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"As always...remember that I'm a consumer —
just one more shlub in the popcorn line."
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The Jacket
"Adrien Brody stars as a haunted Gulf War vet falsely accused of killing a cop. He lands in the New England asylum from hell and goes on a mind-bending head trip that may be time travel. One of 2005's best performances."
Actors: Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kelly Lynch, Brad Renfro
Director: John Maybury
The Devil's Rejects
"In the midst of last summer's stream of carefully packaged TV dinners came this sicko Rob Zombie greeting card about a posse of outlaws led by a killer clown named Captain Spaulding. No redeeming social merit, perfect '70s C-picture cheesy glow; this must be what Quentin Tarantino meant when he did those silly Kill Bill pictures."
Actors: Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, William Forsythe, Ken Foree, Matthew McGrory
Director: Rob Zombie
Cinderella Man
"Russell Crowe batters his way to dignity and Renée Zellweger shines in Ron Howard's beautiful bookend to Clint's Million Dollar Baby. This movie had everything but an audience."
Actors: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill
Director: Ron Howard
The Constant Gardener
"Complex novels of the John le Carré sort rarely make for good movies, but Ralph Fiennes, as the mild-mannered bureaucrat determined to get to the bottom of his beloved wife's death, makes this one work."
Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Hubert Koundé, Danny Huston, Daniele Harford, Packson Ngugi
Director: Fernando Meirelles
War of the Worlds
"Standout performances (Cruise, Fanning) and inspired direction (Spielberg). The special effects go without saying — although maybe they shouldn't. What makes this the year's great popcorn film is Josh Friedman and David Koepp's screenplay, which never leaves the viewpoint of the common folk; nary a general or president to be seen. WoW is human science fiction, and that's a rarity."
Actors: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins, Rick Gonzalez
Director: Steven Spielberg
Crash
"A brilliantly dramatized examination of race and class in present-day Los Angeles, and a triumph for Paul Haggis. The rare 'smart little film' with a starry ensemble cast (Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Terrence Howard, etc.) that actually works...largely because it keeps its sense of humor — and hope. That was highly unusual this year."
Actors: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser
Director: Paul Haggis
Good Night, And Good Luck
"Sure, it looks more like an episode from the original Twilight Zone than a movie, but the performances by David Strathairn, Frank Langella, and George Clooney are big-screen all the way. Of course, the theme — free press versus political pressure — has never been more relevant."
Actors: David Strathairn, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels
Director: George Clooney
Downfall
"Experiencing this German movie about Hitler's last days is a little like watching rats drown in a drainpipe, but the willful blindness of politicians, even when driven into their final corner, makes it a cautionary tale worth telling. Some were disturbed that Bruno Ganz's remarkable turn as Hitler humanized the mad dictator, but that's exactly what makes this story so terrifying."
Actors: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Heino Ferch
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Capote
"I predict that Philip Seymour Hoffman will win an Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote, here shown researching his 'nonfiction novel' In Cold Blood. He deserves it. Capote is also Part 1 of What's Wrong With the Movies This Year: a great film about a brilliant, repulsive, manipulative, coldhearted bastard whose progress we watch as scientists might watch microbes mounted on laboratory slides. Murderers Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are ultimately more sympathetic. If this celluloid reptile finally uncoils in the multiplexes of the great American heartland, will anyone go see it? I wonder. I loved it, but did not love myself for loving it."
Actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., Chris Cooper, Bruce Greenwood, Bob Balaban
Director: Bennett Miller
The Squid and the Whale
"What's Wrong With the Movies This Year, Part 2. About another writer, this one an ego-driven monster who demonizes and nearly breaks his children's hearts and minds. It will never play the nabes in the heartland. It is — perhaps unfortunately — even better than Capote. Jeff Daniels plays the monster. He's great. Laura Linney plays the monster's wife. She is too. He can't even bear to let his sons beat him at Ping-Pong; after the couple separate, she initiates an affair with the younger son's tennis coach. Yum. I could barely stand to watch this, but I have seen creative folks like these in action and every note rang true. There's an almost perfunctory glimmer of hope at the end, but this is dark stuff indeed."
Actors: Owen Kline, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, William Baldwin, Halley Feiffer
Director: Noah Baumbach
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"I keep thinking of a quote from the poet William Butler Yeats: 'The best [think Capote] lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.'"
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For information on movies based on King's work, visit the Movies page linked below.
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