Best of 2005

Originally posted December 29, 2005:

Top Five of 2005

1. "The Squid and the Whale" - The way we were. Like "The Virgin Suicides," it re-created the texture of a decade.

2. "Look at Me (Comme un Image)" - The most honest and direct film of the year.

3. "The Aristocrats" / "Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic" - Fundamentally funny.

4. "Broken Flowers" - Jim Jarmusch and me, we got this thing.

5. "The Dying Gaul" - A punishing story brought alive by three amazing actors: Peter Sarsgaard, Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott. And I bought the ending.

The Runners-up

"Capote" - Instantly transported me to a very real time and place.

"Junebug" - Maybe the smartest film of the year.

"Happy Endings" - I was mesmerized by the way Don Roos captured Lisa Kudrow in close-up, in their wonderful follow-up to "The Opposite of Sex."

"Kontroll" - Made me ache to be a part of the world created amid the Hungarian ticket inspectors in the subway.

"Thumbsucker" - I keep thinking about the three male role models in the film: Keanu Reeves, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Honorable Mention

"Keane," "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan," "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," "Memory of a Killer," "2046," "Me and You and Everyone We Know," "Touch the Sound," "The Beat That My Heart Skipped," "Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus," "We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen

Worst of 2005

"Sin City" - What was I thinking?

("Crash" also left a bad taste in my mouth, but I wouldn't call it a bad movie.)

Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote"

Best Actresses - Joan Allen in "The Upside of Anger" and Amy Adams in "Junebug"

Best of the Santa Fe Film Festival:
"The Sisters" - One of the best screenplays ever.

"Syrian Bride" - A moving story, maturely presented and beautifully filmed.

"In Memory of My Father" - Wish I'd written this; the acting, which includes a lot of improv, is impressive across the board. And very funny.

"Cowboy del Amor" - This documentary about a cowboy fetching Mexican brides is a total hoot.

"Stay Until Tomorrow" - Another film with a texture you can feel; a deft examination of living in the moment.

"Favela Rising" - A moving tribute to the slums of Brazil.

"Four Lane Highway" - Another smart film about real people. Reg Rogers is a revelation.

"A Driver for Vera" and "The Thief" - Pavel Chukhrai makes beautiful films and captures male-female relationships like few others have.