10. GRIZZLY MAN

In 2005, we finally received a documentary worth debating.  Did Timothy Treadwell have the right to put his and his girlfriend’s life in danger by doing what he loved: approaching grizzly bears?  Or did he get what he deserved when they were both gobbled up by one of the fierce creatures?

The thing that separates Grizzly Man from good documentaries, such as Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine, is that acclaimed filmmaker Warner Herzog allows audience members to come up with their own opinions rather than the way Michael Moore’s feeds up some rather entertaining propaganda. 

9. HUSTLE & FLOW

In one hand there’s Walk the Line, an endlessly fascinating biography on Johnny Cash – undoubtedly one of the finest musicians of all time.  On the other hand is Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow, a dark tale of a Memphis pimp who dreams of getting out of the slick business and becoming a rap star.

I’d choose Johnny Cash’s southern drawls over a rap beat any day, yet Hustle & Flow somehow feels more truthful, despite being fiction, than the film based on Cash’s life.  Walk the Line made a noble attempt to capture the struggle for the American dream and the limits we go to achieve it – Hustle & Flow does capture it.

8. TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE

We’ve already seen numerous films about racism and troubled musicians.  We’ve seen films about homosexuals trapped in an unhappy marriage and boxers who overcome impossible obstacles.  We’ve even seen the tale of a giant ape that falls for a lovely blond, but in all of my movie-going years, I’ve never seen anything quite like Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

In a year that lacked imagination, Corpse Bride told the tale of a nervous young man (voiced by Johnny Depp) who accidentally marries a dead woman.

Filled with plenty of laugh-out-loud jokes and moving at a speed of light pace, Corpse Bride is the finest animated film of the year.  I’d even go as far as calling it Burton’s most imaginative and best film since Ed Wood.

7. CINDERELLA MAN

It’s no surprise that Jim Braddock, the star of Ron Howard’s uplifting boxing drama, is victorious by the film’s end.  The formula of an out-of-work boxer who makes a comeback has been repeated ever since Rocky made millions of dollars in 1976.

What is surprising in Cinderella Man is the level of suspense that Howard is able to inject into the film by extending the final fight scene to a nearly painful length.

The film’s box office struggle seemed to closely parallel the life of Braddock.  At times it appeared that Cinderella Man was out of the count, but its release on DVD allowed it a second chance.  Movie lovers should take advantage of a second opportunity to see the film, because, like Braddock himself, Cinderella Man is a winner.

6. MUNICH

After entertaining mainstream audiences with lightweight fare such as War of the Worlds and The Terminal, Steven Spielberg returns to his best form with the powerful, thought-provoking drama Munich.

Eric Bana stars in the breakout role of Avner, the leader of an assassin organization hired to avenge a terrorist group that killed 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympics. 

Spielberg’s film has a soft glow throughout its 164 exhilarating minutes, but the subject matter couldn’t be tougher and the dialogue couldn’t be sharper.  With Munich, Spielberg questions politics, war, religion, and beliefs, and in doing so, he has created his finest film in years.

5. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Ang Lee’s heartbreaking love story could easily have earned a name simply for being the first mainstream “gay cowboy” film to glaze theaters.  Fortunately, it’s much more than that.

Set in the lonely country sides of Wyoming and Texas, Brokeback Mountain tells the tail of two sheep herders (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) whose isolation and despair for connection finds them sharing a tent on a cold winter night.

That night changes their lives forever.  Both end up in unhappy marriages and struggle to keep their secret, which is frowned upon by society.

The heartbreaking story, along with breathtaking cinematography, a perfectly tuned score, strong dual performances, and brave direction by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) makes Brokeback Mountain a film that will be remembered for generations.

4. GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.

In one of the film’s most touching scenes, we see Joe (Robert Downey Jr.) and Shirley Weshba (Patricia Clarkson) quit their jobs because of a CBS law that prohibits coworkers to be married.  In another touching scene, we see Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and Fred Friendly (George Clooney) agree to pay the night’s advertising fees in order to report a story they believe needs to be reported.

It’s hard to pick a single standout scene from Good Night, and Good Luck. Because the film is overflowing with great scenes, and a great look.

Clooney deserves much of the credit for making Good Night work at the level it does: he’s the film’s director, writer, and star, but it’s Straithairn who’s unforgettable as a brave newscaster who challenges the views of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy.

3. KING KONG

When the original King Kong opened in theaters back in 1933, audience members were astonished by the film’s realism and special effects.  Modern moviegoers who see Peter Jackson’s remake will likely know exactly how they felt.

That’s because Jackson’s Kong is every bit as magical as the original.  At times, Kong feels like an expensive blueprint of the original, but that’s not a bad thing.  Rather, I’d call it money well spent, since King Kong is the most beautiful and entertaining popcorn flick of the year. 

2. BROKEN FLOWERS

There’s a scene in Broken Flowers where Don Johnson (Bill Murray) wakes up in a bed next to an ex-girlfriend.  When she asks him why he’s there, he responds by saying “I was just looking for a typewriter.”

Like Johnson, sometimes we get more than we’re looking for, which is exactly what I got when I purchased a ticket to Jim Jarmusch’s side-splitting comedy of a man who receives a letter from an unidentified ex-girlfriend claiming that she gave birth to his son.

In hopes of finding his long lost child, Johnson goes on a road trip to visit all of his ex-girlfriends, which are played wonderfully by Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton, and Frances Conroy.  Like their performances, Broken Flowers is a wonderful tale that, sadly, has been overlooked.

1. CRASH

“It’s the sense of touch.  I think we miss that touch so much that we crash into each other just so we can feel something.”

With those words, Detective Graham Waters (played by Don Cheadle) captured my recent movie-viewing experience.  Nearly every week I go to the movies, hoping that the film playing on the silver screen in front of me will evoke some sort of emotions from inside of me.

Unfortunately, only one film this year challenged viewers in a way that was unforgettable: Paul Haggis’s heartbreaking drama, Crash, was the most powerful, emotionally moving film of the year.

Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Terrence Dashon Howard, Thandie Newton, Ludacris, Ryan Phillippe, and Matt Dillon all give memorable performances in the year’s finest ensemble as Los Angeles residents who live in fear of their lives due to the city’s dangerous views towards racism.

The topics explored in Crash, which range from racism to class to culture, are nothing new to the world of cinema, but Haggis (who also wrote Million Dollar Baby) is able to breath new life into the subject, making it the most powerful film since Mystic River.