Friday, December 29, 2006
The movie blog has returned for a special post! As we are reaching the end of 2006, I thought I'd compile a top ten list of the best movies of the year. However, being a person that views most of his movies through DVD instead of at the theaters, I have only seen 8 movies that were released in 2006, which wouldn't make for much of a list. Therefore, I have decided to give my top ten favorite movies of 2005 instead! I know this might be a little dated but what the heck, for people that haven't seen some of these movies or just want to compare, here you go:
10. Just Like Heaven- The plot is a little strange, and yes it can get sappy at times, but I really enjoyed this romantic comedy with my new favorite recent actress Reese Witherspoon and a surprisingly good Mark Ruffalo. It has some very funny parts plus Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) is in it!
9. The Interpreter- I had a major problem with a plot point at the end of the movie but other than that this thriller is very good, and holds your attention throughout. Sean Penn is excellent and Nicole Kidman is not as unbearable as she usually is.
8. Batman Begins- My man Christopher Nolan (Memento) brings what is in my opinion the best Batman movie so far in the series. Christian Bale is very good as Batman, and I like the dark storyline plus ample plot twists.
7. Good Night, and Good Luck- Working in television news, it is very interesting to look back at a different era, and this stark black and white movie is very well done by George Clooney. It is a simple tale that is told very well.
6. Star Wars Episode III- I know a lot of people trash the more recent trilogy of Star Wars movies, but despite some horrid dialogue and questionable sideplots I have enjoyed the efforts, and this third one is definitely the best of the three. It is very moving and dark and great entertainment.
5. Crash- This is a very difficult movie to watch, not exactly an uplifting movie, but I like the ensemble cast, the interweaving of stories, and the way that the characters end up being not really as they seem is a good touch. Very well made movie.
4. Walk The Line- This movie surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect but thoroughly enjoyed it. The music scenes were really well done, and well sung by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. They also did tremendous acting jobs, and this movie held my attention from start to finish. In my mind, it probably should have won best picture.
3. Cinderella Man- This was a terrific movie that was also tough to watch in some points, namely the middle section of the movie, but was also very inspiring. The boxing scenes were filmed terrificly, and the acting was excellent.
2. Hitch- I must say, I really loved this movie. It is very funny, especially all the scenes with Kevin James, and one scene where he is dancing had me on the floor. It also has a lot of touching moments and the usual romantic twists towards the end but is flat out really entertaining and funny and a movie that I could watch many times over.
And my favorite movie of 2005 was....
1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- I must say, I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books and movies, and was looking forward to this movie more than any other of the year. And it did not disappoint. I was blown away watching this movie, which did a great job with the special effects and capturing both the darker moments and the lighter moments that were in the book. It did have some issues in terms of having to cut a lot from the book that upon watching again I realized that they could have done some things differently but overall it is just a great ride.
A final note: I will try to write some more reviews when I get the itch to and when I see some more of the movies from 2006 I will write up a top ten list for that. My queue for Blockbuster online right now though is so long that most of the movies I am getting now are from 2004.
10. Just Like Heaven- The plot is a little strange, and yes it can get sappy at times, but I really enjoyed this romantic comedy with my new favorite recent actress Reese Witherspoon and a surprisingly good Mark Ruffalo. It has some very funny parts plus Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) is in it!
9. The Interpreter- I had a major problem with a plot point at the end of the movie but other than that this thriller is very good, and holds your attention throughout. Sean Penn is excellent and Nicole Kidman is not as unbearable as she usually is.
8. Batman Begins- My man Christopher Nolan (Memento) brings what is in my opinion the best Batman movie so far in the series. Christian Bale is very good as Batman, and I like the dark storyline plus ample plot twists.
7. Good Night, and Good Luck- Working in television news, it is very interesting to look back at a different era, and this stark black and white movie is very well done by George Clooney. It is a simple tale that is told very well.
6. Star Wars Episode III- I know a lot of people trash the more recent trilogy of Star Wars movies, but despite some horrid dialogue and questionable sideplots I have enjoyed the efforts, and this third one is definitely the best of the three. It is very moving and dark and great entertainment.
5. Crash- This is a very difficult movie to watch, not exactly an uplifting movie, but I like the ensemble cast, the interweaving of stories, and the way that the characters end up being not really as they seem is a good touch. Very well made movie.
4. Walk The Line- This movie surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect but thoroughly enjoyed it. The music scenes were really well done, and well sung by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. They also did tremendous acting jobs, and this movie held my attention from start to finish. In my mind, it probably should have won best picture.
3. Cinderella Man- This was a terrific movie that was also tough to watch in some points, namely the middle section of the movie, but was also very inspiring. The boxing scenes were filmed terrificly, and the acting was excellent.
2. Hitch- I must say, I really loved this movie. It is very funny, especially all the scenes with Kevin James, and one scene where he is dancing had me on the floor. It also has a lot of touching moments and the usual romantic twists towards the end but is flat out really entertaining and funny and a movie that I could watch many times over.
And my favorite movie of 2005 was....
1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- I must say, I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books and movies, and was looking forward to this movie more than any other of the year. And it did not disappoint. I was blown away watching this movie, which did a great job with the special effects and capturing both the darker moments and the lighter moments that were in the book. It did have some issues in terms of having to cut a lot from the book that upon watching again I realized that they could have done some things differently but overall it is just a great ride.
A final note: I will try to write some more reviews when I get the itch to and when I see some more of the movies from 2006 I will write up a top ten list for that. My queue for Blockbuster online right now though is so long that most of the movies I am getting now are from 2004.
