Posted: 01/21/2006

Film 2005 as Seen by Wayne Case

by Wayne Case

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)
Sin City (A violent, repugnant atrocity pandering to immature males who have IQs matching their waist measurements.)
Waiting… (As inept as it is nauseating.)
Cache’ (All raised issues left unresolved. An inert & pretentious French piffle.)
The Longest Yard (Lame.)
Where The Truth Lies (Convoluted. Crass. Vile.)
The Pacificer (As funny as a flood or a brushfire.)
Stay (Stay away.)
The Amityville Horror (Horrible.)
Stealth (Absurd. A total waste of my time, studio money, & the talented/attractive cast.)
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:

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.
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.
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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