At the Movies: 2005 Wrap-Up

The first and biggest thing I can say about this year in American movies was that there were a lot of ups and downs. I wouldn't say it was a bad year for films, but I wouldn't rush to claim it as one the best ever either. It seemed that it started with lot of promise, but as the summer season progressed nothing really came out that warranted a lot of attention. And I'm yet to see many of the Oscar hopefuls, but none really jumped out and seemed to warrant a lot of attention or gather much hype other than Brokeback Mountain. And the films that did look interesting such as Syriana, Good Night, and Good Luck, and The Constant Gardener didn't stay long in the theaters. The box was well off of expectations and surely caused a few lost jobs in Tinseltown. I haven't run any numbers or checked statistics but nothing really seemed to have much staying power other than Harry Potter or Episode III. And some great talent seemed to get some rather bad advice from their agents (see Will Ferrell & Tom Cruise). The Oscar nominations aren't very inspiring other than the apparent youth movement (Heath Ledger, Keira Knightely, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Reese Witherspoon) and were conducted on auto-pilot. Here's a list of some main points from 2005.

• We saw great triumph and sadness as the Golden Era of the Fanboy Film came to an end with the release of Revenge of the Sith. Fuck all you little babies who wrote George and the series off. TPM & AOTC had some flaws and all you could do was whine about how Lucas was killing your childhood and the series was doomed. ROTS was remarkable, breath-taking, and even touching. If you still have problems with the prequels, go make a fan film or become a Trekkie. Cuz us real fans don't want you around.
• What happened to Cinderella Man? I really loved this flick, but no one went to see it and it seemingly got no studio support.
• A lot of big name, established directors missed the mark: Spielberg, Burton, Ron Howard, etc. Kudos to Robert Rodriguez, Paul Haggis, George Clooney, and Christopher Nolan. I look forward to more.
• The continuing success of comic-book movies has produced such steaming piles of shit as Elektra and Catwoman, but I'll take those if it means producers are willing to take long, hard looks at great graphic novels such as Sin City and A History of Violence. How great is this for the industry? I hear Frank Miller's 300 is currently in production. Hell ya.
• Does anyone even care that Woody Allen continues to make movies?
• I'm glad to see that Philip Seymour Hoffman (one of my personal favorites) is getting some love in Hollywood, but did he have to get nominated for playing a really weird writer with an incredibly annoying voice?
• Who green-lit Son of the Mask? Why should some hot-shot NY banker decide for himself that he knows anything at all about the art of the cinema and what would make a commercial and/or critical hit?
• The Dukes of Hazzard: see above + Jessica Simpson.
• Thank the Lord that The Fountain is finally almost upon us. Evan, how long have we waited for this movie since hearing about it? It had to be right after Requiem came out. Brad Pitt, why did you leave this movie? I used to have a non-sexual crush on you and then you got into a fight with Darren Aronofsky and made Troy and your marriage fell apart. What happened man? You used to be gold.
• Miami Vice looks fucking badass. Michael Mann, I love what you're doing with your cinematography lately.
• Please don't make us wait another seven years, Quentin. Quit directing CSI episodes and finish something. Whether it's Grindhouse or Inglorious Bastards, I don't care. Just shoot a damn movie.

Here's to 2006.

Quotes of the Week:

"My son, walk not in the way with them, hold back your foot from their path! For their feet run to evil, they hasten to shed blood.

- Proverbs 1, verse 15-16

"He it is Who sends His blessings on you, and His angels, that He may bring you forth out of utter darkness into the light; and He is Merciful to the believers."

- The Qur'an: Surah 33 "The Allies", verse 43