Movie Challenge 2005
I tallied up the movies I watched from 2005, and forgot to list two on the site: Shattered Glass (Peter Sarsgard is great; Hayden Christensen can act, in spite of what it seems from watching the Star Wars movies) and Bride and Prejudice, which was fun, but fluffy. The Bollywood aesthetic didn’t really move me. Also, while the girl playing the Lizzie role is beautiful, the guy playing the Darcy role was a terrible actor, and I much prefer Saveen Andrews in a dark, complicated role as on Lost rather than in the nicey-nice role of Mr. Bingham. The guy playing the Mr. Collins role was outstanding.
I must have messed up with the numbering somewhere along the line because I thought I was at 59, 61 with Shattered Glass and Bride and Prejudice , but this says 62. In any case, I beat my goal of 50 handily. Most of what I saw was at home, either on Tivo or on DVD rented from the library. Some of the films I saw in theater were disappointing. I hope to be able to get back in the habit of seeing good stuff in the theater, but I doubt that will be happening soon, with a newborn on the way.
I’ve starred those titles that I liked especially. Watching About Schmidt make me like Sideways less. With regard to other films from last year’s Academy Awards, I find Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Hotel Rwanda and Collateral stood out over Million Dollar Baby, and far above Finding Neverland. George Clooney’s little-seen Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was not only entertaining but a skillfully made film. Crash had some breathtaking performances. It and Million Dollar Baby had me openly weeping in the theater. I really did not like March of the Penguins, and am still bitter about it.
I saw a lot of comedies. With the exception of The Big Lebowski, I found none of them outstanding, but rather merely good. Why is it so hard to make a comedy that is also a quality film?
Apologies (again) for no italics, or details on the films beyond their title. All are linked in the 50 Movie Challenge category to the right.
Key: *=highly recommended. F=saw it on film. D=saw it on DVD. T=saw it on Tivo.
1. (F) In Good Company
2. (F) Million Dollar Baby
3. (D) *The Long Goodbye
4. (F) *On the Waterfront
5. (T) Real Women Have Curves
6. (F) Sideways
7. (T) Punch Drunk Love
8. (T) Auto Focus
9. (T) *Tully
10. (T) Bad Santa
11. (T) *Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
12. (D) Mean Girls
13. (T) *Destry Rides Again
14. (T) Second Sight
15. (F) Sin City
16. (T) Second Sight 2
17. (T) About Schmidt
18. (D) *The Big Lebowski
19. (F) The Interpreter
20. (D) Army of Darkness
21. (T) Laurel Canyon
22. (D) *The Iron Giant
23. (D) *Night of the Hunter
24. (T) *Master and Commander
25. (T) Lost in La Mancha
26. (T) *Lone Star
27. (D) Closer
28. (D) 10 Things I Hate About You
29. (F) *Batman Begins
30. (D) Shattered Glass
31. (F) *Crash
32. (F) Mr. & Mrs. Smith
33. (D) The Bourne Supremacy
34. (F) Howl’s Moving Castle
35. (D) Bowling for Columbine
36. (D) Zoolander
37. (D) Starsky & Hutch
38. (D) *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
39. (D) *Collateral
40. (F) The Man With the Screaming Brain
41. (T) *Key Largo
42. (D) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
43. (T) The Thin Man
44. (T) *To Have and Have Not
45. (D) *Vanity Fair
46. (F) March of the Penguins
47. (D) Finding Neverland
48. (D) House of Flying Daggers
49. (D) I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
50. (F) Serenity
51. (D) *Hotel Rwanda
52. (T) Speak
53. (D) American Splendor
54. (D) Shaun of the Dead
55. (D) Layer Cake
56. (D) *The Big Sleep
57. (D) Undertow
58. (D) I Capture the Castle
59. (F) A History of Violence
60. (F) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
61. (D) Planes, Trains and Automobiles
62. (D) Bride and Prejudice