Top 10 List 2005

Introduction

Well, its been a little over a year since my first top 10 movie list, so true to form, here it is again.  This past year, I saw 30 movies.  I have whittled the list of 30 down to the 10 best so you can have a good list of what to watch if you haven’t already seen them.  All 10 are already on DVD which would makes them easy to watch.  But first, let's honor the end of the Star Wars series by giving George Lucas . . .  . 

The Horrible Writing Award

One movie that won’t make my top 10 list is Star Wars III, the Revenge of the Sith.  Poor George Lucas.  He cannot write and nobody around him apparently will tell him this.  Seriously, that movie had the worst dialogue of any I have ever seen. Some examples? How about Annakin telling Padme about his home planet, "I don't like sand. It's course and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.  Here, everything is soft and smooth."  Or when a worried Padme says to Annakin, “Anny, hold me like you did on Nabou . . . . I don’t know who you are anymore, you are breaking my heart.”  And to top it off, Padme dies after childbirth not due to medical complications, but due to a broken heart.  Forget the idea that that condition could even be diagnosed by her droid doctor, it is more ridiculous when you consider she just gave birth to a baby boy and girl, looked at their beautiful little faces, and proceeded to lose the will to live.  Wow.  

Top 10 2005

#10 Wallace and Grommit the Curse of the Were-Rabbit G We have been fans of Wallace and Grommit for several years now and we anxiously looked forward to the movie.  Tanner and I saw it on the opening Saturday.  Besides being a great movie with funny ideas, clever plot lines, and great writing, there is nothing quite like seeing your 4-year old watch in amazement at what is before him. 

#9 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants PG-13

This is a great coming of age movie for young teenage girls.  And I loved it!  I knew after watching it I would put it on my list.  It deals with some very serious issues, some lighter issues, and some funny issues, and all in all, it pulls it off.  I loved every minute of this movie which Krista even thought was a bit too much on the sentimental side!

#8 Dear Frankie  PG-13

This is the story of a young single mom trying to protect her deaf son from knowing his father abandoned them years before.  She writes weekly letters to Frankie that she writes them as his father.  She pretends that the father is a seaman traveling the world.  The movie is shot in Scotland and has a nice slow pace where the characters and story can develop.  It is a great movie and has wonderful messages about a mother’s love, protecting your children, and honesty. 

#7 Batman Begins  PG-13
I reluctantly went to see this movie only because we had free tickets and free babysitting.  I mean, haven’t we had enough of Batman, and haven’t we seen the story a hundred times?  The answer to this incredibly is no!  Christopher Nolan brings new blood into how the story looks and feels.  And Christian Bale is fantastic as Bruce Wayne and Batman.  The story is fresh and character driven, and the action is not campy like it was in the later Batman movies.  I believe that this is the best Batman that has ever been made.  I loved the psychology behind Bruce’s character and Linus Roach is fantastic and Bruce Wayne’s philanthropist father.  I walked out of the theater amazed at what I had just seen.

#6 Capote  R
Phillip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote, one of the most celebrated authors in the 1960s.  This is a fascinating exploration of Capote’s motivation to befriend two criminals who are accused of murdering a family of four in a small Kansas town.  The writing is strong, the direction is great, and the acting is fantastic.  What is more interesting is Capote himself.  He finds himself in a psychological dilemma as he wants to finish his book, but cannot do so until the criminals he has befriended are put to death.   

#5 Pride and Prejudice  PG
How many films have been based on Jane Austin’s novel from the early 1800s?  Too many I am sure.  But this one was truly a great movie.  Kiera Knightly was fantastic as Elizabeth.  But the direction in this movie is what stood out to me.  There are many beautiful wide shots of the scenery that set the stage for the human interactions.  And there are original scenes such as the dance between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy that show you that this is not just another remake.  If you haven’t seen it, it is definitely worth your time.

   

#4 Munich  R 

Steven Spielberg’s film about Israel’s response to the assassination of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munch Olympics helps one see the complexity of such a decision.  The consequences of revenge are explored, and the Palestinian terrorists are humanized in such a way that you question the strategy of strict revenge.  The complexity of the relationship between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians is the perfect backdrop for this exploration, and it leaves it up to viewer to draw their own conclusions about issues such as terrorism, revenge, and its impact on individuals and country.

#3 Thumbsucker  R

I absolutely loved this movie.  It is the story about a 17 year old boy who still sucks his thumb.  The movie follows his relationship with his Orthodontist, his parents, his brother, and his debate team.  I loved the way the family relationships in this film were portrayed.  They look like what many American families look like.  They have a dysfunctional / functional family who live in quiet desperation. I particularly liked the how they portrayed the Dad.  Instead of being an overbearing, insensitive father who is easy to hate and make the villain, he is a regular guy struggling to with his own past who fails to see that while doing so he misses the boat on how to be present with his family.  This was a great movie.  

#2 Millions  PG

After I saw this movie, I knew it would be high on my list.  This is the story about two pre-teen brothers in England who find a duffel bag full of money near the train tracks where they live.  They don’t know where it came from or what to do with it.  And the story tracks what they decide.  Full of original ideas and creative storytelling, this is a extraordinary movie in a rather ordinary year for movies.  The children don’t overact and the youngest boy has a great imagination which the filmmakers wonderfully incorporate through imaginary Patron Saints that help guide his decisions.  There is also a great side bar dealing with Mormon missionaries who live next door.  If you have not seen Millions, go rent it today!  It’s a movie the whole family can enjoy.

#1 Match Point  R

I have always been a big fan of Woody Allen's movies. Annie Hall was one of the most creative, funny, and original movies ever made.  However, he has had such a string of disappointing movies, I had lost interest in seeing his work.  But just when everyone thought he was done with original and compelling stories, he comes up with Match Point.  This is a fascinating and complicated story that is so original it is amazing he still had this in him.  I won’t give any details because the less you know, the better.  It is intense, emotional, and real.  Suffice it to say that it is one of the best explorations about choice and luck I have ever seen, and there is one particular scene that is understated, yet so amazing that it left an indelible impression with me.  I think that this might be his best dram which is saying a lot because he has made so some great movies.