Hey everyone.  I waitied too long for this last time, so I thought I'd post a bit early with a year end review.  Everyone feel free to put their own lists together as well.

BEST (Top 5):

1.) Batman Begins

It was a tough decision for me deciding which was better: this or "Kong."  Well, I went with Nolan's Batman because, well, it was not only a fantastic movie, but it also did something I thought was impossible after Schumaker's "Batman & Robin": it brought respect back to the Caped Crusader.  Not only was Bale the best Dark Knight yet, but I was also wowed by one of the best Bat villians put to screen (in my opinion anyway); that of Dr. Jonathan Crane, a.k.a.: The Scarecrow.  Cillian Murphy, star of my favorite film of 2003, "28 Days Later...," managed to steal every scene away from his ensemble cast, quite a feat when surrounded by the likes of Bale, Morgan Freeman, and Liam Neesen.  With a sequel guaranteed (that ending had the hairs standing up on my arms), my only hope is that the amazing cast returns... with a cameo from Dr. Crane as well.

KEY MOMENT: The sweeping, silent, 360 shot as Batman stands atop a lone gargoyle after taking down the crime lord Falcone and inventing the first make-shift Bat Signal.  Seeing this on the IMAX during the midnight screening gave me goosebumps.  

2.) King Kong

Had this re-sparked a long dead franchise, it would have gained the position of #1.  But, as it stands, Jackson's "Kong" will have to settle for #2.  But, of course, that's not a bad thing, and Jackson has not only proven he is one of the best directors working today, but he is also giving Spielberg a run for his money as far as household name directors go.  This beloved remake is not only hands down the greatest remake ever produced, but also one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen in a theater.  It was three hours long, I saw it as midnight, and the projector crashed about an hour in to it... yet, still, the time just flew by (unlike some of Jackson's "Rings" pictures, which had a few slow parts).  Well, 2005 not only brought us Kong, but it also brought the news that Jackson will be involved in the production of "Halo."  If it's only half as good as "King Kong," then us video game nerds are in for a hell of a treat.

KEY MOMENT: The amazing four-way fight between Kong and three T-Rexes looking for a meal in the form of Naomi Watts.  The most incredible C.G.-infused sequence I have ever seen.

3.) Broken Flowers

Bill Murray is a national treasure.  He starred in my favorite film of last year, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (which, admittingly, I saw in 2005), and this year was in director Jim Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers," a film worth seeing for many reasons.  Every so often, a film comes out that allows one to directly connect with it.  For me, it was "Broken Flowers."  No, I don't have an illegitimate kid out there (at least I hope not), but I could defiantly associate with Murray's Don Johnston, and his story of multiple love interests and sad endings.  Though, it certianly is not all depressing, and with Jeffrey Wright as Murray's best friend Winston, a great and funny relationship is built.  A great film that not too many caught.  Look for it on DVD in January.

KEY MOMENT: As with "The Life Aquatic," watching Murray cry is one of the saddest and most touching things you will ever witness, and unlike "Aquatic," this time he is sobbing for an all too real reason within a haunting and well shot graveyard scene.

4.) Jarhead

This is my new favorite war film if, for no other reason, it does not take sides.  Many dismissed it for that reason alone, but, like one of the characters in the film, I say, "fuck politics."  Sam Mendes' "Jarhead" is not about the president or the Pentagon and it's not about the protesters at home or the dictators abroad.  It's about the soldiers and their experiences, which, surprisingly, is much less violent then you might think.  Fortunately, Mendes, working right off of Anthony Swofford's memoirs from the first Gulf War, manages to make these characters memorable enough that, even though nothing is happening, the viewer is still drawn right in.  And when violence strikes, it lasts for but a brief, though powerful, ten minutes.  Not only one of my favorites of the year, but also one of the most underrated.

KEY MOMENT: Swof's disturbing sit-down with the burnt and charred corpses of three men in a semi-circle after an air-raid along a stretch of Iraqi highway.

5.) Land of the Dead

This one was hard to choose, as it came down to George Romero's zombies, Spielberg's Martians, Lucas' redemption, Vaughn and Wilson's wedding crashings, and Rodriguez's and Miller's graphic noir.  I went with Romero for a good reason, though: this is the first film I have ever seen that jumped from a two star rating to a three-and-a-half upon a second and third viewing.  One of the things that must be rememebered while watching "Land" is that this is not a great zombie film, but rather a great film with zombies in it.  Romero's latest has probably the most memorable characters in it seen all year and some very clever lines woven into the horror-flick dialogue.  Of course, that's not to say there is not a nice abundance of gore (especially in the unrated DVD edition) and some great undead mayhem to be seen.  Not to mention, this is the first zombie film were sympathy was actually created for the cadavers.

KEY MOMENT: The dramatic stand-off between Big Daddy and Hopkins in a chaotic mall overrun by the undead.  "What gives you the right!?" is thrown right back into the evil Kaufman's face by a very pissed off zombie with feelings... not a good combination.

WORST (Top 3):

1.) Alone in the Dark

Wow.  Who knew Uwe Boll could "top" "House of the Dead" with this pile of crap?  You know, I should actually say this one should be a "Thumbs Up" title, as I reccomend everyone sees it, specifically with a group of friends at two in the morning.  A fantastic disaster from video-game rapist Boll, "Alone in the Dark" is hands-down the worst film of 2005.

CR*P MOMENT: Whoa, far too many to list.  Though my favorite would probably be the "dead" chick in the underground cave who lifts her head off the ground right before the scene cuts away.  Great editing in this one too.

2.) Fantastic Four

If "Batman Begins" showed how well a superhero film could be, "Fantastic Four" reminded us all just how bad they could turn out.  You know, I have no problem with a comic book film not taking itself too seriously, but at least give us some action.  This was like a sitcom with superheroes, only not nearly as good as a sitcom with superheroes should be... not to mention that this is a movie.  A sequel is guaranteed, so I'm hoping a thing or two is changed... specifcally the director, screenwriters, and the casting of Jessica Alba as a scientist who's invisible.

CR*P MOMENT: Those gigantic, little-kid shoes that Ben Grimm wears at the end of the movie.  Good Lord.

3.) Saw II

Now, I'll admit, I was not the biggest fan of the overrated original, but I still would have liked to see a decent horror flick.  This wasn't it though.  Filled with the stupidest characters, the worst "Whoops!  It's just a cat moment," and Donnie Wahlberg, "Saw II" was just plain awful.  With only one cool scene to really save it and a memorable villian that was well performed by Tobin Bell, this one was, at the end of the day, really just one big bore.  

CR*P MOMENT: That dumb blonde who sticks her hands in that box full of metal shards.  Now if they gave her character downs, maybe I could have understood that scene better...

MOST UNDERRATED: Doom

And this year's most underrated film has got to be "Doom."  To me, it certianly is not perfect, but it proved itself to be the best of the video-game-to-film-adaptations since "Mortal Kombat."  I was surprised that fans and critics alike could not at least enjoy this one as just a mindless action flick.  Apparently, though, many were expecting something along the lines of "Gone with the Wind."  Go figure.

BOTTOM LINE:

Well, that does it for 2005.  It looks like there is quite a bit to look forward to in 2006 though.  Superman returns this Summer, as does Captain Jack Sparrow.  Ratner will hopefully prove he's not a complete joke with "X3" and maybe Boll will redeem himself with the likes of "Bloodrayne" and the two-parter "Dungeon Siege."  Actually, Ratner might pull it off.  Boll... well... he's another story.

Cheers.

It's hard to judge without seeing all the movies released. BUT, for the movies I have seen, then I would have to say:

GOOD

Millions -- another fantastic Danny Boyle movie
Revenge Of The Sith -- He got it right!
Batman Begins -- Fan of Nolan. Fan of Bale. Couldn't have asked for anything more.
The Devil's Rejects -- Rob Zombie has matured into a decent director.
40 Year Old Virgin -- Hot on the heels of Anchorman. Fantastic humor - but great story!
Wallace & Grommit -- Long time in development. Fantastic results.
History Of Violence -- A great, dark tale of family, secrets and....violence. Wow.
Harry Potter, Goblet Of Fire -- The franchise is now taking off. This is almost as good as Azkaban. But, not being a longtime fan of Potter, this was a great movie.


BAD

Cursed -- Horrible werewolf movie. Craven? Williamson? What were they thinking. I'm hoping my movie will outshine this disaster flick.
Stealth -- Why? Atleast offer us something different.
Alone In The Dark -- How does it he keep doing it?
Boogeyman -- Yawn. Wake me up when he gets here.
Fantastic 4 -- run of the mill story. Did'nt like the characters at all. Each to their own I guess.

BUBBLE:

Kingdom Of Heaven -- An epic movie with epic flaws in it. Just makes the grade.
Madagascar -- I really tried to like this movie...really. It was missing something...a good script maybe? Fails.
Charlie & Chocolate Factory -- Great Depp performance, Burton's imagination soars...but it was missing something. It just did'nt quite feel complete. I hated the umpa-loompas (or whatever you call them). Just makes the grade.
Constantine -- Great premise, bad execution.

Actually, I could expand to mention all movies I've seen - but why bother.

I agree, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was missing something as many Tim Burton movies tend to.  It was an enjoyable flick, 3 out of 4 stars, but it didn't have that special kick to it.  And like all of Burton's movies, he gives you some sour sad twist toward the end which nearly ruins the whole flick.

I guess I'm the only one who really enjoyed War of the Worlds.  Heh.

I think I only went to the theater 4 times this year because many of the films released never really caught my attention, which is probably due to poor marketing strategies.  Maybe I should head to the video store or something.

I will admit to enjoying War of the Worlds. I think the whole cross genre thing that Spielberg pulled in the middle messed with people. It started with action, went to quasi-low-budget thriller, and ended with action. Sure some of it was a bit contrived, and I had trouble believing a character would drive into the middle of a mob given the conditions, but other than that, it was an enjoyable ride. I liked the thriller in the middle.

Biggest disappointment for me of this year was The Crow - Wicked Prayer, I've waited almost 5 years for this and they made what they made.

Almost makes me want to write a fanfic that would blow the 3 sequels into oblivion because I think I know the material better than these idiots who made them. But of course I wont because that's not the kind of writer I want to be.

We must remember Ong Bak although it came out in 2003 it didn't come out over here until this year I believe it was.

I spent the better part of this year buying older films and finding a whole new experience so to sum up 2005 I'll say it was a bastardized simple ordeal that had nothing spectacular but some entertaining films nonetheless.

King Kong has been the best of the best this year that I have seen.  I love the Kong vs. 3 T-Rexes (I think thats right, or is it T-Rexs?)  Batman Begins was breathtaking,  Harry Potter and the Rich Lady JK... UMM I mean Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was the better of the movies.  Revenge of the Sith, the one of all the newer movies to actually get it right was good too.  There is nothing like a fried up pretty boy to start off the normal shifts of the Empire.

The Bad was Uwe Boll, plane and simple, and All Tim Allen movies, if there were any, and all Tim Allen movies to come.  Buzz Lightyear was his shining Star.  Stealth was on the big screen for what?  Two hours before they found out that it made no money and sucked a big left Nut.  They can't even sell it on the PSP without adding in a game with it...Sad   I seen Cursed on a date with a girl, and got no action from her, no kiss or hand holdin'  I got nothing but a hole in my pocket from buying two Craptastic tickets to that hell hole movie.  That bout sums it up for me.

I think they spent too much time in that T Rex fight especially after they fall off the cliff and they add in the comedy bit with Kong playing with its mouth after he's ripped its jaw apart. It seems that he's been on his own long enough that he'd have done this before and yet he does it for us and people in the theatre laughed.

Anybody see on Sin City recut and extended the Boston audience viewing the movie? More films on DVD should do that because you get to watch the movie with an audience and see if the comedy, scares whatever works on a level that it was meant to.

And wheres the love for Sin City? It was 2005, was it not.

Quoted from Old Time Wesley I spent the better part of this year buying older films and finding a whole new experience so to sum up 2005 I'll say it was a bastardized simple ordeal that had nothing spectacular but some entertaining films nonetheless.

Yeah, I found myself watching older films on TCM rather than going out to Blockbuster this year.  I caught Chaplin's "The Kid" last night and was left amazed.  An hour long, silent, black and white film from 1921 still manages to outdo those $100 million crapshoots that are being thrown at us left and right.  In fact, you all should rent "The Kid," if not for the story, then just the history.  I'm always fascinated when watching films from the silent era.

Ya know, I did like Revenge of the Sith, but now that I really think about it, it's nowhere on the same level as the originals.  It was entertaining, it had some nice visuals, but at the end of the day I'll probably still watch A New Hope instead of this one.

Top 5 (Not necessarily in order)

1.) A History of Violence
2.) Sin City
3.) Wedding Crashers
4.) The 40 Year Old Virgin
5.) Cinderella Man

Couple comedies thrown in here because I really enjoyed their premises, and found them to be pretty darn funny.

Worst 5

1.)  Constantine
2.) The Honeymooners
3.) Yours, Mine, and Ours
4.) White Noise
5.) Elektra

I probably could have gone on and on with this list since there were just so many BAD remakes out there this year.

Maybe that could be a writing exercise for everyone.  Write a remake of something, or turn a tv show into a film.  The way things are going lately one of us would probably get produced.

Dibs on 'My Mother, The Car'.....lol

Quoted from AmericanSyCo CR*P MOMENT: That dumb blonde who sticks her hands in that box full of metal shards.  Now if they gave her character downs, maybe I could have understood that scene better...

Ah ha!  Easily the most mind-numbingly stupid thing I've ever seen in a theater, including the trailer for Dukes of Hazzard.  

BEST
1. Crash
2. War of the Worlds
3. Red Eye
4. King Kong
5. Sin City

WORST
1. Alone in the Dark
2. Aeon Flux
3. Stealth
4. Fantastic 4
5. Boogeyman

GUILTY PLEASURES
1. Cry_Wolf
2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
3. The Longest Yard
4. The Bad News Bears
5. Dark Water

I didn't hate fantastic 4, I thought it was rather average but as they say how good are origin films anyway? I say not good on average. Punisher got away with one but that's because he's 1 guy compared to these massive amounts of characters who need time to build.

I forgot Longest Yard but was Crash not a 2004 film and it came out on DVD in 05? Anyways it's a good film nonetheless.

Weird how a film like Crash can get 8.5 on IMDB and make no money in theatre but huge Hollywood pictures get 2.0 and make 20 million.

I watched a ton of '40s movies this year and only went to about ten theater movies, so I probably wouldn't give this list a fair chance. Like, I haven't seen Charlie and Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Four, or half the movies on everybody else's list. I only went to see movies that I heard were good like War of the Worlds, Revenge of the Sith, Harry Potter, Batman Begins and King Kong. In that way, I think I am one of the luckiest people here.

Crash was released to us in May of 2005.

I just wondered because it says on IMDB 2004 so just thought I'd ask, it doesn't matter though as long as people enjoy it for what it is... Something original.