In Theaters…
10. Me You and Everyone We Know
Haven’t heard of this one? You’re not alone. This indie gem flew below the radar in 2005. Though offbeat, it avoids the arty pretension that usually turns people off from film-festival cinema. Me and You celebrates the awkwardness of human interaction. The film offers confused and vivid characters, including a man who lights his hand on fire to save his family, a preteen girl who collects appliances for her dowry and an adorable 7-year-old dabbling in cyber sex. Their struggles to connect are both convincing and whimsical. The film glorifies the absurdity of human nature with simple elegance.
9. Walk the Line
Johnny Cash, veteran of country/folk/rock music since the 1950s is captured with depth and uncanny resemblance by Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line. The old singer we knew becomes a dark, seductive and vice-indulging character that wooed his childhood idol and toured with a young Elvis. The godly man that deeply influenced the world of music is depicted in very human relationships, notably the lifetime friendship and love affair with June Carter, played by a transformed Reese Witherspoon. Making perfect use of Cash’s music, recorded by Phoenix, the film is a monument to the man in black.
8. Syriana
Although Syriana is not as easy to follow as the average film, Stephen Gaghan, also the writer of Traffic, paints a striking picture of modern oil-infused politics using multiple story lines, each casting a different point of view on the same events. Its intricacy mirrors the complexity of the real world, creating a film that requires repeat viewings to be fully appreciated. Syriana touches on religion and father-son relationships to add a human dimension not usually found in political thrillers. Dealing with pertinent global issues as well as family relations, Syriana joins our list as a thought-provoking depiction of America’s strange relationship with oil.
7. Jarhead
“The suck”—Marine slang for the Corps—failed to appeal to America (only 40th at the box office, behind Herbie: Fully Loaded), but that shouldn’t stop Sam Mendes’ take on former marine Anthony Swofford’s memoir of the Gulf War from being recognized as one of the top films of the year. Give the award for this film to actors Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko), whose portrayal of Swofford as a smart kid turned killing machine keeps the audience empathetic without sacrificing the edginess and borderline derangement that are the film’s hallmarks.
6. Capote
Over half a century ago, Truman Capote’s book In Cold Blood gave readers a gripping account of the gruesome murder of a family in western Kansas. Bennett Miller’s Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, reveals both the writer’s genius and his eccentricity and self-absorption. Audiences empathize with this man, severely out of place in small-town Kansas, while recognizing his propensity to manipulate others towards his own ends. Clifton Collins’ understated portrayal of one of the murderers, Perry Smith, is especially memorable, but the film’s strength is Hoffman’s tour-de-force performance.
5. Batman Begins
Between the extreme success and failure of recent superhero films (Spider-Man and The Hulk, respectively), Batman Begins takes on the challenge of re-energizing a formerly successful superhero series. Less than a decade after Joel Schumacher’s flop with the narrow, blockbuster-style Batman and Robin, Memento’s Christopher Nolan takes extreme steps to eliminate all ties to the tarnished franchise. He creates a darker atmosphere, a new story-line, believable characters and genuine special effects that impress far more than over-digitalized computer graphics. The resulting reinvention triumphs, synthesizing critical and box-office success.
4. Crash
Crash is anything but a feel-good movie, and that is precisely why it succeeds. Instead of evoking a Hollywood ending, writer/director Paul Haggis unsettles theatergoers with this unflinching look at race relations in America today. Haggis presents how the fallout from an accident that affects the lives of a diverse set of characters, played by a superb ensemble cast including Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon and Ludacris. As the characters collide, Crash reveals their unconscious yet all-too-typical prejudices and shows that even the most enlightened Americans are not as blameless as they think in the struggle for racial parity.
3. Brokeback Mountain
Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain subverts the uniquely American Western cowboy, to challenge both past and present attitudes towards homosexuality. Overcoming the occasional sappy line and the too-perfect good looks of both Jake Gyllenhall, who plays Jack, and Heath Ledger, who plays Ennis, the actors’ raw portrayal of two men trapped by bigotry and their own insecurities creates a poignant love story. Transcending its political message, Brokeback Mountain should become a film classic.
2. Good Night and Good Luck
Maybe it’s because we like to think of ourselves as journalists. Maybe it’s because now we know how director George Clooney sees the world (black and white and everybody smokes). Whatever the reason, Good Night and Good Luck lands at number two, telling truth to power with velvety- smooth cinematography and standout performances from David Strathairn (Edward Murrow), Frank Langella (William Paley) and Clooney. The film recreates the stress and triumph of the newsroom while taking a hard look at the responsibilities of the mass media press. Enmeshed in politics and tinged with warnings about the corruption of media by money, the film makes ethics important, and, more importantly, entertaining.
1. The Squid and the Whale
It aches at its core, but The Squid and the Whale is astoundingly funny. Two brothers, 16-year-old Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and 12-year-old Frank (Owen Kline), are jostled between parents (Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels) in the midst of a messy divorce. As the boys awkwardly discover their own sexuality, they are forced to recognize the humanity and fallibility of their parents. A poignant retelling of director Noah Baumbach’s own childhood experiences in ‘80s Brooklyn, The Squid and the Whale lives at the edge of raw anger and hope meet.
From the Speakers…
10. The Hold Steady, Separation Sunday
God, do you guys remember rock operas? Do you remember AC/DC-style power guitar? Hey, you got your bar-rock in my rock-opera! Wait, this is delicious. And it’s The Hold Steady. If you spent serious time with a hard-bitten bartender, recorded that and played it over the best classic rock band ever, you’d get this record. Evocative lyrics chock full of literary references and turns of phrase like “I came into the ER drinking gin from a jam jar/ and the nurse is making jokes like the ER is an after-bar” make this the most fun night-on-the-town-cum-redemption tale ever.
9. Animal Collective, Feels
Often, bands seeking to fashion an “original” sound become stuck in a broad category of artists dubbed “experimental.” Whether it’s the fault of the musicians themselves or the inability of the mainstream audience to appreciate innovation, most of these bands can be generalized as boring. Animal Collective, however, proves to be an exception. With Feels, they employ their primal sounds to create complex and often epic songs. Though much of the album expresses the band’s trademark dreamlike fluidity, the baroque sounds of the initial songs are evidence of Animal Collective’s ability to make innovation universally appealing.
8. Kanye West, Late Registration
Kanye West can look back on a year full of Pepsi commercials and Bush-bashing with a smile. Collaborations and musical originality helped this album to tran-scend his past work, and other rappers in 2005. On this album, West’s hubris takes a back seat to the work of Jay-Z on the politically charged “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine on the poppy “Heard ‘Em Say.” Unlike its predecessors, Late Registration appeals to a varied audience. With instrumentals pervading, a tribute to Mrs. West in “Hey Mama,” and a Ray Charles-inspired chorus belted out by Jaime Foxx on “Gold Digger,” even your own mama might like it.
7. M.I.A., Arular
Maya Arulpragasam is going to start a revolution—or at least that’s what she says. Her dad’s a Tamil ‘freedom fighter,’ but M.I.A. has torn up more dance floors than battlefields. Arular sounds like Missy Elliott with a British/Sri Lankan accent spitting lines with the confidence of Chuck D over club Caribbean beats. The empowering, militaristic punch of her album and live shows have left fans angry and ready to do something … I’m just not quite sure what. I am sure it’s the best dance album of the year.
6. Broken Social Scene, Self-titled
Broken Social Scene clatters along like 15 of your best friends packed into a beat-up Lincoln Continental driving on back roads to avoid the cops on an Indian-summer beach trip. The most densely populated indie-rock band in North America had a lot to live up to after its much-loved 2002 debut You Forgot It In People, and instead of replicating it, they turned everything up. It’s not the instant classic their debut was, but few albums could be. Its muddy, churning pulse keeps beating through all the good-natured noise rock and stoned-sunset pop like one long, low-fidelity hymn.
5. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Self-titled
CYHSY’s debut was remarkable not only for the attention it gained but also because it was recorded and released without a record label. The result was a raw album driven by pure emotion and Alec Ounsworth’s David Byrne-like wail. Though rarely poetic and initially discordant, Ounsworth has a powerful presence, and his voice crackles with emotions. Tracks like “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” begin with layered, steady rhythms that build to a dramatic climax. In short, CHYSY offers those fleeting moments in music that make you feel alive.
4. The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema
Our hockey-loving neighbors to the north continue their musical invasion as Vancouver’s own put out the most meaningful pop album of the year. Both of the indie supergroup’s other albums are energetic and never fail to brighten up a crappy day, so, at first, Twin Cinema’s melancholic feel surprises listeners. Yet, after repeated spins, it is Twin Cinema’s more subdued moments that lend real intensity to the songwriting and singing. The album proves that pop songs are more than fluff and can have real emotional depth.
3. Sleater-Kinney, The Woods
The Woods rode into the summer of ‘05 like the flight of the punk rock Valkyries, striking terror into the hearts of misogynistic dude-rockers everywhere. This time, these three alpha females have faked out their genre with a set of classic Hendrix and Zeppelin-channeling ragers to prove girls can solo, too. When the dinosaur-sized drums drop out to leave Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker’s filthy-beautiful guitar lines howling through the stratosphere, it’s too great—no matter what the Sex-Pistols-orthodoxy poseurs think.
2. Sufjan Stevens, Illinois
Sufjan Stevens has crafted this year’s most ambitious opus with Illinois. From the paragraph-sized song titles to the 74-minute run time to the sheer number of instruments played by the troubadour (23), Illinois is a celebration of excess, painting a romanticized portrait of the Land of Lincoln. The album is full of orchestral-folk songs whose subject matter ranges from Lincoln to serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Sufjan utilized several different recording spaces, circumvented a lawsuit by D.C. comics and dodged a horde of swooning indie girls to finish Illinois, an album that is complex yet accessible.
1. Wolf Parade, Apologies to the Queen Mary
Wolf Parade, yet another Canadian import, takes the top spot with the debut album that reminded us why we like indie rock so much: the haunting vocals, the powerful imagery, the synths, the guitar that rings out like something from rock’s fathers. Abandoning irony for unabashed emotion, the best of their songs—”Shine a Light,” “I Believe in Anything,”—make you want to go out all night, get in a fight and fall in love. The impassioned yelp of keyboard player Spencer Krug and Springsteen-esque growl of guitarist Dan Boeckner give us the most important album of the year. With a mélange of influences from Modest Mouse to Brian Eno, it’ll make a believer out of you, too.
