The Best Movies of 2005 as picked by Bob Ignizio

It was a surprisingly good year for movies.  Not only were there a number of good “serious” films, there were several trashy genre films that reaffirmed my love of sleaze.  This list reflects both sides of my tastes, and I feel no shame in putting ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ right up next to ‘Brokeback Mountain’. 

1. Brokeback Mountain -  I resisted the gay cowboy movie for a long time, but eventually my wife wore me down.  And what do you know, it turned out to be the best damn movie I saw all year.  ‘Crash’ may have won the Oscar, but this really was the “best picture” of 2005.
2. The Devil’s Rejects – This is another movie I resisted seeing for a long time.  ‘House of 1000 Corpses’, which this is a sequel to, I found to be pretty mediocre.  But the little glimpses of potential Rob Zombie showed in ‘House’ are here fully realized.  This is classic “drive-in” ear sleaze. 
3. Grizzly Man – The best documentary of the year wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar.  Fuck the penguins, check out the bears and the nutball who spent 10 years living with them (until one finally ate him).  Werner Herzog is, in my opinion, the greatest living filmmaker in the world.  He doesn’t disappoint here.
4. Capote – Not really a bio pic, this is the story of how Truman Capote wrote his classic “nonfiction novel” ‘In Cold Blood’.  Any artist who takes what they do seriously can relate to the lengths Capote goes to in getting his masterpiece, no matter what the cost.  Nothing matters but the work, even if it hurts you and everyone around you.
5. Hustle and Flow – I hate rap music, but I loved this movie.  Another great story about an artist doing whatever it takes to achieve his goals.  If the Oscars allowed ties, Terrence Howard should have shared the statue with Phillip Seymour Hoffman on the basis of this film.
6. Cronicas – John Leguizamo plays a tabloid journalist who just might hold the key to solving a series of child murders.  The best “thriller” of the year.
7. Goodnight and Good Luck – David Strathairn is Edward R. Murrow in this story of how a journalist stood up to a politician run amok.  George Clooney shows he’s got what it takes to be a great director, too. 
8. Land of the Dead – George Romero proves once again that he truly is the master of zombie movies.  This time, he actually had a budget, and no corners had to be cut.  Some fans didn’t like it, but I loved it.
9. Murderball – Another documentary that’s way better than the fucking penguins.  Quadriplegics playing wheelchair rugby who not only don’t need your sympathy, they’ll kick your ass and steal your girlfriend. 
10. Wallace and Grommit:  The Curse of the Were Rabbit – Just plain silly fun.  If you don’t love this movie, you’re a cold hearted bastard.

Honorable mentions:  Broken Flowers, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Four Brothers, The Forty Year Old Virgin, Gunner’s Palace, High Tension, In the Realms of the Unreal, King Kong, The Manson Family, Memory of a Killer, Millions, Serenity, Sin City, and The Woodsman.