Posted: 01/21/06

Film 2005 as Seen by Wayne Case
by Wayne Case
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Note: This recap is based on my personal reaction to the 141 films that I saw in full during 2005

Best Films
(In order of preference)

(1) Brokeback Mountain
(2) Crash
(3) Pride & Prejudice
(4) A History Of Violence
(5) Munich
(6) Capote
(7) The Family Stone
(8) King Kong
(9) Dear Frankie
(10) Red Eye

Runners-Up
(Alphabetically)

Batman Begins
Cinderella Man
Heights
Hostage
In Her Shoes
Junebug
Loggerheads
Millions
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Must Love Dogs
Wedding Crashers

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetically)

The Constant Gardener
Fever Pitch
Good Night, And Good Luck.
Happy Endings
The Matador
Match Point
Mrs. Palfrey At The Claremont
Prime
The Squid And The Whale
Swimming Upstream
Transamerica
Transporter 2
The Wedding Date

Worst Films
(Ranked in numerical order)

  1. Sin City (A violent, repugnant atrocity pandering to immature males who have IQs matching their waist measurements.)
  2. Waiting... (As inept as it is nauseating.)
  3. Cache' (All raised issues left unresolved. An inert & pretentious French piffle.)
  4. The Longest Yard (Lame.)
  5. Where The Truth Lies (Convoluted. Crass. Vile.)
  6. The Pacificer (As funny as a flood or a brushfire.)
  7. Stay (Stay away.)
  8. The Amityville Horror (Horrible.)
  9. Stealth (Absurd. A total waste of my time, studio money, & the talented/attractive cast.)
  10. Just Friends (Cloying. Disjointed. Unforgivable.)
    Note: Attractive and possibly talented actor Ryan Reynolds stars in numbers 2, 8, & 10! An urgent need for career guidance is indicated.

Dishonorable Mentions
(Numerical order)

11. Mindhunters
12. The Ring 2
13. Hide And Seek
14. A Sound Of Thunder
15. Melinda & Melinda
16. D.E.B.S.
17. Fun With Dick And Jane
18. Bewitched
19. The Skeleton Key
20. Broken Flowers
21. Elizabethtown

But Not For Me
(Alphabetically)

Syriana
Walk The Line

Best Actor (In order of preference)

(1) Heath Ledger, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

(2) Philip Seymour Hoffman, CAPOTE

(3) Jake Gyllenhaal, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

(4) Eric Bana, MUNICH

(5) Viggo Mortensen, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE


										
								
									
Best Actress  (In order of preference) 

									
(1)  Felicity Huffman, TRANSAMERICA

										

									
(2)  Reese Witherspoon, WALK THE LINE

										

									
(3)  Charlize Theron, NORTH COUNTRY

										

									
(4)  Keira Knightley, PRIDE & PREJUDICE

										

									
(5)  Cameron Diaz, IN HER SHOES

										

									
(6)  Naomi Watts, KING KONG

										

									

										
							

							

								Best Actor Runners Up

										(Alphabetical)
									
Christian Bale, BATMAN BEGINS

									
Russell Crowe, CINDERELLA MAN

									
Jeff Daniels, THE SQUID & THE WHALE

									
Ralph Fiennes, THE CONSTANT GARDENER

									
Matthew MacFayden, PRIDE & PREJUDICE

									
Brad Pitt, MR. & MRS. SMITH

									
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, MATCH POINT

									
David Strathairn, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

									

										
								Best Actress Runners Up (Alphabetical)
									
Toni Collette, IN HER SHOES

									
Emily Mortimer, DEAR FRANKIE

									
Gwyneth Paltrow, PROOF

									
Joan Plowright, MRS. PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT

									
Meryl Streep, PRIME

									
Renee Zellweger, CINDERELLA MAN

									

									

										
							

							

								
									
Best Supporting Actor (Alphabetical)

									
Clifford Collins, Jr., CAPOTE

									
Matt Dillon, CRASH

									
Paul Giamatti, CINDERELLA MAN

									
Peter Sarsgaard, JARHEAD

									
Donald Sutherland, PRIDE & PREJUDICE

									

									

									

									

									

									
Best Supporting Actor 

												Runners Up (Alphabetical)

									
Will Ferrell, THE PRODUCERS

									
Matthew Goode, MATCH POINT

									
Jake Gyllenhaal, PROOF

									
William Hurt, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

									
Dermot Mulroney, THE FAMILY STONE

									
Luke Wilson, THE FAMILY STONE 

									

									
The Victor Mature Worst Performance By An Actor Award

									
Bill Murray in BROKEN FLOWERS  

										(Wake him when it's over.)

										
								
									
Best Supporting Actress 

										(In order of preference)

									
(1) Amy Adams, JUNEBUG

									
(2) Shirley MacLaine, IN HER SHOES

									
(3) Michelle Williams, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

									
(4) Thandie Newton, CRASH

									
(5) Frances McDormand, NORTH COUNTRY

									
(6) Anne Hathaway, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

									
(7) Sandra Bullock, CRASH

									
(8) Maria Bello, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE(

									
9) Diane Keaton, THE FAMILY STONE

									
(10) Isla Fisher, WEDDING CRASHERS

									
Best Supporting Actress Runners Up (Alphabetical)

									
Dakota Fanning, WAR OF THE WORLDS

									
Gong Li, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

									
Rachel McAdams, THE FAMILY STONE

									
Emily Mortimer, MATCH POINT

									
Uma Thurman, PRIME

									
Uma Thurman, THE PRODUCERS

									

									
The Michelle Phillips/Cornelia Sharpe/Angel Tompkins Worst Actress Award:

									
Alison Lohman in WHERE THE TRUTH LIES (Bad casting, worse acting.)

									

										
							

							

								Best Original Script 
											
											

										(In order of preference)
									
(1) CRASH

									
(2) THE FAMILY STONE

									
(3) JUNEBUG* 

									
(4) TRANSAMERICA *

									
* Not eligible for Oscar consideration

										
								
									
Best Adapted Script 
												
												

											(In order of preference)

									
(1) BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

									
(2) CAPOTE

									
(3) A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

									
(4) MUNICH

									
(5) PRIDE & PREJUDICE

									
(6) KING KONG

									

										
							

							

								
									
Best Original Song (Alphabetical)
												
											

									
"Don't" from AN UNFINISHED LIFE *

									
"Forgiveness" from JUST FRIENDS *

									
"Home" from THE WEDDING DATE *

									
"In The Deep" from CRASH

									
"A Love That Will Never Grow Old" from BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN*

									
"There's Nothing Like A Broadway Show" from THE PRODUCERS

									
"Travelin' Thru" from TRANSAMERICA

									
* Not eligible for Oscar consideration

									

										
								
									
Best Original Musical Scoring (Alpha)
												
											

									
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN by Gustavo Santaolalla

									
CAPOTE by Michael Danna

									
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE by Howard Shore

									
KING KONG by James Newton Howard

									
MR. & MRS. SMITH by John Powell

									
MUNICH by John Williams

									
PRIDE & PREJUDICE by Dario Marianelli 

										
							

						

						

							

								Best Director 
									

										(In Order of Preference)
										
(1) Ang Lee for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

										
(2) Steven Spielberg for MUNICH

										
(3) Paul Haggis for CRASH

										
(4) Peter Jackson for KING KONG

										
(5) Joe Wright for PRIDE & PREJUDICE

										
(6) David Cronenberg for A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

									

									

										

									

										
								Best Cinematography (Alphabetical)
									
BATMAN BEGINS by Wally Pfister

									
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN by Rodrigo Prieto

									
THE CONSTANT GARDENER by Cesar Charlone

									
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE by Peter Suschitzky

									
HOSTAGE by Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci

									
KING KONG by Andrew Lesnie & Derek Whipple

									
MUNICH by Janusz Kaminski

									
PRIDE & PREJUDICE by Roman Osin

									
TRANSPORTER 2 by Mitchell Amundsen

										
								
							

							

								
									

										

										Special Awards

										
								
							

							

								
									

										The Heaven’s Gate Budget Award: STEALTH
										
The Otto Preminger “Light Touch” Award: DOMINO and KISS KISS, BANG BANG

										
The Sam Peckinpah “Wretched Excess” Award: Robert Rodriguez for SIN CITY

										
The Sidney Lumet Miscasting Award:  

										
    
											
  • Jessica Biel as a fighter pilot in STEALTH     
											
  • Penelope Cruz as a United Nations' medical doctor in SAHARA     
											
  • Adam Sandler as a former National Football League star quarterback in THE LONGEST YARD
										

										
A Star Is Born Break-Thru Award: 

										
    
											
  • Amy Adams in JUNEBUG     
											
  • Isla Fisher in WEDDING CRASHERS     
											
  • Chris Evans in FANTASTIC FOUR     
											
  • Kevin Zegers in TRANSAMERICA     
											
  • Director Joe Wright for PRIDE & PREJUDICE
										

										
The Surgeon General’s Warning Award: Scarlett Johansson in MATCH POINT

										
The John Hartl Stop-Them-Before-They-Direct-Again Award: 

										
    
											
  • Rob McKittrick for WAITING...       
											
  • Susan Stroman for THE PRODUCERS
										

										
The Calling-Sydney-Guilaroff-for-Help-Hair-Style Award:     

										
    
											
  • Jennifer Anniston in RUMOR HAS IT...     
											
  • Johnny Depp in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY     
											
  • Colin Farrell in THE NEW WORLD
										

										
The What About Bob Most Annoying Award: 

										
    
											
  • Jim Carrey in FUN WITH DICK AND JANE
											
  • Kirsten Dunst in ELIZABETHTOWN
											
  • Adam Sandler in THE LONGEST YARD
										

										
The Bill Lee Worst Musical Scoring Award: Woody Allen's choices of previously recorded music for MATCH POINT

										
The Katherine Houghton Debut Award:  Sara Foster in D.E.B.S.

										
The Paging Busby Berkeley Award: I love movie musicals, generally. Not this year. Broadway's RENT was gutted rather than adapted & Stroman embalmed THE PRODUCERS.

											

										
Comments:

										
    
											
  1. Fair Warning: ROCKY BALBOA (aka: ROCKY VI) is currently in production. Sylvester Stallone has written and is both directing and starring in yet another remake of ROCKY (1976).  Release is threatened for 2007. Further and just as frightening, Sly's other franchise is being resurrected & RAMBO IV has been announced and could be released as soon as late 2006, or so I read. 
											
  2. Once more, I lament current trailer style and content. I especially dislike having to wait to the end of most trailers to find out the name of the film being previewed. Additionally, all cast members prominently featured in scenes shown in the trailer should be identified in the trailer. 
											
  3. Is there any limit to what people will pay for concessions?  Evidently not.   
    
												    
										

									

										
								
							

							

								
								
								
							

						

						

							

								
									

										The Ellen Terry Awards 
													
													

												Note: These are awarded to actors who perform, possess, display and/or deliverthat little something extra 

													as defined by James Mason in "A Star Is Born" (1954).
													
												

										
							

							

								
									
Marshall Allman, HOSTAGE

									
Jeff Billak, LOGGERHEADS

									
Kevin Bacon, BEAUTYSHOP

									
Jamie Bell, KING KONG

									
Gerard Butler, DEAR FRANKIE

									
Jesse Bradford, HAPPY ENDINGS and HEIGHTS

									
Kyle Chandler, KING KONG

									
Ben Foster, HOSTAGE

									
Rupert Friend, MRS. PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT

									
Brian Greenberg, PRIME

									
Colin Hanks, KING KONG

									
Martin Henderson, BRIDE & PREJUDICE

									
Ashton Holmes, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE 

									
Charlie Hunnam, GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS

									
Michael Kelly, LOGGERHEADS

									
Ashton Kutcher, GUESS WHO and A LOT LIKE LOVE

									
Josh Lucas, AN UNFINISHED LIFE

									
James Marsden, HEIGHTS

									
Dermot Mulroney, THE WEDDING DATE

									
Cillian Murphy, RED EYE

									
Alessandro Nivola, JUNEBUG

									
Clive Owen, DERAILED

									
Kip Pardue, LOGGERHEADS and IMAGINARY HEROES

									
Adam Pascal, RENT

									
Barry Pepper, THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA

									
Ryan Phillippe, CRASH

									
Michael Rady, THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS

									
Anthony Rapp, RENT

									
Jack Scalia, RED EYE

									
Scott Speedman, XXX: STATE OF THE UNION

									
Jason Statham, TRANSPORTER 2

									
Jonathan Tucker, HOSTAGE

									
Michael Vartan, MONSTER-IN-LAW

									
Vince Vaughn, MR. & MRS. SMITH and WEDDING CRASHERS

									
Owen Wilson, WEDDING CRASHERS

									
Simon Woods, PRIDE & PREJUDICE

										
								
									
Elizabeth Banks, HEIGHTS

									
Drew Barrymore, FEVER PITCH

									
Brenda Blethyn, PRIDE & PREJUDICE

									
Linda Cardellini, BROKEBACK MOUNTAINGlenn Close, HEIGHTSCourtney Cox, THE LONGEST YARD

									
Flora Cross, BEE SEASON

									
Marie-Josee Croze, MUNICH

									
Claire Danes, SHOPGIRL

									
Embeth Davidtz, JUNEBUG

									
Jane Fonda, MONSTER-IN-LAW

									
Maggie Gyllenhaal, HAPPY ENDINGS

									
Tess Harper, LOGGERHEADS

									
Bonnie Hunt, LOGGERHEADS

									
Angelina Jolie, MR. & MRS. SMITH

									
Catherine Keener, THE INTERPRETER

									
Lisa Kudrow, HAPPY ENDINGS

									
Jennifer Lopez, AN UNFINISHED LIFE

									
Diane Lane, MUST LOVE DOGS

									
Jayma Mays, RED EYE

									
Katherine Morris, MINDBENDERS

									
Rachel McAdams, RED EYE and WEDDING CRASHERS

									
Sarah Jessica Parker, THE FAMILY STONE

									
Amanda Peet, A LOT LIKE LOVE

									
Elizabeth Perkins, MUST LOVE DOGS

									
Ann Pierce, LOGGERHEADS 

									
Emma Watson, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

										
							

						

					

					

						

							
Wayne Case is an entertainment industry executive in Hollywood.

										

										
									
									
									
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