2005 was not awesome for me. This was the end of my time at Gamestop and a period of unemployment before starting at Alltel. This was a year of getting some kind of fucked up tick bourn illness that was like Lyme Disease without the permanence and it was a year of being stuck in a ditch in the snow for 13 hours. Fun times.
Good stuff happened too though, like I found an abandoned Chihuahua puppy outside of Gamestop and adopted her. I named her (Princes)Zelda because of her ears. She was a very good little girl and I loved her very, very much. She was also the barkenist dog who has ever barked or dogged.
Aside from Zelda, the band persisted. My writing persisted. I got a new computed that was optimized for video editing and I looked to the future of creation. I met Todd McFarlane again and this time managed to talk to him. I have told this story in my 1997 entry so you can refer back tot that but it led me to getting off my ass and take creative swings which would ultimately save me from burning alive in this horrifying nightmare.
This year was one of continued pain and struggle for me as my marriage continued to struggle and I continued to struggle to feel successful at anything. This is another year in which the movies that I was drawn to were dominated by the comfort of old friends and dreams of something better. I found myself not caring for a lot of the awards pictures this year. I was pretty solidly enmeshed in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror with a taste of comedy mixed it. It was about release and escapism this year and my favorite movies reflect that. Just one more year of my time in Arkansas after this and then it will be a time of rebirth, reinvention, and entirely fresh hell. Fun Times.
Runners up in roughly release order: Oldboy, Sin City, Fever Pitch, Kicking and Screaming, Layer Cake, Lords of Dogtown, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Batman Begins, Land of the Dead, Wedding Crashers, the Devil’s Rejects, the Island, Dukes of Hazard, 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Brothers Grimm, Corpse Bride, a History of Violence, the Legend of Zorro, Goodnight and Good Luck, Syriana, and King Kong.
If you have not read the introduction to this exercise, I recommend you do so for context regarding what this all is. In short, be nice, these are my favorites based on how I encountered them in my life and what they mean for mean to me. This is not a list of objective best movies in their respective years and if a movie that you love or is considered great does not appear, it does not mean that I think it is shit or that I don’t love it. These are just my favorites for particular personal reasons. Feel free to let everyone know your favorite five for 2005 and why as well. It is also worth mentioning that there will be spoilers here for what are now 21-year-old movies. Let’s dig in!
1.Serenity-Joss Whedon
The theatrical conclusion to the one season series cut short by a clueless network, Serenity finishes what the series started in exciting, funny, and bitterly sad fashion.
When Serenity begins, taking place about six months after ‘Objects in Space,’ the crew of the movie’s namesake is still on the run from the authorities for harboring fugitive River Tam (Summer Glau) and her brother Simon (Sean Maher). Shepard Book (Ron Glass) has left the ship and found a home on a quiet planet. Inara (Morena Baccarin) has left to study in a Companion training house. The Alliance sends an Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) after their escaped telepath and the movie follows as Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), Jane (Adam Baldwin), Wash (Alan Tudyk), Zoe (Gina Torres), and Kaylee (Jewel Saite) try to keep the Tam’s safe and in doing so uncover a conspiracy that led to the creation of the blood thirsty and cannibalistic Reavers. Not everyone makes it out alive, as is Joss Whedon’s way, and the movie remains a bittersweet finale for a fantastic series that should have had more time.
Serenity faced an uphill battle when it got to theaters because, while the series it was base upon, Firefly, is a well loved cult classic, it was not a mainstream hit. The show aired episodes out of order and did not air all of them. I saw the first aired episode ‘the Train Job’ the day I separated from my first wife so I didn’t really catch up with the whole series until it came out on DVD. A lot of fans were like that, not seeing the show until DVD (not the separation part) so a movie based on it was kind of risky. Financially, it didn’t perform well making 40 million worldwide off of a 39 million budget (this does not account for home release) but as it was a godsend for fans left wanting more after the show ended.
The movie is accessible for people who hadn’t watched the show for the most part, although some struggled with the stylistic dialogue and lower budget look as compared to some other epic sci-fi going on at the time. But it was generally well liked amongst critics and fans, both new and old, largely approved.
What is kind of remarkable about the movie is how well it captures the feeling of the show while upping the scale. There is a lot more going on here and a lot of travel from planet to planet with a higher concentration of special effects and action scenes than the show offered but it never felt outsized or overblown. The show is a blend of sci-fi and western movies and that feeling is not lost even on a bigger and more lavish canvass. Most importantly it feels like the thing that you love but on a bigger scale. This is not always the case when shows go to the big screen and it remains something special when something manages to pull it off.
The performances are also great and consistent. The characters feel just right and are not toned down or softened for a broader audience. There are some characteristics restored from the Pilot episode previously abandoned in the subsequent episodes like Wash getting calmer in high stress situations, although I can never hear ‘I am a leaf on the wind’ again without tearing up. Chiwetel Ejiofor is absolutely fantastic as the Operative and it has solidified him as an actor I will always look for and will see a movie just because he is in it. David Krumholz is also great as Mr. Universe. The main cast are perfect, as they were in the show and miss no beats.
The movie is exciting and funny and tense and sad in equal measure. I don’t want to repeat myself here but this couldn’t have been a better send off for the crew. I am sad about the characters who didn’t make it but not all endings are perfectly happy. That also goes for some fandoms as well, I suppose, but this one got a great one where it just as likely might not have.
Firefly/Serenity is fraught now, just like Buffy and Angel, because of its creator Joss Whedon. His downfall from beloved feminist geek icon to abusive, fake, performative creep has been a real blow. It has made it hard to fully enjoy some of his work after the fact, although he was not soley responsible for these properties and after his downfall he has basically gone away. He made an attempt to return through a open letter he wrote that just make him sound worse and he went away again. It is easier to return to his past work when he isn’t out there continuing to use power and influence to hurt people. Loving the work and not the creator is a lot easier to do when they aren’t actively using the proceeds from their work to try to erase a group of people’s civil liberties. So there is that.
I loved Firefly a lot. I watched the DVDs after moving to Arkansas and it was an act of reclamation for me as the Train Job was tainted by the day I watched it. That my first ex-wife got me into Buffy in the first place (the show, I had seen the movie in the theater), it was part of me not having to throw things out I liked because of who got me into them. The Serenity crew became ‘friends’ with whom I felt comfort and solace in a time of pain and trauma. So it was only natural for me to latch onto the movie.
I saw it several times in the theater. I cried my way through most of the movie the first time I saw it, both out of sadness for loss but also out of the comfort of feeling safe for two hours. Things ended with Gamestop during the theatrical window for the movie and it became a comfort for that as well. It was very much a comfort movie for me and even its ‘sad’ ending with the loss of beloved characters, the ending is much more hopeful. Zoe and Mal’s last conversation in particular is enormously important to me not just in the context of the movie but in my life: Mal:You think she’ll hold together? Zoe: She’s torn up plenty, but she’ll fly true. Mal: Could be bumpy. Zoe: Always is.
I showed this to my mom and it became one of her favorite movies. She watched it all the time. I remember the first time we watched it she was genuinely worried for Kaylee in particular and the moment when River says “You take care of me, Simon. You’ve always taken care of me. My turn” before jumping through the closing doors to take on the Reavers alone, Mom was absolutely gripped. I loved when Mom latched on to the goofy genre stuff I was into. It didn’t happen all the time but it was always a special connection when it did.
I love Firefly and I love Serenity. I wish that Joss had been the person he was pretending to be but he is a really good writer and did some good with that writing. I will never make excuses for him and my support for him is long over. But Serenity helped keep me alive and I am grateful for that if nothing else.
2.Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy-Garth Jennings
An adaptation of the first book in Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide series, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was the culmination of over 20 years worth of attempts to bring it to the screen.
With a screenplay written by Adams before his death in 2001 and polished by Karey Kirkpatrick. Hitchhiker’s Guide tells the story of the adventures of Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) after he is saved by his alien friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def) from the destruction of earth by aliens called Vogons to create an interstellar bypass. Ford, a writer for the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (a parody of the Encyclopedia Galactica from Asimov’s Foundation series), which is the most comprehensive collection of facts about the universe in existence and is emblazoned with the words ‘Don’t Panic!’ on the cover, takes Arthur on an intergalactic adventure that involves a ship called the Heart of Gold stolen by the President of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), Trillian (Zoey Daechanel) a former earthling Arthur chatted up at the bar before she was spirited away by someone claiming to be from space who turned out to be Zaphod, chronically depressed robot Marvin (Warwick Davis and voiced by Alan Rickman) and a super computer Deep Thought (Helen Mirren) who tells everyone that 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. I am not going to attempt a better synopsis than that as that way lies madness.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has been adapted to just about every medium imaginable. It began life as a radio play, was then translated into book form, then to a BBC television series, and then on to comics, video games, and other such intergalactic mediums. To try to do this in a single film is an act of insanity and this film mostly succeeds.
There is not a one to one adaptation of the first book and there are things added and removed for better and for worse but for what it is, it works. The movie utilizes narration (Stephen Fry) from the Guide in order to explain details and settings as well as inject some of Adam’s PG Wodehouse style word play and clever descriptions into the film. This is important because while the scenarios and dialogue are also funny, the majority of what makes the series funny is how Adam’s tells the story. This was an element that made this series feel unadaptable to film in the past and it is a good fix here.
There was no small amount of controversy when the movie came out by way of the changes to the story and also the casting. Lest you think racist anger over people of color being cast as an otherwise white character was something confined to these modern times, Mos Def being cast as Ford was a bit point of contention for racists who claim they just want to see the characters ‘as intended’ as if the race of an alien makes any amount of fucking difference whatsoever.
Controversy aside, the movie grossed 104 million worldwide off of a 50 million budget and 60% fresh on rotten tomatoes and 65% audience score. So ‘moderate’ success feels fairly apt upon release. Unfortunately, that was not enough for adaptations to be made of the subsequent books. This is too bad.
While I prefer the BBC series adaptation overall, I dig this adaptation for what it is. It manages to capture the spirit of the books while doing its own thing in its own medium. I don’t particularly mind the changes given that in all of the different adaptations of this throughout the years, Adams changed things to fit whatever form the story was taking. It is really cool to be able to encounter different versions of something you love and this is based off of Adam’s last completed screenplay for it so any changes they made were the author’s own.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is my favorite book series. Stephen King’s Dark Tower series is my favorite fantasy series but Hitchhiker’s Guide is my favorite overall. I write a lot about my influences and authors, artists, and movies that have informed the writer and creative person that I am but none of them have been more influential than Douglas Adams. Between Hitchhiker’s Guide and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Adams is by far the author with the greatest impact on me. My first tattoo was Don’t Panic on my wrist. I tried to meet him on two separate occasions when he was meant to come to Tucson for talks and book signings. Both times he had to cancel and it makes me very sad never to have been able to meet him. I love Douglas Adams. So, that is the context with which I say that I like the movie.
It is also with that context in mind that I saw this movie in a time of great personal distress. Being able to go to the theater and get even a sliver of what I loved meant the world to me. That Sam Rockwell gave me a Zaphod that I actually liked (afterall, Zaphod, he’s just this guy, you know?). This was another case of being able to spend time with friends. Martin Freeman is as good an Arthur as I could have ever asked for and I think Mos Def is great as Ford. Zoey Deschanel is pretty spot on as Trillian as well and holy shit is Alan Rickman perfect as Marvin. The cavalcade of cameos in the movie is almost overwhelming.
This was a light in the darkness at a time when I needed it most and it also led to me re-reading the books yet again which further made me feel better. So, it is imperfect but it is just what I needed exactly when I needed it. And it is still a lot of fun. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. And if you haven’t read the books then you should do so immediately. They are short reads and you will not regret it.
3.Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
The culmination of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith tells the story of Anakin Skywalker’s(Hayden Christensen) final downfall to become Darth Vader.
As war accelerates with the Republic and the Separatists, Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is captured by the evil Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). Obi Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin rescue him but not before Anakin gives in to his anger and murders Dooku at Palpatine’s urging. Upon returning, Anakin is appointed to the Jedi Council as Palpatine’s liaison but is not granted the rank of master. Palpatine uses this wedge and Anakin’s fear for the safety of his secret wife Padme (Natalie Portman) to drawn Anakin closer to the dark side and to ultimately betray the Jedi and become his apprentice. Palpatine dissolves the senate, creates the Galactic Empire, and authorizes Order 66 which leads to the extermination of (just about) all of the jedi. Obi-wan must confront the newly designated Darth Vader in an effort to save the galaxy. It does not pan out.
The prequel trilogy is much maligned and derided by the fandom at large (although it has been reclaimed in more recent years by fans who were kids when it came out) but Revenge of the Sith is the only one that is fairly well regarded. Boasting youngling murder and a lightsaber battle that goes on for 12 full minutes, Revenge of the Sith doesn’t do everything right but it does a lot.
This is a much darker movie than the previous two and as such has fewer diversions into silliness than the previous entries and offers several rad set pieces such as Yoda and Palpatine fighting in the senate chamber, Obi-wan vs General Grievous, Order 66 in general, the fight with Dooku, and the final battle. That isn’t to say there is no silliness or funny moments. Palpatine’s ‘Unlimited Power!’ scream is fucking hilarious. Likewise the image of the younglings asking Anakin for help right before he ignites his lightsaber is both horrifying and hilarious and has led to a ton of memes ever since.
Whatever the success and quality of the prequels, Revenge of the Sith was another bit of comfort for me because it was fucking Star Wars. I took my then step-son with me to a midnight release of the movie. He had only seen the prequels as I thought it would be better to see them in episode order. As the movie ended, we were both crying. I was crying because I thought that this would be the last new Star Wars I would ever see (Boy was I wrong about that) but as I looked over at him I realized that he was crying because he had been watching since Episode 1 and had identified with Anakin as a kid and was now dealing with his touchpoint to the series having turned into a child murdering douchcanoe who had been carved up and burned like thanksgiving turkey by his best friend and mentor only after choking out his wife who subsequently died (of a broken heart? The hell?) and ended up encased in a cybernetic pain body for the rest of his life. Holy shit. I felt terrible and told him on the way home about how it would turn out okay and that we would watch a new hope the next day. We did but I am afraid the trauma was in place. I still feel bad about this one. But it is really George Lucas’s fault.
4.Kiss Kiss Bang Bang-Shane Black
A neo-noir crime story by Shane Black that is equal parts funny and engaging, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a twisty tale of murder.
Starring Robert Downey Jr when he was still trying to come back from his multiple arrests and prison time for substance abuse, and Val Kilmer in the beginning of the twilight of his career, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang tells the story of a thief (Downey) mistaken for an actor who is sent to LA to research a role with a private investigator (Kilmer) when they stumble into a murder with a struggling actress (Michelle Monaghan).
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is very emblematic of the magic of Shane Black and is enormously up my alley. The performances are fantastic and the writing is chock full of Black’s clever dialogue and twisty plotting is pitch perfect. If you dig noir, crime, or buddy cop movies, this is just the film for you.
I missed this on release and saw it later at home. As mentioned, this is just my kind of crime movie. It is not my favorite of Black’s work, which is a tall order given that he wrote Lethal Weapon, but it is right up there. I prefer the Nice Guys overall but I don’t think we get there without Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. We also probably wouldn’t have gotten Iron Man 3 without it either so there is that as well. Check it out if you haven’t!
5.Constantine-Francis Lawrence
A loose adaptation of the Hellblazer comic from DC comics, Constantine changes a bunch of things from the comic but what it lacks as an adaptation it makes up for with a great story, great performances, and great effects.
When Detective Angela Dodson’s (Racheal Weisz) twin sister dies mysteriously she seeks out demon hunter John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) to help her prove that it was not a suicide. Constantine is struggling with a lung cancer diagnosis and knows that he is destined for hell so he is trying to work out a way to save his soul and takes the job. This leads him into direct conflict with the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) who is trying to use the Spear of Destiny to unleash hell on earth so that the survivors will be truly appreciative and worthy of god’s love.
As an adaptation, Constantine misses some marks. John Constantine, who first appeared in the pages of Swamp Thing, is a creation of Alan Moore and is quintessentially British. Casting Keanu Reeves felt like a slap in the face to a lot of comic fans at the time and critical reception was not especially kind. As a dark neo-noir theological action movie, it fucking rips. I saw this in the theater once in Arkansas and then again in Tucson when I came to visit. I insisted that Jeff and I go and see it because it was up his alley as much as it was mine. I really love this movie. Tilda Swinton is amazing as Gabriel and Peter Stormare is my favorite cinematic depiction of the devil aside from Viggo Mortensen in the Prophecy. My deep and abiding crush on Rachel Wiesz is resolutely maintained here. Keanu plays Constantine right for the most part. Djimon Hounsou is perfect as Papa Midnite and Gavin Rossdale is awesome as half-demon Balthazar. This movie is just really cool and looks amazing with subject matter that I just really dig. The Constantine series with Matt Ryan is better Hellblazer adaptation but I still want more of this version of Constantine. There has been noise that it might happen and while I am skeptical, I really hope it does. This movie is rad.