2005 proved yet another fantastic year for film. The blockbusters finally got it right – Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith managed to deliver on the hype, turn in a return to form, and gave satisfying closure to fans old and new; we’ve had three remakes that the world actually wanted to see with War of the Worlds; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and King Kong; Harry Potter came of age in his darkest adventure yet in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a favourite fairytale finally got the big screen overhaul in Chronicles of Narnia, and there was a welcome return for the Caped Crusader in Batman Begins. British film was riding high with Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-rabbit, Kinky Boots, It’s All Gone Pete Tong and Mrs Henderson Presents, and for World Cinema Goddard returned with Notre Musique, Fatih Akin won awards with Head On, and Kung Fu Hustle took the world by surprise and by storm. J-Horror continued to make the transition from Japanese to English language screen adaptations with remakes of The Grudge, Ring 2 and Dark Water, while the big anime release was Howl’s Moving Castle. Festival season brought us Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Constant Gardener and Everything is Illuminated, and everyone couldn’t get enough of Sin City but had more than enough of Bewitched, The Dukes of Hazzard and Stealth. Madagascar was this year’s big CGI hit, and Keira Knightley popped up in everything, including Pride and Prejudice, The Jacket and Domino.
All along the way, the Close-Up Film writers have been watching films and reporting back to let you know what to look out for. Having spent so many hours in a darkened room on your behalf, we asked the Close-Up Film team, comprising of over 50 writers, to give us their top three films of the year. They did – some even told us why - and here are the results. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you:
The Close-Up Film Top Ten 2005
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Kung Fu Hustle
The Constant Gardener
King Kong
A History of Violence
Howl’s Moving Castle
The Descent
Mrs Henderson Presents
Downfall
Mysterious Skin
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – Close-Up Film Writers Film of the Year
A Film Noir-style black comedy written and directed by uber-Hollywood screenwriter, Shane Black. It starred Robert Downey Jr as a smalltime crook who accidentally became a Hollywood actor who then found himself embroiled in a murder story. Stylish, self-aware editing and a smart script, plus pitch perfect acting from Downey and a career best from Val Kilmer as a tough gay private eye, made this a firm favourite.
‘a brilliant and witty deconstruction of Film Noir’ – Jean Lynch
‘Its. So. Funny. Writer Shane Black's twisted romance/detective story is an instant cult classic with laser sharp one-liners, random injury and a double act (Robert Downey Junior/Val Kilmer) to die for’ – Johnny Messias
‘The Cannes rumblings had suggested that this could be something special and they were to be proven correct when Shane Black delivered the most refreshingly original piece of celluloid in 2005. Its a great shame that in a world in which The Dukes of Hazzrd can make over $100M worldwide that this film has slipped under the commercial radar, there's no accounting for taste’ – Matthew Rodgers
Kung Fu Hustle – Runner Up
A surprise entry at number 2, but not for anyone who has seen Stephen Chow’s madcap comedy that uses every special effect in the book, and moves at a breathtaking breakneck pace. Jackie Chan beware!
‘multi-talented Chow has created a riotous, kinetic world with non-stop action and the kind of violence that wouldn’t look out of place in a Tom and Gerry cartoon’ – Jean Lynch
‘if any film had crossover potential, then this is it. Stephen Chow's relentless pacing and choreography is never far from a bellyfull of laughs, while there are plenty of references and in-jokes to keep Kung-Fu cineastes happy’ – Stephen Collings
‘Balletic, insane and inventive. Writer/producer/director/star Stephen Chow is part Baz Luhrman, Tex Avery, Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Chan. This movie is a prohibition-era-gangster-martial arts-comedy extravaganza!’ – Hemanth Kissoon
‘Stephen Chow's kung Fu slapstick was as funny as it was furious. Charlie Chaplin meets Bruce Lee in a back-alley Broadway musical. Fantastic!’ – Craig Driver
The Constant Gardener
The opener at the London Film Festival, The Constant Gardener was pure class. A murder mystery and political thriller set in Nairobi, Fernando Meirelles directed Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz in this finely realised tale of betrayal, mistrust and human relationships.
‘The Constant Gardener is intelligent modern cinema, a film that sets out to confound, and one that keeps the audience guessing to the last’ - Robb Horsley
‘a first class mystery thriller with a political and moral dimension. Fiennes is very moving in his unhistrionic and deeply felt grief, from that early shot, when he hears of his wife's death and the camera lingers for ages on his immobile face with only his eyes revealing the torment inside, while Weisz as Tessa is so vibrant and engaging, that like Quayle, we really miss her presence when she is not on screen’ – Carol Allen
‘Passion, intrigue and a burning political heart- in one of this years big Oscar contenders. Beautifully made and acted, a proper film in a year of pap’ – Johnny Messias
King Kong
Big gorilla – big release. Peter Jackson had planned to take some time off after the trilogy until the studio dangled the directorship of his favourite film in front of him. An immortal tale that sees CGI coming of age and beyond, revealing Kong to be most definitely the Eighth Wonder of the World.
‘Try to imagine the passion multiple Oscar winner Peter Jackson put into Lord of the Rings and now imagine he is taking on his favourite film of all time and you will have some idea of how good the movie is’ – Becky Day
‘spectacular spectacular! This is what Saturday afternoon movies are all about - and like Lord of the Rings, Jackson has managed to make a film for both adults and kids, unlike the saccharine Narnia film for which Andrew 'Shrek' Adamson should hang his head in shame’ – Elizabeth Hyder
A History of Violence
An initially deceptive tale from David Cronenberg, in which Viggo Mortenson stars as a family man who is forced to protect his family only to discover the disturbing consequences.
‘While more mainstream in its storytelling, A History of Violence is essentially no different to these low-budget shockers, and no less savage in its deconstruction of identity’ – Michael Blyth
Howl’s Moving Castle
The much anticipated anime from the makers of SPIRITED AWAY delivered on its promise, with the story of a cursed young girl who seeks help from a mysterious wizard.
‘Howl's Moving Castle is a visual triumph brimming with lush, epic landscapes inhabited by a diverse array of characters ranging from the bizarre to the beautiful’ – Chris Regan
‘Miyazaki continues to hold his place as the king of animators’ – Mike Bartlett
‘Miyazaki follows up the Oscar winning Spirited Away with a film that is at once baffling and beautiful. The non-linear storyline creates an engaging dreamworld and every inch of the screen is filled with an artistry that Disney can only aspire to’ – Stephen Collings
The Descent
Neil Marshall followed up his scary ‘Dog Soldiers’ with an even scarier tale of a group of women being terrorised in the dark, below the ground, by nasty unseen things that bite…
‘While the story is a familiar one, the characters take us into relatively unexplored territory in horror terms, where for once it is impossible to predict the course of events or even the body count. Marshall pushes this advantage to its full potential, throwing in unexpected twists and surprises all the way to the final minutes of the film’ – Chris Regan
Mrs Henderson Presents
A delightful homegrown comedy from Stephen Frears, the story of Laura Henderson, the lady who came up with the idea of a nude revue at the Windmill Theatre during the War Years. Great performance from Dame Judi Dench, and also the screen debut of Will Young.
‘The musical numbers are well staged and well used in the context of the story and director Frears has given the whole thing an authentic sense of the period’ – Carol Allen
‘Oscars all round for Dench and Frears, strong performances from all the cast including Will Young and a sparkling debut by upcoming star Kelly Reilly’ – Elizabeth Hyder
Downfall
A film that courted much controversy in it’s depiction of Hitler’s final days, the German film Downfall was an intelligent and painstaking examination of the man behind the monster, with first-class performances.
‘This reconstruction of Hitler's final days is an historical masterpiece, an emotionally charged drama that remains as gripping as the events it depicts from sixty years ago’ – Rebecca Kemp
‘Bruno Ganz's performance as Adlof Hitler is powerful and mesmirising. Hitler's descent into paranoia as his world collapses around him makes for a memorable and enthralling piece of cinema’ – Daniel Laverick
Mysterious Skin
Two boys share an experience that will shape their lives in very different ways in Greg Araki’s moving feature debut.
‘a beautifully lyrical but poignant drama’ – Close-Up Film
Our writers also liked…
Sin City
‘A pulp-noir fusion of comic book credentials, stunning CGI, and a career resurrecting performance from Micky Rourke made this choice number 3. It certainly wasnt a case of style over substance as Robert Rodruiguez created a grimy world of inter-changing plots based on Frank Millers graphic novels. The opening scene with Josh Hartnett is probably my favourite scene of the year’ – Matthew Rodgers
Saraband
‘Ingmar is exorcising his demons again - apparently, he says, for the last time. This is oddly enough one of Bergman's funniest, harrowing though it is too. No other director could make it work. Ullman and Josephson give career-best perfromances. But what's this? A happy ending in a Bergman film? Or at least some glimmer of connection. That would be a first. And a last. Film of the year’ – Simon Gray
Innocence
‘The most intriguing debut – eerie, haunting, but with a sensitive handling of its child actors’ – Mike Bartlett
Tarnation
‘A devastating but kinetic rush of lo-fi angst. Beautiful but harrowing this DIY confessional from Jonathan Caouette blisters the heart’ – Craig Driver
The Edukators
‘Hippieish, soulful and idealistic. German cinema tends not to do well in the U.K. unfortunately, which is a shame as this future cult favourite is an unsentimental ode to anti-avarice that deserves an audience’ – Hemanth Kissoon
Over To You…
So, did we get it right? Do you agree with the team’s choices? There’s still time to email us your top three films of 2005 to poll@close-upfilm.com
|
