Top Ten Films of 2005

Runner-ups to this list are:
The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Jacques Audiard's absorbing tale of a small time crook with dreams of being a concert pianist;
Howl's Moving Castle, the latest animated wonder from Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki, and one of his most wondrous;
In Her Shoes, another rewarding unexpected departure for director Curtis Hanson;
Judd Apatow's The 40 Year-Old Virgin, the funniest movie of the year;
Me and You and Everyone We Know, in which writer/director/star Miranda July proved quirky isn't always cloying;
and War of the Worlds, Steven Spielberg's other great film this year.

And also The Squid and the Whale, Batman Begins, Land of the Dead, Look at Me, Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The Ten:

10. Good Night, and Good Luck.

Everyone knows that Bill O'R...er...Sen. Joseph McCarthy is a big-headed, small-minded, blowhard who prefers to smear anyone who has the nerve to disagree with, or even question, him because civil discourse is for commies and traitors. By the way, when did our media become so weak? Thanks to George Clooney's taut little history lesson we can look to the past to see what's lacking in the present.

9. Millions

It's one of those cute movies from the U.K. about some plucky kids who find some money and get mixed up with criminals but are just so darned cute you can't believe how cute they are! Except it's not. Director Danny Boyle adds well measured doses of grit, wit and filmmaking polish to this family-friendly movie that is just the right combination of sentimentality and substance.

8. Mysterious Skin

The most surprising movie of the year, partly because I never expected something this mature, moving and strangely beautiful from cult provocateur Greg Araki. Working for the first time from source material other than his own warped mind, Araki spun the intriguing tale of two young men living separate lives in the same town, connected by events that have become vague, misleading, memories. Often uncomfortable, but never tawdry, it's a vivid depiction of loss of innocence and discovery of redemption.

7. Capote

Not really a bio-picture but instead a film that uses a chapter in the life of Truman Capote to work out complex ideas about the responsibilities of those who exploit others for professional gains, and the emotional prices paid. First time director Bennett Miller works from a script by actor Dan Futterman (based on a book by Gerald Clarke), and creates a stark, subtle and powerful movie that has the cumulative effect of a gut-punch.

6. Munich

Steven Spielberg didn't have to make this movie (and many would prefer he hadn't, not just for political reasons but artistic ones as well), but I'm very glad that he did. One of the great filmmakers of our time struggles with an issue that has no answer. Some people complain that he didn't take sides, but that's the point. What good does taking sides do? Nobody wins. Everybody loses. And this coming from an eternally optimistic filmmaker.

5. Junebug

A genuine American indie that doesn't strive to be hip and/or smug. Imagine that. Everything about this movie says "small" except when you actually pause to consider the full-bodied performances, Angus MacLachlan's big-hearted writing and Phil Morrison's endlessly observant direction. A Southern movie that isn't condescending is interesting enough, but a movie that thoroughly understands and expressly portrays such complex family dynamics is something to treasure.

4. Syriana

It's a fiction, but a fiction so credibly enacted that it feels like it could be real. And that's the true power of Stephen Gaghan's gorgeous patchwork of a film about the politics of oil and the Middle East. The way it unfolds may confuse but it also captivates: its message are clear. By traversing the globe and cutting between characters so frequently the film palpably conveys a feeling of interconnectedness and sweeping conspiracy. The jig is up.

3. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

The shorts are modern classics and so, finally, is the movie. One of the screen's great buddy teams receive their feature-length due with all the visual imagination and sharp wit fans have come to expect from creator Nick Park. The film retains the boundless charm of the shorts as it slyly sends up scores of classic films (especially horror and action pictures) and introduces some wonderful new characters. Cheese Gromit! Cheese!

2. A History of Violence

A Canadian director makes a Great American Movie. Shouldn't we be embarrassed, eh? It's not that movies for adults are a lost commodity, just a rare one. But few have been more consistent in delivering them than David Cronenberg. And with this masterwork he's made a film that is as visceral as it is intellectual, satisfying whether you're looking for brutal action scenes or complex themes. A movie that takes sex and violence seriously, but doesn't make them boring.

1. Brokeback Mountain

Oh man, and now a Chinese director has made a Great American Movie? And it's about gay cowboys!?! Does anyone remember when this was one of the riskiest ventures of the year? The subject matter may make it Important but it's the artistry that makes it great. Director Ang Lee, writers Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana and Annie Proulx, a cast led by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal and the rest of the supremely talented team deliver work worthy of "career best" accolades. What's really amazing is that this tiny little tragic romance packs such a profound emotional wallop.