2005 in review

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Remo D
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2005 in review

Post by Remo D »

Well, 2005 was a pretty damn packed year. Oh, yes, in the theatrical horror department, too.

I don't know--this review round-up may end up startling and/or disappointing some of you. Maybe I had such a twisted personal year that complaints against feature films hardly seemed worth pursuing--or maybe I'm getting mellow in my "old age," but I surprised myself with what I let slide if the movie offered something--anything--sincere to please me. My "worst" section is quite shallow this year, and the "good" is overflowing.

Plenty of consternation was expressed over the PG-13 plethora this year. Personally, it didn't bother me--I love 'extreme' as much as I ever did, but plenty of my lifetime favorites wouldn't threaten an 'R' today, after all. Besides, unless I'm very much mistaken, every PG-13 release was ultimately offered up in an 'unrated' (read 'R') DVD shortly afterwards.

So here's the year as I saw it--and if my choices seem shocking at any point, feel free to call me crazy, jaded or old. Just don't expect me to change my viewpoint--I might be insane... but I don't say what I don't mean!

THE GOOD:

Having no experience whatsoever with the HELLBLAZER comics, I was out of the loop when it came to the bitter complaints about the way CONSTANTINE re-invented the source material. What I got was an entertaining, well-cast exercise in demon mythology that never flagged in the pacing and always had absorbing eye candy decorating the proceedings. I just wish Peter Stormare had been given a bit more to do. As for Keanu Reeves? I'll take this over a MATRIX sequel any day.

THE JACKET was especially frightening in the opening moments, when I thought I was going to have to sit through this entire time travel ordeal only to be given the OWL CREEK BRIDGE/JACOB'S LADDER ending (which I'm truly sick as hell of). But this underrated effort never took the easy way out and left the willing viewer plenty to ponder over. Excellent work from Adrien Brody, Kiera Knightley, Kris Kristofferson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, too. It would make an excellent double-bill with THE MACHINIST from 2004.

SIN CITY couldn't simply be called a "horror" movie, but try to tell me that the Elijah Wood segments didn't qualify! This was innovative, slam-bang entertainment from beginning to end--an experiment that could have been disastrous... but triumphed.

And despite the title, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (remake, of course) wasn't a horror film, either--at least, not as I saw it. Had it been intended as a legitimate shocker, it would have been an utter crock. But I am convinced that it was a deliberate send-up of the whole phenomena (notice how it couldn't care less about the details of the allegedly true story)--and as such, it was better than SCARY MOVIE 2 and 3 combined.

Speaking of remakes, HOUSE OF WAX simply wasn't one, even if it did have a character named "Vincent." But your typical cannon-fodder characters and their frequently idiotic behavior simply allowed easy access to an affectionately surreal trip through all your favorite wax museum/tourist trap movies--with typically excellent Dark Castle art design (the finale deserved to be seen on the big screen) and full-strength horror and gore to boot.

No, there will be no recapturing of the independent, unrated NIGHT/DAWN/DAY Romero effect, but he's still the zombie master, and LAND OF THE DEAD was truly worth the twenty-year wait. And if you're paying studio prices, why not take advantage of Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo? Good stuff.

HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES was apparently Rob Zombie's cliche-riddled practice run for the movie he REALLY wanted to make. THE DEVIL'S REJECTS was another item that split fans right down the middle--I was legitimately impressed: not simply by the level to which the on-screen violence and mayhem was pushed, but by an unusually thoughtful script and the efforts of an excellent cast. I enjoyed the first one, but I figured that we'd seen it all at that point. I was wrong.

Local color and well-researched details lent authenticity to the voodoo melodrama THE SKELETON KEY--I expected something quick and disposable, but the filmmakers were serious about telling this story when it would have been stupendously easy to let it slide into camp.

Likewise, the remake of DARK WATER (never did see the original), while never truly frightening, maintained my interest throughout as it told a sad ghost story with plenty of visual atmosphere, effective sound design and strong performances (including, thankfully, a child performer that didn't grate at the nerves).

CRY WOLF defied the odds. Nobody wanted to see it (and I'm guessing it was because the ads made it look like yet another SCREAM knockoff--and a PG-13 one at that), but there's nothing inherently wrong about the urban legend/cyber-hoax/backfire concept, and this one actually maintained its pace and truly kept you guessing. It didn't need to take time out to quote the rules of a hundred previous films, either!

I had mixed feelings regarding the potential of a sequel to my favorite horror film of 2004. But SAW II managed to thrive: both the excruciating shock devices and the mind-screw elements came through at full-strength. I was tempted to give it top honors, but it IS a sequel that follows a freshly-set pattern, after all.

So what does that leave me with? I should mention that DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST never played theatrically in my neighborhood, but I caught up with it on DVD. As one of the only people in the world to have anything nice to say about the Renny Harlin rendition, I must freely confess that I would have thought much less of it had I seen DOMINION first. I still consider the story to be worth telling, but Schrader's "unreleasable" film was much more effectively cerebral than Harlin's Hollywood compromise (especially when it came to the climactic exorcism itself). But in my book, the most intelligent treatment of possession and exorcism since the original EXORCIST came in the unlikely form of a largely-unheralded (and PG-13!!!) item that popped up out of nowhere and caused a box-office sensation all its own. Giving equal weight to the religious and the scientific--without insulting either--and without ever allowing its grip on the viewer to flag, THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE pulled off what no other EXORCIST sequel or clone ever managed to do. There's an unrated DVD out there now, but the theatrical cut was enough to get the job done, and I unashamedly award it my top honor for 2005.

THE MIDDLE GROUND

BOOGEYMAN had nothing to do with Ulli Lommel, and it tried too hard to jangle the viewer with the old "nuclear explosion/fingernails on a blackboard" sonic shriek every few minutes to keep people interested in its "childhood nightmare" scenario. That said, the last half hour actually pulled off an impressively disorienting surprise, and the climax had plenty of energy (though the alternate ending on the DVD was the one they should have used in the first place). As such, I couldn't completely consign it to the scrap heap.

What did anyone honestly expect from THE RING TWO? I'm always going to remember this one for the hysterical CGI deer with the would-be-ominous facial expressions. Oh, and for the huge holes left in the ending ("Uh, ma'am? You're STILL under arrest for murder, you know..."). But there were some decently creepy scenes despite all that, and the bit with the hypodermic needle was quite daring for a scene involving a child. It's not a great sequel (and my daughter, who is RING fan numero uno, HATED it), but it didn't thwart my anticipations, either.

The long-delayed MINDHUNTERS suffered from the "don't know when to quit" syndrome (see CRY WOLF for an example of how to do it right), but Renny Harlin gave the needed energy to the string of (often surprising) gimmick murders, staged a fairly original climax, and kept the formula film watchable throughout.

HIGH TENSION lived up to its title. And then it shot itself in the ass. I need hardly explain.

I'm always going to have a soft spot for plain old, good old monster movies, but THE CAVE was nothing to get excited about. Some good visuals and one very good action/horror sequence may help some overcome the choppy, confusing editing, sketchy plot and groaner finale.

And WOLF CREEK gave us intensity, realistic acting and you-are-there authenticity in the outback, but no imaginative enhancements or distractions from a bare-bones torture/murder scenario. A 'true story' told in a very familiar and ultimately numbing hope/despair/hope/despair pattern.

THE WORST

The year got off to a very bad start with three consecutive losers (though at least one of them was a hit). WHITE NOISE wanted to play with the topic of EVP, but it couldn't make up its mind whether evil ghosts or evil people were at the heart of the mystery behind the death of Michael Keaton's wife. False flashbacks and a resolution that tries to please everybody sink this one hopelessly. And besides, Kevin Costner already did this story better (without all the post-POLTERGEIST electronic foofaraw) in DRAGONFLY.

HIDE AND SEEK gave us Robert De Niro... then again, so did GODSEND. The director of SWIMFAN was obviously trying for the latest "shock ending to end all shock endings" and so went to ridiculous lengths to cast suspicion everywhere it obviously didn't belong. "Charlie did it! Charlie did it! Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!" And even THEN the ending tried to have it both ways. Okay, so I know. But do I CARE?

One of the most amusing things I witnessed this year was the way the critics ganged up on Uwe Boll's ALONE IN THE DARK. It seemed everyone was racing to be the first to the post to proclaim Boll the new Ed Wood--or to write the most imaginatively excoriating review of this alleged video game adaptation. Okay, there's nothing about it that makes it anything resembling a "good movie," but where were all these Boll-bashers hiding when I was ripping HOUSE OF THE DEAD a new one a couple of years ago? Oh, and then Boll tries to blame the film's shortcomings exclusively on Tara Reid??? Nice try--YOU were the one who cast her as a scientist! What about the senseless story and the monster apocalypse that never happened? I'm wasting my breath--he's moved on to Ben Kingsley and will probably end up winning an Oscar someday, given his luck.

Yeah--we really, really needed a remake of THE FOG. Carpenter's original was obviously suffering from a lack of up-to-date CGI effects and demises, "hip" characters and a rockin' soundtrack. Was he out of his mind when he tried to make an old-fashioned, literally atmospheric GHOST story? Who the hell needs THAT?

But absolutely nothing could top CURSED as the film that seriously made me consider giving up being a horror fan. Thankfully, it showed up early enough in the year to give my feelings a chance to mellow. I could go on about the wisdom behind forcing a Kevin Williamson script (that obviously didn't WANT to be made anymore) through the pipe (like a brick of hard cheese through the wrong end of a colostomy bag) even to the point of practically making the damn thing TWICE. I could go on about the up-to-date Scott Baio cameo, the "coming out" subplot and the weary in-jokes, but the whole thing can be summed up with the werewolf who gives the finger (to the audience, as far as I'm concerned). Right back atcha, Kev. Please go away and don't ever, EVER come back. As for Wes Craven? NOBODY could have saved this one, and I'm glad he followed-up with RED EYE (not horror, but a very enjoyable suspense ride--and another favorite of my daughter, thanks to Cillian Murphy's villainous turn). Which reminds me...

Plenty of peripherals to note briefly. As noted, Craven gave us RED EYE. David Cronenberg gave us one of his best ever in A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (again, not "horror," but something no horror fan should pass up). THE FOG was actually one of two John Carpenter remakes this year--ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 sacrificed everything that managed to land the original in the horror reference books, but I thought it was an enjoyable siege thriller, regardless. And Jeff Burr's STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS deserves theatrical distribution NOW.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE really ought to go on the "horror" scorecard, considering what it builds up to--it's another excellent entry in the series, and one of the best condensations of a huge book I've ever encountered. As for STAR WARS EPISODE III? Not perfect, but still one of the better entries in the saga--if only its quality could have been reached for EPISODE I, eh?

BATMAN BEGINS marked a great comeback for that film franchise, even if it did rewrite the filmic history yet again. Christian Bale was excellent as the young Bruce Wayne, Liam Neeson was a fine, complex villain--and the revelation of the Scarecrow was one hell of a terrific movie moment. Beats the hell out of the comparatively superficial FANTASTIC FOUR. Oh, and speaking of Katie Holmes? Tom Cruise, whatever else he may be, is still capable of being a fine actor, and I had no problem with him in Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS--which hit many an intense note (of human on human conflict, never mind the aliens!) and made good use of the H.G. Wells story. Yes, Dakota Fanning was annoying as hell, and yes, some holes were never filled satisfactorily, but give the devil his due--there's still a compelling space invasion to be had here. If you don't believe me, watch the C. Thomas Howell video version and count your blessings!

I never did see VENOM, CHAOS, STAY, THREE... EXTREMES or the original PULSE, as they never played for me. I did see OLDBOY, of course. Not horror, but sledgehammer impact nonetheless!

And to wrap up the year, there were two very different monster epics. Peter Jackson's KING KONG was everything I thought it would be--visually splendid, emotionally powerful and imaginative as regards the relationship between Kong and his lady love, imaginatively and effectively cast (especially Jack Black as Carl Denham)--and massively overindulgent at three hours for a story that has been proven to take less than two to tell just as spectacularly. For the record, I very much DO recommend the film on the big screen. As for GODZILLA: FINAL WARS? I never got to see it on the big screen, but the American DVD is finally a reality. It's also the longest of ITS respective series. And to me, it was a fantasmagoria of absolutely everything that the Godzilla series has been over the past fifty years... from the deadly serious war/horror allegory, to the superheroics, to the goofball comedy, to the human action that mirrors the flavor of the day (MATRIX, what hast thou wrought), to the American revisioning (resolved with what is hands-down the BEST English subtitle of the year), and everything in between. It's exciting, it's funny, it's ridiculous, it's imaginative--no matter what sort of G-fan you are, it's got something just for you.

On to 2006. Looks like we're kicking off with Eli Roth's HOSTEL, an UNDERWORLD sequel, another Uwe Boll movie, and three consecutive remakes.

If I don't make it through the year, I hope you'll forgive me. But I'll try.

Remo D.
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Post by Griff [Mola] »

Here, Remo: have a glass of water.

Didn't catch too much of 2005's product myself but here goes:

The Good:

SIN CITY
HAUTE TENSION
LAND OF THE DEAD
WOLF CREEK
KISS KISS BANG BANG
THE DEVIL'S REJECTS
KING KONG

The Bad:

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR
BLADE TRINITY (basically 2005 down here)
ALONE IN THE DARK
XXX2
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Post by DylanDog »

Thanks for the recap, Remo. It always amuses me that what you consider limited viewing is about 10x what I made it out to see. But I've already been to the theatre once this year, and have Hostel in mind for this weekend and a last showing of A History Of Violence on Monday.
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Post by Latte Thunder »

It's taken some time for me to put my thoughts together for this thread, but I've been pretty distracted with my XBox 360. I haven't even watched any movies this year so far, but tomorrow I'm kicking it off with Sympathy For Lady Vengeance (by Chan Wook Park, a movie I've been hotly anticipating) and 800 Bullets. Anyway, I feel like I didn't get out much to see anything contemporary or relvant to the genre so I'll just recap the stuff I saw that I liked.

High Tension scored big with me this year. I know, the ending was completely ridiculous and for a lot of people, it ruined the entire movie. However, the ending isn't always the star of the show. Sometimes it's all about how you get there and along the way, High Tension was pretty intense. The title was definitely appropriate. As much as I liked it, though, I have to admit that I'm getting really tired of tribute flicks. Everyone making horror movies these days can't help but wear their influences on their sleeve and while that may have worked for Tarantino at one time, it gets old.

Night Watch hasn't really hit the Region 1 scene yet and seems to have been pushed back again theatrically. I bagged an import and loved it. I'm chalking it up to a bad translation and the fact that it's adapted from a Russian novel, but the story doesn't make any god damn sense. You get the feeling that there's a lot more to the story that they just aren't telling you. However, it's that open, dangling loose end that leaves a lot up to interpretation and the imaginative materials you're given to work with are fun. The special effects are fantastic for a movie made on the Russian equivalent of $15million US. When it hits American theaters, at least give it a matinee. I guess they've tricked out the subtitles for the American release with some odd text effects.

Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior isn't a horror movie, but I can't help but talk about it. Not only was I introduced to the full throttle world of Thai action, but I also saw Tony Jaa for the first time. With the appropriate exposure on the international scene, Tony could be as big as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. He's just that entertaining. The movie is about as simple as they come and is very little more than an excuse to drape fight scenes around. Those fight scenes and stunts are some of the most amazing I've ever seen. There's no budget to speak of, so no wires and no CGI, that little guy is doing all that amazing stunt work by himself.

I technically saw Old Boy in 2004 but I caught it over the summer theatrically, so I have to speak on it again. Amazing. Most of my all time favorite movies have been my favorites for a very long time but Old Boy immediately made that list. It's a great big mindfuck with an outstanding story and a great cast. What an ending!

I read a great deal of hype about Malevolence. That it was a new twist on the old masked slasher movie but it was really a great big piece of crap. There was really nothing to like about it at all and when the victims fell, I was glad.

Another Thai action movie that I loved was Born To Fight. Tony Jaa wasn't a particularly charismatic actor and his entire appeal floats on his ability to throw his body around in magnificent fashion. Born To Fight's star, Dan Chupong isn't much more than Tony Jaa, but it's the god damn stunts that are the star of the show. These were some seriously amazing stunts. This one was louder, bigger and faster than Ong Bak. 90 of the most entertaining minutes I've spent with a movie in a long time.

The Amityville Horror was exactly what I thought it would be. I had no expectations and even wound up a little chilled by the dog barking in the boat house. I couldn't quite figure out where the 'based on a true story' angle worked in since they didn't seem to give a shit about the actual DiFeo murders or the Lutz's account of the haunting at all. Weird.

Batman Begins doesn't really qualify in this forum, but it was one of my favorites of the year and one of my favorite of the recent comic book movies. I liked it even more than I liked Spiderman 2 which was the winner of 2004 for me. This was Frank Miller's Batman, the best kind. You could take it seriously, Christian Bale was the perfect Bruce Wayne and I couldn't have asked for more out of Liam Neeson. Oh! And Cillian Murphy wins as one creepy as hell Scarecrow. Great halucination scenes, too.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about how I felt about Land of the Dead and I think I can finally say that I was a little underwhelmed. I guess it was a rushed shoot and you could see it. I didn't not like it but it wasn't a movie I felt compelled to watch again. I suppose I'll eventually give it further review on DVD and I hope that it gets better with future viewings but I just wasn't completely into it. The social metaphor was so strong that I found myself continually pulled out of the action to analyze the symbolism of character x. Some of the blood spatter effects also bothered me. While Romero maintains that they stuck to mostly practical gore effects, a lot of the bullet hits looked CGI.

Boogeyman. What the hell was that movie about? There was nothing to like about it, but what can you expect? It really wasn't intended for a horror fan like me.

Godzilla: Final Wars took forever to get rolling and had a ton of ridiculous action scenes in it, but I was entirely entertained. When G does finally rear his head, it's a marathon of kaiju ass kicking. He makes short work of many recognizable faces and roasts the shit out of the American Godzilla. Also, the villain, an actor I can't name right now (also in Versus and Azumi) makes a great bad guy.

One of the best action movies I've seen in at least ten years was Banlieu 13. I am hoping that it gets around to Region 1 DVD so I can stock it at the store I work at and start discussing it with more people. This is a winner of the highest order. Like Born To Fight, there's not much of a story and what little there is is all shamelessly stolen from Precinct 13 and Escape From New York. However, it approaches the action from an entirely different direction. There's plenty of martial arts but this is the first time I've ever seen parkour integrated into the action. Amazing. Seriously. You have got to find this movie!

The Aristocrats slipped under the radar and I understand why, but I laughed my ass off. How anyone could take a really dumb joke and tell it over and over for a couple of hours is beyond me but it was funny as hell.

I fell asleep at The Corpse Bride. That should tell you how I felt about it.

Dead & Breakfast was passable. Funny, but nothing to write home about. If anything, see it just for the Randall Keith Randall bits. The musical portion and the dancing zombies was central.

I really liked Wolf Creek. I don't care what anyone says. I couldn't understand a word anyone said and the first two thirds of the movie took forever but the third act was heavy. Not as heavy as the hype would imply, but surprisingly nasty.

The top three of the year, though, were The Devil's Rejects, Sin City and Serenity.

Serenity. Absolutely fucking incredible. I was a fan of the show Firefly and this movie was a nice way to end the story that the show started. Great special effects, terrific characters, I couldn't ask for more.

I love the Sin City comics. All of them. I was leery about this project when I first heard about it but I was amazed. If only they could be this faithful to Alan Moore comics. The opening of the Yellow Bastard had me worried with the awful acting but it more than made up for it. And black and white or not, that was enough sustained violence to easily rake in an NC-17 rating. Someone had their balls torn off. TORN OFF!! On camera! How do you get away with that? Very exciting stuff. I was thrilled.

The Devil's Rejects was everything that House of 1000 Corpses should have been. It's definitely guilty of the references on its sleeve comment I made earlier, but of all of those movies, this one landed closest to the general tone that it was going for. It really did come off like some of the indie horror of the 70's. Very nasty. Very, very nasty.
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Post by DylanDog »

I don't know, man, Old Boy just did nothing for me, but it seems I'm the only one. In fact, the other day I got an email with 270 some odd new movies from 2005 as ranked by Dan Waters (writer of Heathers) and he had it as the 2nd best movie of the year!

Funny you should mention Alan Moore though. I had totally forgotten that V For Vendetta was supposed to be out in November, but I guess now they are saying March 17th. Here's hoping they don't fuck it up.
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Post by jga5000 »

History of Violence for me was the best film of 2005.
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Post by Kimberly »

For me, worst movie of the year had to of been Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.

Ong-Bak rocked my world, as did Tom Yum Goong... Tony Jaa is no fucking joke!! While I know that I said in my inital review that I wasn't impressed with Born to Fight, that came across wrong... what I should of said was that it didn't impress me as much as Ong-Bak did. Sure some of it was bad ass, and yes the guy's head being like a nano-meter from being crushed under the truck was unreal... but something about Ong-Bak just made it far more impressive in my eyes...

One of my highlights of the year was discovering the genius that are the Trailer Park Boys... if you haven't watched them yet, you seriously are missing out on some of the funniest shit I have ever seen...
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Post by Darth Tanner »

Better late than ever. Yeah I know I've been gone too long, but now I'm ready to return among the living. I didn't really see a whole lot this year. For the most part though most of what I saw was pretty decent. Here is my rundown.

THE BEST:

STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH - I'm with the general concensus on this one. Definitely the best of the prequels (with Hayden Christensen's unconvincing performance being the only downside). Hats off to George Lucas for finally making a dark movie for the adults. As much as I liked it, I would have to say my pick for best of the year is....

KING KONG (2005) - This one definitely lived up to expectations. A good updating of the original film with impressive effects and great performances. Peter Jackson did a terrific job pulling this off and adding some nice backstory while being faithful to the original. Even with the long length, I had no bone to pick with this one (and I'm glad Jackson included the "spider pit" sequence this time around). This one definitely gets my pick for best film of 2005.

BATMAN BEGINS - Another surprise here. After the last two disappointing Batman films, Warner has redeemed the franchise. Christian Bale is the best Batman/Bruce Wayne since Michael Keaton. I'm hoping any future installments are as good as this one was.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY - Fantastic remake that I found more enjoyable than the original (and more faithful to the novel). Tim Burton put his own unique spin on the tale and Johnny Depp's performance as Wonka is definitely high-caliber.

HOUSE OF WAX - Never saw the original, but this was a nice offering from Dark Castle. Not as good as their remake of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, but I'll still take it over TH13TEEN GHOSTS anyday.

OUTSIDERS: THE COMPLETE NOVEL - Saw this on DVD, but since it did have a very limited theatrical release in 2005 I'm including it anyway. Francis Ford Coppola revisited the film and put together the version fans have been wanting to see for years. About time too, because this director's cut is a huge improvement over the original release. Fans of the film should definitely see this new version if they haven't already done so.

HERBIE: FULLY LOADED - Great Disney fun with a terrific cast. It's only G-rated but you couldn't ask for a better family film to see with the youngins. Silly fun all the way, but I had a great time with this one.

RED EYE - Wes Craven may never return to his 70's style of filmmaking, but this one was definitely well directed and featured a terrific performance by Cillian Murphy. Never saw CURSED, but something tells me I can skip it and not miss a thing.

ROBOTS - Not the best animated film I've seen, but still good harmless fun for those who like that sort of thing.

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) - Wasn't expecting to like this one, but Spielberg surprised me again. Nowhere near as good as KING KONG or ROTS, but a fantastic thrill ride nonetheless.

SAW 2 - One of the better horror offerings this year and IMO better than the first one.

LAND OF THE DEAD - Wisely waited to see the unrated version on DVD. After waiting 20 years for Romero to make another DEAD film, I just have to say the wait paid off. Even if it is the weakest entry in the series, it still paid off nicely.

MIDDLE GROUND:

ELEKTRA - Didn't hate this one as much as everybody else did, but it wasn't high art either. Even with all it's faults, DAREDEVIL was a much better movie and didn't exactly need this spinoff. But I thought it was passable nonetheless.

THE ISLAND - Same deal here, not bad but not great either. Only some good action scenes, a few nice twists, and a decent performance by Ewan McGregor make this one worthwhile.

FANTASTIC FOUR - IMO this was nothing more than a tenth-rate X-MEN knockoff. I really wanted to like this one and did for the most part. But in the end I find myself wishing it was more.

DUKES OF HAZZARD - Pure mindless fun. Yes it was as stupid as everybody said but I think that was the point. Enter with that mindset and this turns out to be quite enjoyable.


THE WORST:

THE FOG - My pick for worst movie of 2005. There was no need for a remake of one of my all-time favorites and this only proved me right. The original is in my collection and can be revisited anytime, but I'll pretend that this one never existed. Terrible story, no suspense and bad acting all the way. I can't believe John Carpenter and Debra Hill actually produced this wreck. Really left a bad taste in my mouth for days afterward.


So there you go, my wrapup for 2005. I just hope 2006 is a good year.
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