10) "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
I'm a big fan of the original Tobe Hooper film, so I was more than a little skeptical about this remake. As it turns out, producer Michael Bay and director Marcus Nispel made a great movie! It isn't as creepy as the original, but it's far more disturbing... and Jessica Biel is really hot.

9) "Phone Booth"
Shocking, isn't it? A movie directed by Joel Schumacher is in my year-end Ten Best list. I'm as surprised as you are, believe me. Still, I have to be honest, the man who directed "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin" (thus nearly destroying the "Batman" franchise) made an excellent film. This high-concept movie is very entertaining, and very well directed. Mr. Schumacher, you're finally forgiven.

8) "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"
Another surprise. A movie based on a Disney ride that's actually good. Very good, in fact! "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" is darker than most people might expect, but that's certainly not a bad thing. The reviews were good, audiences loved it, and the movie ended up being one of the biggest hits of the year. Johnny Depp received a well-deserved Oscar nomination, it'll be interesting to see if he'll actually win it. Disney let Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, and Johnny Depp do their thing, and it paid off. If only they used their heads on "The Haunted Mansion" rather than making it an Eddie Murphy vehicle.

7) "American Splendor"
"American Splendor" is a comic book movie for people who don't normally like comic book movies. Brilliantly translated to a film by Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, this is the feature film version of Harvey Pekar's autobiographical comic book. Aside from being a very creative quasi-documentary, the movie features another fine performance by the great Paul Giamatti.

6) "The Matrix Reloaded"
I got a ridiculous amount of E-Mail after I reviewed "The Matrix Reloaded." Those who saw it either loved it or hated it, there weren't a lotta people in between. The Wachowski Brothers decided to throw in all the philosophy and religion that the first film only hinted at. This is a very intelligent, highbrow movie, but audiences wanted to see a kick-ass sci-fi action flick, not a combination of eye candy and brain candy. Me personally, I thought the movie was awesome. A lotta people disagree.

5) "The Matrix Revolutions"
I got much less E-mail after I wrote the review to "The Matrix Revolutions." Probably because fewer people went to see it. Much to the chagrin of those who saw it, the movie didn't tie up all the loose ends, or answer all the questions posed in the first two films. The ending was as vague as the rest of the trilogy. Still, if you're into all the stuff that the Wachowski Brothers were going for (and I am), then it's a great movie and a fitting conclusion. The showstopper is the battle at Zion. Wow! Even people who hated this movie were impressed by that sequence.

4) "Kill Bill: Volume 1"
Quentin Tarantino took his sweet time to make another movie, but when he finally did, he did so with a vengeance! "Kill Bill: Volume 1" was made for people who wanna have a good time while watching a movie, and I definitely had a good time watching it. Uma Thurman is cool, vicious, sexy, and she looks great in Bruce Lee's "Game of Death" jumpsuit. I'm really looking forward to "Kill Bill: Volume 2." I just hope that it's as wildly entertaining as this first one.

3) "X2: X-Men United"
One of the best comic book movies in years, "X2: X-Men United" was an unexpected surprise. I liked the first one, but I didn't expect to like the second one even more! The opening sequence with "Nightcrawler" in the White House sets the pace, and it never lets up. From beginning to end, this movie does everything that a great comic book should do. Warner Bros., take note. This is how a comic book movie is REALLY done!

2) "Big Fish"
Tim Burton is God. Period.

1) "Irréversible"
It pains me to put one of Tim Burton's best movies in years in second place, but "Irréversible" definitely deserves to be number one. When I saw this movie theatrically, I watched five people walk out. It's a brutal, violent, ugly film that also happens to be the best film of the year. Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, and Albert Dupontel are the stars of this excellent French film, and they're all superb, but the real star is writer/director Gaspar Noé. I've watched a whole lotta movies in my lifetime, and I've seen it all; extreme violence, graphic sex, you name it. I'm pretty much shockproof. Or so I thought. "Irréversible" shocked me. A powerful film, if you can get through it.

NOTE: I'm sorry, but even though I respect the films tremendously, I'm not a fan of "The Lord of the Rings." If you'd like, read my review of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" to get a better idea of what I thought.

 

My Top 10 Films of 2005

My Top 10 Films of 2004

My Top 10 Films of 2002

My Top 10 Films of 2001