On Best Of 2005...
I’m having trouble thinking of a more worthless time period during the year than the week between Christmas and New Year’s. If you are unlucky…or a poor manager of your vacation time…you are at work. I’ll give you one guess where I am right now. However, as a contractor supporting the government…and by supporting I of course mean analyzing since I am an analyst…this is probably my favorite time of year. The traffic is light…I can get a seat on the Metro…and there isn’t really anyone around to actually, you know, manage me…
This is also the best time of year to be an internet surfer. My job is such that I have periods of rain followed by periods of drought (this is a workload metaphor, so stay with me). I don’t want to give you the wrong impression that just this week is a drought. Basically, this whole year has been like the freaking Sahara. It’s the little things that get me excited now, and this week is surfing gold for one reason: the various and assorted Annual Top Ten Lists…
…You might be confused about now because not two days ago I lamented the existence of lists. I think I was fairly convincing in that post, probably enough for you to change your lifestyle and rip up your lists. I have that affect. So I’m sorry to throw you this curve. You should realize that I mostly just hate lists that somehow involve my labor, or worse, remind me of the things… Lists that involve someone’s opinion on a myriad of subjects fascinate me…or give me something to ridicule.
Since I have some affinity for movies, the huge amount of Top Ten Movies of 2005 lists can keep me entertained for…man, like a whole two hours. That much waste of time usually inspires me to waste even more time…It inspires me to make my own list.
For the past couple of years I put together a little mental list of the best movies I’ve seen. Since I don’t actually get out much, most of the movies I watch are Netflix rentals. So my list is the best of the movies I saw in the year, not from the year. The other stipulation is that the movies on the list are all ones that I saw for the first time. It is really the only way I can assure that Tombstone doesn’t appear on the list every year.
2005 was a sparse movie year for me. I average probably 10 movies a month. Actually, to be more accurate, I average 10 DVDs a month from Netflix with the occasional foray to the theater. In 2005, TV shows dominated my Netflix queue. Thanks to Alias, Firefly, Lost and Battlestar Galactica, the list of movies I saw this year is much more manageable.
Here are the best (maybe more than ten) movies I saw for the first time in 2005:
12) The Revenge of the Sith (2005): Star Wars III was certainly the best of the prequel movies. Frankly, I’m just glad to see it over and done with. My biggest complaint for the prequels is that models and muppets were replaced almost entirely with CGI. Still, it is hard to argue that the movie did not deliver on finally showing how Darth becomes Darth. No where close to the originals though.
11) War Games (1983): My wife made the comment that my 80’s cred is in severe question because I did not catch this in my childhood. Personally though, if a movie didn’t have John Cusack in it, is it really an 80’s movie? I enjoyed this particularly because I work with many of those Air Force dudes whose career was somewhat portrayed in the movie.
10) Whale Rider (2003): A girl riding a whale is not something I would normally put high on my list of things I gotta see. It is certainly one that I look forward to watching again with a young Kaleigh though.
9) Where Eagles Dare (1968): Old school Clint Eastwood in something other than a Western? If that something else is a WWII movie, count me in. This is a reminder of the day that action movies kept things simple and yet, the story was still superior too much of today’s fare.
8) The Professional (1994): I’m not sure how I got through college without seeing this, but I finally got around to it. This is the beginning of Natalie Portman’s career. This was also a fairly simple plot line that was executed very well.
7) The Incredibles (2004): I bought this movie before I had even watched it. Pixar is that solid that I know that I have not wasted my money. Of course I justify these animated purchases with “it’s for my kid(s)”. Yeah, I don’t think anyone is buying that line.
6) The Wild Bunch (1969): This was really my introduction to Sam Peckinpah’s films. I’m a sucker for a good western for some reason, and this did not disappoint.
5) The Aviator (2004): I have a bent against Leonardo DiCaprio for some reason. I thought he was way overrated in most everything he starred in, especially Titanic. However, Catch Me If You Can was excellent and he carried that over into The Aviator.
4) Serenity (2005): What can I say? My wife and I fell for the TV series on DVD like a lot of folks it seems. Our daughter’s name even came from Kaylee on the show since we liked it so much. However, my wife would be quick to point out that our daughter was not named for the character.
3) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005): I’ve already said more than my piece on this.
2) Batman Begins (2005): Of all the movies, this one probably left the most of an impression on me as a whole. It was certainly the DVD I anticipated purchasing the most. I think that Christian Bale was the perfect casting for Batman. I was glad that Warner Brother’s finally treated the series with some respect. I know there is some fandom out there that liked the more comic book version of the first Batman. I enjoyed that Batman too (well, the first movie), but I do prefer my comic book heroes darker.
1) Hotel Rwanda (2004): I give this top billing for my 2005 movie watching mostly because of the real life story it portrays. I was certainly not my favorite movie to watch as far as subject matter. I liked Hotel Rwanda not just for the portrayal of a remarkable life, but for the questions it generates about humanity, and especially the policies for the world in response to humanitarian crisis.
Well, that is it for 2005. The hardest part about these lists is that I try to only put movies on my Netflix queue that I know I really want to see…the same thing I do with the movies I choose to see in theater. That makes it tough. I will say that I saw a lot of Asian films this year, mostly from China and Korea. While none made my top 12, I certainly enjoyed them. I especially enjoyed Shoalin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, Oldboy and Tae Guk Gi. I also liked Ray, Million Dollar Baby and Shine.
And I’m spent…
This is also the best time of year to be an internet surfer. My job is such that I have periods of rain followed by periods of drought (this is a workload metaphor, so stay with me). I don’t want to give you the wrong impression that just this week is a drought. Basically, this whole year has been like the freaking Sahara. It’s the little things that get me excited now, and this week is surfing gold for one reason: the various and assorted Annual Top Ten Lists…
…You might be confused about now because not two days ago I lamented the existence of lists. I think I was fairly convincing in that post, probably enough for you to change your lifestyle and rip up your lists. I have that affect. So I’m sorry to throw you this curve. You should realize that I mostly just hate lists that somehow involve my labor, or worse, remind me of the things… Lists that involve someone’s opinion on a myriad of subjects fascinate me…or give me something to ridicule.
Since I have some affinity for movies, the huge amount of Top Ten Movies of 2005 lists can keep me entertained for…man, like a whole two hours. That much waste of time usually inspires me to waste even more time…It inspires me to make my own list.
For the past couple of years I put together a little mental list of the best movies I’ve seen. Since I don’t actually get out much, most of the movies I watch are Netflix rentals. So my list is the best of the movies I saw in the year, not from the year. The other stipulation is that the movies on the list are all ones that I saw for the first time. It is really the only way I can assure that Tombstone doesn’t appear on the list every year.
2005 was a sparse movie year for me. I average probably 10 movies a month. Actually, to be more accurate, I average 10 DVDs a month from Netflix with the occasional foray to the theater. In 2005, TV shows dominated my Netflix queue. Thanks to Alias, Firefly, Lost and Battlestar Galactica, the list of movies I saw this year is much more manageable.
Here are the best (maybe more than ten) movies I saw for the first time in 2005:
12) The Revenge of the Sith (2005): Star Wars III was certainly the best of the prequel movies. Frankly, I’m just glad to see it over and done with. My biggest complaint for the prequels is that models and muppets were replaced almost entirely with CGI. Still, it is hard to argue that the movie did not deliver on finally showing how Darth becomes Darth. No where close to the originals though.
11) War Games (1983): My wife made the comment that my 80’s cred is in severe question because I did not catch this in my childhood. Personally though, if a movie didn’t have John Cusack in it, is it really an 80’s movie? I enjoyed this particularly because I work with many of those Air Force dudes whose career was somewhat portrayed in the movie.
10) Whale Rider (2003): A girl riding a whale is not something I would normally put high on my list of things I gotta see. It is certainly one that I look forward to watching again with a young Kaleigh though.
9) Where Eagles Dare (1968): Old school Clint Eastwood in something other than a Western? If that something else is a WWII movie, count me in. This is a reminder of the day that action movies kept things simple and yet, the story was still superior too much of today’s fare.
8) The Professional (1994): I’m not sure how I got through college without seeing this, but I finally got around to it. This is the beginning of Natalie Portman’s career. This was also a fairly simple plot line that was executed very well.
7) The Incredibles (2004): I bought this movie before I had even watched it. Pixar is that solid that I know that I have not wasted my money. Of course I justify these animated purchases with “it’s for my kid(s)”. Yeah, I don’t think anyone is buying that line.
6) The Wild Bunch (1969): This was really my introduction to Sam Peckinpah’s films. I’m a sucker for a good western for some reason, and this did not disappoint.
5) The Aviator (2004): I have a bent against Leonardo DiCaprio for some reason. I thought he was way overrated in most everything he starred in, especially Titanic. However, Catch Me If You Can was excellent and he carried that over into The Aviator.
4) Serenity (2005): What can I say? My wife and I fell for the TV series on DVD like a lot of folks it seems. Our daughter’s name even came from Kaylee on the show since we liked it so much. However, my wife would be quick to point out that our daughter was not named for the character.
3) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005): I’ve already said more than my piece on this.
2) Batman Begins (2005): Of all the movies, this one probably left the most of an impression on me as a whole. It was certainly the DVD I anticipated purchasing the most. I think that Christian Bale was the perfect casting for Batman. I was glad that Warner Brother’s finally treated the series with some respect. I know there is some fandom out there that liked the more comic book version of the first Batman. I enjoyed that Batman too (well, the first movie), but I do prefer my comic book heroes darker.
1) Hotel Rwanda (2004): I give this top billing for my 2005 movie watching mostly because of the real life story it portrays. I was certainly not my favorite movie to watch as far as subject matter. I liked Hotel Rwanda not just for the portrayal of a remarkable life, but for the questions it generates about humanity, and especially the policies for the world in response to humanitarian crisis.
Well, that is it for 2005. The hardest part about these lists is that I try to only put movies on my Netflix queue that I know I really want to see…the same thing I do with the movies I choose to see in theater. That makes it tough. I will say that I saw a lot of Asian films this year, mostly from China and Korea. While none made my top 12, I certainly enjoyed them. I especially enjoyed Shoalin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, Oldboy and Tae Guk Gi. I also liked Ray, Million Dollar Baby and Shine.
And I’m spent…
posted by Beeley at 10:53 AM
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