Film Review of the Year 2005

With another year gone by, I've returned to the Film Log to give a run down of the films I have watched over 2005.

Overall for new cinematic releases, I haven't been overly impressed by this years offerings. There have been some great movies and a large proportion that have not lived up to their potential. There have been some definite peaks and troughs through the year when I have been to the cinema for months and not seen anything decent before a few come along at once. I'm not going to limit this review to films that I have seen at the cinema as I have seen some real gems for the first time on DVD and some of them have really blown me away.

So, lets kick it off with a trip back to January!
A real poor start to year in terms of new films at the flicks. White Noise had a massive amount of potential and turned into a pile of steaming manure. One star is generous, and the worst thing of all that a sequel has been commissioned! Team America was funny in patches. No where near as good as the South Park movie. Matt Damon's character in it is very funny though! One gem that appeared from no where was National Treasure with Nic Cage. I have watched this movie quite a few times this year and it is a hark back to the day of old school story telling. A really good story and plenty to keep you interested. A Tale of Two sisters scared and confused me in equal measures. Anyone who is fed up with braindeadhollywood films should definitely check this out and then try and explain the ending to me!!!

I also managed to watch Straw Dogs. The film has dated badly and its like a hardcore version of Home Alone. I can fully appreciate that when it came out it would of been shocking.

February and the dry patch in the cinema continued. Then suddenly from no where, a dirty, filthy British horror film shocked me and the rest of the cinema. Creep. Fantastic film with some really graphic imaginary that sticks around for a while after you have finished watching. Blood, guts, scares and tension. Holds up well on DVD too with the lights off!!

The majority of other films that were of any note I watched on DVD. Monster was great, although it wasn't quite the first 5 star film of the year. Super Size me made me laugh as did Anchorman. I finally got round to watching the first Saw and ruined the film by guessing the twist after about 2 minutes of watching the film. Now, I never normally do this as I get sucked into watching the film and am open to being manipulated with the final twist. Very dark movie which when I watched for the second time on DVD showed its true worth. Man on Fire brought together Tony Scott and Denzil Washington - Bit long but very entertaining. Films to avoid would of been The One with Jet Li - Awful!

The March came along and not just one 5 star movie but 3 in short succession. None of them at the cinema mind!!

The best film of the year so far at the flicks was Constantine. Keanu Reeves picking another gem of a movie to star in. Awesome special effects and a really good story. Dark, moody, menacing with a really good ending. Great special edition DVD too!!

The first 5 star films were City of God. A Brazilian masterpiece which looks at the criminal underworld. Excellent narrative throughout in the same vein as Goodfellas with the story being told over a period of time. You have to try and see this movie its great.

Then along came million Dollar Baby. The twist knocked me out and the acting in the final third is superb. Really clever, simple film with a heartbreaking ending that will leave even the most hardest of hearts with a crack in it.

If your heart wasn't cracked by MDB then Old Boy will just blatantly rip it out. A Korean movie about a guy who is thrown into prison and given no reason for being held. The movie then follows our so called hero as he finds out what has happened to him. Not for the squeamish this one and it is really dark towards the end. Another great example of how Asian cinema is setting the tone for Hollywood to follow. Get people thinking before, during and after a movie.

On the piss poor front, Open Water. Blair Witch meet Jaws was the tag line. This film should never ever be mentioned along these two films. It is awful in every way.

April saw a couple of surprises. Hitch made me laugh my head off and was subsequently watched by everyone I know! Will Smith is great in this movie and even if the ending is a bit cheesy, you just get dragged along for the Cheddar filled fun! The Ring 2 really disappointed. Better than most horror films, yet lacking in structure and originality. The original is so much better and deserved a better sequel than this. Blade Trinity kicked ass and made a nice ending to a fun trilogy.

The remakes of old horror movies continued this yet and just as Texas Chainsaw massacre was enhanced so was The Amityville Horror. The original is dreadful. This remake is fantastic and it is truly scary stuff. Ryan Reynolds is fantastic as George who slowly but surely is taken over by the powers of the house. Really caught be by surprise this one and is certainly one of my favourites of the year.

Napolean Dynamite was a film that I rented out as it had quite a cult following. One word - Weird!! Very funny an the story is as simple as it gets. A geek tries to become cool. Strange yet compelling viewing!

May finally gave me the opportunity to see a 5 star movie at the cinema and it again completely caught me off guard. I hadn't heard much about the film and came out feeling pretty much every emotion possible. The Jacket stars Adrian Brody and Keira Knightley and is an amazing Donnie Darko style film with time jumps and a great ending. I love this movie and I was really moved by it. A lot to think about and some fantastic performances within.

Caught Mystic River and The Hurricane on DVD which both deserve 5 stars. Clint Eastwood again proving he is one of the best in the business with Mystic and Denzil Washington showing that he is awesome if he's given the right script.

On the Horror front, The House of Was was another remake and this bombed! Not even Paris Hilton getting a massive pole through her head can save this. Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy was over hyped and wasn't very good, while XXX2 was as cheesy as cheese can get.

June saw another 5 star flick - Sin City. Totally different from anything I have seen this year in style and content. Its dark, foreboding, violent with a story and cast to die for. My only complaint is the awful DVD that they have released in this country. Please release the Region 1 directors cut!!!

Batman Begins really let me down at the cinema. I very nearly fell asleep in it as it goes on for ages. No real bad guy and a simple ending which ruins the brilliant first half. Then I watched this film again on DVD in October and changed my mind! This movie is good, not as good as it should be but definitely worthy of 4 stars.

On a personal note, the movies I Watched during June were all pretty good. The Woodsman blew me away. So powerful that its hard to not end up rooting for someone that your not sure you should. Kevin Bacon plays the role of a sex offender released from prison into society with so much emotion that you just get sucked into and the awkwardness of later scenes are tearing you apart as you see them unfold. Closer is a real relationship movie. Maybe a little bit close to home the first time I saw this. The break up scenes are really hard to watch if you have been through anything similar. Fantastic performances all round with a great ending which contradicts the whole film! Matchstick men with Nic Cage playing a compulsive obsesive con man is awesome and Undead shows how the zombie movie can still be fun!

July is short and sweet. War of the Worlds was awesome. The second watch is just as good and you have to give Tom Cruise credit. When was the last time he made a poor movie?! The opening act is so tense and fierce that you immediately get connected with the family and the underground scene with Tim Robbins is Speilberg at his dark and sinister best.

When Dog Soldiers was released it came from nowhere. The Descent had a lot to live up to and it more than delivers. Neil Marshall certainly has a flair for horror and if he keeps coming up with new and interesting movies then I will continue to go and see them. A group of girls, pot holing, monsters, blood, and killings! Fantastic. An then on the comedy side of things, The Wedding Crashers is a great contender for funniest movie of the year.

After this point the cinematic treats started to dry up and it was up to the older movies on DVD to show their worth. The 40 Year old virgin gave Wedding crashers a run for its money in the comedy section whilst Charlie and the Chocolate factory showed that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are a partnership made in chocolate heaven. Excellent set pieces, special effects, costume, and casting! Roald Dahl would be proud of this!

Then what happened, The Skeleton Key was awful. A definite contender for worst film of the year. Kate Hudson needs a new agent! Voodoo, possession and a big fat pile of horse crap! Madagascar was a real let down and cant come close to competing with Shrek or Ice Age.

On DVD, the remake of Assault on 13th Preceint was so bad that I didn't even watch the last ten minutes. So, so, so bad!!

August was redeemed with one movie. The Machinist. Christian Bale in a film which just completely sucked me in and blew back out the other side. An insomniac who hasn't slept for a year starts seeing things and his life takes a further turn for the worse. If this film had been in the cinema this year, then it would of been right up there for 2005 film of the year. I cannot praise this film enough. Other notable mentions go to Clerks, confidence and Switchblade Romance. SR is one of the sickest films I have ever seen!! Uber violent with a really messed up twist!

Poor cinema in September. Wes Craven came back and then might as well of not bothered with Red Eye. The first 70 minutes awesome and then the film unravels into an awful chase movie. This aint no Nightmare on Elm street or Scream that's for sure. 2 gems on DVD though. The Aviator definitely gets 5 stars. I loved it. Yes, it goes on for ages. It doesn't feel like it though and Leonardo Di Caprio again puts in a performance which just amazes.

For pure fighting action check out Ong Bak. Tony Jaa is unbelievable. All the fight scenes are real contact and the stunts involved are mental. Flaming knees, broken bones. A great film. The storyline is nothing special but that plays second filled to the best fight scenes I have seen in ages.

October wasn't a bad month and it did see another 5 star movie at the flicks. Saw 2 scared the living daylights out of me. I was horrified when I came out. I was so scared walking home and I just could not stop thinking about this film. I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD. If you thought the first movie was clever then this is genius! So dark is almost unwatchable in places and the set pieces are horrific. Loved it!

I saw my first Russian film at the cinema this month with Nightwatch thoroughly impressing me. Great story (which I definitely need to see again on DVD before the sequel) and some action scenes that defy logic. Definitely some resemblances to the Matrix and Blade, and in my eyes that's not a bad thing!

Green Street showed Football factory how to do football hooliganism. Nasty film with some evil fights with a brilliant story. Yes, that's right a brilliant story in a football hooliganism movie!

On DVD, I saw some amazing films. Sideways was great - another 5 stars. An alcoholic road movie which is funny and touching. Purely character driven story gives an interesting in sight into loneliness and loyalty. Finally got round to watching Schindlers List for the first time. I visited Anne Frank's house shortly afterwards and was really moved by this film. Certainly, not an easy film to watch, well worth the effort though - 5 stars. Into the Mirror was another 5 star movie. An Asian thriller with some great Alice in Wonderland style nuances.

Films to avoid - Kingdom of Heaven - Rubbish!

November saw one good movie on DVD and nothing in the cinema. The Virgin Suicides is easily recognisable as a Sofia Copplla movie especially if you have seen Lost in Translation. I thought it was really good. Quite a morbid tale and Kirstin Dunst's performance is great.

This month gave me the opportunity to watch some of Peter Jacksons back catalogue. I shouldn't of bothered Brain Dead and Bad taste are both utter crap.

So, the final month - December. 2 very good films at the cinema. The Chronicles of Narnia was brilliant. Not quite a 5 stars but very close. Really took me back to my youth and was very faithful to the book. A very clever emotional undertone for the death of one of the main characters which saw a few dry eyes when I visited the flicks. Great special effects and the kids can actually act!

Another surprise package this month though with The Exorcism of Emily Rose. 5 stars for a courtroom horror film! I was so impressed and scared that I could not stop thinking about this film for the whole night afterwards. So much better than I thought it was going to be and worthy of its box office rewards.

King Kong was ok, totally style over content and 3 hours is WAY TOO LONG!!

So, there we have it. Sin City and The Jacket get my vote as my joint favourites off the year with War of the Worlds a very close second.

Have a great year in 2006 all.

Gav