2008 Woodie Awards
2005 in movies
By Ivan Moore
Rocket Movie Critic
Issue date: 1/20/06 Section: Entertainment
2005 saw a drop in ticket sales, but it did not see a drop in the number of quality movies. It was excruciatingly hard to narrow the field down to five, but I will try. First up is the artistic bloodbath known as Sin City. Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk till Dawn, Spy Kids) brings Frank Miller's graphic novel to life by putting the audience right into the comic book universe of Sin City. It was over the top, it was gory and got mixed reviews, but with an all-star cast including Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, and the reemerging Mickey Rourke, Sin City is hard to beat.
Crashing in at No. 4 is another movie sporting an ensemble cast. In one of the most original screenplays of the year, Paul Haggis takes a detailed look into racial tension in his emotionally explosive Crash. Terence Howard (Hustle and Flow) gives another brilliant performance in his break out year and Matt Dillon earned a Golden Globe nod playing a misguided police officer. Crash takes a look at our still very racially ignorant world from many different perspectives all the while making you a puppet as it plays with your emotions. Ultimately, Crash teaches many worth while lessons to its characters and its audience.
In the three spot I have Golden Globe winner Joaquin Phoenix hitting one out of the park bringing the legendary Johnny Cash to life. In Walk the Line Phoenix along with co-star Reese Witherspoon turn out two of the best performances of the year as they were both charming and real. Witherspoon, who plays the lovely June Carter Cash, worked flawlessly as the ying to Phoenix's yang. Their chemistry was as fun to watch as Cash's fight with drug addiction was difficult to watch. The music tells the story from Folsom Prison Blues all the way through the Ring of Fire.
My runner-up is this year's big money winner, raking in over $380 million, Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. George Lucas definitely saved the best for last with his new trilogy. Episode III included some of the most eye-popping, heart stopping action sequences of the year. Plus, who wasn't curious as to exactly how young Anakin Skywalker comes be the iconic Darth Vader? Well finally the story is complete and all of the Star Wars fans out there can move on and bask in the glory of the final chapter.
Rounding things up is my top movie of the year, a late entry. Though we might have watched this movie twice before, see King Kong 1933 and 1976, I was in awe of the spectacle that was Peter Jackson's King Kong. Jackson delivers everything we are used to with his special effects, action, and drama, but probably the most surprising aspect to Kong was the stellar performance of Jack Black playing the manipulative Carl Denham. Andy Serkis who played Lord of the Ring's Gollum gives Peter Jackson his motion capture acting expertise once more as he expertly brings the fifty foot ape to life. Black gives us the last line in film stating that, "it was beauty killed the beast", and though this beautiful film did not out perform rival The Chronicles of Narnia it was truly one of the top films of 2005.
Crashing in at No. 4 is another movie sporting an ensemble cast. In one of the most original screenplays of the year, Paul Haggis takes a detailed look into racial tension in his emotionally explosive Crash. Terence Howard (Hustle and Flow) gives another brilliant performance in his break out year and Matt Dillon earned a Golden Globe nod playing a misguided police officer. Crash takes a look at our still very racially ignorant world from many different perspectives all the while making you a puppet as it plays with your emotions. Ultimately, Crash teaches many worth while lessons to its characters and its audience.
In the three spot I have Golden Globe winner Joaquin Phoenix hitting one out of the park bringing the legendary Johnny Cash to life. In Walk the Line Phoenix along with co-star Reese Witherspoon turn out two of the best performances of the year as they were both charming and real. Witherspoon, who plays the lovely June Carter Cash, worked flawlessly as the ying to Phoenix's yang. Their chemistry was as fun to watch as Cash's fight with drug addiction was difficult to watch. The music tells the story from Folsom Prison Blues all the way through the Ring of Fire.
My runner-up is this year's big money winner, raking in over $380 million, Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. George Lucas definitely saved the best for last with his new trilogy. Episode III included some of the most eye-popping, heart stopping action sequences of the year. Plus, who wasn't curious as to exactly how young Anakin Skywalker comes be the iconic Darth Vader? Well finally the story is complete and all of the Star Wars fans out there can move on and bask in the glory of the final chapter.
Rounding things up is my top movie of the year, a late entry. Though we might have watched this movie twice before, see King Kong 1933 and 1976, I was in awe of the spectacle that was Peter Jackson's King Kong. Jackson delivers everything we are used to with his special effects, action, and drama, but probably the most surprising aspect to Kong was the stellar performance of Jack Black playing the manipulative Carl Denham. Andy Serkis who played Lord of the Ring's Gollum gives Peter Jackson his motion capture acting expertise once more as he expertly brings the fifty foot ape to life. Black gives us the last line in film stating that, "it was beauty killed the beast", and though this beautiful film did not out perform rival The Chronicles of Narnia it was truly one of the top films of 2005.
