Mike's Top 20 of 2005

These are my favorite movies of 2005. This is limited to just what I saw, so there are some omissions of some 2005 releases that haven't played Atlanta yet (most notably Match Point and The New World.) Anyway, I couldn't just pick 10, so I had to go with 20. Here they are, in order... - Michael D Friedman, CinemATL Online Producer/Reviews Editor

1. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit—I didn't have more fun at the movies this year. Fun and funny, Wallace and Gromit's jump to features was inspired. And I don't even have kids...

2. Jarhead—A lot of people wrote this film off as boring, but I found it to be a dynamic character piece about what happens when you don't get to fulfill your life's purpose. To me, it was totally engaging and proof that you can have a war movie that doesn't have fight scenes.

3. Wedding Crashers—I did not laugh harder at a movie this year, and that can be said even on the fourth viewing of this film. Vaughn and Wilson are a great comedy team.

4. Munich—Quietly engaging. It sucks you in, even if you know exactly where the story is headed. Eric Bana recovers from his lapses in The Hulk and Troy. I can forgive him now.

5. Lord of War—Nicolas Cage's best performance (The Weather Man was too drowsy) of the year is darkly funny and at the same time just dark. This one was buried at the end of a busy summer season, and was unfortunately missed by the public and critics alike. Too good to be lost for long. I'm hoping for a long life on DVD.

6. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang—Likewise, this comedic noir tale was somehow lost in the shuffle. Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. should have resurrected their careers with this clever little tale, but it came and went with nary a whisper.

7. War of the Worlds—Speilberg's direction wins the day for me on this one. Creative and compelling, the visual look of this film alone won me over. And yeah, the end was kinda lame, but so was the book. The ride was too much fun to be distracted by a poor destination.

8. Mr. & Mrs. Smith—If I hear one more thing about "Brangelina" I'm gonna puke, but this movie was very entertaining and fun, and you can tell there's a definite chemistry between the two.

9. Murderball—Best documentary of the year. Uplifting as you can get and no sappy residue.

10. Serenity—Being a fan of Firefly, my opinion is probably skewed, but in my opinion there hasn't been a better sci-fi movie in years. What Star Wars could have been if Lucas could write. Too bad the box office wasn't better, because I'll miss the world Joss Whedon created... though it was a very appropriate end to the series.

11. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe—I was surprised how much I enjoyed this film. I remembered the book from my youth, but this was more more vivid than my memory. The visuals were impressive and the story was captivating. Feel-good movies can be fun!

12. Batman Begins—A glorious reboot for a franchise that was in the dumpster. Perfectly dark, as Batman should be.

13. Sin City—Talk about dark, these tales are about as dark as you can get. But it's the visuals that make this film truly groundbreaking. It was like seeing a comic book come to life. Rodriguez is my hero.

14. Hustle & Flow—Not as good as people first said, not as bad as the naysayers would have you believe. This movie works because of Terrence Howard, who puts on the most riveting performance of the year. He's my Best Actor winner, but I don't have a vote.

15. The 40-Year-Old Virgin—An extremely funny movie, but it came out too close to Wedding Crashers for it to win a permanent place in my funny bone. Still, I'm greatful because it made Steve Carrell a bankable star, and anything that helps The Office, I'm down for.

16. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire—Harry Potter is as reliable as ever. Darker than the previous three, but still a fun ride. The story was the sticking point for me, as it seemed too focused on the Tri-Wizard tournament, instead of character development. But I can't complain too much.

17. Crash—A solid film, but I feel it is overrated. Some of the stories felt too contrived and sometimes I felt too much "message" being pushed on me. Not all the time, mind you, but there were hints of it. Still, the performances were top-notch, especially the underrated Michael Pena, and it managed to make the audience truly think—a rarity.

18. Cindarella Man—A standard feel good sports movie wrapped in an Oscar package. Feel good sports movies can be done well, and Ron Howard succeeds, mainly on the power of the cast.

19. Me and You and Everyone We Know—My winner for most bizarre movie, but it was also a very intriguing one, treading in realms not often dealt with in mainstream cinema. But at its heart is actually its heart, which is surprisingly big.

20. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy—I didn't know what to think of this film the first time I saw it. A fan of the books, I was overwhelmed by the movie version and I wasn't able to truly enjoy it until my second viewing. After the second time, everything was in focus. The movie becomes incredibly fun when you just go along for the ride.

Honorable Mention: Good Night, and Good Luck; Kung Fu Hustle; Hitch; Sky High; The Producers; Unleashed; The Weather Man; The Family Stone; Syriana

Stuff I Forgot: Throw The Edukators and The Matador in as 10(a) and 10(b), respectively. There's always a few I forget. The Edukators was a cool little German "thinker" film and The Matador was a slickly-made dark comedy with a very good Pierce Brosnan playing against type. Watch both these.