arenn's 2005 Film Year in Review

2005 continued my downward trend in films watched, but what I did see included quite a bit of high quality.

Starting, as always, with my list of top films that premiered in Chicago this year.

1. PRIMER (****) Directed by David Carruth (USA). This year leads off with another great SF flick, this one reputedly made for a mere $7000. An ultra-convoluted time travel plot that is effectively impossible to figure out, this is nevertheless highly engaging and entertaining.

2. DOLLS (****) Directed by Takeshi Kitano (Japan). A quite frankly bizarre film about love and obsession, which leaves one heck of an impression behind.

3. WEDDING CRASHERS (****) Directed by David Dobkin (USA). Only time will tell if this is a comedy classic or just another strong summer comedy, but one thing is for sure, I haven't laughed my ass off so hard in a long time.

4. ONG BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR (***) Directed by Prachya Pinkaew (Thailand). Tony Jaa, an Thai boxing expert who does his own stunts, has been called the next Jet Li and Jackie Chan rolled into one. The plot of this film is stupid, but the fight scenes are incredible.

5. KUNG FU HUSTLE (***) Directed by Stephen Chow (Hong Kong). This follow-up to Shaolin Soccer is more accessible to mainstream Western audiences and is just as funny.

6. SIN CITY (***) Directed by Robert Rodriguez (USA). An excellent noirish quasi-animation based on the dark Frank Miller comic.

7. INFERNAL AFFAIRS (***) Directed by Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak (Hong Kong). One of the best Hong Kong gangster flicks in recent years finally makes it to Chicago - only three years late!

8. 2046 (***) Directed by Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong). This is basically a sequel to every film Wong Kar Wai ever made. Beautifully shot as always, this one was overly long and lacked a strong raison d'etre, which knocks it down a notch.

9. STAR WARS III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (***) Directed by George Lucas (***). This is actually a pretty darn good film, where we actually get to see how the Republic fell, the Jedi became all but extinct and Vader became Vader.

Here are the rest of the 2005 new releases / Chicago premiers and how they stacked up. In alphabetical order:

• AEON FLUX (*). Directed by Karyn Kusama (USA). I'm not even sure Charlize Theron fully nude would have saved this one.
• BAD GUY (*). Directed by Ki-duk Kim (Korea). Not enough S&M to hold interest for the kink, not enough of anything else to hold interest as a film.
• THE GIRL FROM MONDAY (**). Directed by Hal Hartley (USA). A dystopian SF future, an adqueate if not overly strong film.
• HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (*). Directed by Mike Newell (USA). Ok, there's not much else to watch in Alabama at Thanksgiving, but this was still pretty dull.
• HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (**). Directed by Zhang Yimou (China). Another film in a Hero-esque vein, but not as good.
• OLD BOY (**). Directed by Chan-wook Park (Korea). This is one seriously fucked up movie - you'll probably either love it or hate it. A man is mysteriously kidnaped, held in jail for 15 years, then just as mysteriously released to seek out his killer.
• WHITE DRAGON (**). Directed by Wilson Yip (Hong Kong). A 2004 release just making here, this blend of silliness and martial arts just doesn't fully gel.

As always, I take in older films in re-release whenever I get a chance. I'm very thankful to live in a city where the classics are still shown on the big screen.

• DAYS OF BEING WILD (**). Directed by Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong, 1991). The film that launched Wong Kar Wai and which contains many of the thematic and stylistic elements of his later films. Definitely worth seeing, but this one lacks some of the refinement of his later works.
• ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS (**). Directed by Louis Malle (France, 1958). A very good French noir with much by Miles Davis.
• HAPPY TOGETHER (**). Directed by Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong, 1997). Another love and alienation flick, this one with two gay men in Argentina.

You can also read about what I thought of last year's films and about 2003, 2002 and. 2001.

Just Say No to Frames, Ads, Flash, and Animated GIF's