Steve Magnum's Top 10 For 2005:
10 - Breakin' All The Rules (2004) – This Jamie Foxx comedy was nothing that I’d call spectacular. It was kitschy and predictable, but it was still a lot of fun. It’s just a simple romantic comedy of errors…with a Pug. And as an aside, Morris Chestnut, who plays Jamie Foxx’s best friend in the film did a great job in his role. Why this guy isn’t getting more work in bigger and better films is beyond me. I think he’s capable of much greater things than what the suits in Hollywood are having him do. Perhaps he should look for a new agent. Regardless, that’s my number ten film. A good renter (or buy it if it’s available for a cheap price).
9 - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) – Yeah, it’s number nine, so what? I know a lot of people might think it should have scored much higher, but this isn’t their list. It’s mine. It was great to (finally) see Anakin become Darth Vader. But Lucas still messed it up. Don’t get me wrong, the lightsaber battles, were awesome! Anakin’s descent and the brutal efficiency that the clone troops employed when wiping out the Jedi was impressive and tragic to see.
But for all that, Lucas still can’t write romance scenes…AT ALL! Every moment that Padme and Anakin were onscreen together was painful to watch because their acting was so bad (most likely due to Lucas’ writing and directions). And the real kicker that kept this film from ascending higher on my list: the dual scenes showing Amidala’s giving birth and dying and Anakin’s robtic body being put together. She dies because she has a broken heart? What? And then his Frankenstein-like movements as he got off the operating table followed by his “NOOOO!” upon learning of Padme’s death was just painful to watch. He’s the baddest warrior in the galaxy and yet he’s whining like a baby? Whatever. Making us sit through 5 hours of suck (ok, 4 1/2 hours, there were some cool lightsaber battles in Episodes I & II), only to reward is with 2 1/2 hours of “decent” is not worth my time or money. That’s why it’s number nine.
8 - Sin City (2005) – Gritty, hard, violent, darkly humorous at times and a wonderful homage to classic noir films. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller gave us three tales of crime, love, justice, and tragedy in this dark cinematic masterpiece. The visual style was truly amazing. Shot for shot it came right out of the comic books that it’s based upon. Additionally, the moments that used color were beautifully arranged.
The cast was practically perfect (except for Jessica Alba, she’s just not a strong enough actress for this film). From Mickey Rourke as Marv, to Clive Owen as Dwight to Bruce Willis as Hartigan, everyone gave their characters and the film their all. Simply an excellent piece of work.
7 - Kim Possible: So The Drama (2005) – Fun, funny, and beautifully animated. Yes, this was a direct to TV film (which then moved to DVD a few weeks later) that was aimed at tweens and teens. But so what? The writing was great. Fast paced dialogue and jokes that are reminiscent of classic “Looney Tunes” cartoons mixed with just enough soap opera elements to keep the casual viewer interested in the story combine to create what I can only describe as pure pop entertainment. It’s so much fun to watch and it never fails to make me laugh.
6 - Casablanca (1942) – Featuring Humphrey Bogart in a touching and inspiring role as Rick Blaine, this film is intriguing and interesting to watch. There are so many minute details in this film that when observed as a whole, make this flick that much more entertaining. There are so many things to say about this film, but much of it has already been covered by other, more eloquent critics as well as myself (in my review). So I’ll just move on to number five.
5 - Madagascar (2005) - Is there anything funnier than commando penguins? I don’t know, but if there is, I want to see it. These four militaristic marvels and their antics could even give Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck a run for their money. And if they had been the focus of the film (instead of the four actors/characters who were given more screen-time and attention), then this film would probably have scored even higher on my list. But, as it currently stands, the film is number five. Seriously though, the penguins MAKE the movie.
4 - Sky High (2005) – Kurt Russell re-teams with Disney for this hilarious coming of age comedy that’s set in a world of superheroes. The kids aren’t annoying or clichéd. They all perform their roles well. And the jokes and gags that permeate the entire film are hilarious. Is the story predictable? Completely. Is the film still enjoyable? Absolutely! Plus it’s got Bruce Campbell and Lynda Carter! That should be enough of a reason for anyone to check it out.
3 - Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (2005) – My favorite book of the Harry Potter Series has finally made the transition to the silver screen. And with the exception of the fact that they cut too much out to make it fit into what Hollywood sees as a decent running time, I really enjoyed it. All of the child actors are really becoming better and better actors as these films progress and the adult performers are wonderful as well. I would just preferred to have seen more (of everything). As my friend D_Davis has said, the Potter films are closer to being highlights of the books than they are actual self-contained films. And to a point, I agree with him. There should be more explanations and such, so that those who haven’t read the books (and even those who have) can understand some of the plot points better. Ah well, you can’t always get what you want, I guess. Moving on.
2 - Batman Begins (2005) – Without a doubt (in my mind), this is the best Batman film ever made. Joel Schumacher should be watching this film and taking notes (especially after his two failed attempts to make Batman movies). Simple, dark, entertaining. This film chronicled Bruce Wayne’s formative years and shows what led him to donning the cape and cowl that have become his trademark. For more details on why I love this film, check out my review.
And that brings us to my favorite film of the year:
1 - Serentiy (2005) – To anyone who knows me and/or has followed my writings on the site, this should come as no surprise. I love the creations of Joss Whedon and I love good westerns too. So a combination of those two (with some other elements thrown in) resulted in Firefly, a TV series that was wonderful to behold. However (as you may know), the network executives at Fox did their best to kill this series quickly. But once the series was put away, Joss and his team started shopping the idea around to other media outlets and, lo and behold, Universal picked it up and optioned it as a film (with the possibility for a sequel or two). The result of that is Serenity. An amazing film that manages to tie up many of the loose ends from the TV series without feeling rushed and still manages to tell an intriguing and gripping story (with a lot of great action and humor to boot). I could go on and on, talking about this, but I’ll sum it up by telling you this: “Watch it.” There’s a reason it’s my favorite movie of the year. It’s a truly excellent piece of cinema.
