Top 10 Films of 2005

 

by Steve Warren

Top Ten:
1. Crash -- Frightening and funny variations on a theme of racism in L.A. today, performed by a brilliant ensemble cast. If you think you're not racist it may prove you wrong.
2. The Squid and the Whale -- Noah Baumbach's tale of divorcing parents (Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney) and the impact on their sons is too detailed and deeply felt not to be autobiographical.
3. little man -- I wouldn't cross the street to see a movie about a baby born 100 days prematurely but Nicole Conn's documentary about her son's fight for life tore me up. Catch it on Showtime in April.
4. Good Night, and Good Luck -- Is it really about the McCarthy witch hunt of the early '50s or the Patriot Act today? Nostalgia or activism, it's good filmmaking.
5. Brokeback Mountain -- The year's best romance happens to be between two cowboys. Not that there's anything wrong with that, especially the way Ang Lee tells it.
6. Me and You and Everyone We Know -- Miranda July changed the way I look at performance artists with her genuine original about kids' first thoughts of sex and adults' search for love or whatever.
7. King Kong -- It's too long in spots and the interspecies love story is overdone, but at its frequent best Peter Jackson's remake is as good as a popcorn movie gets.
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -- Despite Johnny Depp's scary resemblance to Michael Jackson, the Tim Burton version of Willy Wonka... is a family classic for the ages.
9. Mysterious Skin -- Mystic River meets Donnie Darko and Gregg Araki matures with his adaptation of a novel about the long-term effects of molestation on two boys.
10. Lord of War -- Andrew Niccol's jaundiced look at arms trafficking follows Ukranian immigrant Nicolas Cage for 20 darkly comic years. It disappeared from theaters so fast I thought I'd dreamed it, but catch it on video.

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Best Documentary: little man
Runners-up: The Aristocrats; Inside Deep Throat