At long last...

...the rest of my movie reviews for 2005. Took me forever to put this list together. Better late than never!

Corpse Bride- B+ Yet another weird and wonderful tale from Tim Burton. Stop motion animation puppets retell a Ukranian folk tale of a groom who mistakenly marries a dead bride. Great story with humor and good music.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit- A+ The classic Claymation duo gets their first feature length film, and it is a treat. Inventor and his much smarter dog hunt for a giant rabbit who is stealing vegetables. Funny and clever, with delightful animation.

The Weatherman- C- I could have waited for the DVD. It was very disappointing. Nicholas Cage is the title character, who is suffering a mid-life crisis. Very gloomy and unpleasant. The previews made it look like a comedy. Well acted, though- especially by Michael Caine as Cage's dying father.

Elizabethtown- A- Underrated film by Cameron Crowe. Orlando Bloom goes to Kentucky to retrieve his father's body, and gets re-introduced to the family he barely knows. He meets Kirsten Dunst along the way- but their romance really isn't important. The film hit close to home for me- families, reunions, deaths, etc, all happened to me last summer! People who didn't like it probably missed the point. Just my opinion, but I believe it was really about reconnecting with your roots. And on a personal note, some of the Louisville scenes were filmed at the school my aunt works at!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- A The fourth installment of the series, and the darkest yet. The kids' acting gets better and better. Great special effects. I didn't like the new score (I really missed John Williams). The book is largely intact- and the cuts that were made were things that weren't important to the story anyway.


Pride and Prejudice- A+ Beautiful adaptation of the Jane Austen classic. Excellent performances by Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden (though the BBC version's Colin Firth is still the better Mr. Darcy, in my opinion). Not dumbed down in the least, though a bit short, and I hated the Americanized, smoochy ending (the film's only flaw). I love the musical score.

King Kong- B+ Peter Jackson's follow-up to his magnificent Lord of the Rings trilogy. I rolled my eyes when I heard about this remake, but I enjoyed it thouroughly. Kong was so human in this production, largely thanks to the off-screen/computerized performance of Andy Serkis (LOTR's Gollum). Only problems- it was too long, and the actors were a bit wasted (especially Adrien Brody). It dragged a bit in the early scenes, but once the action started, it was relentless!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe- A
Entertaining live action film based on the C.S. Lewis classic. Aslan the lion was well done where he could have been cartoonish. Very faithful to the book (second in the Narnia series). The opening scenes of London being bombed during WWII was scarier than anything in the rest of the film. Some of the special effects were a little weak, but the story and characters weren't. The creature effects were good, and Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy) was perfect!

The Producers- A Nothing can compare to the original film, but this adaptation of the smash Broadway musical comes awfully close, and is great on its own. Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane reprise their stage roles. Hilarious with memorable songs.

Brokeback Mountain- A+ Forget Crash. This was the real Best Picture of 2005. It's not really about gay cowboys. It's about two flawed men who hide their true selves and wreck their lives and their families. A brilliant drama that rings true. Ang Lee rightfully won the Best Director Oscar.

Good Night and Good Luck- A Edward R. Murrow vs. Senator Joe McCarthy, one of the big showdowns of the 20th Century. This George Clooney-directed film is about how Murrow and his CBS colleagues helped bring an end to McCarthy's witch hunt. A story that is relevant today. Shot in black and white to great effect.

Syriana- A- Oil, corruption, and terrorism are among the several intertwining plots in this gripping drama with a stellar cast, including Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner George Clooney. The film is hard to absorb at first- the viewer really has to pay attention and think about what is happening. Other cast members include Matt Damon, Jeffery Wright, and former Deep Space Nine star Alexander Siddig (who gives a great performance).

Had to wait for DVD on these:

Walk the Line- A Biopic about Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, both well acted by Joaquin Phoenix and Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon. A bit slow in parts, but a good look at their lives and careers.

Rent- B+ Entertaining adaption of the musical. It's still relevant now, but has lost some of its bite. Most of the original cast returns, and most of the music is intact.

Everything is Illuminated- B+ Based on the novel by Jonathan Safron Foer. It's good, but a lot of the novel is left out or changed. The story remains, though, and it's hilarious and heartbreaking. Elijah Wood gives a good performance, as usual- some critics described him as stiff- but that is how the author describes himself. Liev Schreiber- one of my favorite actors- steps behind the camera for the first time as screenwriter, producer, and director. He does an excellent job. Actors-turned-directors usually know how to get the most out of their performers- Schreiber does it well.

That's it for 2005 (Whew!). I can't believe I saw so many movies last year! There aren't as many I'm looking forward to this year. I've only seen Nanny McPhee and the Shaggy Dog remake. Both were cute time killers. Other than that, there's not a lot I want to see except Pirates of the Carribean II and Superman Returns.

Next time I do reviews I'll do my long-delayed reviews of Bleak House (now that it's over and I have the DVD) and Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky.