Well, last year it was bio-pics (The Aviator, Ray and Kinsey)
and Asian films (Hero, House of Flying Daggers and
The Blind Swordsman: Zatôichi)
but this year there’s no discernable common thread among the best films. The top ten is also not quite as strong as the 2004 top ten – they’re all very good films, but just a bit off last year’s high standard. One thing lacking on 2004’s list – and most before it, for that matter – is a love story on the level of Pride & Prejudice. Jane Austen could be the greatest writer of English-language romantic novels and the filmmakers really nailed it with this beautiful adaptation. A love story, beautifully told -- isn’t that one of the prime reasons we go to the movies?
I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a movie character quite like the ageing hit man played by Jan Decleir in The Memory of a Killer. And Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was such a pleasant surprise from a Hollywood regular like Shane Black – he has reinvented himself as a writer and director with this hilarious black comedy – and I would love to see Robert Downey Jr. get an Oscar for his great performance but comedies rarely score big with the Academy.
To be eligible for inclusion on this list (best and worst) the film must have its first U.S. theatrical release date in 2005. This is almost the same as the Oscars.
