Awards Page Index * OSCAR coverage here
'05 The Year in Review
The Great Divide / Underappreciated & Honorable Mentions / Top Ten
by Nathaniel R
December 31st, 2005

(Back to First Page) When I think of the undervalued and underseen flicks of this particular 12 month period my heart immediately goes out to the paltry box-office takes of this year's foreign film field. It's easy to understand the box office cold shoulder that greets esoterica like Tropical Malady (which you should still see --live a little. Challenge yourself) but it's harder to figure why so few moviegoers seem interested in heavily buzzed films from directors or countries not exactly unknown to their neighborhood arthouses. A question: Why couldn't 2046 match In the Mood for Love's box office take? Wong Kar Wai's earlier effort was a nearly $3 million success at finer theaters near you in 2001. In the four years since thanks to DVD and lists like this one its stature as one of "the great movies of the new millenium" has only risen. So you'd think there'd be a larger audience awaiting his next opus.

Or at least I'd think so.

But rather than weep anymore for my international pets (a few of which will be coming up later in this retrospective) I've decided to limit this next grouping to English language films.

 

Most Underappreciated Films
not in my top ten, but they didn't seem to get enough love from audiences and/or critics.

#4 You're probably scratching your head. 'Junebug was acclaimed. Junebug was a modest indie success. ' etc... But my point is this: Amy Adams aside, when was the last time you heard someone rave about the film itself? It happens like this sometimes: A film arrives, people (myself included) don't know quite what to make of it at first, but one particular aspect --usually the most accessible or loudest element is elevated to "best in show" and develops its own spin-off fandom. I get the feeling that if critics could list performances in their top 10 in place of actual films, Amy Adams would appear more often than Junebug. And that just ain't right. Beyond her indelible work as a pregnant chatterbox, there is much to recommend in this debut feature for both director Phil Morrsion and writer Angus MacLachlan. The ensemble of actors is uniformly fine, their characterizations rich in detail. The film has its own unique rhythym and a sharp but uncondescending grasp of cultural divides. Above all Junebug has staying power. That sweet pregnant girl will instantly hit your heart but the film itself sticks in your head. (my initial capsule earlier this year)

#3 What if one of the most celebrated duos of the past three decades made their last film and no one paid any attention? Depressing isn't it. The shrug greeting The White Countess has multiple factors to blame. 1. The filmmaking duo in question, Merchant & Ivory, have fallen out of audience and critical favor since their heyday. 2. SPC, the distributing company, had an impressive slate this year (more). With their attentions that divided, they didn't seem to wrap their arms around this. 3. The grief over the loss of a beloved cultural figure (Producer Ishmail Merchant) is probably too raw to work around marketing-wise. Merchant & Ivory were always a class act. This isn't an ready-made Entertainment Tonight 'pimp your grief' opportunity. 4. The film isn't in the same league as their primary trio of classics. Still and all, in the landmark year of Brokeback Mountain, tis a pity that world cinema's most enduring gay couple weren't properly bid goodbye.

#2 Regarding the blah reception of In Her Shoes: I blame Justin Timberlake. I'm kidding. I just wanted to say that. I figure he got off scot-free during Janet Jackson's Nipple-Gate, so let's get him on a technicality elsewhere. Anyyyyyway... This strangely rejected dramedy stars Justin's girl Cameron Diaz, every cool moviegoer's girl Toni Collette, and the return of the one and only Shirley Maclaine. You'd think that a well-acted and solidly told mainstream ready tale of two estranged sisters learning to love and trust each other again would find a warm public embrace. While Shoes could have used more merciless editing and a zingier script, more bloated and less funny "chick flicks" have been substantial hits in the past. I predict a brighter life on home video for these charismatic sisters. (earlier "personal ad" review)

#1 I have always had a soft spot in my filmgoers heart for writer/directors. I dig the juggling of talents and the coherence of vision that these two separate skills can realize for the screen. Don Roos is the double duty man behind this tapestry of vibrant characters and intricately constructed connections. He began his career in soapy primetime but we know him from The Opposite of Sex (1998) starring a never-funnier Christina Ricci as an amoral lolita. That film also gave Lisa Kudrow her only majorly hosanna'ed opportunity outside of "Friends" and marked Roos as a director of obvious skill with actors and a writer with a unique voice. Happy Endings feels like an older sibling to The Opposite of Sex. They share a similar sense of humor but the new film has a more serious soul. I can't wait to meet the next lineup of characters Don Roos introduces. (haiku and the film's best scene)

 

Special Citation
Documentary of the Year

I am a list-nazi. Some time ago I made very adamant proclamations: No top ten list would ever have ties. Ties are for wusses. And lists were reserved for only regular ole theatrically distributed feature films within the calendar year. No shorts, no miniseries, no documentaries. And each year I have these internal arguments: "Self! Self? Look at me when I'm speaking to you. You shoulda never said never." Tie those films! Include that documentary! etc... I still don't really know how to compare documentaries to features. The goals just seem so different. So in the interest of sticking to my guns and maintaining my thru-line, I remain rigid about this. And rigidity takes a toll. The price this year? The possibility that people will think I don't love this brilliant film as much as the films in my top ten list. They'd be oh so wrong to assume that. Werner Herzog's frightening and funny examination of another man's self-delusion would be a major found footage accomplishment even if it only focused on Timothy Treadwell. What compounds the greatness is that the subject is two-fold, the film slowly revealing itself to be about Werner Herzog's own diametrically opposed views regarding man and nature. Treadwell and Herzog's ideological clash makes for memorable viewing.

Runners Up To The Top Ten List
"Honorable Mentions"

#13 Movie affectation I most commonly loathe: Voiceover. Show me, don't tell me. You're a "motion" "picture." You're not a book. Movie genre I would describe as the most mundane: the biopic. There are too many every year. They follow such typical narrative patterns that you can practically watch them with your eyes closed. The New World combines both the dreaded affectation and the genre. Thankfully one can never use the adjectives 'common' and 'mundane' to describe the films of Terrence Malick. His nearly three hour visual feast observes the life of Pocahontas with unusual expressiveness. A unique and moving meditation on shifting paradigms, romantic discovery, and loss.

#12 Believe the buzz. Match Point's alternate critically bestowed title: "How Woody Got His Groove Back." So, how did that happen exactly? Looking from the outside in, it's impossible to know with certainty. But this gripping class thriller offers a few clues. 1. He crossed the pond. As much as it pains me (and Woody I'm sure) to admit it, there is life outside of New York. It was time to shake things up. 2. He found a new muse. It's either London or the ascending Scarlett Johansson. They're both returning for his next film. 3. This time out he ditched the jokes but kept the wit. If Match Point is anything, it's clever --really really clever. Welcome back.

#11 Massive franchises are often planned from release date backwards, the script being written several steps into the process. But in most cases a film starts with the screenplay. The piece is constructed from there. The cast and crew of The Squid and the Whale had an amazing blueprint from which to build. The challenge of this particular production was undoubtably rare but welcome: Just don't screw it up! Thankfully writer/director's Noah Baumbach's assembled team did terrific work bringing realism (NY apartments that actually look like NY apartments --unheard of!) and psychological depth (thank a uniformly insightful cast) to the table. This sharp-tongued comedy about a breaking family is moving but clear-eyed. A gem.

 

 

And without further ado... my top ten list.