Your Best And Worst Films Of The Year

[filkertom]

I haven't seen Munich, Narnia, or Good Night and Good Luck yet, although I'm gonna try to get to all three by next weekend. But there were several crackerjack flicks this year, most notably Sin City, King Kong, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

In the middle were films that really worked (Serenity and Batman Begins), mostly worked (Corpse Bride, War of the Worlds, Chicken Little, and Robots), and were noble experiments with problems (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Four).

And then there was Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, which would've disappointed the hell out of me if I hadn't been expecting it to suck as badly as it did. I held out some hope, but George "don't tell me what you like, I know what you like" Lucas came through once more.

I suspect that I'm really going to like Doom and Mr. and Mrs. Smith when I get to 'em.

So, how'd your movie year shape up?

Comments

[jonnorthwood.livejournal.com]

Really rather enjoyed Narnia, wasn't as displeased with the latest in the Harry Potter franchise as I was afraid I would be, liked Batman Begins for the most part, was charmed by elements of both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Robots, got a few giggles out of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, smiled through much of Shall we Dance?, saw a few moments that weren't too terribly disappointing in Sahara, did -not- like Fantastic Four, and was actually somewhat upset with what was done to The Producers.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

My movie years have gotten much better since I got Netflix - I only see a few in the theaters anymore, and then rent the ones that interest me but don't rivit me from the first trailer.

GN&GL and Kong are on the queue; everything I went to see was a winner, from Wallace through Batman to Narnia. (Unlike the Harry Potter movies, which have to ditch major portions of the book to cut down to a reasonable running time, LWW made up for Lewis' sparse storytelling by adding some desperately-needed humanity and some really well-done backstory. It works gloriously beyond my highest expectations.)

I also liked the remake of Pride and Prejudice - not with the adoration I liked Batman, Wallace, Harry or Lion, but it was enjoyable.

[darkwolf69.livejournal.com]

Lessee... what'd I see this year?

• Madagascar: This movie had so much going for it that it couldn't possibly lose, and yet somehow it did. I found little to no emotional connection with the characters (except for Chris Rock's zebra, but hey... it's Chris Rock!) and there was no plot to speak of. Just a loosely connected series of vignettes which went on for far too long. If they bring back the penguins and give THEM their own movie, and it might work... unless they find a way to fuck THAT up, too.
  
• Star Wars ep3: I wasn't disappointed with this movie like others I've spoken to were. No, it was not a masterpiece, but to be honest, Star Wars is a pulp franchise. It's not about great acting, great writing, or great dialogue. It's about action and entertainment. Go in expecting a sepia toned art flick, and you'll just loathe *any* Star Wars movie. I think that the quality of episodes 1-3 are actually on par with or possibly better than episodes 4-6, it's just that the expectations have gotten so overblown that the movie that is can't compete with the movies in the fanbase's minds.
  
• Batman Begins: Oh. My. Gawd. This is what Batman always should have been. Love it love it love it love it love it. I would bear this movie's children.
  
• Robots: Good movie. My elder daughter likes it, I like it. It made me laugh, it made me cry. "Aunt Fanny... we were using our ARMS!" was a wonderful bit. ;) Robin Williams is another comic genius. But we knew that. :)
  
• HP - Goblet of Fire: A worthy continuation. Much was compressed and cut in order to keep the movie to a "reasonable" length, but I was entertained, inspired, and impressed by what I saw.
  
• Fantastic Four: I'm a sucker for superhero stories, and I never read FF comic books, so I walked into this one prepared to enjoy the movie despite any breaks in canon (which I would never notice.) I liked it. The story was good, the acting was right on, and if my Champions group ever comes up with a plan for a multi-power onslaught like the denoument in this movie, they probably won't even have to roll the dice for it to work. Mmmm, superhero goodness...
  

I think that's all the 2005 movies I saw this year. It's hard to get out to the movies when you've got small children, though having a really cool locally own drive-in movie theater is a big help. :-)

[markbernstein.livejournal.com]

Star Wars is a pulp franchise. It's not about great acting, great writing, or great dialogue. It's about action and entertainment. Go in expecting a sepia toned art flick, and you'll just loathe *any* Star Wars movie. I think that the quality of episodes 1-3 are actually on par with or possibly better than episodes 4-6, it's just that the expectations have gotten so overblown that the movie that is can't compete with the movies in the fanbase's minds.

Ah, so much to disagree with:

1) All movies, regardless of genre, should include great (or at least good) writing, of which dialogue is a subset. And that's the difference between SW 4-6 and Sw 1-3. The former were well written, the latter all contained dialogue that was painful to listen to.

2) I have never, ever, met a single person who walked into any SW film looking for a sepia toned art flick.

3) Expectations do have an effect, but expectations can be met or exceeded. The Empire Strikes Back was the sequel to the most popular movie of all time (at the time), and was generally agreed to be better than its predecessor.

All of this is, of course, Just My Opinion.

[darkwolf69.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Some clarifications:

1) I agree that the writing should at least be at a professional level. I don't know if this is what you mean by "good", but that's how I'd define good writing. I really didn't find anything "painful" about SW ep3's dialogue, though.

2&3) This was an attempt at hyperbole. A more concrete example would be Last Action Hero. If you walk into it expecting a classic Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie, you're going to hate it. If you walk in prepared for a quirky send-up of his prior works, along with some snide social commentary... you're more likely to be entertained.

The other day, I ordered a Coke from McDonald's. I almost sprayed my windshield with it when I took my first drink. Dr. Pepper. I like Dr. Pepper, but because I was expecting Coke, it tasted foul.

The Guy Who Shot First

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I will mention something -- and I can't remember where I first heard it, although it might've been Anne -- which I agree with whole-heartedly. The biggest problem with the Prequel Trilogy, more than any of its many, many other flaws, is that it has no Han Solo.

There is no character who, exposed to The Overwhelming Gravity And Drama Of It All, rolls his, her, or its eyes and mutters, "Sh-yeah, right."

Just think about how much we loved the first/fourth Star Wars when, not being able to convince Han of the nobility of his cause, Luke leans over and whispers, "... she's rich." Those two words shattered every stereotype possible. So did the original version of the bar fight, where Han didn't let Greedo get the drop on him.

By making the Prequel Trilogy so portentious and gloomy, and the only comic relief character a hated buffoon, Lucas blew every chance he had.

Re: The Guy Who Shot First

[darkwolf69.livejournal.com]

Now THAT, I can get behind totally. The absence of a skeptic character, and the absence of good comic relief, those flaws were definitely felt.

I just can't dismiss these movies as unworthy tripe, though.

Re: The Guy Who Shot First

[ashi.livejournal.com]

Wow, now I know what was missing. I was really wondering where Mr. Lucas went wrong...

[annechen-melo.livejournal.com]

Hmm... haven't seen the inside of a theatre in a long time, but we rented (and purchased) a few.
Well, there was Steamboy, and I really enjoyed the Victoriana. I know there are those who avoid anime but this is pretty cool.
We rented Sky High with the expectation that it would be a rip-off of P. S. 238, but it was actually enjoyable. I still think there are a few problems that Disney needs to address, but it scares me how easily this could be made into a series.
To be honest, most of the movies I watched this year were released much earlier, such as Comedy of Terrors and Theatre of Blood. And ther was the television series, such as the second season of Dead Like Me and a lot of CSI.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

billroper tells me I'd really like Sky High, so I will see it at some point. Same with Steamboy.

[skipjim.livejournal.com]

Honestly I think Doom is one of the two movies I saw in a theater this year...

It was ok (the ticket was free). Don't go into it expecting anything other than an almost-made-for-TV mindless horror/action flick.

Episode III wasn't great, but it did redeem itself by having 1/3 of the movie be lightsaber battles, and frankly thats why I watch 'em =]

[jmthane.livejournal.com]

Didn't see too many in the theatre, so I was picky about what I saw.

HHGTTG - Loved it. OK, Marvin in the film is too damn cute (possibly a reason for the chronic depression?) and it was a departure from the books, but so was the TV series and the radio series and the LP series.

HP:GoF - Was very good, but I think it could have been extended to a full three hour film to allow some of the pacing to slow down and flesh out the story a little. Yes, at 2:37, the film felt a little rushed to me. Go figure.

Land of the Dead - A real plot? Wow. Day of the Dead was a little disappointing after Dawn of the Dead, but Land made up for it.

SW Ep 3 - A vast improvement over 1 and 2 in terms of storytelling. Not quite up to the original trilogy, but still...

Did not see Serenity, although I wanted to. Since I have the DVD, I'll take care of that in the upcoming year - after watching the Firefly series to remind me of what's gone before. Definitely want to see Kong and LWW, and I'd prefer those be in a theatre, although that may not happens - depends on finances. Saw Fantastic Four on DVD (thanks to a friend) and enjoyed it.

[markbernstein.livejournal.com]

My year-end roundup and Top Ten are here. Obviously, our opinions diverged in a few places. :)

[hiddenkrypt.livejournal.com]

Serenity, Narnia, and Sin City blew my socks off. I liked quite a few others as well, but those three stand out in my mind.

[ttamsen.livejournal.com]

Haven't been a big moviegoer for ages, but I did manage to catch a few this year..

I really enjoyed Narnia, although I'm unsure of Susan's casting and character -- In the film she was mostly invisible and where she wasn't, I found her jarring. I haven't read the book in mumblety-odd years, so I can't say if that's faithful to the text or not. I loved the winter scenes, though, and would have been happy to spend more time in Winter Narnia than they provided. Also, James MacAvoy's Tumnus -- I liked him furry. To a sufficiently unexpected degree that I find myself somewhat personally unsettled. :-)

On the other hand, and in contrast to just about everybody else I know who's seen it, I really didn't like Goblet of Fire. It's the first HP movie I've seen from start through finish, so I can't comment on it versus the others, but on it's own -- yick.

I really liked bits of it (Dragons! Underwater ripply goodness! The dorms!), but my single overwhelming impression was that the director took a snippet from each and very single page of the book, filmed it as a 10-30 second clip, then had the editor just nail them together. I had no sense of continuity of events or place, and more importantly, no sense of the passage of time. I mean, it was supposed to be a whole academic year and I just didn't feel it passing.

To be completely fair, though, I had a somewhat related complaint about the book -- I didn't get any feeling that there were in fact three whole student bodies sharing a scholastic/social experience. They could have said that just the three champions had come to Hogwarts and it would have read the same to me.

Casting and characterization were another problem for me: Hermione.. hello? Geek girl? Outspoken girl genius, headstrong, powerful convictions, something less than a conventional beauty? Where'd she go? I'd have sworn she was there before. Maybe she's behind the perfectly coiffed and made-up, designer jeans wearing, silently pouty girl that kept getting in front of the camera. And Ron as stoner loser dude sidekick only worked for me because the twins showed where they were taking him. It still grated. Then there's Myrtle .. no, I won't even go there.

Anyways, I second whoever said essentially that they could have taken the extra half hour and give a little more meat to the bones. A little context for the story and a little more presence to the environment.

Gee. That was longer than I meant it to be. Oh well. Others?

Serenity was amazing and incredible and I *still* hate Josh Whedon for what he did with BtVS in the endgame, and now for [spoiler excision subroutine activated], but I just can't stop going to see his stuff. And I'm GLAD I did.

I was set to hate King Kong passionately, if nothing else for (a) Naomi Watts and (b) Jack Black. But I loved it. I saw it in a crappy little movieplex, with no real screen, no real sound, and a bunch of drunken louts two rows behind me, and it *still* yanked me right into New York, sailed me to Skull Island, and had me roaring at those bastards in the planes right along with Ann and Kong. The ick factor was starting to peak a little in the middle there, though. :-) I'm glad he didn't, but Peter Jackson could have cut out 45 minutes of the middle act and still not left me feeling cheated on the dollars-spent-to-monsters-viewed ratio.

On the pending list: Corpse Bride, Sky High and Brothers Grimm. I think I can squeeze them in before the end of the year. I'm sure at least one of them will be worth it.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

I don't own a TV, and going to movies in the theater is something I hardly ever do unless someone invites me to join them (which they never do). High ticket prices combined with no job completely squashed the impulse to go see anything on my own this year. As far as I can recall, I only saw two feature films end-to-end this year: The Incredibles was the in-flight movie coming back from Ecuador, and it was awesome; and Kinsey was the movie ladyat wanted to watch the night I stayed over at their place, and it was interesting but not really hugely enjoyable for me.

I'd like to see a few more movies, but I don't find enough hours in a week to do the things I want to do or that I need to do (which unfortunately don't overlap much) without spending several of them watching a movie, so I don't want to turn into someone who sees everything that people are talking about.

[tony-goldmark.livejournal.com]

Here is every film Marissa and I saw in a theater this year, in order from my most to least favorite. Usually we don’t see films we don’t think we’ll like, so there’s nothing here completely horrible (this is mostly sci-fi, fantasy and animation. Also, we have not seen Narnia or King Kong yet, but we will):

1. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

It had its flaws, no doubt about it. If this were last year it would be MAYBE #3. They reduced and – dare I say it? – even dumbed down the genius of Douglas Adams to make it more commercial. The ending felt rushed. Trillian was useless at best and reason to hate the film at worst. The paltry DVD features were an embarrassment (yet another reason England is better). But at the end of the day, this is my “Thank God this film was made” film of the year. Bill Nighy was great, Sam Rockwell was wonderfully over-the-top, Martin Freeman was perfectly low-key and suitably Arthur Dent, and Alan Rickman IS Marvin the Paranoid Android. And above all, you can tell they tried. Plus, the Vogon Poetry scene gets funnier every time I watch it.

2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Unlike Hitchhiker, which had to constantly reduce, combine and change itself to even become coherent to moviegoers, Charlie takes full advantage of the original story’s straightforwardness, and should serve as a lesson to filmmakers remaking a beloved story: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That goes for Tim Burton too; after making his most detrimentally befuddling film (Planet of the Apes) and his most earnest and poignant film (Big Fish), he finally gets back to his bizarro comedy roots. The Burton of twenty years ago, the up-and-coming-weirdo-auteur Burton, probably would have made the exact same film, only with fewer CGI effects and Paul Reubens in place of Johnny Depp (insert your own Paul Reubens joke here, whatever). Depp is neither better nor worse than Gene Wilder (they were so different it’s impossible to compare) but the film around Wonka is much better. Danny Elfman is GOD. “There it is…There it isn’t.”

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

How could it possibly top Azkaban? It can’t. Azkaban was such a terrific breath of fresh air (nothing beats that hippogriff-flying scene for portraying the utter joy of pure magic) that no film could top it. Still, the director of Mona Lisa Smile gives us a much better movie than most of us could have hoped for. They left a lot out, of course, but their cuts were remarkably wise. My only complaint is Voldemort didn’t look menacing or scarred enough. Oh well, three more films to go…

4. The Brothers Grimm

Critics everywhere called this Gilliam’s weakest film, and said he finally sold out. Whatever. I caught an advanced screening of this film before I read ANYTHING about it, and it rocked my world. Sure, the story was a bit hackneyed, but it was just plain fun. Pirates of the Caribbean fun. It’s a shame this film didn’t sell more tickets, because it just isn’t the same on DVD.

5. The Corpse Bride

It’s taken it a little longer, but alas stop-motion animation seems to be going the way of the cel in this digital era. Fortunately 2005 left us with two awesome films, released two weeks apart from each other. Burton returns to his roots again, with a rarity in animated films: a timeless classic almost totally devoid of current pop-culture references that ultimately would have bogged it down. Based on an ancient Russian folktale, the most current reference here is a maggot that talks like Peter Lorre. And “Remains of the Day,” a delightful Cab Calloway/Fats Waller throwback, somehow outdoes “The Oogie Boogie Song” in that department. Did I mention Danny Elfman is GOD?

Hang on...

[tony-goldmark.livejournal.com]

6. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

It’s amazing how much emotion you can evoke from a pile of clay. Once again, the people at Aardman have made a superb animated film (one which is truly for everyone) that doesn’t need a million references to Michael Jackson and Botox. It’s highest marquee voice name is Ralph Fiennes, who the kiddies only know NOW as Voldemort. The only reason it isn’t higher than number six is it almost seemed TOO unconcerned with being “hip,” to the point of being almost forgettable (eh, it’s British, whaddaya expect?). I’ll still buy the DVD to remind myself.

7. The Aristocrats

Filthy, of course, but no other film this year made me laugh as much. It may start slow and go on a bit long, but you’re not allowed to leave until you hear Gilbert Gottfried say the word “longshoreman.” After that you won’t wanna leave.

8. Madagascar

Above all, I applaud this film for not being Shark Tale. I applaud the directors for maintaining enough creative integrity to not let this film become Shark Tale. The tranquilizer sequence with “The Candy Man” is hilariously daring for a kiddie flick, and the dark turns it takes (“MY kill!”) are just daring.

9. Chicken Little

(sigh) It was bad enough that Disney shut down its 2-D animation department, but did it HAVE to follow Dreamworks’s example and say “Hey, let’s overstock our films with top 40 tunes from years gone by for NO DAMN REASON!” Still, the film has an overall winning tone that recalls The Emperor’s New Groove, and the completely uncalled for and inappropriate performances of “Wannabe” and “It’s Too Late” can be forgiven, I guess. But did they HAVE to rope in Patrick Stewart to speak a line of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”? The whole reason we like the guy is that he’s NOT Shatner!

10. The Ring 2

Eh, not bad. Horror flicks aren’t really my cup of tea (Marissa wanted to see it), but I found nothing intellectually offensive about it.

11. Robots

Okay, we get it. Robin Williams can do voice impressions, and he’s a wacky guy too, a guy whose improvised ejaculations deserve to be animated. But after Ferngully, Aladdin, Robots AND that upcoming Happy Feet movie (I know, all we’ve seen is the trailer; that’s enough) can’t we at least give him a one-year probation period AWAY from any microphones and cameras, unless of course he’s playing a sadistic photo guy? And Robin aside, is it ever a good sign when a movie starts advertising itself on cereal boxes three months before it comes out? You’d think they were trying to compensate for something. Anyway, the film itself really wasn’t that bad, but it suffered from what shall forever be called “Shark Tale Syndrome.” At the point where the robots suddenly stopped battling and started dancing to “Baby One More Time,” I coined the phrase “I shall strangle the movie.” This phrase is best said in a psychotic German accent. Have fun.

12. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

I was willing to give this film a chance. I really was. The Lucasfilm logo, the opening “Long time ago” title, the Star Wars logo accompanying that all-too-familiar John Williams score. I was ready to sit back and Just Enjoy. Then the first word came up on screen: “WAR!” That’s it. Sorry, George, but you lost me.

What is it good for? Absolutely NOTHIN! Say it again!

[bardicwench.livejournal.com]

Good Night and Good Luck rocked... I was amazed at how good it was.

Serenity kicked ass, of course. But you already knew my opinion of that.

Batman Begins was excellent.

Memoirs of a Geisha was really well done, absolutely beautiful, and was followed the book 95%.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was... interesting.

Harry Potter was disappointing to me.

Star Wars Ep 3 was what I expected it to be... I went into it expecting it to suck, and I wasn't surprised.

And that's all I can remember seeing right now... but I haven't been to sleep yet and it's 7am.