Jayne's Top 10 Films of 2005

10. King Kong – Can Peter Jackson truly do no wrong? When I was in high school, I was obsessed with “Dead Alive” and “Heavenly Creatures”. I even really dug “The Frighteners” (which just had a special edition DVD release which I totally recommend…it’s an under rated flick). So, when Lord of the Rings came out, it was nice to see PJ actually get some recognition for once.
Now, enter Kong. This is by PJ’s most masturbatory film. It’s like listening to Miles Davis “Bitches Brew”. Nothing in that film is for the audience. He did it entirely for himself. It just so happens that the film happens to work really well for audiences (even if it does drag a little in the middle). When it comes to doing BIG films, Jackson has found a way to over shadow the likes of Lucas, Spielberg and Cameron. Now I can’t wait to see what he goes back to small films, like he’ll do with his next flick, “The Lovely Bones”.


9. Kung-Fu-Hustle – This movie is what happens when you cross Quentin Tarentino, Looney Toons and Martial Arts. This movie is so over the top that it’s kind of like the matrix: One can not be told what Kung Fu Hustle is; one must see it with their own eyes.










8. Night Of The Living Dorks – I saw this German film at the Seattle International Film Festival, and I fell heads over heels in love with it. The movie tells the story of 3 high school losers who are killed, and then accidentally brought back to life from some Goth kids who are actually trying to resurrect Kurt Cobain. They realize that there are some serious benefits to being undead. You can’t be hurt and you have increased strength…if only your body parts would stay attached. Suffice to say shenanigans ensue. To me, this movie was even funnier than “Shaun of the Dead”. What works best about this film is the fact that the story is really just about being a loser in high school. They still have to deal with your parents; they get high and drink too much, and pine over the hot girl. It’s really like a cross between John Hughes, George Romero and Kevin Smith. Sadly, the film isn’t available on DVD, and has only played the film festival circuit in theaters. But it was one of the funniest flicks I’ve ever seen.

7. Crash – What can I say about this film that hasn’t been said by a billion critics? This film is amazing. It’s perfectly cast (which is really saying something considering Sandra Bullock is in it), and it’s just heart wrenching. This isn’t a film you watch. This is a film you experience. This film is the definition of dramatic morality tale. It’s kind of funny, I saw this movie nearly 7 months ago, and I’m still at a loss for words.







6. Constant Gardner – If Ralph Fiennes doesn’t win an Oscar for this film, I’m going to be pissed. Sure, Hoffman was good in Capote and Ledger was great in Broke-back, but this was the performance of the year. Fernando Meirelles shows us a side of Africa that Hollywood tends to shy away from, and he does so with incredibly cinematography. I used to think his previous film “City of God” was a brilliantly shot movie. Now, after seeing this, it almost looks amateurish in comparison. But, Fiennes is the true reason this film is on my list. He brilliantly turned his character into true every man. There’s nothing heroic about him when we meet him. He’s not particularly special by any means. He’s apprehensive, and flawed, but most importantly he feels real. He really feels like a human being who really exists, which is something you rarely see on film.



5. 40 Year Old Virgin – I loved “Freaks and Geeks”. It, for my money, is the most realistic portrayal of High School I have ever seen. And when it crashed and burned after 1 season, I was truly bummed out. So I made a point of following the creators on their various projects following the series. Last year, writer/creator Judd Apatow, jumped over to film with the movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy”. Judging from all of the times you’ve quoted this movie on the blog, I can safely assume you’re all with me as to how awesome that was. So, when I saw Apatow was jumping over to direct his first film with Steve Carrell I was uber-psyched. And damn, was I not disappointed. This was hands down the best comedy of the year. Whenever you make a sex comedy, you walk a fine line between being sweet and being raunchy. What works best about this film is that it has a lot of heart to it. Nothing these characters do is out of malice. The situations by themselves are what are funny, and the cast was able to milk every joke for everything it was worth.

4. Sin City – If I ever become a filmmaker, I want to be Robert Rodriguez. This is a guy who does whatever he wants without any entanglements of Hollywood. What he did with Sin City was a thing of beauty. He didn’t adapt a comic. He re-created it. I never would have guessed that a comic book could be transferred on film so faithfully. It was all perfect; the lighting, the camera angles, the look…everything. And if you’re going to give a comic the royal treatment, there aren’t many better choices than Sin City. The comic is an institution. A perfect example of how crime noir could be explored in a totally new way. Of all the special effects and technology advances we saw in movies this year, I think that Sin City is going to be the one film with the most lasting impact.



3. Batman Begins – The perfect Batman film. There. I said it. It’s in print.
I have had major issues with every Batman film that has come before this one. But David Goyer and Christopher Nolan just nail it this time. Every single piece of that film was faithful to the comic book. Every piece of casting (except TomKat) was perfect. Christian Bale WAS Batman. One moment always sticks out for me in the film that really sums up the entire difference. At one point he’s interrogating a thug, and the criminal says “I swear to god”. The bat gets right in his face with the fire and anger of 1000 suns and growls “Swear to me!”
Never before has Batman been shown as a true creature of the night. As something that should truly be feared by criminals. He became the boogeyman, instead of just a guy in a nipple costume.

2. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang – I already did a write up of this as one of my weekly movie recommendations, so you already know how I feel about it. But let me just reiterate: This movie @#$%ing rocks. You get a pair of career best performances out of Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr, plus an incredible script, and what more could you really want?



1. Serenity – C’mon, did you really think I would put something else here? Don’t worry…I won’t do another 5 page review of it…just see it!

Honorable mentions –
Wedding Crashers – Vince Vaughn shows the comedic brilliance that we remember so fondly in Swingers. And Rachel McAdams is hot too…

Me, And You, And Everyone We Know – By far, the best debut of any filmmaker this year. This is a great, quirky little film. Not for everyone, but the people that get it, will love it.

Broken Flowers – Jim Jarmusch makes his most mainstream film to date, and does an incredible job with it. Once again, Bill Murray is in top form.

Capote – Without Phillip Seymour Hoffman, this movie doesn’t even get a mention. His performance alone is worth seeing this movie. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s a very solid film.

High Tension – A great horror movie. A lot of people loved it until the end, but I actually really dug the ending.