinematography, terrific editing, tight direction, searing performances, and a frustratingly clever and unconventional construction. Requires multiple viewings, time for reflection, and discussion. For those who missed it (which is most people), this gem - which is likely to become a cult classic - is due on DVD March 28, 2006.

4. Batman Begins

All hope was lost for the Batman series until Christopher Nolan, the genius behind Memento, brought us this, arguably the best superhero movie ever made. Christian Bale is spot-on as the Dark Knight, and he leads a stellar cast through this moody, engaging, and invigorating journey, replete with high drama, spectacular action, great one-liners, remarkable spirituality, and gallons of plain old fun. One of those rare action films that doesn't require the death of your brain cells to enjoy, but instead encourages thought, reflection, and feeling. Like a kid again, I'm dying for the sequel...

3. A History of Violence

Tom Stall has a past that no one suspects until some creepy criminals head to his small midwestern town and begin calling him by a different name. Tom's family slowly starts to unravel as the effects of violence - without confession and repentance - exact their relentless and horrifying toll. Some of the best performances of year, especially from Maria Bello and Ashton Holmes as Tom's wife and son, highlight this explicitly disturbing yet weirdly redemptive tale. The closing scene is among the year's very best. Not for all tastes, this film is highly recommended with the caution that it contains some graphic sexual content, including a scene bordering on spousal rape.

2. Dear Frankie

Words can't adequately describe how heartfelt, charming, and emotionally impactful this treasure from Scotland truly is. Emily Mortimer gives a performance of remarkable depth and perfect precision as Lizzie, a single mother who writes to her deaf son as his father in hopes of protecting him from the harsh, ugly truth. Problems arise when the ship that Frankie's father is supposedly a crewman on is due in port. Desperate, Lizzie hires a stranger to pose as Frankie's father for a day. The results could have been manipulative and contrived. Under the assured hand of first-time director Shona Auerbach (from a pitch-perfect screenplay by Andrea Gibb), Dear Frankie is instead a film of refreshing honesty, magnificent beauty, and authentic love. The only reason this is Number 2 is because there has to be a Number 2.

1. Crash

After an overrated entrance into the public eye with 2004's Million Dollar Baby, writer-director Paul Haggis shows that he has what it takes with Crash, a rich, rewarding, and incendiary look at race relations in Los Angeles that knocks the breath out of you with the force of a hurricane. One of the best ensemble films in years, Crash takes us to a new level by making each of its characters by turns offensively racist, poignantly human, and gracefully capable of great good. No easy targets or tidy solutions, only gripping performances, an exquisite score, literate dialogue, and liberal doses of raw emotional power. The car crash sequence with Matt Dillon and Thandie Newton is one of the most powerful and beautiful in all of film history.

Honorable Mentions - They almost made the cut!

The Exorcism of Emily Rose - The scariest film of the year is also one of the most spiritually profound. Who would have thought?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Willy Wonka finally gets a makeover worthy of Roald Dahl's original artistic vision. Johnny Depp at his zaniest (and creepiest).

Proof - Gwyneth Paltrow gives her best performance ever as a caregiver to her mentally ill father. Hope Davis and Anthony Hopkins are also superb in this film that favors trust over gaining impirical evidence.

The Chumscrubber - A larger all-star cast would be hard to find. They do their best to bring this black-as-coal satire of suburban angst and emptiness to wicked, sometimes devastating life. Jamie Bell and Glenn Close are amazing.

Junebug - Quirky and at times frustrating, this simple slice of American life is real, raw, and tender, with a nice dash of hope. Amy Adams should win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her magnetic and centering performance.