MOVIES OF 2005

SITE EDIT, 12/10/07 - This entry is from former site contributor, "justaguy", whose author title isn't recreated on these republished posts of his after the site was upgraded to the use of MT 4.0 (his work was successfully reimported and republished but his User Account was not, and, thus, this manual edit to identify the contributions on this blog by "justaguy".
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It's amazing how quickly this year has passed. I hope this coming year will have a better crop of films.

Here are some films to keep an eye out for...

(In no particular order...)

**WARNING MINOR SPOILERS**

1. Constantine

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, and Djimon Hounsou.
Director: Francis Lawrence

Synopsis: Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer and written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello, Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), who has literally been to hell and back. When Constantine teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister (also played by Weisz), their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldy events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost.

2. Batman Begins

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman.
Director: Christopher Nolan

Synopsis: A new restart of the "Batman" franchise under the helm of "Memento" Director Chris Nolan and more in tone with the early "Batman: Year One" style comics. As a boy a young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his millionaire parents were slain in front of his eyes, a trauma which led him to become obsessed with revenge but his chance is cruelly taken away from him by fate. After disappearing to the East where he seeks counsel with the dangerous but honorable ninja cult leader known as Ra's Al-Ghul, he returns to his now decaying Gotham City overrun by organised crime and dangerous individuals manipulating the system whilst the company he inherited is slowly being pulled out from under him. The discovery of a cave under his mansion, and a prototype armoured suit leads him to take on a new persona, one which will strike fear into the hearts of men who do wrong - he becomes, Batman. In the new guise, and with the help of rising cop Jim Gordon, Batman sets out to take down the various nefarious schemes in motion by individuals such as mafia don Falcone, the twisted doctor/drug dealer Jonathan 'The Scarecrow' Crane, and a mysterious third party that is quite familiar with Wayne and waiting to strike when the time is right.

3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Freddie Highmore.
Director: Tim Burton

Synopsis: Charlie Bucket comes from a poor family, and spends most of his time dreaming about the chocolate that he loves but usually can't afford. Things change when Willy Wonka, head of the very popular Wonka Chocolate empire, announces a contest in which five gold tickets have been hidden in chocolate bars and sent throughout the country. The kids who find the tickets will be taken on a tour of Wonka's chocolate factory and get a special glimpse of the wonders within. Charlie miraculously finds a ticket, along with four other children much naughtier than him. The tour of the factory will hold more than a few surprises for this bunch...

4. The New World

Starring: Christian Bale, Colin Farrell, and Christopher Plummer.
Director: Terrence Malick

Synopsis: "The New World" is an epic adventure set amid the encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown Settlement in 1607. Inspired by the legend of John Smith (Farrell) and Pocahontas, acclaimed filmmaker Terrence Malick transforms this classic story into a sweeping exploration of love, loss and discovery, both a celebration and an elegy of the America that was and the America that was yet to come. Against a historically accurate Virginia backdrop, Malick has set a dramatized tale of two strong-willed characters-a passionate and noble young native woman and an ambitious soldier of fortune-torn between the undeniable requirements of their civic duty and the inescapable demands of the human heart.

5. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint.
Director: Mike Newell

Synopsis: Adaptation of the fourth book in J.K. Rowling's popular children's novels about Harry Potter, a boy who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal, even by wizarding standards.

6. All the King's Men

Starring: Jude Law, Sean Penn, Anthony Hopkins, and Kate Winslet.
Director: Steven Zaillian

Synopsis: The story of Willie Stark, a southern-fried politician who builds support by appealing to the common man and playing dirty politics with the best of the back-room deal-makers. Though Stark quickly sheds his idealism, his right-hand man, Jack Burden -- who narrates the story -- retains it and proves to be a thorn in the new governor's side. Stark becomes a successful leader, but at a very high price. The story is said to be a loosely fictionalized account of Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, one of the nation's most astounding politicians.

7. Syriana

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Chris Cooper.
Director: Stephen Gaghan

Synopsis: Based on the book, "See No Evil." From Amazon.com -- (Preface) This book is a memoir of one foot soldier's career in the other cold war, the one against terrorist networks. It's a story about places most Americans will never travel to, about people many Americans would prefer to think we don't need to do business with.

This memoir, I hope, will show the reader how spying is supposed to work, where the CIA lost its way, and how we can bring it back again. But I hope this book will accomplish one more purpose as well: I hope it will show why I am angry about what happened to the CIA. And I want to show why every American and everyone who cares about the preservation of this country should be angry and alarmed, too.

The CIA was systematically destroyed by political correctness, by petty Beltway wars, by careerism, and much more. At a time when terrorist threats were compounding globally, the agency that should have been monitoring them was being scrubbed clean instead. Americans were making too much money to bother. Life was good. The White House and the National Security Council became cathedrals of commerce where the interests of big business outweighed the interests of protecting American citizens at home and abroad. Defanged and dispirited, the CIA went along for the ride. And then on September 11, 2001, the reckoning for such vast carelessness was presented for all the world to see.

8. The Great Raid

Starring: James Franco, Joseph Fiennes, and Benjamin Bratt.
Director: John Dahl

Synopsis: Set in the Philippines in 1945, "The Great Raid" tells the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci (Bratt) who undertake a daring rescue mission against all odds. Traveling thirty miles behind enemy lines, the 6th Ranger Battalion aims to liberate over 500 American prisoners-of-war from the notorious Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp in the most audacious rescue ever.

9. Proof

Starring: Jake Gyllenhall, Anthony Hopkins, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Director: John Madden

Synopsis: Proof was originally a play by David Auburn which won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play.

It concerns the daughter of a recently-deceased professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago and her struggle with mathematical genius and mental illness. The daughter had cared for her father through a lengthy mental illness; upon his death, a paradigm-shifting proof was found in his office. The title refers both to that proof and to the play's central question: Can the daughter prove the proof's authorship? Along with proving the proof, the daughter also finds herself in a relationship with an ex-student of her father, 28 year old Hal.

10. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich, and Martin Freeman.
Director: Garth Jennings

Synopsis: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" revolves around central character Arthur Dent (Freeman), who is rescued from the Earth by alien "Ford Prefect" when the world as we know it is destroyed to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. Mos Def plays Ford Prefect, an undercover alien who sets off on an intergalactic journey with his best friend and the film's protagonist, earthling Arthur Dent. The duo hitch a ride through space -- with the two-headed ex-hippie Zaphod (Rockwell); his girlfriend, the beautiful scientist Trillion (Deschanel); and a robot -- to discover the meaning of life. Malkovich will play a religious cult leader called Humma Kavula. Based on the first book in Douglas Adams' sci-fi comedy epic five-novel series.

11. The Cinderella Man

Starring: Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger.
Director: Ron Howard

Synopsis: Russell Crowe stars in the story inspired by the life of legendary athlete Jim Braddock, a once-promising light heavyweight boxer forced into retirement after a string of losses in the ring. As the nation enters the darkest years of the Great Depression, Braddock accepts a string of dead-end jobs to support his wife, Mae (Zellweger), and their children, while never totally abandoning his dream of boxing again. Thanks to a last minute cancellation, Braddock finds himself back in the ring against the second-ranked world contender--and to everyone's amazement, Braddock wins in the third round. Despite being pounds lighter than his opponents and repeated injuries to his hands, Braddock continues to fight against challengers and win. Carrying on his shoulders the hopes and dreams of the disenfranchised masses, Braddock, dubbed the "Cinderella Man," faces his toughest challenger in Max Baer (Bierko), the heavyweight champion of the world, renowned for having killed two men in the ring.

12. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, and Ewan McGregor.
Director: George Lucas

Synopsis: The third and final installment in the Star Wars prequel saga. After three long years of relentless fighting, the Clone Wars are nearly at an end. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi to bring General Grievous, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker, he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side. When fate and power play their final hand, old friends will become bitter enemies and Anakin will finally fulfil his darkest destiny.

13. Valiant

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Sir Ben Kingsley, and John Hurt.
Director: Gary Chapman

Synopsis: During World War II, England communicated with the French Resistance and Allied troops in Europe using the Royal Pigeon Service, using carrier pigeons that went through a rigorous training regimen. This is the story of Valiant, a comically clumsy misfit of a (wood) pigeon who sneaks his way into the Royal Pigeon Service, eager to contribute his efforts to the needs of his country, even though he is vastly unqualified to do so. Immediately given an assignment, Valiant's job turns out to be one of the most important of the war... carrying essential messages from the French to the Allied forces who are about to storm the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

Additional sources:

Wikipedia
Dark Horizons
IMDB

-justaguy