Wallycrawler's Best Movies For 2005 [ That I've seen ]

AND SO IT GOES...

















10]" The Weather Man" : Directed by Gore Verbinski . Staring Nicolas Cage .
I think Nic Cage is the greatest American Actor of our time . He has chosen the most interesting , most neurotic and different characters in the last 10 or 15 years . This time the gentleman in question is a lost soul in a sea mediocrity . I was very close to naming Andrew Niccol's "Lord Of War" to the top 10 . Both films are so very different and so very entertaining . I'm not a fan of the "Oscars" but Nicolas Cage should be nominated for both films .


























9] " Crash" : Directed by Paul Haggis . All-Star Cast Includes ; Sandra Bullock , Matt Dillon , Brendan Fraser , Don Chedle ...& many more . This movie is about race and racism from all sides of the fence . How we see each other and our prejudices towards each other . Racism is ignorance and we see it full blast as these characters "Crash" into each other . Best ensemble piece this year .




























8] "Broken Flowers" : Directed by Jim Jarmusch. Staring Bill Murray . Again Bill Murray gives us one of the best performances of the year . Don Johnson [ Murray ] is a multi-millionaire with nothing to live for , his life is boring [ by his own making ] until he finds out he has a son . This is a low-tech road movie with Murray doing nothing really [ but he always does that so well ]. Don is funny but at the same time sad to watch , it's the people he meets that makes this slow ride worth watching . Laura [ Sharon Stone ] and her daughter Lolita get the movie rolling on the right track . A track I think you would like to take twice . Great story telling and great cameos make for one of the best films of the year .



























7] "Batman Begins" : Directed by Christopher Nolan . Staring Christain Bale . My surprise pick on the list . This movie may not be a surprise to you but it is to me ! I watched this movie on DVD because I didn't expect much from it and I was "way wrong" ! I should have known the Dark Knight was a fantastic comic . It's just , except for "Spider-man" & now "Sin City" Hollywood has killed every comic I've read . Hard to believe because comics have years of character development and hundreds of colorful characters buy they'll always find a way to fuck it up [ as in Fantastic Four ] . This time around they didn't strangle the story with cheery dialogue and gadgets . " Get Right Down To It " ! A comic should start with a kick to the stomach and end with a cliffhanger , "easy"' ! They did everything right this time hopefully they don't screw with years of good story telling and fuck it up again ! Enuff said .

























6]" Star Wars III : Revenge Of The Sith" : Written and Directed by George Lucas . Staring Hayden Christensen .OK .OK I Know what your saying , "good film review until now" ! " What , what did you say , well fuck you " ! OK even if you don't agree with my movie tastes you have to agree it was a great ride , full of ups & downs . The roller coaster is the best ride and Lucus gave us the greatest movie ride in history . Darth Vader will go down as the most viled and loved characters ever in film or any other media . If you haven't seen it , see it . If you have never seen any of the series , [ as if , wa are ya new ? ] what are you waiting for , watch them now ! In any order . "Thanx George for the best movie experience of our lives" !



























5] "Capote" : Directed by Bennett Miller . Staring Philip Seymoure Hoffman . " In Cold Blood " was the first non-fiction book I ever read and it scared the shit out of me . This movie really makes you think Truman's life was traumatized after writing that book . I don't know maybe it was ? Only he became more famous , after it's debut . That could be the curse. He couldn't follow it up . In his later years he became a "D" list celebrity which was tragic because he was maybe the greatest play-write of modern times . It's a hard movie to watch because of his downfall . Hoffman nails Capote's spirit and mannerisms without making him a buffoon , which some people treated him like in the end . Great cast ensemble .



























4] Good Night And Good Luck : Written and Directed by George Clooney . Staring George Clooney and David Strathairn "uncannily" as Edward R. Murrow . This is the story of Murrow's battle with a plague on society by the name of Joseph McCarthy . A lair , bully , coward , who used the word traitor to anyone who opposed him and his lackeys . In the 1950's McCarthy destroyed freedom of speech , killed careers and destroyed lives [ sound familiar ? ] " Man don'tcha just wish there was a man in the media willing to stand up to George " Dumba" and his class of clowns " ! " Someone with the balls of Edward R. Murrow "! "Well guess what there ain't" !!! " Never mind I'm just pissed" ! This is a great story at the right time and truly well acted . Clooney is not afraid to play second fiddle and has become one of the finest story tellers in Hollywood , not to mention a good actor . His other film , " Syriana" would have been in my "Top 10" , if I'd seen it ! " That's a joke asshole" !

























3] Walk The Line : Directed by James Mangold . Staring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon . Johnny Cash was my Dad's favorite Country Star so every Sunday morn. I heard "Ring Of Fire" while nursing a hang over . Dad would make omelets and french toast for everybody who slept over . The only price , you had to listen to the "Trash Man" . Funny thing when you get older you come to appreciate different things and Johnny Cash is one of them . A great American folk hero . Dressed in black , with an bad attitude, "ya gotta love him", and you will when you see this movie . Joaquin Phoenix is a chameleon every role he's completely different . I know he's an actor he's paid to be different , but that's not always the case with Hollywood actors , Joaquin and Sean Penn they're the only actors who do this time and time again ," great actor" ! Reese Witherspoon really brings it this time ! She's a shoe-in for Best Actress come "Oscar Time" [ that sounds so gay] . I hear she's a bitch to work with or for but who cares with this kind of performance . They both used their actual voices on the soundtrack ," impressive" ! I loved this movie . It brought me back to my youth waking up to " A Boy Named Sue " .

























2] Sin City : Directed by Frank Miller , Robert Rodriquez , guest director Quentin Tarantino . Based on the comics by Frank Miller . What can I say WOW ! Something completely different but so close to the books , amazing ! The trick here is Frank Miller he would not sway from the origin , and it worked brilliantly . What also worked here were the actors believing in the story and not hamming it up . That happens so many times in comic book movies and it makes me sick . The actors and the studios some how believe " if it's a comic . it's so kid stuff " . Comics aren't always for kids , most aren't , and novels don't have the development that a serial does . "Great work all who worked on this film , from the actors to the CGI experts , Great Movie Experience " !






















1] A History Of Violence : Directed by David Cronenburg . Adapted from a Plup novel of the same name by John Wagner . Staring Viggo Mortensen , Mario Bello , William Hurt , and Ed Haris . This is a film about the survival of the fittest . " Mr. Every American , Tom Stall" [ Mortensen ] stops a stick up . Two hoods with guns . After his action Tom becomes the hero of the small town he lives in . When the news media shows up he tends to shy away . Hey he's modest , maybe not ! He has a past and a different name and Tom's past comes back to haunt him . Is this "Family Man" really the man he says he is , or is it all an illusion ? " Who do you really live with " ? "Is your husband or wife living a lie " ? That's the questions you'll be asking yourself after watching this film . Another masterpiece by Writer , Director , David Cronenburg . This is a horror story using "family" as the protagonist or villain . Scary !



So you might ask where's " Kong " or Spielburg's " Munich " . I haven't seen " Munich " . But I hear it's phenomenal . " King Kong " was a huge disappointment for me . Too long [ the movie is 45 Min. old when Kong shows up ] . Bad casting Adrien Brody as the love interest ? " Wa Nathan Lane to busy " ? And so on and so on... Giving Kong the Peter Jackson treatment was a bad idea & investment , and it shows at the box office . His " Gone Hollywood Ego " couldn't handle that the story was told perfectly at 100 min. run time . Oh no stretch it out [ 187 min. ] and show-boat his great talent to bore you to death . All the CGI in Anaheim couldn't save this wreak . Too bad it would have been glorious to bring Kong to life again . Sa Again Wallycrawler .