Best Movies of the Year (Part 1)

Some years making a Top Ten List for Movies is hard because you can’t find ten Movies You’d want to put on the list. This year the difficulty was that so many

films were worthy!

(To make matters worse, I saw the films as jockeying against one another. They battled it out, meanwhile sending me secret messages like, “Did you know #17 sleeps around? I know; I need help.)

I started with over 40 possibilities. I got it down to 28, but I saw that it would be impossible to do a Top Ten. Finally I compromised with a Top 20. I got the list tentatively done; I might switch the places around some, but the first ten would stay intact, as would the second ten.

Then I thought of two movies I forgot. So I had to redo it. Then I thought of four more movies. So I have been in agony all week. Finally I got the list, Top 25. I refuse to parse it down any more than I have, and I cannot keep changing the order or I’ll be a loony by nightfall. Today I’ll give you 25-11, and tomorrow you’ll get 10-1. (The Links go to my reviews, which you should read if you haven't.) Feel free to disagree, but two notes of caution: wait until you’ve seen the full list to get angry, and don’t tell me movies don’t belong on the list that you haven’t seen. If you have seen every movie on my list and think it’s all screwed up, then we disagree

TOP MOVIES OF 2005 (25-11)

25 SERENITY - A fitting end to a show that left us too soon

24 KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (DIRECTOR’S CUT) – One good rewrite away from being a Best Picture candidate. Still great, though.

23 HUSTLE & FLOW - You know, the more I really think about it, it really is hard out here for a Pimp

#22 LORD OF WAR - If this had come out in December, Cage might have picked up another Nomination. Can they give awards for opening credits? That'd be a cool category, and Lord of War probably would have won

21 MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA** - A Beautifully shot picture. If they'd had nudity, I'm convinced it would have had a Best Picture Nomination

20 CHRONICLES OF NARNIA - THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - I tried making a "On my signal, unleash Beavers!" joke, but it didn't go over well

19 WAR OF THE WORLDS – How did people not see this for what it was, a horror film?

18 CAPOTE - I just giggled at the thought of Hoffman's Capote character in HUSTLE & FLOW, and Terrence Howard's DJay playing the famous author

17 HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE - The best of the HP films so far. I think LOTR spoiled us to how good this series really is.

16 A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE - How does Maria Bello not get an Oscar nomination? Or at least an invite to my Bachelor Party...

15 PROOF** - We had to watch this for the Family Movie Project. How it didn't get at least three Oscar nominations I'll never know

14 CRASH - I didn't rank this movie as high as I should have when I first reviewed it. The more I think about it the more it grows on me. Thandie Newton and Terrence Howard should have gotten serious Oscar consideration.

13 BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN – This will win Best Picture, and I won’t even complain too much. The depth of this year is unbelievable.

12 WALLACE AND GROMMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE RABBIT - The most perfect movie of the year. It pains me to rank something this delightful this low. I better quit thinking about it or I'll redo my list again.

11 BATMAN BEGINS - When I saw this last June I wrote that it had a legitimate chance at Best Picture. That I found 10 better films is no knock on the caped crusader, but indicative of just how powerful the top ten turned out to be.

** - Reviews upcoming next week

Tomorrow: The Top ten (what you’ve been waiting for all year)