BEST OF 2005: Brad’s 10 Best Movies

I really don’t know what to say about this film, which is frustrating since it comes in at number ten and is the first opinion you are going to read. Joaquin Phoenix may be the best actor out there right now without an Oscar on his shelf and this is a statement I would not have made five years ago. He was mean and nasty in Gladiator, but Phoenix has grown so much as an actor that he only gets better and better with each film.

Speaking of getting better, the last time I enjoyed a Reese Witherspoon performance she was playing Miss Innocent in Cruel Intentions (a favorite of mine by the way). Reese goes so far beyond what we have come to expect from her in this flick that her performance and the film on a whole truly deserves our attention.

What can I say? This isn’t a perfect film. The decision to rip the pages from the graphic novel and bring them to life was revolutionary. The dialogue is fantastic, even if it provides for far too much narration over the film itself. I know bringing four stories together for one film is too much and the pacing of Sin City is all over the place, but I have watched this movie so many times on DVD already it is impossible for me to ignore it.

Sin City looks amazing and what Robert Rodriguez did in bringing the graphic novel to life is truly phenomenal. The introduction of his recut and extended edition of the film on DVD, breaking the four stories out into independent movies is revolutionary and the only way I will ever watch Sin City again.

The most underrated movie of 2005 is, without a doubt, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. WHY THE HELL DID NONE OF YOU GO SEE THIS MOVIE?

I did a massive spread after covering the press junket, I gave it a good review and yet it only brings in just over $4 million at the box-office and slowly fades off the face of the Earth. Hell, I even saw that Ain’t-It-Cool-News and CHUD posted articles asking you to go see it, begging you! But no one listened.

The alternate tagline for this film should have been “Don’t Do Drugs”. Because thanks to drugs audiences were deprived of Robert Downey Jr.’s talent for far too long. Let’s hope those days are over. When this hits DVD I see it becoming a major cult hit. Just wait, you’ll see. I am right on this one.

Ahhhh, speaking of underrated. Serenity is another film I absolutely adored and was upset when I saw that no one supported it in the theater. Serenity brought in only $25 million domestically and only $38 million worldwide, which makes it a decided disappointment for Universal, those involved and fans alike.

Serenity is a highly unique sci-fi/western that will certainly gain fans on DVD and will hopefully live on in one form or another, which most likely means made-for-TV movies, but something is better than nothing.

My list seems to be made of underdogs as I go through it as yet another [unexplainable] box-office disappointment finds its way into my top ten. I am still struggling to figure out why Cinderella Man did so poorly. Do audience members really hate Russell Crowe so much that they will not go see a movie he is in regardless of how good people say it is?

Cinderella Man is phenomenal from top to bottom. Russell Crowe is fantastic, Renée Zellweger is classic and Paul Giamatti once again proves he is one of Hollywood’s major talents. Ron Howard manages to tell a touching story all while providing some powerfully violent boxing scenes to make this movie a draw for any kind of audience member.

Why this film failed is beyond me, but it is a classic in my book.

Did I mention that I seem to like films American audience members didn’t seem to take to? Jarhead falls into that category as well, but I have a feeling I know why this one didn’t do so hot.

I think there is a large group of people out there that are not interested in “another war movie” and I think there is a group out there that was primed to see “more war”. What happens is that the “more war” audience was upset this isn’t your stereotypical war film and the audience not interested in seeing “another war movie” missed out because Jarhead is not just “another war movie”. This is the anti-“another war movie”, this is a film that will rack your brain. This one makes you think as you become emotionally involved with all the characters on screen. You also get performances by Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard that are easily two of the best performances of the year regardless of whether or not they are recognized by the Academy.

Sam Mendes also made good use of shooting this film going all digital. This style of shooting gave Collateral its unique look and with Jarhead it does just the same and creates for a beautiful palette of colors that left me in awe.

So after all those films it might surprise you that a romantic drama would find its way into my top three, but I will tell you it was hard not to put this one up at number one. Pride and Prejudice is damned near perfect in every way. If you are a regular visitor of the site you already know that I think Keira Knightley is one of God’s gifts to man, but on top of her looks she provides a performance to remember as do the young actresses playing her sisters in this film, namely Jena Malone and Rosamund Pike.

It is a hard thing to bring another Jane Austen novel to the big screen and not have fanatics clamoring for your head on a platter, but director Joe Wright was fearless in telling this story making Pride and Prejudice one of the best of the year.

Here we have my one pick that is certain to have people a bit confused. Constantine? CONSTANTINE!?!? I can already hear you shouting in my ear.

Yes, I know Keanu Reeves is a bad actor, but this guy makes the best choices in movies! Somehow he manages to get into films perfect for his wooden acting style, films that don’t depend on a strong lead actor thanks to the fact that the story is so good. I was intrigued by this story, the battle between God and the Devil has always appealed to me, which is really the reason I loved this film so much.

Granted, this film would have been far better had a better actor been cast in the lead role, but Reeves was enough for me to be satisfied. On top of that Rachel Weisz is phenomenal and Peter Stormare as the Devil is only too good to be true.

Finally we come to numero uno. The cream of the crop. Batman Begins. You may wonder why I chose a picture of the Scarecrow for my picture to represent this film, and to tell you the truth it wasn’t Batman that made this movie for me. It was Cillian Murphy, Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman and the back-story that made Batman Begins so good.

Seeing a man fly around in a bat suit is all good, but Batman Begins went where no comic book adaptation has truly gone before. It went into the lives of those involved in a dramatic and adult way. The X-Men series of films is close to doing the same thing, which has made it so good, but this one goes a step further. You really get an idea of who Bruce Wayne is, you realize the true evil that is Jonathan Crane (Murphy) and you see that Batman isn’t some man with super powers, he is a man first, hero second as are his foes, they are men with evil intentions.

I could sell you this movie all day long, but I don’t have to, go buy it and find out for yourself.