The 10 Best Movies Seen in 2005

People often ask me, "Pat, you love making lists, and you love movies. What are the ten best movies you saw this year?" To them I answer this:

The 10 Best Movies Seen in 2005

10. The New World - When I saw The Thin Red Line in theaters, I was bored out of my gourd, probably because I was expecting another Saving Private Ryan. This time I expected a masterpiece from Terrence Malick, and for the most part my expectations were met. The poetic internal dialogue, unbelievably gorgeous setting, and dreamlike feeling of the movie far overshadowed the problems I perceived in pacing. When I got home from this movie, I got out of my car and stared at the sky for about five minutes. Any movie that has that effect on me is ok with me.

9. Tarnation - Unfortunately, I completely missed Tarnation when it came out in 2003. Jonathan Caouette created a truly revolutionary documentary by piecing together video clips, pictures, and answering machine messages that he accumulated throughout his life. The end result is an emotional tale with a fantastic soundtrack. Also, the trailer is among the best I've ever seen. Check out the transition from preteen Jonathan pushing his hair back to adult Jonathan doing the same thing. Genius.

8. The Edukators - Crazy German kids kidnap a Capitalist fat cat and take him on a soul-searching retreat in the mountains? I'm sold. Again, great landscape shots made it pretty, and the discussion, albeit extremely slanted, of the benefits of Socialism kept me interested all the way through the vague, abrupt ending (perhaps my favorite kind of ending).

7. Brokeback Mountain - More proof that I'll like a movie as long as its got some pretty scenery to go along with it. The mountains, that is, not that Nip/Tuck chick. While the plot was a fresh and endearing story of love, the fantastic nature shots and the acoustic score were enough for me to love this movie. It has also provided some great quotes for the impression game that Harry and I play.

6. War of the Worlds - This is the first movie I've seen since Jurassic Park that made me feel like I was 12 again. As soon as the huge robots came out of the ground and started charring everyone in sight, covering the survivors in their ashy remnants, I was unable to blink. Also, looking over at Wipert as he had a similar reaction was among my favorite movie-going experiences of the year. Sure, the ending was a letdown and that Tim Robbins scene was grueling, but the rest of this movie returned me to a time when every movie I saw was the best movie I had ever seen.

5. The Squid and the Whale- Right from the opening scene in which the central conflict is demonstrated through a family-splitting tennis match, this movie presents the best story about the intricate effects of divorce that I have ever seen. Even though the characters are all pretty unlikeable, you can't help but sympathize with them as they struggle with the new rift in the family. Jeff Daniels (Mr. Ryan plus a beard) and Laura Linney were both great, the two actors that played the children gave surprising performances, and I even enjoyed the Baldwin brother.

4. The Weather Man - Gore Verbinski returns, folks! This movie was a movie of excess for Dave and I. We saw this movie as the "popcorn movie" (the second movie) of a double feature. After seeing the disappointing Shop Girl, we made our way to the arthouse theater in Mayfair Cinema to see the Weatherman. With popcorn and soda in hand, we relaxed in the great leather seats, with a table between us, to enjoy this movie. Delicious. Nicholas Cage was excellent as a the terrible, yet trying, father/weatherman. I felt especially drawn to the plot of a man who had settled for mediocrity in his life trying to find personal excellence. Hopeful, relatable, and set in Chicago. Any movie that is set in Chicago immediately gets five points, even Derailed.

3. Stay - I haven't seen a movie this confusing since Mulholland Drive. The only difference was that Stay actually had a payoff! The confusing manner in which the story was told was appropriately matched by an intriguing style and captivating music. Ryan Gosling and Ewan McGregor were great, and Naomi Watts was fantastic as always (see future list #2). I can't wait until this movie comes out on DVD so I can rewatch it and look for all the hints that I completely missed the first time.

2. The Baxter - I'm a sucker for Romantic Comedies. In a year where the genre largely failed me (Must Love Dogs, Just Like Heaven, both of which I am ashamed to admit I saw in theaters), The Baxter was not only an enjoyable RomCom, but perhaps the best I've ever seen. Fantastic performances by Showalter, that Joe guy from Six Feet Under, Peter Dinklage, and, most importantly, Elizabeth Banks. And celebrity impressions game that Justin Theroux and Paul Rudd play in the bar brought me to tears both times I saw it. "I'm an electric man...."

1. Me and You and Everyone We Know- I watched this movie in my lonely apartment shortly after I had returned to Madison for my last semester. Most of my friends had moved on, and during this particular weekend many of those that hadn't (namely, Metzger) were gone. I felt really disconnected from the world. Had I watched Me and You and Everyone We Know in another situation, it may not have had such a strong effect. This movie studies the awkward difficulty people face when trying to connect with one another, and it is backed up with the best film score of the year, fantastic acting by everyone (ha!), and a phenomenal first directing effort by Miranda July. A truly beautiful film.